II B R.AR.Y
OF THE
UN IVER.5ITY
OF ILLINOIS
366.1
I461W
v.2
Illinois HiSiDaicAL smsa
ULIN018 HISTORICAL
COMPENDIUM
OF
FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
EMBRACING^
A review of "he Introduction, Development and Present Condition of all rites
and degrees; together with Biographical Sketches of
distinguished members of the Fraternity.
EDITED BY
GEORGE W. WARVELLE.
VOL. II.
CHICAGO:
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY.
1897.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Abbott, T. J 202
Abbott, Wm. T 477
Abel, Jonathan 201
Abell, E. J 7
Ackemann, H. F. H 113
Adams, A. J 213
Adams, J. M 634
Adcock, A. W 213
Aiken, Wm. J 663
Albert, Stephen 608
Albright, L. W 232
Alexander, Wm. A 649
Allen, R. S 248
Ambler, F. W 283
Amsden, Geo. W 736
Andersen, A. J 706
Anderson, J.H 310
Anthony, Frank 323
Arnold, D. A 338
Arnold, Wm 346
Arthur, James 348
Arthur, John 391
Ashley, E. M 800
Atherton, A. C 691
Atwell.J. W 741
Austin, C. E 364
Austin, Chas. S 484
Avery, Samuel J 685
Ayers, Samuel ... - 584
B
Babcock, H. A 534
Bacon, M. W 19
Baker, C. E 205
Baker, J. M 597
Baldwin, T. S 567
Baldwin, S. Y 567
Barber, James E 693
Barmore, N. L 225
Barnes, Wm. G 737
Barney, F. N 650
Barrett, Geo. J 545
Bartholomew, E. S 189
Bassett & Bassett 93
Bast, Elmer E 232
Batchelder, J. M 240
Batschy, John 249
Bauman, G. A 251
Baume, James S 758
Bay, George P 443
Beaumont, James 730
Beckwith, t. W 44
Beebe, Geo. H 748
Bell, J. Johnston 748
Bench, J. C 257
Bennett, James 259
Benson, E. L 284
Benson, Paul J 293
Bent, Thomas B. 790
Bent, Thomas J 704
Bentley, A. L 707
Bentley.H.D 320
Bergquist, Benj 339
Bergstresser, W. H 62
Besore, Chas. A 639
Besore, George. 570
Best, Henry 539
Best, Wm. 3 378
Billings, Geo. W 393
Billow, E. E 713
Birk, W. A 728
Bishop, C. A 77
Bishop, Seth Scott 502
Bixby, A. S 553
Black, Wm. J 643
Blanding, V. M 8
Blass, J. H 749
Blish, M. B 63
Boldenweck, Wm 572
Bond, L. L 51
Borneman, H. F 758
Bort, Frank B 629
Bottenberg, T. E 463
Bowen, L. W 593
Bowley, H. F 403
Bowman, J. R 411
Boyd, John S 675
Bradley, Wm. O'R 84
Bradwell, J. B 14
Braumoeller, H. M 686
Braun, R. P 530
Brittain, J. J 460
Broberg, G. C 504
Brookfield, L. E 413
Brown, C. B 425
Brown, Constant 678
Brown, O. G 761
Brown, W. C 728
Brown, Warren M 505
Brown, Wm. F 491
Browning, Wm. F 416
Brumback, A. H 435
Brumback, T. B 439
Bryant, F. L 797
Buckingham, E 580
Budd, Wm. O 509
Buell, Frank W 597
Buerkin, Joseph 148
Buhoup, H. C 165
Burkhart, Chas 712
Burkhart, Ed F 167
Burt, Edmund 371
Burton, J. E 671
Burn, Joseph B 588
Buske, M. F 184
Bye, Cornelius 767
Byers, George C 376
Calder, J.A 195
Camm, E. 1 202
Campbell, F.W 25
Campbell, J.L 501
Campbell, L. W 669
Canfield.J. B 582
Carl, James 212
Carlock, W. B 577
Carr, James 738
Carr.M. S 767
Carson, J.H 214
Carter, F. St. L 230
Castle, C. H 231
Castleman, C. E 754
Gate, Wm. M 666
Catlin, Charles 710
Catto.Wm. M 599
Chambers, George 742
Chandler, C.C 678
Chandler, H.B 255
Charlton, C. R 26
101 1579
IV
INDEX.
Chick, Thomas 283
Christie, R. J. Jr 795
Clark, Anson L 71
Clark, Emerson 711
Clark, S. A 523
Clark, W. W 792
Clarke, R. D 300
Clavereigne, F. E . 425
Claypool.H.C 466
Cleaveland, H. C 88
Cleaveland, H. H 302
Clefford, A.B 453
Clendenin, Wm 296
Clifton, Arthur L 539
Clithero, J. B 473
Clizbe, W. J 698
Coffin, G. B 313
Cole, Marcus W 191
Coleman, John 384
Colley, Fred G 643
Collins, L.C.Jr 675
Comstock, H. F 394
Cook.G. D 640
Cooke.A. S 598
Coppel, F. M 770
Cornell, W. H 697
Cory, Vincent P 495
Cram, F. W 365
Crane, A. M 460
Crawford, J. A 803
Crawford, Lewis G 735
Crawford, M. S 27
Crear.William 426
Crego, David R 29
Crilly, William M 426
Cristy, W.A 796
Cronau, Julius 436
Cronkrite, E. L 438
Cronkrite, William N 445
Crooks, Smyth 126
Cross, E. J 620
Crubaugh, John 168
Cudney, W. E 724
Cunningham, T. C 519
Curtiss, G. R 5
Curtiss, G. W 79
Cutting, C. S 674
D
Dallenbach, J. J. . . 767
Daly.R. J 473
Dana, EzraO 203
Danne, Emile 727
Darrow, F. E 211
Davidson, J. M 757
Davis, C. C 618
Davis, George W 774
Davis, Wilson H 750
Dawson, George 778
Deal, James 246
Dean, D. H 47
Decker, Judd 269
Deeves, G. H 641
Delhauer, J. B 278
Demaree, Albert 282
Demming, Charles R 771
Dempster, Thomas 552
Devore, A. A 804
Dickson.W. F 399
Dill, J. H. C 574
Dixon, F. H 437
Dixon, G. W 757
Dixon, T. J 759
Dodge, Orris B 445
Dodge, S. S 294
Don, William 302
Dool, Edward 341
Dorn, Charlie P 433
Dostal, J. W 355
Douaire, George F 360
Dougall, William 359
Dougherty, H. D 228
Downing, F. E 383
Dresbach, T. E 392
Driver, A. J 694
DuNah, Geo. W 544
Dunkle, D. D 687
Dutton, A. G 729
Dyas, Joseph E 598
Eager, A. M 740
Eberle, Wm. H 520
Eddy, Albert M 133
Eddy, George Day 123
Egler, Ernest E 206
Eichenberg, Reinhold 742
Eichholtz, Daniel 210
Elder, Joseph 228
Eldndge, D. M 259
Elliott, Jay E 150
Ellis, Edward D 463
Ellsworth, U. S 627
Elwell, E. H 537
Elwood.J. G 592
Enos, Zimri A 52
Erfert, John 169
Ertel, C. M '. 185
Esaley.John H 679
Evans, Charles W 490
Evans, J. E 756
Eveleth, S. H 474
Everett, J. M 377
Fahnestock, A. L.
Fansler, Thos. L. .
Faragher, R. S . . .
Fager, H. A
Faulkner, L. W.
632
219
781
193
604
Fehn, Oscar E 543
Ferguson, V. S 244
Fisher, Archibald 551
Fisher, Charles 633
Forbes, D. John 324
Forbes, George R 391
Ford & Peck 80
Ford, Shelley B 612
Forsyth, Wm. K 82
Fox, J. Mason 401
Fox, J. P 125
Frary, O. D 471
Free, Wm. C 154
French, S. A 557
Frisbie, N.W 170
Fulks, F.M 377
Gardner, E. A 744
Gardner, R. A 124
Garretson, P. H 791
Gaunt, Sylvester 226
Gehrke, Emil 4g9
Geist, John W 605
Gibler, J. H 243
Gibons, R. R 64
Gilbert, C. J 372
Gilbert, E. B 78
Gilbert, F. E 795
Gilbert, J. H 119
Gilbert, Z. L 46
Clancy, E. J 82
Gleason, William H 712
Glennie, Albert E 87
Goddard, Leroy A il 1
Godel, Frank G 340
Godley, Frank 648
Goetz, Henry 787
Good, Elmer S. 630
Goodman, David 145
Goodsell, B. W 348
Goodwin, F. W 692
Gordon, C. D 600
Gorman, William H 677
Graham, George W 354
Graham, J. S 355
Graham, W. H 695
Grannis, Amos 53
Grant, William W 112
Green, H. H 16
Griffith, C. B 421
Griffith, R. C 421
Griffith, William H 118
Griggs, Clarence 127
Gross, George M 155
Grout, Joseph M 548
Grove, C. E 187
Grove, William A 117
Gund, Frederick 33
Gunderson, S. T 173
Gutgesell, John, Jr 750
Guthrie, John C 497
Guthrie, Noah H 83
H
Haack, Lewis R 768
Hadley, Abel G 116
Hadley, Weymouth 116
Halderman, N. H 356
Haley, B. A....; 753
Hall, W. D 696
Hallenbeck, J. C 513
Hamilton, E. B 55
Hamilton, John B 41
Hammel.L.J 584
Hammond, Charles H 212
Hammond, Peter 773
Hampton, Benjamin 193
Hance, F. W 61
INDEX.
Hancock, W. S Ill
Handlin, William 652
Handrup, F. F 483
Hanke, H. F 229
Hanna, William 247
Harney, P. E 778
Harper, R. C 644
Harrington, R 110
Harris, James P 760
Harris, Squire Rush 449
Hart, A. Vernon 251
Hartman, E. F. L 23
Hartman, Jacob 35
Hartwell, E. J 35
Harvey, Don S 48
Hawley, James A 37
Helmle, C. A 563
Helmle, E. H 563
Henderson, Alex 279
Henderson, H. B 529
Henderson, H. M 254
Henderson, T. J 108
Henn, Arnold 102
Henney. J. W 106
Henry, J. A 762
Henthorne, G. F 478
Herrick, Chas. K 10
Herrick, R. Z 279
Hershey, Frank 530
Heschong, J. F 547
Hewitt, T. D.
Hibbard, H. N...
Hicks, Thomas..
Higby, W. H....
Hill, F. J
295
95
303
689
754
790
Hill, James T
Hillinger, R. J
Hills, F. E 591
Hitchcock, C. F 481
Hitt, Daniel F 105
Hoag, Wm. J 610
Hoagland, H. H 630
Hoberg, F. E 572
Hoblit, James T 99
Hodgkins, J 304
Hoelscher, J. H 594
Hofenrichter, L 320
Hoffman, J. R 4
Hogg, David 322
Holland, S. C 470
Hollinger, I. V 384
Holman, E. E 654
Hopper, Geo. B 677
Horrie, Chas. R 732
Hosbury, John 475
Hosteller, J. C 493
Hotaling, G. W 407
Hough, G. R 611
Hough, J. W 18
Hovnanian, G. H 273
Howard, D 782
Howard, L. 0 560
Hoy, L. T 569
Hubbard.A.A 409
Hubert, J. Frank 658
Hueffner, H. A 580
Huehl, Harris W 422
Huffman, Wm. H 743
Hughson, M. B 125
Huling, A. H 136
Humbert, R. C 149
Hummel, Ernst 124
Hunter, Hugh D 696
Hunter, J. M 178
Hutchinson, H. C 186
Hutchinson, J. M 650
Hyler, Benj. B 375
I
Ickes, Wm. 1 198
Ilg, Joseph E 233
lllingworth, G. M 256
Ingram, J. S 623
Ireland, L. E 527
Irvine, George L 268
Irwin, Wm.T 482
J
Jackson, A. G 571
Jackson, Wm. J 582
Jarrett, James 276
Jenkins, J. B 726
Jenkins, Wm 763
Jenkinson, F. E 306
enks, F. M 769
ewett, E. A 489
oesting, F. W 690
ohnson, C. A 651
ohnson, G. W 336
ohnson, Milton 504
ohnston, Wm. M 91
ohnstone, Thos. W 749
Jones, Dayton E 617
Jones, Edwin F 726
Julian, E. W 689
Julien, Wm. N 673
K
Kaercher, P. J 468
Kaufman, A 258
Keating, A. J 631
Keats, James 396
Kellogg, H.H 798
Kelsey, C. E .' 301
KerrJ.H 340
Kimbell, Martin N 472
King, Charles W 706
Kirk, Edward, Jr 69
Kitchen, C. A 73
Knowles, F. J 431
Konantz, Wm. H 450
Kors, H. F 129
Knudson, Larry 514
Kopf, Charles W 470
Kopf, Joseph 26
Kreider, Geo. X 652
Krueger, C. G 606
Kuehner, Robert D 140
Kuntz, Frederick 177
Ladd, Charles K 766
Lafferty, John H 245
Lager, Carl
Lamb, Wm. H
Lame, Chas. E
Lame, Chas. R
Lamkin, J. B
Lamont, B. D
Lanning, Isaac
Lantau, Karl A
Larash, W. I
Latham, Robert B..
Lawrance, R. N
Lawrence, T. E. . . .
Learned, F. E
Leas, J. S.
188
768
590
589
622
286
653
523
340
496
563
346
627
349
Lee, Maskel 15
Lee, Richard H 381
Leitch, Henry 398
Leiter, Wm. M 647
Leith, A. B 434
Leonard, R. L 801
Lester, Charles 511
Lewis, Wm. H 488
Linbarger, J. K 702
Linden, F. C 786
Lindley, A. M 768
Lindley, H. W 475
Lingo, John 801
Lins, J. L 764
Loehde, William H 606
Lomax, George 153
Lomax, R. D 484
Loomis, E. E 87
Loop.C. B 156
Lorenz, Geo. W 534
Lott, E. C 491
Lott, E. L 506
Love, R. A 180
Low, W. W 739
Lutz, A. D 465
M
Maas, Philip 196
Macfall, Thomas W 197
MacMillan, Hugh 308
MacNab, W. B 779
Magill, Wm. C 58
Maguire, J. R 587
Main, Wm. B 458
Mann, R. H 215
Mansure, E. L 549
Marling, Franklin 527
Marsh, Edward H 100
Martin, Henry J ..761
Martin, J. D 777
Mason, Hugh 534
Mastin, Jethro 429
Matson, C. R 92
Maxwell, J. W 704
McAlpine, W. J 684
McBean, James G 44
McConochie, Wm 265
McCracken, George 640
McCune, Wm. A 679
McDonald, H. W 260
McFall, B. B 267
McFall.T.W 776
McFatrich, J. B 789
VI
INDEX.
McFerson, Grant 337
McGrath, J. M 60
McGuire, R. L 642
McHenry, M. E 267
Mcllvaine, T. M 62
McLachlan, Alex 487
McLaren, John 292
McLaren, John G 735
McLaughlin, A. W 798
McLaughlin, E. F 719
McLean, Alex 467
McLester, G. W 707
McMahan, J. P 361
McMunn, S. W 324
McNaughton, Coll 23
McPherran, J. E 327
Miller, Thos. E 143
Miller, VVm. H 642
Milligan.W. L 1
Milne, Geo. B 671
Milner, Geo. E 691
Milnor, J. K 498
Misch, A. T 6
Moffat, E. R 610
Mohlmann, Wm. G 404
Mohr, Albert 731
Mohr, Joseph 731
Monk, Chas. A 769
Moncur, G. A 412
Montgomery, E. W . . 784
Montgomery, H. H 765
Moon.O. W 12
Moore, C. E 628
Moore, D. G 683
Moore, J. B 495
Moore, S. S 639
Moore, Wm. H 427
Morey, Arthur G 708
Morey, L. B 456
Morford.T.T 135
Morgan, Geo.B 137
Morgan, Wm. R 637
Morris, C. W 468
Morrison, L. L 139
Morrow, C. B 565
Morrow, J. P 457
Morton, Chas. E 464
Moses, Chas. A 671
Mueller, Carl 632
Mueller, G. A 147
Munn.E. J 176
Munn, L. L 59
Murphy, Robert W 179
Muth, Christian 733
Myers, J. D 173
Myers, Wm. H 374
N
Nash, John K 638
Nash, W. A 190
Naylor, J. E 772
Nell, W. B 224
Xelles, J. M 249
Nelson, John F 276
Neumeister, Anton 311
Newell, F. B 312
Newkirk, M. C 755
Newton, J. B 715
Nichols, G. H 519
Noble, W. L 727
Norling, A. W 386
Norling, P. 0 385
O
Oaks, J. F 402
O'Connor, R. E 476
Odell, Wm. M 400
Olmsted, A. G 472
Olmsted.C. E 459
Onderdonk, J. L 379
Oppenheim, A 361
Osborn, E. H 419
Osterman, H 570
Otway, James E 32
Owens, Alex 432
Owens, J. H 715
Parker, F. D 730
Parker, R. E 804
Parkinson, J. B 216
Parks, H. H 195
Patch, Benj. L 220
Patten, E. S 722
Pattison, Douglas 264
Paul, Chas. E 266
Pennington, L. E 207
Perrin, Geo. H 284
Pershing, James F 308
Petrie, John 740
Petrie, Philip 756
Pettit, Wm. B 367
Pickard, A. T 553
Piel, William' 327
Pollock, James 703
Pond, Wm. L 291
Port, Edward R 32
Post, Herbert U 428
Powell, H. B 722
Powell, M. W 454
Preble, Glen wood 799
Pratt, Henry 146
Price, James 160
Pringle, J. L 493
Puffer, Frank M 373
Pursley, T. J 343
R
Raecke, W 465
Ralston, James 745
Ramsey, J. H 74
Randall, Eugene 780
Randall, T. D 389
Rando, J. W 593
Rankin, C. S 660
Ream, Norman B 65
Reber, T. D 774
Redtield, G. E 672
Reichardt, C 651
Reichardt, R 234
Reichert, Charles T 222
Reid, William H 469
Reinhardt, A.G 16
Reininger, E. E 613
Remington, Wm. A 234
Renner, William H. A 264
Rhineberger, William H 270
Rhodes, J. B 288
Rhodes, T. B 290
Rice, A. A 328
Richards, John T 382
Richardson, J. E 687
Richardson, R. E 395
Richmond, F. E 466
Ricker, N. C 603
Riedle, Frank 558
Riegel, Charles 529
Rieke, August 620
Riggle, M. F 546
Rix, George K 607
Roach, William L 705
Robbins, Burr 237
Robbins, Joseph 344
Robinson, F. T 227
Robinson, Henson 566
Robinson, J. R 31
Robinson, T. J 417
Rogers, H. A 720
Rogers, Thomas C 781
Romberger, C. L 779
Root, George A 437
Roovaart, F. H 619
Rosebrugh, J. R 420
Rosecrans, C. A 720
Ross, G. W 600
Ross, Thos. H 473
Rothgeb, Frank 430
Rowins, J. F 434
Rubin, H. H ... 444
Ruedy, W. T 746
Ruff, Henry 452
Runnels, John F 6
Runner, Z. T. F 134
Ruth, T. P 166
Rutledge, J. A 367
Sampson, G. H 194
Sanborn, J. H 583
Sanders, Anthony C 221
Sattley, W. N 263
Saucerman, J. M 222
Saunders, A. H 413
Schadel.A. C 522
Schill, Charles 223
Schimpff, A. L 238
Schmidt, W. E 239
Schneider, Peter 549
Schoch.Al F 250
Schoch, D. A 550
Schoettler, C 252
Schorn, Chas 34
Schott, Joseph 543
Schramm, J. W 36
Schryver, M. E 325
Schultz, Fred 22
Schutt, O. H 40
Schwarz, August 183
Scott, J. F 518
INDEX.
vn
Seaver, Charles S 579
Seghers, John B 371
Serfass, F. E 277
Shane, Lewis F 729
Shaw, D. P 285
Shaw, Geo. W 492
Sheldon, C. L 318
Sheperd, Robert A 775
Shergold, H.R 319
Sherman, E. B 2
Sherman, W. P 777
Shinn, James W 321
Shope.S. P... 329
Shorman, Chauncey 642
Sievers, N. A 744
Simmons, C. H 785
Simpson, T. S 332
Simpson, A. J 492
Sipes, Wm.B 342
Sloan, James 554
Sloan, Wm.T 357
Smiley, J. C 380
Smith, M.V. B.- 716
Snoots, Albert 660
Snow, R. L 57
Snyder.O. W. F 353
Spauldmg, D. G 75
Spies, Joseph 12
Spreyne, F. G 22
Sproul, E. W 409
Starkel, Louis C 7
Starkel, C. H 764
Stearns, William M . , 28
Stebbins, John G 30
Steck, F. G 484
Stedman, Frank 418
Steffen, C. G 128
Stevens, E. F 130
Stevens, T. A 624
Stickney, Walter 489
Stickney, George E 774
Stillwell, H.A 335
Stiteley, George J 158
Stokes, Thomas H 559
Stone, H. H 159
Stone, O. M 701
Stoskopf , M ichael 166
Strickler, R. R 641
Strang, Neil 647
Stuart, George 579
Swain, J.W 175
Swallow, C. M 281
Swatek.J. W 366
Taggart, Wesford 514
Tallman, J.B 620
Tallman, Wm. L 732
Tarrant, Robert 548
Taylor, Ernest C 699
Templeton, John 208
Tenley, James M 21
Thackham, William H 239
Thomas, A. L 721
Thomas, A. S 528
Thomas, J. H 275
Thompson, Charles C 783
Thompson, H. C 518
Thompson, William H 287
Thornborrow, J. A 330
Thornton, C..S 614
Timmerman B 724
Timms, F. M 21
Tinsley, William 622
Tobey, J. D 20
Tobie, E. L 357
Toennigs, H. W 711
Tole, John H 394
Tomlin, Allan R 719
Tousley, W. H 5
Townsend, F. B . 415
Townsley.J. T 140
Trick, Carl 658
Trimble, C. D 564
Trimble, John W. 773
Trimingham, R. N 554
Tripp, 1). H 482
Tripp, B. P 363
Troldahl, R.J 317
Trowbridge, Charles 770
Tunk, Richard 628
Turner, L. S 771
U
Updike, P. B 457
Van Reed, M. A 362
\ arnum, Clark 163
Vaughan, S. 0 402
W
Waddle, S. W 544
Wadsworth, L. L 192
Wagner, Louis C 517
Walduck.C.W 299
Wales, H. W 209
Wales, R. P 94
Walker, James 521
Wallace, W. W 773
Walter, Gustave 205
Walter, Wm. A 540
Walther, S. A 686
Walther, Ferdinand 714
Ward, Elmer 224
Ward, George L 240
Ward, J. H 241
Waterbury, E. M 494
Watson, Wm. W 496
Wayland, J. W 241
Wayne, Wm. J 772
Webber.S.T 560
Webster, D."Q 39
Webster, E. M 45
Webster, J. P 76
Weimer, Chas. A 458
Weiser, S. Y 624
Welch, Andrew 260
Weldin, E. 0 613
Wellman, J. N 274
Wells, George 286
Wenke, J. M 619
Wentworth, C. J 528
Werner, F.W 307
Werno, Henry 314
Westblade, J. A 476
Weyrich, H. P 765
Whalen, A. H 317
Wheat, J. E 289
Wheeler, John 532
Whipple, A. A 17
Whitaker, H. L 747
White, J. W 709
White.Robert B 331
White, Thomas B 330
Whitney, F. H 665
Whitson, Geo. T 358
Wilcox, J. M 572
\Viley, William 723
Willett, S.J 659
Willoughby, J. A 493
Wills, Geo. E 411
Wilsey, O. J 24-
Wilson, J. M 414
Wilson, Lee H 451
Wilson, Robert B 588
Winans, John C 451
Wmdom, Charles E '. 137
Wing, D. A 138
Wink, Henry 684
Winn, James H 533
Winslow, Chas. E 664
Wolff, Christian J 101
Wolff, John F 788
Wood, J. D 714
Wood, Wm. K 483
Work, Wm. A 792
Worthington, C. M 184
Wright, O. P 25H
Wyatt, G. A 364
Wygant.Alonzo 497
Wyllys, A. N 531
Wyne, W. B 621
Young, E. A.,
Young, F. S. .
786
693
Z
Zeis, Jacob H 734
Ziemsen, Paul 745
Zoller, J. J 520
VIII
TNDEX.
PORTRAITS.
Abbott, W. T 479
Abel, Jonathan 200
Ackemann, H. F. H 118
Adams, J. M 635
Avers, Samuel 585
Baldwin, T. S. and S. Y 567
Bay, George P 442
Bishop, C. A 77
Blanding, V. M 9
Bond, L. L 50
Brown, W. M 505
Budd, W. O 508
Campbell, F. W 25
Campbell,]. L 500
Carlock, W. B 575
Cate, Wm. M 667
Clavereigne, F. E 424
Clefford, A. B 453
Clizbe, W. J 699
Cole, M. W 191
Davis, Wilson H 751
Dill, J. H.C 575
Dorn, Charlie P 438
Ueeves, G. H 641
Eddy, Albert M 132
Eddy, George D 122
Ellis, Edward D 462
ElweM, E. H 536
Fansler, Thos. L 218
Fehn, Oscar E 542
Fisher, Archibald 551
Frary, O. D 471
French, S. A 556
Glennie, Albert E 86
Gordon, C. D 601
Gund, Frederick 33
Gunderson, S. T 172
Hamilton, J. B 41
Harper, Robert C 645
Harris, S. R 448
Hawley, J. A 37
Henthorne, G. F 479
Heschong, J. F 547
Hibbard, Homer N 95
Hills, F. E 591
Hitchcock C.F 479
Hitt, Daniel F 104
Hoelscher, J. H 595
Holman, E.E 655
Hotaling, G. W 406
Hough, G. R 611
Hovnanian, G. H 272
Hueffner, H. A 581
Ireland, Louis E 526
Irwin, W. T 479
Jackson, A. G 571
Johnson, C. A 651
Keating, A. J 631
Keats, James 397
Kirk, Edward, Jr 68
Lafferty, John H 245
Lester, Charles 511
Lomax, George 152
Lott, E. C 491
Mastin, Jethro 429
McLachlan, Alex 486
McLaughlin, E.F 718
McLean, Alex 467
McMahan, J. P 361
Miller, T. E 142
Milligan, Wm. L 1
Moore, D. G 682
Munn.L. L 59
Onderdonk, J. L 379
Pursley, T. J 343
Randall, T. D 388
Rankin, C. S 661
Rix, George K 607
Robbins, Burr 236
Robinson, F. T 227
Sattley, W. N 262
Schryver, M. E 325
Schwarz, August 182
Seghers, John B 370
Snyder, O. W. F 352
Stevens, T. A 625
Stillwell, H. A 334
Swallow, C. M 281
Thornton, C. S 615
Townsend, F. B c415
Tripp, D. H 479
Troldahl, R.J 316
Varnum, Clark 162
Wagner, Louis C 516
Walduck, C. W 298
Wales, H.W 209
Walker, James 521
Webber, S. T 561
Werner, F. W 307
Wheat, J. E 289
Whipple, A. A 17
Wright, O. P 253
Wyllis, A. N 531
Wyne, W. B 621
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
A COMPENDIUM
...OF...
FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
-'iH|I L LI A M L. MILLI-
GAN.— One of the
best known and high-
ly honored Masons in
Illinois, who has de-
voted thirteen years
to the study of Free-
masonry, and whose
knowledge of Masonic
history, jurisprudence and ritualism is sec-
ond to none, is Mr. W. L. Milligan, Past
Eminent Commander of Ottawa Command-
ery, No. 10, Knights Templar, and Thrice
Illustrious Master of Oriental Council, No.
63, Royal and Select Masters. He has al-
ways been an industrious and enthusiastic
f rater, and the result of his unabated labors
is the present prosperous condition of the
local bodies in Ottawa. Mr. Milligan was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason
October 13, 1879, in Occidental Lodge,
No. 40; was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason December 17, of the
same year, and passed the circle of perfec-
tion March 2, 1881; was created a Knight
Templar and a Knight of Malta April 28,
1 88 1, and attained the ineffable degree of
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Ori-
ental Consistory, Chicago, October 7, 1881.
In recognition of his faithful and meritori-
ous services in the order he was promoted
to the office of Sovereign Grand Inspector
General, the thirty-third and last degree,
at Providence, Rhode Island, on Septem-
ber 20, 1887. Mr. Milligan has made a
successful pilgrimage across the sands of the
desert, and has been constituted a Noble of
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine.
Mr. Milligan has held many offices in
the craft and has discharged the duties per-
taining to them in a manner that has re-
flected credit upon himself and with honor
to the fraternity. The various chairs he has
occupied are as follows: Worshipful Master
of Occidental Lodge, No. 40, 188410 1886;
High Priest of Shabona Chapter, No. 37,
Royal Arch Masons, 1881 to 1887; Thrice
Illustrious Master of Oriental Council, No.
63, Royal and Select Masters, 1883 to
1 887 ; Eminent Commander of Ottawa Com-
mandery, No. 10, Knights Templar, 1886,
1887, 1891, 1892.
In 1886 Mr. Milligan was Val . •. Grand
Almoner, of Chicago Council, Princes of
Jerusalem; was District Deputy Grand
Master of the ninth Masonic district of Illi-
nois, 1886 to 1888, and 1 896 and 1897, and
was a member of the board of trustees of
the Illinois Masonic Orphans' Home from
1886 to 1891, and holds life membership
certificate No. i, and is at present second
vice-president of the Illinois Masonic Home
for Aged Freemasons. He has represented
the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of South
Australia near the Grand Lodge of Illinois
since 1887, with the honorary rank of Past
Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge
of Australia, conferred on him October 21,
1886, by that grand body. He is also the
Grand Representative of the Grand Chapter
of Royal Arch Masons, of Quebec, and the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters
of Tennessee, with the honorary rank of
Past Deputy Illustrious Grand Master of the
Grand Council of Tennessee. Mr. Milligan
takes considerable pride in holding a certif-
icate of honorary membership in Fortitude
Lodge, No. 47, of La Grange, Kentucky.
In 1895 he was elected Grand High Priest
of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Illi-
nois, and is Grand Illustrious Principal
Conductor of the Work in the Grand Coun-
cil, Royal and Select Masters.
As a citizen and a brother Mr. Milligan
is firm and true, never neglecting a duty or
leaving a promise unfulfilled. As a friend
his hospitality and considerate kindness are
too well known to be commented upon.
Mr. Milligan is a native of Fayette coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, came with his parents to
Ottawa, Illinois, at the age of four years,
where he attended the district schools until
fifteen years old, then moving with his
parents upon a farm, where he spent the
next seventeen years, which he designates
as the happiest of his life. In the fall of
1 88 1 he came to Ottawa and secured em-
ployment as a clerk in a hardware and im-
plement store, and remained there for about
a year, when his father, William R. Milli-
gan, was elected sheriff of La Salle county,
and our subject went into the office as first
deputy. At the expiration of four years
Mr. Milligan accepted a position as gen-
eral agent for the W. A. Wood Harvester
Company, his territory being located in
Illinois and Iowa.
In December, 1877, Mr. Milligan was
united in marriage to Miss Louise Eichel-
berger, and three sons and four daughters
have been born to them, all of whom are
bright and intelligent, and the joy and pride
of their parents.
ELIJAH B. SHERMAN. —While its
tenets are incapable of misconstruc-
tion, its teachings clear and plain, its princi-
ples decisive and binding, Masonry is still
in harmony with all known agencies for the
improvement of mankind. It emphasizes
the truth of universal brotherhood, fosters
a chivalrous devotion to woman, upholds
patriotism, promotes benevolence, and has
emblazoned on its standard truth and
right. Catholic in its aim and spirit, Ma-
sonry welcomes all the beneficent influences
of the age, jealous of neither sect nor party,
but silently enlarging the boundaries of
human achievement and pouring into life
streams of deeper and richer experience.
It is practically universal, embracing in its
membership men of every rank, faith, and
tongue, but its vows bring before all a uni-
form purpose and a noble aim. It there-
fore logically follows that the representa-
tives of the order are men of moral worth,
and in all nations it has numbered among
its members the greatest of the land.
Among those who have won distinctive
preferment in professional circles, whose
superior abilities class them with the lead-
ers in the walks of life which demand the
highest intellectual endowments and attain-
ments, and who follow the teachings of this
ancient and honorable fraternity is Elijah
B. Sherman, one of the foremost lawyers
of Chicago. He is a Master Mason of Will-
iam B. Warren Lodge, No. 209, A. F. &
A. M., is interested in capitular Masonry as
a member of Washington Chapter, No. 45,
R. A. M. ; took the cryptic degrees and was
greeted a Royal and Select Master in
Siloam Council, No. 83; and was created a
Sir Knight in Chicago Commandery, No.
19. He received the grades and orders of
the Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory on
July 29, 1886, and was proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret.
For many years Mr. Sherman has also
been prominent in the circles of Odd Fel-
lowship and has been honored with distin-
guished preferment in that order. In 1874
he was elected Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Illinois, and in 1875 and 1876 he
was its representative to the Sovereign
Grand Lodge. In 1871, while the great
fire which made so many hundreds homeless,
was still raging, Mr. Sherman saw the ne-
cessity for immediate aid and called upon
the Odd Fellows of the United States for
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
8
assistance. The prompt response of the
society to this appeal was of inestimable re-
lief to the order in the city, and Mr. Sher-
man, who was made secretary of the relief
committee, assisted in the distribution of
one hundred and twenty-five thousand dol-
lars among the needy members of the
society.
Mr. Sherman is connected with various
organizations for the promotion of knowl-
edge and the advancement of social inter-
ests, having served as president of the Oak-
land, Alliance and Saracen Clubs, also of
the National Association of the Delta Up-
silon fraternity and the Illinois Association
of the Sons of Vermont; and it has been
said "that a Vermont dinner without Sher-
man would be like a clan dinner without
McGregor." He is a member of the Union
League Club, and has been identified with
the Chicago Philosophical Society and nu-
merous other literary and scientific associa-
tions. He was one of the founders of the
Illinois State Bar Association in 1877, and
was its president in 1882. He is also an
influential member of the American Bar
Association and for many years has held
some official position in that organization.
The associations of his army life are renewed
through his participation in the meetings of
the Grand Army of the Republic, and the
Illinois Commandery of the military order
of the Loyal Legion. There are few men
of a more perfectly rounded character than
Mr. Sherman. Though he may seem the
life of a social gathering, he is none the
less prominent in the domain of politics,—
using that much abused word in its best
sense; and in the legal profession he stands
among the foremost jurists of Chicago.
Vermont, as the state of his nativity,
numbers him among her sons, but Illinois
claims him by adoption. He was born
July 1 8, 1832, in Fairfield, Vermont, .of
Anglo-Welsh ancestry, and is a descendant
of Edmund Sherman, who came from Eng-
land to America in 1634 with Rev. John
Sherman, who was for forty years pastor of
the Congregational church in Watertown,
Connecticut.
The life and work of the farm were fa-
miliar to Mr. Sherman in his early youth.
His elementary education acquired in the
common schools was supplemented by study
in Brandon and Burr seminaries, after
which he entered Middlebury College, where
-he was graduated with honors in 1860. In
1884 he was called to deliver an address
before the alumni of his alma mater, and a
year later the honorary degree of LL. D.
was conferred upon him, a compliment
which he appreciated the more since that
conservative college confers that degree
upon few of its distinguished sons. While
in college he had paid his way by teaching
for a portion of the time, and during the
year following the completion of his colle-
giate course he taught school in South
Woodstock, while the following year he
served as principal of the Brandon Seminary.
The war for the preservation of the
Union was then in progress and the duties
of the educator became irksome to one of
Mr. Sherman's loyal nature. From his
boyhood he had been reared in a liberty-
loving atmosphere, the writings of William
Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips and John
G. Whittier were familiar to him, and
his father's home was a station on the
"underground railroad." Early in 1862
he went to the front as second lieutenant
of Company C, Ninth Vermont Infantry,
which was, in the following September,
captured by the Confederates at Harper's
Ferry, and immediately paroled and sent
to Camp Douglas, at Chicago. This forced
inactivity, in connection with a desire to
prepare for the bar, led Mr. Sherman to
resign in 1863, and he entered the law de-
partment of the University of Chicago,
where he was graduated in 1864. For
twelve years he was attorney for the aud-
itor of Illinois and carried on the important
litigation which resulted in the suspension
of business by several irresponsible insur-
ance companies of Chicago. In 1879 he
was appointed master in chancery of the
United States circuit court and is still hold-
ing that position.
From the organization of the Repub-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
lican party Mr. Sherman has been unwaver-
ing in the support which he has given its
principles, and few men have a more accu-
rate or comprehensive understanding of na-
tional issues and party principles than he.
But he is in no sense an office-seeker, and
the positions he has filled have been given
him in recognition of his merit and not the
result of self-seeking. In 1876 he was
elected to the state legislature, was chair-
man of the committee on judicial depart-
ment and a member of the judiciary com-
mittee. In 1878 he was re-elected and be-
came chairman of the committee on corpo-
rations, and a member of the committee on
militia. He aided in securing the passage
of the act of 1877 organizing the National
Guard, and was appointed by Governor
Cullom judge advocate of the First Brigade,
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, a posi-
tion which he held for six years.
The high literary attainments, the cul-
tured taste and the brilliant intellectual
powers of Mr. Sherman, combined with a
courteous, social nature, make him a fav-
orite in all companies, and in the various
societies with which he is connected he is
held in the highest esteem. While he has
attained marked prestige at the bar, his best
work has been done in his official career of
almost twenty years as master in chancery
of the federal court. Here his patient in-
dustry in the investigation of facts and clear
comprehension of the principles of equity
applicable thereto, have made his decisions
models of perspicuous statement and legal
acumen, and have won for him the esteem
of the bar and the confidence and respect of
the judges of the federal court, who have
rarely overruled his decisions.
JOHN RAYMOND HOFFMAN, M. D.,
is a successful practicing physician of
Ottawa, Illinois. Greater than in almost
any line of life is the responsibility which
rests upon those of the medical fraternity,
and he who wins success in that calling and
gains eminence is possessed of careful dis-
crimination, accurate and comprehensive
knowledge and a broad and generous nature
that has a keen sympathy for the sorrows
and ills of life, resulting in a desire to alle-
viate the same by practical and effective
methods. Dr. Hoffman, although one of
the younger representatives of the medical
profession in Ottawa, has attained consider-
able distinction and doubtless the future
holds in store for him still greater successes.
He is a native of the city which is still
his home, his birth having occurred on the
1 8th of June, 1865. He acquired his liter-
ary education in the schools of Ottawa,
completing the high school course and later
entered the Chicago Medical College, where
he prepared for the work to which he is
now giving his attention. He conducted a
general practice for four years and has since
confined his attention to the treatment of
diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat.
Studying closely along these lines he has
attained a high degree of proficiency and
has been very successful in his practice,
which has been followed by most satisfac-
tory results.
The Doctor is at present serving as health
officer of Ottawa, having filled that office
for two years. For three years he has
been a member of the Illinois National
Guard, was assistant surgeon of the Third
Regiment and is now examining surgeon,
his term extending from 1895 to 1897. ^n
June, 1892, he married Miss Mary F. Hope-
man, of Ottawa, and they have one son,
Douglas T. Their pleasant home is noted
for its hospitality and they have many
friends in the city where their entire lives
have been passed.
Dr. Hoffman is numbered among the
worthy representatives of Masonry in Otta-
wa, having taken the degree of Entered
Apprentice in Occidental Lodge, No. 40,
A. F. & A. M., in 1892. In due course of
time he passed the Fellow-craft degree and
eventually was raised to the sublime degree
of a Master Mason. He has been a con-
stant and consistent member of the organi-
sation and is accorded the esteem of his
Masonic brethren, the regard of his pro-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY JN ILLINOIS.
5
fessional associates and the warm friend-
ship of many whom he meets in social cir-
cles.
WILBUR HARVEY TOUSLEY has
for a third of a century been a mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity, — united with
that vast body which recognizes the broth-
erhood of mankind and extends the helping
hand to all. He was made a Mason in
1863, in Jefferson Lodge, of Jefferson, Wis-
consin, and took the Royal Arch degrees in
the chapter of Fort Atkinson, that state.
He joined the ranks of Knights Templar in
Janesville Commandery, No. 2, of Janes-
ville, same state, served as Worshipful Mas-
ter of the blue lodge, and is a member of
the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin. His pres-
ent affiliation is with Englewood Lodge,
No. 690, Englewood Chapter, No. 176, and
Englewood Commandery, No. 59, of which
he is a charter member and has held the
office of Senior Warden. He is one of the
older Masons of the west and has ever been
a zealous and loyal member of the frater-
nity, doing all in his power to advance its
interests and promote its welfare.
Mr. Tousley is a native of Ohio, his
birth having occurred in Wadsworth, Me-
dina county, on the i9th of March, 1841.
He spent his early boyhood in his native
town and then removed to a farm, where
he remained for six years. During that
period he acquired his education in the
common schools, after which he learned
the painter's trade, serving an apprentice-
ship at the same. When about seventeen
years of age he came west to Illinois, where
his parents had previously located, and fol-
lowed his chosen occupation until after the
inauguration of the Civil war. On the 4th
of June, 1862, he responded to the coun-
try's call for aid to crush out the Rebellion
and joined Company K, Sixty-ninth Illinois
Infantry, of which he was made first lieu-
tenant. He participated in all the engage-
ments of his command, serving until the
close of the war, and was ever found at his
post of duty, valiantly defending the old
flag and the cause it represented.
When hostilities had ceased and he was
mustered out of service Mr. Tousley re-
moved to Jefferson, Wisconsin, where he
engaged in the publication of the Jefferson
Banner until 1873. In that year he went
to Fond du Lac, where for four years he
served as foreman of a job office and from
1877 until 1880 he was one of the publish-
ers of the Janesville City Times. He then
came to Englewood, where he has since
made his home and for sixteen years he
has been connected with the Englewood
Eye. He is now its vice-president and gen-
eral manager and has made it a leading
journal of that section of the city. His
political support is given the Republican
party, and in 1870 he represented his dis-
trict in the general assembly of Wisconsin.
Mr. Tousley has been twice married.
In 1 86 1 he wedded Miss Jennie Weed, and
they became parents of three children, but
only one is now living, Edward C. Mr.
Tousley was again married in 1873, his sec-
ond union being with Miss Genoa G. Fittz.
They had four children, two yet living,
namely: Victor H. and John H.
GEORGE R. CURTISS, editor and pub-
lisher at El Paso, is a "high" Mason;
and one reason for this is that his intellect-
ual acumen and his sympathy for human
distress find proper exercise in the work of
that ancient order, and a resulting satisfac-
tion that cannot be obtained in any other
way. He is a native of Galesburg, this
state, born January, 17, 1859, and was
reared and educated in the "College city."
Coming to El Paso, he sought a knowledge
of esoteric Masonry, and accordingly the
first three degrees were conferred upon him
here, in El Paso Lodge, No. 246, A. F. &
A. M. Proceeding, he attained the Royal
Arch degrees in Mackey Chapter, No. 130,
R. A. M. , the cryptic degrees in El Paso
Council, No. 62, R. & S. M., and the chiv-
alric in Creur de Leon Commandery, No.
43, K. T. Of the blue lodge he has been
Senior Warden, in the chapter he has filled
the office of Royal Arch Captain, of the
e
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
council he has served as Thrice Illustrious
Master, and of the commandery he was
Eminent Commander in 1894 and 1897. As
a Mason and as a citizen Mr. Curtiss is an
influential and consistent example, and his
work in the various lodges has been highly
appreciated.
Learning in his youth the printer's trade
at Galesburg he has, ever since 1889,
been the editor and publisher of an enter-
prising journal at El Paso, which is the
most influential paper in Woodford county.
Politically he has been active and zealous
in the Republican party. He has been a
delegate to a number of nominating con-
ventions, and has done much work for the
success of those principles of public econ-
omy in which he so sincerely believes.
In 1889 he was united' in matrimony
with Miss Catharine McLaferty, of Hutch-
inson, Kansas.
LBERT T. MISCH, manager of the
A3L George A. Misch stained-glass estab-
lishment, No. 346 Wabash avenue, Chi-
cago, is a young man of much business
ability, and has since his initiation into
Masonry taken a deep and appreciative in-
terest in the workings of this time-honored
order. He has a membership in Lincoln
Park Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Lincoln Park
Chapter, R. A. M., and Lincoln Park Com-
mandery, K. T., having received the degrees
of the first two organizations in 1892 and
having been knighted by St. Bernard Com-
mandery the following year. Mr. Misch
takes a pride in Freemasonry, is a regular
attendant and in the chapter has filled one
of the "Veil " offices. He was one of the
petitioners for and charter members of
Lincoln Park Commandery, which he helped
to organize. Also he is a member of that
popular auxiliary of Masonry, the Order of
the Eastern Star, and is identified with
Golden Rod Chapter. He is also a mem-
ber of the Turngemeinde.
Chicago is Mr. Misch's birthplace. He
was ushered into life October 20, 1869, and
in the public schools of his native place he
received his early training, completing his
education with a course in the Chicago
Manual Training School. He learned the
stained-glass business in his father's estab-
lishment, and in 1894 was given the man-
agement of the same, which he has since
successfully conducted, this being one of
the leading concerns of its kind in the city,
and now furnishing employment to forty
men.
Mr. Misch was married in October,
1896, to Miss Antoinette Stauber, a native
of Chicago.
DR. JOHN F. RUNNELS, physician
' and surgeon, No. 233 Webster avenue,
Chicago, was made a Master Mason on the
evening of August 14, 1891, Lincoln Park
Lodge, F. & A. M., conferring the degrees.
His initiation into the blue lodge was soon
followed by application for the Royal Arch
degrees, which were duly given him by
Lincoln Park Chapter, R. A. M., and still
later he was made a Sir Knight by Lincoln
Park Commandery, No. 64, K. T. , in all
of which he maintains membership at the
present time. He has also threaded the
labyrinth of the Eastern Star, and for one
year was Chaplain of the chapter to which
he belongs. And while he has taken a
deep interest in all the branches of Ma-
sonry to which he belongs, he has not been
an active worker officially, for the reason
that his professional duties demand nearly
the whole of his time. In addition to be-
ing a Mason, Dr. Runnels is an Odd Fel-
low and a Columbian Knight.
Dr. Runnels was born in Huntington,
Indiana, September 30, 1849, and his early
associations are with Hillsdale, Michigan,
where his youthful days were spent in toil
upon the farm. The life of a farmer being
distasteful to him, he turned to the profes-
sions and made choice of medicine, taking
up its study and entering a medical college
at Louisville, Kentucky, where he graduated
in March, 1879. His career as a practi-
tioner began at Highland, Wisconsin,
where, however, he remained only a short
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
time, coming from there to Chicago in De-
cember, 1880. Here he has built up an'
excellent practice, his specialty being chil-
dren's diseases, and as a skilled and success-
ful physician he stands high in the ranks of
his profession.
He was married in 1884 to Miss Geneva
Harrison, a native of Union City, Indiana.
EJ. ABELL, M. D., a practicing phy-
sician of Joliet, has affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity since 1880, when, as an
Entered Apprentice, he was received into
Braidwood Lodge, No. 704. He passed
the Fellow-craft degree, was raised to the
sublime degree of a Master Mason, and
later was dimitted to Mount Joliet Lodge,
No. 42. In 1 88 1 the secrets of capitular
Masonry were revealed to him, when he was
exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Wilmington Chapter, No.
142. His membership is now with Joliet
Chapter, No. 27; and from Blaney Com-
mandery. No. 5, in which he was dubbed
and created a Sir Knight in 1881, he was
dimitted to Joliet Commandery, No. 4.
While not an office-holder, his professional
duties preventing him from taking an active
part in the work of the lodge room, Dr.
Abell is faithful in the practical part of
Masonry, whereby charity often relieves
the needs of the unfortunate and a sympa-
thizing spirit lightens the burdens of the dis-
tressed. Nor is his social connection con-
fined alone to Masonry. He is also a mem-
ber of Stevenson Camp, Modern Woodmen
of America, the Order of Foresters of
America, and the Sons of St. George, serv-
ing as physician of the last named.
Dr. Abell was born in Bloomington in
1855 and completed his literary educa-
tion by his graduation in St. John's Col-
lege of Manitoba, Canada, in 1872.
Having determined to make the practice
of medicine his life-work he was afterward
enrolled among the students of Hahnemann
Medical College, of Chicago, where he was
graduated in 1880. He first opened an
office in Coles City, Illinois, where he re-
mained in active practice until 1892, when
seeking a broader field he came to Joliet.
Here a high degree of success has attended
his effort. His pronounced ability soon won
recognition and as a result he has secured
a large and lucrative patronage. He be-
longs to the State Medical Society and the
Joliet Medical Scientific Society, and is an
assiduous student of his profession, util-
izing every means at hand to perfect him-
self in the science of medicine. He was
married and has two living children — Harry
and Annie. His political belief is in har-
mony with the principles of the Republican
party.
WON. LOUIS CHARLES STARKEL,
of Chicago, has attained to a high po-
sition of prominence in the Masonic fra-
ternity and is one of its most consistent,
zealous and active members. His connec-
tion therewith has aided in forming the
Masonic history of the state, for he has
been instrumental in promoting the inter-
est and upbuilding of the society through a
quarter of a century. He was made a Ma-
son in 1870, in St. Blair Lodge, No. 24, of
Belleville, Illinois, and was raised to the
sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Belleville Chapter, No. 106. After re-
moving to Chicago he was dimitted from
those organizations and is now affiliated
with Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611, F. &
A. M., and Lincoln Park Chapter, No.
177, R. A. M. He was knighted in Belvi-
dere Commandery, No. 2, of Alton, Illinois,
and dimitted in order to become a charter
member and aid in the organization of
Tancred Commandery, of Belleville, of
which he served as Eminent Commander
for five years. He is also a charter mem-
ber of Lincoln Park Commandery, No. 64,
of Chicago. In October, 1880, he became
a member of the Oriental Consistory, com-
pleting the thirty-two degrees of the Scot-
tish Rite. From his earliest connection
with the society he has been most deeply
interested in its welfare and has done all in
his power to promote its growth and insure
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the adoption of its principles. His devo-
tion has been recognized by his brethren of
the craft who have frequently honored him
with official preferment, and he has served
as Senior Warden in the blue lodge, High
Priest in the chapter and Eminent Com-
mander in the commandery. He has had
the Past High Priest degree, is a member
of the Grand Commandery and therein has
served as Grand Warden, Grand Sword
Bearer, Grand Junior Warden and Grand
Senior Warden. His close study of Ma-
sonry has made him well informed con-
cerning its various branches, its teachings
and its fundamental principles, and he ex-
emplifies in his life the practical workings
of the order. Thus the name of Mr. Star-
kel has become inseparably connected with
Masonry in northern Illinois and in its an-
nals is well worthy of mention.
A native of Germany, Mr. Starkel was
born in Prague, Bohemia, on the ist of
September, 1839, and began his education
in that land. He came to America in 1 850,
when eleven years of age, and lived for a
time in Columbus, Ohio, and later in Wash-
ington Court House, of that state, where
he completed his education in the high
school. At an early age he took up the
study of medicine, and was graduated at
the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati.
He began practice in Carlisle, Illinois,
where he remained two years and then re-
moved to St. Clair county, where he prac-
ticed until 1869, when he was forced to
abandon his chosen profession on account
of muscular rheumatism. He was elected
county clerk of St. Clair county, holding
the office for nine years, and in 1886 he
was appointed analytical chemist for the
government and stationed at Washington,
District of Columbia. In February, 1890,
he resigned the position and came to Chi-
cago, where he has since made his home.
The following year he became manager of
the Germania Life Insurance Company, of
New York, which position he still fills, and
his able administration of the affairs of the
company have resulted to its profit and sub-
stantial improvement. He is a progressive
.business man, and his care and faithfulness
in the performance of his responsible duties
is recognized by the other officers of the
company, who entertain for him the high-
est regard and respect.
Mr. Starkel is a member of the Germania
Club of Chicago. Aside from the official
duties before mentioned, he has filled the
office of representative in the state legisla-
ture, having been a member of the thirty-
third general assembly of Illinois. He was
married in 1859 to Miss Anna Bryant, a
native of Ohio, and they have five sons,
namely: Dr. Charles H., of Belleville, a
Knight Templar Mason, the commandery
degrees being conferred upon him by his
father; Louis T., Walter B., Edgar and
Ferdinand H.
¥IRGIL MARION BLANDING, who
was the first Eminent Commander of
Everts Commandery, No. 18, K. T. , at
Rock Island, has been closely identified
with Masonry for a period of more than
forty years. His entire life has been in
perfect harmony with the teachings of the
fraternity, and his support and influence
have been potent factors in bringing about
the present prosperity of the local branches
of the great organization to which he be-
longs. Mr. Blanding was made a Master
Mason in 1855, in Honesdale Lodge, at
Honesdale, Wayne county, Pennsylvania,
from which he dimitted, and on February
i, 1866, became a member of Trio Lodge,
No. 57, in which he served as Worshipful
Master from December 27, 1867, until De-
cember 26, 1 868. He was exalted to the Royal
Arch degree in Eureka Holy Arch Chapter,
No. 179, at Carbondale, Pennsylvania, and
was created a Sir Knight in Palestine Com-
mandery, in the same city. He also dimit-
ted from those bodies and affiliated with
Barrett Chapter, No. 18, in which he was
soon called upon to fill various chairs, in-
cluding that of High Priest. When Everts
Commandery, No. 18, was organized at
Rock Island, Mr. Blanding was honored
with the highest position in the gift of its
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
9
members, serving as Eminent Commander
while it was under dispensation, and has
since been twice elected to that office. He
received the ineffable degrees of the Scottish
Rite in the southern jurisdiction from the
hands of T. S. Parvin, of Iowa, who con-
ferred all of them upon him, up to and in-
cluding the thirty-second. Mr. Blanding
as Thrice Illustrious Master was also an act-
ive and prominent Royal and Select Master
in Rock Island Council, No. 20, which is
now defunct.
Reverting now to the general history
and genealogical record of Mr. Blanding
and his family, we learn that he is a native
of Pennsylvania, having been born in
Wayne county on December 8, 1834. His
ancestors in a direct line can be traced back
to Upton-on-Severn, England, who came
to this country and landed at Plymouth in
1640, and who, according to tradition,
were Huguenot refugees of French origin.
His four great-grandfathers — Noah Bland-
ing, John Martin, Michael Grennell and
Elijah Marshall — were soldiers in the Revo-
lutionary war, the last named being a mem-
ber of Arnold's expedition against Quebec
and one of the first inside the enemy's
works. He was wounded, made a prisoner
and exchanged, and afterward fought under
General Wayne at Stony Point, continuing
on active duty until the close of the war,
from which he emerged with the honorable
record of a brave, faithful, and gallant pa-
triot. The maternal great-grandfather,
Michael Grennell, was a participant in the
battle of Saratoga and in that engagement
distinguished himself by his courage and
devotion. The early history of our subject's
ancestors shows them to have been identi-
fied with agriculture and the professions,
and in their religious faith they were Prot-
estants. Grandfather Joseph Blanding,
son of Noah Blanding, was born in Attle-
borough, Massachusetts, where he married
Miss Hulda Martin and lived to the ripe old
age of ninety years. Great-grandfather
Michael Grennell attained the remarkable
age of one hundred and six years. Reba
Blanding, the father of our subject, was born
in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, in
1801, and he and his wife — whose maiden
name was Beulah Ann Grennell, and who
was a native c. Connecticut — became the
parents of seven children, of whom six are
still living. The father spent his life in his
native state, where he followed the voca-
tions of farmer and lumberman. The vener-
able mother is still living, in her eighty-
first year.
Virgil M. Blanding is the eldest of the
children. He was reared and educated in
the city of his nativity and received the
degrees of A B. and M. A. in Bucknell
University, completing his course there in
1852. He read law in the office of Hon.
William H. Dimmick, and later under the
tuition of Hon. I. O. Wilkinson, and was
duly admitted to the bar of Illinois, his
license being signed by Hon. Sidney Breese,
Hon. John Walker and Hon. John Dean
10
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Caton. In 1857 he took up his abode in
Rock Island, where he has since maintained
his home and with the varied interest of
which he has been closely associated. He
served as county superintendent of schools
of Rock Island county, was city attorney
for several terms, and elected mayor of the
city, serving in all of these positions with
ability and intelligence. It was while he
held the last named office that the street-
paving ordinance was enacted, and besides
inaugurating that enterprise he was also
active in bringing about the paying of city
bonds, his administration being marked by
the payment of thirty thousand dollars of
the debt, additional to the usual expendi-
ture for city improvements. While he oc-
cupied the mayoralty chair Rock Island was
for the first time effectually protected from
inundation by the annual floods of the
Mississippi river at the west end, and the
growth of the city in that direction has
since rapidly developed.
Politically Mr. Blanding affiliates with
the sound-money Democrats, and his repu-
tation as an accomplished parliamentarian
and an impartial presiding officer has never
been excelled in the history of the city.
During the war he was stanch in his sup-
port of the Union, and was among those
who went forth to protect the old flag. At
St. Louis he was a member of Company
A, Missouri National Guards, under Colonel
B. Gratz Brown, the company being com-
manded by Captain George B. Kellogg.
He was also enrolled in the militia and took
part in the pursuit of General Price.
Mr. Blanding's efforts in behalf of the
common schools, especially in the city and
county of Rock Island, have been a marked
personal characteristic. As county super-
intendent of schools he was the first to
personally visit and inspect every educa-
tional institution in the county, and as a
member of the board of education he was
equally zealous and interested. Various
addresses delivered by him before college
societies and literary institutes have re-
ceived favorable commendation, none
memorably more so, perhaps, than his eulo-
gy before the conclave of Knights Templar
on the death of President Garfield.
During the greater part of Mr. Bland-
ing's business career he has been more or
less interested in railroad enterprises, con-
tracting for and building roads, and in this
way he has aided in the construction of the
great net-work of railways that overspread
Illinois and the adjoining states. He is
connected, as a member, with the con-
structing firm having the building of seven
railroad bridges across the Mississippi,
Missouri and Ohio rivers, and at present is
a director and the secretary and treasurer
of the Davenport & Rock Island Bridge
Railway and Terminal Company.
Mr. Blanding was married in 1861 to
Miss Anna McNeil, who was born in Wheel-
ing, West Virginia, and they have two chil-
dren: Lowrie Church, who holds the po-
sition of national bank examiner for the
state of Iowa; and Mae Josephine, who is
now pursuing her education in college. In
his religious proclivities Mr. Blanding is an
Episcopalian, and a devout believer in the
Apostle's creed.
fp\HARLES K. HERRICK, prominent in
\J) business and political circles of Chicago,
is also a Mason of high rank, having at-
tained the Knight Templar degree of the
York Rite and the thirty-second degree of
the Scottish Rite. He is an ardent advo-
cate of Masonry, which is as broad as the
universe in its scope, in which hand clasps
hand in a circle that bounds the globe and
unites all races with the bonds of brother-
hood. Masonry is coextensive with civili-
zation, and from the earliest times the or-
der has borne aloft its glorious banners em-
blazoned with those inspiring and sacred
words: God, Liberty and the Brotherhood
of Man. Tyrants, usurpers and the en-
slavers of man's spiritual freedom, in every
age, have read those words in trembling, in
fear and in hate. And the great army of
Masons in every land beneath the sun, now
constantly increasing in numbers and in
power, steadily marches forward, bearing
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
11
those banners of light ever onward toward
that glorious era of perfect freedom and
justice for all men, to which the spirit of
the age, now swiftly and now slowly, but
inevitably, leads on.
In Blair Lodge, No. 393, A. F. & A.
M., the initiatory degree of Entered Appren-
tice was conferred upon him. Having
passed the Fellow-craft, he was later raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason and
has since affiliated with that organization
which first welcomed him into the grand
brotherhood. In Chicago Chapter, No.
127, he was exalted to the august degree of
a Royal Arch Mason and the honors of
chivalric Masonry were conferred upon him
in Chicago Commandery, from which he
has since dimitted to St. Bernard Com-
mandery. He took the degrees of Van
Rensselaer Grand Lodge of Perfection, of
Chicago Council Princes of Jerusalem, Gour-
gas Sovereign Chapter of Rose Croix, D.
H. R. D. M. , and is a life member of Orien-
tal Consistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret. The thirty-third degree, or that of
Sovereign Grand Inspector General, was
conferred upon him in Boston, in 1888, and
he became a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Tem-
ple. Mr. Herrick is also the oldest living
member of Wayne Lodge, No. 11, I. O.
O. F.
A native of Posen, Prussia, he was born
on the icth of January, 1835, and his life is
remarkable for the success he has achieved
in the face of many obstacles and without
the aid of adventitious surroundings. • He
did not have the opportunity of attending
school after nine years of age, but experi-
ence in the practical affairs of life, reading
and observation have made him a well-in-
formed man, whose general information is
extensive and accurate. In early life he
was apprenticed by the Prussian govern-
ment at the tailor's trade and worked at
that pursuit until thirteen years of age,
when in 1848 he came to America. Land-
ing in New York he worked at his trade
there for some time, dependent entirely
upon his own resources for a livelihood, and
securing advancement as he demonstrated
his capabilities and trustworthiness. In
1854 he came to Chicago and secured em-
ployment in a hat store, but at the first call
for troops entered the service of the Union
and remained at the front until the govern-
ment was established.
After the war he embarked in business
on his own account, in Chicago, and for
thirty-one years has been proprietor of a
hat store, having one of the oldest, most
popular and most reliable establishments in
his line in the city. With the growth of
the city his enterprise has kept pace, and
he is one of the leaders in his line of trade,
— a position which he has secured and
maintained through his honorable dealing
and the uniform courtesy which the patrons
of the house always receive.
In 1860 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Herrick and Miss Margaret Kerr, and
they have one son, William, who married
Flora Gessey, and has one son, Robert,
who is now attending the military academy
at Highland Park.
Mr. Herrick is numbered among Illinois'
patriots. No native son of America dis-
played more loyalty in the hour of the
country's peril than he, when at the firing
on Fort Sumter in April, 1861, he joined
the three-months volunteers to aid in crush-
ing out the rebellion. When it was seen
that the south was not to be easily con-
quered, he re-enlisted in June as a member
of Company K, Nineteenth Illinois Regi-
ment, and participated in all the service of
his company until November 9, 1862, when
being disabled he was honorably discharged.
He has been prominent in the Grand Army
of the Republic and is past commander of
Columbia Post, one of the most prominent
in the organization in the United States,
and by that post was presented with a very-
expensive and handsome badge. He also
belongs to the Veteran Union League, the
Army of the Cumberland and the Cumber-
land Gun Club.
From the time when the Republican
party became the champion of the Union
cause during the war of the Rebellion, Mr.
12
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Herrick has been one of its supporters and
stanchly advocates the principles of reci-
procity, protection and sound money. He
has been an active worker in party ranks in
this city, and in July, 1896, was elected to
the important position of secretary of the
Cook county Republican central commit-
tee, in which capacity he has since served
with marked fidelity and ability.
0W. MOON, M. D., a leading and suc-
cessful physician, surgeon and drug-
gist, is a pioneer of Will count}' and also of
the Masonic fraternity in Lockport, where
he makes his home. He joined the order
in Joliet, becoming a member of Joliet
Lodge, No. 42, A. F. & A. M. In 1867,
on the organization of Lockport Lodge,
No. 538, he became one of its charter
members and is one of its most honored
and able representatives. He is thor-
oughly informed concerning its methods of
work and has served as its Worshipful
Master and as Treasurer. His connection
with capitular Masonry came through his
identification with Wilmington Chapter,
No. 176. He passed the circle and was
greeted a Royal and Select Master of Joliet
Council, No. 2, and was constituted, cre-
ated and dubbed a Sir Knight in Joliet
Commandery, No. 4. Carefully guarding
the ancient landmarks, following the teach-
ings of chapter and council and serving
with fidelity the vows of knighthood, he is
a worthy exemplar of the ancient and hon-
orable fraternity which in point of age ante-
dates all other societies and in the measure
of its usefulness also passed all other or-
ganizations of a fraternal nature. He also
belongs to Sarah Moon Chapter, Order of
the Eastern Star, which was named in
honor of the Doctor's wife. He also be-
longs to the order of Knights of Pythias,
has filled all the chairs in the local lodge
and is now Past Chancellor.
Dr. Moon was born in Monroe county,
New York, August 19, 1840, and when fif-
teen years of age became a resident of
Lockport, where he completed his literary
education in the high school. Hardly had
the smoke from Fort Sumter's guns cleared
away at the outbreak of the Rebellion, when
he offered his services to the government,
enlisting in April, 1861, for three months'
service in the Lockport Light Artillery.
This organization became Company D of
the Fourth Illinois Cavalry, with which Dr.
Moon served throughout the war, having
re-enlisted on the expiration of his first
term and again when three years had
passed away. He was honorably dis-
charged in June, 1866, and having partici-
pated in all the engagements of the Western
army returned with a most honorable war
record. His meritorious conduct won him
promotion, and he rose from the rank of
sergeant to second lieutenant, afterward to
lieutenant and later to major.
After his return home the Doctor began
the study of medicine and was graduated at
the Chicago Medical College, in 1870. He
practiced in Braceville, Illinois, for about
twenty years, and in 1884 returned to
Lockport, where he has since carried on a
drug store and successfully followed his
profession. He is a member of the State
and National Medical Societies and is a
skilled physician whose ability and natural
aptitude for the profession has gained him
a large and profitable patronage. In poli-
tics the Doctor is a Republican and has
served as a member of the Lockport school
board and as mayor of the town. In 1871
he married Miss Sarah A. Dart, who died
July 28, 1891, leaving one son, Harry B.
The" Doctor is an old resident of Will
county and is widely and favorably known
in social, professional and Masonic circles.
JOSEPH SPIES.— There is perhaps no
greater satisfaction to be felt than for a
man who has reached the top round of
the ladder of success to look back upon the
weary road over which he has toiled in or-
der to reach the goal at which he aimed.
Success brings its own reward. The work
of years is forgotten or only serves to cause
a greater appreciation of the comforts of
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
13
life than it has brought to the possessor.
The record of Mr. Spies will no doubt
prove interesting, showing as it does how
an indomitable will, and a desire to get
ahejd, will overcome all obstacles and se-
cure the desired end.
Mr. Spies was born in Coblentz, Ger-
many, in 1843, and was brought to Chicago
by his parents when a child of eighteen
months. His education was acquired in
the public schools of this city, which he
attended until fourteen years old, when,
having an ambition to begin life in the
business world, he secured employment
with Frank Newhall, a dealer in fruit, who
is still in business here, and with whom Mr.
Spies remained for sixteen years. His first
compensation was a dollar and a half a
week for two years, after which time he
received an increase to five dollars.
At the outbreak of the Civil war Mr.
Spies enlisted in Company C, One Hundred
and Thirteenth Illinois Volunteers, which
was one of the Board of Trade regiments.
At that time he was a member of a volun-
teer fire department of Chicago — Supply
Hose No. 7 — consisting of about sixty
members. A meeting was held one night,
at which it was agreed that they should all
enlist as a body with the Board of Trade
regiment, which they did, with one excep-
tion. Out of the fifty-nine who went to
the front only eighteen returned. Mr. Spies
served in the army over three years and
was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He
was in the secret service under General
Washburn for about two years and was in a
number of engagements, including Nashville
and Vicksburg. After the close of the war
he went back to his old employer and re-
mained a few months, when he opened a
commission house at No. 127 South Water
street in 1865, and has been continuously
in that business ever since. He has the
proud distinction of being the oldest com-
mission man now on the street.
During the great Chicago fire, which
plunged so many thousands of people into
sorrow and despair, Mr. Spies was in Mis-
souri buying apples. He was apprised of
the disaster and was told that both his busi-
ness and his home were destroyed by the
dread element. He immediately started for
the doomed city, leaving his force of men
in Missouri, asking them to remain at work
one week more and leaving them their pay.
Upon going to the steamboat landing he
found that no vessels would leave for the
north for several days, so he bought a
canoe and paddled down the river to Alton,
a distance of twenty miles, and there caught
the Alton & St. Louis train for Chicago,
landing here on Sunday morning. He at
once went in search of his family, and was
fortunate enough to find them about two
o'clock Sunday afternoon, homeless and
penniless, and almost overcome with grief,
as Mr. Spies had been reported as being
killed in the fire. The meeting between
him and his loved ones can better be im-
agined than described. With a strong
hand and a willing heart, his family first in
his thoughts, he went to look for a house
to shelter his dear ones. After a long
search he found a two-story building and
tried to rent a part of it, but the landlord
told him he would have to take all of it or
none at all, and that the rent would be fifty
dollars a month, which Mr. Spies gladly
paid, and furnished up the lower part as
well as he could. Shortly after he had
been settled a police officer came along and
pleaded for a place to shelter his family.
Mr. Spies, out of the kindness of his heart,
gladly gave him the use of the upper part
of the house. In a few days one of the
officer's children was taken with the small-
pox, and Mr. Spies' favorite child, a son,
contracted the disease and died. The
officer's family was obliged to come down
stairs for their water, but kept secret the
fact that the dread disease was in their
midst until the death of their little girl
obliged them to reveal the truth. Mr.
Spies moved to the West Side before the
month's lease, for which he had paid rent,
expired, and located in more permanent
quarters. He rented an old blacksmith
shop on Clinton street, and he says he
never did a more successful business than
14
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
he did that winter. He remained there
about eighteen months, and his trade in-
creased so rapidly that he was obliged to
rent two other places, 52 and 72 West Lake
street. In 1873 he moved to 165 South
Water street, being one of the first merchants
to locate there after the fire. Mr. Spies has
met with success from the beginning of his
career, and to-day he is the largest com-
mission merchant in Chicago. He does an
immense business and occupies the greater
part of the building at 101 South Water
street, which is four stories high. The
firm name is Joseph Spies & Company.
Fraternally Mr. Spies is prominently
connected with Freemasonry, and there is
perhaps no man in Chicago who has taken
a greater interest in the workings of that
organization than he, and he is as favorably
known in Masonic circles as in business.
He is a Master Mason in Apollo Lodge, No.
642, was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Washington Chapter,
No. 43, about 1880; was made a Royal and
Select Master in Palestine Council, No. 66;
was created a knight in Apollo Command-
ery, No. i ; and is one of the Sublime
Princes of the Royal Secret in the Oriental
Consistory of the Scottish Rite. He has
taken an active part in the workings of the
order, which has given him considerable
pleasure. He has taken the thirty-third
degree, being elected in Boston, and the
degree conferred upon him in New York
city in 1885.
Mr. Spies was married in 1867 to Miss
Mary Barcal, a native of Chicago, and they
have five children, — Mrs. Schurrel Prickett,
Edna, Walter, Delpin and Helen. They
are all members of a church. Mr. Spies
owns his beautiful home in Kenwood, where
he frequently entertains his host of friends.
HON. JAMES B. BRADWELL, editor
of the Chicago Legal News, bears a
name that is too well known to need intro-
duction here; but as an honored member of
the Masonic order it is fitting that his life
history be given a place in this work, and
we turn with pleasure to a resume of his act-
ive and useful career, showing first his
prominence as a Mason.
Judge Bradwell was made a Master Ma-
son by Blair Lodge, No. 393, F. & A. M.,
of Chicago, and at the organization of
Union Park Lodge, No. 610, his name was
among its charter members. He still
maintains membership in this lodge. He
was exalted a Royal Arch Mason by Chi-
cago Chapter, No. 127; was knighted by
Apollo Commandery, No i ; and was given
the Scottish Rite degrees up to and includ-
ing the thirty-second by Chicago Consistory;
with all the above named bodies he still
affiliates. He was Treasurer for several
years of Apollo Commandery, was Grand
Orator of Chicago Consistory, and in the
Lodge of Perfection he served as Senior
Grand Warden, Thrice Potent Grand Mas-
ter, and Treasurer. Also he is an honorary
member of the Supreme Council with its
Grand East at Boston, and sustains the
same relation to the Ancient Ebor Precep-
tory at York, England.
The Judge is an Englishman by birth,
having been born at Loughborough, Eng-
land, April 16, 1828, but from his infancy
has been a resident of America. His par-
ents were Thomas and Elizabeth Gutridge
Bradwell. They left England with their
family when James was sixteen months old
and made the voyage to America, locating
at Utica, New York, where they maintained
their home until 1833, when they removed
to Illinois and settled at Jacksonville. In
May of the following year they made an-
other move, this time to what is now Wheel-
ing, Cook county, Illinois. On a farm in
Cook county young Bradwell spent a num-
ber of years, — years filled with various
kinds of hard work as then found on the
farm and which served to develop a strength
of both mind and body. His primary edu-
cation was received in a log school-house.
Later he attended Wilson's Academy, of
Chicago, and completed his studies at Knox
College, Galesburg, supporting himself
while in college by sawing wood and work-
ing in a wagon and plow shop afternoons
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
15
and Saturdays; and for a number of years
before his admission to the bar he worked
as a journeyman at several differenj; trades
in Chicago, being a natural mechanic and
turning with ease from one trade to another,
always finding something to occupy his time
and attention. Indeed, after he had en-
tered upon a professional life he made it a
practice for years to devote a portion of
each day to some kind of manual labor.
It is said of him that "he could earn his
living to-day at any one of seventeen trades.
As a process artist he has few superiors.
He invented a process of his own for doing
half-tone work, and has the honor of hav-
ing made the first half-tone cut ever pro-
duced in Chicago: that of Chief Justice
Fuller, of the United States Supreme
Court."
Nearly four decades ago the subject of
our sketch was admitted to the Illinois bar,
and as in other things so in law, he proved
himself a hustler and soon established a pay-
ing practice. In 1861 he was elected coun-
ty judge of Cook county, receiving a larger
majority than any previous judge of the
county, and four years later was re-elected
for another term. In 1873 and 1875 he
was elected a member of the Illinois state
legislature, where he figured prominently
as one of its most influential members and
aided in securing the passage of a number
of measures for the benefit of the state and
the city of his adoption. He holds advanced
views as to the rights of women, and intro-
duced a bill making women eligible to all
school offices, which bill was passed, large-
ly through his efforts; also a bill making
women eligible to be appointed notaries
public. He has held many offices in char-
itable and other institutions; presided at
Cleveland during the organization of the
American Woman Suffrage Association;
was president of the Chicago Press Club;
president of the Chicago Rifle Club, and for
many years was considered the best rifle
shot in this city; president of the Chicago
Bar Association; president of the Illinois
State Bar Association and for many years
its historian; president of the Chicago
Soldiers' Home; chairman of the arms and
trophy department of the North West San-
itary Commission and Soldiers' Home Fair
of 1865; one of the founders of the Union
League Club of Chicago, and president of
its board of directors the first year; and was
president of. the Chicago Photographic So-
ciety for three years.
As is well known, Judge Bradwell is at
the head of a family of lawyers. His wife
Myra, now deceased, was the founder and
editor of the Chicago Legal News. His
son, Thomas Bradwell, his daughter and
son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Helmer,
and his nephew, James A. Peterson, are all
members of the Illinois bar.
MASKEL LEE, M. D., one of the
leading physicians of Atlanta, Illi-
nois, has been a Master Mason for nearly
twenty years and has advanced through
other degrees of the Masonic order up to
and including those of the commandery.
The degrees of ancient-craft Masonry
were conferred upon him by Wayne Lodge,
No. 172, F. & A. M., in 1877. In 1886 he
was made a Royal Arch Mason in Atlanta
Chapter, No. 1 89, while the degrees which
made him Royal and Select Master were
given him in Bloomington, Illinois, and he
was knighted at Lincoln, this state, in Con-
stantine Commandery, No. 51- He main-
tains membership in all of these organiza-
tions except the first named, he having
been dimitted from Wayne Lodge in order
to affiliate with Atlanta Lodge, No. 165,
where he now belongs, and of which he has
been Worshipful Master since 1893, during
this time representing his lodge in the
Grand Lodge of the state; and during the
years 1890 to 1893 inclusive he filled the
office of High Priest in the chapter, and
those years represented it in the Grand
Chapter. In the commandery also he has
been honored with official position, having
been elected and served in 1 894 as Warder.
Dr. Lee is a native of Illinois. He was
born in Fulton county, near Atlanta, Oc-
tober 7, 1855, and was educated at Lincoln
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
University, Lincoln, this state. He entered
Rush Medical College in 1886, graduated
in 1888, and immediately after his gradua-
tion entered upon the practice of his pro-
fession at Atlanta, where he has since lived
and prospered.
August 31, 1881, near Waynesville, Illi-
nois, was consummated Dr. Lee's marriage
to Miss Ruth Shipley, and their happy
union has been blessed in the birth of three
sons, — Don, Je~n and Burch.
UGUST GEORGE REINHARDT,
B. who has recently assumed the man-
agement of the National Hotel, at Peoria,
Illinois, is a gentleman whose high rank in
Masonry entitles him to personal considera-
tion in this compendium. A. resume of his
life is as follows:
August George Reinhardt was born at
Battenburg, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany,
September 15, 1862, and comes of a re-
spected family, many representatives of
whom have been in the hotel business. His
father was for years in the hotel business
at Battenburg, and for forty years his grand-
father ran the Solnser-Hof Hotel at Hun-
gen. In 1880, on account of the military
requirements of Germany, the subject of
our sketch left his native land and went to
Paris, where he spent nine months and a
half in the study of French, and from there
came that same year to America, landing
in New York. In New York city he was
employed as storekeeper in different hotels
until 1884, when he came west as far as
Cleveland, Ohio. There he accepted a
position as steward in the Stillman House,
which place he occupied for seven years,
severing his connection with that hotel in
order to accept a similar position with the
Union Club, with which he remained six
years. After the death of J. B. Moore, of
the National Hotel, Peoria, Mr. Reinhardt
resigned his stewardship at the Union Club
and came to Peoria to take charge of the
National Hotel, the date of his arrival here
being July i 5, 1896.
Mr. Reinhardt was married in Cleve-
land, Ohio, in February, 1887, to Miss
Harriet B. Brown, of that city, and to them
has been given a daughter, whom they have
named Hilda Romaine.
To Mr. Reinhardt 's Masonic history we
would now turn. His connection with this
ancient and honored order covers only a
brief period of time, but is marked by rapid
progression, he having taken all the degrees
from that of Entered Apprentice up to and
including that of the thirty-second of the
Scottish Rite. He was created a Master
Mason in Iris Lodge, No. 229, A. F. & A.
M., of Cleveland, in March, 1895; joined
Webb Chapter, No. 14, R. A. M., in May,
1895; became a member of Cleveland
Council, No. 36, R. & S. M,, in June, 1895;
was knighted in Oriental Commandery,
No. 12, K. T., in September, 1895, and
shortly afterward attended the conclave
at Boston. On his return to Cleveland
from his eastern trip, he joined Lake Erie
Consistory, the thirty-second degree being
conferred upon him on the evening of De-
cember 13, 1895. October 16 of that year
he received the degrees of Al Koran Tem-
ple, Mystic Shrine.
On leaving Cleveland to come to Peoria,
in July, 1896, Mr. Reinhardt was the re-
cipient of handsome tokens of appreciation.
His comrades of Al Koran Temple pre-
sented him with a beautiful tiger-claw
badge, and a second badge equally beauti-
ful was given him by the Union Club, both
of which, it is needless to say, are highly
appreciated by him.
H
J'OMER HERSCHEL GREEN, the
JuL leading druggist of Bloomington, Illi-
nois, was born in Crawford county, this
state, December 31, 1854. He has been
in the drug business for a period of twenty-
three years, excepting two years he was
engaged in the practice of law. In 1889
he went to Ann Arbor, and after graduat-
ing in the law department of the Univer-
sity of Michigan at that place located at
Bloomington and for two years practiced
law here. The legal profession, however.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
17
was not to his liking and at the end of the
two years he returned to the drug business.
He was appointed by the governor to a
position on the state board of pharmacy in
1 890, and has been on the board ever since,
in 1895 serving as its president. Mr. Green
is interested also in other business enter-
prises, notably the Pantagraph Printing and
Stationery Company, of Bloomington, of
which he is president.
He was married in 1876 to Miss Belle
Barnes, a native of Illinois and a daughter
of Dr. A. T. Barnes, of Bloomington.
They have one daughter, Maurine by name.
Mr. Green has been an active Mason
for twenty years. In 1 876 he joined Anna
Lodge, at Anna, Illinois, afterwird was
dimitted and united with Bloomington
Lodge, No. 43, with which he now affili-
ates. In 1885 he took the chapter degrees
in Bloomington Chapter, No. 26, of which
he is a Past High Priest, having served as
High Priest in 1888. He joined Bloom-
ington Council, No. 43, in 1891, and De
Molay Cominandery, of Bloomington, in
1885. In 1889 he was Eminent Com-
mander of De Molay, and in 1895 was
elected Grand Warder of the Grand Com-
mandery of the state of Illinois. In his
annual address to De Molay Cominandery
in 1889, at the close of his term, he touched
upon the policy of succession, stating that
a tenure of office beyond a year was, in his
opinion, unnecessary and ill advised. He
spoke of the year being the happiest of his
life and wished his successor the greatest
blessing that he could conceive of, namely,
that he be surrounded by the same loyal
hearts that had supported him. It is only
just to Mr. Green to state here that he is
perfectly adapted to the commandery work,
being military in bearing and a thorough
student of Masonry.
dence in the goodness and mercy of a
Supreme Being — are the qualities necessary
to the successful practice of the medical
profession. Brought daily face to face
with the sterner side of life, in constant
juxtaposition with sickness and suffering,
the physician must possess a character con-
sistent with the duties inseparable from his
life and whose predominating attribute
must necessarily be a generous considera-
tion for his fellow men. For over a quar-
LFRED AUGUSTUS WHIPPLE.—
JJ4& Closely allied to the principles upon
which is based the brotherhood of Free-
masonry— charity, unselfishness, the frater-
nal relationship between men, and a confi-
ter of a century Dr. Whipple has followed
the noble calling which in his youth he de-
termined to devote his future career, and
that he has succeeded in his laudable am-
bition is amply attested by his present hon-
orable standing in the medical world; and
now, in the prime of life, he can look back
upon the unrecallable past with a calm
sense of having conscientiously performed
his duty to his God and to humanity in
general.
Dr. Whipple's connection with the Ma-
18
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
sonic order dates back thirty years. Ap-
preciating the fact that by becoming asso-
ciated with a society which had for its
object the mental and moral elevation of
the human race he would be more fully
equipped for the exigencies of his profes-
sion, he applied for admission in Cattarau-
gus Lodge, No. 239, and after receiving
the first two degrees was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason on May 30,
1868. He was exalted to the august
degrees in cryptic Masonry, which he re-
ceived as follows: Mark Master, March 10,
1870, Past Master, March 24, Most Excel-
lent Master, April 28, and Royal Arch
Mason, May 12. Obtaining a dimit from
these two bodies the Doctor became affil-
iated with Quincy Lodge, No. 296, in
Which he has held the office of Worshipful
Master, and Quincy Chapter, No. 5, in the
latter being elected to the office of High
Priest. His further membership in the
York Rite is with Quincy Council, No.
15, serving as its Illustrious Deputy Master,
and El Aksa Commandery, No. 55, receiv-
ing the degrees of Red Cross Knight on
August 30, 1882, and of Knights Templar
on the following September 14. In this
body he presided most efficiently as Emi-
nent Commander, and is a courteous and
accomplished Sir Knight. In the Scottish
Rite Dr. Whipple has attained to the in-
effable degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret, which was conferred upon
him in Quincy Consistory on January 19,
1 887, and he was subsequently elected
Commander-in-Chief. In the Grand Chap-
ter of Illinois the Doctor has filled the fol-
lowing offices: Grand Master of the First
Veil, 1893-94; Grand Master of the Second
Veil, 1894-95; Grand Master of the Third
Veil, 1895-96; and Royal Arch Captain,
1896. Mr. Whipple was the first Principal
Sojourner of Salamanca Chapter, No. 266,
at Salamanca, New York, while under dis-
pensation in 1871 or 1872, and has held
the appointment of Surgeon of the Second
Regiment in the Tenth Division at the
Triennial Conclave held in Boston in 1895.
He has been a faithful, enthusiastic and
consistent member of the fraternity, always
ready to accept any duties that he may be
required to assume, and rendering to the
different bodies any service of which his
energetic nature is capable. Thoroughly
well versed in the laws and usages of Ma-
sonry, he is a most valued brother, and well
merits the high consideration and fraternal
affection with which he is universally re-
garded.
Dr. Whipple is a native of New York,
his birth having occurred in Cattaraugus
county on October 31, 1845. Although
not a member, he is a regular attendant of
the Baptist church.
JOSEPH W. HOUGH, a prominent and
I enthusiastic Mason who makes his home
in Chicago, where he takes an abiding
interest in the local lodges of which he is a
member, was initiated in Englewood Lodge,
No. 690, on the 29th of September, 1892,
passed October loth, and was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason on the
24th of October. The degrees of capitular
Masonry were conferred upon him in En-
glewood Chapter, No. 176, in the following
order: Mark Master, October 27, 1892,
Past Master, Most Excellent Master and
Royal Arch, November 10. He received
the degrees of Royal and Select Masters in
Temple Council in 1895 or 1896, and the
orders of knighthood were conferred upon
him in Englewood Commandery, No. 59,
he being created a Red Cross Knight on the
26th of January, 1893, and constituted a
Sir Knight Templar on the 27th of that
month. Mr. Hough has attained to the in-
effable degrees of Scottish Rite, including
that of thirty-second, and on the 29th of
June, 1893, he was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret. In 1 892 he
performed a successful pilgrimage across
the sands of the desert and became a No-
ble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his affiliation being with
Medinah Temple.
A native of the Dominion of Canada,
Mr. Hough was born in Greenville count}',
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
19
province of Ontario, on the 6th of Janu-
ary, 1852, and is a son of George and
Mary Hough. Reared upon the paternal
country homestead, the first eighteen years
of our subject's life were spent in pursuing
his studies in the district schools and in
performing such duties as were required of
him on the farm. Upon attaining his
eighteenth year Mr. Hough began learning
the carpenter's trade, serving an appren-
ticeship at Prescott, Ontario, with his
brother, Alfred, with whom he worked
until the fall of 1879, coming to Chicago
in that year and securing an engagement
as a carpenter at the Stock Yards. In
1888 he was appointed superintendent of
construction, and such was his ability, as
displayed in performing the duties of that
office, that he has continued to fill that po-
sition down to the present time to the emi-
nent satisfaction of all concerned and in a
manner that redounds greatly to his own
credit. In his social relations Mr. Hough
is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, in which society he has
passed all the chairs, and in his political
faith he is an ardent supporter of the Re-
publican party.
In 1882 was celebrated the marriage of
Brother Hough to Miss Jessie L. Buell, of
Morristown, New York, and two children
were born to them — Walter B. and Ida J.
Mrs. Hough departed this life in 1889, and
in 1892 our subject contracted a second
marriage, this time with Miss Laura J.
Sproul, of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Hough
have one child, named Cora J. They are
adherents of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and contribute liberally to its sup-
port.
WARTIN W. BACON, physician and
surgeon, Chicago. — The professional
man, as well as the humblest mechanic or
gardener, finds great satisfaction in the in-
stitution of Freemasonry. The reasons for
this are repeated in this volume in various
phraseology, so that we can say, as the
Church of England says to the public con-
cerning the great architect of St. Paul's
church, London, Sir Christopher Wren,
Si monumentum requiris, circtunspice. By
paraphrase we might say: If you wish to
find a table spread with intellectual and
moral dishes, here they are in the lodge
room; and if you wish to see the work of
Masonry in the cold world, look around you,
and, although not able to trace the bene-
fits seen to the individual hand of the donor,
you can rest assured that you will be right
in attributing many of them to the benevo-
lence of the brethren in the noble institu-
tion of Masonry.
But we are digressing, — only, however,
to revive some idea of the grandeur of the
institution with which the subject of this
biographical outline is connected. Dr. Ba-
con received the ancient-craft degrees in
Auburn Park Lodge, No. 789, A. F. & A.
M., in 1892, the capitular degrees in Au-
burn Chapter, No. 201, R. A. M. , the
chivalric in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, also the same year, and the cryptic in
Imperial Council, No. 85, in 1896. His
present affiliations are with the same blue
lodge, council and commandery in which he
was initiated, and with Normal Park Chap-
ter, No. 210, R. A. M. He has also crossed
the sands of the desert and been accepted
in Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Chicago.
Dr. Bacon was born in Geauga county,
Ohio, May 13, 1845, and when seven years
of age his parents moved to Michigan,
where he was reared and educated, gradu-
ating at the high school. His medical ed-
ucation he received in the medical depart-
ment of the Michigan State University at
Ann Arbor, graduating in 1875. After prac-
ticing his profession in Michigan three years
he came to Chicago, and for seven years he
had his office on the North Side. In 1882
he moved to Englewood, where now he has
for over fourteen years remained in the
practice of medicine, enjoying that success
which attends the career of but few medi-
cal men, and having also a wide reputation
as a surgeon. He is a member of the Chi-
cago Medical Association, the American
20
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
Medical Association, the South Side Medi-
cal Society and the Physicians' Club. In
his religious relations he is a communicant
of the Protestant Episcopal church.
May 10, 1873, he was united in matri-
mony with Miss Dora Green, of Kalamazoo,
Michigan, and they have two accomplished
daughters, Rose and Edith.
JOHN D. TOBEY.— Cosmopolitan is the
never-ending procession of travelers
which one sees on the highway of suc-
cess. All classes and conditions are repre-
sented as the individual presses forward
with the hope of ultimately reaching the
goal of prosperity. The race often becomes
fast and furious, and the rights and priv-
ileges of others are frequently -forgotten by
those who are making rapid progress, but
there is an influence working among men
which often causes the fortunate to extend
aid to his less fortunate fellow traveler.
The Masonic fraternity has for countless cen-
turies inculcated among men the spirit of
helpfulness; it is this imperishable institu-
tion that takes by the hand the brother
who has fallen in the battle of life, that
kindly raises him to his feet again, that
gently brushes from his brow the dust of
defeat and encourages him to enter again
the race with renewed strength and a
fiirmer determination to accomplish some-
thing in life. It is an axiom of the craft
that one should be a Mason not for what he
may get but for what he may attain, — what
he may do for others. This is the glory of
Masonry; this is what makes it the syno-
nym of charity throughout the civilized
world; this is what will shed brighter and
yet still brighter luster upon her fair name,
as the centuries, one by one, shall be added
to the past, even down to the ' ' last sylla-
ble of recorded time."
Mr. Tobey has for five years been affili-
ated with the ancient and noble fraternity,
being initiated into the order as an Entered
Apprentice of Golden Rule Lodge, F. &
A. M., in 1892. The same year he re-
ceived the Fellow-craft degree, was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason,
and became a companion of the chapter,
his membership being in Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, R. A. M. With these organiza-
tions he has since retained his connection
and also taken the Knight Templar degrees
in Chicago Commandery, No. 19, in 1892,
and the Scottish Rite degrees in Oriental
Consistory, S. P. R. S. Of the com-
mandery he is a life member. He has
never held office in these lodges, his time
being occupied with his business interests,
but is a worthy and faithful member of the
craft, his fidelity to its principles and teach-
ings being above question. He is also
connected with the social division of the
order, through his membership in Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the No-
bles of the Mystic Shrine.
John D. Tobey, who is now president
of the Tobey Hay & Grain Company, of
Chicago, is one of the native sons of Cook
county, his birth having occurred in the
township of Worth, on the 3d of Septem-
ber, 1859. He is indebted to the common
schools for the educational privileges which
he enjoyed, and his business training was
along the line of his present business.
When only thirteen years of age he became
connected with hay and grain dealing and
has since followed that pursuit. He worked
for others for some time and applied him-
self assiduously to the mastery of the busi-
ness, the principles which govern it and the
best methods to follow in conducting a
successful enterprise. As time passed his
industry was rewarded by a constantly
increasing capital, and to-day he is at the
head of a thriving business, which is con-
stantly growing in extent and importance.
Mr. Tobey was united in marriage to
Miss Clara Burt, of West Point, New York,
and by this union have been born two chil-
dren, Gracie and Daisy. In connection
with the Masonic fraternity Mr. Tobey is
also a member of Henry W. Longfellow
Council, Royal Arcanum; the order of
Knights of Pythias and the American Na-
tional Union.
There are always lessons of incentive
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
21
and inspiration in the life of the man, who,
without other means than a clear head, a
strong arm and a true heart, conquers ad-
versity, and toiling on through the work-a-
day years finds that he has won not only a
handsome competence but also something
far greater and higher, — the deserved re-
spect and esteem of those with whom his
years of active life placed him in contact.
Such a man is Mr. Tobey, and the Masonic
society of Chicago may well be proud to
number him among her representatives.
JAMES MALCOLM TENLEY, well-
known as the popular furniture dealer
and undertaker of Farmington, Illinois,
and equally well known and popular in
Masonic circles, is a native of McConnells-
burg, Pennsylvania, but has never known
any other home than that of Farmington,
Illinois, having been brought here from the
east when a child of two years. He was
born June 27, 1847, and it was in 1849
that he accompanied his parents and other
members of the family to this state; and
here for many years he has been engaged
in his present occupation.
Mr. Tenley's Masonic history covers
more than a dozen years, dating back to
1883, and has all along been attended with
ardent interest. Having been duly elected
to receive the degrees in Farmington Lodge,
No. 192, he was initiated on the evening of
June 15, 1 88 3; August 10 he was passed to
the Fellow-craft; and August 24 became a
Master Mason. December 30, 1887, he
was first elected Senior Warden, was re-
elected and served for three successive
terms in the same office, and December 26,
1890, was honored with election to the east.
December 2, 1892, he was again elected
Worshipful Master, and served a second
term, both being prosperous years in the
history of the lodge. Nor has Mr. Tenley's
interest in Masonry stopped with the blue
lodge. He has advanced through the chap-
ter, council and commandery to the Scot-
tish Rite, having affiliations with Eureka
Chapter, of Yates City, of which he became
a member April 9, 1884; Canton Council,
No. 23; Peoria Commandery, No. 3; and
Peoria Consistory, having taken the Scot-
tish Rite degrees November 6, 1895. In
Canton Council, No. 23, he has served as
Deputy Master, having twice been elected
to this office and without a dissenting vote.
Mr. Tenley's religious belief is that of
the Baptist church, of which he is a con-
sistent and active member.
F-RANK M. TIMMS, secretary of the
Mallory, Son & Zimmerman Company,
live-stock commissioners of Chicago, is
identified with the Masonic fraternity, in
which he has risen to the Knight Templar
degree. He took the initiatory degree of
Entered Apprentice in Englewood Lodge,
No. 690, A. F. & A. M., passed the Fellow-
craft degree and was raised to the sublime
degree of a Master Mason. His identifica-
tion with capitular Masonry came through
Englewood Chapter, No. 176, in which he
was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch
Mason. He joined the Englewood Com-
mandery and has since been a worthy fol-
lower of the beauseant, and with all these
organizations he is now affiliated as a con-
sistent and loyal member. His relationship
with the Knights Templar permitting his
membership in the Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine, he is now a Noble of
Medinah Temple.
Mr. Timms is also well known in busi-
ness circles and possesses the true western
spirit of progress and enterprise. He is a
native of Michigan, born in Hillsdale, Feb-
ruary 25, 1859. There he remained until
seventeen years of age, his time being
passed midst play and study. The public
schools afforded him his educational privi-
leges. On leaving Hillsdale he came to
Chicago, and in the fall of 1876 began deal-
ing in live stock, a business which he has
since followed with good success. He has
been the architect of his own fortunes, and
has builded wisely and well, for by his own
exertions he has accumulated a handsome
competence. The company of which he is
22
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
now secretary is doing a very extensive
business, its sales reaching a high figure,
and to the capable management, sound
judgment and indefatigable industry of Mr.
Timms this is largely due.
In 1884 Mr. Timms was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mable Brach, of Hillsdale,
Michigan, and they have two children,
Grace and Gladys. He is a member of the
Harvard Club and the Royal Arcanum.
FRED SCHULTZ, of Chicago, is a
Royal Arch Mason who takes an act-
ive part in the work of the fraternity and is
an ardent and zealous adherent of its ten-
ets. The history of the past furnishes
many illustrations of the beneficent work of
the order, and to-day its utility in the af-
fairs of men is even greater than before.
With the new conditions of civilization
have arisen new conditions of life, that re-
quire the ameliorating influences of some
humanitarian organization, and extending
the field of its labors to meet these Ma-
sonry has become one of the most potent
elements for the uplifting of the race, for
doing away with the asperities of life and
making smooth the many rough places on
life's journey. In this work Mr. Schultz
has ever borne his part and is numbered
among the valued adherents of the order in
the metropolis of the west. He was made
a Mason in 1885, taking the degrees of
Master Mason, Fellow-craft and Entered
Apprentice in Waubansia Lodge, No. 160.
His fidelity is recognized by his brethren of
the craft, who have three times honored
him with election to the office of Worship-
ful Master, in which he served in 1892,
1893 and in the present year, 1897. In
1886 he was advanced as Mark Master, in-
stalled as Past Master, received as Most
Excellent Master and exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in La Fayette
Chapter, No. 2, of Chicago.
Mr. Schultz is a native of Prussia, born
on the 25th of February, 1848. When a
child of four years he was brought to Chi-
cago, where he was reared and educated.
His business training was in the line of mer-
chandising, and in 1880, as a member of
the firm of Schultz & Hirsch, he began the
manufacture and sale of mattresses, and the
handling of feathers and upholsterers' sup-
plies. His plant is located at No. 260
South Desplaines street, and he has built
up an excellent trade, to which he is justly
entitled by reason of his honorable dealing,
his enterprise and close application. On the
2 ist of December, 1881, was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Schultz and Miss Mary
Shaffer, a native of Pennsylvania. They
have two daughters.
'RANCIS G. SPREYNE, a faithful and
energetic adherent of the craft in Chi-
cago who governs his life according to the
twenty- four-inch gauge, was initiated in
Constantia Lodge, No. 783, and raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in 1 882.
In 1896 he attained to the grades and or-
ders of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory, Valley of Chicago, and, having con-
ferred upon him the thirty-second degree, he
was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret. He made a successful pil-
grimage across the burning sands of the
desert and became a Noble in the Ancient
Arabic Order, his membership being in Me-
dinah Temple. He exemplifies the honor-
able teachings of the order in his daily life,
and is esteemed as a worthy and acceptable
frater.
A native of Germany, Mr. Spreyne
was born in Hanover on July 8, 1848, and
was reared and received an excellent educa-
tion in the public schools of that country,
which are noted for the thoroughness of
their system, and in his youth he was appren-
ticed to the confectioner's trade. In 1866
he went to Paris, France, remaining in that
city for a year, and then came to the United
States, locating in Jersey City, New Jersey,
for a year and a half, going thence to
Omaha, Nebraska, and from there to Kan-
sas City, Missouri. In 1873 he came to
Chicago, and here, through the influence of
his father-in-law, Mr. Podolsky, he secured
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
23
the position of confectioner at the Grand
Pacific Hotel, filling that position most ac-
ceptably for a period of two years. His
father-in-law was an undertaker, and our
subject became interested in that business;
subsequently, after careful study and prep-
aration, he joined Mr. Podolsky in that
calling, the firm name being known as Po-
dolsky & Spreyne, they being among the
first in the city to make a practical use of
embalming and to introduce it in their pro-
fession. This partnership continued until
1892, when Mr. Podolsky retired, and our
subject has since conducted the business
alone, meeting with the success that is a
natural result of industry, integrity and a
thorough knowledge of his work, in the
pursuance of which his adaptability and
honorable methods have placed him in the
foremost ranks among his confreres. Mr.
Spreyne's prosperous career is the sequence
of a life spent with an honest purpose in
view, in consequence of which his present
position is the outcome, resultant from
most praiseworthy motives. He is a pro-
gressive, energetic citizen of whom Chicago
may well be proud, and he richly merits
the success he has attained in the country
of his adoption.
The marriage of Mr. Spreyne was
solemnized in 1876, when he was united to
Miss Helen Podolsky, who is a native of the
Garden City. This union has been blessed
with six children, three sons and three
daughters. Mr. Spreyne is of a genial dis-
position, domestic in his habits, and obtains
a great deal of enjoyment from his home
life. Numerous friends extend to him their
good will and warm regard, and as a man
and a Mason he is a credit to himself and
his fraternity.
F. L. HARTMAN, of Chicago, has
been for three years a member of the
fraternity whose record forms the subject
of this volume, having taken the degrees of
Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Mas-
ter Mason in Waubansia Lodge, in 1894.
He is still an affiliate of that organization,
and at the last election was honored by his
brethren of the craft by being chosen for
the office of Junior Warden, in which in-
cumbency he is now serving.
Mr. Hartman is a son of Erin. He was
born on the Emerald Isle, November iS,
1864, but was chiefly reared in England,
whence he came to the United States at the
age of fifteen years. In his youth he re-
ceived the business training of a mercantile
establishment. He came to Chicago in
1891 and for the past five years he has
been in the employ of the firm of Rand &
McNally as chief janitor, and in that posi-
tion has earned a well-merited reputation
for efficiency and fidelity to the interests
committed to his care. He was married in
1890 to Miss Florence Lewis, a native of
Chicago, and they have two children —
Chester and Gladys.
€OLL McNAUGHTON, of Joliet, is a
' worthy and talented member of the
Masonic order who has since his initiation
taken a great interest in the workings of the
blue lodge and has been active in advancing
its welfare and giving it the benefit of his
energetic support. He was made a Master
Mason in Matteson Lodge, No. 175, and
quickly acquiring the ritual and thoroughly
informing himself on the subject of Masonic
ethics and usage, he was elected to the
chair of Senior Warden, which he held
with credit to himself and to the honor of
the fraternity. He was advanced to the
degrees of capitular Masonry and ex-
alted to the august degree of the Holy Royal
Arch in Joliet Chapter, No. 27, received
the degrees of Royal and Select Masters in
Joliet Council, No. 82, and was constituted
a Sir Knight in Joliet Commandery, No. 4,
serving as its Junior Warden for one term
with ability and circumspection. By his
enthusiasm and unremitting labors he has
won the good will and kindly consideration
of all his _/ 'raters.
A native of Scotland, Mr. McNaughton
was born in Campbellton, Argyleshire, on
August 11, 1860, receiving his elementary
.24
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT fN ILLINOIS.
education in the public schools of that city,
pursuing his studies until 1878, when he
set sail for the United States and subse-
quently located in St. Clair, Michigan, se-
curing work on a farm and in the pine
woods of that state. In 1880 he moved to
Oswego, Illinois, and for the succeeding
five years taught school in Kendall county,
making the best possible use of his leisure
time by borrowing books and reading law,
which he had determined to follow as a pro-
fession; and in 1885 he entered the office
of Flanders & Shutts, of Joliet, under whose
guidance he studied with such diligence that
in May, 1887, he was admitted to practice,
and since then he has succeeded in building
up a large and lucrative business, and oc-
cupies a position in the front ranks of the
leading attorneys in Illinois. In 1888 he
was appointed deputy postmaster at Joliet,
serving as such one year; in 1891 he was
elected town supervisor, and in 1895 he
was chosen city attorney, holding that of-
fice for a term of two years.
Mr. McNaughton was married in No-
vember, 1888, to Miss Agnes Conlon, of
Joliet, and they are the parents of two
children, Bessie and Jean. Mr. McNaugh-
ton is a member of the Modern Woodmen
of America, and is a consistent adherent of
the Universalist church. As a self-made
man the record of Mr. McNaughton is one
deserving the highest commendation, com-
ing, as he did, to this country with no ad-
vantages and possessing no other capital
than a pair of strong arms and a willing
heart. By the perseverance and indomit-
able energy that characterize his race, he
has steadily worked his way up until he has
acquired a comfortable competency, and
enjoys the sincere respect of a large num-
ber of friends.
©RRIN J. WILSEY, one of the most
active blue-lodge members residing in
the city of Lena, has the following com-
mendable record: He was made a Master
Mason in Lena Lodge, No. 174, in 18/6,
and served two years each as Senior War-
den, Junior Warden, and Senior Deacon,
and then finished the term of a brother who
had served as Master, since which time he
has been elected and officiated in that ca-
pacity for fourteen years, taking a great in-
terest in the order and accomplishing a
large amount of work, not only in his own
lodge, but giving also his able assistance to
the brethren in the adjoining towns. Dur-
ing his long administration brother Wilsey
has contributed no little to the gratifying
success attending his lodge, which is out of
debt, possesses a membership of sixty fra-
tres, is well stocked with excellent appara-
tus, and has one of the best floor teams in
the country. Mr. Wilsey has been a close
student of the ethics of Masonry, is one of
the most thoroughly informed men in the
ritual, and enjoys the high esteem and re-
gard of his confreres. His record is one
that not only redounds to his personal credit
but to that of his lodge, and is deserving of
the most exalted encomiums of praise.
On the 3d of September, 1857, occurred
the birth of Mr. Wilsey in the city of Syra-
cuse, New York, his ancestors being Hol-
land-Dutch. His father, Hoffman Wilsey,
was a native of the Empire state, where he
married Miss Eliza Baldwin, and in 1859
emigrated to Illinois with his family, con-
sisting of his wife and five children ; and
here he pursued an honest, industrious life,
dying in November, 1891, at the venerable
age of seventy-four years. His wife had
preceded him to their eternal rest at the
age of sixty-two years, survived by three of
their children. Our subject was educated
in the public schools of Lena and Rockford
until old enough to attend college, when he
was sent to Wisconsin State University at
Madison, at which he was subsequently
graduated. Returning to Lena, he en-
gaged in business and now has a large farm-
implement store, which he has conducted
successfully for a number of years and oc-
cupies a prominent place in the front ranks
among the merchants of his home city.
Politically Mr. Wilsey is an adherent of
the Democratic party, and has been justice
of the peace for four years, township as-
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
25
sessor, a member of the board of trustees
of Lena, and has the honor of having been
appointed postmaster of the city by Presi-
dent Cleveland, and is now serving in his
fourth year. In every position in life it has
been his duty to fill he has been faithful,
energetic and efficient, giving eminent sat-
isfaction to all with whom he has been as-
sociated.
In 1882 Mr. Wilsey was married to Miss
Nellie Howard, also a native of Lena, and
they have one son, Grover H. Mr. and
Mrs. Wilsey are valued members of Isa-
bella Chapter, No. 322, Order of the East-
ern Star, in which he is Worthy Patron and
she is Assistant Worthy Matron. Both of
them are residents of whom Lena may well
be proud, and they are held high in the re-
spect and kindly consideration of their nu-
merous friends.
FRANK W. CAMPBELL, Chicago, who
holds the distinction of being Past Em-
inent Commander of Apollo Commandery of
Knights Templar in Chicago, has long been
conspicuously identified with the business
life of the western metropolis, and his con-
nection with Masonic affairs has been such
as to render particularly consistent a review
of his life in this connection.
Mr. Campbell's initiation as a member
of the Masonic order occurred on the 3Oth
of September, 1865, when he was inducted
into William B. Warren Lodge, No. 209,
A. F. & A. M., since which time his ad-
vancement in rank has been consecutive
and creditable. He has attained the thirty-
second degree of the Scottish Rite and at
present holds the distinguished fraternal
preferment of being Most Eminent Junior
Grand Warden of Chicago Council, Princes
of Jerusalem. He is also Junior Deacon of
the Nineteenth Grand Pontiff and Past Em-
inent Commander of Apollo Commandery,
No. i, K. T. , this being the oldest com-
mandery in the state of Illinois. As a No-
ble of Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine
he holds official position as Ceremonial
Master. The first office which he filled in
the fraternity was that as Prelate of Apollo
Commandery, and later he was elected
Commander of the same, and in 1895 he
attended the conclave in Boston as Emi-
nent Commander of this commandery. He
is a member of La Fayette Chapter, No. 2 ;
of Palestine Council, No. 66, and a life
member of William B. Warren Lodge.
During his term of office in 1895 Mr. Camp-
bell knighted fifty-three members in Apollo
Commandery, this being the second largest
number ever knighted in that commandery
in one year, while among the number were
not a few of the prominent and well-known
business men of the citv, including D. K.
Hill, of Willoughby, Hill & Co. ; George H.
Moncur, general manager of the firm just
mentioned; Walter Bogle, a well-known
politician and coal dealer; Mr. Kent, assist-
ant cashier of the National Bank of Illinois,
and many others equally prominent in busi-
ness circles. In addition to his distin-
guished association with this great frater-
nity Mr. Campbell is also a member of the
Hamilton Club and of the Veteran Union
League, being held in the highest esteem
in both business and social life.
Frank W. Campbell is a native of Scotts-
ville, Monroe county, New York, where he
was born on the 25th of August, 1843, and
where he received his elementary educa-
tional discipline, removing with his parents
to the west in 1852, at which time he was a
lad of nine years. The family took up their
abode on a farm near Elgin, Illinois, where
they remained for the period of three years,
after which they resided for one year on a
farm in Fayette county, Iowa. In the year
1857 Mr. Campbell came to Chicago and
here apprenticed himself to learn the jew-
elers' trade, serving for a period of seven
years, under the direction of an older
brother, Mark Campbell.
In 1868 he identified himself with that
line of enterprise with which he has ever
since been so prominently concerned and in
which he has done much to further the sub-
stantial growth and prosperity of the city.
He associated himself with his brother,
James L. , the well-known alderman from
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the twelfth ward, in the conduct of a general
real-estate business, and the firm name of
Campbell Brothers was a familiar one in
Chicago for a period of more than twenty
years. Within this period the brothers
erected and sold over eight hundred houses,
utilizing their own capital for this purpose.
Our subject has been continuously in the
real-estate business since 1868, and is one
of the oldest and best known operators in
this line in Chicago, where his unvarying
honor and integrity and his correct business
methods have gained and retained to him
the respect and confidence of the public.
The Campbell Brothers platted a number
of subdivisions to Chicago and thoroughly
improved the same. Campbell avenue was
named in their honor, while Campbell Park,
which was donated by them to the city, will
ever stand in evidence of their public spirit
and well-directed generosity. Our subject
has individually conducted his real-estate
business since 1889, and is still the owner
of a considerable amount of valuable realty
in the city and its suburbs.
On the yth of February, 1872, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Campbell
to Miss Laura E. Remington, a native of
Cleveland, Ohio, and they are the parents
of four children: Frank W., Jr., Ella D.,
Laura Blanche and James L.
CHARLES R. CHARLTON.— Masonry,
in its moral foundation, being as strong in
its obligations as it can be made by the Holy
Bible, the system of its philosophy is prac-
tical, as it does not rely on the dicta of
church creeds, orthodox ceremonies or
pious memberships. The fraternity has an
enthusiastic following in Wilmington, the
lodges of which receive firm support from
many loyal and zealous Masons, among
whom may appropriately be mentioned the
gentleman whose name heads this sketch.
Mr. Charlton was initiated in Gardner
Lodge, No. 573, from which he was dimit-
ted to become affiliated with Braidwood
Lodge, No. 704, in both of which bodies
he served as Worshipful Master. He was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, in
which he held the office of King, and was
knighted in Blaney Commandery, No. 5.
He is a member of the Mystic Shrine, his
association being with Medinah Temple.
Mr. Charlton was born in Westchester
county, New York, September 6, 1840.
His father having died when he was four
years old, he was placed on a farm and
there remained until eighteen years of age,
working for five dollars a month during the
day time and attending school at night, and
in this way acquired his education. On
emigrating to Illinois he located near Gard-
ner, at the time the Chicago & Alton Rail-
road track was being laid through that sec-
tion. Subsequently he drifted into the drug
business at Gardner, and later went to
Braidwood, where he conducted a drug
store for thirteen years. In 1886 he came
to Wilmington and has ever since been
successfully engaged in the same business.
Mr. Charlton is a self-made man in every
respect, and deserves great credit for the
energy and enterprise that has resulted in
his present prosperous condition. He is in
comfortable circumstances and is now able
to enjoy the fruits of his early industry.
In 1862 our subject was married to Miss
Mary Atkinson, who has since deceased,
survived by her husband and two children.
Mr. Charlton is a member of the Order of
the Eastern Star, and is anmiversal favorite
both socially and in his business relations.
JOSEPH KOPF.— The institution of Free-
masonry is a grand and glorious cause,
consecrated by oft repeated vows, by
many a solemn pledge and a holy tie, teach-
ing its lessons of love and charity, and
earnestly striving to secure the consumma-
tion of a universal brotherhood of mankind.
Mr. Kopf is one of the consistent and loyal
members of the craft in Streator, Illinois,
and has always taken a keen interest in the
workings of the local bodies. He was made
a Master Mason in Streator Lodge, No. 607,
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
27
Arch Mason in Streator Chapter, No. 157,
and served as its Secretary for a term, re-
ceived the degrees of Royal and Select
Masters in Streator Council, No. 73, hold-
ing the chair of Secretary in that body also,
was created Knight Templar in Ottawa
Commandery, No. 10, and has attained the
ineffable degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret, in Peoria Consistory. In all
his dealings with the fraternity Mr. Kopf
has evinced that spirit of charity and friend-
ship that ever characterizes the true believer
in the ritual.
Mr. Kopf is a native of Lahr, Germany,
where he was born November 19, 1852, and
there attended the public schools until the
age of sixteen, when, hearing of the won-
ders of the new world, he decided to try
his fortunes there and consequently took
passage for the United States. He located
at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and there fin-
ished his education. In 1875 he came west
and stopped for a while at Chicago, where
he became engaged as a tonsorial artist for
about a year and then moved to Streator,
following the same occupation there for a
time. He later established a meat market,
which he conducted for a brief space of
time, after which he embarked in the insur-
ance and building and loan business, and
now holds the position of secretary of the
Streator German Building Association.
Politically Mr. Kopf is a Democrat, and
has taken an active interest in the local
condition of his party. In the spring of
1895 he had the honor of being elected
mayor of his home city, and is the present
incumbent of that office. His administra-
tion has been clean and praiseworthy and
has given entire satisfaction to his constit-
uents. He has also been collector and as-
sistant supervisor, and discharged the duties
of those positions in a most efficient man-
ner. Mayor Kopf is one of the most prom-
inent men in La Salle county, and has
risen to his present high place among his
fellow citizens through his personal merits,
unaided by the powers of wealth or in-
fluence. Coming to this country while yet
a youth, a stranger to the habits and
language of the people, he manfully strug-
gled against all obstacles, overcame all dif-
ficulties that beset his pathway, and has
secured to himself a place of honor in the
home of his adoption.
!• ARCUS S. CRAWFORD, who is now
JPOI residing in Rockford, placed his name
on the roll of Masons in 1894, at which
time he took the blue- lodge degrees in
Rockford Lodge, No. 102. He is now fill-
ing the office of Junior Steward therein and
he is classed among those whose time-tried
devotion to the order has made them
valued members. He also belongs to the
Knights of Pythias fraternity, has passed
all the chairs in the lodge and is now serv-
ing as Past Chancellor.
Mr. Crawford has for many years made
his home in Rockford and has a wide ac-
quaintance here, embracing many friends.
A native of Pennsylvania, he was born in
Tyrone, Blair county, on the i8th of
August, 1848, and is of Scotch- Irish ances-
try, the founders of the family having
sought a home in America during the early
days of settlement in the Keystone state.
His father, Thomas Crawford, was born on
the family homestead in Tyrone, and after
attaining to years of maturity married Miss
Harriet Wilson, also a native of Tyrone.
They were industrious and respected farm-
ing people who left to their children little
wealth, but endowed them with the better
heritage of an honorable name. The father
died in 1853, when comparatively a young
man, leaving a family of four children, who
were carefully reared by the mother. By
her practical training she fitted them for
life's duties and lived to see them become
respected men and women. Her death oc-
curred in 1879, at the age of fifty-five
years.
Marcus S. Crawford was the youngest
of the family and was but seven years of
age when the father died. He completed
his literary education in the Methodist Col-
lege of Mount Morris, Illinois, after which
he learned the carpenter's trade, which he
28
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
followed for a period of twelve years. He
first came to Rockford in 1868 and resided
continuously in this city until 1880, en-
gaged on the construction of a number of
its important buildings. He then was in
Pennsylvania for a time, until 1891, when
he returned to Rockford and accepted a
clerical position in the office of the Emerson
Manufacturing Company, with which he has
since been connected.
He is a reliable, progressive business
man and enjoys the confidence of all with
whom commercial or social relations have
brought him in contact. In his political
adherency he is a supporter of the Repub-
lican party, and though he keeps well in-
formed on the issues of the day has never
sought or desired political preferment.
WILLIAM M. STEARNS. M. D., oc-
cupies a conspicuous place among
the most able medical practitioners of Chi-
cago and stands equally high in Masonic
circles. There could probably be no greater
harmony between business and social inter-
ests than there is between the profession
which he follows and the Masonic fraternity,
both having for their object the help of hu-
manity; therefore the society connections
of Dr. Stearns form a complementary sup-
plement to his business life. His fidelity
to the obligations of those who hold mem-
bership in this ancient order is most marked,
and he is indeed a consistent, worthy mem-
ber of the craft. He was made a Mason in
Mount Joliet Lodge, No. 42, of Joliet, Illi-
nois, in 1 88 1, and was exalted to the sub-
lime degree of Royal Arch Mason in Joliet
Chapter, No. 27, in 1882. The same year
he was knighted in Joliet Commandery, No.
4, and in 1885 he affiliated with Apollo
Commandery, No. i, of Chicago. In 1886
he took the Scottish Rite degrees in Orien-
tal Consistory and was also made a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, his membership being
in Medinah Temple. His advancement in
the order has been rapid, but he has made
its principles fully his own and its teachings
he closely follows. Such is one of the
worthy representatives of Masonry in Illi-
nois,— a man well deserving of mention in
the history of the order in the state.
Born in Dale, New York, on the 2Oth
of June, 1856, the Doctor is a son of George
W. and Harriet N. (Chaffee) Stearns. The
father was a native of the Empire state,
and the grandfather and great-grandfather
were soldiers in the war of 1812. The re-
mote ancestry, however, lived in New Eng-
land and the family was founded in America
by one of the name who came to this coun-
try in the ship Arabella with George Win-
throp in 1630. The Doctor's mother was
also born in New York, where her ances-
tors located in the early part of this cen-
tury, removing from Boston to the Empire
state. George W. Stearns removed with
his family to Will county, Illinois, during
the infancy of the Doctor, who was reared
and educated there, attending the common
and high schools. At the age of eighteen
he began teaching, a profession which he
followed for three years, and during two
years of that time he was in charge of
classes in Latin, geometry and physiology.
A man of studious habits, he has carried
his research far and wide into the fields of
science and general literature and possesses
such a high degree of general learning as
makes him one of the scholarly men of the
city.
At the age of twenty-one the Doctor
took up the study of medicine and was
graduated at the Chicago Homeopathic
Medical College with the class of 1880.
He then spent nearly three years as house
physician and surgeon in the Illinois state
penitentiary, in Joliet, but desiring to still
further perfect himself in his chosen calling
he resigned his position in order that he
might have the opportunity to go abroad
and study in the centers of medical learn-
ing in the old world. In 1883 he crossed
the Atlantic and spent two years in the best
clinics of Berlin and Vienna, studying the
methods of practice by the best physicians
and specialists of Europe. His knowledge
of German and French enabled him to
make rapid progress in his studies and
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
29
merit the many personal certificates of pro-
ficiency given him while abroad. He gave
particular attention to the diseases of the
eye, ear, nose and throat, and has made a
specialty of the same in his practice. In
1885 he returned to his native land and
soon after reaching; Chicago was appointed
assistant to the chair of otology and oph-
thalmology in the Chicago Homeopathic
Medical College. In 1890 he was elected
professor of rhinology and laryngology in
the same institution, and is still filling that
position. He is a member of the Homeo-
pathic Medical Society, of Chicago, Chi-
cago Academy of Medicine, the State
Homeopathic Medical Society and the
American Institute of Homeopathy, and has
been secretary of the College Alumni Asso-
ciation since its organization.
His standing in the profession is among
the foremost; he has ever been a close
student of the science of medicine, and his
comprehensive knowledge thereof has won
him a merited prestige. He is especially
eminent in the line of his specialties and is
considered authority on all matters per-
taining to diseases of the ear, nose and
throat. He is still comparatively a young
man and his laudable ambition to still fur-
ther perfect himself in his chosen calling
will undoubtedly win for him added fame
and fortune in the future. His business
has already grown to extensive proportions
and well attests his superior ability.
In 1887 was celebrated the marriage of
Dr. Stearns and Miss Fannie Foote, daugh-
ter of Dr. William S. Foote, a prominent
dentist of Belvidere, Illinois. They have
one daughter, Helen. Mrs. Stearns is a lady
of intelligence and culture, fond of art, and
her painting in oil and water colors far ex-
ceed in quality those of the amateur. The
Doctor and his wife spend much of their
leisure time in travel and have visited all
parts of this country and many of the places
of beauty and historic interest in Europe.
Fond of mountain climbing, he has spent
considerable time profitably amid the Alps.
In politics he is a Republican in principle,
but does not feel himself bound by party
lines. He belongs to the Royal Arcanum
and several other social clubs of the city,
and his genial, courteous manner makes
him a favorite in all circles. In his earlier
life he took a very prominent part in the
work of the Masonic fraternity and was
honored with various offices in the different
lodges with which he was connected, but
while he still feels a deep interest in the
order, meeting fully its obligations and ex-
emplifying in his daily life its teachings, his
many professional cares prevent him from
working in the society as he once did.
BAVID R. CREGO, a trunk manufact-
urer of Chicago, is one of the repre-
sentative business men of this city and one
who stands high in Masonic circles, his
connection with Masonry covering a period
which reaches back to 1864. That year he
was made a Master Mason in Garden City
Lodge, No. 141, A. F. & A. M. , and the
following year he was exalted a Royal
Arch Mason. He was knighted in Apollo
Commandery, June 3, 1871, of which he is
a life member, and November 10, 1876, he
received the sublime degrees of the Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory, with which
he has since affiliated. During the more
than thirty years he has been a Mason his
interest in the order has been unabating.
From time to time he has been honored by
his Masonic brothers with various official
positions, has discharged his duties in the
same with the strictest fidelity and in a
manner that has reflected credit both upon
himself and Masonry, and in his daily life
as well as in the lodge-room he has exem-
plified many of the teachings of this the
greatest of all civic societies. He has
filled the offices of Captain-General seven
years, Generalissimo two years, and Emi-
nent Commander, the last named position
having been occupied by him in 1894. At
the Triennial in 1881 he assisted in laying
out the encampment, and his work at that
time was pronounced as nearly perfect as it
was possible to make it.
Reverting to Mr. Crego's birth and early
30
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
history, we find he is a native of Albany,
New York, and was born February 17, 1832,
son of Francis and Charlotte (Ray) Crego,
the former a native of New York and the
latter of Massachusetts. When David R.
was about one year old his parents removed
from Albany to Buffalo, New York, where
he was reared and educated, the educational
advantages he enjoyed being those of the
public schools. In Buffalo he learned the
trade of trunk-maker, a business he has fol-
lowed throughout life. In 1853, on reach-
ing his majority, he came west to Chicago,
coming by way of the lakes and on the
steamer which was afterward known as the
ill-fated ' ' Lady Elgin. " Here in 1 862 he en-
gaged in business on his own account, from
that time to the present being at the head
of a trunk manufactory, and in his opera-
tions has met with signal success.
During the late war Mr. Crego was
among the brave Union men who gave
stanch support to the old flag. He was a
member of the Chicago Mercantile Battery,
won an enviable reputation as a private, and
was commissioned second lieutenant, an
honor most fittingly bestowed; and, like
most veterans of that sanguinary war, he is
an enthusiastic and active member of the
Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Crego was married in 1854 to Miss
Sarah Hughes, a native of Wales.
JOHN G. STEBBINS, superintendent of
the Illinois Masonic Orphans' Home, is
devoting his life to the practical work of
the honored fraternity which in the early
dawn of civilization had its origin, and
which has come down through the centuries
as one of the most potent agencies for the
amelioration of the woes of life. His kindly
nature and humanitarian principles find ex-
pression in his tender and wise care over
the homeless little ones whom fortune has
left unprovided for, but who through the
beneficence of the Masonic order have the
attention and the mental and moral train-
ing which will fit them to become useful
men and women and important factors in
society. Such is the work that Mr. Steb-
bins is doing in the Illinois Masonic Or-
phans' Home. In May, 1887, he was ap-
pointed to this position and has since
acceptably filled the same, discharging his
duties with marked ability and zeal, such as
has won him the high commendation of all
who have an oversight of the institution.
Mr. Stebbins has affiliated with the Ma-
sonic order since 1872, when he was made
a Master Mason in Newton Lodge, of Wil-
braham, Massachusetts. In 1883 he placed
his membership in Star of the Lake Lodge,
No. I 58, of South Haven, Michigan, and the
same year he took the degrees of capitular
Masonry in South Haven Chapter, No. 58.
In 1895 he passed the circle of cryptic Ma-
sonry and was greeted a Select Master of
Tyrian Council, No. 78, of Chicago. In
1893 he was constituted, created and
dubbed a Sir Knight in Columbia Com-
mandery, No. 63, and in 1897 attained the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in
Oriental Consistory and was proclaimed a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret.
Mr. Stebbins was born in Wilbraham,
Massachusetts, on the 23d of February,
1851, obtained his education in the com-
mon schools and remained on his father's
farm until fifteen years of age, when, not
wishing to devote his life to agricultural
pursuits, he began learning the machinist's
trade, at which he worked for five years.
He then removed to Michigan, locating
near South Haven, where he engaged in
fruit-raising for seven years. In 1884 he
came to Chicago, and since May, 1887, has
occupied his present position as superin-
tendent of the Illinois Masonic Orphans'
Home.
In June, 1882, Mr. Stebbins was united
in marriage to Miss Carrie A. Height, who
was born in Chicago, and is a representa-
tive of one of the pioneer families of this
city. She ably assists her husband in his
work, furnishing the motherly care so much
needed by the little orphaned ones, and
giving that womanly touch and dainty su-
pervision to the Home, without which it
would be incomplete. Both Mr. and Mrs.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
31
Stebbins belong to the Order of the East-
ern Star, the former becoming a member
of Siloam Chapter, No. 119, while Mrs.
Stebbins is a charter member of Queen
Esther Chapter, No. 41. They are most
estimable people, well fitted for the benef-
icent work which they are doing, and in Ma-
sonic circles they have many warm friends.
JOHN R. ROBINSON has for almost
forty years been identified with the Ma-
sonic fraternity and is thoroughly in
sympathy with the principles of this order
which for centuries has been perfecting a
system of moral education for the upbuild-
ing and perfection of human character. He
is a true man and Mason and his labors in
behalf of the society in this section of the
state have been most efficacious. In 1862
he became identified with the order and is
now one of the three charter members of
Mississippi Lodge, No. 385, A. F. & A. M.,
who are still connected with the organiza-
tion. In the charter which was granted
the lodge he was named as its Junior War-
den, in which capacity he served for several
years. He was also honored with the
office of Worshipful Master on several dif-
ferent occasions and has been one of the
most active and reliable members of the
lodge. The other charter members of this
lodge now known to be living are F. M.
Jenks, of Savanna; Frank Steadman, as-v
sistant cashier of the Bank of Savanna; and
C. G. White, of Hanover. Having passed
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason, Mr. Robinson
joined Freeport Chapter, being exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
1863. He was a charter member of Lanark
Chapter, No. 139, R. A. M., and later he
was dimitted and became one of the charter
members of Savanna Chapter, No. 200.
He served as Captain of the Host under
dispensation, and is a worthy companion of
the order, who faithfully follows its teach-
ings. A Templar Mason, the order of
Knighthood was conferred upon him in
Freeport Commandery, No. 7, on the 2/th
of February, 1867. He is now a life mem-
ber and also one of its oldest members.
Mr. Robinson is thoroughly informed on
the ritual and is one of the representative
brethren of the order who daily strives to
regulate his life by its tenets.
John R. Robinson is one of the native
sons of Jo Daviess county, Illinois, born in
Elizabeth township on the I3th of January,
1841. His father, William J. Robinson,
was born in the town of Petigo, county Don-
egal, Ireland, on the 3ist of October, 1804,
and on attaining his majority came to the
United States, in 1825. He located in Ga-
lena, Illinois, in 1835, and was united in
marriage there to Miss Sara A. Oliver, who
was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, and was
the daughter of John Oliver, a veteran of
the war of 1812. He was born and reared
on a Virginia plantation adjoining Mount
Vernon, and knew George Washington.
When the second war with England was
inaugurated he entered the service of his
country and was with General Hull's forces
at the time of the surrender, but with some
companions he succeeded in making his
escape and returned to his home. William
J. Robinson carried on farming until 1852,
when he removed to Hanover in order to
provide his children with better educational
advantages than could be obtained in the
country schools. For several years he en-
gaged in merchandising. He died in 1868,
at the age of sixty-four years. The mother
still survives and makes her home with her
son John, being now in the eightieth year
of her age. He was an Episcopalian in re-
ligious belief, and Mrs. Robinson holds
membership in the Methodist church.
The gentleman whose name forms the
caption of this article obtained his edu-
cation in the public schools of his native
county, and on laying aside his text-books
joined his father in the mercantile business.
He was thus engaged until April, 1864,
when he put aside all personal considera-
tion and offered his services to the govern-
ment, enlisting as a member of Company
E, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illinois
Infantry. In October of the same year he
32
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
was mustered out, but afterward served for
thirteen months in the commissary depart-
ment.
On returning to his home, Mr. Robin-
son became prominently identified with the
business interests of Savanna, and for a
number of years devoted his energies to
steamboating and railroading. Since 1882
he has carried on a coal and wood yard in
Savanna and has built up an extensive busi-
ness. He did not have wealth to aid him
in the beginning of his business career, but
placed his reliance in the more substantial
qualities of perseverance, untiring enter-
prise, resolute purpose and commendable
zeal, and, withal, his actions have been
guided by an honesty of purpose that none
have questioned. He possessed the true
spirit of western progress and enterprise
and his prudent business methods and relia-
ble sagacity have combined to make him
one of the ablest business men of Savanna.
In 1868 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Robinson and Miss Louisa Steadman, a
native of Illinois. They have a pleasant
home in the city and are valued members
of the Episcopal church, in which Mr.
Robinson has been an active worker since
its organization. His political support is
given the Republican party, and he has
been township collector of his town for a
number of terms.
E.DWARD R. PORT is one of the younger
/ representatives of the Masonic frater-
nity in Chicago, his identification with the
order dating from 1893, when he joined
Englewood Lodge, No. 690. The same
year he became a member of Englewood
Chapter, No. 176, R. A. M., and was
knighted in Apollo Commandery, No. i.
He has served as Warden in the command-
ery and is a member of the Mystic Shrine.
He is a most loyal and devoted member
and has advanced rapidly through the vari-
ous degrees.
Mr. Port is numbered among the native
sons of Chicago, his birth having occurred
in this city on the 23d of November, 1871.
He was reared and educated here, attend-
ing the public schools, and was only fifteen
years of age when he laid aside his text-
books and entered upon his business career,
joining his brother in the shoe trade. The
firm of Port Brothers was formed and has
since existed. They deal in boots, shoes
and men's furnishing goods, their establish-
ment being located at No. 5046 State street.
It is one of the finely appointed up-town es-
tablishments, well equipped with an excel-
lent stock of goods to please all classes of
patrons, and they are now enjoying a good
trade. Our subject is regarded as one of
the enterprising, progressive young men of
the city, a typical representative of the Chi-
cago thrift and advancement, and his pres-
ent honorable course followed in the future
will undoubtedly bring to him splendid suc-
cesses.
JAMES EDWARD OTWAY, the popular
clerk of the Union Hotel, Galesburg,
Illinois, is well known as a devoted
member of the ancient and honored frater-
nity of Masons, in which he has advanced
through the several degrees up to and in-
cluding that of Knight Templar. He main-
tains a membership in good standing in Ves-
per Lodge, No. 584; Galesburg Chapter,
No. 46, R. A. M. ; Galesburg Council,
No. 15, R. & S. M. ; and Galesburg Com-
mandery, K. T. , in three of which bodies
he has been honored with official position.
He has served as Junior Warden of the
lodge, Principal Sojourner and King of the
chapter, and Senior Warden of the com-
mandery. His household of religious faith
is that of the Protestant Episcopal church.
Mr. Otway is of Canadian birth and
dates his nativity in the city of Toronto,
August 24, 1860, being the eldest of five
children born to James Hunt and Sarah
Jane (Woolley) Otway, both natives of En-
gland. They are both deceased, — the fa-
ther dying at the age of forty-seven, the
mother at the age of forty-three, devoted
members of the Protestant Episcopal
church.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
F
FREDERICK GUND, deceased.— The
JT Masonic fraternity has included within
its membership some of the most promi-
nent business men of the country, among
whom was Mr. Gund. In studying the
lives and characters of prominent men we
are naturally led to inquire into the secret
of their success and the motives that
prompted their action. A study of the life
work of those whom the world acknowledges
as successful shows us that success is not
the result of genius, however bright, or of
a fortunate combination of circumstances,
but it is a matter of experience and sound
judgment, combined with thorough prepa-
ration for a life work. Those that have
won prominence are in almost every case
the ones who have risen gradually by their
own efforts, their diligence and perseverance.
These qualities were undoubtedly possessed
in a large measure by the gentleman whose
name introduces this sketch, and added to
them was a devotion to principle which
might well have been termed the keynote of
his character. Thus he won the confidence
which was so universally given him; thus he
gained a success that was most creditable
in its extensive proportions.
Mr. Gund was a native of Germany,
born in 1842, and when five years of age
was brought to the United States by his
parents. His father, George Gund, settled
with his family at Silver Creek, Stephenson
county, where in 1852 both he and his wife
died of cholera. Our subject was the
youngest of six children. After the death
of his parents he lived with a sister in Ga-
lena, Illinois, and received his education in
that town. When a youth of fifteen he
came to Freeport and lived with his brother-
in-law, M. Hettinger. Here he pursued a
course in commercial college, and then be-
gan to earn his own living by clerking
in a clothing store. When twenty-one
years of age he was elected secretary of the
German Insurance Company, an institution
then in its infancy. He was connected
with it from that time, serving continuously
in the capacity of secretary up to the time
of his death, and during that period it be-
came one of the most important, extensive
and reliable insurance companies in the en-
tire west, while its assets were increased to
two and a half million dollars. Much of
the success which attended this corporation
is attributable to the splendid executive
ability and business capacity of Mr. Gund.
He was far-sighted and possessed an ener-
getic spirit that pressed forward in the face
of stern obstacles that would have utterly
discouraged a less resolute man. He was
the soul of honor in all business trans-
actions, and thus the company became
known as one of the most reliable and
trustworthy in the country. The efforts of
Mr. Gund were not confined alone to the
insurance business, but were extended to
other fields of labor wherein he prospered,
for he carried forward to successful com-
pletion whatever he undertook. He was
the president of the German-American Trust
Company of Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
and was an important factor in advancing
84
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
many interests in Freeport. He was one of
the organizers of the German Bank at this
place, was vice-president of the Freeport
Water Company, was secretary and treas-
urer of the Telephone Company, and a
stockholder and director in various other
enterprises which have aided in the growth,
development and prosperity of Freeport.
Mr. Gund was united in marriage with
Miss Josephine Hettinger, a native of this
city, and theirs was a most happy married
life; and their home was blessed with five
children. In 1879 Mr. Gund purchased a
delightful home at the head of Carroll street,
where they resided until called to the home
beyond and where their children are still
gathered. These are Frederick, Erastus
Torry, Joseph, Bessie and Margaret Gund,
and the family is one of the most highly es-
teemed in the city, its members occupying
an enviable position in social circles. Mr.
Gund was a member of the Evergreen
Lodge of Masons, and his brethren of the
fraternity entertained for him the warmest
regard. He died February 21, 1 889, and
his wife survived him only a brief period,
her death occurring on the iith of July,
1894, when she had reached the age of forty-
four years.
Frederick Gund, the eldest son, is a
wide-awake, energetic young business man
and holds a responsible position with the
German Insurance Company. He was born
in Freeport, November 17, 1871, was edu-
cated in its public schools and in the Michi-
gan State University at Ann Arbor. He
has followed his father's example in affiliat-
ing himself with the Masonic order, with
which he united in April, 1894, taking the
Consistory degrees in 1895, and the Mystic
Shrine degrees in 1 896. In manner he is un-
assuming, but those essential qualities of
the honorable, straightforward practical
business man are his, and he commands the
respect of all with whom he is brought in
contact.
CHARLES SCHORN.— The life record
of this gentleman will be the history
of one who for thirty-one years has been a
worthy representative of the business inter-
ests of Rockford, while the crowning points
of his career have been energy, industry
and integrity. The period of his residence
in this city only surpassed by ten years the
time of his connection with the Masonic
fraternity. Twenty-one years have passed
since, as an Entered Apprentice, he crossed
the threshold and became one of those who
form the hosts of Masonry. He has since
marched in the ranks of that honored fra-
ternity, which is constantly being augment-
ed by the addition of men of noble purpose
and sterling worth, men who uphold the
true and good, and who recognize the ties
of universal brotherhood and the claims of
the weak upon the strong. Charles Schorn
has ever been a consistent Mason since he
took the initial degrees in Rockford Lodge,
No. 102, A. F. & A. M., in 1875. He was
afterward created a Royal Arch Mason and
is very familiar with the working of both
blue lodge and chapter, while to their
teaching he closely adheres. He is also a
member of the Germania Lodge and has
served as its president.
Mr. Schorn is a native of Germany, born
on the 4th of March, 1841. His parents,
Frederick and Mary (Urlau) Schorn, were
also natives of the same country and de-
scended from old families of that land.
The mother died there, and in 1851 father
and son emigrated to America, settling on a
farm near Chicago, Illinois. After a resi-
dence there of three years they moved to a
point near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where
the father continued to reside the remainder
of his days, dying at the age of seventy-
nine years. The parents were members of
the Lutheran church.
The subject of this sketch was reared
and educated in Illinois, and in the city of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, learned the butcher-
ing business, which he has since followed.
In 1865 he came to Rockford, then a young
man without capital, but energetic, earnest
and determined. For a year he was in the
employ of a butcher in this city and then
embarked in business on his own account
on a small scale. He labored earnestly to
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
85
achieve success, and his honorable dealing
and his courteous treatment of his patrons
at length brought to him a liberal patronage.
He worked on and fortune dealt kindly with
him, so that he is to-day numbered among
the substantial citizens of the community.
As his financial resources increased he pur-
chased land and has erected thereon an ex-
cellent two-story brick business block, and
he also built a comfortable and commodious
residence, which stands as a monument to
his thrift and enterprise. Purchasing the
land many years ago he secured the same
at a low rate, but with the building up of the
city the property has steadily increased in
value and now commands a high figure on
the market.
Mr. Schorn was united in marriage to
Miss Louisa Stigman in 1 866. The lady is
also a native of Germany and their mar-
riage was celebrated in Rockford, where all
of their children have been born. The
eldest, Clara, is at home; Frank is his
father's assistant in business and is an oblig-
ing, capable business man; Ida is now the
wife of M. A. Banks, of Detroit, Michigan;
and Louie is also with his father in the mar-
ket. This family possesses considerable
musical talent, and the proficiency that
they have attained in this art has enabled
them to add to the enjoyment of many
social functions. Mrs. Schorn is a consist-
ent member of the Congregational church
and the family attend services there. In
politics Mr. Schorn is a Republican, but has
never sought or desired office, preferring to
give his time to his business, in which he
has met with a well merited success.
tion in this volume. He is one of the na
tive sons of Rockford, his birth occurring in
this city on the /th of January, 1865. His
parents were David and Eliza (Fuller) Hart-
well, the former a native of Canada and the
latter of Vermont.
,, '\DWARD J. HARTWELL, of Rock-
J// ford, is an active and esteemed mem-
ber of E. W. F. Ellis Lodge, No. 633,
A. F. & A. M. He joined the fraternity in
1893, taking the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason
within three weeks, and at once became a
most enthusiastic and active member of the
lodge.
Mr. Hartwell well deserves representa-
JACOB HARTMAN.— Clearly defined pur-
pose and consecutive effort in the affairs
of life will eventuate in the attaining of
a measure of success; but in following out
the details of a career of one who has at-
tained success by his own efforts there comes
into view the intrinsic individuality which
makes such accomplishment possible, and
thus is granted an objective incentive and
inspiration, while there is created a feeling
of respect and admiration. The subject to
whose life history we now direct attention
is one who has for many years been asso-
ciated with important business industries in
the city of Freeport, has made his own way
in the world and has attained to distinction
as one of the most able, honorable and pro-
gressive citizens of the community with
whose interests and normal development he
has been conspicuously identified.
Jacob Hartman, whose residence in Free-
port dates from 1 849, is a native of Union
county, Pennsylvania, born on the 1st of
February, 1820. He is of German lineage
and his parents were George and Barbara
(Fry) Hartman, also natives of the Key-
stone state. Removing westward they lo-
cated in Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1833,
and there spent their remaining days, the
father dying in 1844, the mother in 1855.
They were industrious and respected peo-
ple and were members of the Evangelical
church. They were the parents of twelve
children, of whom only three are now living.
Mr. Hartman, of this review, was a youth
of thirteen years when, with the family, he
went to Ohio, where he was reared to man-
hood. His educational privileges were lim-
ited, for at that early day public schools
were widely scattered. However, ex-
perience and observation have proved val-
uable instructors to him and the lack of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
his early years has been replaced by
the broad knowledge that comes of busi-
ness life and sound judgment. When
very young Mr. Hartman learned the
carpenter's trade, which he followed con-
tinuously for many years. The rapidly de-
veloping west attracted him, and thinking
that he might have better opportunities for
the pursuit of his chosen vocation in Illinois,
he came to Stephenson county, in 1848,
and in the spring of 1849 located in Free-
port, where he has since resided. Almost
half a century has passed — years in which
he has attained to an eminent degree of
success in business and in which his upright,
unblemished career has drawn to him the
esteem and confidence of all with whom he
has been brought in contact. He began
work at carpentering and soon became one
of the leading contractors of the city, — a
position which he maintained until he re-
tired from business to enjoy the competence
that his years of labor had brought. For
thirty-five years he was connected with the
building interests of the city and on all sides
stand handsome buildings which are as
monuments to his handiwork. The faith-
fulness with which he lived up to the terms
of a contract, the fine workmanship which
was executed by those in his employ and
his honorable dealing at all times won him
a reputation which enabled him to com-
mand a large share of public patronage.
He has erected three residences on Clay
street for himself, in one of which he resides
with his family.
Mr. Hartman was married in 1852 to
Miss Malvina Thomas, a native of Pennsyl-
vania, and they became parents of three
children, but only one is now living, Lu-
cinda, wife of J. W. Anderson. Their
friends throughout the community are many
and they occupy an enviable position in the
circles of society where true worth is received
as the passport.
Mr. Hartman exercises his right of fran-
chise in support of the Republican party,
and on that ticket has been elected to the
city council, where he has labored for the
best interests of Freeport with a singleness
of purpose that makes his fidelity to duty
above question. His connection with Ma-
sonry has been most honorable and long
continued. For a third of a century he has
been identified with this grand fraternal
order and his life embodies its principles of
fellowship and charity. He was made a
Master Mason in 1863 and has taken all the
York and Scottish Rite degrees up to and
including the thirty-second. He has been
a faithful member of the fraternity, has
efficiently served in various offices and is
now V. G. A. of Freeport Council, P. of F. ;
R. P. K. H., Freeport Chapter Rose Croix,
and in the Consistory is I. G. H.
JOHN WILLIAM SCHRAMM.— A com-
munity peopled wholly or even in great
part by members of the Masonic frater-
nity cannot but possess a high standard of
morals and an exalted degree of excellence,
and the city of Elgin is favored by having
within its corporate limits a large share of
the brotherhood, among whom none is
better known or is regarded with greater
consideration than the subject of this review,
who, in 1884, was initiated in Elgin Lodge,
No. 117, A. F. & A. M., and in less than
five years all the degrees of the York Rite
had been conferred upon him. Besides the
blue lodge Mr. Schramm now holds mem-
bership in L. L. Munn Chapter, No. 96, R.
A. M., and Bethel Commandery, No. 36,
K. T., and having accomplished a success-
ful pilgrimage across the sands of the desert
he became a Noble in the Ancient Arabic Or-
der of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Tem-
ple, Chicago. Otherwise socially consid-
ered Mr. Schramm is a member of Bethel
Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star; Lochiel
Lodge, No. 105, Knights of Pythias; Silver
Leaf Camp, No. 60, Modern Woodmen of
America; the National Union, and the Elgin
Turners. Mr. Schramm's connection with
the fraternity has been of the most agree-
able kind, his genial nature, sociable dis-
position and kindly consideration, added to
his earnest efforts in behalf of the craft,
LIBRARY
OF THE
1'NIVERSIIY OF ILLINOIC
<r
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
87
making him a valued and much respected
frater.
In referring to the past life of Mr.
Schramm we learn that he was born in El-
gin, Illinois, on July 19, 1857, and is the
eldest child of Conrad and Margaret (Da-
misch) Schramm, the former of whom died
in 1871: the mother is still living. Our
subject received his mental discipline in the
public schools of Elgin until attaining the
age of fifteen years, when his father's death
threw the burden of supporting the family
upon his youthful shoulders, and with in-
trepid courage and a brave heart he went
out into the world, seeking the means to
gain a livelihood and assist the loved ones
at home. He was willing to accept any
work by which he could earn an honest
dollar, and finally secured employment on a
farm, where he performed the various duties
required of him until nineteen years old,
when he obtained a position in the insane
asylum and remained there for three years,
at the end of that time entering the employ
of the National Watch Company. In 1884
he gave up his position there, and, in com-
pany with his brother George C. , he opened
a confectionery and ice-cream store on a
small scale, all the capital at their command
being the sum of two hundred and fifty dol-
lars; but by steadfast application, honest
dealing and strict integrity, their business
rapidly increased, their stock was added to,
and their room increased to such an extent
that they are now the leading firm in their
line in the city, dealing in fruits and oysters,
and being wholesale manufacturers of con-
fectionery and ice cream, with a large and
commodious establishment at No. 15 Doug-
las avenue. Mr. Schramm is a man who
possesses the highest qualifications for busi-
ness esterprises, as is evidenced by the suc-
cess that has accrued to him during the past
thirteen years of his career in Elgin; his
standing and reputation for honesty in this
city is of the highest order, and he retains
the confidence and respect of all with whom
he comes in contact in the mercantile
world.
As a representative and public-spirited
citizen, Mr. Schramm has been instrumen-
tal in greatly advancing the interests of El-
gin, and stands for anything that will ma-
terially add to the city's welfare. In this
respect his loyalty, zeal and energetic ef-
forts in behalf of his home place has been
publicly recognized and for the past nine
years he has been an active member of the
city council, where his services have been
of the most varied and valuable character,
and no movement that has had for its ob-
ject the development and progress of the
community, has been projected without Mr.
Schramm giving to it his strongest support;
and in everything pertaining to public affairs
his opinions are always consulted by his fel-
low citizens.
In 1882 Mr. Schramm was married to
Miss Alida M. Simonds, of Belvidere, Illi-
nois, the daughter of Platt Simons, one of
the early settlers of that town. They had
one child, Deviven, who is now eleven
years of age. Mrs. Schramm was called to
her eternal rest on February 14, 1896, her
demise being mourned by a large circle of
friends. She was a member of the Order
of the Eastern Star, in which she acquired
considerable popularity, and was a woman
of many charming qualities of character, a
true wife, and a kind, loving mother.
JAMES ANDREW HAWLEY, a leading
citizen of Dixon, is one of the few thirty-
third-degree Masons of Illinois. He has
sounded all the depths of the order and has
found its beautiful and symbolic truths well
worthy of the highest commendation and
most faithful emulation. It has been said
that Masonry is grand because it is old; but
Masonry is old because it is grand. It has
withstood the ravages of time, the revolu-
tions of ages and the unrelenting crusades
directed against it, because it is founded
upon a philanthropic basis; and, unimpeded
in its progress by opposition, it has gone on
and on carrying with it the spirit of benev-
olence, helpfulness and brotherhood, bring-
ing to many homes happier conditions and
to many hearts nobler purposes.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
For more than forty years Mr. Hawley
has been a follower of Masonic banners,
having as an Entered Apprentice been ad-
mitted to Lee Center Lodge, No. 146,
A. F. & A. M., in 1856, wherein he passed
the Fellow-craft degree and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason. A
year later he dimitted to Friendship Lodge,
No. 7, of Dixon, with which he has since
affiliated. From his reception into the
lodge he has manifested a deep and active
interest in its work, is thoroughly familiar
with the ritual and all Masonic observances,
and his zeal and diligence have led to his
election to various offices. He served for
nine years, from 1859 until 1868, as Wor-
shipful Master of the lodge, which period
proved an era of growth and prosperity to
the organization.
The symbols of the Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason contain the germs
and are the foundation of all Freemasonry,
and when Mr. Hawley had mastered the
teachings of blue lodge he took up the
study of capitular Masonry, which illustrates
in its beautiful and impressive legends the
history of the past. In the fall of 1859 he
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Nachusa Chapter, No. 56,
of Dixon, in which he was shortly after-
ward honored with the office of Secretary.
He was later elected to the position of
Principal Sojourner, was Captain of the
Host, and for three years was High Priest.
In 1871-2 he was Grand High Priest of the
Grand Chapter of Illinois, thus being hon-
ored with the highest office within the gift
of the Companions of the state. Through
the two succeeding years he was Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge, of which he
he has been a member since 1859, and since
1874 has served on the committee on juris-
prudence. He passed the circle and was
greeted a Royal & Select Master of Peru
Council, No. 12, and was Grand Master of
the Royal & Select Masters in 1866-7. He
received the grades and orders of knight-
hood in Sycamore Commandery, No. 15,
and in 1866 aided in the organization of
Dixon Commandery, No. 21, becoming one
of its charter members and its first Eminent
Commander. He had that office at differ-
ent times for seven years, and in the autumn
of 1873 was elected Eminent Grand Com-
mander of the Grand Commandery of Illi-
nois, a position in which he served with
marked ability and where he made many
pleasing acquaintances and lasting friend-
ships. In 1869 he received the grades and
orders of the Ineffable Lodge of Perfection
and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Occidental Consistory, now
Oriental Consistory, inthe Valley of Chicago,
of which he is now a member. In 1875 he
attained the highest degree in Masonry — the
thirty-third — which was conferred upon him
in Portland, Maine, by the Supreme Council
of Sovereign Grand Inspector General of
the thirty-third and last degree of the
Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite for the
Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United
States of America; and in 1893 was crowned
an active member of the Supreme Council.
Having thus completed the circle of Ma-
sonry and been honored with the highest
offices within the gift of the brethren of
Illinois, it will be seen that Mr. Hawley
occupies an eminent position in the fra-
ternity. He is known in the order through-
out the country, and is held in the highest
esteem everywhere, for his life is an exem-
plification of Masonic teachings and virtues.
A good man is a better man for adding
to his other qualities those of a true Free-
mason as Mr. Hawley has done, and he
may well be mentioned as a worthy rep-
resentative of a fraternity which is catholic
in its aims and spirit, welcoming all the
beneficent enterprises of the day, jealous
of neither sect nor party, but ever toiling to
enlarge the boundaries of human progress
and to pour into life the streams of deeper
and richer experience.
Mr. Hawley came to Illinois from the
Empire state. He was born in \Yebster,
Monroe county, New York, August 20, 1830,
and is descended from a prominent English
family that settled in Connecticut in early
colonial days. His father, James Hawley,
was a son of Stephen Hawley, and was born
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
39
in Connecticut in 1791. He married Miss
Sarah Stratton, and gave his attention to
agricultural pursuits, which, however, were
interrupted by his service in the war of 1812.
He reached the age of four-score years, and
his wife lived to the advanced age of ninety
years. Although the ancestors of the fam-
ily were connected with the Presbyterian
and Episcopal churches, they were devout
members of the Methodist church, and their
righteous lives won them the good will and
confidence of all with whom they came in
contact. They had a family of six children,
of whom five are still living.
James Andrew Hawley, the youngest of
the family, was educated in the Genesee
Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, now the Gen-
esee College, and also attended the Roches-
ter Institute. In his early life he was for
some time engaged in teaching school, and
from that profession turned his attention to
the book business. For some time he was
in the employ of Wanzer, Beardsley & Com-
pany, of Rochester, New York, and in 1855
became the representative of A. S. Barnes
& Company and Ivison, Phinney & Company,
of New York city, introducing their school-
books into the schools of Illinois. He located
in Dixon in 1855 and continued with those
houses until 1861. Since that time he has
been prominently connected with the busi-
ness interests of this city. For a short time
he conducted a book-store here. From that
time forward for many years his time was
filled with official duties. For twenty-one
years, from 1861 until 1882, he served as
county clerk of Lee county, discharging his
duties in a manner that was above reproach
and secured his continued re-election to that
office. He was a member of the board of
education for ten years, and for two years
was county superintendent of schools, large-
ly promoting the educational interests of the
locality by the faithful discharge of the
trusts committed to his care. As mayor of
Dixon for two years he promoted the best
interests of the municipality and gave his
aid and influence to all measures calculated
to advance the material, moral or social
welfare of the city. His unswerving recti-
tude and determined loyalty in all civic posi-
tions was unquestionable, and he ever re-
tired from office as he had entered it — with
the good will and confidence of the public.
In 1878, however, Mr. Hawley turned
his attention to private business interests,
and for fifteen years occupied the position
of cashier of the Dixon National Bank. He
was also one of the organizers of the Dixon
Water Works Company, was its first presi-
dent, and is now its secretary and treasurer.
He owns considerable stock in this concern,
which controls one of the best and most
thoroughly equipped plants of the kind in
the state, affording every facility for fire pro-
tection and for supplying pure water for
house purposes.
On the 2Oth of June, 1855, Mr. Hawley
was united in marriage to Miss Mary Au-
gusta Gardner, a daughter of Dr. Charles
and Mary A. Gardner. Their union has
been blessed with five children, as follows:
Mary A., wife of Judge Powell, who occu-
pies the bench of the circuit court at Omaha,
Nebraska; Charles G., of New York, who is
a Knight Templar; Lloyd R. , who is living
in Chicago; George W. , of Dixon; and Laura
S., who is with her parents. They are
members of the Episcopal church. Mr.
Hawley is a man of strong character and in-
tellectual force, of superior executive and
business ability, and the success he has
achieved is the merited reward of well di-
rected efforts guided by sound judgment.
DAN QUINCY WEBSTER, Worshipful
Master of Monmouth Lodge, No. 37,
A. F. & A. M., Monmouth, Illinois, is one
of the highly respected young men of this
city, where he has passed his whole life, hav-
ing been born here February 20, 1865. His
Masonic history dates from 1890. In the
summer of that year he made application
for admission to Monmouth Lodge, No. 37,
was in due time elected to receive its de-
grees and July I was initiated, August 15
was passed, and October 14 was raised.
(.)uick to appreciate the beauty and impres-
siveness of the work and to familiarize him-
40
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
self with the ritual, he was soon chosen to
fill official positions, and as an officer has
been of strength and value to the lodge. In
1 892-3 he was Senior Deacon, in 1 894 was
Junior Warden, and in 1895-6 filled the of-
fice of Worshipful Master. The year 1 894
marked his exaltation in Warren Chapter,
of Monmouth. The Mark Mason's degree
was conferred upon him June 15; Past
Master's, June 15; Most Excellent Master's
September 25; and Royal Arch, October 12.
In the chapter also was he soon honored
with official station, being elected to the
Principal Sojourner's chair for the years
1895-6, and filling the same with his usual
fidelity and dignity. Also he has been the
recipient of honors in Monmouth Chapter,
No. 277, Order of the Eastern Star, the
labyrinth of which he threaded in 1 894, and •
in which at this writing, 1896, he is the in-
cumbent of the office of Worthy Patron.
Mr. Webster is a most zealous Mason, never
shirking a duty, always at his post, prompt
to do and direct, and, loving the order, he
strives earnestly to live up to its teachings.
At present Mr. Webster is employed as
clerk in the hardware store of George A.
Schussler, where he has been for some years
and where his promptness, his courtesy and
his genial manner make him a favorite and
a valued employee.
OH. SCHUTT. — Freemasonry is vitally
concerned in building higher ideals and
loftier standards of manhood. When a
brother has once mastered the ritual of the
blue lodge and has gained a full apprecia-
tion of its precepts, he is better and more
fully equipped to undertake life's burden
and to abide with his fellow men in a spirit
of friendship, charity and truth. What-
ever his vocation in life may be, political,
professional, or mercantile, the ragged
edges of competition are worn smooth by
the gavel of this grand brotherhood, every
day's duties are made plain by the twenty-
four-inch gauge, and devotion to God and a
distressed brother, faithfulness to one's
calling, and the blessings of rest and re-
freshment are the powerful lessons taught
by the fraternity. Since Mr. Schutt's ad-
mission to the order he has evinced a deep
interest in all the work pertaining to his
lodge, and has proved himself in every way
worthy of the confidence reposed in him by
his brothers. He was initiated in Waldeck
Lodge, No. 674, and in 1894 was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason. In
the same year he attained the ineffable de-
grees of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory, Valley of Chicago. He is also af-
filiated with the social branch of Masonry,
having made a successful pilgrimage across
the sands of the desert, thus becoming a
Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple.
Mr. Schutt is a native of Germany, his
birth taking place in that country March 12,
1853. He received an excellent education
in the public schools, and then turned his
attention to making a place in the mercan-
tile world. He secured employment in a
meat market, where he remained until nine-
teen years of age, when he decided to seek
a larger field for his labors, and consequent-
ly in 1872 he set sail for the United States,
landing at New York, which he made his
home for the following eight years. In
1884 he came west and located in Chicago
and engaged in the same business he had
previously learned in the old country. In
1 890 he established a meat market and gro-
cery store of his own, which he has since
conducted in a most successful manner.
Mr. Schutt possesses the characteristic
traits of his ancestors — thrift, industry and
perseverance — and bears an enviable repu-
tation for integrity and honesty in all his
business dealings. He is one of the enter-
prising and progressive citizens of Chicago,
loyal to the country of his adoption, and
retains the friendship and respect of all who
know him.
On October 10, 1875, Mr. Schutt was
united in marriage to Miss Emelia Siebels,
who is also a native of Germany. Two
daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Schutt, — Annie and Emelia.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF (I I
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
41
JOHN B. HAMILTON, M. D.— The in-
fluence of Masonry is a potentiality
which is immeasurable, but through
many centuries, and especially in this latter
development its force is strongly felt, and it
has become an important element in the
civilization of the race. Quietly but strongly
it has cemented the ties which bind man to
his fellow man and made manifest the uni-
versal truth of brotherhood. The order
embraces within its membership the highest
and the humblest of the land united in one
harmonious effort for the common good.
Among those whose marked abilities
have gained them distinctive preferment in
the affairs of life, and who in the ranks of
Masonry stand for the promulgation of its
ennobling principles, is Dr. John B. Ham-
ilton. He was made a Mason in Jerseyville
Lodge, No. 394, of Jerseyville, Illinois, in
1869, and was exalted to the sublime degree
of Royal Arch Mason in the chapter in Car-
rollton, Illinois. In 1870 he dimitted to
King Solomon's Lodge, No. 197, where he
was successively Senior Warden, Worship-
ful Master, Secretary and Senior Deacon.
In October, 1874, he was knighted in Hugh
DePayens Commandery, of Carrollton,
with which he maintained his relationship
until 1888, when he joined Washington
Commandery, No. i, of the capital city.
In 1891 he received the ineffable degrees of
the Scottish Rite in Albert Pike Consistory,
of the Southern Jurisdiction, at Washing-
ton, District of Columbia.
Dr. Hamilton is known throughout the
country as one of the most distinguished
members of the medical profession in the
United States, and his opinions are recog-
nized as authority throughout a great por-
tion of America, — not a man whose labor has
had local significance and value alone, but
one whose reputation, whose work and its
practical results, and whose precedence, be-
long not to any one place or period, but go
to enrich and dignify and vitalize through-
out the world the cause he represents.
John B. Hamilton was born in Jersey
county, Illinois, December i, 1847, being
the eldest of the nine children of Benjamin
B. and Mary (Chandler) Hamilton. He de-
scends from an ancient and honored Scot-
tish family, whose memoirs and deeds are re-
corded on numerous pages of Scotch history.
The great-grandfather of the Doctor, Nathan-
iel Hamilton, was one of the heroes of the
Revolution, serving under the gallant Ethan
Allen. When the war was over he located
at Point Harmer, in Ohio, now the city of
Marietta. His son, Thomas McCluer, was
drafted for service in the Indian wars, but
in his stead the father went forth to battle.
After the battle of Tippecanoe he served as
a member of the second Ohio legislature
and became a very prominent and influen-
tial citizen.
Thomas M. Hamilton spent his early
years in the Buckeye state, and in 1818 re-
moved with his family to Monroe county,
Illinois. He married a daughter of Captain
Benjamin Brown, who served throughout
the Revolutionary war and was a captain in
Washington's body-guard. The Brown fam-
ily, also, was well represented by valiant
soldiers battling for their country's freedom,
four brothers participating in the battle of
Bunker Hill, where one was wounded.
Thus from sturdy, honored ancestry is the
Doctor sprung, and in the affairs of the na-
tion which his ancestors helped to found he
has been alike prominent in the line of his
profession. The Hamilton family removed
from Monroe county, Illinois, to Greene
county, same state, in 1830, there joining
Dr. Silas Hamilton (a younger brother of
Nathaniel), who founded the first free
school in the state of Illinois.
Benjamin B. Hamilton, father of the
Doctor, acquired his elementary education
in the free school mentioned, and later was
a student in Shurtleff College. He became
one of the leaders in the anti-slavery move-
ment, and in 1835 was the secretary of the
Loftoris Prairie Anti-slavery Society, of
which William Palmer, father of Senator
John M. Palmer, was president, and of
which Elihu Palmer was also a member.
Benjamin Hamilton wedded Mary Chand-
ler, whose grandfather also was in the
army of Ethan Allen, being a descendant
42
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
from Captain John Chandler, who was
a colonial sheriff of Worcester county,
Massachusetts, receiving his commission
from the crown. Benjamin Hamilton died
in October, 1 894, at the age of seventy-two
years, but his widow is still living and makes
her home at Upper Alton, Illinois. He was
a regularly ordained minister in the Baptist
church and preached in Jersey, Greene and
Scott counties up to the time of his death.
He served with distinction in the Civil war,
having been chaplain of the Sixty-first Reg-
iment of Illinois Infantry from 1 862 until
1865.
In the state which is yet his home Dr.
Hamilton was reared, acquiring his early
education in the Hamilton school, after
which he obtained a classical education
under the instruction of Professor John
Grant, a famous Latin teacher from Edinburg,
Scotland. In vacation time he worked on a
farm, in a printing office or at whatever else
he could find to do. A man of his mental
caliber naturally turns to professional life,
and his choice led him to take up the study
of medicine. He began his preparation in
1863, in the office of Dr. Joseph O. Hamil-
ton. In 1864 he enlisted as a private in
Company G, Sixty-first Illinois Infantry,
but being a minor was never mustered in.
In 1867 he entered Rush Medical College, of
Chicago, where he was graduated in Feb-
ruary, 1869, and from March of that year
until 1874 he engaged in general practice.
In the latter year, having passed an exami-
nation before the army examining board, he
received the appointment of assistant sur-
geon, and was first lieutenant of the United
States army and served at the barracks in St.
Louis and in the department of the Colum-
bia, at Fort Colville, Washington, resigning
this position in 1876. In September of
that year he entered the United States ma-
rine hospital service as assistant surgeon,
and was ordered to Boston, where, in June,
1877, he was promoted to the rank of sur-
geon. His fitness for responsible position
and his superior merit and skill were thus
recognized, and in April, 1879, he was again
promoted, being made supervising sur-
geon-general to succeed General John M.
Woodworth, who died on the loth of March
of that year. General Hamilton immediately
began the reorganization of the service, and
congress finally passed a law placing the
corps upon practically the same footing as
the medical corps of the army and navy.
He caused the first visual examination of
pilots to be made, and the first physical ex-
amination of seamen as preliminary to
shipment. During his incumbency of the
office he succeded in having the national
quarantine acts passed, most of which passed
as drafted by him; successfully managed
the campaign against two epidemics of yel-
low fever, and in 1 889 established the famous
Camp Perry near Jacksonville, Florida. In
June, 1891, the house of representatives
having for the second time failed to pass
the senate bill providing for the equaliza-
tion of the salary of the office with that of
the surgeon-general of the army and the
surgeon-general of the navy, Dr. Ham-
ilton resigned his commission and once more
returned to the ranks of the service.
The appreciation of the service of Dr.
Hamilton as surgeon-general is shown in
the action taken by the senate, resulting in
the passage of the senate bill mentioned,
and the official records stand in evidence of
the high appreciation placed upon the
labors of the Doctor, while endorsement
came to him from the most distinguished
individual and official sources.
In connection with his other work the
Doctor served as professor of surgery in the
University of Georgetown, which conferred
upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, in
1889, and was also surgeon of the Provi-
dence Hospital, where he attended the
charity surgical ward for eight years. On
returning to Chicago he was made professor
of the principles of surgery in Rush Medical
College and surgeon in the Presbyterian
Hospital, and was also professor of surgery
in the Chicago Polyclinic. He holds a weekly
surgical clinic at the college. On the I2th
of October, 1896, he resigned his commission
in the Marine Hospital Service, his res-
ignation taking effect November 12. He
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
43
then opened an office in the Reliance Build-
ing, and his well known ability always in-
sures him a liberal patronage.
In 1887 he was unanimously elected
secretary-general of the Ninth International
Medical Congress, which convened in Wash-
ington, and in 1890 was sent as a delegate
by this government to the International
Medical Congress held in Berlin, where he
made the response on behalf of the Ameri-
can delegates to the address of welcome.
In 1 892 he established Camp Low on Sandy
Hook, New York harbor, on account of the
threatened introduction of cholera.
The Doctor is the editor of the Journal
of the American Medical Association, a paper
that is regarded as authority on all matters
connected with the science and practice of
medicine and surgery. Its high standing
made it desirable to have one of the most
able men of the medical fraternity at its
head, and the eminent abilities of Dr. Ham-
ilton at once recommended him to the posi-
tion he now fills. The standard of the paper
has been raised still higher under his man-
agement, until it is now without a superior
in that line of literature in America. As a
graceful recognition of the Doctor's appoint-
ment as editor, he was unanimously elected
president of the American Editors' Associa-
tion in 1894-5.
His researches and investigations have
been extensive, and he is the possessor
of a very fine library of ten thousand vol-
umes, the greater part of which are works
on surgery, some being exceedingly rare and
of great value, — probably the largest private
library on surgical subjects in the United
States West of the Alleghanies. This
library now includes not only his own
collection, but also the library of the late
Dr. Frank Hastings Hamilton, of New
York, who died in April, 1887, one of the
most noted surgeons of the day. With gen-
eral literature in English and French Dr.
Hamilton is also familiar, — an accomplish-
ment which he finds exceedingly valuable
and which he has utilized on the lecture
stand.
With various societies, professional and
social, Dr. Hamilton is connected, a valued
and highly esteemed member. He was
once an active worker in the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; he belongs to the
Loyal Legion and is a member of the Army
and Navy Club of Washington, the Chicago
Press Club, the Union League Club and the
Illinois Press Association. Since 1873 he
has been a member of the Illinois State
Medical Society and was for five years its
permanent secretary; is also a member of
the District of Columbia Medical Society,
the Medical Association of the District
of Columbia, the National Associations
of Military Surgeons and the British
Medical Association, is an honorary mem-
ber of the Kentucky and \Vest Virginia
State Medical Societies, the Medico-Legal
Society of Chicago, and an honorary mem-
ber of Societe Francaise d'Hygiene, of
Paris, France. He introduced the system
of merit appointments into the marine hos-
pital service, and made it a strictly non-
partisan service. His original recommen-
dation for merit appointments was contained
in his first report as supervising surgeon-
general, made to Secretary John Sherman
in 1879, and was transmitted to congress by
that officer with his approval. Every suc-
ceeding secretary of the treasury renewed
the recommendation, and it finally became
a law in 1889. The regulation of 1879
drawn by General Hamilton, however, con-
tained the provision of merit appointment
after thorough examinations, and its final en-
actment in statute form did not require any
change in the regulations in this respect.
He was appointed a director of the pub-
lic library of Chicago, in 1896, and consult-
ing hygienist of Chicago, by Mayor Swift;
was appointed superintendent of the Illi-
nois Northern Hospital for the Insane by
Governor John R. Tanner, March 23, and
he is a professor of the principles of surgery
in Rush Medical College.
Dr. Hamilton was united in marriage
with Miss Mary L. Frost, and they have two
children, — Ralph Alexander and Blanche.
Mrs. Hamilton is a lady of rare intellectual-
ity, culture and refinement, and is a most
44
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
charming hostess in their pleasant home,
which is noted for its hospitality. She is a
granddaughter of Judge Richard I. Lowe.
Doctor Hamilton is a social, genial gentle-
man, interested in all that pertains to the
welfare of the metropolis of his native state,
is charitable and benevolent, and the
worthy demands of the needy are seldom
made in vain. He has a large circle of
warm friends, and his friendship is most
prized by those who know him best. In his
professional capacity as a surgeon he is
known throughout the country, and he hon-
ors the profession by which he has been es-
pecially distinguished.
JAMES G. McBEAN, president of the
Garden City Paving and Post Company,
is a gentleman well known in Chicago
and neighboring towns and cities. He
wears the Masonic emblems and wherever
he goes is recognized as a member of this,
the greatest of all civic organizations, the
A. F. & A. M. Both as a Mason and a
business man his name is worthy of a place
in this work, and to a brief history of his
life we now turn.
Mr. McBean has for years been a Mas-
ter Mason and has climbed step by step up
the Masonic ladder until he has neared the
topmost round, having taken the thirty-sec-
ond degree of the Scottish Rite, and having
penetrated the mysteries of the Mystic
Shrine. He maintains a membership in
Washington Chapter, R. A. M., and Chi-
cago Commandery, K. T., both of Chicago.
In his every-day life he has striven to live
up to the time-honored teachings as set
forth in the various branches of this order.
By birth and early association Mr. Mc-
Bean is a Canadian. He was born in Glen-
gary county, Canada, January 25, 1841, son
of John McBean, and was reared and edu-
cated there, retaining his home in Canada
until September 22, 1857, when the family
came to the United States. Young McBean
started out in life on his own account at the
age of twenty-one, going then to a mining
camp in British Columbia, and spending
three years in the mines. His next venture
was in the mercantile business at New
Westminster, British Columbia, where at
the end of two years he was overtaken by
reverses and failed. The following two
years he was in Memphis, Tennessee, en-
gaged in contracting and street paving, and
in 1869 he became a resident of Chicago.
Here he gave his attention to the same line
of work in which he was interested in the
south, and has continued contracting and
paving ever since. He was four years a
member of the firm of McBean Brothers,
ten years a member of A. J. McBean &
Company, and since 1890 has been at the
head of the Garden City Paving and Post
Company, which he organized. This firm
has done an extensive business in this and
other cities, including St. Paul, Kansas
City and Springfield.
Mr. McBean adheres to the principles
advocated by the Democratic party, but is
not a politician, nor has he ever been an
office-seeker or holder, his extensive busi-
ness demanding the whole of his time and
attention. His family are members of the
Reformed Episcopal church.
Mr. McBean was married in 1870 to
Miss Lizzie A. Hawley, of Lockport, Illi-
nois, and they have children named as fol-
lows: LeRoy Hawley, George Martin and
James Archibald.
WESLEY BECKWITH, a
JL prominent practicing dentist of Ster-
ling, Illinois, is the present Eminent Com-
mander of Sterling Commandery, No. 57,
and occupies a high place in Masonic cir-
cles in this section of the state. He has
studied closely the teachings and tenets of
the craft and gives to its beneficent and up-
lifting principles his hearty indorsement,
while his loyal service in its interests has
materially promoted its growth and prog-
ress. On the 1 7th of February, 1882, he
became an Entered Apprentice in Rock
River Lodge, No. 612, A. F. & A. M.,
passed the Fellow-craft degree on the 7th
of March, and on the 3ist of March was
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
45
raised to the sublime degree of a Master
Mason. He has served as Junior Deacon
of his lodge and is most faithful in his ad-
vocacy of the fundamental truths upon
which the ancient fraternity rests. He re-
ceived the Royal Arch degrees in Sterling
Chapter, No. 57, becoming Mark Master on
the 5th of July, 1882, Past Master and Most
Excellent Master on the 3ist of July, and
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason on the 3Oth of October. In
1884 he was knighted and became one of
the charter members of Sterling Command-
ery, No. 57, with which he is still affiliated.
He has filled various offices in the chapter,
and for the past three years has been Cap-
tain of the Host. In the commandery he
has filled nearly all of the offices except
those of Prelate, Recorder and Treasurer,
and in 1891 was elected Eminent Command-
er. Again he was called to that office in
1895, and is now (1896) serving his third
term therein. He takes great pride in the
order and in the efficient work of the so-
cieties with which he is connected, and his
unswerving fidelity is deserving of praise
and cheering commendation.
Mr. Beckwith is a native of Sycamore,
Illinois, and of English descent. The first
of the family to leave their native England
home was Mathew Beckwith, who emigrated
in 1635 to the United States and established
a home in Connecticut, and representatives
of the family were numbered among the
pioneers of Ohio, where the father, Chaun-
cey Beckwith, was born. Having arrived
at years of maturity, he married Miss Mary
A. Woolsey, a native of Ohio. They were
married in Sycamore, Illinois. She was a
daughter of Thomas Woolsey, a prominent
Methodist minister. They took up their
residence in Sycamore, where they became
widely known and were held in the highest
esteem. Mr. Beckwith was an active mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity and Past
Master of the lodge in Sycamore.
Thomas W. Beckwith was the eldest of
their three children. He acquired his edu-
cation in the common and high schools of
his native town and in the Michigan State
University, where he was graduated in the
dental department with the class of 1880.
Immediately afterward he came to Sterling,
entered upon the practice of his chosen
profession and has since remained in this
city, practicing dentistry for sixteen years
with satisfactory success. He has been a
close and thorough student, keeping abreast
with all the improvements and theories
which are advanced in connection with
dentistry, and his superior skill and ability
has gained him an eminent position in the
ranks of his professional brethren. The
public accords him a liberal patronage, and
his excellent methods and honorable deal-
ings well entitle him to the prosperity which
has crowned his labors.
The Doctor was happily married in 1884
to Miss Hattie K. Tracy, a native of Mas-
sachusetts and a daughter of John D. Tra-
cy, a prominent business man of Sterling.
Their union has been blessed with three
children — Clara, Louise and John Tracy.
Mrs. Beckwith departed this life in 1892.
She was a lady of great beauty of character
and her death is deeply mourned by all who
knew her. The Doctor devotes his time to
his profession and the care of his children.
In politics he may be said to be a Democrat,
for he usually votes with that party, but he
does not blindly follow party leaders; his
opinions are the result of careful investiga-
tion and sound judgment. His pleasant,
courteous manner and social disposition
have won him the regard of all with whom
he has been brought in contact.
^DGAR M. WEBSTER, M. D., a well-
known physician of Chicago, was made
a Mason in Triluminar Lodge, No. 767,
about 1888, and has since been most active
in support of the order, most loyal to its
teachings and most earnest in his advocacy
of its principles. He is now holding the
office of Senior Warden therein. In 1889 he
was exalted to the sublime degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Sinai Chapter, No. 185, and
in 1891 was knighted in Englewood Com-
mandery, but was dimitted in order to be-
46
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
come a charter member of Calumet Com-
mandery, No. 62, in 1892. He served as
Captain of Cavalry in Calumet Commandery
while working under dispensation. He took
the Scottish-Rite degrees in Oriental Con-
sistory in 1895, and since 1891 has been a
member of Medinah Temple. Thus with
various branches of Masonry he is con-
nected, active in support of one and all,
and, though the pressing duties of his pro-
fession sometimes prevent his work in the
order to the extent that he might otherwise
carry it, he is known as a most consistent
Mason, and the basic principles of the order
find in him a worthy exponent.
In December, 1896, he was elected Wor-
shipful Master of Triluminar Lodge, No.
767.
Dr. Webster is a native of Ohio, born
in St. Marys on the 15th of December,
1859. His boyhood days were spent in Van
Wert, that state, where in addition to the
time spent in school he was variously em-
ployed. His father died when he was only
six years of age, and from that time he was
not only largely dependent upon his own
labors for a livelihood, but as soon as able
he also aided in caring for his mother's
family, sharing this task with an older
brother. The school of adversity, however,
often seems to bring forth the best and
noblest in nature and to strengthen a man
for future battles. Mr. Webster became
self-reliant, energetic and purposeful, and
his life, following in this course, has been
earnest, helpful and strong. He served as
deputy postmaster for a time in Van Wert
and after making choice of the medical pro-
fession as one which he wished to enter as
a life work he began his studies in the Star-
ling Medical College, of Columbus, Ohio,
where he was graduated in March, 1884.
He began practice in Mercer county, Ohio,
where he remained three years, and in 1887
he came to Chicago, since which time he
has been a member of the medical frater-
nity in this city. It did not take long for him
to demonstrate his ability and his right to be
classed among the most able physicians of
the city, and he is a very popular and suc-
cessful practitioner, enjoying a large busi-
ness. Such is the outcome of the well
directed efforts of a poor boy who, from
earliest childhood almost, has been de-
pendent upon his own resources. He may
truly be called a "self-made man," a proud
American title. In politics he has always
been an ardent Republican.
In 1889 Dr. Webster was joined in wed-
lock to Miss Allura J. Beam, who was born
in Celina, Mercer county, Ohio. They
now have three children, two sons and a
daughter.
ZECHARIAH LACY GILBERT, book-
; keeper for the Elmwood Coal Com-
pany, Elmwood, Illinois, and city clerk of
this place, has been a Mason four years, and
his interest in the order is such that it en-
titles him to personal mention in this work,
devoted to members of the Masonic order
in Illinois.
Mr. Gilbert was made a Master Mason
in Elmwood Lodge, No. 363, in 1892, re-
ceiving the first degree of the blue lodge
October 18, the second November 29, and
the third December 20. The Royal Arch
degrees were conferred upon him in Yates
City, in Eureka Chapter, No. 93, in 1894.
He was made a Knight Templar in Peoria
Commandery in 1896, and June 9, same
year, was received in Mohammed Shrine at
Peoria, where the beauties of that exalted
branch of Masonry were made known to
him. He is now serving as Senior Warden
of his lodge.
Mr. Gilbert is a native son of the
" Prairie State." He was born in Astoria,
Fulton county, Illinois, April 19, 1846, and
was reared and educated in this state.
Since becoming a resident of Elmwood he
has been employed as bookkeeper and clerk
for the Elmwood Coal Company. His in-
terest in local affairs has been appreciated
by his fellow citizens and he has on several
occasions been elected to fill official position.
For three years prior to 1892 he served as
a member of the board of trustees of the
town. In May, 1892, by special act of the
general assembly, the town of Elmwood
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
47
became incorporated as the city of Elmwood,
and he was elected the first city clerk, and
April 1 8, 1893, was re-elected for two years;
also again in April, 1895 and '897. For
three successive years he has been elected
township clerk, and is filling both positions
most acceptably.
Mrs. Medora L. Gilbert, his wife, is also
interested in esoteric work. In 1 893 she was
one of the charter members and the first
Worthy Matron of Elmwood Chapter, Order
of the Eastern Star. The present year,
1 896, she was elected a second time to be
the presiding officer of this auxiliary branch
of Masonry, and is filling the same with be-
coming dignity and in her usual charming
manner. She indeed performs her duty in
this responsible position "in a spirit of faith
and prayer," and the success of Elmwood
Chapter is largely due to her discretion and
her earnest and untiring labors.
BANIEL HAWKINS DEAN is one of
Princeton's prominent Masons and is
one of the oldest and most highly respected
members of the fraternity in the city. The
Masonic creed is brief and all-embracing —
the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood
of man — and its far-reaching influences are
immeasurable. It began at a period when
tradition had not been superseded by au-
thentic history, and it will end with time
itself, for its basic elements are truth, and
truth is eternal. On the gth of March,
1858, Mr. Dean was made a Master Mason
in Bureau Lodge, No. 112, of Princeton,
and at once entered upon the active work
of the order, serving as Secretary from Feb-
ruary of that year until the close of 1861,
and again in 1863. He was dimitted from
Bureau Lodge to assist in the organization
of the Princeton Lodge, No. 587, of which
he became a charter member as well as one
of its most efficient and useful workers. He
has faithfully served in all its offices except
those of Secretary and Treasurer; he was
Master during the years 1893 and 1894.
On the 23d of March, 1859, he had the
Royal Arch degrees conferred upon him in
Princeton Chapter, No. 28, and the same
year was created a Select Master in Orion
Council, No. 8. In the chapter he has held
almost all the offices, being Royal Arch
Captain, Captain of the Host, and in 1895
was its Excellent High Priest, while in the
Council he was Captain of the Guards ten
years, Master two years, and Recorder for
seven years. He was admitted to the Or-
der of Scottish Rite in Princeton Valley
Consistory in 1867, and has taken all the
degrees up to and including the thirty-sec-
ond. His intention in joining the order
was for the good that he might do to his
fellow men, and he has therefore proved
one of the best and most worthy members
of the fraternity. He has mastered the
work of the order in all of the bodies, can
give the whole of the ritual verbatim, and
has the upright tenets of the order written
upon his heart. His is true Masonry, and
he enjoys the highest confidence and esteem
of the brethren.
Mr. Dean was born on the 3d of Janu-
ary, 1834, in Keene, Chester county, New
Hampshire, and is descended from an old
English family who were among the earliest
settlers of Taunton, Massachusetts, William
Dean being the progenitor of the family in
America. The noted Silas Dean, of Revo-
lutionary fame, was also a member of the
same family. The paternal great-grand-
father of our subject married a Miss Haw-
kins, the daughter of Colonel Hawkins,
who also aided the colonies in their strug-
gle for independence. George Grossman
Dean, the father of our subject, was born
in Taunton, Massachusetts, and spent his
entire life in that state and in New Hamp-
shire. By occupation he was a merchant
tailor. He married Miss Dolly Bennett, a
daughter of Thomas Bennett, of Massa-
chusetts. The father lived to be only
thirty-five years of age, and at his death
left a widow and eight children, of whom
all of the sons and one daughter still sur-
vive. The mother, who was a Unitarian in
religious belief, departed this life in July,
1856, at the age of fifty-six years.
Our subject was the youngest of the
family and was but an infant at the time of
48
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
his father's death. He received very lim-
ited educational privileges, and at the age
of eighteen began learning the printers'
trade, which he has since followed. While
at his work he has acquired a good stock
of general information, and may truly be
called a self-educated man. In September,
1856, he came to Princeton, where from 1861
until 1863 he rented the job rooms of the
Bureau County Republican, and since that
time has successfully engaged in job print-
ing, by close attention to his business secur-
ing a large and lucrative trade, which is
justly merited by the high class of work
which he turns out.
In November, 1855, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Dean and Miss Mary Eliza-
beth Anderson, by whom he had five chil-
dren, but only one grew to years of ma-
turity: Elizabeth, now Mrs. George D.
Foster, of Preston, Jackson county, Iowa.
The wife departed this life in 1876, when
in her thirty-ninth year. Subsequently Mr.
Dean wedded Miss Elva Ann Masters, a
native of Dover, Illinois, and they have
had five children, three living, namely:
Winona Eliza, Dolly Isabelle and Henry
Richard. The family occupy one of the
most pleasant residences of the city and
hold an enviable position in social circles.
The parents are both consistent and ear-
nest members of the Methodist Protestant
church, and also belong to the Knights and
Ladies of Honor. Ever since the organi-
zation of the party, Mr. Dean has been a
stalwart Republican.
DON STUART HARVEY, M. D., has
attained a high degree in Masonry and
his advancement in the order has been very
rapid. He joined the fraternity on the loth
of May, 1893, the degrees of Ancient Craft
Masonry being conferred upon him in Tri-
luminar Lodge, No. 767. In 1894 he re-
ceived the degrees of Mark Master, Past
Master and Most Excellent Master, and was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Sinai Chapter, No. 185. The
same year he took the vows of knighthood
in Calumet Commandery, No. 62, and in
1895 passed the circle and was greeted a
Royal and Select Master of Calumet Coun-
cil, No. 76. He received the grades and
orders of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory in 1896 and was proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret. He also
became a member of Medinah Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, in the same year. Such is the his-
tory of his affiliation with the most ancient
and1 useful of all the fraternities. Through
the dim, misty regions of the past its his-
tory can be traced, permeated by the noble
purpose of teaching universal brotherhood.
While its basic principles remain the same
it has adapted itself to the needs of advanc-
ing civilization and become an important
factor in the amelioration of human suffer-
ing and distress.
The physician in his noble work of min-
istering to the needs of humanity finds
ample opportunity to put into practice the
beneficent teachings of Masonry, and Dr.
Harvey has in this respect been a worthy
exemplar of the order. He is one of the
younger physicians of the city, but has al-
ready by his skill and ability won recogni-
tion in medical circles and from the public.
He was born in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, on
the 1 8th of November, 1867, and obtained
his literary education in the public schools
of that town. With a natural predilection
for the science of medicine he entered Rush
Medical College, of Chicago, to prepare
himself for practice, and after completing
a thorough course was graduated on the
3istof March, 1891. He began practice in
South Chicago and soon won a liberal pat-
ronage. With a laudable ambition he has
embraced every opportunity to add to his
college lore and has continued his studies
until his knowledge of the science of medi-
cine is comprehensive and accurate. He is
a member of the Chicago Medical Society,
the American Medical Association and the
Medico-Legal Society. He now enjoys a
good practice and his devotion to the inter-
est of his patrons is proverbial. He is con-
scientious and earnest in his work and is
rapidly traveling the road of advancement.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF !LU*!0'r
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
51
Tf ESTER L. BOND. — Proportionately
I—/ with the growth of Chicago has been
that of the Masonic fraternity in this city.
Not long after the founding of the little vil-
lage on the site of old Fort Dearborn a
Masonic lodge was established, and the or-
der has grown and developed until its fol-
lowing in Chicago now forms a vast army,
whose mission, however, is peace. Among
its early members in the metropolis of the
west is Mr. Bond, who for more than forty
years has been identified with the craft,
having been initiated into William B. War-
ren Lodge in 1856. Passing the Fellow-
craft he was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason, and in the blue lodge was
elected to the office of Senior Warden. He
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Washington Chapter in 1873,
and the same year was dubbed and created
a Sir Knight in Chicago Commandery, of
which he is Past Commander. In 1885 he
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and
was greeted a Select Master in Palestine
Council. He received the grades and order
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
in 1867, and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory.
Lester L. Bond has won national fame
as a patent lawyer. No country has made
as great advancement in invention as Amer-
ica. Since the establishment of the Repub-
lic it has given to the world the most useful
machinery and the most utilitarian imple-
ments that civilization has known capable of
producing in a maximum degree at a mini-
mum cost; but while its inventions far ex-
ceed in number and utility those of any
other country, in consequence of the great
number of productions in this line, there
have arisen conflicting claims, which has
developed a new and intricate branch of
law, known as patent-right law. So im-
portant has it become that it has long
ceased to be classed under some general
head, and now forms a most distinct and
prominent branch of jurisprudence, and has
formed the field of labor wherein the ef-
forts of Mr. Bond have won him renown.
He was born in Revenna, Ohio, on the
27th of October, 1829, and traces his an-
cestry back to John Bond, who located in
Massachusetts soon after the historic little
band of Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
The name has become well known through
the worthy achievements of several who
have borne it in different generations, and
the maternal ancestor of Mr. Bond is no less
distinguished. Having attended the public
schools of Ravenna, Ohio, he afterward
spent some time as a student in several
well-known academies, but his education
was acquired under disadvantages which
would have disheartened a man of less
resolute will and strength of character. His
own labor had to furnish him the means
whereby he paid his tuition, and at mechan-
ical work he found the avenue to knowledge.
His boyhood comprehended the almost in-
variable conditions from which the energy
of our large cities is each year recruited.
He had ambition without apparent oppor-
tunity, but what he then supposed were
limitations upon his life were in reality the
highest opportunities. In his mechanical
work to secure an education he acquired an
insight into invention and machinery which
has influenced him in his practice as a law-
yer and has proven an important factor in
his successful handling of patent-right cases.
Determining to enter the legal profes-
sion, Mr. Bond began the study of law in
the office of F. W. Tappan and completed
it under the preceptorage of Bierce & Jef-
fries. He was admitted to the bar on the
I5th of October, 1853, and with keen sagac-
ity chose the new but rapidly developing
city of Chicago for the scene of his profes-
sional labors. He arrived on the 8th of
May, 1854, and for five years engaged in
general practice, steadily and surely winning
a reputation which would grow brighter and
brighter with the passing years. About
this time some patent cases were entrusted
to his care, and his knowledge of mechanics,
combined with his masterful understanding
of the law, made him the victor in the for-
ensic combats and won him an enduring
fame. After ten years he relinquished all
52
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
other practice and devoted himself exclu-
sively to the law of patents, copyrights and
trademarks, a branch of practice in which
he has won a reputation second to that of
no other lawyer in Chicago.
From the organization of the Republican
party Mr. Bond has been unfaltering in his
advocacy of its principles, believing that
the tenets which it promulgates are best
adapted to the welfare of the majority of
citizens who form this vast republic. At
the beginning of the Civil war he offered his
services to the government as a defender of
the Union, but the examining surgeons re-
jected him on account of the impaired con-
dition of his health and he had to content
himself with upholding the cause of the
north at home. He has been very promi-
nent in municipal affairs and few men have
shown a more devoted and unselfish attach-
ment to the welfare of Chicago than he.
From 1862 until 1866 he was a member of
the common council and for' two years was
chairman of the finance committee. In 1868
he was a presidential elector from Illinois
and supported General Grant; in 1871 he
was again elected to the common council
and during a portion of his two years' service
was acting mayor of Chicago. In 1 866 he
was elected to the Illinois house of repre-
sentatives, remaining a member of the legis-
lature for four consecutive years, during
which time he was instrumental in inaugu-
rating legislation that has been of incalcu-
lable benefit to the west side of Chicago.
The issue of the campaign had been the es-
tablishment of the South Side park system,
and Mr. Bond had been elected on the anti-
park ticket. Soon after reaching Springfield,
however, he saw how futile would be his
efforts to oppose the establishment of the
South Side park system and therefore de-
termined to secure for the west side the
same privileges as would be conceded to the
other district. He labored indefatigably to
this end and at last accomplished his pur-
pose, the beneficial results of which are ac-
knowledged by all. His labors on the board
of education have produced some needed
changes and improvements in the school
system of Chicago, and in many other direc-
tions he has promoted the educational and
material welfare of the city.
Mr. Bond was married, October 12,
1856, to Miss Amy S. Aspinwall, daughter
of Rev. N. W. Aspinwall, of Peacham, Ver-
mont. They have one daughter, Mrs. John
L. Jackson. Mr. Bond is an esteemed mem-
ber of the Union League and Illinois Clubs
and is a liberal contributor to the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which he has long held
membership. Charitable and benevolent
enterprises acknowledge his ready assist-
ance, and thus he exemplifies the spirit of
universal brotherhood as taught by the noble
order of Freemasonry. His most pleasurable
source of recreation is travel, and with one
exception he has visited every state in the
Union. He has twice gone abroad, visiting
many points of interest in the old world and
gaining that knowledge and culture which
only travel can impart.
ZIMRI A. ENOS, one of the best known
j and most highly respected citizens and
zealous Masons of Springfield, Illinois, is a
native of St. Louis, Missouri, born Septem-
ber 29, 1821. He is a son of Pascal P. and
Salome (Paddock) Enos, natives of Ver-
mont. When Mr. Enos was two years old
his parents moved to Sangamon county,
Illinois, and located on the present site of
Springfield, and here his early education
was received in an old-fashioned log school-
house. Later he had better educational ad-
vantages. He was a student in Springfield
Academy, the Jesuit University of St. Louis
and the Illinois University at Jacksonville,
and after completing his course in the last-
named institution he began the study of law
under the instructions of Col. Baker and
Albert T. Bledsoe, of Springfield. Here he
passed a creditable examination and was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1845, immediately after
which he entered into legal practice in this
city. For a time he was associated in
practice with James H. Matheney and Vin-
cent Ridgely. The law, however, was not
suited to his taste, and on quitting it he en-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
gaged in the commission business. For
three years he was a commission merchant
in Springfield. Then he turned his atten-
tion to the original purpose of his education,
namely, civil engineering and surveying, en-
tering this field of labor in 1854 and from
that date to the present giving his time to
it. Twice he has been elected and served
as county surveyor.
Mr. Enos was married in Springfield,
Illinois, June 10, 1846, to Miss Agnes D.
Trotter, who was born February 15, 1825,
in New York city. They had six children,—
four sons and two daughters.
It is more especially, however, to Mr.
Enos as a Mason that we would make refer-
ence in this connection. His identity with
the Masonic order has been long and honor-
able. He has passed through all the de-
grees of Masonry up to and including that
of the thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite,
eighteen degrees having been conferred
upon him in Springfield and the rest in Chi-
cago. He affiliates with Lodge No. 71, A.
F. & A. M. ; Springfield Chapter, No. i, R.
A. M. ; Springfield Council, No. 2, R. & S.
M. ; Springfield Commandery, No. 6, K. T. ,
— all of Springfield, and Oriental Consist-
ory, of Chicago. In his lodge he served
several years as Worshipful Master and in
the chapter filled the office of High Priest
in 1892 and 1893. He is familiar with the
lodge ritual from beginning to end, can fill
any office and also perform the work on in-
stallation and funeral occasions, and is fre-
quently called upon to do so. It being a
recognized fact that Mr. Enos never does
anything by halves, his services are in de-
mand, and his brother Masons are justified
in the pride they take in his ability and
willingness to perform any of these duties.
MOS GRANNIS, deceased, a thirty-
<3L second degree and Knight Templar
Mason, was for many years identified with
the Masonic fraternity, and his connection
therewith was most honorable, embracing
on his part a most efficient service in the
interests of the order, and a high apprecia-
tion of his efforts on the part of his fellow
members of the craft. He was thoroughly
familiar with its teachings, conformed his
life to its beneficent principles and fully dis-
charged every obligation that his member-
ship in the ancient fraternity imposed upon
him. His life and good works will stand as
an everlasting monument to the sublime
principles of the magnanimous order. Its
various branches many times called him to
positions of trust and responsibility therein,
and his labors materially promoted the wel-
fare of the organization. He passed all the
chairs in the blue lodge and for three years
served as Worshipful Master of Home Lodge,
No. 508, A. F. & A. M. He has been Treas-
urer since 1877. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Chi-
cago Chapter, No. 127, and for twenty con-
secutive years held the office of Treasurer
therein. In 1867 the order of Knighthood
was conferred upon him in Apollo Com-
mandery, No. i, K. T. , and in 1881 he was
chosen Eminent Commander. He faith-
fully observed the vows of Knighthood, was
a loyal defender of the beauseant, and to
Templar Masonry has left a rich legacy of
noble deeds and high ideals. A Scottish
Rite Mason, he received the Ineffable De-
gree of Perfection in Oriental Consistory,
Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, in
1868, and with the various branches of the
order continued to affiliate until
" Night came,
Releasing him from labor,
When a hand, as from the darkness,
Touched him, and he slept."
He was also active in those organiza-
tions which were the outcome of the prac-
tical workings of the society, was a director
and vice-president of the Masonic Fraternity
Templar Association, and was prominently
connected with the Northwestern Masonic
Aid Association, the largest of the kind in the
world, having more than fifty-five thousand
members. For several years he served as
one of its trustees, was vice-president,
served as chairman of the executive com-
mittee and for about fourteen years held the
office of Treasurer.
54
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
The life record of Amos Grannis is one
that contains many valuable lessons; it is a
history of successful accomplishments, and
demonstrates in an unmistakable way the
possibilities open to the ambitious man,
who has a genius for earnest and persistent
labor. Moreover, his name is inseparably
connected with the history of Chicago,
where for sixty years he made his home.
He resided in Cook county before the city
was incorporated, and was a most important
factor in its upbuilding, being prominently
connected with its industrial interests. It
seems hardly probable that within the life-
time of one man this marvelous metropolis
should have been planted on the swampy
soil of northeastern Illinois and grown to
such gigantic proportions that it largely
controls the commerce of the New World
and rivals in size and importance the Knick-
erbocker city of the east, which for more
than two hundred and fifty years has flour-
ished; yet this wonderful development oc-
curred within the memory of Mr. Grannis,
and was largely advanced through his labors.
He was born in Attica, Genesee county.
New York, April 17, 1825, a son of Samuel
Johnson and Clarissa (Ford) Grannis. His
father was a native of Fair Haven, Con-
necticut, and on removing to the Empire
State located in Marcellus, whence he after-
ward went to Batavia and later to Attica.
There his wife died in 1829. On the 25th
of August, 1836, he started with his six
children for Chicago, making the journey
by steamer from Buffalo to Detroit, Michi-
gan. During that time they encountered
such severe gales that they put ashore and
continued the journey overland by team,
reaching their destination on the 25th of
September, just one month after leaving
their New York home. The family were
in limited circumstances, but they located
in a pioneer settlement where all the
people around them were also trying to
secure homes and fortunes in the new and
undeveloped west. They located on a farm
\v liich had previously been entered by Henry
( iani.jp, a brother of our subject, who had
entered the land from the government two
years previously. It was situated in the
township of Maine, a half mile from the
Des Plaines river. Neighbors were widely
scattered, and from their own log cabin but
one other was in sight. Prairie wolves
were numerous and hardships plentiful.
Amos Grannis went to live with his brother
and had ample opportunity to assist in the
arduous task of transforming the wild
prairie into richly cultivated fields. After
two years his sister married and he went to
live with her on a new farm near the pres-
ent site of Oak Park. Three miles across
a bleak prairie he made his way to a dis-
trict school, which he attended for three
months during three successive winter
terms. He profited by the simple instruc-
tion there given and received no other save
in the school of experience, where he
learned many valuable and practical les-
sons. Thus for several years he worked at
farm labor, while his boyhood days passed,
bringing him near man's estate, where still
greater duties awaited him. His early
trials, however, served to develop a self-
reliance and determined purpose that char-
acterized his entire business career and led
to much of his success.
On leaving home Mr. Grannis went to
Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he was em-
ployed for several months by the Peshtigo
Lumber Company. Returning then to Chi-
cago he served a three-years apprenticeship
at the carpenter's trade, during which time
he received only one hundred and twenty-
five dollars in compensation for his services;
but he mastered the business in all its de-
tails, becoming a very proficient workman;
and this practical knowledge of the trade
served not only as a stepping-stone to some-
thing higher but also enabled him in later
years to superintend his men more efficiently
and manage his extensive building interests
so that they would bring the best returns.
He began business for himself in 1851
and steadily worked his way upward until
he had secured a large and lucrative patron-
age. He was a leading factor in the build-
ing interests of Chicago, and passed through
the various progressive stages in Chicago
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
55
architecture from the log cabin and the little
frame dwelling to the magnificent office
buildings of the business districts, and the
highly ornate and beautiful residences that
adorn the boulevards of the city. He has
erected all kinds, including some of the
most important structures of Chicago and
its suburbs. He was progressive, and kept
abreast of the growth in architectural de-
signs. After the great fire of 1871 he was
especially active in the building of the new
Chicago, which arose with new grandeur to
cover the tomb of the old city. He erected
the first Rock Island depot, the Trinity
Methodist and Grace Episcopal churches, the
American Express Company's buildings, the
Grannis Block and the Calumet Block, and
his contracts in the beautiful suburban town
of Riverside in one year aggregated eighty
thousand dollars. His business life was an
era of prosperity, and he made judicious
investments in various enterprises which
brought to him rich returns. He was finan-
cially interested in the Globe National Bank,
and for many years was one of its directors.
He was one of the organizers and at the
time of his death was treasurer of the Chi-
cago Mechanics' Institute; was a charter
member and for several years treasurer of
the Builders & Traders' Exchange; was
treasurer of the Masonic Building & Loan
Association at the time of his death. His
sound judgment, keen discrimination, hon-
orable methods and capable management
brought to him success, and the poor boy
who came to Chicago was transformed
through the medium of his own labor into
one of the substantial citizens of Chicago,
which relation he sustained for the long
period of nearly fifty years.
On the 24th of December, 1850, Mr.
Grannis was united in marriage to Miss
Jane Taylor, and erected a little cottage
on a lot where the ruins of the government
building now stands. Their home was
blessed with six children, four of whom are
yet living, namely: Albery A., Harry A.,
Frank L. and Mrs. Charles Murray. Mr.
Grannis with his family attended the serv-
ices of the Methodist church and although
not a member he contributed liberally to its
support, and for some years prior to his
death served as trustee of the Trinity Meth-
odist churcrj. In his political adherency he
was a Republican, supporting that party
from the time of its organization. He
served as a member of the city council from
1878 until 1880, and in 1886 was elected a
member of the reform board of county com-
missioners, serving out an unexpired term
of three months, after which he was elected
for a full term. This was at a time when
the exposed villainy of county officials had
awakened a popular demand for officers who
were men of known integrity, probity and
high business character, and as a member
of the reform board Mr. Grannis did effect-
ive service for the county in the administra-
tion of its public affairs. He passed away
November 20, 1896. His life was devoted
to his family, his friends and to the support
of those principles which he believed to be
right. His unswerving purpose, his un-
questioned fidelity, his unfaltering honesty
and his unchanging will commanded the
highest respect of all.
ELISHA BENTLEY HAMILTON, who
has attained honorable distinction at
the bar of Quincy, is a Knight Templar
Mason who wears the insignia of the order
with a dignity that fully sustains the lofty
purpose of the temple. His identification
with Masonry dates from 1887, when, on
the 8th of April, he took the Entered Ap-
prentice degree in Quincy Lodge, No. 295,
A. F. & A. M. ; on the i3th of May he
passed the Fellow-craft degree, and on the
4th of May was raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason. He began the study
of the lessons of capitular Masonry the same
year and on the 22d of December was ex-
alted to the august degree of a Royal Arch
Mason in Quincy Chapter, No. 5. He took
the vows of the Temple in 1897, and was
constituted, created and dubbed a Sir
Knight in El Aksa Commandery, No. 55, of
Quincy. There is no weak indecision in
the character of Mr. Hamilton, and when
56
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
he became a member of the Masonic order
the fraternity felt that it had gained a valu-
able acquisition to its ranks. Although his
professional labors have prevented his offi-
cial service in any of its branches, he is
most faithful to its teaching, and his upright
life is in harmony with his Masonic pro-
fessions.
Mr. Hamilton was born in Carthage,
Illinois, on the 5th of October, 1838, and is
a descendant of the prominent Massachusetts
family of that name. His father, Artois
Hamilton, was a native of that state and
was married there to Miss Atta Bentley, a
native of New York. In 1835 they removed
to Carthage, Illinois, then a pioneer settle-
ment. Mr. Hamilton became proprietor of
the village tavern, then a most important
institution of the town, and entertained in
his hostelry Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A.
Douglas and other noted men of his day.
At the time of the great Mormon excite-
ment in that locality the Mormon prophets,
who were killed by their opponents, were
laid out in his tavern. He was prominently
connected with many of the historic events
that centered in that section of the state
and was most widely known. His wife
died in her fiftieth year, and he passed away
in the eightieth year of his age. In early
life he was a member of the Methodist
church, and his wife belonged to the Bap-
tist church.
Mr. Hamilton, of this review, was the
youngest of their six children. After at-
tending the public schools he continued his
education in the Illinois College, of Jack-
sonville, where he was graduated in 1860,
and received the honorary degree of A. B.
in June, 1878. On the I3thof August, 1862,
he offered his services to the Union and en-
listed in Company B, One Hundred and
Eighteenth Illinois Infantry, as a private.
Upon the organization of the regiment he
was made quartermaster sergeant, and on
the 8th of November, 1863, was commis-
sioned first lieutenant of his company. He
was with his regiment in Sherman's cam-
paign in the vicinity of Vicksburg, partici-
pated in the capture of Arkansas Post in
January, 1863, and was in Grant's cam-
paign in Mississippi, and at the capture of
Vicksburg. He afterward participated in
the vigorous and continued service in Lou-
isiana and was stationed at Baton Rouge,
that state, when news was received of Gen-
eral Lee's surrender. He was at that time
adjutant-general on the staff of General
Funda. He remained in the army until the
1 3th of November, 1865, when he was
honorably discharged and returned to his
home. He was a valiant soldier, never
shirking any duty, and since the war he has
been prominently connected with the mili-
tary affairs of the state.
For three years prior to the war Gen-
eral Hamilton was a fnember of the state
militia, and from 1872 until 1877 he was
again a member, during which period he
held the offices of lieutenant, captain,
colonel and brigadier-general, being suc-
cessively promoted. He was in command
of the Eighth Illinois Regiment when it was
ordered to St. Louis to quell the insurrec-
tion of the strikers at that point in i 877, and
his service in that regard was most highly
recommended. A man of the highest cour-
age and fearless in his devotion to duty, he
nevertheless exercised the caution and calm
judgment so necessary in such a crisis and
as far as possible had his men protect rather
than take life. He was appointed brigadier-
general and chief of artillery on the staff of
Govenor Cullum, and was later inspector
general of the state under the administra-
tions of Governors Hamilton and Oglesby.
He was appointed surveyor of the port of
Quincy by General Grant. A prominent
member of the Grand Army of the Republic,
he has served as commander of the post in
Quincy and was senior vice commander of
the state. He also belongs to the Loyal
Legion and further continues his association
with his comrades of the "blue" through
his membership in the society of the Army
of the Tennessee. His office is largely
adorned with swords, guns and other relics
of the great strife whereby the men of the
north maintained the sovereignty of the
Union, and many of these are connected
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
57
with interesting incidents which give to
them great value.
While Mr. Hamilton has long been
prominent in military circles, all this is but
supplementary to his real work, which is as
a member of the bar. He is a leading and
one of the most able lawyers in practice in
this section of the state, and began prepara-
tion for his profession as a student in the
law office of Warren & Wheat, the suite of
rooms used by the firm being the same in
which he has since performed all of his legal
work outside the court-room. He was ad-
mitted to practice in the United States courts
in 1869 and became a partner in the firm
with which he had previously studied. After
a time Mr. Warren withdrew and was suc-
ceeded by Judge Ewing, while the firm name
of Wheat, Ewing & Hamilton, was assumed.
This connection was continued until the
death of Mr. Wheat. Mr. Ewing afterward
removed to Chicago and for three years Mr.
Hamilton was in Kansas City, but with the
exception of that period our subject has
been continuously at the bar of Quincy. In
July, 1891, the present law firm of Hamil-
ton and Woods was formed, and is now
recognized as one of the strongest in this
section of the state. Mr. Hamilton's mental
characteristics and training have peculiarly
and eminently fitted him for the prosecu-
tion of his chosen profession, and he is im-
bued with a cordial and sincere love of his
work, which largely contributes to render it
facile and thorough. An intellect unusually
acute and discriminating enables him to em-
ploy, with precision and effect, the store of
information gathered by constant and indus-
trious research. Faithful and untiring ap-
plication and the most scrupulous attention
to detail have characterized the preparation
and conduct of his cases, and he has earned
a high and well-merited reputation.
On the loth of September, 1878, Mr.
Hamilton was united in marriage to Miss
Mary E. Fisk, a native of Cambridge, Mas-
sachusetts, and they have two children, a
son and daughter, Elisha Bentley, Jr., now
a student in the high school of Quincy; and
Lucy Atta, at home.
lOBERT L. SNOW, M. D.— Few men
EL of his years have attained to such dis-
tinction as has fallen to the lot of Dr. Snow,
demonstrator of anatomy in Hahnemann
Medical College, of Chicago, who is without
a superior in his special line. In his pro-
fession he is known not only throughout
Chicago, but his reputation extends to all
parts of this country. The social side of
Dr. Snow's nature, however, is less familiar
to the general public, but in Masonic circles
he is a general favorite and has many warm
friends in that fraternity. He was made a
Mason in Cambria Lodge, No. 278, of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on the I3th of
January, 1891 ; and the teachings of univer-
sality, mutual kindness and brotherly aid
found ready acceptance in his broad and
generous nature. His study of capitular
Masonry was continued until he was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Delta Chapter, No. 191, of Chicago, in
1893. The same year he was constituted,
created and dubbed a Sir Knight in Calu-
met Commandery, No. 62, and received
the grades and orders of the Scottish Rite,
attaining the thirty-second degree in Orien-
tal Consistory, whereupon he was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret. He is also a Noble of Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine. He is thus identified with almost
every degree of Masonry, and his hearty en-
dorsement of its purposes and his practical
fulfillment of its teachings makes him an
acceptable member of the craft.
The years of Dr. Snow's connection
with the science of medicine are not many,
but within the period he has attained to
eminent distinction. He is a native of
Ohio, born on the 9th of April, 1865. The
greater part of his youth was passed in
New York city, where he acquired his pri-
mary education. He made choice of the
medical profession as a life calling and be-
gan preparation for his work in the College
of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York. In
1891 he came to Chicago and further pur-
sued his studies in Hahnemann Medical Col-
lege, where he was graduated in the class
58
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
of 1892. For five years he has held the
position of demonstrator of anatomy in his
alma mater. His study of the subject has
been most thorough and comprehensive,
and has not included alone the knowledge
that is gained in textbooks, but he has also
carried his investigation into unexplored
fields of knowledge along original lines.
His superior skill and ability led to his se-
lection for the performance of some of the
most difficult anatomical dissections during
the World's Columbian Exposition, a work
that made him renowned among the medical
fraternity throughout the country. In ad-
dition to his college work he has a most ex-,
tensive private practice and enjoys a hand-
some pecuniary remuneration as well as the
fame that comes from his superior ability.
The Doctor was married on the Qth of
October, 1896, to Miss Nellie Christman, a
native of Ottawa, Illinois, and their home
is the center of a cultured society circle.
r/AlLLIAM CHARLES MAGILL.-
JgJE The vast army that follows the
standard of Masonry goes not forth for pur-
poses of conquest and plunder, — to bring
into subjection the weak or to overthrow
the powerful: its mission is peace, frater-
nity and benevolence. Its cardinal princi-
ples, perpetuating all moral teaching, have
awakened the respect and admiration of
thousands and gained a following whose
strength is as the force of gravitation,—
silent, unseen, but irresistible. It has been
one of the chief agencies in humanizing
mankind, lifting its followers to a higher and
nobler plane.
Among those who have advanced the
cause of Masonry in Chicago is William C.
Magill, who for fifteen years has been num-
bered among its members. He was in-
itiated March 2, 1881, becoming an Entered
Apprentice in A. O. Fay Lodge, of High-
land Park, Illinois. On the 6th of April he
took the Fellow-craft degree and on the i $th
of June was raised to the sublime degree of a
Master Mason. On the I ith of April, 1882,
he was dimitted to Evans Lodge, No. 524, A.
F. & A. M., of Evanston, with which he is
now affiliated. He took the Royal Arch de-
grees in Evanston Chapter, No. 144, being
advanced as Mark Master, August 18, 1882:
installed as Past Master, September 23; re-
ceived as Most Excellent Master, Septem-
ber 29, and exalted to the sublime degree
of Royal Arch Mason on the same date.
He was made a Sir Knight in Montjoie
Commander}', No. 53, K. T. , of Chicago,
but is now affiliated with Evanston Com-
mandery. He took the Scottish Rite de-
grees in Oriental Consistory and is now a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. On
the 23d of October, 1891, he became a
member of Medinah Temple, Ancient Ara-
bic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He has held the office of Junior Warden in
Evans Lodge, and Captain and Secretary
in Evanston Chapter, is deeply interested in
the fraternity and is one of its most worthy
and acceptable members, conforming his
life to its principles and following closely its
honored teachings.
Mr. Magill was born in Buffalo, New
York, on the i4th of June, 1850, was edu-
cated in its public schools and after his
graduation engaged in the commission busi-
ness on the Chicago Board of Trade. In
April, 1875, he first became connected with
the fire-insurance business, as an employee,
but since 1879 as a principal, and at the
head of the firm of William C. Magill &
Company since October, 1895. With pleas-
ant headquarters at No. 168 La Salle street,
they are now doing an extensive business.
In the extent of business written, this is one
of the largest as well as one of the oldest
and most reliable insurance agencies in Chi-
cago. Mr. Magill is also a member of the
Chicago Fire Underwriters' Association.
For the past twenty-three years he has
maintained his residence in Evanston, and
from 1888 until 1892 he served as a mem-
ber of the board of trustees there. In pol-
itics he has always been a supporter of
the principles of Republicanism, but has
steadily avoided public office, wishing noth-
ing to interfere with his business interests.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN .ILLINOIS.
59
He is a member of the Episcopal church, of
Evanston.
On the 1 2th of November, 1873, Mr.
Magill was united in marriage to Miss Mary
C. Montgomery, the wedding being cele-
brated in Buffalo, New York. They have
six children, two sons and four daughters.
In his varied relations Mr. Magill has main-
tained a manly bearing and by reason of his
integrity of purpose, his splendid abilities
and his nobleness of character, he enjoys
well-merited confidence and esteem.
LOYAL LEVI MUNN. — Of the vast
number of Masons in the United States,
but comparatively few have attained to the
thirty-third degree, but the gentleman whose
name introduces this review is thus distin-
guished. He is one of the honored repre-
sentatives of this noble fraternity in Amer-
ica and his name occupies a conspicuous
place on the pages of Masonic history by
reason of what he has done for the advance-
ment of the order, for its introduction into
new communities and for the inculcation of
its benevolent and grand principles among
his fellow men.
Mr. Munn was made a Mason in Excel-
sior Lodge, No. 97, F. & A. M. , and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason, October 27, 1853. For almost
forty-five years, therefore, he has been iden-
tified with the fraternity, advancing step by
step through its various degrees until he has
reached the highest plane. He was exalted
to the Royal Arch in Freeport Chapter, No.
23, June 27, 1856, and received the degrees
of the Royal and Select Masters in Spring-
field Council, of Springfield, Illinois, in
1862. He was dubbed and created a Knight
Templar in March, 1857, in Janesville Com-
mandery, No. 2, of Janesville, Wisconsin,
and received the degrees and grades of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, thirty-
second degree, in April, 1864. He was
crowned a Sovereign Grand Inspector Gen-
eral of the thirty-third and last degree of
Masonry and made an honorary member of
the Supreme Council for the Northern Ma-
sonic Jurisdiction, U. S. A., June 18, 1870,
at the session of that body held in the city
of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been honored
with various official positions, has filled all
the offices in the blue lodge, chapter and
commandery, and is now Commander-
in-Chief of the Freeport Consistory, S. P.
R. S. , thirty-second degree, located in the
valley of Freeport. In 1865-6 he was Most
Excellent Grand High Priest of Royal Arch
Masons of Illinois, and has been President
of the order of High Priesthood continu-
LOYAL LEVI MUNN.
ously from 1 867 up to the present time,
1896. He was also Right Eminent Com-
mander of the Knights Templar of Illi-
nois in 1 88 1. During his incumbency as
president of the council of High Priesthood,
he has had the honor of anointing to the
order nine hundred and eighty-nine com-
panions, while the number anointed since
the formation of the council has been one
thousand, one hundred and thirty-five, show-
ing how efficient and eminent has been the
service of Mr. Munn. At all times and in
all places he has been found ready to fill any
00
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of the offices of the order, and his intelli-
gent and efficacious labors have been pro-
ductive of great good. His service for twelve
years as Grand Secretary of the order
was most capable and received the highest
commendation of all connected with the
fraternity. He is an enthusiastic worker,
whose untiring labors and active promotion
of Masonry amounts to an inspiration, and
while Masonry occupies the most honored
place among fraternal societies his name
will appear as one of its most worthy ex-
ponents.
Mr. Munn is a native of Madrid, St.
Lawrence county, New York, born Septem-
ber i, 1829, a son of Abel and Susanna
(Barnum) Munn. He comes of a family of
long identification with American interests,
his ancestors having been early settlers of
Massachusetts and Vermont. Among them a
number were participants in the Revolution-
ary war, who valiantly fought for the inde-
pendence of the colonies. The grandfather,
Daniel Munn, served as a captain under
Ethan Allen and had the distinction of be-
ing the third man to enter Ticonderoga
when that place surrendered to the Conti-
nental army.
The subject of this review acquired his
early education in his native town and when
seventeen years of age came to Freeport,
Illinois, having now made his home in Ste-
phenson county for half a century. For three
summer he was engaged in farm work and
during that time spent the winter season in
attendance on the public schools. He aft-
erward engaged in school-teaching in the
northern part of the county, and in 1850
became the agent of several New York in-
surance companies for the states of Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana. In 1853 he
became one of the organizers of the Ste-
phenson Insurance Company, was elected its
secretary and served in that capacity until
1865. In 1857 he aided in the organization
of the American Insurance Company, in
Freeport, and in 1867 was chosen its presi-
dent, being the incumbent of that office un-
til 1870, when the company removed its
headquarters to Chicago and Mr. Munn re-
tired from the presidency, but continued as
one of its directors. From 1 866 until 1 869
he was successfully engaged in the dry-goods
business. He has for many years been a
most prominent factor in the commercial
and industrial interests of Freeport, and
has been the leading spirit of many enter-
prises which have materially promoted the
welfare and prosperity of the city.
Mr. Munn became a Republican on the
organization of the party, and during the
exciting times of its early history rendered
it much important assistance, and is still
one of its reliable adherents, although he
has never sought or desired office. He and
his family are valued members of the Pres-
byterian church, in which he is now serving
as elder, and his practical Christianity is
seen in his benevolence and sympathy which
are so frequently extended to his fellow men
less fortunate than himself.
Perhaps the true character of the man,
however, is seen in his home, where he is
the tender husband and father, the gracious
host and the courteous, genial gentleman.
He was married in 1857 to Miss Lenora
Lott. Her married life, however, was soon
terminated by death, and in 1861 he wedded
Mrs. Mary Louisa Hardy, a native of Hav-
erhill, New Hampshire, who in her maiden-
hood was Miss Ladd. Their family in-
cludes four children: Ella E., at home;
George Ladd, now a prominent lawyer in
Tacoma, Washington; Loyal Levi, who is
secretary of the Arcade Manufacturing Com-
pany; and Florence L. , at home. They
have a beautiful and commodious residence
in Freeport, and it is the center of a brill-
iant, cultured, though quiet, society circle.
Mr. Munn, though nearing the age of three-
score years and ten, is still a man of fine
physical force and business ability, and a
splendid representative of the American
gentleman, independent, true and pro-
gressive.
BEV. JOSEPH MCDONALD MC-
GRATH, a clergyman of the Protest-
ant Episcopal church, residing in Morgan
Park, a few miles south of Chicago, is a na-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
61
tive of Detroit, Michigan. He was raised
to the degree of Master Mason September
10, 1878, exalted a Royal Arch Mason
December 2, 1879, and constituted, created
and dubbed a Sir Knight May 13, 1880.
His present affiliations are with Tracy
Lodge, No. 810, at Tracy, Illinois, and with
the Englewood Commandery. He has
served as a Worshipful Master of Corunna
Lodge and Prelate of the Corunna Com-
mandery. He was appointed Grand Prelate
of the Grand Encampment of Knights Tem-
plar of the United States of America at
Denver in 1892, and officiated as such at
Trinity church and the Twenty-sixth Trien-
nial Conclave at Boston in 1896.
FRANCIS WATERMAN HANCE, M. D.
— The record of a busy life must ever
prove fecund in interest and profit as scanned
by the student who would learn of the in-
trinsic essence of individuality, and who
would attempt an analysis of character and
trace back to the fountain head the widely
diverging channels which mark the onward
flow, consecutively augmentive progress, if
we may be permitted to use the phrase, of
such individuality. All human advance-
ment, all human weal or woe — in short, all
things within the mental ken — are but mir-
rored back from the composite individual-
ity of those who have lived, and the history
of a nation, a state, or a community is but
the record of the lives of its inhabitants.
One of the residents of Freeport, whose
eminent connection with its leading interests
makes him a fit subject for biographic
honors, is Dr. Hance, a pioneer physician
of the city who for forty-three years admin-
istered to his fellow men, winning their
gratitude and respect by his ever thought-
ful kindness and consideration. The history
of one who is so widely and favorably known
cannot fail to prove of interest.
The Doctor is a native of Barnsville,
Belmont county, Ohio, born July 23, 1822,
and is a descendant of one of the old south-
ern families long resident in the state of
Maryland, where its representatives were
honored and influential people. John
Hance, the father of the Doctor, inherited
a large number of slaves, but, becoming
convinced of the wrong of holding any in-
dividual in bondage, he removed to Ohio in
1818 and liberated his slaves in that state.
His wife, who in her maidenhood was Mary
Ann McKall, was also a native of Maryland
and sprung from an equally well-known
family there. In Ohio the family of four
sons and a daughter were born, and in 1853
the parents came with their children to
Stephenson county, Illinois, locating on a
farm near Freeport, where the father con-
tinued to live until his death, which occurred
in the seventy-ninth year of his age. His
wife survived him and reached the very ad-
vanced age of ninety-eight years. They
were devout Methodists in religious belief,
and in early life the father was a Whig in
politics, but on the organization of the Re-
publican party he joined its ranks and gave
it his ardent support. He was a man of
pure motive, generous impulses and lived a
conscientious and most honorable life.
Such was the parentage of Dr. Hance.
He was the eldest child of the family and
was educated in Athens, Ohio. He ac-
quired his medical education in the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, where he was grad-
uated with the class of 1849, and then be-
gan the practice of his profession in the east.
In 1853 he came to Freeport, where for
forty-two years he cared for the sick and
suffering, performing his duty in sunshine
and in storm, by day or by night, never
stopping to ask of the patient's financial
standing or thinking of the pecuniary reward
which he might receive, but answering each
call for assistance that came to him from a
pure, unselfish interest in his fellow men
and a desire to bring to them relief. His
own personal comfort was ever sacrificed
for the good of others, and many a house-
hold • has reason to cherish, next to the
sacred place the mother occupies, the mem-
ory of their family physician, Dr. Hance.
In 1895 Dr. Hance retired from active prac-
tice and is now living quietly in the enjoy-
ment of a well-earned competency.
62
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
The Doctor was married in 1 849 to Miss
Mary B. Chamberlin, a native of New York,
who departed this life in 1873, and he has
since remained true to her memory. It was
in 1 862 that he was made a Mason in Moses
R. Thompson Lodge, which was afterward
consolidated with Excelsior Lodge, No. 97,
of which he is now a member in full stand-
ing. He is in politics a Republican, and by
election has been called to the mayoralty
of the city of Freeport, wherein he labored
zealously for the interests and upbuilding of
the city. Few men in Stephenson county
are better known than Dr. Hance, and none
are held in higher regard. His public life
and private career are alike above reproach,
and he is honored and esteemed by a very
large circle of friends.
of the city. At this writing he is one of the
directors of the public library of Peoria,
and member of board of education.
His religious creed is that of the Pres-
byterian church.
T'HOMAS McGIFFIN McILVAINE,
M. D. , is one of the prominent and
influential practicing physicians of Peoria,
Illinois, and, like many of the leading mem-
bers of the medical profession, has thought
it worth his while to give a portion of his time
and attention to the mystic teachings of Ma-
sonry and to enjoy the secret communion of
its inner chamber. He was made a Master
Mason in Peoria, in Peoria Lodge, No. 15,
with which he has ever since affiliated, and
he is also a member of the Scottish Rite in
Peoria, in the workings of both of which he
takes an active and enthusiastic interest,
finding pleasure and profit therein.
Dr. Mcllvaine is a native of the Key-
stone State and was born in the city of
Pittsburg in the year 1853. His medical
education was received at Rush Medical
College, Chicago, of which institution he is
a graduate with the class of 1881. Of a
warm, sympathetic nature, with an earnest
desire to alleviate the sufferings of humani-
ty, and untiring in his labors, he has built
up a large practice in Peoria and enjoys the
confidence and high esteem of all who know
him; and he is known here not only as a
skilled and popular physician, but also as a
public-spirited citizen, one interested in and
ever ready to promote the general welfare
WILLIAM HOWARD BERGSTRES-
SER. — There is perhaps no one in
the State of Illinois who has been more en-
thusiastic in his fealty to Freemasonry, or
who has performed more arduous labor on
its behalf, than the brother whose name ap-
pears at the head of this sketch; and his
record as a member of the fraternity re-
dounds greatly to his credit. Mr. Berg-
stresser was elected an Entered Apprentice
in Olive Branch Lodge, No. 38, on July 23,
1884, passed January 13, 1885, and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son February 3, 1885. He was exalted to
the Royal Arch degrees in Vermilion Chap-
ter, No. 82, being made a Mark Master
March 24, 1885, Past Master and Most Ex-'
cellent Master on March 30, and Royal
Arch on April 13; received the degree of
Royal and Select Masters in Danville Coun-
cil, No. 37, at the time of its organization;
was ordained a Sir Knight in Athelstan
Commandery, No. 45, the degree of Red
Cross being conferred upon him September
17, and that of the Black Cross September
25, 1885; and he attained the ineffable de-
gree of Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret
in Oriental Consistory, November 12, 1886.
Mr. Bergstresser has filled many offices
of importance in the order with credit to
himself and honor to the craft. He was
elected Worshipful Master June 30, 1891,
serving two terms, and is the present Dep-
uty Grand Master for the sixteenth district.
On June 30, 1890, he was placed in the
chair of High Priest, which he occupied for
one year; was Thrice Illustrious Master for
two terms, and is the present incumbent of
that office; and was Eminent Commander
for one year, dating from June 30, 1889.
He is a Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order
of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple,
and is a member of Troy Chapter, Order of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the Eastern Star, and a charter member of
Iris Chapter.
Brother Bergstresser was born in Flat
Rock, Seneca county, Ohio, November 17,
1856, and attended the district schools of
that place until sixteen years of age, when
he began to learn the carriage-painting
trade, and followed that for seven years.
In 1872 his parents moved to Ladoga,
Montgomery county, Indiana, and five years
later came to Danville, where our subject
took up the art of photography, which he
has followed most successfully ever since.
For eight years Mr. Bergstresser served as
first sergeant of Battery A, Illinois National
Guards. He is a loyal citizen and popular
in both business and social circles.
MATTHEW B. BLISH, one of the
prominent members of the Masonic
fraternity at Kewanee, is at present High
Priest of the chapter, and is still a resident
of his native town. He was made a Mason
in Kewanee Lodge, No. 159, in 1876, and
being an intelligent and appreciative stu-
dent, at once became a capable worker in
the fascinating craft. His first office was
that of Senior Deacon for one year; then he
was Junior Warden a year, and Senior
Warden two years. These offices were of
course satisfactorily filled by him. In 1877
he joined Kewanee Chapter, in which he be-
came equally active as a Royal Arch Mason,
and as such, after election, served in the
offices of Principal Sojourner, Captain of
the Host, Scribe and Most Excellent High
Priest. In the last named position he
served from 1886 to 1891 and from 1895 to
1897. He has given the order much of his
time and energy, and, being a man of judg-
ment, his services have been efficient; he is
a good instructor. He was the first mem-
ber " raised " in the lodge after the election
of A. B. Ashley (now Grand Deputy) as
Worshipful Master, from whom he received
a good training and became an expert in the
work. He was made a Knight Templar in
Temple Commandery, No. 20, at Princeton,
in 1882.
He was born on his father's farm near
Kewanee, December 5, 1848, and received
his education in that town, which meantime
grew from village to city; and he has always
made Kewanee his residence, and is there-
fore one of the best known citizens.
His father, C. C. Blish, was born in
Glastonbury, Connecticut, in 1812, and
came to Illinois in 1837, a single man, and
was one of the charter members of Weth-
ersfield Lodge, No. 1 59, which received its
charter October 3, 1855, and afterward
changed to Kewanee Lodge, same number.
He had previously been made a Master Ma-
son at Cambridge, was prominent in bring-
ing about the organization of the lodge at
Kewanee, and had the honor of being its
first Worshipful Master by election. Dur-
ing his younger life and in the early history
of the lodge he was one of its firmest and
most helpful adherents. He inherited the
three hundred and twenty acres of land ad-
joining the present city of Kewanee which
his father, Sylvester Blish, had taken from
the government in 1837. He married Miss
Elizabeth Boner and resided on this fine
farm to the time of his death, which oc-
curred in 1890, when he was about seventy
years of age. He had been one of Ke-
wanee's most worthy citizens, and being a
pioneer was one of the active citizens in the
organization of Henry county. His wife
survives, being now seventy-six years of
age, an esteemed member of the Congrega-
tional church, as was her husband. They
had six children — four daughters and two
sons.
Matthew B. Blish, one of the sons, has
been a farmer all his life, having inherited
the fine homestead of his father and grand-
father; but while he still owns it he rented
it in 1893 and erected one of the beautiful
and commodious residences in the western
portion of Kewanee, where he now resides.
December 23, 1868, he was united in
matrimony with Miss Martha E. Morrill, a
native of Ripley, West Virginia, and they
have three children, viz. : Katie Elizabeth,
now Mrs. Charles D. Handley, residing in
Kewanee; Charles B. and Dwight M. Mr.
(54
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and Mrs. Blish are members of Harmony
Chapter, No. 43, Order of the Eastern Star,
of Kewanee.
Mr. Blish has been a life-long Democrat,
and during the recent presidential campaign
sustained the "gold-standard" wing of the
Democracy.
ROBERT RALPH GIBONS, a Sir
Knight Templar residing in Princeton,
Illinois, is a leading and prominent law-
yer of that city and also ex-county judge
of Bureau count}'. When the past and
present of Freemasonry is considered,
whether the founding of the order is attrib-
uted to one or another, all will admit that
the wisdom of those who founded the so-
ciety is entitled to the admiration of all the
wise and good through the centuries. The
strength of the order is to-day greater than
ever, and many are its faithful followers in
Illinois. Mr. Gibons was initiated into the
esoteric doctrines of the craft in Princeton
Lodge, No. 587, F. & A. M., in 1886, and
has the honor of being raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason by General J. C.
Smith. He has also taken the Royal Arch
degrees, in Princeton Chapter, No. 28, the
council degrees in Orion Council, No. 8,
Geneseo, and was created a Knight Tem-
plar in Temple Commandery, No. 20, Prince-
ton. His devotion to his large law practice
has somewhat interfered with his active
work in the different bodies to which he
belongs, but he justly prizes the order and
its teachings and has shaped his course in
harmony with the same.
Mr. Gibons was born in Allentown, Penn-
sylvania, December 7, 1840, and is a son of
John S. Gibons, a native of Brattleboro,
Vermont, who was a prominent member of
the Masonic order, serving as Grand Master
of the Grand Lodge of the State of Pennsyl-
vania in 1820. By profession he was also
a lawyer, and was one of the most influen-
tial and distinguished citizens of his com-
munity, representing his district in both the
lower house and senate in Pennsylvania,
where he introduced and championed the
free-school law of that State. He married
Miss Sallie Rupp, a native of Lehigh coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, and to them were born
seventeen children, of whom fourteen
reached years of maturity, and of the five
sons and one daughter who are still living
our subject is the eldest. The father died
in 1850, at the age of forty-eight years.
Judge Gibons, of this review, received a
good academic education, and as his family
were faithful members of the Presbyterian
church they tried to induce him to enter the
ministry. It was in 1857 that he took up
his residence in Princeton, Illinois. In
August, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company B,
Yates' Sharpshooters, which was a part of
the Sixteenth Army Corps, and was in the
Mississippi and Atlanta campaigns. At the
battle of Kenesaw mountain he was wounded
both in the head and side, and for merito-
rious conduct was promoted from second
lieutenant to captain of his company, in
which capacity he was serving at the end of
his term in the fall of 1864, when he was
mustered out, at Chattanooga.
Returning to Princeton, the Judge pre-
pared for the legal profession, reading law
in the office of Stipp & Gibons, the junior
member being his brother G. G. , who later
moved to Chicago and there died. Under
their instruction he pursued his studies, and
was duly admitted to the bar after a
thorough examination before the supreme
court at Ottawa, Illinois. On the removal
of his brother to Chicago, he was admitted
to partnership by Major Stipp, under the
firm name of Stipp & Gibons, the partner-
ship continuing until the election of Mr.
Stipp to the bench. The son of Judge Stipp
was then his partner for a time, and later
M. U. Trimble, who is now deputy county
clerk. In 1886 the present firm was con-
stituted, under the firm name of Gibons &
Gibons, the junior member being Ira C.
Gibons, a graduate of the Chicago Law
School, and a son of our subject. The firm
have a large practice in the various state
courts, and rank among the ablest practi-
tioners at the bar.
In i 890 our subject was elected county
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
65
judge and faithfully discharged the duties of
that office for four years. He is an attorney
of marked ability, a public-spirited, enter-
prising citizen, and his party recognizing
his worth made him their candidate for
congress; but as they were in the minority
that year he was defeated, though he made
an active and strong canvass. He has ac-
ceptably served as trustee and mayor of the
city, and has always done all in his power
to promote the best interests of the com-
munity. His powers as an advocate have
been demonstrated by his success on many
occasions. He is an able lawyer of large
and varied experience in all the courts, and
his career as judge won the commendation
of all. Thoroughness characterizes all his
efforts, and he conducts all his business
with strict regard to a high standard of pro-
fessional ethics. He was at one time in
partnership with Judge Stipp.
In 1862, Judge Gibons led to the mar-
riage altar Miss Margaret M. Thompson, a
native of Princeton and a daughter of Rob-
ert E. Thompson, a pioneer, who located
in that city in 1839, becoming one of its
first merchants. One child blesses this
union, — Ira C., — who is also a member of
the Masonic fraternity, and is now success-
fully engaged in the practice of law as his
father's partner.
MORMAN B. REAM.— Freemasonry
has drawn to itself the allegiance of
strong men and true in all the walks of life,
and in the fact that it appeals to such lies
the intrinsic element of its perpetuity from
the remote past. There is a symmetry in
the make-up of a man who, having attained
to a splendid success in connection with the
material affairs of life, yet finds it a cher-
ished privilege to lend his aid in fostering
that broad fraternal spirit and that deeper
humanitarianism with which the time-hon-
ored institution of Masonry is so vitally in-
stinct. The subject of this review stands in
marked exemplification of that alert intel-
lectuality and almost stubborn determina-
tion which have made the magnificent me-
tropolis-of the west what it is, — the great-
est and most absolute representative of the
progressive American spirit, — and to-day he
holds place among the leading citizens and
most successful business men of Chicago,
where he took up his permanent residence
just prior to the ever memorable fire of
1871. He has rendered to his country the
loyal service of a patriot when treason and
rebellion would trail her flag in ignominious
dust, and his career as a citizen has shown
him to be animated by the same principles
of honor and integrity which prompted him
to go forth to do battle for a righteous
cause. Such a man honors the great fra-
ternal order of Masonry, which does not
deny its quota of honor in return.
Mr. Ream was made a Mason in the
year 1867, when he became an Entered
Apprentice in Princeton Lodge, No. 587,
A. F. & A. M., at Princeton, Illinois, and
in this body he was duly raised to the de-
gree of Master Mason. He was subse-
quently dimitted and placed his affiliation
with the lodge at Osceola, Iowa, where he
still retains his membership. He was ex-
alted to the Royal Arch in Pantalfa Chapter,
at Osceola, and is still identified with that
capitular body. Mr. Ream received the
grades and orders of Knighthood in Apollo
Commandery, No. i. Knights Templar, in
Chicago, eventually withdrawing from the
same and becoming a charter member of
Montjoie Commandery, No. 53, in which is
represented his only local affiliation at the
present time. He has shown himself thor-
oughly appreciative of the teachings and the
exalted aims of Masonry and is a consistent
member of the great crafthood, though he
has never sought or accepted official ad-
vancement in the same.
Norman Bruce Ream is a native of the
old Keystone State, having been born in
Somerset county, Pennsylvania, on the 5th
of November, 1844, the son of Levi and
Highly (King^ Ream, the ancestral line trac-
ing back several generations in that state.
The paternal lineage is of German origin,
and that on the maternal side of blended
Scotch and German, so that the subject of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS. •
this review has been favored by heredity,
for through the sources named America has
gained many of her most prominent charac-
ters,— men and women of intellectual and
physical vigor and of utmost integrity in all
the relations of life. Levi Ream was a
prosperous farmer in Somerset county for
many years, having recently resigned his
more active labors and taken up his abode
in Sacramento, California. Norman B. re-
ceived his preliminary educational discipline
in the common schools of his native county,
supplementing this by effective study in local
normal institutions and so profiting by the
opportunities afforded him that he was
enabled to take charge of a district school
when but fourteen years of age, successfully
coping with the obstacles he had to encoun-
ter in his pedagogic endeavors and mani-
festing that determination and self-reliance
which have conserved his pronounced success
in later years and in fields of magnificent
scope and importance. After teaching for
one term he learned the art of making por-
traits by the ambrotype process, which
was at that time just coming into public
favor. To this line of enterprise he devoted
his attention, in connection with work on
the farm, until he had attained the age of
seventeen years. His intrinsically loyal na-
ture was now roused into decisive action,
for the nation called upon her sons to de-
fend her honor and integrity against armed
rebellion. He enlisted as a member of
Company H, in the Eighty-fifth Regiment
of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in the
year 1861, being assigned with his command
to the Army of the Potomac, then in North
Carolina. His regiment was a part of Key's
corps, with which he served throughout
General McClelland's peninsular campaign
of 1862, in December of which year and in
the month following, he was with General
Foster in his campaign against Goldsboro,
North Carolina. Soon after his enlistment
he was made sergeant, and for meritorious
service at the battle of Kingston, North
Carolina, he received commission as second
lieutenant. About this time his command
joined that of Genenal Gilmore in South
Carolina, and he thus participated in the
siege of Charleston, within which interval
he was promoted first lieutenant. While
acting adjutant of his regiment, he was
severely wounded in the groin, in an engage-
ment which took place near Savannah,
Georgia, on February 22, 1864, the result
of his injuries being that he was incapacitat-
ed for service until the following June,
when he rejoined his command, which
had been transferred to the Army of Vir-
ginia, under General Butler. Immediately
after his return to his regiment it was at-
tacked by the enemy, and Mr. Ream was
again unfortunate, receiving severe wounds
in his knee. His valor could not be subor-
dinated, and in the August following he
again presented himself for service with his
regiment, but his physical condition was
such that he was now compelled, with man-
ifest reluctance, to withdraw from active
service. He received an honorable dis-
charge, after which he returned to his
home.
After completing a course of study in a
commercial college at Pittsburg, Pennsylva-
nia, Mr. Ream was employed for a brief in-
terval as a clerk in a general store. In
1866 he determined to try his fortunes in
the west, and he located at Princeton, Illi-
nois, where he eventually engaged in the mer-
cantile business, in company with Charles
Mosshart. About a year later he disposed
of his interests to his partner and removed
to Osceola, Iowa, where he engaged in the
grain, live-stock and agricultural-implement
business, in connection with farming opera-
tions. His efforts were attended with ex-
cellent success for a period of three years,
when a failure of crops in the state caused
him to encounter severe losses and to event-
ually close out his business. The integrity
of the man was such that he did not seek to
avoid any obligation or one implied, and
his adjustment of his affairs was such that
he suffered no loss.
Mr. Ream arrived in Chicago just before
the great fire of 1871, locating at the Union
Stock Yards, where he engaged in the live-
stock commission business, eventually be-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOr
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
69
coming an extensive dealer on his own
account. From this time his success was
consecutive and of no uncertain order. He
for a time operated quite extensively in
railroad stocks, having been a member of
the New York Stock Exchange. In 1888
he ceased to operate on the exchanges,
though retaining a membership in the Board
of Trade. He has made large and eminently
judicious investments in Chicago realty, and
also in property outside the city and state,
his manipulation of such important inter-
ests having resulted in the erection of such
grand and magnificent buildings as the
Rookery, in Chicago, and the beautiful
Midland Hotel in Kansas City. Of his
broad capacity for business of the widest
scope it is hardly necessary to speak in this
connection, but an idea of the prestige which
is his as one of the substantial capitalists
and business men of the west may be gained
by reference to certain of his associations.
He is a heavy stockholder in city railways
and has large interests in cattle ranches in
the west, as well as in fine agricultural
lands and valuable timbered tracts. He is
a director of the First National Bank of
Chicago, of the Illinois Central Railroad,
and of numerous other important corpora-
tions in the city and elsewhere.
As to the personal characteristics of Mr.
Ream, we can not do better than quote
from a previously published review of his
life, which pronounces him "a valuable
citizen, realizing to the fullest degree that
citizenship under a popular government
means individual responsibility. He belongs
to that class of typical western business
men who think for themselves and can not
be led by the demagogue and will not sub-
mit to the party lash. He is an independ-
ent Republican in politics, taking deep in-
terest in all public questions, but despising
politics as a profession. The best candidate
is sure to receive his support, on whatever
ticket the name of such candidate may be
found."
In addition to his relations with the Ma-
sonic fraternity Mr. Ream is identified with
the Chicago, Calumet, Washington Park,
Athletic and Commercial Clubs, of Chicago,
and with the New York and the Union
Clubs, of New York city.
In 1876 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Ream to Miss Caroline Putnam, daugh-
ter of Dr. John Putnam, of Madison, New
York, and they are the parents of six chil-
dren— four sons and two daughters.
EDWARD KIRK, JR.— That broad fra-
ternal spirit which permeates and has
solidified the noble order of Freemasonry,
and which, as a logical result, has extended
its scope until it encompasses all of human
kind, has been exemplified in so marked a
degree in the person of him whose name
initiates this paragraph, that there can be
no element of incongruity in referring to the
same in this connection, even though the
innate modesty of the subject himself might
fail to sanction the indulgence. His inter-
est in the work and well-being of the great
fraternity has been so pronounced and of so
long duration that he can not but be con-
sidered as one of the leaders in the Masonic
circles of the state, while his personality is
such as to have gained him not only the es-
teem but the affection of his confreres.
This statement has enthusiastic voucher in
the words of one of the prominent members
of the commandery with which Mr. Kirk is
so conspicuously identified, and the tribute
is not one of individual opinion but of gen-
eral application.
Mr. Kirk's identification with the Masonic
order dates from the time when, as a young
man of twenty-five years, he became an En-
tered Apprentice in Abrams Lodge, No. 20
(now Pioneer Lodge), of New York city, his
initiation having occurred on the 1 3th of
January, 1863. That his zeal and interest
were of more than cursory sort is manifest
in the fact that in December of the same
year he was elected Senior Warden of his
lodge and that he served as Worshipful
Master of the same during the years from
1864 to 1867, inclusive, thus being honored
with the highest office in the lodge for three
successive terms. He received the degrees
70
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
in Zetland Chapter, No. 141, R. A. M., of
New York city, and upon removing from
the metropolis to Westchester county, in
the same state, he assisted in organizing
Ivy Chapter, No. 238, in which he served
as Most Excellent High Priest for the three
first years of its existence. Prior to his re-
moval from New York city he had become
a Royal and Select Master in Adelphia
Council, and had received the orders of
knighthood in Morton Commandery, No. 4,
Knights Templar, in the year 1867. He
was concerned in the organization of Con-
stantine Commandery, of New York, of
which he was a charter member and in which
he was the incumbent as Senior Warden for
a period of three years.
In 1873 Mr. Kirk came to Chicago, where
he remained for a time and then went to
La Salle county, where he aided in the or-
ganization of a lodge at Sheridan, serving as
its Worshipful Master under dispensation.
In January, 1877, he became a resident of
Englewood, one of Chicago's most attract-
ive suburbs, and he has since been promin-
ent in the Masonic bodies of Chicago. He is
an honorary member of Englewood Lodge,
No. 690, A. F. & A. M. , and has been one
of the most zealous members of Englewood
Chapter, No. 176, to which he transferred
his affiliation. The Sir Knights of Engle-
wood Commandery, No. 59, must ever hold
Mr. Kirk's efforts in highest estimation,
since to him was very largely due the organ-
ization of the commandery, ir> 1885, while
its affairs have ever been since a matter of
peculiar interest and solicitude to him. Not
only is he one of the most prominent and
influential members, but he has been aptly
termed the father of the commandery. He
is devoted to its interests, untiring in the
work of its upbuilding and most zealous and
enthusiastic in its support. His peculiarly
buoyant and happy temperament and his
never-failing courtesy have gained him a
distinctive popularity in the commandery,
where his friends are in number as his ac-
quaintances. Mr. Kirk was for two years
Eminent Commander of this truly represent-
ative commandery. Having passed the vari-
ous degrees in the York Rite, Mr. Kirk ad-
~vanced through the Scottish Rite bodies,
until he had attained the thirty-second de-
gree, becoming a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, on the
1 9th of March, 1884, while in the succeed-
ing year he penetrated the barren wastes
of the desert and gained title of nobility in
Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine.
Edward Kirk, Jr. , is a native of Eng-
land, having been born on the 5th of June,
1837, the son of Edward and Ann (Hefford)
Kirk, who came to America while he was
still a very small boy, taking up their abode
in New York city. There he was reared, re-
ceiving his educational discipline in the pub-
lic schools, after which he began the practi-
cal duties of life by becoming connected
with the hardware business, with which
he has ever since been identified in some
one of its branches. At the present time he
conducts an extensive business in the man-
ufacture of sheet-metal cornices. The out-
put of his finely-equipped establishment
finds demand in an extended trade territory,
and the enterprise has assumed so extensive
proportions as to place him among the rep-
resentative business men of the great indus-
trial city of the Union. There is an element
of peculiar interest attaching to the record
of his success in temporal affairs, since Mr.
Kirk is to be held distinctively as the archi-
tect of his own fortunes. At the outset of
his business career he was not fortified by
financial resources or influential friends, but
his equipment was adequate without these
adventitious aids, as results have clearly
demonstrated. Resolute purpose, persever-
ance, indomitable industry and unswerving
integrity joined forces with mature judg-
ment and keen business sagacity to enable
him to compass desired ends and to attain
a measure of success which has placed him
among the substantial citizens of the com-
munity, while the methods employed were
ever such as to retain to him the confidence
and esteem of all with whom he had to do.
Mr. Kirk is thoroughly American in
character and spirit, and his sterling pa-
triotism and loyalty have not been of the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
71
supine order, as was shown at the time of
the late war of the Rebellion. At the time
he was a member of the Twelfth Regiment
of the National Guard of New York, and his
active service in the Union army covered a
period of three years. He held the rank of
adjutant, and in 1863 he was promoted to
the office of first lieutenant. He partici-
pated in the ever-memorable battles of Bull
Run and Gettysburg and in others of minor
importance, being signally faithful to the old
flag and the cause it represented. He
maintains a lively interest in all that con-
cerns his old comrades in arms, being a
prominent member of George E. Meade
Post, No. 444, Grand Army of the Repub-
lic, and having served as its commander in
1889-90. Though not an aspirant for the
honors and emoluments of political office,
Mr. Kirk has a thoroughly proper and in-
telligent interest in the questions of the
hour, and in furthering good government in
every department of public service. He
renders allegiance to the Republican party,
and is thoroughly fortified for defending his
opinions and beliefs.
In the year 1859 was consummated the
marriage of Mr. Kirk to Miss Kate Cunning-
ham, and they have three children now liv-
ing,— James C. , Grace E. and Edward J.
Mrs. Kirk's death occurred in 1874, and in
the Centennial year our subject was united
in marriage to Miss Elvira A. Weston.
They have two children, — Corona W. and
Hazel C. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk are communi-
cants of the Reformed Episcopal church,
and their home is one in which is dispensed
a gracious and refined hospitality to a large
circle of friends.
Jf NSON L. CLARK, M. D.— There are
J&L none who can more fully appreciate
the beauties and exalted principles which
form the basic elements of Masonic teach-
ings than those who have been called upon
to minister in a professional way to their
afflicted fellow men. As the physician must
invariably come into close contact with
pain and suffering, so he naturally gains the
higher regard for the kindly offices per-
formed by and in the name of the great
craft whose history traces back into the re-
motest past. The true, earnest physician is
ever a deep humanitarian, and the teach-
ings of Freemasonry are intrinsically along
this line, so that it can not be held as
strange that the great fraternity holds in its
membership rolls the names of many of the
most eminent medical practitioners, not
only of this end-of-the-century period, but
through the many years that have been told
into the realm of yesterday.
The immediate subject of this review
is known as one of the old and honored
physicians of Illinois, and as one of strong
intellectuality and high professional attain-
ments, one to whom a full measure of suc-
cess has come as the natural result of abili-
ty, well directed effort and conscientious or-
dering of every thought, word and deed of
his active and useful life. His identifica-
tion with the Masonic order dates back to
August, 1858, when he became an Entered
Apprentice in Palatine Lodge, No. 314, at
Palatine, Cook county, Illinois, entering the
same while under dispensation, and duly ad-
vancing to the Master Mason's degree.
In 1867 he received the capitular de-
grees in L. L. Munn Chapter, No. 96,
R. A. M., at Elgin; and also became a
Royal and Select Master in the local coun-
cil, his lodge membership having been
transferred to Elgin Lodge, No. 117, A. F.
& A. M., where it has since remained. In
1868 the Doctor passed onward to receive
the chivalric degrees, becoming a Sir Knight
of Bethel Commandery, No. 36, Knights
Templar, of Elgin. He has held official
position in the various Masonic bodies of
which he is a member, having been Wor-
shipful Master of the blue lodge for seven
years, Principal Sojourner of the Chapter
and Eminent Commander of Bethel Com-
mandery, in which last-mentioned position
he served one term, proving a most popular
and signally efficient officer. He is also
identified with Bethel Chapter, Order of the
Eastern Star. The Doctor is an earnest
worker in the Masonic ranks, and has
72
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
proved himself worthy as an exemplar of
the sublime teachings of the order. He is
well known in the Masonic circles of the
state, and a review of his life is altogether
consistent in this connection.
Anson L. Clark was born in Clarksburg,
Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in Octo-
ber, 1836, being the son of Thomas S. and
Almedia (Ketchum) Clark. His parents re-
moved to the west in 1841, locating at Pal-
atine, Illinois, where our subject received
his preliminary educational training in the
public schools, after which he became a
student in Lombard University, at Gales-
burg, Illinois, where he completed his more
purely literary discipline, receiving the de-
grees of A. B. and A. M. He had early an-
nounced his desire to become a physician,
and to some considerable extent had direct-
ed his studies with this end in view. He
began his techinal or professional study in
the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati,
Ohio, where he graduated in February,
1 86 1. He forthwith1 established himself in
practice at Franklin Grove, Illinois, remain-
ing for one year, when, in May, 1862, he
took up his residence in Elgin for the pur-
pose of continuing his professional work.
But a higher duty called, and it was but the
nature of the man to respond. He promptly
determined to contribute his quota in de-
fending the nation against impious rebellion,
and thus, in September, 1862, he enlisted
as assistant surgeon of the One Hundred
and Twenty-seventh Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, with which he served until the close
of the war, the regiment being assigned to
the Army of the Tennessee. After the war
he returned to Elgin, to resume the labors
so summarily laid aside, and here he has
ever since maintained his home and here
labored to goodly ends, his reputation as a
physician of eminent ability having brought
him distinctive recognition in professional
circles, while his practice, drawn from rep-
resentative sources, has been extensive and
duly remunerative. He is one of the most
successful and honored physicians of the
state.
In his political proclivities Dr. Clark is
a supporter of the Republican party, and
his eligibility and his interest in public
affairs led to his being chosen as a member
of the state legislature, in which he served
with signal efficiency, during the general
assembly of 1871-2. The Doctor was ap-
pointed a member of the state board of
health at the time of its organization, and
so continued for a period of fifteen years.
He was the incumbent as president of the
Elgin board of education for five consecu-
tive years, and for twenty years he has
served as surgeon of the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & St. Paul Railway. He has been one
of the members of the directorate of the
Home National Bank of Elgin for a number
of years.
Doctor Clark was one of those most
prominently concerned in the organization
of the Bennett Medical College, at Chicago,
and he has been president of the board of
trustees of this institution for a full quarter
of a century, while for nearly three decades
he has been a member of the faculty of the
college, lecturing upon obstetrics and gyne-
cology. He is a member of the National
Eclectic Medical Association, of which he
served as president one year; is a member
of the State Eclectic Medical Society, and
an honorary member of the State Medical
Societies of Wisconsin and Ohio. The
Doctor is identified with Veteran Post, No.
49, Grand Army of the Republic, and
is a member of the Loyal Legion of the
state of Illinois.
Dr. Clark was married in 1858 to Miss
Phoebe J. Lemon, of Metamora, Illinois, and
they became the parents of two children, —
Otis A., who died at the age of eighteen
years, and Percival L. , superintendent of
the Morgan & Wright Rubber Works, Chi-
cago. Mrs. Clark died in the spring of
1868, and in 1872 the Doctor consummated
a second marriage, being then united to
Miss Mary F. Dunton, of Spencer, Massa-
chusetts, who now graciously presides over
the attractive home. The Doctor is a
member of the Universalist church, being a
trustee of the same. Mrs. Clark is a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
73
CHARLES A. KITCHEN, D. U. S., is
\^) one of the oldest and most influential
members of the Masonic fraternity in Rock-
ford, and his name deserves a conspicuous
place on its rolls. Almost a third of a cen-
tury has passed since he took the degree
that first admitted him to the councils of
the craft, and as he has advanced farther
and farther in the order, becoming familiar
with its teaching, he has embodied its be-
nevolence and helpful spirit in his life. It
was in the fall of 1864 that he was made a
Mason in Galena Lodge, No. 243, of Ga-
lena, Illinois. For some time he affiliated
with that society, served as its Junior War-
den and for a number of years was its effi-
cient Secretary. In 1870 he was exalted to
the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Kewanee Chapter, of Kewanee, Illinois, and
held therein various offices, including that
of King, but after seven years he was di-
mitted to Rockford Chapter. The same
year he took the Knight Templar degrees in
Crusader Commandery, No. 17, was for two
years its Recorder, was also one of its Trus-
tees, and has ever been a most creditable
and valued member of these various branches
of Masonry.
Dr. Kitchen is a native of the Buckeye
State, his birth having occurred in Troy,
Ohio, on the 2Oth of October, 1839. His
first American ancestry were Welsh, and
came to America during the colonial epoch
in the history of the country. His father,
John Kitchen, was born in Milton, Pennsyl-
vania, and married Miss Hannah Ambrose,
who was born near Berkeley Springs, Vir-
ginia. They had a family of six children,
three of whom are living. The father was
a reliable merchant tailor, and did a suc-
cessful business in that line. For many
years he and his wife were valued members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
were people of sterling worth. Mr. Kitchen
died at the age of seventy-two years, his
wife when seventy-eight years of age.
The Doctor was the eldest in their fam-
ily. His elementary education, obtained in
the public schools, was supplemented by a
course in the Wesleyan University in Bloom-
ington, but he left college in response to
President Lincoln's calls for troops. He
went from the campus to the battlefield as
a member of the Thirty-third Illinois regi-
mental band, enlisting on the i8th of Sep-
tember, 1 86 1. He was promoted drum
major and served for eighteen months,
when he was mustered out under the gen-
eral order dispensing with the regimental
bands.
Dr. Kitchen then returned to the north
and took up the study of dentistry in Bloom-
ington. He began the practice of his profes-
sion in Toulon, Illinois, and afterward prac-
ticed in Galena for eleven years before coming
to Rockford in 1 874. Since that time he has
conducted business here and his skill in the
line of his chosen vocation has brought to
him a large and lucrative practice. He is
thoroughly informed in all departments of
dentistry, is conversant with the most im-
proved methods, uses the latest appliances,
and his work is of that superior quality
which enables him to command a large
patronage. He is a member of the Illinois
State Dental Society, was for five years its
treasurer, one year its vice-president and
one year its president. For nine years he
has served as a member of the Illinois State
Dental Board of Examiners, a fact which
well attests his standing in the profession.
In October, 1866, was celebrated the
marriage of Dr. Kitchen and Miss Abbie E.
Gardemere, a native of Toulon, Illinois.
Three children were born to them, but all
died in early life. Their home is the happy
center of a cultured society circle, and
is ever open to receive their many friends.
The Doctor is especially fond of music, and
has done much to advance the interests of
that art in Rockford. He is now the presi-
dent of the Choral Union of Rockford, and
has been very active in securing music for
the Grand Army Post, of which he is a
member. His business career has been one
of prosperity, and he is now a stockholder
in some of the Rockford banks. He also
owns a nice home, and his property has all
been self-acquired. In manner the Doctor
is social, genial and most courteous, and
74
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
wherever known he has a large circle of
warm friends, among whom he is very pop-
ular.
JAMES HENRY RAMSEY.— What Lord
Macaulay once said of the perpetuity of
the Roman Catholic church, can, with a
little change of words, probably be more ap-
propriately said of the Masonic order: " It
will exist in undiminished vigor and splendor
when some traveler from New Zealand shall,
in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand
upon the bank of the Tiber and sketch the
ruins of the great church of St. Peter;" for
the principles upon which that church are
founded cannot be said to be eternal, while
those upon which Freemasonry are founded
are those of brotherhood, which, above all
else in the world are considered the most
eternal, as well as the most universal. No
one needs to preach them; they preach
themselves with all the force that can be
given them. Among the millions who rec-
ognize this fact with reference to Masonry
we list the subject of this sketch, who is a
Sir Knight Templar residing at Aledo, the
county seat of Mercer county, and following
the jewelers' trade.
This gentleman was initiated into the
noble order in Aledo Lodge, No. 252, as
Entered Apprentice, August 24, 1875, Fel-
low-craft August 31, and Master Mason Oc-
tober 8 following. In this lodge he has filled
the office of Junior Deacon three years,
Junior Warden two years, and afterward was
elected Worshipful Master, but declined to
serve, on the ground that he could not give
to the office as much of his time as its duties
would require, while some of the other
members could. He received the capitular
degrees in Illinois Chapter, No. 27, Keiths-
burg, in 1878, and became a charter mem-
ber of Cyrus Chapter, No. 211, at Aledo,
under its dispensation, filling one of its
offices. The chivalric degrees were con-
ferred upon him in Everts Commandery, No.
1 8, at Rock Island, in 1881. Mr. Ramsey
endeavors to live up to all the requirements
of the various branches of Masonry with
which he is connected, and he fully under-
stands the ritual. He is indeed a good Ma-
son and a No. i citizen.
Mr. Ramsey is a native of the state of
Ohio, born in Cadiz, Harrison county,
on the 1 4th of February, 1847, and is of
Scotch ancestry who came to this country
before the American Revolution. His grand-
father Ramsey was a soldier in the Ameri-
can cause, both in the Revolution and in the
war of 1812. There is an actual physiolog-
ical reason for the phrase, ' ' getting one's
Scotch up," for of all people in the world the
spirit of independence is exhibited by that
people; and were it not for Scotch blood we
Americans would never have had the Revo-
lution we did, achieving independence of
the government of Great Britain. John
Ramsey, the father of James H., was born
in West Alexander, Washington county,
Pennsylvania, July 19, 1819, emigrated to
Cadiz, Ohio, where he married Miss Nancy
Maffit, of that city, and they had three sons
and four daughters; five of the children are
still living, and the father and mother also,
who still reside at Cadiz, highly respected
members of the Presbyterian church. Mr.
James H. Ramsey, the second child in the
above family, was educated in the public
schools of Cadiz, and when but thirteen
years of age began to learn the jewelry busi-
ness. Nearly ever since has he devoted his
life to that beautiful trade, with the success
that ability and perseverance always bring.
He is thorough and reliable. He came to
Aledo in the autumn of 1870, opening out in
business, and he is now the oldest jeweler in
the city and has the largest trade, enjoying
the confidence and good will of the people
throughout the city and surrounding coun-
try. In politics he is a Democrat, and was
for six years in succession a member of the
board of education of Aledo.
He was married on the 29th of Febru-
ary, 1876, to Miss Sarah C. Wilson, of
Aledo, the daughter of James M. Wilson,
also of Aledo, and they have three sons,
namely: James Wilson, who is a student
in the university at Lake Forest, Illinois;
John Rollin and Paul Harrold. They have
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
75
a beautiful home in Aledo, where the par-
ents are members of the Presbyterian church
and consistent Christians. Mrs. Ramsey
has been the Worthy Matron of the local
chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star,
which she and her husband were charter
members.
DANIEL GEORGE SPAULDING has
been a leading factor in the business
interests of Rockford, was one of the val-
iant Union soldiers during the Civil war,
and is a worthy member of the Masonic fra-
ternity. For thirty years he has resided in
this city and his identification with its com-
mercial history has been most honorable.
His public career and private life are alike
above reproach and he enjoys the warm re-
gard of all with whom he has come in con-
tact.
Mr. Spaulding was born in Ackworth,
New Hampshire, on the 2$th of November,
1839, and is of Scotch ancestry. His grand-
father, John Spaulding, was born in Glas-
gow, Scotland, and with his family emi-
grated to America, locating in Marlow, New
Hampshire, where he resided for many
years. He was a man of influence and
prominence in that community and took an
active part in public affairs. He lived to
the advanced age of ninety-eight years, and
his wife died at the ripe old age of ninety-
nine. Their son, Nehemiah Spaulding, fa-
ther of our subject, was born in Scotland,
and during his childhood accompanied his
parents on their trip across the Atlantic.
He was reared and educated in Marlow,
New Hampshire, and was united in mar-
riage there to Miss Betsey Hayward, a na-
tive of Ackworth, that state. He was a
physician and throughout his entire life en-
gaged in the practice of medicine, in which
he met with a desired success. He passed
away at the age of seventy-two, and his
wife died in the thirty-eighth year of her
age. They were Methodists in religious
faith and were people whose sterling qual-
ities commended them to the confidence
and regard of all. In 1855 Dr. Spaulding
removed to the west and from that time
until his death engaged in the practice of
medicine in Illinois and in Iowa.
Daniel G. Spaulding was the second in
a family of seven children, four of whom are
yet living. In the public schools of the
Granite State he acquired his education and
afterward learned the trade of mason, but
had hardly entered upon his business career
when the sectional differences between the
north and the south precipitated the coun-
try into civil war, and in answer to the
president's call for volunteers to crush out
the rebellion he enlisted, in August, 1862,
as a member of Company I, Seventy-fourth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The regiment
was attached to the Army of the Cumber-
land and with his command he participated
in the battles of Champion Hills, Stone
River, Chickamauga and Lookout Moun-
tain. He distinguished himself as a brave
and valiant soldier, and on the 4th of April,
1865, was commissioned first lieutenant of
Company D, Sixth United States Infantry,
the regiment being stationed at Salt Lake
City, Utah. On the gth of August, 1 866,
he resigned his commission and returned
eastward.
Lieut. Spaulding located in Rockford,
where he embarked in the grocery business,
conducting his store until 1890, when he
sold out and retired from trade. Through
all these years of his active business cares
he was known as one of the most reli-
able and trustworthy merchants of the
city. Success attended him, for his in-
terests were conducted with energy and en-
terprise, guided by sound judgment, con-
servative methods and a strict regard for the
ethics of the commercial world. As his
financial resources increased he invested his
capital in realty, and is now the owner of
three good farms, besides valuable city
property. He has erected a number of
good residences in Rockford, and thus aided
in the upbuilding and growth of the city.
His own commodious and substantial home
is located on one of the best residence
streets in Rockford, and amid his family
and friends he is living a happy life, free
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
from troublesome care and responsibility,
his former toil having relieved him of all
such.
Mr. Spaulding has been twice married.
In 1860 he wedded Miss Priscilla Smith, a
native of Rockford, who died in 1867, leav-
ing one son, George D. In 1872 Mr.
Spaulding was again married, his second
union being with Miss Sophia R. Rannie, a
native of Edinburg, Scotland. They have
one daughter, Lulu B. Mrs. Spaulding is a
valued member of the Presbyterian church
and takes a deep interest in its work.
Mr. Spaulding has been numbered
among Rockford's Masons since 1888, when
he took the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft and Master Mason in Star of
the East Lodge, No. 166, and with that or-
ganization he has since affiliated. He is in
good standing in the lodge, and to its prin-
ciples gives a hearty endorsement. He also
belongs to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, with which he has been identified
for a quarter of a century. A veteran of
the Civil war, he naturally holds member-
ship in that popular organization, the Grand
Army of the Republic, and delights there to
renew the associations of camp life and re-
call the scenes when, shoulder to shoulder,
the brave men of his command fought for
the supremacy of the stars and stripes.
From its organization he has been a sup-
porter of the Republican party, has served
as supervisor and also as alderman of Rock-
ford. In all the relations of life he is true
and faithful, manifesting the same loyalty
which marked his defense of the Union in
the days of the country's peril.
JOHN P. WEBSTER, M. D.— The sub-
ject of this review has been identified
with the Masonic order since 1883, and
has maintained a lively and devoted inter-
est in its affairs, while in the line of his pro-
fession he has attained a distinguished posi-
tion in the great western metropolis, his
prestige being the logical result of ability
and that discrimination so essential to suc-
cess in the practice of medicine and surgery.
Dr. Webster was initiated into the myste-
ries of Freemasonry at Bay City, Michigan,
where he became an Entered Apprentice in
a local lodge of Ancient, Free and Acepted
Masons, in which he was in due time raised
to the Master Mason's degree. In 1891 he
passed the capitular degrees in Delavan
Chapter, at Delavan, Wisconsin, where he
still maintains his affiliation in that body, as
well as in the blue lodge, to which he was
dimitted from the one in which his original
membership was placed. The year 1894
marked the Doctor's assuming of the chiv-
alric honors, since he was then created a
Sir Knight in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, Knights Templar.
John P. Webster is a native of the Bad-
ger State, having been born at New Lisbon,
Wisconsin, in the year 1852. He received
his preliminary education in the public
schools, having, at the age of ten years, ac-
companied his parents on their removal to
Sparta, Wisconsin. He early formulated
plans for his future life work, having de-
cided to adopt the profession of medicine
and surgery. With a view to preparing
himself for this vocation he came to Chicago
in 1880 and entered the Hahnemann Hom-
eopathic Medical College, where he com-
pleted the prescribed course and graduated
as a member of the class of 1883, securing
the coveted title of Doctor of Medicine.
He subsequently completed a post-graduate
course in Harvey Medical College, where he
graduated in 1886. The Doctor began the
practice of his profession in Bay City, Mich-
igan, where he remained two years, after
which he removed to Delavan, Wisconsin,
where he did a successful business. He,
however, desired a broader field of endeavor,
and accordingly, in November, 1894, he
took up his abode in that attractive subur-
ban district of Chicago known as Engle-
wood, and here he has secured a large pat-
ronage of representative order, his high pro-
fessional attainments and personal honor
and courtesy insuring him recognition and
precedence. He received the appointment
as surgeon for the Chicago & Erie, the Chi-
cago & Western Indiana and the Belt Rail-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
77
roads, in which capacity he rendered effect-
ive service. He is also surgeon for the
Englewood Union Hospital and is professor
of surgery in the Harvey Medical College.
In 1875 Dr. Webster was united in mar-
riage to Miss Dora Sargent, and they be-
came the parents of two children, — Mabel
A. and Jessie E. Mrs. Webster died in
1879, and in 1883 the Doctor consummated
a second marriage, being then united to
Miss Clara R. Jack. They are members of
the First Baptist church of Englewood, and
enjoy a distinctive popularity in social cir-
cles, their home being a center of refined
hospitality.
In political matters the Doctor supports
the Prohibition part}', and aside from his
connection with the Masonic fraternity he
is also identified with Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.
CHARLES A. BISHOP, who for eleven
\^i years has occupied the bench of the
county court of DeKalb county, at Syca-
more, represents the legal fraternity in the
Masonic order, which numbers its members
from among all callings, eliciting the sup-
port of the best men in all classes of busi-
ness life. Judge Bishop is one of the
distinguished jurists of northern Illinois and
is therefore a valued member of the Masonic
society. In 1886 — the same year of his ele-
vation to the bench — he joined Sycamore
Lodge as an Entered Apprentice, passed to
the Fellow-craft degree and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason. He
has since closely followed the principles of
charity and hospitality which form the basis
of ancient-craft Masonry, and his brethren
have manifested their appreciation of his
diligence by electing him to the office of
Treasurer, in which capacity he is now serv-
ing. In 1887 he was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Sycamore
Chapter, No. 49, and for four years was
High Priest, exercising the rites of capitular
Masonry, and by his zeal and ardor largely
promoting the work of the chapter. In
1888 he passed the circle and was greeted a
Royal and Select Master of Sycamore Coun-
cil, and in 1887 he received the orders of
Templar Masonry in Sycamore Command-
ery. No. 15, wherein he was constituted,
created and dubbed a Sir Knight of the
valiant and magnanimous order of the Tem-
ple. In 1894 he served as Eminent Com-
mander. A Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, his membership
is in Medinah Temple, of Chicago.
Widely known in both Masonic and legal
circles, the life record of Judge Bishop cannot
fail to be of interest to many of our readers.
CHARLES A. BISHOP.
He was born near Bangor, Maine, Septem-
ber 26, 1854, a son of Adolphus and Joanna
(Willett) Bishop. When he was eighteen
months old his parents removed with their
family to Kings county, Nova Scotia, where
he was reared and educated, his literary
training being received in Acadia College, of
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and in Mt. Allison,
of Sackville, New Brunswick. He after-
ward engaged in teaching school in Sack-
ville, where he remained for two years,
when in June, 1878, he came to Illinois,
locating in DeKalb county, where he read
78
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
law. During that time he was also engaged
in teaching through the winter months.
He was admitted to the bar in Ottawa, Illi-
nois, in June, 1880, and through the follow-
ing year was a clerk in the office of his for-
mer preceptor, working for two hundred and
fifty dollars per year. When twelve months
had passed he entered into partnership with
Mr. Jones. This business relation was main-
tained until October, 1886, when Judge
Bishop withdrew from the firm to enter the
race for the judgeship of the county court.
He was elected on an independent ticket by
a majority of three hundred and thirty-four
over the regular Republican nominee, and
again in 1890 and 1894 he was nominated
by acclamation and triumphantly elected,
so that when his present term will have ex-
pired he will have held the office for twelve
years. On February 3, 1897, Judge Bishop
was nominated by the Republican party
for one of the circuit judges of the twelfth
judicial district, comprising the counties of
DeKalb, Kane, Dupage, Kendall, Boone,
McHenry and Lake. Together with Judges
Willis, of Kane, and Brown, of Dupage, he
received the unanimous vote of the district.
Judge Bishop is remarkable among law-
yers for the wide research and provident
care with which he prepares his cases. At
no time has his reading been confined to the
limitations of the questions at issue; it has
gone beyond and compassed every contin-
gency and provided not alone for the ex-
pected but also for the unexpected, which
happens in the courts quite as frequently as
out of them. His logical grasp of facts and
principles of the law applicable to them has
been another potent element in his success;
and a remarkable clearness of expression
and precise diction, which enables him to
make others understand not only the sali-
ent points of his decisions, but also his
every fine gradation of meaning, may be ac-
counted one of his most conspicuous gifts
and accomplishments. The entire com-
munity has closely watched his progress,
scanned his official career as an upright, im-
partial and just judge, and the verdict has
been most commendatory.
Judge Bishop affiliates with the Repub-
lican party, and from 1880 to 1886 served
as a member of the school board of Syca-
more. He is now president of the DeKalb
County Savings & Loan Association and of
the Alida Young Temple Company. So-
cially, besides the Masonic order, he is con-
nected with Sycamore Lodge, No. 105,
I. O. O. F. , and with Ellwood Camp, Mod-
ern Woodmen of America.
He was married August 26, 1880, to
Miss Parmelia J. Wharry, of Sycamore,
who died April 13, 1889. On the 25th of
November, 1890, he was again married, his
second union being with Miss Martha E.
Stuart, daughter of Charles T. and Nancy
D. Stuart. They now have two children —
Stuart A. and Marion O. The Judge and
his wife attend the Congregational church
and move in the highest social circles.
ELON BEACH GILBERT, M. D., a
valued member of Stewart Lodge, No.
92, Geneseo, and a prominent practicing
physician of that city, was made a Master
Mason in that lodge in 1891, having been
initiated as Entered Apprentice February
6, passed November 12, and raised No-
vember 27.
He is also a native son of that city, born
February 23, 1860, of old English ancestry
who were early settlers of New England,
being pioneers in Connecticut, New York
and even Illinois. Elias Gilbert, a great-
grandfather, born in Halfield, Connecticut,
was a Master Mason, and for a time Master
of his lodge; was prominent as a Mason and
active even up to his ninety-sixth year, the
last year of his life, in which year it is said
that he acted as Master of his lodge! The
Doctor has now the pleasure of being the
possessor of his lambskin and jewels. The
Gilberts were prominent in the affairs of the
country in its colonial days, and were also
active participants in the Revolution.
The Doctor's father, Elias C. Gilbert,
was born in Richmond, Ontario county,
New York, and emigrated to Illinois in the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
spring of 1857, locating two miles south-
west of Geneseo, where he was for years a
successful farmer and stock-raiser and an in-
fluential and highly esteemed citizen. He
filled the office of county supervisor for a
number of terms, was one of the organizers
and the vice-president of the Farmers' Na-
tional Bank of Geneseo, and for many years
was a useful and valued member of the
Congregational church of this city. He de-
parted this life in 1889, at the age of fifty-
two years. His wife, whose name before
marriage was Florinda Beach, survives him.
They had six children, three of whom ar-
rived at the years of maturity and are still
living, leading lives of high respectability.
The eldest of these, who is the subject
proper of this sketch, received his education
in the Geneseo public schools and at Knox
College, at Galesburg, this state, and his
medical education in the Jefferson Medical
College at Philadelphia, where he graduated
with honor in 1885. Returning to his na-
tive city he opened out in the practice of his
profession, which he has since continued;
and, on account of his skill and thorough-
ness, he enjoys a good reputation as a prac-
titioner and has a lucrative patronage. By
good traits of both head and heart he at
once made himself a worthy member of a
most useful profession. He is a conspicu-
ous example of a prophet having honor in
his own country — indeed, he has the great-
est honor where he is best known. He is
an active member of the Iowa and Illinois
Central Medical Society.
On the I2th of April, 1885, he married
Miss Cora Thomas, and they have a daugh-
ter, whom they have named Alice Belle.
In religion they are Congregationalists, and
in politics the Doctor is a Republican. He
takes an interest in public affairs and in the
educational welfare of his community, and
at present is a member of the school board.
He has a nice residence in Geneseo, and he
and his family enjoy the esteem of all who
have the pleasure of their acquaintance.
Personally, the Doctor is a pleasant, un-
assuming man, enthusiastically devoted to
his profession.
/TVEORGE w. CURTISS, of Peoria, a
V? thirty-third-degree Mason, has for
twenty years been active and zealous in all
the grades of Freemasonry, and by his genial
disposition, his Masonic knowledge and fra-
ternal deportment has won the respect and
confidence of his brethren everywhere. Few
representatives of the fraternity are better
known throughout Illinois than he, and some
of the highest honors of the craft have been
conferred upon him by his brethren who
have thus shown their appreciation of his
constancy, his fidelity and his zeal. He
has ever taken a deep interest and sincere
pleasure in carrying forward the work that
was begun in the remote past and has come
down through the years as one of the strong-
est potentialities for good among men; and
his Masonic work is an aspiration to others.
He was made a Master Mason on the 1 2th
of August, 1870, in Western Star Lodge,
No. 240, of Champaign, Illinois; was ad-
vanced as Mark Master, installed as Past
Master and received as Most Excellent Mas-
ter in Champaign Chapter, No. 50, and ex-
alted to the Royal Arch degree on the 1 5th
of April, 1871. He obtained a dimit from
those bodies in 1874 to become a member
of Urbana Lodge, No. 157, and Urbana
Chapter, No. 80, at Urbana, Illinois. He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and
was greeted a Select Master in Urbana
Council, No. 19, and was created a Knight
Templar in Urbana Commandery, No. 16,
June 15, 1874. He still maintains his mem-
bership in all these bodies. In November,
1886, he attained the thirty-second degree
of the Scottish Rite in Peoria Consistory
and received the degree of Sovereign Grand
Inspector General in the Supreme Council
N. M. Z. , September 17, 1889, in New York
city. In lodge, chapter, council and com-
mandery he has held many offices. He was
for several years High Priest of Urbana
Chapter, No. 80, and Thrice Illustrious Mas-
tar of Urbana Council. He was elected and
served as Eminent Commander of Urbana
Commandery and has held many of the
subordinate offices in all these bodies. He
was elected and served as M. E. S. G. M.
80
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of Peoria Council, Princes of Jeruslaem, and
is at present M. W. and P. M. of Peoria
Chapter of Rose Croix and First Lieutenant
Commander in Peoria Consistory, S. P. R.
S. ; was elected Grand Master of the First
Veil in the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of
Illinois, and passing through all of the line
offices became Grand High Priest in 1886,
was Grand Master of the Grand Council, R.
& S. M., of Illinois in 1883, and is at present
Grand Captain General of the Grand Com-
mandery Knights Templar of Illinois.
Mr. Curtiss was born in Chicago, on the
2/th of January, 1849. His father, James
Curtiss, was twice mayor of that city at an
early day, and in 1854 he removed with his
family to Champaign, Illinois, where George
W. grew to manhood. He was only thir-
teen years of age when he started out in
life for himself, and since that time has
been dependent entirely upon his own ef-
forts. The success that he has achieved is
due entirely to his own labors. He has
worked steadily, perseveringly and energet-
ically, and his ability has been recognized
by promotion. In January, 1869, he en-
tered the bank of D. Gardner & Company
at Champaign, and continued in that insti-
tution for five years, during which time he
completely mastered the business. In the
fall of 1873 he organized the bank of Gard-
ner, Curtiss & Burpee, at Urbana, Illinois,
and afterward purchased the interest of the
senior partner, continuing in the banking
business until 1888, when he sold out and
became a member of the firm of C. E. &
C. M. Anthony, at Peoria, dealers in mort-
gages and loans, now the Anthony Loan &
Trust Company. He is secretary, treasurer
and assistant general manager of the com-
pany, and his superior ability and keen dis-
crimination has added to the success which
attends the firm.
Mr. Curtiss was married in Urbana, Illi-
nois, November 29, 1871, to Pauline C.
Somers, daughter of Hon. W. D. Somers,
then one of the most prominent lawyers in
eastern Illinois. Their only child, Maude
S., was graduated at the Peoria high school,
in the class of 1892, after which she pur-
sued a four-years literary course in Smith
College, of Northampton, Massachusetts,
and was graduated in 1 896. The family is
prominent in the social circles of Peoria,
and Mr. Curtiss is an honorable and leading
factor in business and Masonic circles.
FORD & PECK, Galva, are bankers and
prominent business men. Mr. Ford is
vice-president and Dr. Peck cashier of the
Galva State Bank. They are both members
of the Masonic fraternity, and herewith we
present a brief sketch of these highly-re-
spected citizens.
Dr. Peck was made a Mason in Stroms-
burg Lodge, No. 126, Nebraska, in 1888,
dimitted and affiliated with Galva Lodge,
No. 243, in January, 1895.
He is a native of the state of New York,
born in Oswego, May 24, 1845. His first
American ancestors came from Yorkshire,
England, to Massachusetts during the early
history of this country, and subsequently re-
moved to Rhode Island, where they were
active participants in public affairs and in
the Revolutionary war. A grand uncle was
an officer in the colonial army. George R.
Peck, the father of the Doctor, was born in
Rhode Island, at the old homestead, which
had been in the possession of the family
ever since the first immigration of the an-
cestors of the family. He married Miss
Margaret C. Smith, of Bristol, Rhode
Island, and in 1852 emigrated to Galesburg,
Illinois, and near that village purchased a
farm, which afterward became a part of the
city plat and occupied. He was a success-
ful and valued citizen, a member of the
Presbyterian church, and departed this life
in 1879, at the age of seventy-two years.
Dr. Peck, the eldest of the four sons of
George R. Peck and the subject of these
paragraphs, was educated at Knox College,
at Galesburg, graduating in 1866, after
which he pursued a medical course at Jef-
ferson Medical College, in Philadelphia,
graduating there in 1872, with honor. Af-
ter practicing his profession a few years he
became interested in merchandising and
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
81
lending money, in company with his broth-
er-in-law, Dyer Ford, at Stromsburg, Ne-
braska, where they had a successful busi-
ness for ten years. In 1 894 they sold out
and returned to Illinois, locating at Galva,
and organized the Galva State Bank, of
which they are heavy stockholders and man-
agers, as already stated. They are business
men of ability and of the highest probity of
character, and as bankers they have the
patronage of a large portion of the best
people in Galva and vicinity. The}' do a
general commercial banking business, and,
as they are genial and popular business
men, the bank from its commencement has
been a popular financial institution. Oliver
P. Stoddard, an old and prominent business
man and Mason, is the president of the
bank.
In politics Dr. Peck is a stanch Repub-
lican, and while in Nebraska he was presi-
dent of the board of trustees of the town of
Stromsburg, and also president of the
school board of that place. While in Gales-
burg he did a great deal of building there,
and is still largely interested in Galesburg
city property. He is also a stockholder in
the Homestead & Loan Association of Gal-
va, an enterprise which has proved a great
success and done much for the building up
and improvement of the town.
In 1875 Dr. Peck was married to Miss
Florence Ford, a native of New York and
daughter of the late Hon. M. M. Ford, of
Galva. Dr. and Mrs. Peck are esteemed
members of the Congregational church, of
which religious body he is a member of the
board of trustees.
Mr. Dyer Ford was made a Mason in
Galva Lodge, No. 243, in 1876, of which he
has served as Junior and Senior Warden for
several terms. As a Royal Arch Mason he
received his degrees in Kewanee Chapter,
No. 47, and was made a Sir Knight Tem-
plar in the Galesburg Commandery, No. 8,
in 1883. He is also a member of the Mys-
tic Shrine, joining Sesostris Temple, at
Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1892. Dimitting
from Galesburg Commandery, he joined the
Joppa Commandery, No. 17, at York, Ne-
braska. While in that state he became a
member of Solomon Chapter, No. 33, and
while residing at Lansing, Michigan, he was
a member of Capitol Lodge, No. 66. In
1895 he was dimitted to his home lodge at
Galva again.
Mr. Ford was born at Penn Yan, New
York, March 5, 1855, of English descent.
His first American ancestry settled in this
country in early times. His father, Hon.
Milton Morris Ford, was born in Milo, New
York, was a prominent merchant in Penn-
Yan, and came to Galva, Illinois, in 1860,
where he was a prominent merchant and
general business man, and also a prominent
Republican, being largely identified with
the offices of the state. He was elected and
served both in the lower house and in the
senate of the Illinois state legislature, was
intimately acquainted with Lincoln, Logan
and other prominent men of their times,
and he was a man of great ability and influ-
ence. He departed this life in 1894, at the
age of seventy-two years. For his wife he
married Laura Spencer, of the state of New
York, and they had five sons and two
daughters. Four of the sons died in in-
fancy.
The subject of these paragraphs was ed-
ucated in the public schools of Galva, and
spent one year at Griswold College in Dav-
enport, Iowa, and three years in Oberlin
College, Ohio; was in mercantile business
with his father at Galva from 1873 to 1881,
at which time the firm of Ford & Peck was
formed; and they removed to Stromsburg,
Nebraska, in 1883, where until 1893 they
did a successful business. Mr. Ford was
next in business in Lansing, Michigan, for a
year, and then returned to Galva and incor-
porated the Galva State Bank, of which he
has since been vice-president. He also is
largely interested in various other business
enterprises of the city; is a stockholder in
the Homestead & Loan Association of Gal-
va; is a stockholder and director in the
Hayes Pump and Planter Manufactory of
Galva; and while in the west was an active
worker as a member of the Republican cen-
tral committee.
82
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
He was married in September, 1874, to
Miss Mary E. Mitchell, of Davenport, Iowa
(her birth-place being Exeter, New Hamp-
shire), a daughter of Col. A. L. Mitchell, of
Davenport, Iowa, who was a colonel in the
Union army in the late Civil war. They
have three children, — a daughter and two
sons, namely: Laura B. , Morris M. and
Everett P. Mr. and Mrs. Ford are highly
esteemed members of the Congregational
church of Galva, of which he is one of the
trustees.
ERNEST J. CLANCY, Secretary of
Robert Burns Lodge, No. 113, and a
prominent grain and coal dealer of the city
of Keithsburg, was initiated into the sublime
mysteries of Masonry in that lodge in 1873,
receiving the degree of Entered Apprentice
January 27, Fellow-craft April 25, and
Master Mason, May 23. In his lodge he at
once became an active and capable worker;
was Junior Warden, Senior Deacon twelve
years, and is now the efficient Secretary of
his lodge. He has always been one of the
most reliable and enthusiastic members of
the order at Keithsburg, and is highly es-
teemed by his brethren. He is also a mem-
ber of Mary Burns Chapter, Order of the
Eastern Star. His good wife, whom he has
had the misfortune to lose by death, was its
Worthy Matron. He has always taken a
deep interest in that order, aiding the sisters
to the extent of his power in the work of
the lodge.
Mr. Clancy is a "native son" of Mer-
cer county, born on his father's farm within
seven miles of the city of Keithsburg, May
17, 1848. He is of Scotch-Irish ancestry,
his grandfather, Joseph Clancy, coming
from the north of Ireland and locating in
York county, Pennsylvania, where our sub-
ject's father, also named Joseph Clancy,
was born, May 27, 1794. The latter came
to Mercer county in 1834, when there were
but six families in the entire county and but
one family at the locality now occupied by
the city of Keithsburg. Taking up land
and building a mill, he carried on two lines
of business, with success, and became a
prominent citizen of the county. He mar-
ried Miss Elizabeth Jack, a native of the
state of Indiana, born in 1810, and he died
February 24, 1870.
Mr. Ernest J. Clancy was educated in
the public schools of Mercer county and
brought up principally in the milling busi-
ness, and afterward he was engaged in rail-
roading, merchandising, etc. , and is now the
leading grain and coal dealer in Keithsburg.
In this line he is prospering, having the con-
fidence and good will of all with whom he
transacts business or has any social relation.
In his views of national questions he is
a stanch Republican, and in his general
character he is well known as an upright
citizen and a good Mason.
On the 3 ist of October, 1878, he was
happily united in marriage with Miss Lilian
Kurlin, a native of New Boston. They
had two children; but when the second child
was only two days old Mrs. Clancy died, on
the 1 2th of February, 1893, and the infant
died afterward. Thus Mr. Clancy was left
with one little daughter, named Murl. The
loss of his wife and infant child was a sad
bereavement to Mr. Clancy, for Mrs. Clancy
was a refined and loving wife and kind and
judicious mother, greatly beloved by all
who knew her.
WILLIAM K. FORSYTH, of Chicago,
was made a Mason in Dearborn
Lodge, No. 310, in 1870, and has advanced
to a prominent place in the order. In 1873
he took the Royal Arch degrees in Lafayette
Chapter, No. 2, became connected with the
Royal & Select Masters of Palestine Coun-
cil, No. 66, and in 1876 joined the Knight
Templars of Chicago Commandery, No. 19.
He retains his membership in all these save
the last named, having in 1880 become a
charter member of Chevalier Bayard Com-
mandery, No. 52. He has been honored
with various offices, was Worshipful Master
of the blue lodge for four years. High Priest
of the chapter, Past Illustrious Master of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
83
the council and Eminent Commander of the
commandery. He was District Deputy
Grand Master of the First Masonic District
for ten years, Past Grand Master of the
Grand Council, a member of the Grand
Lodge, and a member of Medinah Temple
of the Mystic Shrine. Thus he is promi-
nently identified with Masonry in Illinois, is
well known in the fraternity and has been
honored with some of its high positions.
He is true to its principles and is a zealous,
loyal adherent, well deserving of mention
in a volume devoted to the history of Free-
masonry in the state and to recording the
lives of those who have become eminent in
its circles.
Mr. Forsyth was born in Cumberland
county, England, on the iithof December,
1848, and was educated in private schools
in his native country. There he learned
the drug trade and has since engaged in
that line of business as a life work. In
1 868 he bade adieu to friends and native
land, having resolved to seek a home be-
yond the Atlantic, and on landing in New
York city he came direct to Chicago, where
he soon secured a good position as a sales-
man in a drug store, where he remained un-
til 1880. In that year he embarked in busi-
ness on his own account, at the corner of
Wabash avenue and Twenty-second street,
where he remained for several years. He
then removed to his present location at 3100
State street, where he has a fine establish-
ment, elegantly fitted up with first-class
modern appointments. He carries a large
and well-selected stock of drugs and every-
thing found in a thoroughly equipped city
drug store. In June, 1 896, he was elected
president of the Illinois Pharmaceutical As-
sociation.
Mr. Forsyth attends the Episcopalian
church, and in connection with his Masonic
relations is a member of the Royal Arcanum.
His hope of realizing a comfortable com-
petence in this land has been realized.
Taking advantage of the opportunities here
afforded for self-advancement he has worked
his way steadily upward by means of his
business ability, and may well be classed
among the enterprising, progressive drug-
gists of this western metropolis.
Mr. Forsyth was united in marriage, in
1894, with Miss Anna Robinson, a native of
Cumberland county, England. To this
union are born three daughters.
WOAH H. GUTHRIE, Aledo. — Only
men of intellect and sympathy can ap-
preciate fully the symbols of Freemasonry.
While the religions of the world take little
or no notice of the incapacity, intellectual
and moral, of a large portion of the human
race, Freemasonry fully recognizes these
facts, works with its eyes open and scientifi-
cally operates its machinery for the good not
only of its own members but also of every
citizen, especially of those citizens who are
well disposed. Inherent disposition, after
all, is the most important thing to consider
in the selection of men for public duty, and,
next to that, intellectual capacity.
We are reminded of these things by a
review of the life and character of the sub-
ject of our sketch, Mr. Guthrie, who was
made a Mason in Aledo Lodge, No. 262, in
1873. He was initiated as Entered Ap-
prentice March 5, 1872, passed the degree
of Fellow-craft May 20, and raised a Master
Mason June 20, all in 1872. Of this body
he has served as Junior and Senior Warden.
He received the Royal Arch degree in Cy-
rus Chapter, No. 211, at Aledo, May 6,
1897. He has always been a worthy and
acceptable brother of the "mystic tie," en-
joying the confidence and good will of the
members of the order.
He is a native of Pennsylvania, born in
Greene county, on the 6th day of March,
1842, and is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, who
were early settlers of New England and had
to fight the Indians in many an encounter.
His great-grandfather Guthrie was killed by
the red savages, and several members of
his family were taken captive by them.
His father, Jacob Guthrie, was also born in
Greene county, Pennsylvania, married Miss
Lucinda Hobbs, of the same place, and
emigrated to Illinois in 1863. He died in
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
his sixty-second year, in Mercer county.
His wife died in the sixty -third year of her
age. Being consistent Methodists, they
were devout Christians, chaste in language
and temperate in their habits. Of their
eleven children only two survive.
Mr. Noah H. Guthrie, the eighth in the
above family, passed his youth in his native
state, attending school in winter to a lim-
ited extent. His opportunities were very
few and meager. He was in his nineteenth
year when the great Civil war began to
threaten the life of the nation, and the aid
of the loyal citizen was asked to put down
the rebellion. He answered the call by en-
listing, September 17, 1861, in Company A,
Seventh West Virginia Volunteer Infantry,
Second Army Corps, the Army of the Poto-
mac, and he bravely participated in the bat-
tles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Freder-
icksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and
Spottsylvania Court House, in which last
mentioned he received a severe gunshot
wound in the leg below the knee; and this
resulted in the loss of eight inches in length
of the bone! This section of the bone is
now preserved in the Army Medical Museum.
It was remarkable that the wound did not
result in the entire loss of the use of the
limb. It incapacitated him, of course, from
further service in the army. He was re-
tained in the hospital until his three-years
term had expired, when he was mustered
out and discharged, at Chester, Pennsyl-
vania, at the United States general hospital.
After his return from the army he nat-
urally-endeavored to secure a better educa-
tion, so that he might earn the full wages
of a man in some position. By trial he
found that he could not do this in farm
work. Accordingly he attended the Illinois
Soldiers' College until 1870, securing a good
English education. Then he had a brief
task in taking the United States census in
the eight townships composing the eastern
part of Mercer county. That summer he
was nominated for the office of sheriff of the
county, and was elected; and at the expi-
ration of his term of service he was re-
elected to that position. After the expira-
tion of his second term he resided for a time
upon his farm. In 1892 he was nominated
and elected a member of the general as-
sembly of the state of Illinois, and in 1894
re-elected. His able and honest service in
the legislature reflected honor upon himself
and his constituents. He has been a life-
long stanch Republican, casting his first vote
for Abraham Lincoln. He has been a mem-
ber of the board of supervisors and served
in other local offices. In every way he has
been, and is, a useful citizen, reflecting
credit upon his party by a good civil record
as well as military.
In 1 870 he was united in matrimony with
Miss Delilah Hardy, a native of Mercer
county, Illinois, and they have had four
children. The son, Fred A., is now a prom-
inent physician of Aledo; he graduated in a
class of two hundred and nine, receiving
nine hundred and eighty-eight points out of
a possible one thousand, and standing sec-
ond in that large class. He was awarded
the gold-medal prize. The student stand-
ing highest in that class had only one more
point. Edward N., the second son, is a
teacher and is reading law. Lottie Grace
is attending the public school, now in the
higher grade; and J. Roy is also attending
the public school.
Mr. Guthrie, with his pleasant family,
occupies a delightful residence in the city,
while the farm is rented to a tenant.
WILLIAM O'R. BRADLEY, M. D.,
of Galesburg, Illinois, has been a
resident of this city for six years and has in
this time attained high standing here both
as a professional man and as a citizen; and,
like many of the leading men here and in
other countries, his impressions of Masonry
were such that they caused him to seek an
entrance to the council chambers of this
ancient order. From one degree to another
he has advanced until he now holds mem-
bership in Alpha Lodge, No. 155, of Gales-
burg; Galesburg Chapter, R. A. M. ; Gales-
burg Council, R. & S. M. ; Galesburg Com-
mandery, K. T. ; and Mohammed Temple,
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOF
CO.'irPENDIUM OF FREElfASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
87
Mystic Shrine, of Peoria. Taking for his
motto, " Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, "
and having firmly impressed upon him the
many beautiful truths as exemplified in these
various Masonic bodies, he starts out in life
with an equipment the value of which is in-
estimable.
Dr. Bradley is a native of the " Empire
State." He was born in the city of Roches-
ter, New York, October 14, 1861, and had
excellent educational advantages in the east.
He attended Conesus College at Buffalo,
New York; St. Michael's College, Toronto,
Canada; and completed his studies in the
medical department of the University of
Buffalo, New York, graduating with the class
1883. From 1884 until 1891 he was en-
gaged in the practice of his profession at
Washington, Kansas, and in the last-named
year took up his abode in Galesburg, where,
as already stated, he has maintained his
residence during the past five years, and
conducted a successful practice.
LBERT E. GLENNIE was made a
J?3L Mason in Oriental Lodge, of Chicago,
in 1893, and the following year was raised
to the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Lafayette Chapter. He was chosen
a member of Palestine Council, Royal
and Select Masters, in 1894, the following
year was knighted in Apollo Commandery,
No. i , and took the ineffable degrees of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Ori-
ental Consistory. He is likewise a noble of
the Mystic Shrine, Medinah Temple, and is
deeply interested in the order whose philos-
ophy is so practical, teaching helpfulness,
brotherly kindness and humanitarian prin-
ciples.
Mr. Glennie is a native of Burford, On-
tario, Canada, born August 3, 1858. His
father, Alexander Glennie, was a native of
Scotland and died when our subject was a
child of only four years. The mother, who
bore the maiden name of Isabella Weir, was
a native of Aberdeen, Scotland, and during
her early girlhood crossed the Atlantic to
Canada. There our subject lived with his
mother until sixteen years of age, during
which time he acquired a good practical ed-
ucation in her public schools. He then
came to Chicago, where he has made his
home since 1875, and his business career
has been an honorable one, in which he has
gained the confidence and regard of all with
whom he has been brought in contact. He
has been largely associated with club life,
having been cashier of the Chicago Club for
five years and of the Milwaukee Club for
eighteen months. For the past ten years
he has been superintendent of the Union
League Club. He is a most popular, genial
gentleman, who easily makes friends and
has the happy faculty of winning their
warmer regard as the years go by. In pol-
itics he is an ardent Republican.
EUGENE E. LOOMIS.— It has been
: said that Masonry is grand because it
is old; but Masonry is old because it is grand.
It has withstood the ravages of time, the
revolutions of ages, the unrelenting crusades
against it, because it is founded upon a philo-
sophic basis. It is an imperial institution
whose sublime principles, unswerving faith
and noble deeds challenge the admiration
of all men. Thus it may be ever taken
as a signal of honor and of subjective appre-
ciation when a man becomes identified with
the great craft. The subject of this review
has maintained a distinctive interest in Ma-
sonic affairs, has been devoted to the work
thereof and stands as a worthy exemplar
of its principles. On the Qth of January,
1879, Mr. Loomis become an Entered Ap-
prentice in Cleveland Lodge, No. 211, A.
F. & A. M., of Chicago, thereafter pass-
ing onward to attain the Master Mason's
degree, after which, on the 2d of January,
1863, he became identified with Englewood
Chapter, No. 176, R. A. M., while in the
year 1 895 he also became a Royal and Select
Master and a charter member in Imperial
Council, No. 85, while on the 27th of No-
vember, 1883, he received the order of
Knighthood in Apollo Commandery, No.
i. With each of these bodies he still main-
38
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tains his affiliation, with the exception of
the commandery, having transferred his
membership to Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, in 1890. In the council he has
served as Captain of the Guards, while in
Englewood Commandery he was honored
with distinguished preferment by his elec-
tion to the office of Eminent Commander,
in which capacity he served, with signal
ability, during the year 1895. By virtue of
a successful pilgrimage across the sands of
the desert, he has gained title and honor
as a Noble in Medinah Temple of the Mys-
tic Shrine. As a Mason he has been frater-
nal, philanthropic, sagacious and enthusias-
tic, having from the time of his initiation
been impressed with the beauties of the
crafthood and an active and earnest worker
in the temple.
Eugene E. Loomis was born at Russell,
Massachusetts, on the i 5th of March, 1849,
being but eleven years of age when, in 1860,
he accompanied his parents upon their re-
moval from the old Bay State to Chicago,
which has ever since been his home. He
completed his theoretical education in the
public schools of this city, and his identifi-
cation with practical business life had in-
ception while he was still a mere youth. It
is interesting to revert to the fact that he
has been concerned with one line of enter-
prise consecutively — that of railroading, for
he secured employment with the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company in 1864, when not
yet sixteen years of age, and by fidelity and
cumulative ability has risen step by step to
a position of importance and responsibility.
He remained with the Pennsylvania Com-
pany until September, 1887, when he en-
tered the employ of the Chicago & Erie
Railroad Company, of which he is now local
freight agent at Chicago, discharging the
manifold duties of his exacting office with
marked tact and discrimination.
In August, 1872, Mr. Loomis was united
in marriage to Miss Pauline Briggs, and
they became the parents of three children, —
Frank E. , Orson B. and Cora V. Mrs.
Loomis departed this life on the i6th of
June, 1884, and on the 1st of June, 1886,
Mr. Loomis consummated a second mar-
riage, being then united to Mrs. Ida E. New-
port, a sister of the late Gen. I. N. Stiles,
of Chicago. She was called upon to obey
the inexorable summons of death in Janu-
ary, 1894. In January, 1896, Mr. Loomis
wedded Mrs. F. B. Clark.
In his religious associations our subject
is a member of the Universalist church, and
socially he is a member of the Harvard Club,
one of the leading organizations of the sort
in Englewood, in which attractive suburb
of Chicago Mr. Loomis has a delightful
home. He is a member of the Local
Freight Agents' Association of Chicago, and
is president of the same, his acquaintance
in railroad circles being very extended, and
his popularity unmistakable.
HENRY C. CLEAVELAND.— Although
Freemasonry has lived through ages
of dim uncertainty, during which time em-
pires have been crushed, thrones have
crumbled and dynasties have fallen; gone
through vicissitudes, wars and revolutions,
and witnessed the rise and growth of all the
civilized nations now on the face of the
earth, yet its eye is not dim nor its strength
failing. It has no known alpha, and its
omega will be only when is sounded the
dirge of time. The field of Masonry is the
world. Its objects touch all mankind. Cath-
olic in its aims and spirit, the great craft-
hood welcomes all the ameliorating agencies
of the day — jealous of neither sect nor
party, but ever toiling to enlarge the bound-
aries of human progress and to pour into
life the streams of deeper and richer expe-
rience. The consecutive perpetuation of
the time-honored order has been the dia-
metrical result of the intrinsic and cordial
virtues which it has, for these have been
such as to appeal to the better elements in
human nature and to draw to it the allegi-
ance and devotion of good men and true in
all walks of life. The state of Illinois
holds high prestige in the number and char-
acter of its devotees to Freemasonry, and
from the great metropolis whose open gates
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
89
look forth on the blue waters of the fair in-
land sea, to every village and hamlet, are
to be found those who honor the crafthood
by their identification therewith, even as
they receive a reciprocal honor in return.
The subject of this review is a prominent
business man of the city of Rock Island, has
attained to distinguished position and un-
mistakable popularity in the Masonic circles
of the state, and in private and social life
has been the synonym of his Masonic pro-
fessions, thus commanding the respect and
esteem of the fraternity and the confidence
of all who know him in other departments
of life. He rendered to the nation in our
hour of peril the valiant service of a true
patriot and son of the republic, and though
the ranks of that army which fought as pat-
riots have ever fought and which preserved
to the nation its integrity and the boon of
freedom, grow smaller and smaller as time
speeds remorselessly on, the memory of
their heroic deeds will not be forgotten by
those who live to enjoy the blessings which
their bravery and patriotism thus made pos-
sible. Both as a man and a Mason Mr.
Cleaveland is peculiarly worthy of represent-
ation in this compilation.
Mr. Cleaveland has been identified with
the Masonic fraternity since the year 1865,
having received the degree of Entered Ap-
prentice on the 25th of February in that
year, in Trio Lodge, No. 57, A. F. & A. M.,
at Rock Island, Illinois. He was passed to
the Fellow-craft on the 2d of March and
was raised Master Mason on the Qth of the
same month. It is interesting to note the
fact that he still maintains his Ancient Craft
affiliation with the same lodge in which he
was initiated into the esoteric mysteries of
the order, more than a quarter of a century
ago. As the light was revealed to him he
became an earnest and enthusiastic worker
on the Temple, and his interest in and
earnest devotion to the fraternity have con-
tinued unwavering through all succeeding
years. He has filled the various offices in
the blue lodge, having served four terms, not
consecutively, as Worshipful Master of Trio
Lodge, his preferment showing the strong
hold which he has maintained on the re-
spect and appreciative regard of his fratres.
The record of his advancement in Masonry
is one of gratifying order, and higher honors
were accorded him as the fuller knowledge
of his zeal and fidelity was impressed. Mr.
Cleaveland received the capitular degrees
within the year 1865, in Barrett Chapter,
No. 1 8, in which he was exalted to the Royal
Arch and of which he has served as Princi-
pal Sojourner three- terms and High Priest
thirteen terms. This is a significant rec-
ord, as is also that touching his connection
with chivalric Masonry. In the year 1867
he was constituted, created and dubbed a
Knight Templar in Everts Commandery.No.
1 8, and here his portion has been to be the
recipient of distinguished honors. He was
the incumbent as Eminent Commander for
seventeen years — a record of service unprec-
edented in the entire history of the com-
mandery. He has represented his lodge in
the Grand Lodge of Illinois, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, and is Past Junior
and Past Senior Grand Warden of this su-
preme body, as well as Past Grand Marshal.
He has been twice honored with the ap-
pointment as District Deputy, and is now
Grand Warder of the Grand Commandery
of Illinois Knights Templar. Mr. Cleaveland
has also received the three cryptic degrees,
having been greeted Select Master in Rock
Island Council, No. 20, and being Past
Thrice Illustrious Master of this body. He
is a member of the Masonic Veterans' As-
sociation of the State of Illinois, and his
Masonic career, thus briefly outlined, can
but barely suggest the wide scope in which
his kindly disposition, mature judgment and
generous impulses have ever found fertile
fields for the expression of those attributes
which bind together the great brotherhood.
Henry Clay Cleaveland is a native son of
the old Green Mountain state, having been
born in Woodstock, Windsor county, Ver-
mont, on the 2 5th of October, 1844, tracing
his lineage back to prominent families early
established in Massachusetts, and represent-
ative in the colonial history of the nation
as well as in the great struggle by which the
90
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
freedom of the nation was determined. The
parents of our subject were William Alonzo
and Betsey (Pratt) Cleaveland, both of whom
were natives of New England. While he
was a mere boy Henry C. was deprived by
death of a father's care and guidance, and
his educational privileges were such as were
afforded in the public schools of his native
state. These he was enabled to attend for
a few months each winter, while in the sum-
mer months he devoted his attention to as-
sisting in the work of the farm. This early
discipline, though somewhat severe, was
that of the average boy of the place and
period and was one of invigorating and val-
uable order, teaching the lad the value of
consecutive industry and the dignity of hon-
est toil, and the while begetting the spirit of
independence and self-reliance which has
conserved his success in life and developed
a strong and worthy manhood.
Mr. Cleaveland was but seventeen years
of age when President Lincoln issued his
first call for volunteers to aid in suppressing
the rebellion, but patriotic enthusiasm
burned deeply in his soul and he was
roused to responsive protest. Accordingly,
on the gth of May, 1861, he enlisted as a
member of the First Vermont Volunteer
Infantry, proceeding with his command to
the front and seeing his first active service
on the battlefield in the engagement at Big
Bethel, Virginia, on June loth of the same
year. On the expiration of his three-
months term of enlistment Mr. Cleaveland
was mustered out, in August, 1861. His
loyal devotion would not permit him to be
long inactive, and on the 5th of the next
month he re-enlisted as a member of Com-
pany E, Sixth Vermont Volunteer Infantry,
with which he served until the 15th of De-
cember, 1863, when he was mustered out,
only to re-enlist on the same day and in the
same company and regiment as a veteran
volunteer, for a term of three years or
"until the close of the war. " His fidelity
to duty and his ability led to his promotion.
He was appointed corporal and later color-
sergeant of his company, serving in the
latter capacity until temporarily incapaci-
tated for duty by injuries received in the
battle of the Wilderness, where he sus-
tained a gunshot wound, the ball passing
entirely through both thighs. Several
months passed before he was sufficiently
recuperated to again report for duty. On
the 1 4th of June, 1864, President Lincoln
appointed him second lieutenant of a com-
pany of colored infantry in the United
States volunteer service. He was later
promoted to the office of first lieutenant,
and on the I2th of August, 1865, was ap-
pointed quartermaster, in which capacity he
was retained until the close of the war, be-
ing mustered out on the 2ist of March,
1866. His military record is one which re-
dounds to his credit, was one of signal .fidel-
ity and honor, and yet was but the service
which one so thoroughly loyal could not
fail to render. Among the principal en-
gagements in which Mr. Cleaveland partici-
pated may be mentioned the following: Big
Bethel, Lee's Mills, Yorktown, Williams-
burg, Fair Oaks, Savage Station, White
Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, second Bull
Run (Virginia), Crampton Pass, Antietam,
Fredericksburg ( Maryland ), Gettysburg,
Rappahannock Station, Mine Run and the
Wilderness. The kindlier memories of the
days when he bore arms in the great war of
the Rebellion are kept inviolate by his
membership in the Grand Army of the Re-
public, John Buford Post, No. 243, Rock
Island, Illinois.
In 1864 Mr. Cleaveland was for a time
assigned to duty at the Confederate prison
located at the United States arsenal at
Rock Island, Illinois, and after the close of
the war he came to this city for the pur-
pose of making it his permanent home. In
the year 1866 he established a modest en-
terprise here in the line of an insurance and
real-estate business, and to this he has ever
since devoted his attention, and has gained
a distinct and honorable success. With the
period of reviving business enterprise and
substantial prosperity his operations natur-
ally increased in scope and importance until a
precedence was gained which insured a con-
secutive and profitable industry. His business
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
91
career has been characterized by the most
absolute integrity and by marked discrimi-
nation, while he has proved himself at all
times public-spirited and progressive, and
has done much to forward the substantial
development and material prosperity of the
beautiful city of his home.
In his political adherency Mr. Cleaveland
is unswervingly arrayed in the support of
the Republican party and its principles, and
he has been an active and zealous worker
for its cause. He has been honored by
his party with the nomination as rep-
resentative of his county in the state legis-
lature, in which he served two terms, doing
all in his power to conserve wise adminis-
tration of the affairs of the commonwealth
and to insure effective legislation. His
labors in this regard stand creditable to him
and to the judgment of those who effected
his election. Mr. Cleaveland served for six
years as a member of the school board of
Rock Island, was city collector two terms,
and has been a member of the county board
of supervisors. While a member of the
legislature he did yeoman service in the
great struggle to elect John A. Logan to
the United States senate.
On the I /th of September, 1866, Mr.
Cleaveland was united in marriage to Miss
Olivia S. Hayes, of Rock Island, and they
are the parents of two sons and one daugh-
ter— Harry Hayes, Lewis K. and Bessie C.
The elder son is associated with his father
in business, and is also a devoted member
of the Masonic order, having attained the
Knights Templar degree. Mrs. Cleaveland
and her daughter are members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church.
Aside from his prominent identification
with Masonry our subject is a member of
St. Paul Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of
which he is Chancellor Commander, and is
also a member of the local organization of
Modern Woodmen. He is widely known
and is accorded utmost respect and con-
fidence in the community where he has
lived so many years and to such goodly
ends, standing as one of the representative
citizens and business men of Rock Island.
WILLIAM MORGAN JOHNSTON. -
The principles of Freemasonry have
always existed and it does not matter
whether the institution is one or one thou-
sand years old, so long as the principles re-
main intact and the society continues to be
the great factor it is in the amelioration of
the human race. Its main precept is the
exemplification of its power in molding men
of varied interests into a complete brother-
hood, and teaching them the joys of perfect
fraternal intercourse. For nearly a quarter
of a century Mr. Johnston has been a sincere
member of the craft, having received the
sublime degree of Master Mason in Daven-
port Lodge, No. 37, at Davenport, Iowa, in
1875. He was exalted to the Royal Arch
degree in Barrett Chapter, No. 18, at Rock
Island, Illinois, on November 16, 1880, and
and was created a Sir Knight in Everts
Commandery, No. 18, at Rock Island, on
March 20, 1893. He is also a Noble of the
Mystic Shrine in Kaaba Temple, at Daven-
port, Iowa.
Mr. Johnston was born in Dumfriesshire,
Scotland, September 3, 1842, and is a de-
scendant of the border clan. His father,
William Johnston, was married in Scotland
to Miss Ann Thompson, and five children
were born to them in that country. In
1849 they emigrated to the United States
and located at Davenport, Iowa, where Mr.
Johnston resided up to the time of his death,
which took place in 1863, in his sixty-sixth
year. Mrs. Johnston succumbed to the chol-
era, which prevailed in this country in 1856.
Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Johnston in America, one of whom is de-
ceased. The subject of this sketch was ed-
ucated in the public schools of Davenport.
At the outbreak of the Civil war he re-
sponded to the call for arms and enlisted
on May 27, 1861, in Company B, Second
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in the three-
months service, but he remained in the
army and bravely fought for the Union
three years. He began his military career
as a private and took part in the battles of
Fort Donelson, Shiloh, the siege of Corinth,
and others, after which he was promoted to
92
COMPENDIUM! OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the rank of second lieutenant of Company
C, Twentieth Iowa Infantry, and partici-
pated in the siege of Vicksburg and the
charge at Fort Blakely. He was at Mobile,
Alabama, when the welcome news was re-
ceived that the war was at an end, which
was soon followed by the sorrowful tidings
that the beloved president of the United
States, Abraham Lincoln, had been assassi-
nated. Mr. Johnston was honorably dis-
charged at Clinton, Iowa, in August, 1865,
and immediately returned home. He had
gone into the army at the very beginning of
the war, had served in a brave and efficient
manner all through the great struggle with-
out receiving a scratch or being a day in
the hospital, and he returned to his home
city with a record of which he might well
be proud.
Mr. Johnston secured employment with
the Union Pacific Railway, his field of oper-
ations being in Omaha and throughout Ne-
braska, where he was first occupied in
measuring wood, but soon after became a
fireman, which position he filled for a year,
and then went to Iowa, where he followed
the same vocation. He next accepted a
place on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa-
cific Railroad as brakeman, remaining in
that capacity for three months, and then
took the position of fireman, which he held
for nineteen months, and at the end of
which time he was appointed engineer, and
has continued to follow that occupation for
the past twenty-four years, to the perfect
satisfaction of the company.
On December 22, 1869, Mr. Johnston
was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth
Grieve, who is a native of Scotland. They
have a pleasant home in a delightful loca-
tion on Thirtieth street, overlooking both
Rock Island and Davenport. Three chil-
dren were born to them, but they had the
misfortune to lose them all. Mr. Johnston
was raised in the Presbyterian faith, while
his wife is a worthy member of the Chris-
tian church. In politics he is a stanch Re-
publican, and socially he is a member of
the Grand Army of the Republic, being a
charter member of John T. Drake Post, at
Berkley, Iowa; is affiliated with the Brother-
hood of Locomotive Engineers, and has
filled every office in that order. He is a
member of the general board of adjusters,
and was one of the executive board of the
general organization, comprising the United
States, Canada and Mexico, and has been
sent as a representative to the international
council of the order.
Mr. Johnston is a self-made man, a kind
and loving husband, and a good Mason, all
of which combine to make of him a most
worthy citizen.
WON. C. R. MATSON has been a con-
spicuous figure in the political life of
Chicago for the past quarter of a century,
and it is seldom that one retires from office
receiving more general commendation for
faithful service than was accorded him. He
is now engaged in the practice of law, and
occupies an enviable place at the Chicago
bar.
A native of Norway — the Land of the
Midnight Sun — he was born April 9, 1843,
but the days of his childhood were passed
in America, where he attended the common
schools and Milton College of Wisconsin.
The trouble of the south, which terminated
in the Civil war, aroused his patriotic na*
ture, and on the igth of August, 1861, he
offered his services to the government in
defense of the Union, enlisting as a member
of Company K, Thirteenth Wisconsin In-
fantry. After the close of the war he was
mustered out, in Texas, December 24, 1865,
with the rank of first lieutenant and brig-
adier quartermaster. With the army of the
Cumberland he participated in many of the
principal engagements of that sanguinary
struggle, valiantly defending the stars and
stripes.
The war over, Mr. Matson came to Chi-
cago in 1865, and pursued a course in
Eastman's Commercial College, after which
he secured a position in the Chicago post-
office, where he remained for several years.
In 1869 he was elected clerk of the police
court and re-elected in 1871. In 1875 he
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
93
was appointed justice of the peace, holding
the office until 1880, when he was elected
coroner. In 1882 he was appointed chief
deputy-sheriff under Seth F. Hanchett and
after serving in that capacity four years was
elected sheriff of Cook county for a four-
years term. The position is one of great re-
sponsibility, but he discharged his duties
with a promptness and fidelity that won him
the commendation of men of all parties.
On retiring from public life he took up the
practice of law, which he had studied some
years previously, having been admitted to
the bar in 1876, and to this calling is now
devoting his time and attention.
The name of Mr. Matson is prominently
connected with the history of Masonry in
Chicago, his connection with the fraternity
dating from 1867, when he was initiated
into the mysteries of Blair Lodge, No. 393,
F. & A. M. He became a member of La-
Fayette Chapter in 1871, belongs to Apollo
Commander}', No. 2, K. T. , and became a
thirty-second-degree Mason in 1874. He
is a life member of all these various bodies
and has passed all the chairs in the blue
lodge, while of the Medinah Temple of the
Mystic Shrine he is High Priest. He takes
a deep interest in the advancement of the
order and is well known and highly esteemed
in Masonic circles. He is also a member of
the Ancient Order of United Workmen, be-
ing Past Grand Master and a representative
to the Supreme Lodge. He is Past Com-
mander of Post No. 28, G. A. R. , belongs
to the Royal League and to the Foresters.
Of the social clubs, he is a valued member
of the Marquette and the Union Veteran
League. He also belongs to the English
Lutheran church and is serving as one of
its trustees.
Mr. Matson was married in 1876, to
Isabelle Richolson, of Chicago, and they
have four children — Isabelle, Frederick,
Canute R. and Gertrude.
BASSETT & BASSETT, a prominent
law firm of Aledo, is composed of
father and son, both prominent Freemasons.
Isaac Newton Bassett, the father, is one
of the oldest Masons now residing in Mercer
county, having been initiated, passed and
raised in New Boston, same county, as
early as 1854. From it hedimitted and be-
came a member of Robert Burns Lodge,
No. 113, at Keithsburg, of which he served
as Secretary and also as Junior Warden. In
1857 he was dimitted from the latter lodge
and connected himself with Aledo Lodge,
No. 252, where he has now for forty years
been an esteemed member. Of this lodge
also has he served as Secretary and Junior
Warden, and as Treasurer.
I. N. Bassett is a native of Lewis
county, Kentucky, born on the 8th day of
September, 1825, and is of English ancestry
who were early settlers of New Jersey.
His grandfather, Richard Bassett, was one
of the signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. His ancestry was also connected
with the Harrisons. His father, Isaac
Bassett, was born in Delaware, in 1792,
and died in 1862, in Kentucky, at the age of
seventy years. He married Miss Francis
A. Hall, and they had eight children, of
whom six still survive. Mr. I. N. Bassett,
the fourth born in the above family, was
educated in Kentucky and admitted to the
bar in Mercer county, Illinois, in 1854.
He has therefore had a very long and suc-
cessful practice and is one of the ablest and
best known attorneys in this part of the
state. He was one of the organizers of the
Republican party in his section, was a
member of the first board of supervisors of
the county, was elected treasurer of the
county in 1855, and is therefore one of the
oldest and best known Mercer county officers
now living. He has been a life-long Re-
publican, zealous, active and able; was a
member of the Republican county central
committee for a time, and also of the judi-
cial committee.
March 4, 1847, Mr. Bassett was united
in matrimony with Miss Scienda Isle Moore,
a native of Ohio, and they had six children,
namely: Fletcher S., who was educated
at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Mary-
land, served in the navy as lieutenant for
94
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
several years, and died at Chicago in Octo-
ber, 1893; Flora, now Mrs. N. Graham, of
Aledo; Laura Minota, at home with her
parents; Thomas W., spoken of more at
length further on in this sketch; Luella,
now the wife of J. S. Adams, of Orange,
Massachusetts; and Clayton Webster, who
died at the age of ten years. In 1861 Mrs.
Bassett departed this life, and on the 26th
of February, 1862, Mr. Bassett was united
in marriage with Mrs. Caroline H. Yerty, a
native of Pennsylvania, and by this marriage
there are two children: Victor Hugo and
Bessie Blanche. By her former marriage
Mrs. Bassett had a daughter, who is now
Mrs. Clara B. Ingmire.
Thomas Worley Bassett, the junior
member of the law firm, was born in Mer-
cer county, Illinois, September 22, 1856,
and in 1883 was initiated into the mysteries
of Freemasonry in Sunset Lodge, in Min-
nesota. Dimitting therefrom, he became
a member of Robert Burns Lodge, No. 1 13,
at Keithsburg, of which he served as its
Secretary for four years, and, dimitting
from that lodge, he joined Aledo Lodge, of
which also he has been Secretary and
Deacon and Senior Warden. He has been
elected its Secretary the second time, and
that office he now fills, having proved his
efficiency and faithfulness. In 1885 he re-
ceived the chapter degrees, in Illinois Chap-
ter, No. 17, at Keithsburg, in which he has
nearly ever since performed the duties of
Principal Sojourner. In Masonic craft he
is thoroughly posted, having a zeal for the
cause, an intellect to appreciate the beauties
of Masonic symbolism, etc. , and has made
himself thoroughly familiar with the work.
He has filled all the offices to which his
brethren have elected him in an acceptable
manner. He became a charter member of
Cyrus Chapter, No. 211, and while under
dispensation was its Principal Sojourner, an
office in which he was an expert and took
much pleasure. He was also elected its
first High Priest, an office he has acceptably
filled for the past three years. He is an
enthusiastic member of the order and a
talented worker. Last winter he was one
of the twenty-one brethren of Aledo elected
to membership in Everts Commandery, No.
1 8, at Rock Island, and on February 22,
1897, he was advanced to the degree of
Sir Knight Templar.
Mr. T. W. Bassett was educated in the
public schools of his native county,
and attended the law department of Iowa
State University, where he graduated with
honor in 1880, since which time he has
been successfully engaged in the practice of
his chosen profession. He is now the
junior member of the firm of Bassett &
Bassett, well and favorably known through-
out Mercer and adjoining counties.
The subject of these paragraphs was
united in marriage February 14, 1882, to
Miss Sue Calhoun, daughter of David Cal-
houn, Esq. She was an infant when
brought by her parents to Mercer county
in their settlement here. Mr. and Mrs.
Bassett have three children — Frank New-
ton, Vesta Caroline and Ruth Calhoun.
The parents are both members of Aledo
Chapter, O. E. S. , of which he was the
first Secretary and she its first Worthy
Matron. They have a delightful home in
Aledo and are highly esteemed by the com-
munity.
)OYAL P. WALES, M. D., one of
EL Mount Carroll's prominent physicians,
has attained to the rank of Sir Knight
Templar in the Masonic order and stands
high in this fraternity, his identity with it
reaching back over more than three decades.
Dr. Wales was made a Mason by Lanark
Lodge, No. 423, in 1864, and has since af-
filiated with this lodge, from time to time
serving officially in its various chairs, includ-
ing that of Worshipful Master. In 1871 he
united with Lanark Chapter, and in the
chapter also he has filled various official po-
sitions, for a number of years filling the
High Priest's chair. He was made a Sir
Knight in Freeport Commandery, No. 7,
1874, and he is a charter member of Long
Commandery at Mount Carroll, of which he
was Prelate two years and is now a Senior
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
95
Warden. The Doctor is also a member of
Freeport Valley Consistory, which he joined
in 1891 and which conferred upon him the
degrees up to and including that of the
thirty-second. An efficient worker in these
various bodies of Masonry and an every-
day practitioner of their principles, he is a
Mason in action as well as name and enjoys
high standing among the brotherhood.
Dr. Wales is a native of Ogle county,
Illinois, born July 13, 1838, and comes
from English ancestors who were among
the early settlers of New England. Hora-
tio Wales, his father, was born in Connecti-
cut, and in 1836 came west and settled in
Ogle county, Illinois, of which county he
had the honor of being first sheriff. He was
married in the east to Miss Mary E. Will-
iams, a native of the state of Massachusetts,
and together they shared life's joys and sor-
rows for many years, both living to vener-
able age, he being eighty-one at the time of
death and she eighty-three. They were
farmers, honest, industrious and prosperous,
and in their religious belief were stanch
Presbyterians. Their family consisted of
nine children, of whom eight are living,
Royal P. , our subject, being the second in
order of birth. He was educated in Mount
Carroll Seminary, Mount Carroll, Illinois,
and the Homeopathic Medical College of
Missouri at St. Louis, being a graduate of
the last named institution with the class of
1 86 1. Immediately after his graduation he
entered upon the practice of his profession
at Lanark, Illinois, where his skill and sym-
pathetic devotion to those whom he served
brought him into favor and gained for him
a large and lucrative practice. For thirty
years he practiced in Lanark and vicinity
and still devotes a portion of his time to his
patrons at that place. Since 1891, how-
ever, he has been a resident of Mount Car-
roll and had his office here. The Doctor is
a member of the American Institute of
Homeopathy and of the State Medical So-
ciety, and takes a pride in keeping abreast
with the rapid advancement made in medi-
cal science.
Mrs. Wales is a member of the Order of
the Eastern Star, in which she has held the
office of Treasurer for a number of years,
and where her promptness and efficiency
have brought her into high favor. Both
the Doctor and his wife are most estimable
people, popular alike in their fraternities
and with the citizens among whom the
Doctor has so long faithfully practiced his
profession.
MOMER N. HIBBARD.— Comparative-
ly few men in Chicago have identified
their names and careers more indissolubly
with the history of the great western me-
tropolis than has he whose name initiates
this review. Here he has maintained his
residence for a period of nearly half a cen-
HOMER N. HIBBARD.
tury, — years filled with ceaseless endeavor,
with due concomitant success and crowned
with high honors. His has been a life of
signal usefulness; one that has never failed
to keep in touch with deep human interests;
one whose ideals have been placed upon a
high plane, and one which may be well
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONKT IN ILLINOIS.
taken as standing in exemplification of those
noble principles which are the elementals
of that time-honored fraternity with which
this compilation has to do, — that fraternity
whose name is a synonym of charity through--
out the civilized world; that fraternity with
which he has been identified for two-score
of years. He has had the virtue of indus-
try, has not undervalued the worth of consec-
utive toil, and has wrested success from the
hand of what men are too prone to call ad-
verse fate. By his own efforts he secured
a collegiate education, — that exact learning
which is of inestimable value in the practical
affairs of life; he has disciplined his mind
in the higher and better functions of mental
equipment, having recourse not only to a
wide fund of knowledge but to its applica-
tion in continued and trained thought. He
gained distinctive prestige in the profession
of his choice, that of the law, and a general
summing up of his character is comprised in
the statement that it is well rounded and
symmetrical. He has done much to ad-
vance the material and the higher interests
of Chicago, and particularly of that portion
of the city where he took up his abode at a
time when the same was but a straggling
settlement, looked upon as very remote
from the center of the great city of which it
eventually became an integral part,
Mr. Hibbard's identification with the
Masonic order dates back to the year 1857,
when he became a Master Mason in Excelsior
Lodge, No. 33, A. F. & A. M., in Freeport,
Illinois, and has since been its Master. He
later passed the Royal Arch degrees in Free-
port Council in that place, while the order
of knighthood was conferred upon him in
1858, in Janesville Commandery, Knights
Templar, at Janesville, Wisconsin. He
soon received a dirnit from this commandery
and became a charter member of Freeport
Commandery, No. 7, in which he was called
upon to serve in the office of Generalissimo.
Upon his removal to Chicago Mr. Hibbard
naturally transferred his affiliation to local
Masonic bodies, becoming a charter member
of Hyde Park Lodge, of which he was the
Master under dispensation and first Master
by election, the lodge being now known as
Landmark, No. 422. He became a mem-
ber of Apollo Commandery, No. i , and was
made a life member of the same in 1872.
His interest in Masonic affairs has been deep
and abiding, and he has advanced to the
distinguished position as a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret, thirty-second degree,
in Oriental Consistory of the Ancient Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite and is a life member of
the same. From the time when he first be-
held the "light " by which Masons work he
became thoroughly impressed with its beau-
ties, and as more light broke in upon him
he became an active, earnest worker on
the Temple, ever deeply appreciative of that
imperious institution whose sublime princi-
ples, tenets and cordial virtues cause it to
challenge the admiration of the world.
Homer Nash Hubbard traces his lineage
back to stanch Colonial origin, the line hav-
ing shown in each successive generation
men of exalted integrity and women of
modest pretension but sterling beauty of
character. He was born at Bethel, Ver-
mont, on the 7th of November, 1824, and
the early years of his life were passed under
the invigorating, though prosaic, influences
of farming amid the hills of the old Green
Mountain state, — a section where the soil is
somewhat inclined to be ungrateful in yield-
ing tribute to those who trace its surface
with the plowshare. He continued to aid
in the work of the parental farmstead from
the time when he was six years of age until
sixteen, having in the meanwhile duly prof-
ited by the educational privileges afforded
by the district schools and academy, which
he attended during the winter months. We
may imagine how ambition grew apace in
the mind of the sturdy farmer boy as he
gave himself to the monotonous duties of
the farm or trudged his way to the little
school-house hard by. With a prescience
of the value of knowledge and thorough
mental discipline, he resolved to bend every
energy to the work of securing a collegiate
education. In that place and period it was
looked upon as a herculean task for a youth
so placed as was our subject to aspire to the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
97
higher-education privileges, which in the
main seemed to be reserved for the sons of
wealthy men or town people, and not for
the boy who toiled early and late to bring
forth the often scant harvest of the hillside
farms of New England. Mr. Hibbard began
his preparatory work by entering the acad-
emy at Randolph, Vermont, where he con-
tinued his studies during one summer, work-
ing for his board and a slight additional
stipend, and thus managing, by strictest
economy, to pay his way during the summer
term. The following winter he put his ac-
quirements to practical test, and incident-
ally gained further financial reinforcement,
by teaching district school.
Though now, at the age of seventeen
years, thoroughly committed to a life of
study and intellectual activity, he was per-
suaded to enter the law office of J. C. Def-
ter, an eminent attorney of Rutland, as a
clerk and student. Soon afterward Mr.
Dexter was appointed postmaster of Rut-
land and Mr. Hibbard was appointed his
deputy. As this postoffice was the distrib-
uting point for all western Vermont, the
work was heavy at night, since the New
York and Boston mails arrived late in the
evening. There was a measure of compen-
sation to our subject in the condition of af-
fairs, since he had most of his day-time
hours at his own disposal. That he was
not idle needs not be said, for to such a na-
ture idleness is an absolute incompatible.
He still hoped to become a lawyer and felt
the necessity of a more thorough education.
Thus he devoted his spare time to the study
of Greek and Latin, under the direction of
a local clergyman. He continued to be
thus occupied during the years 1845-6,
when he had accumulated sufficient funds to
enable him to enter Castleton Seminary,
where he completed such a preparatory
course as rendered him eligible for matricu-
lation in college. His finances were at ex-
tremely low ebb by this time, but on the
small sum of forty-six dollars, his propor-
tionate inheritance from the estate of his
deceased maternal grandmother, he suc-
ceeded in paying his way during his fresh-
man year at the University of Vermont, at
Burlington, with such supplemental re-
sources as he could muster by teaching
during the winter months. He fought
his way valiantly, overcoming seemingly
insuperable obstacles, and gaining the re-
spect and confidence of the faculty and all
others with whom he came in contact, finally
gaining his great desideratum by graduating
with honors as a member of the class of
1850, being a member of the Phi Beta
Kappa Society. ' ' Earn thy reward ; the
gods give naught to sloth," said the philos-
opher Epicharmus; and it is certain that the
farmer boy had earned his reward, though
his equipment for life consisted in his free-
dom from debt, his intellectual attainments
and a dauntless determination to win still
greater success. In 1 849 Vermont led the
entire sisterhood of states in authorizing the
establishment of high schools in all towns,
and Burlington was the first to avail itself
of the privilege. In 1850 Mr. Hibbard was
made principal of the new high school, and
upon him devolved the work of organizing
the same and developing and perfecting the
scheme of work. He was fully equal to the
task, and his labors bore abundant harvest,
the school gaining distinctive prestige for its
effective work. At the end of two years
Mr. Hibbard resigned his position, having
secured sufficient means to permit him to
follow out his cherished plans for entering
the legal profession. He prosecuted his
technical studies in the law school of Har-
vard College and at the end of one year re-
turned to Burlington and secured admission
to the bar.
Soon afterward, in 1853, he came to
Chicago, in company with his friend and
Harvard classmate, John A. Jameson, who
was later, for eighteen years, the incumbent
as judge of the superior court of Chicago.
They opened a law office and secured a
' reasonable amount of legal business, but
finally decided that the outlook was not suf-
ficiently encouraging in the budding me-
tropolis, and consequently removed to Free-
port, Illinois, where they were quite suc-
cessful. Mr. Jameson returned to Chicago
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
after about two years, and Mr. Hibbard
then entered into partnership with M. P.
Sweet, a fine lawyer and distinguished citi-
zen of the state, and their clientage became
one of representative and lucrative order.
Mr. Hibbard took a great interest in local
affairs, having drafted the first city charter
of Freeport and secured its passage by the
legislature, and having served in numerous
offices of local trust. In 1855 he married
Miss Jane Noble, daughter of Hon. William
Noble, of Burlington, Vermont, she having
been one of his corps of assistants in the
high school of that place. While he was
now well established in Freeport, Chicago's
growing importance again attracted him to
this city, and he removed hither in 1860,
rejoining Mr. Jameson in the practice of
law. He purchased a lot in the then
sparsely settled suburb of Hyde Park, and
that has ever since been the location of his
home. He has witnessed and contributed
to the advancement of that section until its
population now represents one-fourth of
that of the entire city. Mr. Hibbard was
clerk at the one polling place at the first
election (1860) in that district, which then
included the town of Lake, and from that
time until the present he has been recog-
nized as one of the leading and most public-
spirited citizens of Hyde Park and Chicago.
He has had an abiding interest in educa-
tional work, and was for twelve years a
member of the Hyde Park board of educa-
tion, being its president for three terms. He
was urged to allow his name to be given to
the school in Hyde Park, but he would not
permit it, giving as a reason that the name
of any one living should not be given to a
school.
In 1865 Mr. Jameson was elected to the
bench of the superior court, and Mr. Hib-
bard then became a member of the firm of
Hibbard, Rich & Noble, this association
continuing until 1871, and the firm controll-
ing a large business, being one of the fore-
most in the city. In the year mentioned
Mr. Hibbard was appointed by Judge Drum-
mond, upon the nomination of Chief Justice
Chase, register of bankruptcy for the dis-
trict of northern Illinois, — an offide of great
responsibility and one demanding much ex-
ecutive and legal ability. He held this office
seven years, or until its legislative abolish-
ment, and within that time adjusted fully
three thousand cases, involving the distri-
bution of about thirteen million dollars.
Mr. Hibbard did not resume the practice of
his profession, in which he was assured still
greater pre-eminence, for his executive and
business ability was such that he was almost
involuntarily deflected into other channels
of endeavor. He became largely interested
in banking and other financial affairs, and the
abundant success which has attended his ef-
forts cannot but reconcile him to the aban-
donment of his purely professional work.
He has been singularly punctual in his hab-
its, and has maintained great concern in all
that conserves the elevation of his fellow
men, being of scholarly and artistic tastes
and alive to the value of all refining influ-
ences. In length of service he is one of the
oldest trustees of the University of Vermont,
and he has been very prominent in the work
of the Presbyterian church, having been
three times commissioner to the general as-
sembly of the same, a member of the board
of aid for Presbyterian colleges and acade-
mies, and having been one of those most
conspicuously concerned in the founding of
the Hyde Park Presbyterian church, in 1861,
and one of its most liberal supporters. He
has been an officer of that church from its
organization until the present time; and he
has also been a member of the Chicago Lit-
erary Club ever since its organization in
1874. In politics Mr. Hibbard has ever
rendered stanch allegiance to the Repub-
lican party, but has never sought the honors
or emoluments of public office.
The social, civic and business relations
of our honored subject are so numerous and
varied that we can venture in this connec-
tion to enumerate only a few of the more
prominent. He was elected president of
the New England Society of Chicago, in
1895. He has served as a trustee of the
Lake Forest University, and a member of
the executive committee; president of the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY JN ILLINOIS.
99
board of managers of the Chicago Botanical
Gardens; director of Oak Woods Cemetery;
a life director of the Chicago Astronomical
Society; vice-president of the Chicago Acad-
emy of Sciences; vice-president of the Bee-
thoven Society, of Chicago, and president
of the Mendelssohn Club of Hyde Park;
president of the Chicago Tract Society; trus-
tee of the Art Institute; was formerly presi-
dent of the Illinois Association of the Sons
of Vermont; director of the Prisoners' Aid
Society of Chicago; was formerly president
of the Fort Dearborn National Bank; was a
director of the Illinois National Bank sixteen
years; vice-president of the American Insur-
ance Company, of Chicago; president of the
Hyde Park Thompson-Houston Light Com-
pany; president of the American Bronze
Company; treasurer of the Green Mountain
Mining Company, of Chicago, whose mines
are located in Park county, Colorado; and
president of the Johnson Temperature Con-
trolling Company, of Chicago.
The degree of Doctor of Laws was con-
ferred upon Mr. Hibbard by Blackburn Uni-
versity, in 1883. From the foregoing it is
readily to be seen that he is a distinguished
patron of belles-lettres, of art and of all that
goes to make life worth the living. His ca-
reer has been one that offers much of lesson
and incentive, and even the brief outline
here portrayed cannot fail to bear its tribute
of honor to one who has lived to goodly
ends and has been a distinct power in the
right direction.
Mr. and Mrs. Hibbard are the parents of
four children, one son (John D.) and three
daughters.
JAMES T. HOBLIT is a Sir Knight Tem-
plar, residing in Lincoln, Illinois, ex-
judge of that county and a prominent
lawyer of the state. His Masonic record is
as follows: He received the sublime degree
of Master Mason in Logan Lodge, No. 280,
in Lincoln, and when this lodge was consoli-
dated with No. 210 he became an affiliate of
the latter, with which he is still connected.
He was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Lincoln Chapter, No.
147, and was created a Sir Knight in Mount
Pulaski Commandery. He is a charter mem-
ber of Constantine Commandery, No. 51,
of Lincoln, and is a worthy follower of the
beauseant. He believes most firmly in the
grand tenets of the order and his upright
and honorable life is an exemplification of
this.
Mr. Hoblit is a native son of Illinois and
one of her most ardent admirers and defend-
ers. He was born in Logan county, on
the aoth of December, 1842, and on the
paternal side is of German and Irish ances-
try, while on the maternal side he is of Hol-
land lineage. His grandfather, John Hoblit,
was born in Pennsylvania and emigrated
with his family to Logan county, Illinois,
in 1829. They were earnest and devout
Baptists and their fervor and zeal aided in
founding that denomination in the wild dis-
tricts of Illinois. The grandfather assisted
in organizing the first Baptist church in
Logan county and the first services were
held in his home. Later he erected a large
barn and the first association of the church
met in that building. Throughout his life
he was, one of its most helpful and faithful
workers, and throughout the community
was known as an upright man and worthy
farmer.
John E. Hoblit, father of the Judge, was
ten years of age when he came with his
parents to Logan county. Here he was
reared to manhood, and after attaining his
majority he married Miss Rachel Lari-
son, who was of North Holland ancestry.
He successfully followed farming for many
years and was uniformly regarded as a man
of the highest respectability. The father
died in the seventieth year of his age, and
the mother departed this life in her fifty-
seventh year. They had eight children, of
whom five are yet living.
Judge Hoblit, the second son, was edu-
cated in the Illinois Wesleyan University,
where he was graduated with honors in the
class of 1864. Preparing for the practice
of law he was graduated in the law depart-
ment of the University of Albany, New York,
100
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
on the i /th of May, 1865. His studies,
however, were interrupted in June, 1862,
by his enlistment in the Union army as a
member of Company K, Sixty-eighth Illi-
nois Infantry, previous to which time he had
been a member of the state militia. Judge
Hoblit, only eighteen years of age when he
"donned the blue," served with the Army
of the Potomac until the expiration of his
term and then returned to college to com-
plete his course as a student.
After his graduation Mr. Hoblit came to
Lincoln, Illinois, and began the practice of
his chosen profession, in which he has won
eminent success, both as advocate and
counsel. He spent a short time in the
practice of law in Los Angeles, California,
but preferring his old home, he returned to
Lincoln, where he has continuously resided.
His law practice has been of a very impor-
tant character and in his conduct of litigated
interests he has shown much industry and
legal learning, careful preparation and supe-
rior skill in argument.
The Judge has always been an ardent
Democrat in politics, taking an active part
in the work of the party, both in state and
nation. In 1896 he was elected county
judge on the Democratic ticket and served
most creditably for a term of 'four years in
that honorable office. He was a delegate
to the national convention that nominated
Samuel J. Tilden for the presidency, and
being an ardent admirer of that eminent
statesman and lawyer, he gave him his most
hearty support. He was also a delegate to
the conventions which nominated Grover
Cleveland. He has never aspired to polit-
ical honors himself, but is an earnest and
loyal worker in the interests of the men and
measures of his party and warmly approves
the methods and policy followed by ex-
President Cleveland, and warmly supported
the candidacy of General John M. Palmer
for the Presidency in 1896, and also served
as a member of the executive committee
for the state of Illinois, and made numerous
speeches in support of General Palmer.
His own energies have been largely devoted
to the practice of law and his superior abil-
ity has gained him an extensive clientage.
In addition to this he is also vice-president
of the First National Bank, one of its stock-
holders and a member of the board of di-
rectors. He has also various property
interests and is the owner of one of the
beautiful homes of Lincoln.
Judge Hoblit was happily married on
the ist of May, 1867, to Miss Louise S.
Maltby, a daughter of Harrison Maltby,
who is still a resident of Lincoln, at the
venerable age of eighty-four years. Judge
and Mrs. Hoblit have six children: Fred-
erick M., now his father's law partner;
James Edward, who is connected with the
First National Bank of Lincoln; Helen
Louise, now the wife of J. W. State, of
Asheville, North Carolina; Lucile Beatrice,
wife of William W. Latham; Clare Eloise,
and Welby Asbury. The family are mem-
bers of the Episcopalian church and Judge
Hoblit is one of Lincoln's best citizens.
E
DWARD H. MARSH, a prominent
lawyer of Rockford, is a Royal Arch
Mason and a worthy member of the order
which antedates all other civic societies and
has a greater membership. He is loyal and
true to its teaching, and his identification
therewith covers a period of thirteen years.
He was made a Mason in Newell, Iowa,
but was afterward dimitted and joined Rock-
ford Lodge, No. 102, A. F. & A. M. He
was exalted to the sublime degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Rabbi Chapter, No. 103,
Newell, Iowa, and is a valued representa-
tive of both organizations. He also belongs
to the Knights of Pythias fraternity. Mr.
Marsh is a native son of Rockford, his birth
having occurred in that city on the 6th of
December, 1860. His ancestors emigrated
from England to America at an early epoch
in the history of the New World. They be-
came residents of Connecticut and New
York, and members of the family were
prominent in public affairs, while in the war
of the Revolution they valiantly battled for
the rights of the colonies. The father of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
101
our subject, John B. Marsh, was born in
Connecticut, and when a young man fol-
lowed the tide of emigration, which is stead-
ily drifting westward, until he arrived in
Illinois, where he made a location and em-
barked in the furniture business. He came
to Rockford in 1856, and for the past forty
years has carried on a successful business in
this city, being numbered among its most
progressive and enterprising men. He is
also a Mason, belonging to Rockford Lodge,
No. 1 02. He married Amanda J. Work, a
native of Ohio, and to them were born a son
and daughter. The family circle yet re-
mains unbroken by the hand of death.
Edward H. Marsh was educated in the
public schools of Rockford, and afterward
prepared for the legal profession as a stu-
dent in the law department of the State Uni-
versity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he
was graduated with the class of 1882. *Soon
after he opened a law office in his native
city, where he has since successfully prac-
ticed, gaining prominence as an able and
trustworthy lawyer. He is now the attor-
ney for several banks and other corporations
of the city and holds his clients' interests as
dear as his own. He is most painstaking
in the preparation of cases, and his close
study enables him to represent with great-
est force and accuracy all the points in his
case, giving to each its relative prominence,
and his logical reason, clear deductions and
powers of oratory seldom fail to convince.
In politics Mr. Marsh is an active and
influential Republican, and for a number of
years has served as chairman of the Repub-
lican county central committee. Effective
organization and systematic execution are
the essential elements of success in every
undertaking, — in politics no less than in
business enterprises. Political victories are
due to concerted action, carefully planned
and methodically executed, and in these
lines has Mr. Marsh led the political forces
to victory until now Winnebago county
stands second to the banner Republican
county in the state. He attends both the
count}1 and state conventions, and his
knowledge and judgment on political mat-
ters are considered most reliable and his
opinions are much sought. His labors for
his party are prompted by a most marked ap-
preciation of the duties of American citizen-
ship and not from any hope or desire for
political preferment. He has served on the
board of supervisors and as city attorney,
but much prefers to give his entire attention
to his law practice, which makes heavy de-
mands on his time. He has always been
most active in promoting the best interests
of Rockford and does all in his power for its
substantial growth and improvement.
CHRISTIAN J. WOLFF, a representa-
\^) tive of one of Chicago's pioneer fami-
lies, and a business man of prominence, has
for about nine years been a follower of Ma-
sonic teachings. Freemasonry had its ori-
gin at a remote period in the history of the
world. It is said that the organization is
grand because it is old; but it is old because
it is grand. Founded on principles that en-
noble humanity and advance civilization, it
has, down through the fast-flying centuries,
commanded universal respect, and to-day it
is one of the marked potentialities of our
modern development. It has in Chicago a
large following, — men of sterling worth who
are prominent in all walks of business life,
and among this number is the gentleman
whose name introduces this review.
In 1888, having passed the degrees of
Entered Apprentice and Fellow-craft, he
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in W. B. Warren Lodge, No. 209,
A. F. & A. M., in which he still holds mem-
bership. He then took the degrees of
Marked Master, Past Master, Most Excel-
lent Master and Royal Arch Mason in Cor-
inthian Chapter^ No. 69, and on the 28th of
May, 1890, he was created a Knight Tem-
plar in Apollo Commandery, No. i. He
has also taken the Scottish Rite degrees,
his name being enrolled among the Sublime
Princes of the Royal Secret of Oriental
Consistory on the 22d of November, 1888.
In 1889 he joined Medinah Temple of the
102
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He has not sought office in
the fraternity, his business interests being
too extensive to allow of work in that line,
but he thoroughly understands the princi-
ples upon which the society rests and is
true to the teachings of universal brother-
hood and mutual helpfulness.
On the 1 8th of August, 1861, in the
metropolis of the west, Christian J. Wolff
first opened his eyes to the light of day,
being a representative of one of the old
families of the city. He acquired his ele-
mentary education in Chicago, pursued his
collegiate course in Racine College, of Wis-
consin, and was fitted for a business career
by study in a polytechnic institute of Han-
over, Germany. His instruction was most
thorough and comprehensive, and he re-
turned home to engage in business with his
father, one of the most extensive manu-
facturers of plumbing supplies in the coun-
try and the head of a house whose reputa-
tion is as irreproachable as it is wide. The
son mastered the business in all its details
and more important trusts were committed
to his care from time to time until he now
occupies the responsible position of manager
of the factory which is situated on Hoyne
and Carroll avenues.
Mr. Wolff was married in 1883, the lady
of his choice being Miss Hattie Rossow, a
native of Chicago. Their family numbers
four children. He is a man of unquestioned
integrity in business, of sterling worth and
a worthy follower of the Masonic order.
The residence of Mr. Wolff is at 831 Mon-
roe street.
RNOLD HENN is a Knight Templar
^4L and thirty-second-degree Mason. The
fact of his connection with the various
branches of the fraternity indicates his faith-
ful observance of its teachings and his fidel-
ity to its vows, and by his brethren of the
order he is highly regarded as a man and as
a Mason. In Keystone Lodge, No. 639, he
was received as an Entered Apprentice,
passed the Fellow-craft degree and was
raised to the sublime degree of a Master
Mason. In Englewood Chapter, No. 179,
he was advanced as Mark Master, installed
as Past Master, received as Most Excellent
Master and exalted to the august degree of
a Royal Arch Mason. He took the degrees
of the Red Cross, Knight Templar and
Knight of Malta in Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, and in Oriental Consistory attained
the thirty-second degree of the Scottish
Rite and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret. He is also a Noble of
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership being in Medinah
Temple.
From Germany, which has furnished to
America so many of her best citizens, comes
Mr. Henn, who was born in the fatherland,
on the 7th of December, 1848. He at-
tended the common schools of Rhine, Ba-
varia, and made his home there until
eighteen years of age. He learned the
milling business in his youth and followed
that pursuit until 1869, when he crossed the
Atlantic to the new world and took up his
residence in Utica, N. Y. , where he made
his home until 1882, the year of his arrival
in Chicago. Here he engaged in business
as a barber and in 1891 he organized the
Henn & Gabler Brewing Company, of which
he has since been president. He built the
large brewing plant and has successfully
managed the affairs of the company so as to
secure a handsome income. His success is
remarkable. All that he has and all that he
is he has achieved with the initial capital of
a good head, a willing disposition and habits
of industry. He knew what ' ' limited cir-
cumstances" meant, and he went out into
the great world to push his way through the
crowding, tramping, selfish life that sur-
rounded him; but with the dauntless pluck
that has served him so well through life he
pushed forward through all discouragement
and obstacles and has won a notable triumph.
Mr. Henn was married in 1878 to Miss
Helen D. Michel. He is a man of genial,
courteous manner and cordial disposition,
and in all circles, social, political or busi-
ness, has won the regard of many friends.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF IL' \
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
105
COL. DANIEL F. HITT, of Ottawa, is
one of the pioneers of Freemasonry in
Illinois. For sixty-one years he has been a
representative of the order and has faithfully
and loyally lived up to its honorable teach-
ings. From the shadowy and distant past
there come to us many voices bearing im-
partial and truthful testimony concerning
the noble deeds performed and the magnifi-
cent plans originated by the ancient order.
Wherever in the world the tyranny of kings
and ruling classes has oppressed mankind,
wherever the hydra-headed monster of sup-
erstition, intolerance and bigotry have
shackled the souls and minds of men, Ma-
sonry has exerted its silent but mighty power
in the cause of liberty and light, and has
hastened the dawn of that better age into
which we are now entering, wherein the
soul and mind of man is at last becoming
truly free. It is this fraternity, with its en-
nobling principles, which has elicited the
support of so many of America's best citi-
zens. In his early manhood Col. Hitt
joined the ranks of its followers and has
since loyally stood by its banners, while in
his life he has exemplified its teachings. He
took the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft and Master Mason in the blue
lodge of Ottawa, when it was under dispen-
sation and before the state ever had a grand
lodge. He has seen the marvelous growth
of the fraternity in Illinois, and deserves
honorable mention as one of the pioneers
of Masonry who planted the society on the
soil of this great commonwealth. He be-
came a Royal Arch Mason in Alexandria,
joining the same chapter of which General
Washington and Marquis de La Fayette had
formerly been members. He took the de-
grees of chivalric Masonry in Ottawa Com-
mandery, No. 10, Knights Templar, but is
now dimitted.and in the Oriental Consistory
of Chicago he attained the thirty-second de-
gree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite, whereupon he was proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret. He has
never cared for official preferment in the
different branches of the order, but has
always been actively interested in the work
and progress and the inculcation of its be-
liefs and teachings among men. Charity,
which forms one of the basic elements of
the society, has been carried out in his daily
conduct among his fellow men. He is ever
ready to extend the helping hand to a de-
serving brother and has been generous in his
contributions to different lodges who were
erecting Masonic buildings.
Colonel Hitt was born in Bourbon county,
Kentucky, on the I3th of June, 1810, and
was a son of Rev. Martin and Margaret
(Smith) Hitt. His father was born in Vir-
ginia, December 29, 1763, was married on
the 2d of February, 1794, and in 1796 re-
moved to Kentucky. He was a minister of
the Methodist church, but devoted the lat-
ter part of his life to agricultural pursuits.
He owned almost a hundred slaves, but,
believing it wrong for human beings to be
held in bondage, he liberated them, and in
1814 removed to Urbana, Ohio, in order to
bring up his family away from the baneful
influences of that institution. He died in
Urbana, in February, 1832, and his widow
survived him until December, 1836. They
had nine children, namely: Elizabeth; Rev.
Thomas S. and Sarah, twins; Samuel M.,
who with his brother Thomas S. founded
Mount Morris Seminary; Dr. Willis W. ;
John W. ; Caleb, who died of wounds re-
ceived while defending his country during
the Civil war; Maria, wife of Rev. Aaron
Wood; and Daniel F.
After a thorough preliminary training
Colonel Hitt completed his Jiterary educa-
tion in Oxford, Ohio, and in 1829 he began
the study of civil engineering. The follow-
ing year he came to Illinois and was ap-
pointed by the government to the position
of assistant engineer of the Illinois & Mich-
igan canal, and thus aided in the promotion
of what has been one of the most potent
agencies of development and progress in the
history of the state. He was in the gov-
ernment employ as surveyor about sixteen
and a half years altogether. Northern Illi-
nois was still a pioneer region when he came
here, and the history of his experiences, if
written out in full, would form a thrilling
106
COMPENDIUM OF PREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
story, embracing many encounters with the
Indians. At the time of the Black Hawk
war he was engaged in drilling at Prairie du
Chien, but laid aside his business cares to
enter the service and for about a year was
attached to Stephenson's Rangers, engaged
in the arduous and uncertain warfare with
the red men. He then resumed surveying
and was the first surveyor elected (another
had previously served by appointment) in
La Salle county, and served many terms
thereafter. There is probably no man in
all the county more conversant with the ter-
ritory that lies within its borders than he,
although he has some years since laid aside
the cares of his chosen calling. The his-
tory of the county's development is also to
him a familiar story. His official duties led
him to know more of the progress and im-
provement that was carried on in the coun-
ty than any other one man.
Again his civic duties were interrupted
by military service, when at the country's
call for troops he joined the Union army.
When the misguided south attempted to
trail the flag of the nation in the dust and
to overthrow the national government he
"donned the blue " and in August, 1861,
although exempted from duty by his age, he,
in company with Colonel Cushman, recruited
the Fifty-third Illinois Infantry. Septem-
ber 23 following he was commissioned lieu-
tenant-colonel. In February, 1862, he
started with his command for the south, and
participated in the battles of Shiloh, Gravel
Ridge, the Russell House, Corinth and La-
Grange. At Shiloh he had command of the
regiment and did effective service. He was
promoted colonel September 3, 1862. At
the battle of LaGrange he was injured by
being thrown from his horse and was obliged
to resign, January 2, 1863. In early life he
was a Democrat, but at the time of the war
severed his connection with that party.
In 1848 Colonel Hitt was united in mar-
riage to Miss Phoebe Smith, a native of
Pennsylvania. They had six children, three
of whom are living. Colonel Hitt is a tall
man, of slender stature, his white hair giv-
ing him a venerable though not an aged ap-
pearance. In fact few would believe that
one of so much energy as he possesses has
already reached the advanced age of eighty-
seven years. His life covers the period of
the development of the west, and high on
the roll of Illinois pioneers and patriots is
found the name of Colonel D. F. Hitt.
JOHN W. HENNEY.— Success 'in any line
of occupation, in any avenue of business,
is not a matter of spontaneity, but is the
legitimate offspring of subjective effort in
the proper utilization of the means at hand,
the improvement of opportunity and the ex-
ercise of the highest functions made pos-
sible by the specific ability in any case. In
view of this condition the study of biog-
raphy becomes valuable and its lessons of
practical use. To trace the history of a
successful life must ever prove a profitable
and satisfying indulgence, for the history of
the individual is the history of the nation,
the history of the nation that of the world.
The subject of this review is a man to
whom has not been denied a full measure
of success, who stands distinctively as one
of the representative citizens of Freeport.
Mr. Henney is conspicuously identified with
a line of business that has had a marked
bearing upon the material prosperity of this
community, while at the same time he has
won for himself an ample fortune that is a
merited reward of his labors, and his
acumen and discrimination in the conduct
of extensive operations have given him
prestige as a financier and practical man of
affairs. He is the founder of the Henney
Buggy Works, of Freeport, — an industry
that in the extent of its scope and operation
equals many similar enterprises to be found
in the metropolises of this country, while
its fame extends to the old world.
The founder of this institution is a na-
tive of Center county, Pennsylvania, born
September 23, 1842, of German ancestry,
who were early settlers of that state. His
father, Jacob Henney, was there born and
after arriving at years of maturity married
Miss Lydia Marks, a native of the Keystone
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
107
state. She lived to be seventy-six years of
age, and the father still survives, being now
( 1 896) in the eighty-second year of his age.
His business was that of a carriage-maker.
His only son is the subject of this review.
In 1 848 the father brought his family to the
west, but after a time returned to Pennsyl-
vania, where he remained until 1854, when
he once more came to the Mississippi val-
ley. He was in rather limited circum-
stances, and was therefore unable to pro-
vide his children with educational facilities.
Under difficult circumstances our subject
acquired his education, but he was ambi-
tious to learn and availed himself of every
opportunity to accomplish this end. When
seventeen years of age he served as janitor
in a private school to pay for his tuition.
When a mere lad he began work in a car-
riage factory where his father was employed.
At that time almost all parts of a carriage
were made in one shop, the work being
done by hand. Mr. Henney has kept pace
with the wonderful progress that has been
made in this industry, — in fact, has been in
the lead in the wonderful advancement that
has been accomplished in the last quarter
of a century. In the early "6os he worked
in a large manufactory in Chicago, then one
of the most extensive in the west, and after
the war was employed for a number of years
in Kansas City by W. W. Wiley. At length,
with two others, he bought out his employer.
Returning to Cedarville some time after
this, Mr. Henney was there united in mar-
riage with Miss Agnes Bennethum, in 1868.
She persuaded him not to return to Kansas
City, and he accordingly established a busi-
ness on a small scale in Cedarville. This
was the origin of the present mammoth es-
tablishment in Freeport. The business
steadily increased, patronage came from a
greater territory, and in 1880 the business
was removed to Freeport, while in 1882 the
Henney Buggy Company was organized and
incorporated. In 1876, while at Cedarville,
his brother-in-law, O. P. Wright, learned
the business, and at the time of the incor-
poration became a partner, as did D. C.
Stover. They met with eminent success,
and from time to time were obliged to en-
large their works, until now their brick fac-
tory has a frontage on Chicago street of two
hundred and twenty-five feet, on Jackson
street of one hundred and eight feet, and on
Spring street of one hundred and twenty
feet. The larger portion of this building is
five stories in height, and besides this vari-
ous other buildings are utilized by different
departments of the works. The capacity is
now eight thousand vehicles per year, and
employment is furnished to three hundred
workmen. Among the employees a fine
band has been organized, of twenty pieces.
The trade of the Henney Buggy Company
extends to every state in the Union, and
they export to South Africa and Australia.
They have also made several sales to the
nobility of England, and Lord Lonsdale had
one of their buggies, in which he drove a
celebrated road race of twenty miles. All
styles of buggies, carriages, phaetons and
the more fancy vehicles are here manu-
factured, ranging in price from the lowest
to the highest made, thus meeting all tastes
and requirements; and the business of the
concern has become one of the leading in-
dustries in this section of the state and has
been an important factor in the upbuilding
of Freeport and the promotion of her com-
mercial activity. Mr. Henney, who has
been the spirit of inspiration in the enter-
prise, is also interested in various other
business concerns which have resulted in
the material welfare of the community as
well as promoting individual prosperity.
He aided in the organization of the German
Bank, and is one of its stockholders and
directors.
Mr. and Mrs. Henney have three chil-
dren, namely: Mamie E., Ina and John
W. They have a beautiful and pleasant
home in Freeport, which is the center of a
cultured society circle, and the number of
their friends is large.
In his political affiliations Mr. Henney
is a Democrat, but has always declined
political honors. He was made a Mason in
1876, and is now a member of the Com-
mandery. In the fraternity, as in all other
108
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
walks of life, his sterling worth has won him
the high regard of his brethren. His busi-
ness career has been characterized by extreme
fairness in all things. He is ever just to his
employees, considerate of their welfare, and
is ever prompt to reward faithful service
by promotion as opportunity offers. He
therefore receives from them a devotion to
their labor that is satisfactory to all. His
own career is an example of what can be
accomplished by fidelity to duty, by persist-
ent effort and courage, and to-day he stands
as one of the leading representatives of a
most important industrial calling.
HON. THOMAS- JEFFERSON HEN-
DERSON, one of the prominent citi-
zens of Illinois whose services in both mili-
tary and civil affairs have made him honored
in this state and throughout the Union, is a
follower of Masonry and exemplifies in his
life the noble spirit of the fraternity which
recognizes the truth of universal brother-
hood, which admits of no rank except the
priority of merit and has no aristocracy save
the nobility of virtue. It has taught man-
kind what man should be to man and has
promulgated the principles of mutual en-
couragement, forbearance, and helpfulness.
General Henderson took the three degrees
of the blue lodge in Toulon, Stark county,
Illinois, as early as 1850, and thereby be-
came a Master Mason of Toulon Lodge, No.
93. Interested in the work of the order he
was active in its promotion and was honored
by his fellow members of the craft with
various official preferments. For a num-
ber of years he served as its Worshipful
Master and was its representative in the
Grand Lodge of the state. Enthusiastic
and faithful in support of the cardinal prin-
ciples of the fraternity and anxious to ex-
tend the noble influence of the order, he
was dimitted from Toulon Lodge to become
one of the organizers of Princeton Lodge,
No. 587, F. & A. M. , of which he is a char-
ter member. He served as Worshipful
Master of this body also, and was an active
member in promoting its growth until the
time of his election to congress. He still
affiliates with the lodge and finds great en-
joyment in meeting with the brethren when
in Princeton. He took the degrees of Mark
Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Mas-
ter in Princeton Chapter, No. 28, and there-
in was exalted to the august degree of a
Royal Arch Mason on the 7th of April, 1 868.
He was made a Royal and Select Master in
Orion Council, No. 8, on the 2d of May,
1874, and became a Sir Knight in Temple
Commandery, No. 2O, on the 1st of Octo-
ber, 1877. Mr. Henderson has also taken
the Scottish Rite degrees and became a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Prince-
ton; but it seems there was some irregular-
ity in conferring the degrees at Princeton.
He was, however, with others, allowed to
place his membership in Oriental Consistory
of Chicago, but has since dimitted.
General Henderson was born in Browns-
ville, Haywood county, Tennessee, on the
2Qth of November, 1824, and is descended
from an old Virginia family. His great-
grandfather, William Henderson, was born
in Hanover county, Virginia, and his grand-
father, John Henderson, was also a native
of the same locality. The latter moved to
Kentucky, where occurred the birth of Will-
iam H. Henderson, the father of the Gen-
eral, who, on arriving at years of maturity,
married Miss Lucinda Wimberly, of Dover,
Tennessee, and after her death he was
united to Miss Sarah M. Howard, a native
of North Carolina, and a daughter of Ed-
mund Howard, of Haywood county, Ten-
nessee. At an early epoch in their history
the Henderson family were connected with
the Presbyterian church, but afterward be-
came allied with the Methodist church.
William H. Henderson removed from Ten-
nessee to Illinois, thence to Iowa, and back
to Illinois in 1836, and locating in Putnam,
now Stark, county, where he became a
prominent and influential citizen. He was
twice representative of his district in the leg-
islature, and was active in all that pertained
to the well-being and advancement of his
section. He was twice married and by the
first union had three children — Mary Ann,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
109
John W. and William T., the sons now
living. By his marriage to the mother of
the General he had six children, four of
whom survive. In 1845 he again removed
his family to Iowa, where his last days were
spent. He departed this life at Marshall-
town, Iowa, at the age of seventy-one years,
in January, 1 864. He was also a Master
Mason. His wife died in her seventy-fourth
year.
General Henderson, the eldest child of
the second marriage, was a lad of eleven
years when he came to Illinois. He ob-
tained his first education in a log school-
house, and then attended the Brownsville
Male Academy in Tennessee, where he ac-
quired some knowledge of the Latin
language, before coming to this state. His
literary education was completed in the
university at Iowa City, which he attended
a portion of one year. He taught school
for a time, and in 1847 was elected clerk
of the county commissioners' court of Stark
county, Illinois. In 1852 he was admitted
to the bar, after which he successfully prac-
ticed his chosen profession until 1862,
when he was made colonel of the One
Hundred and Twelfth regiment of Illinois
Volunteers. He accepted the position
with reluctance, for he had had no military
training, but his zeal, fidelity and sound
judgment guided him aright and made him
one of the capable officers that Illinois sent
to the front. He went with his command
to Covington, Kentucky. From there they
were sent to guard a supply train to Big
Eagle, and thence to Lexington, where the
regiment remained for five months, during
which time they were constantly in dan-
ger of attack, and performed various duties.
Colonel Henderson was diligent in the per-
formance of his duty, and ordered his com-
mand with most satisfactory results. He
also established a military school, closely
studied war tactics, and drilled his regi-
ment until his men became competent and
reliable soldiers. Under the leadership of
its commander the regiment performed
heroic deeds and distinguished itself in the
service. Colonel Henderson participated
in the Atlanta campaign until, at the bat-
tle of Resaca, Georgia, on the I4th of May,
1864, he was seriously wounded by a gun-
shot received in the right thigh. After re-
covering from this, however, he rejoined
his regiment in front of Atlanta on the
27th of July, 1864, and was placed in com-
mand of the Third Brigade, Third Division,
Twenty-third Army Corps, which he com-
manded until the close of the war. After
the occupation of Atlanta, his brigade en-
gaged in the pursuit of Hood's army, which
had recrossed the Chattahooche river, and
when General Sherman started to Savannah
on his march to the sea his brigade was left
with his corps to look after Hood's move-
ments and to defend Nashville. He was
engaged at Columbia, Tennessee, and at
Franklin and Nashville, and for his services
in these campaigns, and especially at the
battle of Franklin, he was mentioned in
the reports of his superior officers, and for
his gallantry was brevetted a brigadier-gen-
eral. After the battle of Nashville he went
with his corps to North Carolina, where he
closed his military service.
After returning to his home in Toulon,
he removed his family to Princeton, Illi-
nois, and formed a law partnership with
Joseph I. Taylor, of that city, in March,
1867, and practiced there for about four
years, at the end of that time, being ap-
pointed internal revenue collector, the
partnership was dissolved. He then formed
a partnership with Judge Trimble and Mr.
Butler under the firm name of Trimble,
Henderson & Butler, and the firm of
Henderson & Trimble is still prominent in
the law circles of Princeton.
General Henderson became a Republican
on the organization of the party — in fact,
was one of its founders in Illinois. He was
elected to the state legislature as a member
of the house in 1854, and in 1856 was
elected to the senate. In the first Repub-
lican state convention he was a member of
the committee on resolutions, and helped
to form the first Republican state platform.
This was in 1856. During all the cam-
paigns following he has been an active and
110
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
influential worker. In 1874 he was elected
to congress, and afterward, for nine con-
secutive terms, he was nominated for that
office by acclamation. For twenty con-
secutive years he has served in the house of
representatives, and even the tongue of
calumny has not dared to utter a word
against his political integrity. He is hon-
ored by his constituents and respected by
his opponents.
General Henderson was married May 29,
1849, to Miss Henrietta Butler, a native of
New York city, and a daughter of Captain
Henry Butler. The General and his wife
have four children: Gertrude R. , wife of
Charles J. Dunbar, of Princeton; Sarah
Ella, wife of Chester M. Durley, also of
Princeton; Mary L. , wife of John Farns-
worth, of Washington, D. C. ; and Thomas
B., at home. General Henderson and his
wife have a beautiful residence in Princeton,
standing in the midst of tasteful grounds,
and their personal worth has won to them
a large circle of warm friends.
)ANSOM HARRINGTON.— The ranks
JflL of Freemasonry in Illinois contain
many men of prominence, among them
being Captain Harrington, who is one of
the worthy blue-lodge brethren of Geneseo.
He was made a Master Mason in North Star
Lodge, of Lawrenceville, St. Lawrence
county, New York, in 1851, and served in
the south and west in his home lodge, from
which he was dimitted in 1856 to become a
member of Stewart Lodge, No. 92, with
which he has ever since been affiliated, and
enjoys the highest esteem of his brethren.
He has been a faithful, loyal Mason and
has demonstrated by his acts how well he
understands the tenets of the fraternity.
Captain Harrington was born in Hogans-
burg, Franklin county, New York, February
22, 1822, and is of English and Irish ances-
try. His grandfather, Sampson Harring-
ton, was a resident of Vermont and lived to
the advanced age of ninety-eight years.
Amaria B. Harrington, father of the Cap-
tain, was born in that state and was mar-
ried there to Miss Rebecca Manning, after
which he moved to Hogansburg, where he
was engaged in the coopering business. He
served as a soldier in the war of 1812. His
wife departed this life in 1842, when forty-
four years old, and two children — a daugh-
ter and the Captain — are all that survive.
The latter was educated in his native town,
where he remained until he was old enough,
when he enlisted in the United States Army
as a private at Fort Covington, and served
five years in Company K, Eighth Infantry.
The regiment was assigned to duty in Florida
and engaged in expeditions against the In-
dians under the command of General Worth,
who at that time held the rank of colonel.
In 1842 Captain Harrington returned to his
home in New York and purchased a farm in
Bombay township, to which he took his
father and two sisters, the latter remaining
with him until their marriage. In 1856 he
came to Illinois, accompanied by his father,
who lived with him until his death in 1858.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Harrington were exem-
plary members of the Methodist church.
Before coming to Illinois the Captain
was engaged in the hotel business at Maria,
Franklin county, New York, and was also the
agent for the Great Western Railroad. Up-
on locating in Geneseo he embarked in the
real-estate business, but shortly afterward
the war of the Rebellion broke out and he
was called upon to take up arms in the de-
fense of the Union.
In October, 1861, Captain Harrington
enlisted in Company B, Ninth Illinois Cav-
alry, and was elected to the rank of second
lieutenant, and seven days later was promo-
ted to the first-lieutenancy. The regiment
was assigned to duty, under Colonel A. G.
Bracket, at Fort Douglas, and remained at
that post until February 18, 1862, when it
was ordered to St. Louis and there took
part in its first battle, which was fought op-
posite Jackson Port, Arkansas. After the
lapse of six months the regiment was ordered
to Helena, on the Mississippi river, under
General Custer, participating in several en-
gagements en route. For nine months it
was quartered in that city, during which
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Ill
time three hundred of the men succumbed to
the ravages of disease. The regiment was
next sent to Memphis, Tennessee, where,
owing to an affliction of his eyes, Captain
Harrington was obliged to resign. He had
in the meantime been promoted to the rank
of captain, and left his company with many
feelings of regret. His training as a private
in the regular army had made of him a
brave soldier and an efficient officer, and his
service during the time he was in the Civil
war was very much to his credit.
After being honorably discharged at
Memphis in January, 1863, he returned to
his home in Illinois and until the close of
the war was in the provost-marshal depart-
ment as special agent of his district, which
consisted of several counties. Subsequent-
ly he again embarked in the real-estate busi-
ness, which he has continued to follow to
the present time. In this line he has been
most successful and has handled a large
amount of real estate, consisting of both
farm and city property, besides which he
has purchased lands in Iowa, Kansas, and
other states, and in Los Angeles, California.
The Captain has accumulated a comfortable
amount of this world's goods and has built
one of the finest houses in Geneseo, in which
he now resides, and, with his family, is glad
to entertain his many friends.
Captain Harrington was married to Miss
Martha Campbell, at Messina, New York,
February 22, 1845, his wife being a native
of Rockingham, Vermont, and a daughter
of H. A. Campbell, who came of Scotch an-
cestry. Five children have been born to
them, three of whom are living, namely :
Frank R. , now holding the position of post-
al clerk at Rock Island, having been em-
ployed by the government in that depart-
ment for eighteen years: he is a Sir Knight
Templar in Everts Commandery, No. 18,
of Rock Island; Henry G. is single and lives
at home; Frederick A. is married and re-
sides in Geneseo. Mrs. Harrington is a
highly esteemed member of the Congrega-
tional church. In his political affiliation
the Captain is a stanch Republican and cast
his first presidential vote for Henry Clay.
He is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, and is regarded as one of Gene-
seo's best citizens. His life record has been
a grand one and he is richly deserving of
the prosperity which after many honest
efforts he is at present enjoying.
WILLIAM S. HANCOCK.— It has
been most consistently said of Ma-
sonry that its influence is most purifying,
and that a good man is a better man if he
adds to his other qualities those of a true
Freemason. The distinguishing glory of
the order is its charity — a permeating char-
ity in thought, word and deed. In the great
metropolis of the west the time-honored
craft has enlisted the allegiance and affec-
tion of representative and honored men in
all branches of business; and among those
who have been signally zealous and faithful
members of the fraternity must be included
the subject of review — one of Chicago's en-
terprising and successful commission mer-
chants and a man who has so ordered his
life as to gain and retain the respect and
confidence of his fellow men.
Mr. Hancock's identification with Ma-
sonry has already covered a period of near-
ly a quarter of a century, his initiation as
an Entered Apprentice in Englewood Lodge,
No. 690, A. F. & A. M. , having taken place
in the year 1874, which also recorded his
advancement to the Fellow-craft and Mas-
ter Mason's degrees. He is a life member
of that lodge, in which he has served in
various capacities, including successive in-
cumbency as Junior and Senior Warden.
In the Centennial year, 1876, Mr. Hancock
was inducted into the capitular body of
Masonry, being exalted to the Royal Arch
in Englewood Chapter, No. 176, of which
he was one of the charter members, in which
he has served as Master of the Second and
Third Veil, and of which also he is a life
member. He was later greeted a Select
Master in Imperial Council, No. 85, R. &
S. M. , the first two degrees having been
conferred in Englewood Chapter. On the
9th of September, 18/9, he received the
112
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
chivalric grades and orders in Apollo Com-
mandery, No. i, Knights Templar. From
this commandery he secured a dimit and
became one of the charter members of
Englewood Commandery, No. 59, at the
time of its organization. In this command-
ery he served as one of the trustees of the
guards for one year under dispensation, and
for several years after the charter had been
secured also as Captain of the Guards: of
this order he is a life member. On the
23d of September, 1887, he was crowned a
Noble in Medinah Temple of the Mystic
Shrine. In the various Masonic bodies
with which he is identified Mr. Hancock has
taken a deep and commendable interest,
and he is distinctively popular in the fra-
ternity.
William S. Hancock is a native of the
Buckeye state, having been born at Oxford,
Butler county, Ohio, on the 2/th of April,
1836, the son of Henry Graves and Sarah
(Watson) Hancock. He received such edu-
cational advantages as were afforded by the
common schools; and as his father was a
farmer by occupation the boy became famil-
iar with the work and sturdy discipline in-
volved in agricultural operations. His
tastes and desires led him to seek a broader
field of endeavor, and, with due confidence
in his ability and with determination to make
success a logical result of well-directed ef-
fort, he came to Chicago in the year 1862,
and secured employment in a commis-
sion house, where, by energy and close ap-
plication, he soon mastered the details of
this important line of business. He has
ever since been connected with the commis-
sion trade in Chicago, and has gained a
pronounced prestige and that success for
which he strived. His son, William H., is
now associated with him in business, main-
taining his residence in Tuscola, Illinois,
where large amounts of produce are secured
and shipped to the Chicago headquarters
and to all parts of the east for distribution.
The enterprise is conducted with much dis-
crimination and upon correct business prin-
ciples, and its scope is such as to make it
representative in its class in the city.
Mr. Hancock is also an inventor, having
taken out letters patent on three valuable
labor-saving machines, but, like most in-
ventors, he lost control of his inventions
before realizing their true value.
The year 1861 witnessed the marriage
of Mr. Hancock to Miss Anna Bell, who
was born in Mimin county, Pennsylvania,
and whose death occurred on the 3d of June,
1887. They became the parents of three
children, namely: May, who is the wife of
William R. Burcky, of Chicago; William
H. and Charles A.
In political matters Mr. Hancock ren-
ders allegiance to the Democratic party and
its principles, and in religion his views are
those advanced by the Presbyterian church.
In addition to his affiliation with the Masonic
order, he is also prominently identified with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
WILLIAM WILSON GRANT, agent
for the Nickel Plate Fast Freight
Line, Peoria, Illinois, is a trusted employee
of this company, and a man whose many
excellent qualities of mind and heart make
him capable of appreciating the truths and
beauties as illustrated in Masonry, with
which he has for some years been identified.
He was made a Master Mason in Temple
Lodge, No. 46; a Royal Arch Mason in
Peoria Chapter, No. 7; and a Royal and
Select Master in Peoria Council, No. 1 1, in
all of which he still holds membership, and
in the first two named has served officially,
having filled the office of Master in Temple
Lodge, No. 46, in 1892-3, and Scribe in
Peoria Chapter, No. 7, in 1894-5; an^
while Master of the Peoria Lodge he repre-
sented it in the Grand Lodge of the state.
Mr. Grant is a native of Scotland and
was born in the parish of Auldern, Nairn-
shire, May 20, 1857. In 1866 he came
with other members of the family to this
country and settled in Tiskilwa, Bureau
county, Illinois, where he lived until 1875.
That year he came to Peoria and was em-
ployed by the Board of Trade as weigh-
master at one of the Peoria elevators. In
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
113
this position and in the grain business in
different capacities he was occupied for nine
years, or until 1884, when he accepted a
position as traveling freight agent for the
Lackawanna line, with which he remained
until 1892. Since 1892 he has filled his
present responsible position, that of resi-
dent agent for the Nickel Plate Fast Freight
Line, with headquarters in the Board of
Trade building.
Mr. Grant was married December 3 1 ,
1893, to Miss Mattie E. Correll, of Peoria,
and they have two children, — Janette and
Martha Irene.
Business duties have occupied almost
the whole of Mr. Grant's attention, and he
has had little time to devote to politics or
public matters; nor has he ever had aspira-
tions in this line. He has, however, always
shown a commendable interest in local
affairs, and in 1894 served as a member of
the county Board of Supervisors.
He is a member of the Congregational
church.
H'
Jfli ACKEMANN, one of the most promi-
nent and progressive business men of north-
ern Illinois, has demonstrated the power of
industry and capable management in the
world of trade. In the great west many of
the inhabitants are of foreign birth. Those
who, attracted by finer institutions, larger
facilities and the superior advantages of
making a living, have come here intending
to find a new home in a new country.
These valuable additions to the native popu-
lation have by their industry, economy and
honest methods become essential factors in
the growth of this section of the country.
They furnish not only artisans but also en-
terprising merchants, manufacturers and
apt dealers upon our markets of trade and
have proved themselves useful, influential
and substantial citizens. To this class be-
longs Mr. Ackemann.
Not only has he been an active factor in
the business life of the town, but has also
been an exemplary member of the fraternity
which had its origin in the misty, remote
regions of the past and to-day is still a
potent factor in the civilization of the race.
On the 2d of July, 1891, he joined Monitor
Lodge, No. 522, A. F. & A. M., as an En-
tered Apprentice, passed the Fellow-craft
degree on the gth of July, and on the 2 5th
of August was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason. Having learned the les-
sons of ancient-craft Masonry he began the
study of the beautiful and impressive legends
of the past in capitular Masonry, as a Mark
Master of Elgin Chapter, on the 29th of
December, on which date he also received
the degrees of Past Master and Most Excel-
lent Master. On the 5th of January, 1892,
he was exalted to the august degree of a
Royal Arch Mason. In chivalric Masonry
he took the grades and orders in Bethel
Commandery, No. 36, of Elgin, becoming
a Knight of the Red Cross, July 13, 1892,
and of the Temple on the 2/th of the same
114
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
month. He received the ineffable degrees
of the Lodge of Perfection in Oriental Con-
sistory in the June class of 1893, and be-
came a charter member of Bethel Chapter,
Order of the Eastern Star, instituted Feb-
ruary 23, 1895. His /seal and loyalty to the
ethics and teachings of Masonry make him
one of the valued members of the craft, and
as such he certainly deserves mention in
this volume, whose province is the perpetu-
ating, by written record, of the history of
Freemasonry in Illinois, and the lives of
those who have made the order strong and
influential in society circles here. Mr. Acke-
mann is also affiliated with the Knights of
the Globe and the Royal League, and was
formerly a member of the Knights of Pythias
fraternity, from which he dimitted because
his business interests made it impossible for
him to attend the meetings.
Widely and favorably known in business
and Masonic circles, the life record of Mr.
Ackemann cannot fail to prove of interest to
many of our readers. • The youngest son of
Henry and Wilhelmine (Walbaum) Acke-
mann, he was born on the 2d of February,
1869, in Winzlar, in the province of Han-
over, Germany, where his boyhood days
were passed. In accord with the expressed
desire of his parents that he should become a
" postbeamter, " he entered school at Preus-
sisch Oldendorf, to prepare for the duties
of postmaster, and after passing the required
examinations was admitted to the govern-
ment service as " postgehillfe," at the age
of sixteen years. He also met all the re-
quirements in the examination in the school
of telegraphy at Minden, in Westphalia,
after which he held various positions, being
sent at different times to take charge of
offices during the absence of the regular
postmaster, positions which were usually
filled by officers much older than Mr. Acke-
mann, whose ability, however, secured him
the appointments.
In 1872 his brother, W. D. Ackemann,
came to America, where, some years previ-
ous, members of the family — his uncle and
aunts — had established homes. Later,
through the persuasion of their brothers, A.
W. and C. F. Ackemann, and their sister,
Minnie, now the wife of L. H. Bauer, of
Elgin, also crossed the ocean to the United
States. In 1878 the eldest brother of the
family, H. F. Ackemann, visited this land,
but after eleven months returned to Ger-
many. At different times the parents came,
making their last visit in 1888, for the next
time they crossed the water to America it
was for the purpose of passing their remain-
ing days here. They, however, returned
to the fatherland and in 1891 their eldest
son came for a visit to his relatives here.
Deciding to remain, he sent for his family,
who came accompanied by his parents, and
thus Henry Ackemann and his wife were
once more able to gather around them in a
family reunion all of their children, — a pleas-
ure which they had not been able to enjoy
for twenty years.
Learning from his parents of the unlimit-
ed opportunities that one might enjoy here,
Fred H. Ackemann, of this review, resolved
not to settle permanently in Germany until
he had first visited this glorious republic and
investigated the chances of success here.
Accordingly, on the 27th of October, 1887,
in company with his youngest sister, Lena,
and her husband, W. F. Bultmann, he
sailed from Bremen on the North German
Lloyd steamer, Eider. Before the expira-
tion of a year he had become convinced that
America was the country where each indi-
vidual is the master of his own destiny,
where equal rights are accorded to all and
where everybody has an opportunity to
make the most of his ability and realize his
ambition. Determined to win success if it
could be accomplished by honorable effort
and unflagging industry, he accepted the
position of errand boy in the dry-goods store
of his brother, W. D. Ackemann, receiving
in return for his services five dollars per
month and his board. For three months he
was employed in that way, after which he
was offered a position in the office of Hon.
William Grote, late mayor of Elgin and an
old friend of the Ackemann family. He
accepted the offer, believing that it would
afford him better opportunity to rise in the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
115
business world and at the same time yield
him a better salary for the present. His
wages for the first year were thirty-five dol-
lars per month, and as he did not have to
report for duty until eight o'clock he made
an additional ten dollars per month by
sweeping and dusting his brother's store be-
fore going to his regular work.
One of the important elements in the
success of Mr. Ackemann is the quickness
with which he notes and utilizes an advan-
tage that comes in his way. He had been
in Mr. Grote's office but a short time when
he saw that money could be made out of
real-estate investments, and induced his of-
fice associate, C. H. Eno, to join him in the
purchase of a lot on the monthly install-
ment plan. Accordingly they bought a lot
of Mr. Grote for four hundred and fifty dol-
lars, to be paid for at the rate of forty dol-
lars per month. After five months they
sold this lot for six hundred dollars. In
this transaction Mr. Ackemann followed the
motto which he has always made his rule in
business transactions, — "quick sales and
small profits." He next invested in three
lots, making monthly payments as before,
and in three months had disposed of these
lots at an advance of one hundred and
twenty-five dollars each. Mr. Ackemann
and Mr. Eno continued their real-estate
operations in this way for about eighteen
months, when they dissolved partnership,
each having cleared about one thousand
dollars. Mr. Ackemann then continued his
real-estate dealing alone and thereby added
a handsome sum to his salary, which in the
meantime had been increased to one hun-
dred and fifty dollars per month.
In the spring of 1893 Mr. Ackemann
joined his brother, H. F. Ackemann, in the
purchase of a lot forty-four by one hundred
and thirty-two feet in the heart of Elgin,
and during the year following erected there-
on one of the largest stores in the city. In
the spring of 1895 they opened in their re-
cently completed building the largest de-
partment store in the county, known as
"The Big Store." They have over twenty-
five thousand square feet of floor space and
have a most thoroughly equipped and finely-
stocked store, which would do credit to a
city many times the size of Elgin. Suc-
cess has attended this enterprise from the
beginning and the trade is now extensive
and lucrative. Our subject is not only a half
owner in the fine business block, but is also
interested in the ownership of the stock.
He is also a stockholder in the Home Sav-
ings Bank and the Elgin Improvement Com-
pany.
On the 6th of June, 1895, was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Ackemann and Miss
Christie Deuchler, a native of Dundee, Illi-
nois, and they have a daughter, born April
29, 1897, and named Stella Irene. They
own and occupy a beautiful home at No. 1 16
Porter avenue, and extend its cordial hospi-
tality to their many friends. Mr. Ackemann
is a man of broad, general culture and spends
some of his most pleasant hours in his
library, which contains some five hundred
volumes of well-selected works. He has
also added to his knowledge the culture
which only travel can bring. Familiar with
Germany as the land of his boyhood, he has
also traveled over America from the Atlan-
tic to the Pacific coast and from the lakes
to the gulf, visiting forty-three different states
of the Union during the nine years in which
he has made America his home. His political
support is given the Republican party and he
is proud to record that his first presidential
vote was cast for Major William McKinley,
the present executive of the nation. Mr.
and Mrs. Ackemanu attend worship at the
First church of the Evangelical Association,
to the erection of which in 1893 Mr. Acke-
mann donated $300. He is also secretary
and treasurer of the Sabbath-school.
Mr. Ackemann's business career is of ex-
ceptional interest and undoubtedly the future
holds in store for him still more brilliant
successes. While there are few phases in
the lives of self-made men of an emotional
or sensational character, there is yet a motive
power of energy, enterprise, continuity and
determination worthy of study; and often,
if we shall look for the secret of men's suc-
cess, we find it in their continuity in follow-
116
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
ing out a well-defined purpose, combined
with an unflagging industry. This is emi-
nently true of Fred H. Ackemann. He has
made an untarnished record and unspotted
reputation as a business man, upright, reli-
able and honorable. In all places and un-
der all circumstances he is loyal to truth,
honor and right, justly valuing his own self-
respect as infinitely more valuable than
wealth, fame or position. In those finer
traits of character which combine to form
that which we term friendship, which en-
dear and attach man to man in bonds which
nothing but the stains of dishonor can sever,
which triumph and shine best in the hour of
adversity — in these qualities he is royally
endowed.
WEYMOUTH HADLEY, a druggist in
business at Keithsburg, is the pres-
ent Worshipful Master of Robert Burns
Lodge, No. 113. He is one who under-
stands and appreciates the principles of
Freemasonry and admires its work, on ac-
count of its utility as well as its beauty,
sublimity and appropriateness. He was in-
itiated into the noble order at Wataga,
Knox county, Illinois, in Wataga Lodge,
No. 291, in March, 1867, and while resid-
ing there he held the office of Junior War-
den three terms and was also its Worshipful
Master a like period. Taking a dimit from
that lodge, he affiliated with Robert Burns
Lodge, No. 113, at Keithsburg, on his re-
moval to this city, the date of his affiliation
here being February 16, 1883; and in the
fraternity at this place he has been one of
the most active and faithful members. He
has been Treasurer of the lodge for fourteen
years, and he is now serving most accept-
ably and creditably as its Worshipful Mas-
ter. The Royal Arch degrees he received
in Galesburg Chapter, No. 46, in 1869,
but, obtaining a dimit from that chapter, he
is now a member of Illinois Chapter, No.
17, affiliating with it May 27, 1885. In this
branch he has been elected and served as
Royal Arch Captain, and has for eleven
years served continuously as its Treasurer.
He has the ritual of the order thoroughly in
his memory and heart, is a brother who ob-
serves the principles of the order closely
and enjoys the high esteem of the brethren.
Mr. Hadley is a native of the state of
Maine, born in Brownfield, Oxford county,
on the 8th of March, 1841, and is a de-
scendant of the Hadley who landed from the
Mayflower at Plymouth Rock in 1620. His
grandfather, Samuel Hadley, was a surgeon
in the war of 1812, came to Illinois in 1853
and died in 1 860, at the age of seventy-
three years. He was a practicing physician
all his life. His good wife died in her sev-
enty-eighth year.
Abel G. Hadley, son of the preceding,
was born in Canaan, New Hampshire,
March 23, 1813, and removed to Brown-
field, Maine, where he was married to Miss
Abigail Ricker, a native of that place; he
was a farmer by occupation. Coming to
Illinois in 1849, he improved a farm fora
time and then proceeded to Kansas, where
he passed the remainder of his life, dying
in the seventy-sixth year of his age; his
wife had died in her forty-sixth year. Both
were members of the Baptist church and
were good Christians.
Of their eight children, Mr. Hadley of
this sketch was the eldest, and is now the
only one surviving. He was educated in
the public schools of Knox county, Illinois,
but during the warmer portion of the
year he was employed on the farm of his
parental home. August 6, 1862, he en-
listed for the defense of his country, in
Company I, One Hundred and Second Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry, and under Gen-
eral Harrison participated in the Atlanta
campaign — from Chattanooga to the capture
of Atlanta, and then with thousands of
others made the memorable march with
Sherman to the sea. He was one of the
great army of victors in the grand review
at Washington, and he returned home with
the accoutrements with which he started
out. Notwithstanding he had many nar-
row escapes, his clothes having been shot
through, yet he never received the scratch
of a wound, as if he possessed a " charmed
life."
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
117
Returning to his home in June, 1865,
he engaged in the drug business at Wataga,
and continued in the trade there for seven-
teen years; then he came, in 1881, to
Keithsburg, where he has since continued
and prospered as one of Keithsburg's most
worthy and reliable business men and a
thorough pharmacist. His store he built
himself, as well as his residence.
In his political principles Mr. Hadley is
a Republican. Public office he has never
desired, but he has been township collector
of taxes in Mercer and Knox counties,
Illinois.
May 2, 1867, is the date of his marriage
to Miss Laura A. Shurtliff, a native of
Knox county and a daughter of William
Shurtliff, Esq., of that county. Mr. and
Mrs. Hadley have had five children, of
whom only three are now living, namely:
Jennie M., a music teacher; T. Grace, a
teacher in the Keithsburg public school;
and Edna M., who is attending school.
WILLIAM ALLEN GROVE, M. D.,
whose identity with the ancient or-
der of Freemasonry began nearly thirty
years ago, is one of the most prominent and
best informed Masons in the city of Galva.
On April 2, 1869, he became an Entered
Apprentice in Maquon Lodge, No. 530, re-
ceived the Fellow-craft degree February 9,
1873, and was dimitted from that body
upon his removal to Galva, where he became
affiliated with Galva Lodge, No. 243, and on
November 19, 1878, was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason. In 1879 the
Doctor was elected to the office of Junior
Warden, from 1891 to 1893 was its Wor-
shipful Master, and in 1894 held the chair
of Secretary. During his term of Worship-
ful Master he was a representative to the
Grand Lodge. His brethren give him credit
for being a most efficient worker, thoroughly
posted in all the details of the craft and
doing everything in his power for the ad-
vancement and welfare of the order. While
occupying the office of Master, the business
and finances of the lodge were brought up
to a very desirable condition, there being
but few brothers in arrears and a creditable
surplus in the treasury, all of which was
highly appreciated by his fellow Masons.
Dr. Grove has given considerable attention
to the society since the time he first became
a member, is well posted in blue-lodge lore,
and in his life has exemplified many of its
teachings.
Dr. Grove is a native of Ohio, having
been born in Hillsboro, Highland county,
December 26, 1840. He is of English
descent, his ancestor, William Grove, a
noted educator of his day, emigrating to
this country about the time of the birth of
George Washington, and he was for a time
the tutor of the boy who afterward became
the father of his country. The grandfather,
Thomas Grove, came to Ohio in 1799, and
settled in Hillsboro, where the Doctor's
father, James N. Grove, was born and
raised. The latter married Miss Elizabeth
Ferris, a native of Kentucky, and in 1858
moved to Illinois and located at Maquon,
where he was successfully engaged for a
long time as a merchant. He was an
honest, upright citizen, a devout member
of the Methodist church, and departed this
life in the seventy-eighth year of his age.
His father lived to be four-score and ten.
The Doctor was an only child, his mother
dying shortly after his birth. His education
was attained in the public schools of Hills-
boro, supplemented by a course in the
Miami Medical College, at which he was
graduated in 1866.
In 1863 the calls for volunteers to assist
in putting down the Rebellion became so im-
portunate that Dr. Grove decided to tender
his services in the defense of the Union,
and accordingly, in July, 1863, he enlisted
in Company F, Eighty-sixth Illinois Volun-
teer Infantry, which was attached to the
Army of the Cumberland. He was ap-
pointed to the position of chief clerk in the
general hospital at Nashville, Tennessee,
and on the 23d of May received his honor-
able discharge in that city, after which he
returned to Maquon and there followed his
profession for five years. For the past
118
COMPENDlUHr OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
twenty-one years he has been actively en-
gaged in practice at Galva, where by an up-
right life, close application,- and hard work
he has succeeded in building up a large and
desirable business. He is greatly attached
to his vocation, is conscientious and reli-
able, and possesses a kind and generous dis-
position. He is always ready to attend the
sick and suffering, starting out on his er-
rands of mercy in sunshine or storm, through
the brightness of day or the gloom of night,
never stopping to inquire as to the patient's
ability to recompense him for his services.
Such a life of self-sacrifice and noble im-
pulses is richly deserving of the admiration
and gratitude which he receives at the
hands of his fellow-citizens in Galva and
throughout the county.
Dr. Grove was married in 1873 to Miss
L. J. Jarnagin, and the union has been
blessed by two daughters, — Pearl J. and
Grance F. , — both of whom are bright, tal-
ented young ladies. The family are Meth-
odists in their religious faith, and have a
delightful home in one of the prettiest parts
of Galva.
In politics the Doctor was a lifelong
Democrat, until 1896, when he cast his vote
for Major McKinley and prosperity, and
says that although it was a new experience
to vote the Republican ticket he is confi-
dent he will never have cause to regret his
action. He is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, and of the Military
Tract Medical Society, since the organiza-
tion of which he has been a delegate to the
state society, and was also appointed a del-
egate to the national association. His rec-
ord as a physician, a citizen and a Mason
has been a most honorable one, of which he
may well be proud.
'ILLIAM HENRY GRIFFITH. —
/Mf The history of Freemasonry in Great
Britain, according to some writers, dates
only as far back as the seventeenth century,
while others claim that the Romans intro-
duced it when they followed up their victo-
ries over that nation and took possession of
the country. Be that as it may, the craft
has always held an important place in the
history of the British isles, and at times has
proved a power in politics. From Britain
it spread to the continent, to America and
to India; and there is scarcely a country in
the world which has not a number of lodges.
In the United States it is a most popular
institution, and our best citizens are found
enrolled among its members.
William Henry Griffith, a valued citizen
of Savanna and a worthy member of the
Masonic fraternity, was made a Master Ma-
son in Mississippi Lodge, No. 385, at Sa-
vanna, in 1885. He was entered Septem-
ber 15, 1883, passed October 20, and raised
November 15. He received the chapter
degrees in 1888, and was made a Sir Knight
soon after in Long Commandery, No. 60,
at Mount Carroll. In Freeport Valley Con-
sistory he received the consistory degrees
up to and including the thirty-second. He
is a " Shriner, " being a member of Medinah
Temple, at Chicago, and, with his wife and
two daughters, is a member of Ola Chap-
ter, Order of the Eastern Star, at Mount
Carroll, with which Mrs. Griffith and Miss
Jannetta became associated in 1893, and
Mr. Griffith and Miss Caroline in 1892.
They are all enthusiastic members and take
an active interest in all the affairs of the
lodge, in which they are held in high re-
gard.
Mr. Griffith was born in Montgomery-
shire, Wales, April 10, 1846, and was
brought to America by his parents when
seven years old. His ancestors for several
generations were residents of Montgomery-
shire, where his grandfather, George Grif-
fith, was born. His father was married
there, to Caroline Harper, and in 1854 they
emigrated to America, bringing with them
their five children — four sons and a daugh-
ter. They located first at Buffalo, New
York, where the father was engaged in the
hardware business. After remaining there
a while Mr. Griffith moved to St. Cathar-
ines, Canada, where he is now living, in good
health, at the age of seventy-four years.
Mr. Griffith received his early education
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
119
in Buffalo and at St. Catharines. Asayouth
he worked on a farm, then learned the black-
smith's trade, and later was employed on
lake and ocean vessels. He then accepted a
position in the shipyard of Miller Brothers,
of Chicago, where he acquired a knowledge
of engineering. He was in Chicago at the
time of the great fire of 1871, and was living
at the corner of Larrabee street and Chicago
avenue. His house was burned, but he suc-
ceeded in saving the greater part of his per-
sonal property. From Chicago Mr. Griffith
went to Morrison, Illinois, where he en-
gaged in the rendering business until 1881,
when he moved to Savanna and has contin-
ued successfully in the same business ever
since. He has an extensive trade in hides
and tallow and has erected an excellent
plant for the purpose of carrying on the
work.
In politics Mr. Griffith is a stanch Re-
publican and has always taken an active
part in the welfare of his city. He has the
honor of being four times elected to the
office of mayor, and is now serving his
fourth term in that office; and it has been
during his administration that the water-
works were constructed which furnish the
city with its splendid water supply. Mr.
Griffith was also active in securing the erec-
tion of an electric-light plant, which rescued
the city from darkness. In fact, he has been
active in every enterprise which had for its
object the growth and improvement of the
place. In 1891 he was elected sheriff of
the county, making an efficient and trust-
worthy officer.
September 29, 1868, Mr. Griffith was
united in matrimony with Miss Mary Clare,
of Chicago. Besides the two daughters
alluded to, they have three sons, — William
H. , George J. and David A. Two children
—Walter and Mary Josephine — died in in-
fancy. The family all attend St. Paul's
Episcopal church, of which Mr. Griffith was
one of the trustees when the church was
built, and has since served as one of the
vestrymen.
He has been an active Knight of Pyth-
ias, of both the subordinate and uniformed
ranks, and is Past Chancellor; and is one of
the old and valued members of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows. He joined Union
Lodge, No. 9, Chicago, twenty-three years
ago.
He and his family have a large circle of
friends, who are always made welcome at
their beautiful home in Savanna, which he
has built and in which he is most comforta-
bly domiciled.
JAMES H. GILBERT. —Throughout the
ranks of Masonry in Illinois this gentle-
man is widely and favorably known, and
his interest in the fraternity, his fidelity to
its teachings and principles and faithfulness
to the obligations it imposes, has made him
a valued member of the Craft. His identi-
fication with the order covers a period of
almost thirty years, he having been made a
Mason in King Solomon Lodge, of Toronto,
Canada, in 1867. The same year he was
exalted to the sublime degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in a chapter at Toronto.
Shortly afterward he came to Chicago and
transferred his membership to this city.
He now affiliates with Home Lodge, No.
508, A. F. & A. M., Chicago Chapter, No.
127, R. A. M., and Chevalier Bayard Com-
mandery, in which he was knighted in De-
cember, 1888. In the blue lodge he has
passed all the chairs, and has occupied the
position of Worshipful Master. He has at-
tained the thirty-second degree of the Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory and is a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine, his membership
being in Medinah Temple. He does all in
his power to advance the cause of Masonry,
that its principle may thus be inculcated
among men, cultivating that fraternal and
helpful spirit which will make the world
better and brighter.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Gil-
bert was born on the 3Oth of June, 1 844,
and is of New England ancestry, descended
from good old Revolutionary stock. His
remote ancestors, however, were English,
and the first of the name to seek a home in
America was Jonathan Gilbert, who was
120
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASON RT IN ILLINOIS.
probably from Devonshire, England, and
located in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1645,
becoming a leading citizen and extensive
land-owner of that place. The great-great-
grandfather of James H. was Nathaniel Gil-
bert, a native of Middletown, Connecticut,
where he made his home for many years.
In 1765 he was commissioned captain of the
militia, and in 1776 was a captain in Colonel
Sage's regiment, which was celebrated for
its valiant defense of New Haven. Benja-
min Gilbert, the grandfather, located in New
York in the latter part of the seventeenth
century, and was engaged in the purchase
of furs in the northern part of that state
and Canada as the representative of a lead-
ing fur company of New York city. Elisha
B. Gilbert, the father, engaged in the man-
ufacture and sale of furniture, and later in
the lumber business. He removed from
New York to Toronto at the age of twenty-
five, and was there united in marriage with
Jane Harris, a lady of Scotch-Irish lineage,
whose ancestors came from Belfast, Ireland,
to America. Elisha Gilbert died in 1887,
at the age of eighty-four, and his wife passed
away in 1880, at the age of seventy-three.
James H. Gilbert spent the days of his
boyhood and youth in his native land, and
after obtaining his elementary education in
private schools of Toronto continued his
studies in Upper Canada College and at the
Toronto University. Afterward turning his
attention to the study of law, he was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1865 and entered upon
the practice of his profession. He resided
in Toronto until the fall of 1867, when he
removed to Chicago and here opened a law
office. For several years he continued his
labors at the bar and also engaged in the
real-estate business, forming a partnership
with Robert C. Givens, which continued un-
til 1883. This covered a period of rapid
growth in the city and his careful manage-
ment of business interests, his enterprise
and well directed efforts, brought him suc-
cess. Of later years he has been connected
with a number of the leading financial con-
cerns of the city. He embarked in the
banking business in the summer of 1894 and
on the first of July was made president of
the Garden City Banking & Trust Com-
pany, a corporation with a capital stock of
five hundred thousand dollars. He is also
vice-president of the Pacific Building &
Loan Association.
His business ability is of a high order.
He has the mind to plan, the will to resolve
and the executive force to control extensive
enterprises, and his great energy, combined
with sound judgment and capable manage-
ment, enables him to carry forward to com-
pletion whatever he undertakes.
For many years Mr. Gilbert has been an
important factor in political circles in Chi-
cago. He. has always been a stanch Repub-
lican, warmly advocating the principles of
that party which stands for prosperity, pro-
tection of American interests and the ad-
vancement of the nation's progress and wel-
fare. He was elected a member of the city
council in 1876 at a time when the city
affairs were so badly and corruptly managed
that the people cried out for pure govern-
ment and needed reform. His known probity
of character and devotion to the right made
him the choice of his ward for the office,
and he proved a most efficient member of
the council, fully justifying the trust which
was reposed in him. During the two
months' absence of the mayor he was chosen
to temporarily fill that position, which he
filled with credit to himself and satisfaction
to the city. In 1886 he was elected clerk
of the criminal court, holding the office for
four years, and in 1 890 was elected to the
very important position of sheriff of Cook
county for a four-years term.
His course in every public position that
he has been called upon to fill is one that
has materially advanced the best interests
of the city. In this day, when dishonesty
and chicanery are too often seen in official
life, his own honorable, unblemished career,
over which there falls no shadow of wrong
or suspicion of evil, is one deserving of the
greatest credit, and certainly worthy of
emulation. The cause of his party and its
success lies close to his heart, but no man
says aught against his political methods,
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO!"
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
128
which are fair, just and straightforward.
He has been a member of nearly every
executive committee of his party in the
county and has twice served as chairman,
during which his managerial ability and
comprehensive grasp of the political situa-
tion enabled him to do most effective work
for Republicanism. In 1892 he was dele-
gate-at-large to the national Republican
convention at Minneapolis, and was the
representative from Illinois to notify Benja-
min Harrison of his nomination for the
presidency. He is now treasurer of the
Republican state central committee and
president of the Fourth Ward Republican
Club.
Mr. Gilbert is a valued member of the
Union League and Bankers' Clubs, the
Royal League, Royal Arcanum, Foresters,
the National Union, Hamilton Club, the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Sons of
the American Revolution and the Society of
Colonial Wars. His public career and
private life are alike above reproach. All
that is true and noble in the Masonic fra-
ternity finds expression in his every-day
life, and his name in its connection with
politics, business and society is the synonym
of honor.
On the 1 5th of June, 1870, was con-
summated the marriage of Mr. Gilbert and
Miss Ella K. Huntley, daughter of Silas
Huntley and a lady of high culture, whose
home is a favorite resort of a refined society
circle. They have two children — Helen R.
and Huntley H.
GEORGE DAY EDDY, one of the prom-
inent representatives of Masonry in
Chicago, and also one of the leading busi-
ness men of the city, was born in Buffalo,
New York, August 18, 1849, a son of R- M.
and Sarah M. (Quackenbush) Eddy. His
father died in 1884, but the mother is still
living, in Chicago. She is of Holland de-
scent.
In the schools of his native city our sub-
ject began his education, which was after-
ward supplemented by study in Bryant &
Stratton's Business College, and upon com-
ing to Chicago in 1865 he completed his
business course in this city. In 1866 he
entered upon the work to which he has since
devoted his energies, becoming an employee
in the foundry which his father had estab-
lished the year previous and which the latter
continued to operate until his life's labors
were ended. Since that time the business
has been incorporated under the name of
the R. M. Eddy Foundry Company, its of-
ficers being George D. Eddy, president;
Albert M. Eddy, secretary and treasurer.
Varied and extensive as are the commercial
and industrial interests of Chicago, the
works of the Eddy Company are among the
foremost in their line in the city, the able
management, enterprise and honorable deal-
ing of the house bringing the company a
large and constantly increasing trade. Their
specialty is heavy castings, and the plant is
located at Nos. 43 to 61 Indiana street,
where employment is furnished to from
eighty-five to one hundred skilled workmen.
Mr. Eddy's standing in business circles
is high, but it is equaled by the place he
holds in the honored body of Masonry. He
became a member of the fraternity in De-
cember, 1870, joining Kilwinning Lodge,
No. 311, F. & A. M., of which he was
made Master in 1877, at that time being the
youngest member who had ever held the
position. He joined Corinthian Chapter,
No. 69, R. A. M., in 1875, and St. Bernard
Commandery, K. T. , in April, 1882, acting
as Eminent Commander of the last-named
in 1893. He joined the Oriental Consistory
in 1890 and became a member of Medinah
Temple April 9, 1886. He is a Captain of
Arab Patrol, also Captain of Company B,
St. Bernard Commandery, Drill Corps, with
which he has been identified since its organ-
ization. He is a life member of the Ma-
sonic Orphans' Home, and the interest
which he takes in this and other branches
of the work shows that he is in hearty ac-
cord with the benevolent spirit which forms
one of the principles of this order.
In December, 1871, Mr. Eddy was united
in marriage to Miss Adeline Charbonneau,
124
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
who died in December, 1881, leaving one
son, George A. In 1884 he was again mar-
ried, his second union being with Miss Mary
V. Reiley, a native of Lake Geneva, Wis-
consin. They have two daughters, — Alice
Hazel and Harriet E.
1
RNST HUMMEL, one of the most
conspicuous figures in the public life
of Chicago, is now serving as city treasurer.
He has for many years been an important
factor in municipal affairs, and the faithful-
ness with which he has ever discharged his
public duties has won him the unqualified
commendation of all fair-minded citizens.
It logically follows that such a man would
prove a loyal and worthy member of the
Masonic fraternity, with which he has been
identified for more than twenty years. In
fact he has attained his Masonic majority,
having been initiated as an Entered Appren-
tice in 1876. His membership is with Key-
stone Lodge, No. 639, A. F. & A. M. , and
while he is not active in the work of the
lodge-room he is true to the principles of
the fraternity and is highly regarded by his
Masonic brethren.
His life record began in Germany, where
on the /th of April, 1842, he opened his
eyes to the light of day. For fourteen
years he remained in the Fatherland, and
on the 8th of May, 1856, crossed the At-
lantic to America. Here taking advantage
of the opportunities open to the ambitious
and energetic young man he has steadily
worked his way upward, winning success in
business and honor in politics. In his youth
he learned the brewing business, and has
since followed it as a source of livelihood.
He was employed by different companies
fora few years, during which time by his
industry and economy he acquired the cap-
ital which enabled him to embark in busi-
ness on his own account in 1881, as a mem-
ber of the firm of Brand & Hummel. Later
he became connected with the South Side
Brewing Company, and is now vice-president
of that corporation, doing a very extensive
and profitable business. He is a man of great
executive ability, foresight and enterprise,
and to him is due in no small measure the
success which has attended the South Side
Brewing Company during his connection
therewith.
His worth as a man, his loyalty as a
citizen and his ability to discharge accepta-
bly the duties of important official posi-
tion led to his election as assessor of the
north town in 1875. In 1885 he was elect-
ed to represent his district in the state leg-
islature and was an active member of that
body, laboring earnestly for the advance-
ment of the welfare of the commonwealth.
At the time Hyde Park was annexed to Chi-
cago he was elected to the city council for
a short term and on the expiration of the
period was re-elected. In 1896 he was
elected, on the Democratic ticket, city treas-
urer of Chicago, receiving the largest ma-
jority ever given a candidate for that office
in this metropolis. Mr. Hummel is not a
politician in the commonly accepted sense
of the term. He has never sought office,
but has been called to public life by a con-
stituency that recognizing his abilities have
desired his able services in the affairs of the
city. He has a broad knowledge of polit-
ical questions and is well informed on all
matters of general interest. In social as
well as business and political circles Mr.
Hummel is also widely known, for his char-
acteristics are those which everywhere com-
mand respect. His honesty and strong de-
termination in support of any and all meas-
ures which he believes to be right is most
marked, and as a man, a Mason and an offi-
cial he commands uniform respect.
Mr. Hummel was married in Chicago,
on the ist of June, 1865, to Miss Mary Al-
lemdinger, a native of this city. They now
have one son, Ernst F. , and a daughter,
Clara.
)OBERT ADAMS GARDNER, one of
JT3L Quincy's bright and popular dentists
and a diligent member of the fraternity, was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in Bodley Lodge, No. i, in 1890; was
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
125
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, on De-
cember 30, and served as its Master of the
Third Vail; was constituted a Sir Knight in
El Aska Commandery, No. 55, Knights
Templar, on April 9, 1891, holding the office
of Standard Bearer in that body; and at-
tained the Scottish Rite degrees in the Val-
ley of Quincy Consistory, S. P. R. S., up
to and including the thirty-second degree,
which was conferred March 3, 1891. He is
a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple, at Chicago.
Mr. Gardner was born in Battle Creek,
Michigan, September i, 1861, his family
being descendants of Scotch ancestors. His
common-school education was obtained in
Hannibal, Missouri, after which he moved
to Quincy. He entered the American Dental
College, at Chicago, in 1888, graduating at
that institution March 26, 1890. He then
returned to Quincy, where he has ever since
been most successfully engaged in the prac-
tice of his profession. He has a choice
suite of rooms in the Wells Block, furnished
in a tasteful manner and supplied with all
the latest improvements and electrical ap-
pliances, being thus enabled to turn out a
class of work that has proved eminently
satisfactory to his patrons. He is president
of the Quincy Dental Club, and is a stock-
holder in the Empire Theater Company.
The Doctor was married December 17,
1885, to Miss Mamie Oertle, the daughter
of Joseph Oertle, of Quincy. They have
two bright children — Robert William and
Helen. The Doctor and his wife are regu-
lar attendants of the Congregational church,
to which he is a liberal contributor.
In his political affiliations Dr. Gardner
is a stanch Republican. He is an enter-
prising, progressive gentleman, a conscien-
tious Mason, and one of Quincy's highly
respected citizens.
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Chicago Chapter. From this organization
he was afterward dimitted and became a
member of Delta Chapter, No. 191. He is
associated with the Royal & Select Masters
of Temple Council, and became one of the
charter members of Mizpah Lodge, No.
768, R. & S. M. He was Knighted in
Apollo Commandery and is an esteemed
member of the fraternity.
Mr. Hughson was born in Dutchess
county, New York, in 1841, and when
eighteen years of age went to New York
city, where he remained from 1859 until
1861. In April of the latter year he came
to Chicago and secured employment in the
old Sherman stock-yards. With the excep-
tion of one year he has been under the ju-
risdiction of one man for thirty-six years,
and is now filling a responsible position in
the shipping department at the Union
Stock-yards. His marked fidelity to duty
and his faithfulness to every matter com-
mitted to his care is demonstrated by his
long continued service, which is certainly
most creditable and satisfactory, both to the
employer and employee. During the Civil
war his labors were interrupted by his en-
listment in the Union service as a member
of the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illi-
nois Infantry.
On the 23d of November, 1864, Mr.
Hughson was united in marriage to Miss
Mary E. Flagler, who was born in Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, New York. Her
father was a veteran of the war of 1812.
Mr. Hughson was a member of the Citi-
zens' League of the town of Lake, served
as its secretary for several years and was
also president for one year. He is also a
member of Lincoln Post, No. 91, G. A. R.
IfARSHALL B. HUGHSON was made
OL a Mason in Home Lodge, of Chicago,
about 1876, and soon after was raised to
JOHN PUTNAM FOX, a prominent citi-
zen of Geneseo, is one of the reliable
members of the Masonic order. In 1872
he was made a Mason in Cambridge Lodge,
No. 49, of Cambridge, Illinois, but after-
ward was dimitted from that organization
and was elected a member of Stewart Lodge,
126
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
No. 92, F. & A. M. , of Geneseo, with which
he has since affiliated. He is an active and
capable worker in the order, is thoroughly
posted on the ritual, and shapes his life in
harmony with those principles which through
succeeding ages have aided in uplifting hu-
manity. The growth of Masonry in this
country has been most rapid and substan-
tial, and it is due to the fact that its doc-
trines are such as to commend it to men of
sterling worth. Its principles not only in-
culcate business honor, but produce a chiv-
alric devotion to all that is right and awaken
that broad charity which uplifts the fallen
and aids the needy.
Mr. Fox was born in Center Harbor,
Belknap county, New Hampshire, on the
5th of October, 1829, and is of English an-
cestry, being connected with the Worcester
and Chase families, two of the most promi-
nent and honored in the country. Chief
Justice Chase was also a representative of
the latter family. The grandfather of our
subject, John Fox, was one of the Revolu-
tionary heroes, and lived to the advanced
age of eighty-six years. His son, Leonard
Fox, father 'of our subject, was born in He-
bron, New Hampshire, in 1801, and mar-
ried Miss Clarissa Chase, a native of New
Hampton, New Hampshire. He was a
cooper by trade, and spent his entire life in
his native state, where he died at the age of
seventy-two years. In religious belief he
was a Universalist. His wife survived him
him until 1893, and passed away at the age
of eighty-seven. They had five children,
two of whom are living, and by a former
marriage the father had two children.
John P. Fox obtained his education in
the public schools of his native state and
began his business career as a salesman. In
1849 the discovery of gold in California
lured him to the Eldorado of the west, and,
making the ocean voyage around Cape Horn,
arrived at San Francisco in 1850. For six
and a half years he remained on the Pacific
slope, engaged in gold-digging, clerking and
in driving pack mules. Where is now the
populous portion of San Francisco he one
day encountered a wild grizzly bear. His
business ventures in the west proved suc-
cessful and about 1867 he returned to Illi-
nois, locating on a farm in Mason county,
where he resided for thirty-three years. In
1890 he laid aside all active business cares
connected with agriculture, rented his lands
and removed to Geneseo, where he erected
a pleasant home. He is the secretary of
the Geneseo Farmers' Insurance Company,
but is practically living a retired life in the
enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.
Mr. Fox was married in 1858 to Miss
Hannah O. Thomas, a native of Center
Harbor, New Hampshire, and they have one
son, George B. , now of Earlham, Iowa.
Mr. Fox and his wife have many warm
friends in Geneseo. He has been a Repub-
lican since the organization of the party,
and was one of nineteen who voted for John
C. Fremont at Mariposa, California. For
many years he was a popular township
officer, was one of the county supervisors
for a number of terms and for three years
was chairman of that board. In 1874 he
was elected to the legislature, and by re-
election served a second term, proving one
of the most active and valued members of
the house. He has done all in his power to
advance the cause of Republicanism, and
his services in the campaigns have been very
effective. His life has been an upright one,
characterized by sterling integrity and devo-
tion to duty, and in political, social and
business circles he has won the confidence
of all with whom he has been brought in
contact.
SMYTH CROOKS.— One who is promi-
) nently connected with the various
branches of Masonry in Chicago, and whose
devotion to and interest in the fraternity is
most marked, is the gentleman whose
name introduces this review. He became
connected with the order in 1892, having
been made -a Master Mason in Ashlar
Lodge, No. 308, F. & A. M. He was
raised to the Royal Arch degree in La-
fayette Chapter, No. 2, became connected
with the Royal and Select Masters of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
127
Palestine Council, No. 66, was knighted in
Apollo Commandery in 1892, belongs to
Oriental Consistory and is a member of
Medinah Temple, Order of the Mystic
Shrine. He has been honored with official
preferment, having served as Thrice Il-
lustrious Master of the Council for 1896,
while in the commandery he is now hold-
ing the position of Generalissimo. He is
an enthusiast in the work of the order, and
has strong faith in its power for good, for
its basic principles are those which foster
and develop the principles of honor, benevo-
lence, justice, democracy and brotherly
feeling, — qualities which never fail to awak-
en respect.
Mr. Crooks is a son of America by
adoption. He was born in county Derry
of the Emerald Isle, on the 28th,of Septem-
ber, 1849, and is a son of Alexander and
Sarah (Hartley) Crooks, who also were na-
tives of the same locality. His father died
during the early childhood of our subject,
who spent the first eight years of his life in
Ireland and then accompanied his mother
on her emigration to the New World. Mrs.
Crooks settled with her family in Kingston,
Canada, where, after leaving school, Smyth
entered upon his mercantile career as an
employee in a shoe house. Since that time
he has been connected with the trade, and
after several years spent in the service of
others in Canada he resolved to begin busi-
ness on his own account in the United
States. Accordingly he chose Chicago as
the scene of his labors, coming here Jan-
uary 3, 1868, for the rapidly developing
metropolis of the west seemed to furnish a
good opening. He therefore located in the
city and has since been connected with the
shoe trade, now doing business at No. 450
North Clark street. He has here a well
appointed store and is carrying a carefully
selected stock of goods to meet the
wants of all classes of patrons and has
met with good success in his undertaking,
having now a large trade, which he well
merits.
On the 24th of April, 1872, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Crooks and
Miss Susie Widdicombe. The lady was
born in St. John's, Newfoundland, and they
now have a family of nine children, namely:
Samuel George, Emily Adrian, Mary Jane,
Ethel Blanche, Smyth Hartley, Norman
Bartlett, Harry Cameron, Margaret Eliza-
beth and Harvey Foster. The eldest son
is a Master Mason. Mr. Crooks is a man
of many sterling qualities. He inspires one
with confidence, and the confidence re-
posed in him is not misplaced. He is
popular with a large circle of friends and is
a progressive citizen, while of the Masonic
fraternity he is a valued member.
CLARENCE GRIGGS is a prominent
and well-known attorney of Ottawa.
Law as a science —that is, as consisting of
certain principles well defined and universal-
ly admitted — has commanded the unquali-
fied admiration of all who have perceived
its excellence and importance in the con-
duct of human affairs. No language, how-
ever eloquent; no genius, however gifted;
no eulogy, however magnificent, — can trans-
cend the limits of truth in giving expression
to its value and beauty. Its clear recogni-
tion of the rights of man as an individual
and of his relations to the state and to his
fellow man, and of his duties and obliga-
tions as a member of organized society; its
imperative command that one so regulate
his own conduct that in using his own he
may not regulate others; the equal protec-
tion and opportunity extended those in every
rank and all conditions of life, — all these
combine to clothe with majesty and crown
with glory the principles of law. Juris-
prudence has through many centuries
claimed the attention of the brightest minds
of the world and is constantly adding to the
list of its representatives young men of abil-
ity, many of whom win success and honor-
able distinction in this chosen calling.
Among this number is Mr. Griggs, who
is now an able practitioner at the bar of Ot-
tawa. He was born in that city, on the 2d
of January, 1857, and having acquired his
elementary education in the public schools,
128
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
matriculated in the Michigan University, of
Ann Arbor, where he was graduated in the
literary department with the class of 1878.
Having made choice of the •practice of law
as a life work, he began reading in the of-
fice of Mayo & Widmer and in 1 88 1 was ad-
mitted to the bar. He sought not other
fields of labor, but opened his office in the
city of his nativity and by his merit and
ability has built up a good practice. He is
now the present county attorney and un-
doubtedly the future holds in store for him
still greater successes. He is very promi-
nent in political affairs, is an able defender
of the party faith and warmly advocates the
principles of reciprocity, protection and the
gold standard.
In 1883 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Griggs and Miss Lura Nash, daughter
of John F. Nash, one of the best known
Masons in the state and a prominent banker
of Ottawa. Mr. and Mrs. Griggs have one
daughter, Lura. The parents are mem-
bers of the Episcopal church and their home
is the center of a cultured society circle.
CHARLES G. STEFFEN.— Young men
in the past have often been deterred
from devoting themselves to a business life
because of the wide-spread impression that
such a life yields no opportunities for the
display of genius or for active participation
in those political contests which appeal so
strongly to the ambition of the young men
of our country. The time, however, has
gone by when, other things being equal, the
business man must play "second fiddle" to
the lawyer or the doctor, the minister or
the editor. In fact, as a rule, let the busi-
ness man be equally equipped by education
and natural endowment, and you will find
him to-day in every community exerting a
wider influence and wielding a greater power
than a man of equal capacity in any other
walk of life. The "men of affairs" have
come to be in a large degree the men upon
whom the country leans. The subject of
our sketch is pre-eminently a "man of
affairs. "
Mr. Steffen was born in Germany, March
21, 1842, was educated in his native land,
and in 1856, when fourteen years of age,
emigrated to the United States to make his
own way in the land of the free. He ar-
rived at Freeport a poor boy, ignorant of
the language arid customs of the country,
and began to earn his living ^»y cutting cord-
wood. A short time afterward he secured
employment in a bakery, and later engaged
in farming, but it was the period just before
the war, when crops were poor and prices
low. He raised only five bushels of wheat
to the acre and received for it only sixty-five
cents per bushel ! This led him to abandon
farming, and he accepted a clerkship in the
dry-goods store of William A. Stevens and
continued in that position for five years, to
the entire satisfaction of his employer, while
at the same time he acquired a good knowl-
edge of merchandising. In partnership with
A. Huenkemeier he opened a general mer-
chandise store and carried on a successful
business there until 1867, when he became
a member of the firm of Meyer & Steffen,
and under that name carried on business
until 1875, when he sold out and returned
on a visit to his native land.
When he again came to America Mr.
Steffen accepted a position as traveling
salesman for Farrington & Small, wholesale
grocers of Chicago, with whom he remained
until 1884, alter which he entered the em-
ploy of the well-known house of Sprague,
Warner & Company, with which he has
since continued, visiting the towns within a
radius of forty miles of Freeport in the in-
terests of the wholesale grocery with which
he is associated. By close attention to bus-
iness and his known integrity of character
he has won and holds a remunerative pat-
ronage, many of his customers having done
business with him for the past quarter of a
century. He is an energetic, untiring sales-
man and well deserves the success which
has attended his efforts. His means have
been invested in profitable enterprises and
he is now a stockholder in the Henry Buggy
Company and in two of the banks of Free-
port. He has also erected one of the nice
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
129
homes of the city and there resides with
his family.
In the year 1865 Mr. Steffen was hap-
pily married, the lady of his choice being
Miss Mary Cornelia Bengasser, a native of
Freeport and a daughter of Michael Ben-
gasser, a pioneer of this city. Ten children
have been born of this union, six of whom
are living, as follows: Frank E., now Mrs.
Hoebel; Mary Elenora, wife of Edward
Scanlon; Cornelia Augusta; Charles Fred-
erick; Clara Augusta and Albert Clemens.
Their pleasant home is noted for its hos-
pitality and the members of the family oc-
cupy an enviable position in social circles.
Mr. Steffen has been an active promoter
of the musical interests of Freeport. He
is himself a fine tenor singer and since
1871 has been a member of the Freeport
Saengerbund, a society in which he takes
great pleasure and interest and which has
been an important factor in cultivating and
developing the musical taste and talent of
the city. In politics he has always been a
Democrat and has served as assistant super-
visor of his township and as alderman of
the city. His Masonic history covers the
period from 1878 down to the present. In
that year he was made a Mason in Ever-
green Lodge, No. 197, of Freeport, and
has advanced steadily in the order until he
has attained the thirty-second degree. He
is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and
with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows he is also identified.
HENRY FREDERICK KORS, a promi-
nent and highly distinguished Sir Knight
residing in Virginia, who has shown an un-
usual amount of interest in the order for the
past twelve years, during which time he has
been a consistent and faithful member, was
initiated in Virginia Lodge, No. 544, on
January 29, 1885, passed, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason on
February 12, 1885. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason on
January 22, 1886, in Clark Chapter, No.
29, at Beardstown, Illinois, and received
the orders of Knighthood in Hospitaler Com-
mandery, No. 31, K. T., at Jacksonville,
Illinois, in 1891. In his home lodge Mr.
Kors has been one of the active and capable
workers, performing the duties assigned to
him with unusual ability, thereby winning
the high consideration of brethren.
Mr. Kors was born at Beardstown on
December 2, 1846. His father, born in
1804, in Osnabruck, kingdom of Holland,
came to the United States in 1833 and
located at Beardstown, Illinois, where, on
July 6, 1837, he was married to Miss Maria
Engel Hemminghouse, a sister of Rev.
William Hemminghouse, a German Meth-
odist Episcopal minister. They had three
children, of whom William died in infancy;
Kate H. , who is now Mrs. Charles E. Boy,
of Cumberland county, Illinois; and Henry
F. , our subject, who was but a few weeks
old when his mother died, on December 27,
1846, and he was placed in the care of a
nurse until the marriage of his father-, in
1847, to Miss Margeratha Feulner, when he
was taken home and reared with his father's
family, the survivors of whom are as fol-
lows: Martin Luther, George E., MaryH.,
now Mrs. Charles H. Unland, and Amelia
S., who married Louis C. Hackman. The
father was an industrious, honest trades-
man, a plasterer and bricklayer by vocation.
He was an active Christian, doing all in his
power to promote the welfare of the early
German church in Beardstown. His demise
occurred on November 29, 1865, at the age
of sixty-two years.
Mr. Kors was educated in the public and
German schools of Beardstown, Illinois.
He became apprenticed to the harness-
making and carriage-trimming trades, in
which he served until becoming of age,
when he engaged in the business on his own
account at Beardstown, but disposed of it
the following year, and for a time was em-
ployed as a salesman in a mercantile estab-
lishment. In December, 1876, he was
appointed deputy circuit clerk of Cass
county, Illinois, by Thomas V. Finney, who
was at that time clerk. In 1880, 1884 and
1888 Mr. Kors was re-appointed to the
130
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
same position by Hon. F. E. Downing, and
during those years of service he performed
the duties of his office satisfactorily. In
1892 he was elected circuit clerk and ex-
officio recorder of the county, an office
which he has since filled, being re-elected
in 1896 and his present term continuing
until 1900. His record as a county officer,
covering a period of over twenty years, is a
most honorable one, and redounds greatly
to his credit and to the excellent judgment
of the public he has so faithfully served.
During his connection with the circuit court
Mr. Kors availed himself of the opportu-
nities for reading law, and after diligent
study and unfaltering industry he passed a
very creditable examination and was ad-
mitted to the bar as an attorney and coun-
selor at law by the supreme court of the
state of Illinois. He has a well developed
taste for literature, is an ardent admirer of
music, and has sung in the choir of the
Presbyterian church for the past twenty
years. Our subject has built one of the
most comfortable homes in Virginia, where
he is surrounded by everything that goes to
make domestic life attractive and delightful.
On January 12, 1869, he was married to
Miss Laura Finney, a daughter of Thomas
V. Finney, one of the early settlers of this
county. Seven children have been born to
them, one daughter and six sons, the eldest,
Martin Luther, having been educated for
the medical profession. After passing
through the public schools of Virginia, Illi-
nois, he attended Monmouth College, in
this state. Then he attended Long Island
College Hospital at Brooklyn, New York, as
a student, and then entered the North-
western University, of Chicago, subse-
quently attending Rush Medical College, in
the same city, at which he was graduated
in 1896, and is now engaged in the practice
of his profession in Cass county, with the
most flattering prospects of a successful
career. He is a member of the fraternity,
and was made a Master Mason in Virginia
Lodge, No. 544, on May 21, 1897. The
other children are pursuing their studies at
school, and are as follows: Frederick
Sommes, Preston Virgin, Harry Downing,
Frank Finney, Henry Frederick, Jr., and
Grace Edna. Mrs. Kor's niece, Laura, lived
with our subject's family until her marriage
to Horace Biddlecome.
Mr. and Mrs. Kors were members of the
Congregational church at Beardstown from
1865 until their removal to Virginia, when
they became adherents of the Presbyterian
church of the latter city, of which he is a
trustee and a deacon, and with his family is
liberal in its support. Socially he is a mem-
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America,
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and with his wife is affiliated with the
Daughters of Rebekah, in which she is
Grand Deputy. They are both charter
members of Ada Robinson Chapter of the
Order of the Eastern Star, both of them
being active in its affairs, and possessing the
high regard of the members.
EDWIN F. STEVENS.— He to whose
Masonic career we are now permitted
to direct attention has been identified with
the ancient crafthood for a quarter of a cen-
tury, has been conspicuous for his zeal and
abiding interest in the work of the order, has
been a fit exemplar of the principles and
teachings of the same and has been granted
distinguished preferment in the several Ma-
sonic bodies with which his membership has
been placed. His loyalty to the institution
of Freemasonry is distinctive and implies
that his patriotism has been equally pro-
nounced, and this is evident when is taken
into consideration the willing service he ren-
dered the nation at the time of the late war.
Mr. Stevens is one of Chicago's most able ac-
countants and to this important line of en-
deavor he has given his attention for many
years. As a business man, a citizen and a
Mason he is held in highest esteem by all
who know him, and such has been his Ma-
sonic record that it is imperative that spe-
cial mention of the same be made in this
compilation. In the year 1872 Mr. Stevens
was made an Entered Apprentice in Gram-
ercy Lodge, No. 537, A. F. & A. M., in
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIr
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
New York city, and in this body he duly
passed the Fellow-craft degree and was
raised Master Mason. His popularity in
this lodge is evident when it is recalled that
he served as Worshipful Master of the same
in 1874-5. His affiliation at the present
time is with Normal Park Lodge, No. 797,
of which he was a charter member and in
which he held the office of Master in 1892.
The four capitular degrees were received by
Mr. Stevens in 1872, his exaltation to the
Royal Arch having taken place in Zetlan
Chapter, in the national metropolis. Upon
locating in Chicago he transferred his mem-
bership to Normal Park Chapter, No. 210,
being one of its charter members and hav-
ing been honored with the office of High
Priest of the same in 1895. He was greet-
ed Select Master in Imperial Council, No.
85, R. & S. M., in which he passed the cir-
cle, being a charter member of this cryptic
body and having served as Captain of the
Guards. Mr. Stevens received the grades and
orders of chivalric Masonry in Morton Com-
mandery, No. 4, of New York, having there
been constituted, created and dubbed Knight
Templar. From his original commandery
he was dimitted and became a Sir Knight of
Englewood Commandery, No. 59, in which
he was Eminent Commander during the
year 1896, having been a most popular and
efficient incumbent in this distinguished of-
fice to which he was chosen by his brother
knights. Mr. Stevens dimitted from the
New York Masonic bodies in the year 1889,
and ever since that time he has been signal-
ly faithful and constant in his allegiance to
the Chicago organizations with which he has
allied himself. He is also one of those who
have been successful in the pilgrimage across
the far-stretching sands of Araby, and has
been made a Noble of Medinah Temple of
the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of
Normal Park Chapter, No. 211, Order of
the Eastern Star.
In this connection we can touch but
briefly upon the more salient points in the
life history of Mr. Stevens. Edwin For-
rester Stevens was born in the city of New
York on the 2d of May, 1841, being the son
of William and Jane (Ryen) Stevens. He
received a public-school education, but be-
gan his individual and responsible endeavors
at the early age of fourteen years and has
ever since been an earnest worker in con-
nection with the practical affairs of life. He
is an expert accountant and his services in
this line are at present retained by the Mc-
Cormick Harvester Company. Mr. Stevens
came to Chicago in 1880, and he maintains
his home in the attractive Englewood dis-
trict of the city.
At the outbreak of the war of the Re-
bellion his loyal and patriotic nature was
roused to responsive protest as the rebel
guns thundered against Fort Sumter, and in
1 86 1 he responded to the first call for seven-
ty-five thousand troops, enlisting in Com-
pany H, Seventy-first American Guards,
and proceeding with his command to the
front. He participated in the first battle of
Bull Run, and though he soon became inca-
pacitated for active field service, by reason
of the effects of exposure and over-exertion,
yet he insisted in remaining in the army and
served until the expiration of his term of
enlistment. He subsequently re-enlisted,
but failed to pass the examination on ac-
count of his physical disabilities.
In the year 1867 was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Stevens to Miss Antoinette
DeLuce, and of their seven children the
four living are Edwin F. , Jr., Mabel deG.,
Vessie G. and DeGuerre. Mr. Stevens is
an attendant of the Episcopal church, of
which his family are members.
In private and social life he is the syn-
onym of his Masonic professions, thus com-
manding the respect and affection of the
fraternity and the confidence of all who
know him in other departments of life.
II LBERT M. EDDY, one of Chicago's
J?4L leading business men, has been an
honored member of the Masonic fraternity
since 1873, and during his connection there-
with has been an active and able advocate of
the practical working of the order which
enables man to help his brother man and
134
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
lessen the sum of human suffering by his
sympathy and assistance, while he adds to
the world's happiness by the feeling of
brotherly interest that the organization in-
culcates in its members. Mr. Eddy was
made a Mason in Kilwinning Lodge, No.
311, F. & A. M. ; for the past fifteen years
served as the Treasurer of said lodge; re-
ceived the .Royal Arch degrees in 1884, and
is now a member of York Chapter, No. 148,
R. A. M. ; in 1885 he was knighted in St.
Bernard Commandery, and is now serving
as its Senior Warden, and he is an active
member of the St. Bernard Drill Corps (of
which organization he is Treasurer). He
was made a thirty-second degree Mason
in 1887, with Class 32 of the Chicago Con-
sistory. He is a life member and one of the
trustees of the Illinois Masonic Orphans'
Home, and has always been a leading spirit
in promoting the welfare of the institution.
He is one of the directors and secretary of
the Medinah Temple Company, owners of
the fine Medinah Temple Building, situated
at the corner of Fifth avenue and Jackson
street. In 1886 he was made a member of
the Mystic Shrine, and joined the Queen
Esther Chapter of the Order of the Eastern
Star in 1 889, and was Secretary of that body
for five years, while for one year his wife
served as Worthy Matron. In all Masonic
matters he takes an active interest, and his
name stands high on the roll of leading
members of the fraternity in Chicago.
Mr. Eddy is a native of Buffalo, New
York, born July 4, 1851, and is a son of R.
M. and Sarah M. (Quackenbush) Eddy. In
the schools of his native city he began his
education, and on coming to Chicago in
September, 1865, he entered Washington
school, where he remained one year and
graduated. For two years thereafter he was
a student in the Chicago high school and
then entered his father's employ, since
which time he has been, connected with the
foundry business. He has therefore been
connected with this industrial calling for
twenty-eight years; and in 1884, upon the
incorporation of the R. M. Eddy Foundry
Company, and after the death of the father,
he was elected secretary and treasurer of the
company, which office he has since so suc-
cessfully and creditably filled. He is also
treasurer of the Goss Printing Press Com-
pany, manufacturers of perfecting presses
used entirely for newspaper printing. This
plant is located at Nos. 335 to 365 Rebecca
street, and is one of the extensive manu-
facturing concerns of the city. Both enter-
prises with which he is connected are large
and profitable, and belong to that class of
business concerns which develop the com-
mercial activity of a locality and produce its
material prosperity.
On the 2d of January, 1873, Mr. Eddy
was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A.
Emery, a native of Rochester, New York.
They have two children: Blanch E. , now
the wife of Charles H. Wood; and Charles
M. , who is engaged in business with his
father. In his political associations Mr.
Eddy is a Republican.
, IBA T. F. RUNNER.— Industry in use-
ful pursuits, truly and vigorously ap-
plied, never fails of success; it carries a man
onward and upward, brings out his individual
character, and powerfully stimulates the
action of others. The greatest results in
life are usually attained by simple means
and the exercise of the ordinary qualities of
common sense and perseverance. The
every-day life with its cares, necessities and
duties affords ample opportunity for acquir-
ing experience of the best kind, and its well-
beaten paths provide the true worker with
abundant scope for effort and room for self-
improvement, and ultimate advancement to
positions of high trust and resposibility. It
is now our purpose to take briefly under re-
view the life history of one who has ren-
dered to the Union the valiant service of the
patriotic and loyal son of the republic, and
who has made his life one of signal useful-
ness in the more prosaic lines of business or
commercial enterprise.
Mr. Runner, of Freeport, Illinois, was
born in Center county, Pennsylvania, on the
2 ist of December, 1845, and is of German
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
185
and Holland ancestry. The progenitor of
the family in America was a member of the
Hessian army, who after the war determined
to make his home in this country and lo-
cated in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
The parents of our subject were Frederick
S. and Elizabeth (Furst) Runner, both na-
tives of Pennsylvania and representatives of
well-to-do families. The father served as
captain of militia and held various civil
t/BK-Tb, Ijuiu^a *auui of ./vansid^rahlp jproju-
inence in the community in which he made
his home. He and his wife were members
of the Lutheran church. The father died
in the thirty-sixth year of his age, and in
1857 the mother came with her children to
Freeport, where she continued to reside up
to the time of her death, which occurred in
her seventy-first year.
Mr. Runner, of this review, was the third
in a family of six children. He is indebted
to the schools of his native town and of
Freeport for his educational privileges, and
a good practical English education well fit-
ted him for life's practical duties. In 1864,
when a young man of nineteen years, he en-
listed in Company K, Forty-sixth Illinois
Infantry, and served in the department of
the Mississippi until the close of the war, as
a loyal defender of the old flag and the cause
it represented.
In 1868 Mr. Runner accepted a position
with the Freeport Gas Company, and with
the exception of six years has been continu-
ously connected with the company since.
He has been advanced from one position to
another until he is now one of the heavy
stockholders of the company and is its sec-
retary and very efficient manager. The
name has been changed to the Freeport
Light & Fuel Company, and the success of
the concern is due in no small measure to
the excellent business ability, the careful
management and the industry of the present
secretary.
In 1875 Mr. Runner was united in mar-
riage to Miss Maria E. Oxley, a native of
England and a daughter of Charles and
Maria Oxley, of Freeport. They have four
children, — Mable Alice, Olive Grace, Charles
Frederick and Ellen Elizabeth. The par-
ents are valued members and active workers
in the First Presbyterian church, and Mr.
Runner is now serving as a member of its
board of trustees. He also belongs to the
Young Men's Christian Association, is its
vice-president and is deeply interested in its
growth and progress. His political support
is given the Republican party. Since 1871
he has been a member of the Masonic fra-
ternity, .and .his nasaf sNiMk isigfc vm the
roll of the esteemed brethren of Excelsior
Lodge. His life has been well spent, and
he justly deserves the reputation of being
one of Freeport's best citizens.
T. MORFORD.— It is a fact
worthy of note, and one most potent
as an argument in favor of the great frater-
nity of Masonry, that when a man has once
taken the vows of thebrotherhood and entered
into a full knowledge of the laws of the so-
ciety, he very seldom relinquishes his mem-
bership. Nor is there any reason why he
should. He has everything to gain by his
association with such men as may be found
within the sacred precincts of the order —
men who have probed deep into the well of
humanity, who have seen the pitfalls that
are ever yawning to entrap the human soul,
and thus, warned against the danger that
beset their brothers, have every facility with
which to avert them. In union there is
strength, and surely there is need of union
when vice is the foe to be vanquished.
Among those who have enrolled their
names for life in local bodies of the frater-
nity is the subject of this review, Thomas
T. Morford. For over thirty years he has
been a consistent member of the organiza-
tion, having been initiated in Kilwinning
Lodge, No. 311, in which he was made a
Master Mason in 1866. In 1867 he was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Washington Chapter, and in the
same year was created a Knight in Chicago
Comrnandery, No. 19, Knights Templar.
He is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Me-
136
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
dinah Temple, being one of the first mem-
bers of that body in Chicago.
Mr. Morford was born in New Jersey,
September 2, 1838, and received his educa-
tion in the public schools of his native town.
In February, 1857, he came to Chicago and
engaged in business, and since 1862 has
been connected with the marine lines here.
For twenty-seven years he has been in the
employ of the Union Steamship Line, with
the exception of one year, having started in
when it was first organized. For ten years
he was a trustee of the village of River-
side.
In January, 1858, Mr. Morford was
united in marriage to Miss Maria L. Smith,
and ten children were born to them, four of
whom are living, namely: James B., Emory
T. , Arthur E. and Wager G. He was
again married, this time to Miss Clarissa E.
Davis, and of this union two children were
born. Politically Mr. Morford is a Demo-
crat, but is a firm believer in the principles
of sound money. Although well along in
the autumn of life Mr. Morford is a well
preserved man, and it is hoped that many
long years of usefulness may yet be spared
him.
NSEL HANDY HULING, editor of
J&L The Argus, of Chicago, and promi-
nent in literary circles, is one of Chicago's
sterling citizens who is identified with the
several branches of the Masonic order and
is a worthy exponent of Masonry. He was
created a Master Mason in the spring of
1870, in Union Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of
Evansville, Wisconsin, which conferred
upon him the degrees of Entered Appren-
tice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason. The
following year he removed to St. Louis and
transferred his membership to Keystone
Lodge, of that city, and in 1873, upon re-
moving to Chicago, was transferred to
Waubansia Lodge, No. 160, of which he is
now a life member. While he was a resi-
dent of St. Louis, in 1872, Kilwinning Chap-
ter, R. A. M., exalted him to the rank of
Royal Arch Mason, and on his return to
Chicago he affiliated with LaFayette Chap-
ter. The Knight Templar degrees were
conferred upon him in 1882 by Chicago
Commandery, in which, in 1885, he filled
the office of Prelate. He is also a thirty-
second-degree Mason, having been made a
member of Oriental Consistory in 1882, and
was for a time an officer in the Rose Croix
body.
Mr. Huling is a native of North New
Berlin, New York, born June 7, 1838, and
is a son of Rev. Daniel and Lydia (Burlin-
game) Huling. The family removing west
to Illinois when our subject was a youth,
he was partly educated in this state, after-
ward spending two years at Hillsdale Col-
lege, Michigan, which he left to engage in
teaching.
After two years engaged in teaching in
Illinois, in 1863 he was ordained a minister
of the Free Baptist church, and spent nine
years in the active work of the ministry as
a pastor in Illinois and Wisconsin. In 1870
he abandoned the ministry, on account of
failing health, and since then his time and
attention have been given to insurance and
to journalistic and literary work, having
written articles for, and been connected
with, some of the leading publications of
this country, including special articles on
insurance for the latest edition of the Ency-
clopedia Brittanica. He was the western
editor of the Morning Star, a Free Baptist
paper, for six years; in 1880 went with The
Investigator, of Chicago, continuing its editor
five years at one time; was afterward a mem-
ber of the firm of Hill & Huling, book pub-
lishers, later doing literary work at Cincin-
nati; then, editor of the Insurance and
Finance Chronicle, of Montreal, from Octo-
ber, 1889, to May, 1893; subsequently, dur-
ing the years 1895-6, was again editor of
The Investigator; and at present he has the
editorship of The Argus, of Chicago.
A scholarly gentleman, possessing more
than ordinary literary and business ability,
he has met with success in the various en-
terprises with which he has been connected.
In political matters he has always given his
support to the Republican party.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
137
Mr. Ruling has a pleasant residence at
Wheaton, which he built in the summer of
1895, and which he and his family occupy.
He was married in the spring of 1860, to
Miss Emily Stewart, of French Creek, New
York, and they have two children — Alice
Augusta and Edith Amelia, both accom-
plished in literary and social circles.
CHARLES EDWIN WINDOM, a promi-
nent furniture dealer of Sterling, Illi-
nois, and one of the leading citizens of the
place, has been identified with Masonry
during the past five years and has advanced
from the blue lodge to the chapter and
commandery, in all of which he takes a
most appreciative interest.
Mr. Windom was made a Master Mason
in Rock River Lodge, No. 612, F. & A. M. ,
July 15, 1892. December 3, the same year,
he was exalted a Royal Arch Mason by
Sterling Chapter, No. 57, R. A. M. ; and
Augusts, 1893, he was knighted by Sterling
Commandery, No. 57. In the chapter he
has for some time been honored with the
high official position of King, which he fills
with his usual and becoming dignity, ren-
dering his work in a most impressive
manner.
Mr. Windom is a native son of the city in
which he lives. He was born August 14,
1855, and is descended from English an-
cestors who were among the colonists of
Virginia. Secretary Windom of the United
States belonged to the same family. Grand-
father Windom at an early day removed
from the "Old Dominion " to the "West-
ern Reserve," settling in Ohio, where the
father of our subject, Jonas Windom, was
born. Jonas Windom married Miss Ruth
Lumm, a native of Virginia, and in the year
1849 they came out to Illinois and located
at Sterling, where for some years he kept
the Central Hotel, later was engaged in the
grocery business and still later established
the furniture business, of which his son,
Charles E., is now proprietor. Also the
senior Mr. Windom was the founder of the
Sterling Burial Case Manufacturing Com-
pany. As an enterprising and thorough-
going citizen he figured prominently in the
town, served on its council for a number of
years, and throughout his life enjoyed the
confidence and respect of all who knew
him. He died in 1886, at the age of sixty-
nine years. His widow still survives him,
being now in the seventy-ninth year of her
age. To them were born eight children, of
whom four are now living.
Charles Edwin Windom was the second
son born in the above named family. He
grew up in his native town, where he en-
joyed the advantages of its public schools,
and where he learned the trade of machinist.
For fifteen years he was with his father in
the furniture business, and for the past
three years he has been sole proprietor of
the establishment.
Mr. Windom is a man of family. August
6, 1890, was consummated his marriage to
Miss Grace F. Richards, who, like himself,
is a native of Sterling, she being a daughter
of Hon. Daniel Richards, one of the promi-
nent citizens of this place and a worthy
member of the Masonic fraternity. To
Mr. and Mrs. Windom have been given one
child, a daughter, Ruth H.
In his political affiliations Mr. Windom
is a Republican, ardent in his support of
the principles of his party. He has fre-
quently filled local offices of prominence and
trust, always discharging his duty with the
strictest fidelity, and at this writing is a
member of the township high-school board.
Fraternally, he is associated with organiza-
tions other than Masonry. For some years
he has been an Odd Fellow, has passed the
chairs in this order, and is now a Past Noble
Grand. Also he is an active and prominent
member of the State Undertakers' Associa-
tion, of which he has served as president,
and from which he has been a delegate to
conventions in Boston and Canada.
fEORGE BLISS MORGAN, master in
chancery of the county of Mercer, is one
of the very active members of Aledo Lodge,
No. 252, A. F. & A. M., and is withal an
138
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
ornament to the order. He was initiated
into Masonry in this lodge, receiving the
degree of Entered Apprentice February 9,
1892; Fellow-craft December 6, 1892; and
Master Mason June 12, 1894.
Mr. Morgan is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born in Northumberland on
the 1 2th day of November, 1850, of Welsh-
English and German ancestry. ' His par-
ents, Charles and Mary (Andrews) Morgan,
natives respectively of New Jersey and New
York, emigrated in 1864 to Wapello, Iowa,
where he (Charles Morgan) died the next
year. She survived him nine years, depart-
ing this life in 1874. Of their six children
five are yet living.
Mr. George B. Morgan, the youngest
child, was educated in Grand New Normal
and Academic Institute, Iowa, and also at
Galesburg, Illinois. Subsequently he read
law for four years in Chicago, and then at-
tended lectures in a Chicago law school,
and was admitted to practice on the 6th of
January, 1876, on examination before the
supreme court at Springfield, Illinois. He
immediately began the practice of his pro-
fession in Chicago, and a year thereafter re-
moved to Aledo, Illinois, and from the very
first met with flattering success. In 1882
he was appointed master in chancery for
Mercer county, which position he is still
ably and creditably filling. In his political
relations he has always been an active Re-
publican, and has rendered his party valua-
ble and effective service in the campaigns.
Besides the fraternal relations already
mentioned, Mr. Morgan also sustains a mem-
bership in the order of Odd Fellows, Fern
Leaf Temple of the Rathbone Sisters at De-
catur, Illinois, and in the Modern Woodmen
of America. In the last named organization
he has been successively elected as one of
the Illinois delegates to the national con-
ventions of the order. He has passed all
the chairs in both branches of the Odd Fel-
lows order; and he is also a member of the
order of Knights of Pythias, in which worthy
society he has filled the office of deputy
grand chancellor; and in 1894 was nomi-
nated by the grand chancellor, and unani-
mously confirmed, a member of the grand
tribunal, domain of Illinois.
Besides maintaining great success in his
law practice, he has also taken a deep in-
terest in the social and religious affairs of
his city. Mr. Morgan has been successively
chosen and elected president of the board
of education of his city, without opposition,
and takes a deep interest in the cause of
education. Indeed, it may be truthfully
said that in every department of life he is
active and helpful, and especial credit should
be granted him when it is considered that
he was but a child when he was deprived of
his father by death, and that it has been
wholly by his own efforts that he has ac-
quired his present standing in the profession,
while in society his record is a good one.
In 1879 Mr. Morgan was married to Miss
Loie C. Noble, the daughter of John P. and
Mary Ann Noble, of Westville, Indiana.
They have two daughters, — Hattie Alta and
Mary Edith. They have also adopted a
child of his deceased sister, now named
Mary Emma Morgan, whom they have edu-
cated at the State Normal University, and
who graduated in the class of 1895, ar>d is
now attending the Woman's Medical Col-
lege, of Chicago. Mr. Morgan, with his
family, has a beautiful tree-embowered home
in Aledo, and enjoys the high esteem and
friendship of a host of friends.
DAVID A. WING, who is engaged in the
drug business at No. 1010 South Main
street, Rockford, has for seven years affilia-
ted with the Masonic fraternity, conforming
his life to its teaching, while his exposition
of its principles is able and earnest. He
became a member of the society in 1889.
His application for admission was favorably
received, for throughout Rockford he is
known as a straightforward, reliable busi-
ness man, and he took the degree of En-
tered Apprentice in E. W. F. Ellis Lodge,
No. 633, A. F. & A. M. Later he passed
the degree of Fellow-craft and was created
a Master Mason on the 5th of July, 1889.
He has since been a worthy and faithful
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
189
member of the organization and has the
esteem and confidence of his brethren
throughout Rockford.
Mr. Wing is a native of Montpelier, Ver-
mont, born on the 7th of September, 1 860.
His parents, David A. and Lois A. (Sticky)
Wing, were both natives of New England
and descended from old English families
who in the early days of colonial history
sought home beyond the Atlantic. The
father was a farmer and stock-dealer and
died in the forty-ninth year of his age. The
mother is still living and has been a life-long
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The gentleman whose name introduces
this review is their only child. He was
only two years of age at the time of his
father's death, but was carefully reared by
his mother, and in the public schools of his
native city acquired a good education that
fitted him for life's practical duties. On
leaving the school-room he learned the
drug business and has since followed that
pursuit. He came to Rockford in 1883 and
has since conducted a satisfactory busi-
ness at his present location. His career is
that of a quiet, thoroughgoing business man
whose success has resulted from steady
application, from energy, industry and sound
judgment. He now has a well-equipped
store, furnished with all modern appoint-
ments known to the trade and is enjoying a
liberal and remunerative patronage.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Wing
has given his political support to the Repub-
lican party and its principles; and is well
informed concerning the issues of the day.
In addition to his connection with Masonry,
he is a member of the Independent Order of
Red Men and has passed all the chairs in
the local lodge with which he is affiliated.
LOREN L. MORRISON, a prominent
' member of the bar of Rockford, Illi-
nois, was born in Hebron, Jefferson county,
Wisconsin, on the eighteenth day of No-
vember, 1852, and is of Scotch descent, his
paternal ancestors crossing the Atlantic
from the land of hills and heather and tak-
ing up their residence in Londonderry, New
Hampshire, in 1719, and participating in
the events which went to make up the early
history of that section. The great-grand-
father of our subject served in the colonial
army during the war of the Revolution, and
afterward moved to Windsor county, Ver-
mont, where his grandfather, Daniel Morri-
son, was born and lived the life of a thrifty
farmer. His father, Lorenzo Morrison, was
born in West Windsor, Vermont, in 1827,
and married Adaline L. Davis, who was also
a native of the Green Mountain state, her
ancestors having been among the earliest
settlers of Hartland, Windsor county, Ver-
mont. In early life Lorenzo Morrison, his
father, followed farming. His family num-
bered eight children, of whom six are still
living. Their mother departed this life in
the sixty-first year of her age and their fa-
ther is still living, at the age of seventy, at
Rockford.
The subject of this sketch obtained his
education in the public schools of Sherburne,
Woodstock and Hartland, Vermont, at
Worcester Academy, Worcester, Massachu-
setts, and Waterville Classical Institute,
Waterville, Maine, and was graduated June
26, 1879, in the classical course, at Knox
College, Galesburg, Illinois. For four years
after graduation he engaged in teaching as
principal of the high and graded schools at
Lyndon, Whiteside county, Illinois, during
which time he devoted his spare hours to
the study of law, reciting occasionally to the
Hon. John G. Manahan, of the firm of Man-
ahan & Ward, of Sterling, Illinois, and later
continuing his legal studies with the firm of
Staples & Goulding, of Worcester, Massa-
chusetts. He came to Rockford June 12,
1883, and was soon afterward admitted to
the bar, since which time he has been en-
gaged in general law practice in Rockford,
also devoting considerable time and atten-
tion to practice in the United States courts
and the patent office, in patent causes. In
1896 he formed a copartnership with L. L.
Miller, in the law and patent business, and
the firm of Morrison & Miller are now
140
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
conducting the combined business formerly
conducted by them separately.
On the i pth of June, 1882, Mr. Mor-
rison was united in marriage with Miss
Mary Louise Ball, of Holden, Worcester
county, Massachusetts. They have three
children, all born in Rockford, namely :
Ralph N. , Marguerite L. and Lucille M.
Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are members of the
State Street Baptist church of Rockford,
and he is chairman of its board of trustees.
In his political views Mr. Morrison is a
Republican. He has served as police mag-
istrate of Rockford for the past eleven years
and is still satisfactorily filling that position.
Socially he is connected with the Masonic
order, the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, the Knights of Pythias and the Royal
League, of the last of which he is now su-
preme vice archon. He was made a Mason
in 1889, joining Rockford Lodge, No. 102,
and has served as its Senior Deacon. He
has taken the Scottish Rite degrees up to
and including the thirty-second, his mem-
bership being with the Freeport Consistory.
He is esteemed a worthy member of the or-
der and has the warm regard of his brethren
of the craft.
BOBERT DARIUS KUEHNER, who
has attained the thirty-second degree
in the Scottish Rite of Masonry, is one of
the leading young members of the fraternity
in Freeport. He became a member of the
order in 1894, at which time he joined Ex-
celsior Lodge, No. 97, F. & A. M., which
is regarded as one of the best lodges in the
state, and its name is indicative of the prog-
ress which it is continually making. Since
that time Mr. Kuehner has advanced rapidly
in the society until he has taken the thirty-
second degree. He is the Junior Warden
of his lodge, and also belongs to the
Royal Arch Chapter and to the Mystic
Shrine, serving as Captain of the Host in
the former. Deeply interested in Masonry,
he is an enthusiastic and loyal member and
is well deserving of personal mention in a
work whose province is the recording of the
lives of those who are worthy represent-
atives of the fraternity in the state of
Illinois.
Mr. Kuehner is a native son of the city
of Freeport, born January 9, 1873. He
comes of a family of German origin, his fa-
ther being Darius Kuehner, who crossed the
Atlantic and took up his residence in Ohio
in an early day. From that state he came
to Illinois in 1856 and the following year
established his furniture and undertaking
business, which is still in operation. For
forty years he has been prominently and
honorably connected with the commercial
interests of Freeport, and is one of the suc-
cessful and highly respected business men
of the city. He has now reached the age
of sixty-six years and is retired from active
business, his son, C. Fred Kuehner, now
conducting the store. His name is a syn-
onym for commercial honor, and his well
directed efforts, his straightforward dealing
and his perseverance secured him a liberal
patronage, which yielded him a handsome
income. He married Miss Johanna Sand-
ers, and to them were born five children.
Robert D. Kuehner is the youngest son
of the family. He was educated in the pub-
lic schools of Freeport and learned the fur-
niture business in his father's store. He
continued his connection with the business
until recently, when he disposed of his in-
terest therein in order to embark in other
enterprises. He is a young man of high
character, of undoubted business ability and
superior executive qualifications, and a suc-
cessful career undoubtedly awaits him. A
native son of Freeport, educated in her
schools, she will one day have further reason
to be proud of him, for he will make an
honorable name and place for himself in
commercial circles.
JONES TALLIAFERRO TOWNSLEY,
freight agent at Springfield, Illinois, for
B. & O. S. W. R. R. Company, has for
more than twenty years been in the employ
of this company and is one of its most relia-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO'r
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
143
ble and trusted men. He has been identified
with the great Masonic fraternity since a
date shortly after he attained his majority,
has practiced his principles in his every-day
life, and is a craftsman worthy of the name
of Mason.
Mr. Townsley is a native son of Illinois.
He was born in Xenia, Clay county, Janu-
ary 8, 1850, and was reared in that county.
His first employment was in the express and
railroad offices of the Ohio & Mississippi
Railroad Company, now the B. & O. S. W.,
at Flora, where he remained until 1876.
That year he was transferred to Taylor-
ville, still in the employ of the same com-
pany, and from there in 1881 was sent to
take his present position at Springfield, that
of freight agent.
Mr. Townsley was made a Master Mason
in Flora, in September, 1872, in Flora
Lodge, No. 204, and on May 9 of the fol-
lowing year he was exalted in Flora Chap-
ter, No. 154, R. A. M. The year 1875
found him officiating as Worshipful Master
in the lodge and High Priest in the chapter,
in both of which offices he rendered excel-
lent and appreciated work. The year fol-
lowing his removal to Taylorville he took
a dimit from theFlora Lodge and Chapter
and affiliated with Mound Lodge and Tay-
lorville Chapter, of Taylorville, and since
1882 has had his membership in these bodies
in Springfield, — Tyrian Lodge, No. 333, and
Springfield Chapter, No. i. Both Mound
and Tyrian Lodges have honored him with
their highest official positions. He served
as Worshipful Master of the former in 1878,
'79 and '80, and of the latter in 1893. In
Springfield Chapter he filled the office of
High Priest in 1887 and 1888. The coun-
cil degrees were conferred upon him in 1888
by Springfield Council, No. 2, R. & S. M. ,
in which, in 1889 and 1893, he was Master.
In May, 1882, he was knighted by Elwood
Commander}', No. 6, in which order also he
has been honored with official preference,
having filled the chair of Eminent Com-
mander in 1889.
In 1875, at Xenia, Illinois, Mr. Towns-
ley wedded Miss Charlotte Gibson, and
their happy union has been blessed in the
birth of two children — Charles W. and Nel-
lie A.
T \HOMAS EATON MILLER, Chicago.
The subject of this review is one
whose history particularly touches the pio-
neer epoch in the annals of the present me-
tropolis of the west and whose days are an
integral part of that indissoluble chain
which links the early, formative period with
that of latter-day progress and prosperity.
Not alone is there particular interest at-
taching to his career as one of the success-
ful and honored business men of Chicago,
but in reviewing his genealogical record we
find his lineage and nativity tracing to that
land which has contributed to America one
of the most alert and valuable elements in
its composite individuality. Mr. Miller is
conspicuous in his allegiance to that noblest
of fraternal orders with which this work has
particularly to do, is widely known and
honored for his ardent interest in the cause
and has attained to distinguished degrees in
the ancient brotherhood, so that a detailed
reference to his career is a most consistent
portion of this compilation.
Mr. Miller's identification with the Ma-
sonic order dates back to the year 1861,
when he was initiated as a member of Kil-
winning Lodge, No. 311. In 1 866 he was
actively concerned in the organization of
Covenant Lodge, No. 526, of which he was
a charter member and of which he has ever
since served as Treasurer, with the excep-
tion of one year. His Royal Arch affilia-
tions are with Corinthian Chapter, No. 69,
of which he has been Treasurer since 1867.
Mr. Miller is a charter member of St. Ber-
nard Commandery, Knights Templar, in ef-
fecting whose organization he was particu-
larly active and of which he has served con-
secutively as Treasurer from the beginning.
Mr. Miller also retains membership in Chi-
cago Council, No. 4, R. & S. M., and in
Queen Esther Chapter, Order of the East-
ern Star. He has advanced to the degrees
of Scottish Rite, being an honored member
144
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of Oriental Consistory. As a Noble of the
Mystic Shrine he has duly made his way
across the sands of the desert and is identi-
fied with Medinah Temple. In that noble
charitable institution, the Masonic Orphans'
Home, our subject was one of the prime
promoters, laboring zealously to secure its
foundation and ever after maintaining a
most lively interest in its affairs, showing
this interest not alone in words and personal
work, but according a financial support of
most appreciative order. He has been one
of the directors of the institution from its
inception. Loyal and earnest in his devo-
tion to the order, there is probably no man
better known in the Masonic circles of Cook
county than is Mr. Miller. His other fra-
ternal relations are represented in a mem-
bership in Union Lodge, No. 9, I. O. O. F. ,
in which he was initiated on the 7th of June,
1855, and of which he has been treasurer
since 1863. It should also be noted that
he is consistently a member of the Masonic
Veterans' Association, in whose organiza-
tion he assisted.
Thomas Eaton Miller was born in county
Londonderry, Ireland, on the I2th of May,
1834, being the son of David and Ann
(Forbes) Miller, also natives of the Emer-
ald Isle, where the family had been one of
no little prominence. The father died in
Ireland, but the mother came to America
and her death occurred in Chicago, in the
year 1859. They were the parents of nine
sons and two daughters, and of this number
five sons and one daughter still survive, all
being residents of the Garden City. Our
subject was but ten years of age when the
family emigrated to the United States, and
for two years after his arrival he lived at
Oswego, New York, after which he was at
Cleveland, Ohio, for an equal period. His
advent in Chicago dates back to the year
1848, and, having received limited educa-
tional training in the public schools, he
made ready to meet the exigencies of life by
promptly identifying himself with business
pursuits, necessity demanding this possible
sacrifice of other aspirations. Upon arriv-
ing in Chicago he apprenticed himself to the
firm of Doolittle & Miller to learn the trade
of ship carpenter and caulker. He con-
tinued with this firm, the junior member of
which was his brother, and finally, about
the year 1861, purchased Mr. Doolittle's in-
terest in the enterprise. The firm name
was thereupon changed to Miller Brothers,
and this association has continued ever since
that early period, though in 1882 the in-
creasing demands placed upon the industry
led to its incorporation as the Miller Broth-
ers' Dry Dock Company, of which our sub-
ject has been president from the start. The
company do all kinds of ship repairing and
also build small vessels. This is the oldest
concern of the sort in the city, and its his-
tory has bee.n one of utmost honor, so that
it enjoys not only a wide reputation but an
unmistakable prestige in the business con-
trolled in its very important field of oper-
ations.
Mr. Miller may be distinctively consid-
ered one of the pioneer residents of Chicago,
for at the time of his arrival here it was but
a straggling and unattractive city of about
twenty thousand population. He has been
a witness of its marvelous growth, and takes
marked satisfaction in the proud position
which it now holds among the great metro-
politan centers of the world. He saw the
first locomotive, the Pioneer, which was
brought to this now great railroad center,
unloaded from the vessel, the same having
been transported hither in the year 1848.
Mr. Miller was a member of the Chicago
Volunteer Fire Department in 1850, and was
assistant foreman of Niagara Company, No.
3. In the connection it is interesting to note
the fact that his interest in this line has not
abated, since he has been treasurer of the
Firemen's Benevolent Association for nearly
a score of years past. He enjoys a notable
popularity and esteem in the business cir-
cles of the city, with whose material inter-
ests he has been so conspicuously identified
for so many years, and his anecdotes and
revelations in regard to the earlier periods
of Chicago's history should be treasured as
valuable data. Mr. Miller started out in
life a poor boy, and he is signally the archi-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
145
tect of his own fortunes. He has attained
a noteworthy prosperity through earnest
and well-directed effort, and his honor and
integrity have shown forth in every act of
his life.
In his political proclivities Mr. Miller is
a stalwart advocate of the principles and
policies of the Republican party, and he re-
calls with satisfaction the fact that he was
in the famous "wigwam" where and when
Abraham Lincoln received his nomination
for the presidency in 1860. In religious mat-
ters he is an Episcopalian, being recognized
as a devoted churchman, the members of
his family also being communicants of the
church.
. In the year 1855 was consummated the
marriage of our subject to Miss Catherine
Chandler, a native of Chicago, and they
became the parents of four children, three
of whom are living: Thomas L. , who is
now Eminent Commander of St. Bernard
Commandery; Charles A., who also is iden-
tified with the Masonic order; and Emma,
the wife of Dr. Joseph F. Jones, of Kansas
City, Missouri. Mrs. Miller died, and in
1873 Mr. Miller was united in marriage to
Elizabeth Harrison, by whom he has four
children, namely: Frank A., who was made
a Mason on his twenty-first birthday; Brice
C. , who also celebrated the attaining of his
majority in a similar way; Myrtle M. and
Pearl.
DAVID GOODMAN.— Grateful indeed
' must be the local bodies of the Masonic
fraternity which have in their midst men
who possess an enthusiasm born of a desire
to advance in every way possible the good
of the cause, and whose time is given with
that end in view. Mr. Goodman is a brother
whose interest in Masonry is of the pro-
gressive kind that has been of great benefit
to the society. After passing the subordi-
nate degrees of the blue lodge, he was made
a Master Mason in William B. Warren
Lodge, No. 209, in Chicago, on September
28, 1868: moving afterward to Quincy, he
was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, in 1869,
in which year he assisted in organizing
Lambert Lodge, No. 659, A. F. & A. M. ,
in that city, of which lodge he was elected
Senior Warden and represented the same
in the Grand Lodge of the state. Return-
ing to Chicago, he received a dimit from
the Quincy Chapter and joined Wiley M.
Egan Chapter, No. 126, in 1878, in which
he also received the Council degrees. Of
this chapter he was the Eminent Scribe in
1879. In 1878 he was created a Knight in
Chicago Commandery, No. 19, K. T. , of
which he was Junior Warden in 1879 and
Recorder in 1881-2-3. He assisted in the
organization of Golden Rule Lodge, No.
726, Chicago, of which he was Worshipful
Master two years and Secretary for four
years, and of which he is a life member.
Mr. Goodman is an energetic worker, whose
labors are sincerely appreciated by his
brother Masons.
Mr. Goodman is a native of England,
born in Ware, Hertfordshire, August 13,
1847. When only four years old he was
placed in school, where he remained until
June, 1855, in which year his parents
left their native country for America, ar-
riving in New York July 4, 1855, bring-
ing the subject of this review with them.
They came direct to Chicago, where Mr.
Goodman attended the Scammon school,
at that time presided over by Mr. D. S.
Wentworth, and later he entered the Skin-
ner school, where he studied under the
direction of Mr. Merriam. He then took a
course of study at Bryant & Stratton's col-
lege and received an excellent business edu-
cation.
The Civil war was just about this time
at its height, and, although but a little over
sixteen years of age, Mr. Goodman desired
to take up arms in the defence of the Union,
and enlisted in Company G, Eighth Illinois
Cavalry, and served during the remainder
of the conflict. He participated in a num-
ber of important engagements, and was
honorably discharged when, in 1865, hos-
tilities were brought to a close. Mr. Good-
man immediately accepted a position with
146
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
our worthy frater, Amos Grannis, for whom
he worked several years. He then left his
employ to engage in the contracting busi-
ness, in which he has continued to the
present time, with the exception of two
years, 1886 and 1887, which he spent in
traveling through Spanish Honduras and
other southern countries, visiting points of
interest, among which were the De Lesseps
canal, at the Isthmus of Panama, the pro-
posed route of the Nicaragua canal from
Greytown, and other enterprises through-
out these countries.
In politics Mr. Goodman is a Republican
in principles, but always keeps the best
interests of his country at heart without
regard to what is commonly called ' • poli-
tics." He has never held public office of
any kind, nor has he ever had a desire to
do so, being content to work in the ranks
and seeking no other reward that that of
knowing that he is doing his duty as he sees
it and to the best of his ability.
Mr. Goodman was married in Chicago
August 4, 1867, to Miss Jennie E. Smith,
who was born in this city September 3,
1847. Five children have been born to
them, four of whom still survive.
Among his other social affiliations Mr.
Goodman is a member of Farragut Post,
Grand Army of the Republic, the Veteran
Union League Club, Veteran Masonic Asso-
ciation, Occidental Council, Royal Arcanum,
and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, in
Medinah Temple. He is an energetic busi-
ness man, fearless in his convictions, up-
right and honorable, and to-day enjoys that
success which comes only from indefatiga-
ble industry and application.
HENRY PRATT.— In this day of modern
civilization, with its hurry and tur-
moil and constant struggle to obtain a sub-
sistence, amid all the fierce passions of man
striving to gain an ascendancy over his fel-
low creatures, it is a relief to return to the
calm, untroubled atmosphere that is ever
present within the portals of Freemasonry
There, safe from the petty spites of little
minds, one may find banded together men
who, in carrying out the principles of the
fraternity, have placed themselves out of the
pale of human weaknesses and stand ready
to give the hand of fellowship to all who
wish it, firmly convinced that once the les-
sons of the order are taken to heart there
will be no room for anything that would
tend to lower the better nature of mankind.
Inculcating the doctrines of charity, faith,
unselfishness and love, this society has at-
tained the prominent and powerful position
it holds to-day, that its influence should
grow and extend until the time shall come
when all men shall acknowledge themselves
brothers, with but one aim in life, and that
one aim the mutual benefit of mankind and
its elevation to a condition of perfect peace
and happiness. Such are the probable re-
sults; and most worthy of encouragement
are the efforts of those who in the present
age are doing all in their power to bring
such a condition of affairs to a satisfactory
conclusion. Henry Pratt is a brother who
has labored faithfully in the field for the
cause of right, and as a token of the high
regard in which he is held by the brethren
he has been honored with many offices of
importance in the local bodies.
Mr. Pratt was initiated in Summit City
Lodge, No. 170, of Fort Wayne, Indiana,
in which he was raised to the degree of Mas-
ter Mason. He was a charter member of
Arcana Lodge, and held the office of Master
in 1877 and 1884. In 1876 he was exalted
a Royal Arch Mason in Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, of which he was High Priest in
1 882. Having taken in due time the council
degrees, he is now affiliated with Chicago
Council, No. 4. In 1877 he was created a
Knight Templar in Chicago Commandery,
No. 19, and was Eminent Commander in
1890-1, and also filling the unexpired term
of Mr. George R. McLellen. He occupied
all his official positions with a dignity and
efficiency that were most commendable, and
a more popular gentleman never held office.
Among his other social affiliations Mr. Pratt
is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah
Temple.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
147
Mr. Pratt was born in Fort Wayne, In-
diana, December 18, 1843, and is a son of
Allen and Margaret (Cline) Pratt. His
early life was spent on a farm and he re-
ceived such educational advantages as were
to be had at the district schools. His father
was a contractor by occupation, and at the
age of nineteen he became associated with
him in the same business and followed that
for a number of years. He had also learned
the trade of brick-laying, and later engaged
in that work in Fort Wayne. In 1872 he
came to Chicago and for about seventeen
years was superintendent of the People's
Gas Company. In 1888 he engaged in
business for himself, contracting and erect-
ing gas works, and in 1 890 he accepted his
present position as secretary and treasurer
of the Tobin & Hamler Manufacturing Com-
pany, whose machine and steam boiler
works were first established in 1871, and
was incorporated in 1890, when Mr. Pratt
was appointed to his present position.
Mr. Pratt is practically a self-made man
in the strictest sense of the word, and his
present position is due to his untiring ener-
gies and unfaltering determination to suc-
ceed in life. Honest, capable and thor-
oughly reliable, he possesses the esteem and
high regard of his business associates, who
have every confidence in his integrity and
probity.
October 23, 1868, Mr. Pratt, the sub-
ject of this sketch, was united in marriage
with Miss Catherine Cornes, a native of
Indiana.
GUSTAVE A. MUELLER.— The his-
torian in recording the events which
mark the passing of time and shape the des-
tinies of individuals, of communities and of
countries, has treated largely of military
affairs, political situations, diplomacy, educa-
tional interests, commercial activity, naviga-
tion, arts, science and letters, but seldom on
the pages of history is mention made of an
organization that antedates many mon-
archies, that has witnessed the rise and fall
of empires and seen the dawn of all the re-
publics; and yet this organization — the
Masonic fraternity — has undeniably been
an essential factor in civilization. Its in-
fluence, silent but powerful, affects not only
the multitude en masse, but also the indi-
vidual, and history is but the account of
the concerted action of a people or the
work of a single individual. There is ample
justification, therefore, in a volume of this
character. No other single organization in
Illinois, political, military or civil, has as
many representatives as the Masonic fra-
ternity, and its members are usually men
of influence in the busy walks of life, men
who form the true stability of town, city or
state. To this class belongs the gentleman
whose name begins this sketch. Mr. Mueller
was made a Mason in 1889, taking the de-
grees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft
and Master Mason in Wright Grove Lodge,
No. 779. He was raised to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in Lincoln Park Chap-
ter, and was knighted in Apollo Com-
rnandery, No. i, of Chicago, in 1890. He
received the ineffable degrees of the Scot-
tish Rite in October, 1891, in Oriental Con-
sistory, and in 1890 was made a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple. Mr. Mueller is deeply
interested in Masonry and does all in his
power to secure its advancement and pro-
mote its growth, while the exemplification
of its principles and teachings is seen in his
every-day conduct.
Mr. Mueller is a native of Germany, born
May 11, 1 864, and was eight years of age
when his parents emigrated to America.
The family located in Chicago, where the
son was reared to manhood, acquiring his
education in the public schools. He also
took a course in a commercial college and
thoroughly prepared himself for a business
life. After leaving the school-room to enter
upon the practical duties of life and learn
the lessons which experience presents for
our mastering, he took up the trade of cigar-
making, and in 1883 was admitted to a part-
nership with his father, a well-known cigar
manufacturer of this city. The business
connection between them continued until
148
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
1888, when Gustave Mueller withdrew from
the firm and embarked in business on his
own account. His place of business is lo-
cated at 1644 North Halsted street. Here
he gives employment to thirty-five to forty
persons. He only manufactures the high-
est grade of cigars. His beautiful residence,
overlooking the lake, is located at 803 Pine
Grove avenue, and was built in 1895, and
cost about $30,000. In his line of business
he has attained a well-merited reputation.
His reliable dealing and the excellence of
his products has enabled him to command a
large share of the public patronage, and he
is now conducting an extensive and profita-
ble trade. He is systematic, progressive
and persevering, and the methods he has
followed have led to success. In politics
Mr. Mueller is a Republican.
On the isth of December, 1887, Mr.
Mueller was united in marriage to Miss Alice
E. Bausch, a native of Chicago, and they
have one daughter, Silvia. Mrs. Mueller
is a daughter of George Bausch, who came
to this country fifty-one years ago. Their
pleasant home is a favorite resort for many
friends. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mueller have
spent nearly their entire lives here, and
from their school days their circle of ac-
quaintances has been constantly growing, so
that they are now widely known, and their
genial natures and sterling worth have won
them the warm regard of many.
T'OSEPH BUERKIN is a thirty-second-
I degree Mason. His identification with
the order dates from June 17, 1884,
when he was initiated as an Entered Ap-
prentice of Lambert Lodge, No. 659, of
Quincy. He passed the Fellow-craft de-
gree on the 2d of September of the same
year, and on the I4th of April, 1885, was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son. His further advancement in this order
has been in the Scottish Rite, he receiving
the ineffable degrees in the Quincy Grand
Lodge of Perfection and became a Knight
of the East and Prince of Jerusalem in
Quincy Council, Princes of Jerusalem. He
attained the eighteenth degree in Quincy
Chapter of Rose Croix and in Quincy Con-
sistory took the fourteen degrees whereby
he was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret, on the 9th of December, 1887.
Mr. Buerkin is a native of Baden, Ger-
many, born March 16, 1848. He was edu-
cated in the fatherland and learned the cab-
inet-maker's trade there, but believing that
the conditions of business in the new world
were superior to those in the old he deter-
mined to try his fortune in the United
States. Accordingly when nineteen years
of age he bade adieu to the home and friends
of his boyhood and in 1 867 sailed for New
York. He landed on American shores with
little capital but was well supplied with
health, energy and determination, and with
these qualities set out to conquer all the
obstacles which an adverse fate might have
in store for him.
Mr. Buerkin remained for some time in
New York city and other parts of the coun-
try and acquired an excellent knowledge of
the builder's trade. In 1870 he came to
Quincy and soon became actively engaged
in contracting and building. By close at-
tention to business and honorable methods
he has met with a well-earned success and
has won a place in the front ranks among
the representatives of his chosen calling.
He is now the senior member of the well-
known firm of Buerkin & Kaempen, and in
connection with their building interests they
own and conduct a large planing-mill, sash,
door and blind factory, which is one of the
leading industries of the city, furnishing
employment to a large force of men and
thereby materially promoting the prosperity
of the city. They have also erected some
of the finest buildings in the Gem City,
which stand as monuments to their skill and
are an ornament to Quincy. These include
the high-school building, the opera- house
and the Gem City Business College, to-
gether with many of the finest business
blocks and most handsome residences.
In 1872 Mr. Buerkin was married to
Miss Augusta K. Lerp, a native of Quincy,
and their union has been blessed with seven
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
149
children, as follows: Rosie, Augusta, Katie,
Emma, Margaret, Edwin and Armour. Their
home, erected by Mr. Buerkin, is one of the
comfortable homes in Quincy, and there,
surrounded by his family, he enjoys the
many comforts which he has secured entire-
ly through his well-directed labors. His
prosperity cannot be attributed to a combi-
nation of lucky circumstances, for it has
risen from energy, enterprise, integrity and
intellectual effort well directed. His busi-
ness has ever been conducted on the strict-
est principles of honesty, and he is a worthy
representative of that type of American
character, that progressive spirit which pro-
motes public good in advancing individual
prosperity. He and his wife are members
of the Lutheran church and in politics he is
a Republican.
lOBERT CLINTON HUMBERT,
JO, Keithsburg. - - The Catholic church
claims that the "gates of hell have never
prevailed against her." Possibly this is
true, in the sense in which she interprets
that oracle; but it is certain the " gates " of
that church and all other adverse agencies
combined have not yet prevailed against the
Masonic order; for the latter is founded upon
the universally recognized principles of
brotherhood, without any of the disputed
theological doctrines of that great ecclesias-
tical body. To this more permanent organ-
ization belongs the gentleman who is the
subject proper of this brief biographical
outline, and is one of the best informed and
most indefatigable Freemasons in this part
of the state. Initiated into the shining
mysteries of the ancient art in 1867, in
Robert Burns Lodge, No. 113, he received
the degree of Entered Apprentice September
20, Fellow-craft March 20, following, and
Master Mason July 10, the next year; and
now for over thirty years has he been one
of its most active and faithful supporters.
After serving as Junior Warden a year he
was elected Worshipful Master; and, al-
though he accepted the office with reluctance,
feeling his want of thorough preparation for
the work, yet it was his good fortune at
that time to become acquainted with that
eminent Masonic worker, Mr. Ashley, who,
seeing his willingness to become an adept,
took him in hand and gave him a most
thorough training, after which Mr. Humbert
reflected great credit upon his excellent
tutor and rapidly acquired the reputation of
being one of the best posted Masons and
one of the best workers in this portion of
the state; and during all these years he has
indeed been a worthy worker in the craft,
and his efforts have been praiseworthy, his
brethren appreciating him and his work to
such an extent that he was for ten years
continuously elected to the office of Worship-
ful Master, and Robert Burns Lodge acquired
the reputation of being the best working
lodge in western Illinois. The Royal Arch
degree he received in Illinois Chapter, No.
17, July 2, 1877.
From time to time he filled nearly all
the important offices in his lodge; was High
Priest for eight terms, and in 1896 was
Master of the blue lodge, High Priest of the
chapter and Worthy Patron of Mary Burns
Chapter, No. 24, Order of the Eastern Star,
of which last mentioned his wife is also an
active member and has been Worthy Matron
and Treasurer. Mr. Humbert received the
Knight Templar degrees in 1880, in Gales-
burg Commandery, No. 18, and the council
degrees also have been conferred upon him.
He has in ready memory all the ritual of the
York Rite.
Mr. Humbert is a native of the state of
Ohio, born in Montgomery county, near
Dayton, on the 26th day of January, 1831,
and is of French ancestry, three Humbert
brothers having come from France with
General La Fayette to assist the colonies in
their struggle for independence. One of
these brothers, Frederick Humbert, was the
grandfather of the subject of this sketch.
It is said of him that during the war he was
captured by the Britons and when asked to
surrender his sword (he was an officer) he
brandished it above his head, struck it deep
into the ground, wrenching it in pieces, and
swore that " no d — n Briton should ever
150
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
carry it!" After the war he settled in West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, where his
son Emanuel Humbert (father of Robert C. )
was born. By trade he was a miller, and
he was a Free and Accepted Mason. He
came to Illinois in 1853 and affiliated with
Robert Burns Lodge and lived to be eighty
years of age and was buried at Keithsburg,
with Masonic honors. He had married, in
Dayton, Ohio, Miss Frances McReynolds,
who was of Scotch-Irish ancestry that were
early settlers of Tennessee and Ohio. She
was a Presbyterian and he a Universalist,
but later in life he accepted the Presbyterian
faith. She departed this life in 1850, at the
age of forty-five years. Seven of their chil-
dren still survive, and Mr. Humbert, of this
sketch, is the eldest. He was but three
years of age when his parents removed to
Indiana and he resided there until he was
twenty-two years old, when, in 1853, he
came to Keithsburg, which has ever since
been his home. He has been a successful
hardware merchant for many years and has
built a number of business blocks and resi-
dences in his city, and has been one of the
active business men of the place, doing
much in every way to improve the city. In
politics he has been a Democrat. He has
served as a member of the board of educa-
tion, and has been president of the board of
trustees of the village. In religion he is a
member of the Presbyterian church, but is
liberal-spirited.
Mr. Humbert was united in matrimony
with Miss Sarah Gore, a native of Maryland
and a daughter of Mr. Philip Gore, who was
one of the earliest settlers and merchants of
Columbus City, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Hum-
bert have had seven children. Harry Philip,
their eldest, is city clerk, the auditor of
the Telephone Company, secretary of the
Keithsburg Building & Loan Association,
and also secretary of the board of education
of the city. George Clinton was a gradu-
ate of Rush Medical College at Chicago and
also of Bellevue Hospital Medical College in
New York city, became a skilled practition-
er and died of apoplexy December 28, 1894.
He was a member of the Society of Railroad
Surgeons and was eminent in his profession
and highly esteemed. Edward Emanuel is
engaged in the dry-goods business. James
Frederick is assistant cashier of the Farm-
ers' Bank, of Keithsburg. Jannie Dell is
now the wife of M. G. Chiles. Bart Gore
is engaged in the manufacture of cigars; and
Robert Roy is at school.
JAY EDWARD ELLIOTT. —A Mason
who by his daily life, both business and
social, shows by his acts that he is thor-
oughly in sympathy with the precepts of the
order, is a man who will command the re-
spect and high esteem of the brothers with
whom he is associated. Such a man is Jay
E. Elliott, who has attained to the degree
of Sir Knight Templar in his home com-
mandery. Mr. Elliott took the blue-lodge
degrees and was made a Master Mason in
Trio Lodge, No. 57, in 1891, received the
degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most
Excellent Master, and was exalted as Royal
Arch Mason in Barrett Chapter, No. 18, at
Rock Island, in 1893, and was created a Sir
Knight in Everts Commandery, No. 18,
Knights Templar, in 1894. He quickly ac-
quired the ritual of this order, and has al-
ways been active in the other bodies with
which he is affiliated. He has ever evinced
his intentions of living up to the tenets of
the fraternity, and by his enthusiasm and
faithfulness has endeared himself to his fel-
low members.
Mr. Elliott was born in Quincy, Illi-
nois, May 5, 1878, and is a descendant of
Scotch-Irish ancestors. His father, John
M. Elliott, was born in Cape May and was
married to Miss Addie Duffield, of Virginia,
a daughter of Henry Duffield, who was also
a native of the same state, in which he was
one of the early settlers. He came to Henry
county, Illinois, at an early day, and resided
thereuntil 1895, when he departed this life,
at the venerable age of ninety years. Mr.
Elliott's father was a patriotic citizen and
served his country in the Union army, in
which he performed valiant service. He
and his worthy wife are now living in retire-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
153
ment with their two children, of whom the
subject of this sketch is the elder. The
latter was educated in the public schools of
Rock Island, and was graduated at the high
school in 1888, after which he received an
appointment as letter-carrier, which posi-
tion he filled for a period of two years. At
the end of that time he entered a hardware
store as clerk, remaining there for four
years, and then accepted the position of as-
sistant postmaster of the Rock Island sta-
tion in 1892, an office which he has filled
with signal ability. He was quick to ac-
quire the routine of the work, attends to his
duties with promptness and dispatch, and is
obliging and capable.
Mr. Elliott is a member of the Order of
the Eastern Star, and of the Young Men's
Christian Association, and enjoys the confi-
dence and good will not only of the breth-
ren but also of the citizens of the town in
which he was born and where he has always
resided. He is a young man of admirable
qualities, possessing an excellent character,
with a keen sense of honor, and there is
every indication that he has a brilliant fu-
ture before him.
GEORGE LOMAX, of Chicago, is a Ma-
son of high rank, who for thirteen years
has been connected with the ancient fra-
ternity that through many centuries has
been one of the most potent instrumentali-
ties for good in the civilization of mankind.
He was initiated as Entered Apprentice,
passed the Fellow-craft degree and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in 1884, thereby becoming a member of
Thomas J. Turner Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
No. 409. The following year he was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason, becoming a Companion of Corinthian
Chapter. He was greeted a Royal and Se-
lect Master in Palestine Council, in 1886,
and was dubbed and created a Knight Temp-
lar in St. Bernard Commandery the same
year. It was also in 1886 that he received
the ineffable degrees of the Lodge of Per-
fection, and has been since identified with
Oriental Consistory, Sublime Princes of the
Royal Secret. With that social organiza-
tion, whose membership includes only Ma-
sons, he is also connected, having in 1886'
been admitted to membership in Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Lomax follows
closely the precepts of the blue lodge, chap-
ter and council, worthily upholds the beau-
seant of the commandery, and is true to the
teachings of the consistory, while in the so-
cial department his association with his fel-
low members of the mystic tie shows that
he fully understands the spirit of fraternity.
Mr. Lomax is a native of New York, his
birth having occurred in the town of Haver-
straw, on the 9th of June, 1852. In 1854,
however, he was brought to Chicago by his
parents, and the days of his boyhood and
youth were passed in a manner usual to
children of that period. The city schools
afforded him his educational privileges, and
his business training was obtained in the es-
tablishment of his father, J. A. Lomax, who
on coming to the city in 1854 began the
manufacture of soda-water.
In 1872 Mr. George Lomax was united
in marriage with Miss Helen Bolton, who
was born at Jersey City, New Jersey. They
have four children — George, J. Alfred, Frank
B. and William L. , aged respectively twenty-
three, twenty, eighteen and eight years.
From the time that Mr. Lomax entered
his father's employ he applied himself assidu-
ously to the mastery of the business, and as
time passed, more and more relieved his fa-
ther of the management and care of the en-
terprise. He also purchased a controlling
interest and extended the business in its fa-
cilities and scope. He is a gentleman of
great energy and excellent ability, whose
careful management of its interests, com-
bined with the true western spirit of prog-
ress, has brought to him success. He and
his father are now the principal owners of the
Chicago Consolidated Bottling Company,
the most extensive concern of the kind in
the United States. This is the outgrowth of
the business which was established by John
A. Lomax more than forty years ago. He
154
co^fpENDIU^f or FREEMASON RT IN ILLINOIS.
began operations on a small scale at No. 38,
West Lake street; but the plant was com-
pletely destroyed by fire in 1859. In the
fall of the same year business was resumed
at No. 1 6 Charles place, in a two-story
frame building twenty by thirty feet, which
was then in the midst of the heavy timber.
The sales of the house materially increased
as the years went by, and in 1871 John A.
Lomax and his son George erected a large
stone and brick building, which was sup-
posed to be fire-proof, the dimensions being
forty by one hundred and ten feet; but the
great conflagration of October 9-11, 1871,
which laid the city in ruins, destroyed their
new plant. With characteristic energy,
however, they at once began rebuilding, and
now occupy with their business a four-story
brick structure three hundred by one hun-
dred and twenty-five feet, which is the larg-
est exclusive bottling-house in the world.
On the 7th of March the stock was cap-
italized under the name of the Chicago
Consolidated Bottling Company, for six
hundred thousand dollars, with John A.
Lomax as president, Herman Pony as treas-
urer, and George Lomax as manager. In
their plant every device and improvement
known to the business is used. They em-
ploy three hundred men, use two hundred
horses and eighty double and single wagons
to deliver their goods to their customers.
They manufacture one million boxes of two
dozen bottles each per annum; and out of
seven thousand saloons in Chicago they
have the patronage of more than five thou-
sand of them, furnishing soda-waters, ginger
ale, mineral and spring waters and other
light drinks. This is an indication of the
volume of the business which is carried on
at the extensive establishment of the Chi-
cago Consolidated Bottling Company, which
now controls one of the leading industries
of the city.
The quality of their products is unsur-
passed, for only the best materials are
selected for their manufacture and every
precaution is taken to secure cleanliness and
purity. The laboratory is under the super-
vision of a skilled chemist, and all the dif-
ferent departments are superintended by
men of the utmost reliability, thoroughly
understanding the duties entrusted to their
care. The genial manager, George Lomax,
is a man of far-seeing ability, of courteous
bearing and manly dignity. He possesses
that happy faculty of making friends, hun-
dreds of whom speak highly of his hospital-
ity and generosity. At a meeting held by
the Hudson County (New Jersey) Bottling
Protective Association, October 5, 1896,
most favorable and complimentary resolu-
tions were passed concerning the kindness
and courtesy of Messrs. John A. and George
Lomax for the courteous and charming way
they entertained the members of the asso-
ciation at the eighth annual meeting of all
the bottlers of the United States, which was
held in Chicago in October, 1896. The
resolutions are handsomely engrossed and
framed, and occupy a most conspicuous
place in the company's office.
WILLIAM C. FREE— The catholicity
of spirit animating the great Ma-
sonic crafthood is unmistakable, charity and
hospitality being the grand characteristics of
the order, which has drawn to itself the
allegiance of men in all stations of life —
men to whom its exalted teachings and
noble aims can not have failed to appeal.
In the magnificent metropolis of the west
Freemasonry claims as its votaries those
representative in the myriad lines of indus-
trial enterprise which have insured to the
city such distinctive prestige, and among
the number is the subject of this review,
who stands as a distinctive type of that
younger element in the business life of the
city that has conserved its progress by
thorough capacity for affairs of great scope
and importance. The true measure of in-
dividual success is determined by what one
has accomplished, and a man is known to
the world through that vehicle by which his
success has been attained. Mr. Free, who
is president and general manager of the
Chicago Portrait Company, conducting one
of the most extensive enterprises of the sort
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
155
in the Union, became an Entered Appren-
tice in Covenant Lodge, No. 526, A. F. &
A. M. , in the year 1895, and in the same
symbolic body was duly raised Master Ma-
son, while his rapid rise in the grades and
orders of Masonry is shown in the fact that
within the year 1896 he had received the
distinction implied in the conferring of the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite,
being duly crowned a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory in the
Valley of Chicago. He also essayed and
successfully completed the hazardous pil-
grimage across the burning sands of the
desert and gained title as a Noble in Me-
dinah Temple, of the Ancient Arabic Order
of the Mystic Shrine. He has been con-
stant and faithful in his devotion to the or-
der, doing all in his power to promote its
interests and standing as a consistent ex-
emplar of its teachings and principles. In
business and social life he is the synonym of
his Masonic professions, thus commanding
the respect and esteem of the fraternity and
the confidence of all who know him in other
departments of life.
William C. Free is a native of Indiana,
having been born at Alexandria, Madison
county, on the i6th of March, 1868, the
son of Cyrenus and Esther Free. He was
reared and educated in his native town, his
initial business experience being in connec-
tion with mercantile enterprise. His nature
was thoroughly self-reliant, his ability un-
mistakable and his ambition pronounced, so
that he did not long remain in a subordinate
position. For eight years of his business
life he was engaged as a traveling salesman,
in which capacity it is worthy of note that
in the entire section of the Union lying west
of the Mississippi river there was not a city
of as much as two thousand population
which he had not visited, while in the south
he had traversed the entire country, from
coast to coast. In addition to this he has
traveled in Mexico and Europe in the inter-
ests of his chosen calling.
In September, 1894, Mr. Free organized
the Chicago Portrait Company, whose busi-
ness now ramifies into the most diverse sec-
tions of the Union, representing an enter-
prise of magnificent breadth and one whose
manifold details demand the supervision of
a man of peculiar and pronounced business
tact and acumen. As president and general
manager Mr. Free has proven himself emi-
nently capable of assuming the responsibil-
ity placed upon him, and of the enterprise,
whose magnitude is simply astonishing, he
is the controlling owner. The company re-
tain in their employ nine hundred individ-
uals, their corps of artists being of the high-
est class, while in every other department
also maximum efficiency is the only condi-
tion tolerated, the policy of the concern be-
ing the most liberal and the best results be-
ing secured through this source. The great
system demanded in the handling of the
countless details of the business is most per-
fect and exact and ma}' be said to be orig-
inal with him, being the outgrowth of the
demands of the complex and far-reaching
enterprise. Mr. Free's record is that of a
man who has attained a distinct prominence
and success in the business world through
his own ability, correct methods, indefatig-
able industry and exceptional discrimination;
and his success is one which would stand to
the credit of one who had given a long life-
time to endeavor, while he has attained the
magnificent results in a career covering but
comparatively few years.
©EORGE M. GROSS.— For thirteen
years this gentleman has been a mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity, and during all
that period has been most deeply interested
in the workings of the order and in its
growth and the promulgation of its princi-
ples. He was made a Mason in Dearborn
Lodge, on the igth of April, 1883, and has
filled all the chairs save that of Senior
Deacon. He served as Worshipful Master
in 1888 and proved a most acceptable pre-
siding officer. He was exalted to the sub-
lime degree of Royal Arch Mason in La Fay-
ette Chapter, No. 2, in June, 1883, and
therein has been honored with nearly all of
its official positions, serving in the capacity
156
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of High Priest in 1891. He was chosen a
member of Palestine Council, No. 66, R.
& S. M., October 3, 1883, — in fact became
one of its charter members, and in 1889 he
served as Thrice Illustrious Master. At the
present writing he is Grand Master of the
Grand Council. He received the ineffable
degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory, No. i, in
1884, and became a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine in 1893, and in 1896 joined the
Order of Alabama.
Mr. Gross is best known by his devotion
to the craft. His zeal for and devotion to
Masonry, in all its branches and for all its
principles, is one of the strong elements of
his character, and its principles have largely
swayed his conduct to his fellow-men. He
was thoroughly in sympathy with the prac-
tical workings of Masonry, believing in that
charity which quietly and unostentatiously
extends the hand of aid for the reason that
all men are brothers, and living up to the
full requirements of the fraternity in every
particular.
Mr. Gross was born in Chicago, August
6, 1846, and is a son of John L. Gross, a
native of Germany, who came to America
in 1837, being at the time twenty-six years
of age. He at once located in Chicago,
where he continued to make his home until
his death, which occurred in 1876. He
married Susan Furst, whose brother was an
officer in the army of Napoleon during the
siege of Moscow. Mr. and Mrs. Gross had
a family of nine children, but with the ex-
ception of our subject only one is now liv-
ing, Mrs. Frederick Fishback, who was born
in Chicago in 1840.
George M. Gross, of this review, was
reared in his native city and is indebted to
its public schools for his educational priv-
ileges. In his early life he learned the busi-
ness of manufacturing sheet-metal materials
and has since engaged in that enterprise,
being a straightforward, energetic business
man, who owes his success to his own ef-
forts. He was married in 1873 to Miss
Elizabeth C. Miner, a native of New York
city, who died in 1879, leaving two chil-
dren,— George R. W. and Josephine; but
the daughter passed away in 1880. In 1885
Mr. Gross was again married, his second
union being with Miss Charlotte E. Olm-
stead, a native of Ohio.
fAJOR CHARLES BUTLER LOOP
is one of the pioneer citizens and
leading Masons of Belvidere. The history
of Masonry in this section of the state
would be incomplete without mention of
his work in behalf of the order with which
he has been connected for thirty-seven
years. He was made a Mason in Cham-
paign Lodge, No. 173, in 1859, and was
associated therewith until he was dimitted
to Belvidere Lodge, No. 60, in 1860. He
at once became one of its active and promi-
nent workers and has ever been most zeal-
ous in the advancement of its interests and
the inculcation of its noble principles among
his fellow men. The lodge has many times
honored him with official preferment, and
at different times he has passed all the
chairs in the organization. About the be-
ginning of the war he was exalted to the
sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Winnebago Chapter, No. 24, of Rockford,
and from 1862 until 1865 he served as
Senior Warden of a military lodge formed
of Masons in the Union army. He was
one of the organizers of Kishwaukee Chap-
ter, No. 90, R. A. M., of Belvidere, and
on its formation was appointed Principal
Sojourner. He has since served as King
and High Priest, and is now holding the
latter office. He also belongs to Crusader
Commandery, No. 17, K. T. , having taken
his Sir Knight degree in that society.
No other civic organization antedates
Masonry; no other in Illinois has so great a
membership. Appealing to the highest and
best in man's nature, it has won a following
of honorable citizens who have added dig-
nity and strength to the society whose ban-
ner they uphold, whose principles they em-
brace and whose beliefs find expression in
their lives. To this class belongs Major
Loop. He has followed this standard for
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
157
almost four decades, and the glorious en-
sign of fraternity and benevolence finds in
him a most consistent supporter.
Major Loop is a native of Steuben coun-
ty, New York, born on the I2th of Octo-
ber, 1835. On the paternal side he traces
his ancestry back to the province of Alsace,
which formed a part of France when his an-
cestors lived there but is now a part of the
German empire. The maternal ancestry
were Holland people, and both came to
America in early colonial days and furnished
their representatives to the Revolution and
the war of 1812. The grandfather, Peter
Loop, was a soldier in the second war with
England. Henry Loop, father of the Ma-
jor, was born in the Empire state and was
married there to Miss Minerva Calkins, a
native of Connecticut. In 1838 he brought
his family to Illinois, locating in Belvidere,
where he engaged in farming and merchan-
dising until his death, which occurred at the
age of seventy-eight years. The mother
lived to the same age. They were parents
of six children, of whom the Major is now
the only survivor. Mr. Loop and his wife
held a membership with the Methodist
church.
Charles B. Loop, whose name introduces
this review, was reared on his father's farm
and attended the winter school until eight-
een years of age, after which he accepted
a position as civil engineer, in which capac-
ity he served for four years, engaged on the
construction of the Chicago & Northwestern
Railroad and the Illinois Central road, the
former being then known as the Galena &
Chicago Union.
In 1862, when the urgent need of the
north awakened the loyalty of many thou-
sand citizens, Mr. Loop joined the ranks of
the ''boys in blue " and went forth to the
defense of his country as a member of Com-
pany B, Ninety-fifth Illinois Infantry. He
was elected captain of the company and
with his command proceeded to the field,
where he was engaged in service under Gen-
eral Grant in northern Mississippi. He
participated in the siege against Vicksburg;
and, with his regiment forming a part of
Ransom's brigade, Third Division, Seven-
teenth Army Corps, he participated in all
the battles of the Vicksburg campaign, in-
cluding Port Gibson, Raymond, Champion
Hills, Jackson, Black river and two assaults
on the city of Vicksburg on the igth and
the 22d of May, 1863, besides the forty-
seven days' siege of the city. On the ipth
and 22d his regiment and brigade led the at-
tack and suffered great loss, but were
driven back.
When the campaign was ended Captain
Loop was sent north to recruit and replen-
ish the depleted ranks. In this work he
spent two and a half months, and succeeded
splendidly in his mission, sending many men
to the front, after which he returned to his
command. He was then assigned by the
commanding officer of the Seventeenth Army
Corps at Cairo to a provisional command,
consisting of non-veterans and recruits, des-
tined for the various regiments of the Army
of the Tennessee, and numbering about fif-
teen hundred men. With this command
Major Loop accompanied General Blair to
Sherman's army, then operating against
Johnston's army in Tennessee and Georgia
and in the Atlanta campaign. After taking
his men to the different regiments for which
they were recruited, Major Loop was imme-
diately made engineer officer of the Third
Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps on
the staff of General Leggett, in which ca-
pacity he served during the campaign against
Atlanta, a portion of the time acting as en-
gineer for the entire corps. He participated
in the engagements of New Hope Church,
Kenesaw mountain, Peach Tree creek, At-
lanta, Ezra Church, Jonesboro and Lovejoy
Station. For one hundred and twenty days
during the campaign he was constantly under
fire: probably not an hour passed during the
entire time in which the sound of bursting
shell or whizzing bullet could not be heard.
After a short respite Major Loop joined
his own regiment, and early in December
started with all speed to the assistance of
General Thomas, then operating against the
army of General Hood, south of Nashville.
At Nashville his command composed the
158
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
right flank of General Thomas' army, known
as the Sixteenth Army Corps, and opened
the assault in the battle which took place
there on the i 5th and 1 6th of December,
1864. This movement resulted in a great
victory for the Union forces. The next
campaign in which Major Loop participated
was against Mobile, whither they proceeded
by steamer. After the capture of that city
the army moved on to Montgomery, Ala-
bama, where the news was received of the
surrender of General Lee, and the service
of this command was practically ended.
Major Loop, during the Mobile campaign,
was assistant inspector-general on the staff
of Major-General Carr. He was a most
loyal and faithful soldier, whose service
was most valuable to his country, and his
army record is one of which he may justly
be proud. He participated in a number of
the most important engagements of the war,
and for his meritorious, valiant conduct was
steadily promoted to the rank of major.
Sixty days after his return home Mr.
Loop was elected county clerk of Boone
county, which position he held for more
than eleven years, when he resigned to
accept the position of postmaster of Belvi-
dere, to which he was appointed by his old
commander, General Grant, then occupying
the executive chair of the nation. This
appointment was entirely without solicita-
tion on the part of the Major, and came as
a mark of the personal friendship and esteem
which the war president had for his old
army comrade. Mr. Loop served in that
office for about nine years, when the Democ-
racy assumed control of the government;
immediately after the inauguration of Presi-
dent Cleveland he sent in his resignation,
but it was not accepted until eight months
later. The Major next served as door-
keeper in the thirty-fifth general assembly of
Illinois, and for six years was connected
with the state grain department at Chicago,
in a clerical capacity, being for nearly a year
of that time chief clerk of the inspection
department. He retired from that office
when the Democrats again came into power
and engaged in the real-estate business in
Belvidere, looking after his own and the
property of others. He has always been a
stanch Republican in politics from the organ-
ization of the party, and has done all in
power to promote its growth and insure its
success. He is now the chairman of the
Republican county central committee, and
his effective powers of organization and ex-
ecutive ability have been an important fac-
tor in securing Republican gains in this dis-
trict, which has again been recognized by
his being again appointed chief clerk of the
state grain department in Chicago.
Major Loop was married in 185910 Miss
Maria J. Pierce, a native of Washington
county, New York. They have four chil-
dren living, all born in Belvidere, namely:
Albert E. , cashier of the First National
Bank of Belvidere; Charles D., who is as-
sistant cashier in the same institution;
Bertha A., who possesses much musical tal-
ent and is now engaged in teaching that art;
and Kate A., at home. The Major and his
family occupy a very enviable position in
social circles and their home is a cultured
one and a favorite resort with the many
friends of the family. Fearless and true on
the field of battle, in the affairs of private
life he has displayed the same loyalty to
every trust reposed in him, and his name is
synonymous with honorable business deal-
ing.
•V\EORGE J. ST1TELEY.— While many
hold strong objections to secret socie-
ties, it cannot be denied that they throw re-
straining influences about a man which noth-
ing else can, and if he carry out in life such
teachings as are inculcated by the order of
which the subjects of these sketches are
worthy representatives, he cannot fail to be-
come a loyal citizen and an upright man.
That some fail to come up to the high
standard set by the founders of the fraterni-
ty is but natural; but, judging by the career
of thousands of men prominent in almost
every walk of life, we cannot but conclude
that their membership in the Masonic or-
der has been conducive to the development
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
159
of their best faculties and has aided them in
successfully overcoming all obstacles to
their advancement in their chosen voca-
tions.
One of the prominent members of the
Masonic fraternity residing in Mount Carroll
is George J. Stiteley. He is a well-known
citizen and a genial and popular business
man, being one of the leading dry-goods
and clothing merchants of Mount Carroll.
Mr. Stiteley was made a Master Mason
in Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, Mount Carroll, in
1890. He was entered September 4, 1889,
passed March 21, 1 890, and raised April i ,
1890. He is also a member of Lanark
Chapter, No. 139, and of Long Comman-
dery, No. 60, Mount Carroll. In 1893 he
was initiated into the Freeport Valley Con-
sistory, and has taken all the degrees up to
and including the thirty-second. He is
also a "Shriner, " a member of Medinah
Temple, Chicago, and also of the Order of
Modern Woodmen, and has passed all the
chairs in both branches of the I. O. O. F.
Mr. Stiteley is a native of Washington
county, Maryland, where he was born March
23, 1855. His ancestors were German and
were among the early settlers of the county.
His father, George W. Stiteley, was also
born in Maryland, where he was married to
Miss Mary Buser, a native of the same
state. While residing in Maryland they
had three children, George J. being the
third in order of birth. In 1855 his parents
came to Illinois and located in Carroll coun-
ty, where they had five more children. Mr.
Stiteley was a merchant, which occupation
he followed during the active years of his
life. Both he and his wife still survive, at
the ages respectively of sixty-nine and six-
ty-five years. They are both members in
good standing of the " Church of God," and
are highly esteemed by their large circle of
friends.
The subject of this review was educated
in the public schools of Mount Carroll. His
father in his earlier life was an operative
mason, and young George worked with him
at that trade until he came into his major-
ity. He was then offered a clerkship in the
store of Beam Brothers, which he accepted
and filled with satisfaction. He resigned
that position for one in the service of the
firm of McKinley & Loveland, where he re-
mained until 1887, when he embarked in
the business in which he is at present en-
gaged. He has succeeded in building up a
large and flourishing trade, and by honora-
ble methods and strict integrity in all his
dealings has secured the confidence and es-
teem of all with whom he comes in con-
tact.
In 1 88 1 he was married to Miss Eunice
V. Edwards, a native of Mount Carroll, and
they had two children — Edna and Free.
Mrs. Stiteley was spared to her family only
a few years, and Mr. Stiteley was again
married, choosing for his second wife Miss
Lizzie Tipton, also a native of Mount Car-
roll, this marriage taking place in 1885, and
they have one son, named Glen C. Mr.
and Mrs. Stiteley are both members of the
Eastern Star, and are highly esteemed resi-
dents of Mount Carroll. In politics Mr.
Stitely is a Republican.
WEALMER HARLAN STONE, who
after a long, useful and honorable busi-
ness career is now living a retired life in
Rockford, has been numbered among the rep-
resentatives of Masonry since the winter of
1865-6, — a period of thirty years. His loy-
alty to its teachings and his application of
its principles to the practical affairs of life
have not only won him the warm friendship
and respect of his brethren, but have added
to the high reputation of the order. He was
made a Mason in Rising Sun Lodge, of Min-
nesota, and during his connection therewith
was elected and served as Junior and Senior
Warden. In 1874 he was dimitted to Rock-
ford Lodge, No. 102, A. F. & A. M., and in
this organization has been an active and ca-
pable worker, doing all in his power to ad-
vance its interests and inculcate its ennobling
principles among his fellow men. He has
served as Junior and Senior Warden of Rock-
ford Lodge, also Junior and Senior Deacon
and Worshipful Master. He is also a worthy
160
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and valued member of the Grand Army of
the Republic.
The Green Mountain state is the birth-
place of Mr. Stone, who first opened his
eyes to the light of day in Franklin county
on the 2 ist of November, 1835. The fam-
ily is of English lineage, and the first Amer-
ican ancestors located in New England dur-
ing an early epoch in the history of the
country, and participated in the French
and Indian war. His father, James Stone,
was a native of Franklin county, Vermont,
and a soldier in the war of 1812. He mar-
ried Miss Lucinda Danforth, and in 1846
removed with his wife and children to Wis-
consin, locating in the woods in a pioneer
region. He improved a farm and experi-
enced the usual hardships of frontier life.
After the war, in which he defended his na-
tive land, he became active in the militia
and held the office of major. He died in
Wisconsin, at the age of sixty-one years,
and his wife reached the advanced age of
ninety-seven years, departing this life on the
loth of May, 1894. They were zealous
members of the Methodist church, and their
home was always the abiding place of itin-
erant ministers during the early years of
their residence in Wisconsin.
Mr. Stone, whose name introduces this
sketch, was the sixth in their family of seven
children, of whom six are yet living. He
began his education in the schools of Ver-
mont, but was only eleven years of age when
the family came to the west, and in conse-
quence completed his course in the public
schools of the latter state. His training in
that direction was rather meager, but not so
his training at farm labor. He assisted in
the arduous task of developing a new farm,
and early became familiar with all the duties
that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He
afterward engaged in teaching four terms of
school in Wisconsin, but the great Civil war
came on in all its fury and cut short his pro-
fessional life as an educator. In the dark-
est days of that sanguinary struggle he went
forth in defense of the Union, enlisting in
the winter of 1863-4 as a member of Com-
pany D, Seventh Minnesota Infantry. He
at once went to the front to reinforce that
regiment, and served in Mississippi, Arkan-
sas, Texas and Tennessee. He was on de-
tached duty much of the time, but partici-
pated in the three-days battle of Tupelo.
He was honorably discharged in September,
1865, and returning home resumed the vo-
cations of civil life.
Mr. Stone then engaged in the furniture
business in St. Charles, Minnesota, until
1873, after which he carried on the tanning
business for a few years. He then sold his
property and purchased a farm three miles
south of Rockford, where he carried on
agricultural pursuits for some time and then
laid aside all business cares, retiring to his
pleasant residence in Rockford, where he
has since made his home. His business
career was one of success, owing to his
well directed efforts, and his diligence and
perseverance and his honest toil brought to
him the competence that now enables him
to live retired.
In 1860 Mr. Stone married Miss Lucy
McMurphy, a native of Painesville, Ohio,
by whom he had one son, Roy. The mother
died in 1868, and Mr. Stone was again
married, his second union being with Miss
Marietta Milliard, a native of Massachusetts
and a daughter of John Milliard, who came
with his family to Illinois in 1866. Their
union has been blessed with one son, Frank,
now attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Stone
are members of the Christian Union church,
and enjoy the confidence and esteem of a
large circle of friends and acquaintances.
In politics he is a stalwart Republican, held
the office of town clerk in Minnesota, and
since coming to Rockford has been elected
to the city council.
J
If AMES PRICE. — Scotland has furnished
to the Masonic fraternity some of the
most prominent members of the order,
and has largely promoted this ancient organ-
ization, while one department of the society
had its origin in the land of hills and heather.
Its people, noted for unswerving loyalty to
any cause they espouse, have had many
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI<:
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
163
faithful representatives among the Masons,
and this number includes the subject of this
review, who, with the characteristic un-
changeableness and loyalty of his people,
has been a most earnest and consistent
exponent of Masonry since 1891. He joined
Mizpah Lodge in that year and three years
later was elected its Worshipful Master.
On the expiration of his first term he was
re-elected, so that he is still serving in that
capacity. Doing all in his power to advance
the interests of the lodge, he has proved a
worthy head of the organization and has the
warm regard of all his fellow members. In
1893 he took the Royal Arch degrees in
Delta Chapter, No. 191, and has therein
been exalted to official positions, serving as
Principal Sojourner for two years, as Scribe
for one year, and at the present time is
acting as King. He was made a Royal and
Select Master in Palestine Council in 1893,
but was dimitted in November, 1895, and
affiliated with Temple Council, No. 65, in
which he still retains his membership.
The life of Mr. Price cannot fail to
prove of interest to his many friends in
Masonry, and it is therefore with pleasure
that we present this sketch to our readers.
He was born in Scotland on the 28th of
March, 1858, and there 'remained until
1875, when he left the land of his nativity
and crossed the Atlantic to New York. In
that city he secured employment in an
establishment which handled hides, and in
1885 he came to Chicago to represent Hall
& Vaughan, of New York, as their pur-
chasing agent. In that capacity he served
until the business of the firm was consoli-
dated with that of the United States Leather
Company, of New York, under the latter
name, since which time he has acted as
western inspector of hides. It is a respons-
ible position, much depending upon the
ability and judgment of the inspector; but
Mr. Price is fully competent to discharge
his duties to the complete satisfaction of
the company which he represents.
In 1882 Mr. Price married Miss Sarah
Craig, a native of the north of Ireland.
Their children are James, Edward and
10
Jessie. They hold membership in the Order
of the Eastern Star, and Mr. Price was the
organizer of Columbia Chapter, No. 210,
O. E. S. , and its first Patron. His wife
has served as Associate Conductress and
Associate Matron, and at this writing in
1896 is Past Matron. She is a most enthusi-
astic worker in the order and is in hearty
sympathy with her husband in his devotion
to the fraternity. Mr. Price also belongs
to St. Andrews Society, the Order of the
Knights of the Maccabees, and the Caledo-
nian Society of Chicago.
CLARK VARNUM.— The high place in
Masonic circles which the subject of
this sketch has attained is not due to any
accident of birth or combination of fortui-
tous circumstances; and still less is it at-
tributable to any personal effort to place
himself at the front.
Born among the rugged hills of Ver-
mont, he possesses the strength of individ-
uality, fixedness of purpose, and high moral
qualities characteristic of the highest type
of New England manhood, enlarged by the
breadth of view given by a life in the
pure freedom-loving atmosphere of the great
west. To this add a love for the cardinal
principles of Masonry amounting almost to
devotion, and it will readily be seen why
and how it was that the Masons of Iowa,
always quick to discover real merit, called
upon him to fill Masonic offices and preside
in Masonic councils.
Mr. Varnum was born in Peacham, Cal-
edonia county, Vermont, September 24,
1846, being the oldest of five children.
Urgent necessity compelled him to work
early and late as a farm hand from his four-
teenth to his twenty-first year, with but lit-
tle opportunity for an education save such
as could be acquired at a few terms of
school or in the still hours of the night after
the hard day's toil. Under such circum-
stances an education is hard to obtain; but,
once acquired, it sinks deep and is most
permanent.
During this period and in 1865 the am-
164
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
bitious youth, in pursuit of employment
and in the hope of finding a better home for
his parents and a broader field for himself,
removed to Iowa, whither his parents and
brothers and sisters soon followed. Still per-
forming in summer his labor as a farm-hand
and teaching a country school in the winter,
he borrowed from the lawyer in the nearest
village such text-books on legal subjects as
were obtainable, and, by studying them at
such odd hours as could be spared from toil,
acquired sufficient legal knowledge to pass
a creditable examination and be admitted
to the bar.
As might be expected from the difficul-
ties attendant upon such a course of study,
much time was spent in the study of law,
and it was not until December, 1870, that
his admission was effected. He at once
entered actively into the practice of his
chosen profession at Malcom, Iowa, where
he remained until 1884, when he removed
to Newton, Iowa, and in September, 1890,
removed to Chicago, Illinois.
Possessing a mind unusually logical and
judicial, through persistent industry and un-
tiring zeal he attained high rank at the bar,
and was successful to a degree which won
the highest admiration from the bench, bar
and clients.
In Masonry, Mr. Varnum began while a
young man. He was made a Mason in Lily
Lodge, under dispensation, at Malcom, Iowa,
in April, 1869; was appointed Senior Dea-
con when the lodge was chartered in June
of the same year, and served in the War-
dens' stations in the three succeeding years,
and was elected Worshipful Master in 1873
and re-elected six times. He was exalted
in Hyssop Chapter, No. 50, Royal Arch
Masons, in December, 1874; and in 1876
elected its High Priest, and re-elected seven
consecutive times, declining to serve, how-
ever, at the last re-election, because of hav-
ing been selected to a more exalted sta-
tion, that of Grand High Priest of the Grand
Chapter of Iowa, to which he was elected
in 1883, and re-elected in 1884. He was
received into the orders of Christian Knight-
hood in Oriental Commandery, No. 22,
Knights Templar, in April, 1875, and be-
came its Eminent Commander in 1885.
In 1887 he was elected Grand Com-
mander of the Grand Commandery of Knights
Templar of Iowa. To show the strong im-
pression he had made upon the Sir Knights
of that large jurisdiction, with its many able
Templars, it is only necessary to say that
they selected him to the highest office in their
power to bestow from the plain rank of
Past Commander, and without his ever
having held any office whatever in the Grand
Commandery. In 1888, he was re-elected
Grand Commander by a unanimous vote,
contrary to the custom of that Grand Com-
mandery, which had not, for fifteen years
before, and has not since, re-elected any
one to that high office.
It was indeed fortunate for Templar Ma-
sonry everywhere that a man of Sir Varnum's
ability, and with his broad, enlightened
views and strong character, was at the head
of the Grand Commandery of Iowa during
that period. It will be remembered that it
was during this time that the Most Eminent
Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of
the United States assumed the power to
review, consider and pass judgment upon all
the Sir Knights of Iowa and to exclude them
from Templar Masonry.
In 1887, prior to Sir Varnum's election,
their representatives in Grand Commandery
assembled had passed a resolution express-
ing a doubt as to the legality of the adoption
of a ritual in 1886 by the Grand Encamp-
ment, and postponing its use until the Grand
Encampment should, in 1889, decide
whether its use was obligatory. We have
no inclination to go into the merits of that
difference of opinion now, they are matters
of history. Suffice it to say that the Grand
Master undertook to interdict all Templar
intercourse between the Templars of Iowa
and those of other jurisdictions. Grand
Commander Varnum denied his right to do
this, and also, on constitutional grounds,
denied his power to sit in judgment on a
Grand Commandery and the three thousand
eight hundred Sir Knights in its obedience
and condemn them. Upon the issue thus
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
165
formed, that of absolute, unlimited authori-
ty in the Grand Master on the one hand
and of constitutional liberty and freedom
under the law on the other, there went on
for over one year the most important contest
in the history of Templar Masonry. Upon
these subjects the two annual addresses of
Grand Commander Varnum and his circu-
lars and letters relative to that subject were
marked by a strength exhaustive of the mat-
ter at issue, so much so that they have
never been answered nor their conclusions
seriously questioned. When the Grand En-
campment convened at Washington, D. C. ,
in the fall of 1889, this matter was the most
important of all that was before it, and
Grand Commander Varnum not only had
the satisfaction of seeing an unsatisfactory
ritual dispensed with, but also the higher
pleasure of having the Grand Encampment
decide that the Grand Master had exceeded
his powers and that the issuing of the edict
of non-intercourse was a great wrong. In
acknowledgment of the able and valuable
services rendered during this important
period the Grand Commandery of Iowa pre-
sented to Past Grand Commander Var-
num an elaborate and costly jewel, indica-
tive of his rank.
The foregoing but faintly outlines the
more important points in the life of the sub-
ject of this sketch.
He is but fifty years of age, of large and
commanding figure, modest and retiring by
nature, courteous and kindly almost to ten-
derness, careful in arriving at a conclusion,
and unfaltering in his determination to do
what his judgment says is right.
[ARRY C. BUHOUP.— " Earn thy re-
J£iL ward: the gods give naught to sloth,"
said the sage Epicharmus, and the truth of
the admonition has been exemplified in hu-
man affairs in all the ages which have rolled
their course since his day. The subject to
whose life history we are now permitted to
direct attention has by ceaseless toil and
endeavor attained a marked success in busi-
ness affairs, has gained the respect and es-
teem of men, and is recognized as one of
the class whose true worth would make him
a distinctively representative citizen in any
community.
Mr. Buhoup is a native of Pennsylvania,
his birth having occurred in Pittsburg, May
6, 1845. He was educated in the public
schools of that city, and at the early age of
nine years began learning the carpenter's
trade with his father, following that pursuit
until the Civil war, when, feeling that his
duty called him to battle for the Union, he
enlisted in his country's service, becoming
a member of Company M, One Hundred
and Second Pennsylvania Infantry. He
faithfully and valiantly served for three
years, during which time he was wounded
in the second battle of Fredericksburg by a
gunshot. For six months he lay in the Car-
ver Hospital in Washington, and for a sim-
ilar time in the Citizens' Hospital, of Phila-
delphia.
When the war was over and the country
no longer needed the aid of her loyal sons
on the field of battle, Mr. Buhoup returned
to his home and for ten years was employed
as a salesman by the firm of Alexander Speer
& Sons, of Pittsburg. He then became con-
nected with the house of the McConway &
Forley Company, of Pittsburg, with which
he has since been associated, covering a
period of sixteen years up to the present
time, — 1896. He now occupies the impor-
tant and responsible position of general
sales agent for the entire United States.
He has the unqualified confidence of the
company, a trust which is fully merited, as
every duty devolving upon him is faithfully
discharged to the best of his ability; and
that ability is of a high order.
Mr. Buhoup has been twice married.
In 1863 he wedded Miss Sarah W. Crail,
and to them were born two daughters, Flor-
ence and Adaline. In 1890 was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Buhoup to Miss Virgie
Abdill, of Chicago. The lady is a member
of the Episcopal church, and our subject
holds his membership in the Methodist
church. His political support is given the
Republican party. Socially he is connected
166
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
with the Benevolent Protective Order of
Elks, and in the Masonic fraternity he
has attained to considerable prominence and
is a valued member of the craft. He was
made a Mason in Kilwinning Lodge, No.
311, was raised to the Royal Arch in Corin-
thian Chapter, No. 69, and was knighted
in St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35. He
is also a member of Medinah Temple of the
Mystic Shrine. His pleasant, genial man-
ner and his genuine worth have won him
the high regard of his Masonic brethren,
and his identification with the fraternity has
been most honorable.
THOMAS PIERSON RUTH, who ranks
as the leading architect and builder of
the town of Milledgeville, Illinois, has the
honor of being the Worshipful Master of
Milledgeville Lodge, No. 345. It was in
this lodge, in the winter of 1878, that he
was initiated, passed and raised, and imme-
diately afterward he became a most active
and efficient lodge worker. He has served
in various official capacities and is now for
the eleventh term filling the Worshipful
Master's chair, the present prosperity of
this lodge being due largely to his prompt,
earnest work. Its members are composed
of the most substantial men in the town
and the leading farmers of the surrounding
country, all of whom are enthusiastic in the
work of the order and take a just pride in
their handsomely equipped lodge room. Mr.
Ruth is also a Royal Arch Mason, having
been made such in Lanark Chapter, No.
139, Lanark, Illinois, in 1880; and is a
member of Sterling Commandery, No. 57,
Sterling, Illinois, he having been knighted
in 1890. In his every-day life, as well as
in the lodge room, has he exemplified the
true spirit of Masonry, " brotherly love, re-
lief and truth " being his motto.
Mr. Ruth dates his nativity in Pennsyl-
vania, in Montgomery county, December
19, 1854, and is of English descent.
Joseph Ruth, his father, was born at the
same place, and there was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mary Proctor, who bore him
five children, three of whom are living.
The father died in 1862, at the age of for-
ty-two years, our subject, Thomas P. , being
then only eight years old, the eldest of the
little family of fatherless children. The
widowed mother survived her husband ten
years.
Thomas P. Ruth attended the district
school until he was sixteen. At that age
he began working at the carpenter's trade,
to which he applied himself closely and of
which he soon became master, and in this
line of business he has ever since continued,
now ranking, as already stated, as the leading
architect and builder of Milledgeville, where
he has resided since 1877. Many of the
handsome buildings of this city are monu-
ments to his skill, and besides those erected
for others he has put up a number of build-
ings for himself, including the attractive
residence he and his family occupy.
Mr. Ruth was married in 1881 to Miss
Clara Olmsted, a native of Illinois and a
daughter of Mr. Alanson Olmsted, one of
the early settlers of this state. They have
one daughter, Mary E.
Politically a Republican and interested
in the welfare of his town, he is recognized
as one of its most substantial citizens and
has been honored by his fellows with elec-
tion to its highest office, that of president of
the board of trustees.
HON. MICHAEL STOSKOPF, who has
attained to the thirty-third degree of
Masonry and is one of the prominent repre-
sentatives of the fraternity in Illinois, in his
business life is actively connected with a
profession which has important bearing
upon the progress and stable prosperity of
any section or community and one which
has long been considered as conserving the
public weal by furthering the ends of justice
and maintaining individual rights. As a
member of the bar of Stephenson county
Mr. Stoskopf occupies a distinctively repre-
sentative position among the legal practi-
tioners of the state, and it is eminently
befitting that he be accorded due recogni-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEJMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
167
tion in a volume whose province is the con-
sideration of the lives of able and prominent
men, — men especially influential in the
ranks of Masonry, as well as leaders in pro-
fessional or commercial life.
Mr. Stoskopf was born on a farm adjacent
to the city of Freeport, on the 7th of June,
1845. His father, Valentine Stoskopf, was
a native of Alsace, France, whence he emi-
grated to Canada, where he was married.
He afterward removed to Stephenson coun-
ty, Illinois, arriving here in 1841. He was
a blacksmith by trade, but here turned his
attention to agricultural pursuits and be-
came one of the active factors in the devel-
opment of the country. He also became
connected with manufacturing interests and
erected many buildings in Freeport, becom-
ing one of the industrious and substantial
citizens and prominent business men. He
died in Freeport in 1890 at the age of
seventy-four years, and his wife survived
him six months. Their family numbered
four sons and four daughters. The sons
are Leonard, Louis, Michael and John.
The gentleman whose name introduces
the initial paragraph of this review was
reared in his parental home, acquired his
education in the public schools and com-
pleted the full course in the Freeport high
school. He then began preparation for his
business career by reading law in the office
of the eminent jurist, Judge Joseph M.
Bailey, and was admitted to the bar in
1873. He entered upon the practice of his
profession in the town where he was reared
and his successful career has set at naught
the old adage that a prophet is never with-
out honor save in his own country. There
is no business in which success so largely
depends upon merit as the law. High
legal talent cannot be purchased, friends
cannot give it: it results from earnest,
thorough preparation, combined with the
exercise of those abilities with which nature
has endowed one and which have been
acquired. A comprehensive knowledge of
the law and a knowledge how best to apply
it has made Mr. Stoskopf one of the fore-
most representatives of the bar in this sec-
tion of the state, and he is to-day enjoying
a very large general practice. He is also a
stockholder and president of the Freeport
Water Company, but devotes the greater
part of his attention to his large legal
business.
When Mr. Stoskopf became a voter he
allied himself with the Democracy and has
since done his party much valuable service
as an able advocate and exponent of its
principles. He was for twelve years master
of chancery. He was three times elected
by his fellow citizens to the state legisla-
ture of Illinois, first serving in the assembly
in 1 889, in 1 895 , and again in 1 897. His serv-
ice in the interest of just legislation and as an
advocate of measures which tended to the
best interests of the state was widely recog-
nized and won him high commendation.
Although prominent in professional and
political circles it is probably through his
connection with Masonry that Mr. Stoskopf
is most widely known, as he has attained to
an eminent place in its ranks. He was
made a Master Mason in Excelsior Lodge,
No. 97, of Freeport, and two years later
was made its Worshipful Master.
He was High Priest of Freeport Chap-
ter, Eminent Commander of Freeport Com-
mandery and T. P. G. M. of Freeport
Lodge of Perfection.
He has taken all the degrees in both the
York and Scottish rites, — chapter, comman-
dery, council and consistory, — including the
thirty-third degree, and has filled various
other offices in the different branches in a
manner most creditable to himself and the
order which he represents. He is one of
its useful and distinguished members, whom
the whole craft delight to honor.
EDWARD F. BURKHART, the leading
merchant of Freeport, is a native son
of the city, born August 19, 1859. He is of
French lineage, his ancestors having come
to America from the province of Alsace.
His parents, Philip and (Snyder)
Burkhart, emigrated to the United States
in 1847, and for a short time worked at the
168
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tailor's trade in Chicago, after which he
came to Freeport, where he was continu-
ously engaged in business up to the time of
his retirement to private life in 1893. He
received from the public a liberal patronage
and for many years conducted a large trade.
At length, having acquired a comfortable
competence, he laid aside business cares,
and now, at the age of sixty-five years, is
resting in the enjoyment of the fruit of his
former toil. His first wife died at the age
of thirty-five years, and the father afterward
married her sister, Magdalene Snyder.
Our subject, the third child in the fam-
ily, was educated in the public schools of
Freeport and learned the tailor's trade in his
father's establishment. He soon acquired
a thorough knowledge of the business, and
is to-day a leader in his line in the city, con-
ducting one of the most fashionable and
first-class tailoring establishments in this
section of the state. He succeeded his fa-
ther on the latter's retirement in 1893, and
carries a large stock of fine cloths and en-
joys the patronage and confidence of the
citizens of his native town.
In 1892 Mr. Burkhart was made a Mason
in Evergreen Lodge, No. 197, F. & A. M.,
of Freeport, and still affiliates with it. He
is in politics a Democrat, and was elected
by his party as tax collector of the city. He
was also the choice of the Democracy of the
county for the office of county sheriff, but
with the remainder of the party he was de-
feated by a small majority. Mr. Burkhart
is a man of fine physique, well proportioned
and tall, and in manner is pleasant, genial
and courteous. He has many friends in the
city where he has always lived, and among
the worthy and acceptable members of the
Masonic fraternity he well deserves mention.
JOHN CRUBAUGH, one of the prominent
Sir Knight Templars of Rock Island, was
made a Mason in this city, in Rock Island
Lodge, No. 658, in 1 888. He is now a mem-
ber of Barrett Chapter, No. 18, having re-
ceived the Royal Arch degree June 25, 1888.
He was made a Sir Knight in Everts Com-
mandery, No. 18, on the 2/th of May, 1886.
Officially he has filled several chairs in the
commandery, and for the past six years he
has been a member of its board of control.
In the chapter he holds the office of Scribe.
Mr. Crubaugh is a native of the state of
Ohio, born in Columbiana county on the
9th of May, 1826, and is of German ances-
try. His father, George Crubaugh, was a
native of Washington county, Pennsylvania,
and married Elizabeth Aterholt, also of
German descent, and whose first American
ancestors were early settlers of the state of
Maryland. The parents of our subject
moved to eastern Ohio and were among the
early settlers of that region. The father
was a blacksmith by trade, and by occupa-
tion a farmer during the most of his life.
He died in the fifty-sixth year of his age,
and his wife in her seventieth year, — a faith-
ful Lutheran in her religious creed.
Mr. Crubaugh, of this sketch, was the
eldest of the seven children in his par-
ents' family, five of whom are still living.
To his fourteenth year he was brought up
in agricultural life, attending the public
school to some extent. At the age of fif-
teen he began to take care of himself, first
serving a two-years apprenticeship in the
chairmaker's and painter's trades, during
which he was boarded for his services and
at the end of the period received in addition
a twenty-five-dollar suit of clothes and a
holy Bible. After a time, however, this
occupation ceased to satisfy his ambition,
and he sought a wider and higher field of
operations. Accordingly in 1850 he turned
his attention to public works and first be-
came a railroad contractor and later a prom-
inent bridge-builder. He has constructed
some of the largest bridges across the Mis-
sissippi and Missouri rivers, which will re-
main for many years to come as mementoes
of his high ability in that direction.
In 1866 he came to Rock Island, and
from that time to 1 890 he made contracts
for building large bridges, and at the latter
date he retired from that severely active
life. He is now vice-president and a direc-
tor of the Rock Island Buggy Manufactory
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
169
Company, and also vice-president and a di-
rector of the Rock Island Savings Bank. In
politics he is a Republican, and in social re-
lations, besides those already mentioned,
he is a member of Kaaba Temple, A. A. O.
N. M. S. , in Davenport. He has a fine
residence in the city of Rock Island, where
he is enjoying the advanced years of his life.
In 1 86 1 he married Miss Sarah Ann
Poole, who is a native of Stark county, Ohio,
and they have a son and a daughter. The
son, William A. , is settled in life and is now
night clerk at the Harper Hotel. The
daughter, Mary Elizabeth, became the wife
of Charles McHugh, one of the proprietors
of that hotel.
JOHN ERFERT. — It has assuredly been
not uninteresting to observe in the series
of biographical sketches appearing in
this volume the varying nationality, origin
and early environments of the men who
have made their way to positions of promi-
nence and success. In no better way can
we gain a conception of the diverse ele-
ments which have entered into our social,
professional and commercial life, and which
will impart to the future American type
features which cannot be conjectured at the
present time. We have had an American
type in the past; we shall have a distinct-
ively national character in the future, but
for the present amalgamation of the varied
elements is proceeding, and the final result
is yet remote.
The ancestry of John Erfert may be
sought for among the vigorous and intel-
lectual natures of the fatherland, his parents
having been born in that country, which
was also his birthplace, January 14, 1835.
He comes of a family of upright people, of
genuine worth, connected with the Lutheran
church in religious faith. His father, an
industrious carpenter, lived to a ripe old
age, he and his wife having enjoyed a happy
married life of more than fifty years' dura-
tion. Their son, whose name heads this
review, was the second of their family of
nine children. He was educated in the
schools of his native land and there learned
the trade of carpentering. In 1852 he
crossed the Atlantic to America and took up
his abode in Chicago, where for five years
he worked at his trade and then came to
Freeport, where he followed carpentering
until 1866. He was industrious and ener-
getic— qualities which never fail to win suc-
cess— and thus he acquired the capital
which enabled him to engage in business on
his own account. Establishing a grocery
store, he has since been connected with the
trade in Freeport and has one of the oldest
stores in the city. It is also one of the
most popular, having many patrons that
have continued business dealings with him
through a quarter of a century. He always
carries a well-selected stock of goods, and
his honorable dealing and earnest desire to
please his customers has insured him a
lucrative patronage. As his financial re-
sources have increased he extended his
operations into other fields of labor, his in-
terests ramifying and spreading until he is
to-day recognized as one of the leading
business men in the city. He is a stock-
holder and director in the First National
Bank of Freeport; a director in the German
Insurance Company and chairman of the
finance committee of the latter corpora-
tion. His history is that of the self-made
man who by the force of his character and by
undaunted perseverance overcomes the dif-
ficulties and obstacles in his path and by his
capable management and utilization of the
opportunities with which he is surrounded
steadily and persistently pushes forward to
the goal of success.
In November, 1861, Mr. Erfert was
united in marriage to Miss Natala Mueller,
also a native of Germany, who came to this
country during her girlhood. Seven chil-
dren have been born to this union, two sons
and five daughters, all born in Freeport.
Their names are: J. I., now a resident of
Austin, Illinois; Ida, now Mrs. Jacob Kerch,
and resides at Freeport; Alma, now Mrs.
William B. Morgan, and resides in Austin,
Illinois; Bertha, now Mrs. W. W. Red-
grove, a resident of Maryland; Natalie,
170
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Clara L. and W. B. are at home with their
parents. The family is one of prominence
in the city, its members occupying a high
position in social circles, while their home —
one of the finest in the county — is noted
for its warm-hearted hospitality.
Mr. Erfert has always taken a deep in-
terest in public affairs and in the welfare
and upbuilding of the city, and has several
times been elected and efficiently served as
one of the aldermen of the city. He is a
man of excellent judgment and the utmost
integrity, and his public record has been
that of a citizen devoted to the public wel-
fare, earnestly laboring for the progress and
upbuilding of the community in which he
finds a home. His political support is
given the Democracy, but he has never
sought office, desiring to give his entire
attention to his business affairs.
His connection with the Masonic fra-
ternity dates from the 2ist of September,
1872, at which time he became a Master
Mason in Evergreen Lodge, No. 170. He
joined the chapter March 7, 1876, became
a member of Freeport Council April 10,
1877; and on the i7th of April of the same
year was made a Knight Templar. He
joined the consistory in March, 1879, and
on the nth of the same month joined the
Mystic Shrine in Chicago. He has held
various offices in the various branches of
this order, and in 1892 was Eminent Com-
mander of the Commandery. He has been
active in advancing the interests of Masonry,
is an enthusiastic and loyal supporter of the
order, and justly merits the high esteem in
which he is held by his brethren of the
craft.
MELSON WOODRUFF FRISBIE, a
Royal Arch Mason of Freeport, was
born in Detroit, Michigan, on the 25th of
April, 1 866, and is descended from French
ancestors who were early settlers of the
colonies, his branch of the family having
located in " York state," where they took an
active part in the affairs of their section.
The father of our subject, Charles H. Fris-
bie, was born in the Empire state, and was
married there to Miss Ruth Antisdel. He
began railroading in his youth, and is one
of the oldest railroad engineers in the world.
He ran the first engine on the Michigan
Central Railroad to Chicago, and is a widely
known and highly esteemed pioneer railroad
man. In 1868 he came with his wife to
Rockford, Illinois. He is now living at
Aurora, at the age of seventy-five years.
His wife also survives, and six of their seven
children are yet living.
Nelson W. Frisbie, of this review, was
the fifth child of the family. He was edu-
cated in Aurora and in Downer's Grove,
Illinois, and when sixteen years of age fol-
lowed in the footsteps of his father and be-
gan railroading. He was first employed by
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
Company, and remained with it until 1887,
when he entered the service of the Illinois
Central Railroad Company, with which he
has since continued. He is one of the most
competent and reliable engineers on the
road, careful in his work, realizing the re-
sponsibility that rests upon him and ever
true to his trust. His business associates
esteem him highly for his genuine worth,
and he numbers many friends among them.
In July, 1891, Mr. Frisbie was united in
marriage with Miss Flora Hagadone, a na-
tive of Aurora. They have two lovely lit-
tle boys, whom they have named George
W. and Charles H. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Frisbie were reared in the Baptist church
and still adhere to that faith. They have
resided in Freeport for the past five years
and have made numerous friends in the
city.
Mr. Frisbie is a member of the Brother-
hood of Locomotive Engineers, in which he
has two insurance policies amounting to
three thousand dollars, payable at death or
if an eye or limb is lost. He was made a
Master Mason in 1893, in Evergreen Lodge,
No. 179, of Freeport, and took the Royal
Arch degrees in the chapter at Freeport.
He is true to the principles and teaching of
this benevolent organization, and has the
high regard of his Masonic brethren.
LIBRARY
OF THE
DIVERSITY OF ILLINOP.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
173
'OSEPH DANIEL MYERS, carriage
manufacturer, Springfield, Illinois, has
passed through all the degrees of Ma-
sonry up to and including that of Knight
Templar, and has been honored officially in
all the Masonic bodies to which he belongs.
He was initiated, passed and raised in
Tyrian Lodge, No. 333, F. & A. M., in
1870, and that same year was exalted in
Springfield Chapter, No. i, R. A. M. The
following year he was made a Royal and
Select Master in Springfield Council; also in
1871 he was knighted in the commandery.
He has passed all the chairs in the blue
lodge, knows its ritual word for word, and
is ready at any time when called upon to
fill any of its offices. And what is said of
him in regard to blue masonry may also be
said of the other Masonic bodies to which
he belongs, for he is likewise familiar with
the ritualistic work of the chapter, council
and commandery. Indeed he is, without
doubt, the best posted Mason in the city of
Springfield. He served as High Priest of
the chapter in 1879, 1880 and 1881, and
now fills the chair of King. For years he
has been Thrice Illustrious in the council,
and in the commandery he officiated in 1885
as Eminent Commander. In the Grand
Council of Illinois, R. & S. M., he served
in 1894 and '95 as Master of the Sixth and
Seventh Arch. Mr. Myers loves the prin-
ciples of Masonry, and, what is more,
makes a practice of them in his every-day
life and action, it being his earnest endeavor
to square his own life by justice and charity
and to render any assistance within his
power to the brotherhood.
Like many of the leading Masons and
prominent business men of this country,
Mr. Myers looks back to Germany as his
birthplace and the home of his ancestors.
He was born in Baden, January 3, 1838,
and up to 1850 his youthful days were
passed in his native land. That year he
came to America. He accompanied his
uncle to Cleveland, Ohio, thence in 185410
Chicago, in 1857 to Jacksonville, and in
1 86 1 to Springfield. While in Chicago Mr.
Myers began learning the trade of carriage-
maker. In Jacksonville he was employed
in a blacksmith shop, and after coming to
Springfield he completed the trade he first
started to learn, and since 1862 he has been
engaged in business on his own account and
has been fairly prosperous in his under-
takings.
Politically he is a Republican, and in
Springfield has been honored with official
position of local importance, and in the
same has discharged his duty with the
strictest fidelity. He was tax collector of
Springfield in 1884 and '85, and for six suc-
cessive years, from 1886 to 1892 inclusive,
was a member of the city council. In 1897
he was elected to the Sangamon county
board of supervisors.
Mr. Myers was married in 1867 to Miss
Amelia S. Daggett, who was born in Indi-
ana and reared and educated in Indianapo-
lis. They have four children, — Emma B.,
Grace, Carrie B. and Carl J.
ST. GUNDERSON.— Were there no
other reason than that of his conspicu-
ous identification with the founding of that
noble eleemosynary institution, the Illinois
Masonic Orphans' Home, the subject of this
review would well merit consideration in
this compilation; but there are many other
salient points touching his connection with
the Masonic fraternity in the state and with
the industrial activities of the western me-
tropolis, which render more peculiarly con-
sonant a brief review of his life at this junc-
ture.
Mr. Gunderson has been a member of
the Masonic order since the year 1868, when
he became an Entered Apprentice in Kilwin-
ning Lodge, No. 311, A. F. & A. M., re-
ceiving therein the Master Mason's degrees
on the 26th of January, 1871, and is now a
life member of the lodge. Later on he at-
tained the Royal Arch degrees in Washing-
ton Chapter, No. 43 ; became a Royal and
Select Master in Siloam Council, No. 53;
and received the honor of knighthood in
Chicago Commandery, No. 19, Knights
174
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Templar. Passing thence onward in the
crafthood, he became identified with the
various bodies of the Ancient Accepted Scot-
tish Rite until there came to his portion
the distinguished honor implied in the thirty-
second degree, upon whose conferring he
became a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret in Oriental Consistory. September 23,
1887, he completed his desert pilgrimage
and gained title as a noble in Medinah Tem-
ple of the Mystic Shrine. Thus may be
determined the prominence of Mr. Gunder-
son in local Masonic circles, since he is iden-
tified with the several bodies in both the
York and Scottish Rites. Of singularly
sympathetic nature, his instincts in this line
have been manifested in many directions,
and it was but to be expected that he would
lend his energies and influence without res-
ervation to aiding in the establishment of
the Masonic Orphans' Home, in which con-
nection there will be owed to him a perpet-
ual tribute of honor and gratitude. He
served for three years as one of the trustees
of the home, and has ever maintained a
lively interest in its welfare.
From the "land of the midnight sun"
has come Severt T. Gunderson, who has
been an influential factor in the business
affairs of the Garden City for nearly a half
century. The material welfare of the city
has been promoted through his activity in
business circles; educational and moral in-
terests receive his support, and the work of
public progress has received a due quota of
aid through him, while in the almost her-
culean task of securing to Chicago the
World's Columbian Exposition — that tri-
umph of American art and genius — he also
participated.
S. T. Gunderson was born in Norway
August 19, 1839, and in 1848, at the age of
nine years, accompanied his parents on their
emigration to the New World. The family
at once located in Chicago, then a city of
twenty thousand population, but growing
rapidly. Our subject at once entered the
public schools, and at the age of fifteen he
laid aside his text-books, his subsequent
education having been gained in the school
of experience, where he has learned the
valuable lessons that have made him the
practical man of affairs that he is to-day.
His parents were in limited circumstances,
and he thus early provided for his own
maintenance, learning the carpenter and
lathing trade. At the age of eighteen he
inaugurated operations in this line on his
own responsibility, and was thus engaged
when the financial panic of 1857 swept
over the country, stopping improvement in
the way of building. With the hope of bet-
tering his financial status Mr. Gunderson
removed to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in
1858, but soon returned to Chicago. In
1862 he purchased a lake vessel, the Her-
cules, and within the next five years was
the owner of six vessels, most of which were
employed in the grain trade. He carefully
guarded his business interests, and his dili-
gence, frugality and capable management
brought to him a good income. As his
financial resources increased he also became
connected with the lumber trade, and in
1871 purchased large interests in sawmills.
His business was in a prosperous condition
when, in 1875, his milling plant was de-
stroyed by fire, entailing so serious a loss,
by reason of slight insurance indemnity,
that he was practically left without financial
resources. In his career he had encountered
obstacles that would have appalled a man
of less resolute spirit and determination, but
his losses seemed to add, and act with him
as an impetus, to renewed and redoubled
labor, and he went to work with a will to
retrieve his shattered fortunes. To-day he
is the owner of extensive milling interests,
and is the senior member of the firm of
S. T. Gunderson & Son, manufacturers of
moldings, castings, etc., and for a number
of years was connected with the firm of John
A. Gauger & Company, which shipped large
quantities of doors and sash of their own
manufacture throughout the Union.
In 1863 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Gunderson and Miss Emily C. Olson.
They have two sons and one daughter.
George O. is associated with his father in
business, and with the experience and cap-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
175
able management of the senior member of
the firm are combined the zeal and enthu-
siasm of the junior member, forming a
combination that always conserves success.
George O. was married, in 1887, to Miss
Julia A., daughter of O. B. Jacobs, a well-
known lumber dealer of Chicago. Seward
M. , who is also connected with his father's
business and who is a young man of much
ability, was married, in 1894, to Miss Abi-
gail K. , daughter of Murdoch Campbell, of
this city. The daughter, Miss Ida Mabel,
is a young woman of high accomplishments,
being a graduate of the well-known semi-
nary of the Misses Grant and of the Chicago
Musical College. Her musical attainments
are exceptional, while in other art lines she
has displayed distinctive talent.
The family have a beautiful home -at
1239 Washington boulevard, and in addition
to this Mr. Gunderson owns much other
valuable city property. He is the owner of
the Gunderson & Gauger addition to Chica-
go, the Gunderson & Gauger addition to Oak
Park, and much improved city property.
He foresaw the eventual development and
growth of the city and had prescience, in a
way, of the advancement which would be
made in the value of realty. He therefore
invested largely therein, and through this
medium has added greatly to his comforta-
ble income. Mr. Gunderson is an active
member of the Lutheran church, and
though his business duties are extensive and
exigent he finds time to devote to the cause
of Christianity and its collateral benev-
olences. He has extended kindly and
tangible aid in many quarters, but is signally
unostentatious in his benevolences, seeking
not the praise of men for what he feels to
be a duty. He is a member of the Mencken
and Lincoln Clubs.
In the councils of the Republican party
he has wielded an unmistakable influence,
but is utterly unknown as a politician in the
debased sense of the term. In 1874 he
was elected to a seat in the common coun-
cil, and in June, 1891, was appointed a
member of the board of education by Mayor
Washburne, and is now serving as a member
of the library board, by appointment of
Mayor Swift.
Mr. Gunderson has traveled extensively,
both in his adopted country and abroad,
and has the broad and liberal ideas that
come from contact with the world. He has
several times journeyed from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, from the great lakes to the
gulf, and from the Crescent City has made
his way to the land of Montezuma. He
has visited England, Norway, Sweden,
Germany, Denmark and France, studying
the habits and customs of the people as
well as visiting the many points of beauty
and historic interest.
When the subject of celebrating the
fourth centennial of the discovery of Amer-
ica was agitated, Mr. Gunderson became
deeply interested in the project and was an
untiring worker in his efforts to secure to
Chicago the great fair. The history of the
opposition is well known, but the diplomacy,
skill and enterprise of Chicago citizens
gained the desired end, and the world ac-
knowledged that no better selection could
have been made. From first to last Mr.
Gunderson gave his support to the exposi-
tion and worked for its success, and when
the fair was over he was the originator of
the plan for purchasing the Viking ship, a
reproduction of the little vessel in which
the Norwegian explorer, Lief Ericson, is
supposed to have come to America about
the year IOOO, and which is now on exhibi-
tion at the Field Columbian Museum; and
he was the president of the company organ-
ized to carry out this enterprise. This ship
sailed from Norway April 30, 1893, with a
crew of twelve men, and anchored at New
London, Canada, forty-four days later —
June 1 3th — arriving in Chicago in July.
JOHNW. SWAIN.— It is the enterprise
and character of the citizen that enrich
and ennoble the commonwealth. From
individual enterprise have sprung all the
splendor and importance of this great west.
The most successful merchants have de-
veloped from the humblest origin. From
176
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
clerkships have emerged men who have
built great business enterprises. America
is a self-made country, as those who have
created its wealth are self-made men. No
influence of birth or fortune has favored
the architects of her glory. Among those
who have achieved prominence as men of
marked ability and substantial worth in El-
burn, the subject of this sketch, John W.
Swain, occupies a prominent position. For
many years he was closely connected with
the business interests of this city, but now
is enjoying a well earned rest, the capital
which he has acquired through his own
labors supplying him with all the neces-
sities and many of the comforts of life.
Mr. Swain is a native of the Empire
state, born in Saratoga Springs, on the 22d
of December, 1832. He is a son of Marquis
LaFayette and Amy (Miller) Swain, who in
1844 removed to Illinois, locating on the
present site of Elburn. John W. was then
a lad of nine summers. He was reared at
his parents' home and obtained his educa-
tion in the public schools of the neighbor-
hood. When eighteen years of age he
started out in life for himself, working at
twelve dollars per month. He was in the
employ of others for two years and then
entered trade on his own account, dealing
in live stock, lumber, hay and grain in
company with his brother, M. F. Swain.
Later he was in partnership with M. W.
Willis, and for twenty years continued
operation in the grain, live-stock and lum-
ber trade. His efforts were crowned with
a high degree of success, achieved by
honorable means. Close application, keen
discrimination and resolute purpose formed
the keynote of his prosperity, and as the
result of his earnest labor he is now enabled
to lay aside all business cares, looking only
after his real-estate interests, his capital
being largely invested in land.
During the war Mr. Swain manifested
his loyalty to the Union by enlisting in
Company I, Eighth Illinois Cavalry, in
which he served as quartermaster sergeant.
His regiment was attached to the Army of
the Potomac and he was on active duty un-
til ill health caused him to be sent to the
hospital, where he remained for four months,
when he was honorably discharged. He has
filled a number of civil offices, having been
town treasurer of Elburn for ten years,
president of the village board for six years
and councilman for eight years. His duties
were discharged with a promptness and
fidelity which indicates his deep interest in
the welfare of Elburn and ranks him among
her best citizens. His political support is
given the Republican party and he stanchly
advocates the principles promulgated by the
party leaders.
On the 24th of November, 1868, Mr.
Swain married Miss Sophia Platt, of Black-
berry township, Kane county, Illinois. Mrs.
Swain's father, Samuel Platt, was the first
supervisor of the township. They attend
the Congregational church and throughout
the community have many warm friends.
Mr. Swain continues his relations with his
army comrades through his membership in
the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging
to Roger Bell Post, No. 495, G. A. R., of
which he was commander for several years.
He is also a Knight Templar Mason, being
received as an Entered Apprentice of Black-
berry Lodge, No. 358, A. F. & A. M. Hav-
ing passed the Fellow-craft degree he was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son, and later was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason. He was knight-
ed in Sycamore Commandery, No. 15, and
is a faithful follower of the principles of the
order, carefully guarding the ancient land-
marks, performing with zeal his duties as
companion of the chapter and loyally fulfill-
ing his vows of knighthood.
A.
EDWARD JAMES MUNN, the efficient
Secretary of Belvidere Lodge, No. 60,
F. & A. M., was made a Mason in that
lodge in 1881 and has since affiliated there-
with. He received the Entered Apprentice
degree on the i/th of October, that of Fel-
low-craft on the 2 ist of November, and
was created a Master Mason on the 5th of
December. He was exalted to the sublime
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
177
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Kishwaukee
Chapter, No. 90, of Belvidere, in 1882,
taking the degrees of Mark Master and Past
Master February 15, and Most Excellent
Master and Royal Arch February 17. Hon-
ored by his brethren in the craft with vari-
ous offices, he has served as Worshipful
Master and Treasurer in the blue lodge and
is now its Secretary. In the chapter he
has been Principal Sojourner and Captain
of the Host, and has filled with eminent
satisfaction to all concerned the position of
High Priest. He is a most active worker
in both lodge and chapter, and his thorough
understanding of the teaching and principles
of the fraternity, combined with his zeal in
its interests, makes his labors most effective.
Mr. Munn is also a Royal and Select Mas-
ter, and is a Sir Knight, holding a member-
ship in Crusader Commandery, No. 17,
K. T. , of Rockford. The fact that many
official positions have been conferred upon
him highly attest his loyalty to the fraternity,
and among the worthy members of the state
he is enrolled.
Edward J. Munn was born in New York
on the 2 ist of February, 1857, and is of Eng-
lish ancestry. His father, William Henry
Munn, also a native of the Empire state, now
resides in Belvidere, at the age of sixty-six
years; after many years devoted to agri-
cultural pursuits he is living retired in the
enjoyment of a well merited rest. Edward
Munn is an only son. The family came to
the west during his early boyhood and he
was reared on the frontier of Illinois, hav-
ing few privileges, but any amount of hard
labor. He is almost entirely self-educated,
but through his own exertions had become
a man of broad general information. He
spent the days of his childhood on his
father's farm, and when he had arrived at
years of maturity began farming on his own
account, which pursuit he energetically and
successfully followed until 1892, when he
came to Belvidere and embarked in the
lumber business. He has since followed
that calling and is now manager of one of
the leading lumber yards in this place, his
well selected stock, his honorable dealing
and his courteous treatment of his patrons
securing a large and lucrative business.
In 1883 Mr. Munn was united in mar-
riage to Miss Lillie Chaffee, a daughter of
George Chaffee, who came to Belvidere at
a very early day and is now living here, at
the advanced age of eighty-five years. Mrs.
Munn was born in Belvidere and, like her
husband, has many friends throughout the
community. Their home, which was erected
by Mr. Munn, is a beautiful and commodious
residence situated on Main street. In poli-
tics he is a Republican, having given his
support to that party since attaining his
majority.
FREDERICK KUNTZ.— One of the
members of the local bodies of the fra-
ternity in Clayton who has been conspic-
uous for the interest displayed by him in the
workings of his lodge, is the gentleman
whose name heads this review. He became
a Master Mason in Kingston Lodge, No.
266, at Kingston, Illinois, April 11, 1881,
from which he received a dimit and became
affiliated with Clayton Lodge, No. 147, on
October 20, 1884. He has served as Junior
Deacon, Senior Deacon, Junior Warden and
Senior Warden, and in 1897 was honored
with the office of Worshipful Master. He
was exalted to the degrees of capitular Ma-
sonry in Clayton Chapter, No. 104, R. A. M.,
July 13, 1891, in which he is Master of the
Second Veil, and was knighted in Delta
Commandery, No. 48, on May 4, 1891. In
this body he has filled the chair of Warden.
He is an enthusiastic Mason, takes a great
delight in his work, and is one of the repre-
sentative members of the fraternity in
Clayton.
Mr. Kuntz was born in McKey township,
Adams county, Illinois, May 19, 1851, his
parents being William and Anna (Deal)
Kuntz, both of whom are natives of Ger-
many. They emigrated to the United
States and located at Pittsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1828, coming to Quincy in 1833,
where they were among the first settlers of
what is now one of the most charming
178
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
cities in the Union. The father died in
1889 at the venerable age of eighty-three
years. He was one of the pillars of the
German Methodist church, and was regard-
ed with the highest respect by all who knew
him. His wife, who shared his joys and
sorrows for over half a century, still sur-
vives, and gracefully bears the weight of her
seventy-seven years. Nine children were
born to them, six sons and three daughters,
of whom seven are living. Our subject,
the fifth son, received his education in
the city of his nativity, and remained on
the farm assisting his father until attaining
his thirty-first year, when he was married,
in 1883, to Miss Laura C. Nartlett, of Lib-
erty township, Adams county. For some
time after his marriage Mr. Kuntz was en-
gaged in mercantile pursuits, subsequently
embarking in the real-estate and loan busi-
ness, which he is at present conducting, to-
gether with a fire, wind, lightning and tor-
nado insurance enterprise. He is progress-
ive and energetic, and one of the substantial
citizens of Clayton.
Mr. and Mrs. Kuntz are both members
of Clayton Chapter, No. 61, Order of the
Eastern Star, of which she holds the office
of Adah, our subject being its Treasurer,
and has served as such for a number of
years. They are consistent adherents of
the Baptist church, in which he is a mem-
ber of the board of trustees and its collector.
He is strongly opposed to intemperance of
any kind, and in politics is a stanch Repub-
lican.
JAMES MONTGOMERY HUNTER.—
The history of Freemasonry in Great
Britain is an interesting study, and will
well repay any one who investigates it, even
though he may not be directly connected
with the organization. As it was originally
a craft whose members were engaged in
church-building, it naturally came under the
especial protection of the clergy. In spite
of this, however, jealousies arose and atone
time the Masons were prohibited from hold-
ing their wonted chapters and assemblies.
The present status of the order in England
is above any interference by political or re-
ligious powers, and over a thousand lodges
in that small country attest to its hold on
the affections of the masses. In Scotland
it also exerts a powerful influence, and in
this country we find a large proportion of
its members among the descendants of those
countries.
Mr. Hunter, an exemplary member of
this order, is a well-known citizen of Mount
Carroll and a prosperous member of the bar
of Carroll county. He joined Cyrus Lodge,
No. 188, Mount Carroll, in which he was
entered December 13, 1881, passed Decem-
ber 29, and raised January 17, 1882. He
is a member of Lanark Chapter, and was
made a Sir Knight in Long Commandery,
Mount Carroll. He has been a very active
practicing lawyer, and has not been able to
devote as much time to the order as he
wished, but fully believes in it, is devoted
to its interests and has the full confidence
of the brethren.
He was born in Milton, Pennsylvania,
December 9, 1831, of Scotch-Irish ancestry
who were early settlers of that state. On
his mother's side his ancestry were pioneers
of the colonies. He was admitted to the
bar at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, in 1854,
and in 1857 moved to Illinois and located
at Galena, where he had a farm and lived
for some time. In 1 862 he moved to Mount
Carroll and has practiced his profession in
this place to the present time, attaining an
enviable reputation as an able and reliable
lawyer, with a large clientage. Politically
he has always been a Republican, and rep-
resented his district in the Illinois state sen-
ate in 1871-2, filling the office in a manner
most creditable to himself and satisfactory
to his constituency.
In 1858 he married Miss Margaret C.
Baker, and they had three children. After
only five years of married life Mrs. Hunter
was stricken with a fatal illness and taken
from her husband and children. Some
years after moving to Mount Carroll to re-
side Mr. Hunter was married to Miss Mary
J. Ginn, and by this marriage there have
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
179
been three children, one of whom is de-
ceased. The living are Mary Belle and
Margaret,— the latter now being the wife of
Charles Van Hoff. Of the children by the
last marriage, Jennie married W. G. Smith;
the youngest son, John G. , is still engaged
in his studies. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter have
a beautiful home, where they receive their
many friends. Mrs. Hunter and daughters
are valued members of the Eastern Star, of
which Belle is Past Worthy Matron and is
now Grand Ruth of the state of Illinois, and
Mary holds the office of Secretary. Mr.
Hunter and his family are well known in
their community, where they are respected
as people of many excellent qualities.
)OBERT WILSON MURPHY, one of
3L the representative business men of
Sterling, Illinois, is a Knight Templar Ma-
son who holds the rank of Past Eminent
Commander. A brief record of his life is
as follows.
Mr. Murphy was made a Master Mason
in Sol. D. Bayless Lodge, No. 359, F. &
A. M., at Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1870,
and shortly afterward received the Royal
Arch degrees in Fort Wayne Chapter and
was made a Sir Knight by Fort Wayne
Commandery, No. 4, K. T. , the command-
ery degrees being conferred upon him in
1871. During his residence at Fort Wayne
he was active and enthusiastic in the work
of the order. In the lodge he filled various
offices and in the commandery he served as
Junior Warden, Senior Warden, Generalis-
simo and Eminent Commander, each of the
last two named chairs having been filled two
years by him. At present he maintains
membership in these Masonic bodies at
Sterling, and previous to his removal to
Sterling he was for sixteen years identified
with Masonry at Bloomington, where he
then resided. In Bloomington Lodge, No.
43, he served officially in a number of the
chairs.
Mr. Murphy, as his name suggests, has
Irish blood in his veins. His father, Will-
iam Murphy, was born in the north of Ire-
land and was married in his native land to
Miss Ellen Wilson, who was of Scotch de-
scent. In 1840 they emigrated to New
York city, where he followed his trade, that
of ship carpenter, the remainder of his life,
and where he died in 1865, at the age of
sixty-nine years. His last resting place is
Greenwood cemetery. His widow survived
him until 1883, when she passed away at
the age of three-score years and ten. Rob-
ert Wilson Murphy is their only child. He
was born in New York city, was educated
in the public schools of that place, and was
a young man not yet emerged from his
'teens at the time the Civil war came on.
Young as he was, he had within him the
spirit of patriotism, and the second year of
the war found him enlisted as a Union soldier.
He went out as a member of Company B,
Thirteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry,
and rendered valiant service as a private,
continuing on active duty until the strife was
ended. Prominent among the engagements
in which he participated were those of Stone
river, Vicksburg, Lookout Mountain, Mis-
sionary Ridge, Atlanta, and Sherman's cele-
brated march to the sea. He was a witness
to the surrender of Johnston's army and
took part in the grand review of the victori-
ous army at Washington. Throughout the
whole of his service he never received a
scratch and never spent a day in hospital.
The war over, Mr. Murphy returned to
New York city and the next two years was
employed there as salesman. At the end
of that time, ia 1868, his firm, appreciating
the ability and good qualities of the young
man, furnished him with a stock of goods
and set him up in business at Fort Wayne,
Indiana. He was in business at Fort Wayne
for nine years, and from there he came to
Illinois and located at Bloomington, where
for sixteen years he did business under the
firm name of Lambert & Murphy, selling
out his interest there in 1893. Then for
two years and a half he was business mana-
ger for the John York Company, of Chicago,
general merchants, and in October, 1895,
he came to Sterling. Here he is engaged
180
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
in business under the firm name of R. W.
Murphy & Son.
Mr. Murphy was married in 1866 to
Miss Mary A. Dixon, a native of Mineral
Point, Wisconsin, and they have two chil-
dren, a son and daughter, Frank Wilson
and Mildred Edith, now the wife of L. G.
Whitmore, of Bloomington, Illinois. The
whole family are' Presbyterians, and in his
political views Mr. Murphy is in accord
with the principles advocated by the Repub-
lican party.
lOBERTA. LOVE.— Among those who
are earnest in their devotion to the
noble principles exemplified in Masonry
stands the subject of this sketch, who is
prominently concerned with the business in-
terests of the Garden City, where he con-
ducts a successful enterprise in the renting
of central business property, bringing him
into close relations with the leading prop-
erty owners and business men of Chicago.
He handles the interests of his large and
representative clientage judiciously and to
the satisfaction of both landlord and tenant.
His agency is located in rooms 333-5, the
Rookery building.
Mr. Love became an Entered Appren-
tice in the lodge of Ancient Free and Ac-
cepted Masons at Carlinville, Illinois, in
1882; advanced to the Fellow Craft of the
Royal Arch at Wichita, Kansas, in 1886,
and within the same year became identified
with the Commandery of Knights Templar,
at Wichita. On the i/th of August, 1895,
he became a member of Englewood Com-
mandery, No. 59, Knights Templar, having
secured a dimit from the commandery with
which he was originally identified. He
maintains a lively interest in Masonic affairs
and is a worthy member of the time-hon-
ored fraternity.
Mr. Love rendered valiant service in the
late war of the Rebellion, enlisting when a
youth at school, in 1863, as a member of
Company C, Sixty-sixth Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, — " Birge's Sharpshooters," — be-
ing but seventeen years of age at the time
of his enlistment. He served until the close
of the war, July 15, 1865, when he was
mustered out with his regiment. During
this time he was constantly in active serv-
ice, and only once did he receive severe in-
juries. On this occasion he was wounded
in the head, causing the loss of his right
eye, this having been at the battle of New
Hope Church, Georgia, just before the
eighteenth anniversary of his birthday.
This injury entitled him to an honorable
discharge, which was proffered him, but
which he declined, preferring to remain
where he felt duty called him. He recon-
ciles himself to the ill effects of his war
wound by saying that he is the only one-
eyed Knight Templar whom he knows to
have attained this distinction after having
been so disfigured.
After the war Mr. Love returned to his
home, at Piasa, Illinois, and entered school,
continuing his studies until he was fitted to
teach, when he took charge of the schools
in Medora, Illinois, and successfully con-
ducted them for a number of years. Dur-
ing this time he further engaged himself,
having been interested in the fire-insurance
and drug business. Disposing of these in-
terests he resigned his principalship and re-
moved to the county seat, Carlinville, Illi-
nois, where he devoted his entire attention
to the fire-insurance business. In 1885.
like many another young man, he took
Greeley's advice, and went west, locating in
Wichita, Kansas, where he resided until six
years ago, when he removed to the coming
metropolis of the United States, where he
says he will end his days. Within these
years he has held several local offices of
trust, the affairs of which he has conducted
with credit to himself.
Mr. Love is of Scotch-English parentage,
although born in the Emerald Isle, where
his parents were visiting. He comes of a
line of soldiers, all of his uncles — four in
number — serving their country as commis-
sioned officers under the queen.
Coming to this country when an infant
of six months, Mr. Love is as zealous an
American as were his forefathers English-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
183
men, and he prides himself on his devotion
to American institutions. In his business
he has worked his way to a position repre-
sentative of his ability and scrupulous hon-
or, and success has attended his efforts.
In October of the Centennial year, 1876,
he was married to Miss Mary E. Cain, at
Piasa, Illinois, and since that time they
have resided chiefly in Illinois. They have
no children. In his religious belief Mr.
Love is a Protestant, though not a member
of any denominational body.
UGUST SCHWARZ, who for forty
./'Si, years has been prominent in the in-
dustrial circles of Chicago and has gained a
position of prominence in business, is identi-
fied with the Masonic fraternity. The
province of this volume is to secure in en-
durable form the history of this great and
benevolent organization and those who have
made it a power in the work of civilization
in this state. With this in view it would
not be permissible to omit mention of Mr.
Schwarz, who has attained to a high de-
gree in the order and is widely known
among its followers.
Thirty-seven years have passed since as
an Entered Apprentice he joined Germania
Lodge, of Chicago. In 1862 he took the
degrees of Mark Master, Past Master and
Most Excellent Master, and was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Lafayette Chapter. He took upon himself
the vows of knighthood and became a fol-
lower of the beauseant of Apollo Com-
mandery, No. I, but has since dimitted to
St. Bernard Commandery, of which he be-
came a charter member in 1870. In 1878
he passed the grades and orders of the
Scottish Rite and, having taken the in-
effable degrees of the Lodge of Perfection,
was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory. His
diligence in behalf of Masonic principles
and his fidelity to the teachings of the order
make him a consistent and acceptable mem-
ber of the craft, and his brethren of these
11
various organizations entertain for him the
highest regard.
Mr. Schwarz is one of the worthy citi-
zens that the Fatherland has furnished to
America. He was born in Wurtemberg on
the 3d of February, 1824, and was reared
and educated in that kingdom. In his youth
he served an apprenticeship at the dyer's
trade, which he followed in Wurtemberg
until 1841, when he removed to Prussia.
He there secured work along his chosen line
and continued his residence in that kingdom
until 1845, when he went to Austria, spend-
ing four years in the dyeing business there.
In 1 849 he sailed for America and landed
on the shores of the new world on Inde-
pendence day. He located first in Rock-
ville, Connecticut, where he remained for
seven years, occupying the responsible po-
sition of foreman in a woolen mill. His
industry and close application enabled him
in that time to acquire the capital neces-
sary to embarking in business on his own
account, and in 1856 he came to Chicago.
Mr. Schwarz then established his pres-
ent dyeing establishment, though business
was carried on on a smaller scale. His
operations have been crowned with a splen-
did degree of success, and he is now one of
the leaders in his line of trade in the city.
As his business has increased he has enlarged
his facilities, the main plant and offices
being located at Nos. 156-158 Illinois
street, while on both the south and west
sides he has branch establishments to re-
ceive goods. He thoroughly understands
his business in every detail, having gained
a practical knowledge of the same in his
youth. This enables him to direct to good
advantage the labors of those who are em-
ployed in the establishment, and has been
an important factor in his success. The
excellent quality of his work and his honora-
ble dealing have also added to his pros-
perity, and he commands a large share of
the public patronage.
In 1851 Mr. Schwarz was united in mar-
riage to Miss Dorothy A. Burkhardt, a
native of Wurtemberg, Germany, who died
in 1890. In 1891 he was again married^
184
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
his second union being with Mrs. Emma
Weigle, also a native of Wurtemberg.
Always honorable, Mr. Schwarz is always
welcomed in all circles of the community
and looked upon as one of the prominent
men of the city. He believes that he seeks
his own interest when he serves the best in-
terests of his customers and fellow towns-
men. He is a valued representative of the
enterprise of Chicago and well deserves
mention among her worthy Masons.
f'AX F. BUSKE, of Rockford, has been
a member of the Masonic fraternity
for only a short period, yet is one of its
faithful representatives. He became a Ma-
son in Star of the East Lodge, No. 166, in
1894, taking the degree of Entered Appren-
tice in March. Not long afterward he took
the Fellow-craft degree and in October of
the same year was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason. In December,
1894, he was appointed Senior Steward and
has since satisfactorily served in that ca-
pacity. His rule of conduct is in harmony
with Masonic principles, his interest in the
society and its welfare is unabating and he
well deserves mention in the history of the
order in Illinois. His connection with civic
societies is not confined entirely to Masonry,
for he is a valued member of the Order of
Red Men in Rockford and has been Sachem
of the Tribe for a number of years; he is
also secretary of the local society of engin-
eers, and in all he enjoys the confidence and
esteem of his brethren to a high degree.
Mr. Buske, as his name indicates, is of
German ancestry and was born in the Fa-
therland, at Korlen, on the I2th of Octo-
ber, 1872. His parents, Albert and Bertha
(Bailer) Buske, were also natives of Ger-
many and in 1 874 they crossed the Atlantic
to America, bringing with them their two
children — a daughter and son. They were
members of the Lutheran church and the
father was a tanner — an industrious and en-
ergetic man whose sterling worth made him
highly respected.
Max F. Buske was only two years of
age when he came with his parents to the
United States. Accordingly almost his en-
tire life has been passed in Rockford. He
was educated in her public schools and has
since been identified with her business in-
terests. On leaving the school-room he
began to learn engineering, under the able
instruction of the Forest City Electric Light
Company. Later he was in the employ of
the Illinois Central Railway Company for
two years and subsequently became chief
engineer for the Rockford Cabinet Company,
in which situation he was retained for six
years. He is now holding the responsible
position of chief engineer for the Rockford
General Electric Light Company, who are
at present putting in a large and costly plant.
Mr. Buske is most proficient in his chosen
vocation; he has made a close and thorough
study of the engine in all its minute and
complete details and his comprehensive un-
derstanding of the same enables him to suc-
cessfully operate the intricate machinery
now under his supervision. He is a reliable,
thoroughgoing young business man who has
the unqualified confidence of the company
with which he is connected, and no trust
reposed in him is ever slighted in the least
degree.
On the 8th of July, 1896, was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Buske and Miss Celia
Hizer.a native of Rockford. Their acquaint-
ance has continued from the days of their
early childhood and now in their happy
home they receive their many friends, the
circle of their acquaintances being very ex-
tensive.
CHARLES MERRITT WORTHING-
' TON. — This gentleman has attained
high rank in Masonic circles. He was born
in Sterling, Illinois, where he spent most of
his life and with the interests of which place
he has been closely identified; and both as
a worthy Mason and a leading citizen is his
history deserving of record on these pages.
Mr. Worthington was made a Master
Mason in Rock River Lodge, No. 612, F. &
A. M., January 15, 1869. He joined Ster-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
185
ling Chapter, No. 57, R. A. M., and was
exalted to the Royal Arch degree January
7, 1885, and was knighted in Sterling Com-
mandery, No. 57, August u, 1885. In the
chapter for several years he filled the office
of High Priest, and in the commandery has
been Recorder, Captain General, General-
issimo and Eminent Commander. The high
position he has filled and the long service
he has rendered in this the greatest of all
civic organizations is ample evidence of his
ability and his devotion to its principles.
As already stated, Mr. Worthington is a
native of Sterling, Illinois. He was born
September 16, 1838, and he now has his
residence on the same site where stood the
log cabin in which he was born, his father,
Elijah Worthington, having been one of the
first settlers of this place. Elijah Worth-
ington was a native of Connecticut, went
from there to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania,
and at an early day came to Illinois, where
he died in 1839, the year following the birth
of our subject. By occupation he was a
printer and publisher, and while in Wilkes
Barre, Pennsylvania, was at the head of an
anti-Masonic paper. His religious views
were those of the Unitarians. Of the
mother of our subject, we record that her
maiden name was Eliza Ann Merritt. She
was a native of Pennsylvania, was of the
Episcopal household of faith, and survived
her husband only a few years, her death oc-
curring in 1845. Charles M. was their only
child. He was by their untimely death left
an orphan at a tender age, grew up with
but meager advantages, and may well be
termed a self-made man. His schooling
amounted altogether to only a few months.
In his early boyhood he spent a short time
on a farm, and when thirteen years of age
he secured a position as office boy for the
Mount Carroll Republican, where he re-
mained three years. After this he returned
to Sterling and learned the printer's trade,
and when he was seventeen was a partner
in the ownership of the Sterling Times. In
1860 he purchased the Sterling Gazette, of
which he was the publisher from that date
until the centennial year, 1876, when he
sold out. Afterward he was for two years
connected with a job-printing house in Chi-
cago. In 1866 and '67, while conducting
his paper, he was also connected with the
revenue service, occupying the position of
revenue inspector and storekeeper. In
1879 he was appointed postmaster of Ster-
ling, a position he filled acceptably for six
years. Also he has served as city alder-
man, and when only twenty-one was tax
collector of the city.
In Mr. Worthington's life is included
also a war record. He enrolled himself in
the Union army in March, 1864, as a mem-
ber of Company A, One Hundred and For-
tieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, of which he
was made first lieutenant. He was with
the forces that participated in that part of
the war which was waged in the west, and
was in active service until September, 1864,
when he was mustered out by reason of the
expiration of his term of enlistment.
CHARLES McLELLAN ERTEL, a rep-
resentative citizen of Quincyand a wide-
ly known member of that fraternity whose
fundamental principles involve forbearance,
benevolence, loyalty and charity, was elected
an Entered Apprentice in Lambert Lodge,
No. 659, April 20, passed the Fellow-craft
degree May 4, and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason May 18, 1886. He
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, May
29, 1887; created a Sir Knight Templar in
Beauseant Commandery, No. 11, October
28; and attained the thirty-second degree,
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret, in Quincy
Consistory, January 19, 1888. Since taking
the blue-lodge degrees he has been a con-
scientious, upright Mason, and enjoys the
confidence and esteem of the fraternity in
Quincy.
Mr. Ertel was born at Liberty, Adams
county, Illinois, September 18, 1864. His
parents, George and Elizabeth (Gartner)
Ertel, were born in Germany, came to the
United States in 1854, and in 1856 located
in Quincy, Illinois, where they remained
186
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
two years, then moved to Liberty, the same
state, where he was engaged in the fur-
niture business and in manufacturing hay-
presses. In 1867 he decided to return
to Quincy and continued the manufacture of
hay-presses exclusively until the year 1892,
when he commenced the manufacture of the
Improved Victor Incubators and Brooders,
also under the George Ertel patent, since
which time he has manufactured hay-presses,
incubators and brooders. This is one of the
largest business enterprises of Quincy, and
has grown to be one of the most important
manufacturing interests in the country. It
is second to none and its products are meet-
ing with a growing demand throughout the
civilized world. Since the first inception of
his company Mr. Ertel has been one of the
successful and progressive citizens of Quincy,
where he is held in great respect.
The immediate subject of this sketch is
an only child and was educated in the pub-
lic schools of Quincy, and then became as-
sociated with his father in business. He
was appointed secretary of the firm and has
traveled through most of the United States
representing the company, meeting with the
success that his efforts deserved.
Mr. Ertel was married to Miss O'Tillia
Morell, of St. Louis, Missouri, and they
have the following three children: Elizabeth
Bertha, Pauline Marie and Edmee.
HENRY CLINTON HUTCHINSON, a
well-known dry-goods merchant of
Waukegan, was made a Master Mason in
old Union Lodge, which is now Waukegan
Lodge, No. 78; was exalted, in 1855, to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Wau-
kegan Chapter, No. 41, at Waukegan; re-
ceived the degrees of Royal and Select
Masters before the Grand Lodge at Spring-
field, and again in Waukegan Council at
Waukegan; in 1864 was one of the petition-
ers to organize Waukegan Commandery,
No. 12, and is one of the only two charter
members now living, the other being Daniel
P. Millen. He received the ineffable de-
grees in the Lodge of Perfection, Oriental
Consistory, Valley of Chicago, Mr. Van
Ransalaer presiding. Mr. Hutchinson was
Worshipful Master of old Union Lodge for
five or six years, held the chair of High
Priest for seven or eight years, for four
years served as Eminent Commander, and
as Prelate for about fifteen years. He
holds no office this year, for the first time
since he became a member of the order.
Our subject has the distinction of having
started the movement to build the Masonic
Temple in Waukegan. He solicited and
collected all the funds necessary from the
local bodies, and was one of the committee
chosen to superintend the erection of the
building. After its completion a governing
body was elected, called a board of trustees
of the Masonic bodies. The members are
elected by ballot, five from each lodge, at
the annual election. The board has full
control of the building, the paraphernalia
in it being owned jointly by the three
bodies.
Mr. Hutchinson was born April 5, 1825,
at Tunbridge, Orange county, Vermont, his
parents being James and Betsy (Clements)
Hutchinson, the former of whom was a
member of the craft in 1 826, at the time
when William Morgan disappeared, after
which event the lodge ceased to exist, as
the anti-Masonic feeling was then in the
ascendency. Mr. Hutchinson died at the
age of seventy-eight years. Our subject
was educated at the Lima Seminary, of
New York, and in 1843 he came west and
located at Libertyville, Lake county, Illi-
nois, where he was engaged in farming
until 1846, and then embarked in the mer-
cantile business in Libertyville, continuing
there until 1852. In that year he came to
Waukegan and established a dry-goods
house, which he has conducted in a most
successful manner. He is one of this city's
enterprising and progressive merchants, has
never failed, never had a note go to pro-
test, and has always met his obligations
when due.
The first marriage of Mr. Hutchinson
took place in 1853, his bride being Miss
Julia Sherman, a daughter of Phineas Sher-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
187
man, of Berlin, Vermont. Two children
were born to them: Frances H., now the
wife of John H. Kennicott; and Gertrude M.,
who married William E. Kellogg, of Green
Bay, Wisconsin. Mrs. Hutchinson's demise
occurred in 1886, she being in her fifty-
ninth year. She was a faithful member of
the Presbyterian church. In 1 890 our sub-
ject married Miss Anna B. Stephens, who
is a consistent adherent of the Christian
church.
In his political views Mr. Hutchinson is
a firm supporter of the Republican party.
He was the first town clerk elected in Lib-
ertyville, served as supervisor of Waukegan
four terms, and for three terms held the
honorable office of mayor of Waukegan.
He is a man of sterling qualities, upright
character, and is a credit to the city in
which he resides.
C>HARLES E. GROVE.— Masonry in its
social aspect appeals strongly to human
nature. Man is described as a gregarious
animal, and his instincts lead him to seek
the society of his kind. We can conceive
of no more dreadful fate than to be isolated
from the companionship of our fellow men;
and it is a well-known fact that solitary
confinement in most instances produces in-
sanity. The fraternal organizations are
founded on this trait of character, and the
kindly feelings toward one another are
stimulated by their teachings of love, benevo-
lence and justice. The term " brother" in
the Masonic order especially is no idle or
unmeaning appellation, but covers the full
meaning of the word; and the man who in
his dealings with another fails to fulfill the
duties of a brother is not deserving the
name of Mason.
One of the gentlemen who have attained
honorable position in Masonic circles is
Charles E. Grove, a prominent business
man of Mount Carroll. He was initiated
into the Masonic order in 1884, when he
became a member of Byron Lodge, No.
274, at Byron, Illinois. In the following
year he was elected to Cyrus Lodge, No.
1 88, in which he served for a year as Senior
Warden, and he had the honor of being
elected its Worshipful Master, faithfully
serving in that office for two years and fill-
ing the position with credit to himself and
to the entire satisfaction of his brother
Masons. In 1885 he joined Lanark Chap-
ter, No. 60, and received his degrees in
that year. In 1886 he was made a mem-
ber of Freeport Commandery. He is a
charter member of Long Commandery, at
the organization of which he received the
appointment of Generalissimo, serving two
years in that capacity, at the expiration of
which time he was elected Prelate, and after
filling that office for a year he had the
honor of being elected its Eminent Com-
mander, which position he is now filling for
the second term. In 1890 he received the
appointment of Deputy Grand Lecturer
under Grand Master Crawford, and in that
capacity has given satisfactory instruction
to a number of lodges, and has deservedly
acquired the reputation of being one of the
most useful members and most accom-
plished workers in the various bodies of the
fraternity to which he belongs. In 1894 he
was honored with the appointment of Dis-
trict Deputy Grand Master of the sixth
district.
Mr. Grove was born in McConnellsburg,
Pennsylvania, January 8, 1857. His ances-
tors were German, who were among the
earliest settlers of Virginia and Maryland,
and who figured prominently in the early
history of those states. James Grove, the
father, was born in Washington county,
Maryland, where he married Miss Rebecca
Creager, who was born in Frederick county,
same state. He was engaged principally
in farming, and both he and his wife
were originally members of the Reformed
church, but later became affiliated with the
Baptist church. In 1868 Mr. and Mrs.
Grove removed to Illinois, where his death
occurred, at the age of seventy-one years.
Mrs. Grove survives her husband, and is a
well preserved woman of seventy-five years.
They had twelve children, ten of whom
are still living.
183
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
The subject of this review, the eighth
child in order of birth, was raised on his fa-
ther's farm, receiving such education as he
could obtain from the country schools dur-
ing the winter months. In the year 1874
Mr. Grove returned to Pennsylvania, where
he served an apprenticeship in a tailoring
establishment. In 1878 he arrived in Shan-
non, Illinois, where he resided for three
years; thence he went to Byron, and re-
mained until he moved to Mount Carroll,
where for the past twelve years he has
been the leading merchant tailor of the city.
He has achieved an enviable reputation as a
thoroughly successful business man of the
utmost integrity, with whom it is always a
pleasure to deal. In political matters Mr.
Grove is a stanch Republican and has al-
ways been an active worker in the cause.
He was elected supervisor of Mount Carroll
township in the spring of 1893, which office
he has held ever since. In 1894 Mr. Grove
was elected president of the Mount Carroll
school board, which office he filled for two
years.
On January i, 1878, Mr. Grove was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Smith,
whose birth-place was McConnellsburg,
Pennsylvania. This union has been blessed
with a family of six interesting children,
namely : George Augustus, Eva Gertrude,
Inez May, William Porter, Harold J. and
Ethel Alverna. Their residence is one of
the handsomest in the city, where Mr. and
Mrs. Grove are often pleased to show a cor-
dial hospitality to their many friends. They
are both members of Eastern Star Lodge,
and she has for three years held the office
of Associate Conductress of the order.
They are both prominent in society, and
are held in high esteem by all who have the
pleasure of their acquaintance.
CARL LAGER, who for some years has
been prominently identified with the
business interests of Geneseo, as a dealer in
men's clothing and furnishing goods, is still
more closely connected with many of his
fellow townsmen through the ties of Ma-
sonry. Founded on principles that enno-
bles humanity and advances civilization, the
organization has, down through the fast-fly-
ing centuries, commanded universal respect
and to-day is one of the most marked po-
tentialities of our modern development. It
has in this, as well as other countries, a
large following, — men of sterling worth who
are prominent in all walks of business life;
and among this number is the gentleman
whose name introduces this review. He
became an Entered Apprentice September
28, 1891, in Stewart Lodge, No. 92, F. &
A. M., of Geneseo, passed the Fellow-craft
degree, and on the 3d of November was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son. He is regular in his attendance at the
lodge and has the confidence and respect of
his brethren. He thoroughly understands
the principles upon which the society rests,
and is true to the teachings of universal
brotherhood and mutual helpfulness.
Mr. Lager is also interested in other
civic societies, belonging to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and has passed all
the chairs in the subordinate lodge. He
has also taken the degrees in the Mili-
tant, and for eight years has served as rep-
resentative to the Grand Lodge, during
which time he was one of the committee on
mileage, whose duty it was to secure low
rates for delegates. He is Past Chancellor
in the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and
takes a deep interest in the well-being of all
the orders with which he is identified.
A native of Sweden, Mr. Lager was
born in 1854, and was educated in that
country, crossing the Atlantic to America
in 1871 and locating first at Princeton, Illi-
nois. He first secured work on a farm, but
later turned his attention to the tailor's
trade, which he had previously learned. In
1878 he embarked in the clothing and fur-
nishing business in Geneseo, and by his
straightforward dealing and courteous treat-
ment of customers has succeeded in build-
ing up a large and constantly increasing trade
which is certainly well merited. Mr. Lager
and W. A. Offerle now have in process of
construction a two-story brick business
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
189
block, 64 x 83 feet. There will be three
store rooms below, and the upper floor will
be arranged for secret societies, containing
a large hall, parlors, committee room, ban-
quet or dining hall and everything necessary
to make it complete.
In 1871, Mr. Lager was united in mar-
riage with Miss Dora Larson, a native of
Geneseo, and they 'have an adopted daugh-
ter, Florence Ruth. A cultured and' re-
fined lady, Mrs. Lager is a prominent mem-
ber of the Eastern Star, the Daughters of
Rebekah, and the Ladies' G. A. R. Circle,
her father, Peter Larson, having been a
Union soldier during the Civil war. In his
political affiliations, Mr. Lager is a Demo-
crat, and his fellow citizens, recognizing his
worth and ability, have called upon him to
serve on the board of aldermen.
ELIAKIM SIMONDS BARTHOLO-
MEW, of Rockford, may well be termed
one of Illinois' pioneers in Masonry, for there
are few members of the fraternity in this state
whose connection therewith antedates that
of Mr. Bartholomew, who, in 1855, took
the initiatory step which prepared him for
entrance into the various bodies of this
ancient and honored organization. Passing
the degrees of Entered Apprentice and Fel-
low-craft, he was made a Master Mason in
Rockford Lodge, No. 102, and has since
been a most reliable and faithful member
of the order. He has informed himself
thoroughly concerning its teachings, and by
his fellow members of the craft has been
honored with various official positions. He
has served as Junior Warden and as Senior
Deacon, for five years was the Worshipful
Master and is now Chaplain. He was ex-
alted to the sublime degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Winnebago Chapter, No. 24, and
was created a Knight Templar in Crusade
Commandery, No. 17. He is now Chaplin
in the Commandery and belongs to Tebala
Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The mission
of Masonry, its introduction of a feeling of
fraternity throughout the world, has been
advanced by him in his efficient labors, and
he has found its beliefs a safe rule of con-
duct, conforming his life along the princi-
ples which forms its fundamental truths.
Mr. Bartholomew was born in Annsville,
Oneida county, New York, on the i8th of
April, 1826, and is descended from English
and Scotch ancestry, the founders of the fam-
ily having come to the New World in early
colonial days. The grandfather, Ebenezer
Bartholomew, was born in Connecticut, and
the father, who also bore the name of Eb-
enezer, was likewise a native of the Nutmeg
state. He married Miss Anna Simonds, a
native of Rutledge, Vermont, and a daugh-
ter of Eliakim Simonds, whose birth oc-
curred in Rutledge. Soon after this mar-
riage the parents removed to Oneida county,
New York, where were born to them three
children. The father was a man of intelli-
gence, a leader in public affairs and served as
sheriff of his county. He died in the Em-
pire state in the thirty-sixth year of his age,
after which the mother became the wife of
David Hurlbert. In 1845 they removed to
Winnebago county, Illinois, locating on a
farm in Harlem township, where Mrs. Hurl-
bert spent her remaining days, her death
occurring in her seventy-sixth year. She
was a life-long member of the Methodist
church, a true wife and mother and most
loyal to all the duties that devolved upon
her.
Eliakim S. Bartholomew, of this sketch,
was the youngest of the family. He ac-
quired his education in Rome, New York,
and remained with his mother until 1843,
when he came to Illinois, casting his lot
with the pioneer settlers of Winnebago
county. The journey was made by way of
the Great Lakes and the Erie canal to Chi-
cago, and thence by team across the country
to his destination. He is numbered among
the honored men who blazed a path in this
wild west for future cavalcades to follow,
who left behind them the comforts of the
east to endure the hardship and trials of
western frontier life, and who as the years
passed developed the localities in which
they settled until they had become centers
190
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of civilization and progress instead of a wild,
unimproved region. When Mr. Bartholo-
mew established a home in Winnebago
county there were no railroads and no mar-
kets nearer than Chicago and Milwaukee, and
the work of development seemed scarcely
begun. He secured a situation as a farm
hand, and later gave two years' service for
one hundred and sixty acres of wild land,
then valued at four dollars per acre. Not
a furrow had been turned or an improve-
ment made, but with characteristic energy
he began its development, and for almost
fifty years continued to make his home
thereon. He plowed and planted the land,
and in course of time abundant harvests
were garnered. Thus prosperity smiled upon
him and the passing years brought to him a
comfortable competence as the reward of
his earnest and energetic labors. In 1893
he sold his farm for sixty-five dollars per
acre and removed to Rockford, where he
purchased a commodious and comfortable
residence on Kilbourn avenue, and where he
now resides, enjoying a well-earned rest
from active labor.
In politics Mr. Bartholomew has always
been a Democrat and has been a most lib-
eral and enterprising citizen, supporting all
measures calculating to prove of public ben-
efit.
He was elected assessor of his township,
for many years served as one of its school
officers and took a very active part in ad-
vancing its educational interests. He has
also been an influential worker for the im-
provement of every department of agricult-
ure, and for the past fifteen years has been
a director and general superintendent of the
Winnebago County Agricultural Society.
He aided in its organization and has since
been one of its most enthusiastic and zeal-
ous supporters, doing all in his power to
promote its welfare, and in consequence it
has become one of the most thriving and
successful agricultural societies in the state.
On the 1 5th of November, 1848, Mr.
Bartholomew was united in marriage to
Miss Louisa L. Atwood, a native of Middle-
field, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, and
a daughter of Phineas Atwood. Three
children came to bless this union, namely:
Jay F., who is now operating his father's
farm; Jennie, wife of Monroe Clark, of
Chicago; and Fred, who is in the mail serv-
ice in Chicago. The career of Mr. Bar-
tholomew has been one of useful activity
and for fifty years he was a prominent rep-
resentative of the agricultural interests of
the state. He has now rounded the Psalm-
ist's span of three-score years and ten; his
honorable life has won him hosts of friends,
and the warm regard of a large circle of ac-
quaintances is unreservedly given him.
^ALTER A. NASH is an enthusias-
JOtf tic Mason, and though one of the
later representatives of the fraternity he
well deserves mention among the members
in Illinois, for he is actively interested in
the order and loyal to its principles. He
was made a Mason in Triluminar Lodge,
No. 767, in 1895, and has held the office of
Junior Warden in the same. In the pres-
ent year, 1 896, he was exalted to the de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Sinai Chap-
ter, No. 185.
Among the worthy sons that Michigan
has furnished to the Garden City of the
West is the gentleman whose name intro-
duces this review. His birth occurred in
the city of Hillsdale, Hillsdale county,
Michigan, on the I9th of August, 1872, and
there the days of his boyhood and youth
were passed in his parents' home, while to
the public schools of the neighborhood he
is indebted for his educational advantages.
While at home he aided in mercantile
labors, but in 1889, when seventeen years
of age, became connected with the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad as
station agent. On the ist of May, 1894,
he was made ticket agent at South Chicago
and came to this city, where he has since
made his residence. He is a wide-awake
young man, and his courteous, affable and
obliging manner has made him a popular
employee of the road he represents. He
easily wins friends, and those with whom he
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
191
is thrown in contact hold him in high re-
gard. In politics he is a Republican, and
cast his first presidential vote for William
McKinley.
I ARCUS W. COLE, one of the veteran
Masons of the state of Illinois, is a
highly honored and respected member of
the craft who has accomplished a great deal
in advancing the prosperity of his home
lodge, and for thirty-one years he has been
a loyal, industrious brother. Mr. Cole was
initiated in Genoa Lodge, No. 288, and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son July 21, 1866. He was elected secre-
tary in that year and retained that office
until 1886, when he dimitted to Kishwaukee
Lodge, No. 402, and has held the same po-
sition in that body with the exception of
two years. He was sent as a representa-
tive of Genoa Lodge to the Grand Lodge
three times. He was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Sycamore
Chapter, No. 49; and was constituted a Sir
Knight in Sycamore Commandery, No. 15.
He is a member of Kishwaukee Chapter,
No. 1 86, Order of the Eastern Star, as is
also his wife, who was Matron of the same
for two years. Mr. Cole is a charter mem-
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America,
Kingston Camp, No. 203, which was organ-
ized in 1886, and was its delegate to the
head camp for three terms. He has been
its clerk ever since its organization except
one year. He is also a charter member of
the Knights of the Globe, and now for some
time has been filling the position of Garri-
son Deputy. In all his fraternal relations
Mr. Cole has ever been honest and zealous,
and faithful to every trust reposed in him.
The subject of this review was born in
Lockport, Niagara county, New York, Feb-
ruary 8, 1836, his parents being Washing-
ton and Harriet (Stiles) Cole, both of whom
were also natives of New York. In 1836
they came to Illinois and located in Mar-
shall, Clark county, and afterward in Kings-
ton township, De Kalb county, where the
father died July 21, 1889, at the venerable
age of seventy-nine years. Five children
were born to him and his wife: Alma B.,
Mariah M. , John A. , Walter L. and our
subject. Mrs. Cole was born in July, 1812,
and is still living, at the advanced age of
eighty-five years, a well preserved woman.
Her husband came to Clark county in 1836
with his family, and there our subject at-
tended the district schools, completing his
education at Marshall College. He re-
mained at home until twenty years old and
then came to Kingston, where he first
engaged in farming by the month for two
years and then rented some land and con-
tinued to till the soil for himself until 1882,
when he purchased an interest in the hard-
ware store of W. Straube, and entered into
partnership with Philip Heckman. He fol-
lowed that business until 1886, and two
years later established a bank for the accom-
modation of his neighbors, and has success-
fully conducted it since that time. He is
the owner of a fine farm of one hundred
192
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and eighty acres, besides the bank and a
handsome residence.
Politically Mr. Cole is a stanch Repub-
lican. He has been constable of Kingston
for five years; tax collector seven years;
township treasurer since March, 1876; town
clerk ten years; was elected in 1897 super-
visor of the township; was postmaster for
five years under President Harrison's ad-
ministration, and one under President Cleve-
land; has been a member of the county
central committee for ten years; and has
attended the state convention twice, the
congressional five times, the senatorial four
times, and has always been in the county
convention.
Mr. Cole was married September \2,
1858, to Miss Anna Eliza Little, who was
born in Erie county, New York, July 24,
1 840, and who is a daughter of Henry and
Eva (Bingham) Little. They have one
child, Alice E. , born April 21, 1861, who
is a graduate of the Genoa high school.
She is now the wife of W. L. Pond, of
whom notice is given elsewhere in this vol-
ume. Mr. Cole and his wife are members
of the Freewill Baptist church, in which he
is a trustee and superintendent of the Sun-
day-school, and for six years served as clerk
of the quarterly meeting of the Fox River
division. Although well advanced in years,
Mr. Cole is hale and hearty, and in the
evening of his life is enjoying the fruits of a
profitably spent career. With his wife he
enlists the high esteem of a large circle of
friends.
LEWIS L. WADS WORTH, who is a
prominent Knight Templar Mason of
Chicago, entered the order in 1869 as a
member of Garden City Lodge, No. 141,
F. & A. M. For twenty-seven years he has
been connected with this lodge, and is now
one of its honored life members. He took
the Royal Arch degrees in Corinthian Chap-
ter, No. 69, and is also one of its life mem-
bers. Since taking the degrees of the Royal
and Select Masters in Chicago Council, No.
4, he has been identified with it, and has
never changed his membership from St.
Bernard Commandery, No. 35, in which he
was made a Knight Templar. He also be-
longs to Medinah Temple of the Mystic
Shrine, and has been honored by many of-
fices in these various organizations. He
has been Past Master of the blue lodge,
Captain of the Host in the chapter, Thrice
Illustrious Master in the council and Emi-
nent Commander in the commandery. He
has been on all the pilgrimages with St.
Bernard Commandery from 1877 down to
the present time, was one of the organizers
of St. Bernard Drill Corps, served as First
Lieutenant for thirteen years and partici-
pated in all the trips of the corps through-
out the country. His loyalty to the lodge,
its teaching and its principles, is most
marked, and his enthusiasm amounts almost
to an inspiration. He is most widely and
favorably known in Masonic circles, and
well does he deserve mention in a volume
whose province is recording the Masonic
history of Illinois, together with the lives of
those whose identification with the order
has aided in its advancement and progress.
Mr. Wadsworth is a western man by
birth, training and interests, and is imbued
by the true western spirit of enterprise and
progress as is manifested not only in his
Masonic but also in his business relations.
He was born in Redford, Michigan, on the
1 8th of April, 1842, and was educated in the
public schools of Detroit, after which he
learned the trades of blacksmithing and
wagon-making in that city. At the break-
ing out of the Civil war he laid aside the
hammer and donned the blue in defense of
the Union, enlisting as a member of Com-
pany A, Twenty-fourth Michigan Infantry,
in which he served until after the cessation
of hostilities. He was sergeant of his com-
pany and participated in all the principal
engagements in which his regiment took
part, including the battle of Gettysburg,
Wilderness, Mine Run, North Anna, Cold
Harbor, Fredericksburg, the siege of Peters-
burg and numerous skirmishes. He was al-
ways found at his post of duty, faithfully
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
193
defending the old flag and the cause it rep-
resented.
Mr. Wadsworth was mustered out in
Detroit, and in August, 1865, came to Chi-
cago, where he secured employment in the
Northwestern Railroad shops, working at
his trade there for seven years. In 1872
he began business on his own account as a
manufacturer of wagons, and has since been
connected with that industry. From the be-
ginning success has attended his efforts and
his trade has steadily increased until it has
now assumed extensive proportions. The
wagons manufactured are of superior work-
manship and the straightforward dealings of
the proprietor command the public confi-
dence and therefore the public patronage.
In his political views Mr. Wadsworth is
a stalwart Republican, and from 1892 to
1894 represented the twenty-fourth ward of
Chicago in the city council. He belongs to
Columbia Post, No. 706, G. A. R. , and is a
member of the Cumberland and Eagle River
Gun Clubs. He takes quite an interest in
hunting, is an excellent marksman and is
well known as a follower of Nimrod, his love
for the chase being frequently indulged in
different parts of the country.
WENRY AUGUSTUS FAGER is one of
the old and highly respected Masons
residing at Havana, a member in good
standing of all the bodies in that place. He
was raised to the degree of Master Mason
in Havana Lodge, No. 88, on the 5th day
of October, 1864; exalted a Royal Arch
Mason in Havana Chapter, No. 86, R. A. M. ,
September 22, 1865, — the first member so
exalted in that chapter; and was created
and dubbed a Sir Knight Templar in Peoria
Commandery, No. 3, K. T. , at Peoria, in
1872, for the purpose of organizing a com-
mandery at Havana; and he is therefore a
charter member of Damascus Commandery,
No. 42, K. T. , at Havana. He was Treasurer
of the blue lodge, and also of the chapter,
from 1879 to 1888 inclusive, and from 1891
to the present time — 1897; Sentinel in 1869
and 1870; Generalissimo of the Commandery
in 1873, and Treasurer from 1878 to the
present time.
Mr. Fager is one of the veteran "stand-
bys" of the great order at Havana. He is
a native of the old Keystone state, born in
Harrisburg on the I7th of March, 1829,
and came to Illinois in 1848. From 1852
to 1858 he was in California, and since then
he has been a steady resident of Havana,
where he is one of the best known and
highly esteemed citizens.
BENJAMIN HAMPTON.— One of the
best elements in the cosmopolitan pop-
ulation of our large cities is furnished by our
Scottish citizens, who bring with them the
sturdy common sense, the thrifty habits and
the upright principles which seem indigenous
to the " land of the thistle." The Scotchman
may seem slow and plodding, and even dull,
to our nervous, restless, hurrying native-
born American; but his perseverance and
industry tell in the long run, and he gener-
ally accomplishes the end which he has in
view, while at the same time he sacrifices
none of his integrity or manhood in doing
so.
As a good example of the ' ' canny Scot, "
the gentleman whose name heads this
sketch may well occupy a place in this vol-
ume. He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland,
December 9, 1868, and there grew to man-
hood. When his school days were over he
chose the occupation of machinist and spent
his time in mastering its difficulties until
1887, when he decided to seek a wider field
for his operations and emigrated to the
United States. His skill in the use of tools
soon found for him profitable employment,
and he was engaged in the Fulton Machine
Works, of Chicago, of which he is now one
of the proprietors. When the bicycle
"craze" struck the country this firm, in
1890, began the manufacture of the " This-
tle " bicycle, which has become one of the
most popular wheels in the market and has
met with immense sales.
Mr. Hampton's reputation as a business
man is one of the best, and he is highly re-
194
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
spected by all his associates. He stands
well in the Masonic order, having taken
the following degrees: Master Mason, in
Union Park Lodge; Royal Arch, in York
Chapter; and that of Knight Templar in St.
Bernard Commandery — all in 1895. He
also belongs to Medinah Temple, Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine.
H. SAMPSON.- The Masonic
3f'> order includes in its membership the
brightest intellects and the broadest and
most generous natures, all its teachings
tending to develop these qualities in man.
For forty years the subject of this review,
George H. Sampson, of Peoria, Illinois, has
been identified with this ancient order and
his Masonic record is as honorable as it is
long, his life being an excellent example of
the truth as stated above.
Mr. Sampson is an eastern man both by
birth and early association, he having been
born in Woodstock, Vermont, March 19,
1835, and reared and educated there. Until
his seventeenth year he lived on a farm,
from seventeen till nineteen was bookkeeper
in a store, and at nineteen came west to
Illinois and located at Rockford, where for a
short time he was employed as clerk. Then
he accepted a position as traveling agent for
an eastern manufacturing company, with
which he was connected for several years,
traveling through various portions of the west.
His next employment was as bookkeeper in
his father-in-law's office, and from that he
went out as salesman for an eastern manu-
facturing company and shortly afterward be-
came manager for their house in Chicago.
Leaving Chicago in 1864, he located in
Dixon, Illinois, and took charge of the
Nachusa House, a popular hotel, which he
conducted for three years or until he was
elected Secretary of the Masons' Benevolent
Society at Princeton. This responsible office
he filled for twelve years. From 1 886 to
1892 he was not actively engaged in any
business. The last named year he came to
Peoria and became one of the stockholders
in the F. F. Ide Manufacturing Company,
with which he has since been connected as
director, secretary and treasurer. The fol-
lowing year, 1893, this company was incor-
porated, has since been operated as an in-
corporated body, and has done an extensive
business in the manufacture of Ide bicycles
and watchmaker's tools.
But it is more especially of his Masonic
relations that we wish to speak in this con-
nection, and to his identity with this order
we now turn. Mr. Sampson received the
degrees which made him a Master Mason in
1856, in Friendship Lodge, No. 7, in Dixon,
Illinois. Subsequently he was dimitted from
this lodge and became a charter member of
Grand Detour Lodge, Grand Detour, Illi-
nois, a manufacturing place, where the or-
ganization flourished for a time but finally
was compelled to surrender its charter.
After this he became a charter member of
Ashlar Lodge, of Chicago, until about 1873,
when he placed his membership in Prince-
ton Lodge, No. 587, of Princeton, of which
he is still a member in good standing. For
three years he was Worshipful Master of
Grand Detour Lodge. During his residence
at Dixon he was exalted in Nachusa Chapter,
No. 56, of that place, upon his removal to
Princeton transferred his membership to
Princeton Chapter, No. 28, with which he
is still connected and of which he is Past
High Priest. The degrees which made him
a Knight Templar he received in Sycamore
Commandery, No. 15, in 1866, and when
Dixon Commandery, No. 2 1 , was instituted
his name was on its list of charter members.
His present Knight Templar affiliation is
with Temple Commandery, of Princeton, of
which for several years he served as Prelate.
In the Dixon Commandery he filled the
office of Prelate several years, and in 1873
occupied the Eminent Commander's chair,
serving in all these positions with credit to
himself and the order. About 1856, Mr.
Sampson also received the council degrees
at Dixon. He penetrated the mysteries of
the consistory in 1867, at De Kalb, Illinois,
and since 1 8/6 has had a membership of
Oriental Consistory, of Chicago. His iden-
tification with the Shrine, however, is of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
195
more recent date, the degrees of Mohammed
Temple having been conferred upon him in
1894 at Peoria.
HUGH HENRY PARKS, of Moline, has
been for the past eleven years the
efficient Secretary of Doric Lodge, No.
319, of that city. He was made a Master
Mason in 1875, in Sherman Lodge, No.
535, at Orion, and while he resided there
he was Secretary of that lodge five years,
and its Senior Warden two years. On his
removal to Moline he dimitted from his home
lodge and affiliated with Doric Lodge on
the 2d day of April, 1885. In 1887 he was
elected Secretary, in which office he has
ever since served faithfully and efficiently.
Being an accomplished bookkeeper he has
taken great pride in keeping his records of
the lodge in the best possible shape. He
has also completed a roster of the member-
ship which gives at a glance the Masonic
record of every brother, that is both conve-
nient and valuable. He is also one of the
members who was prominent in starting the
"annual meeting" plan, which once a year
brings together the brethren in a social way
and has been of great advantage to the
lodge in keeping up a pleasant acquaintance
and mutual interest. It is greatly enjoyed
by the members. Mr. Parks received the
chapter degrees in Barrett Chapter, No. 18,
at Rock Island, in 1883.
The subject of this sketch was born in
McDonough county, Illinois, on the I2th of
June, 1847, and is of an old southern fam-
ily who were early settlers of Maryland
and later of Kentucky. His paternal grand-
father was a native of Maryland and settled
in Kentucky during its earliest days. James
Buchanan Parks, the father of our subject,
was a native of Kentucky, who married
Miss Elizabeth Patton, a native of Virginia,
and he died when his son Hugh H. was six
years of age.
Mr. Parks, whose name heads this
sketch, was educated in the public schools
and is by profession a bookkeeper and a
merchant. He was in business in Orion,
Henry county, this state, from 1871 to
1883, and in Moline for a number of years,
with D. O. Reid, in the hardware trade.
Politically he is a Republican. When at
Orion he held the office of treasurer of the
town, and was also town clerk. He enjoys
the esteem and confidence of the public, is
genial and pleasant in manner and disposi-
tion, understanding the courtesies due from
Mason to Mason, and "squaring" his life
with the obligations of the order.
He was married in 1874 to Miss Harriet
J. Doxsee, a native of Mercer county, Illinois.
Their three children are Ralph H., Harry
A. and Ruth H. As to residence they have
one of the delightful homes of this beauti-
ful city. Mrs. Parks is an esteemd member
of the Methodist church, while Mr. Parks
is a deacon in the Congregational church.
They are both members of the Order of
the Eastern Star, in which he is the first
Past Patron. They were charter members
and continue to feel as great interest in the
advancement of the chapter as ever, and
the society is in a prosperous condition.
JAMES ALLEN CALDER, V. S.— To
this gentleman belongs the distinction of
being the first qualified veterinary sur-
geon to locate in the city of Peoria, Illinois.
His professional career here covers a period
of fourteen years and has been attended with
marked success; and while he has devoted
his attention closely to the demands of his
profession he has found time for and taken
pleasure in Masonic work.
Dr. Calder sought admission to Illinois
Lodge, No. 263, in 1890, was duly elected
to receive its degrees, and was initiated,
passed and raised that year. The same
year he was made a member of Peoria
Chapter, No. 7, and in 1891 took the de-
grees of the Peoria Council and Peoria
Consistory; was knighted by Peoria Com-
mandery, No. 3. in 1896, and in 1894 was
given the degrees of the Mystic Shrine by
Mohammed Temple, of Peoria. His first
active work in Masonry was in 1894, when
he was appointed to fill the office of Master
196
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of the First Veil in the chapter, in the ab-
sence of the regular officer. That same
year he was elected to the office of R. A. C. ,
next year was promoted to the office of
King and served as such in 1896. In 1896
he served also as Junior Warden in the
lodge.
Dr. Calder is a Canadian by birth. He
was born near Hamilton, Ontario, Septem-
ber 24, 1 860, and was reared and educated
in Canada, remaining there until 1882, when
he came to the United States. He gradu-
ated in the Ontario Veterinary College, of
Toronto, in December, 1881, and soon aft-
erward came to Peoria, Illinois, and entered
upon the practice of his profession, which
he has since successfully conducted, his
practice being confined chiefly to the city.
In 1894 he built the Veterinary Hospital of
Peoria, which has already gained a large
patronage and become noted. Dr. Calder
was one of the organizers of the Illinois
State Veterinary Medical Association.
He was married in 1878 to Miss Emma
Lucking.
PHILIP MAAS.— Politics is a field in
which to obtain success one must pos-
sess more than usual ability, untiring energy,
and a determination that will not falter
after repeated failures. The laurels that
crown the brow of him who attains his end
in this sphere are won only by perseverance
and an honorable course of action that is
unqestionable. There are, to be sure, some
who have climbed to a height which they
imagine is but a short distance from the
goal of their hopes, but unless they have for
a foundation worth and integrity their fall is
inevitable, and they sink into an oblivion
from which they never rise. It is only those
of true merit who acquire a permanent
standing among their fellow-men and secure
a position of honor and trust. Mr. Maas is
a product of Germany and possesses all the
qualities of the German nationality which
go to make good citizens and men of integ-
rity and probity. Of a fine intellect, a per-
sistent disposition, a will that is not easily
subdued, and an upright, impeachable char-
acter, he is a gentleman of whom both the
land of his birth and the country of his
adoption may well be proud.
From his earliest childhood Mr. Maas
had become imbued with the principles of
the Republican party, which were instilled
in his mind by his father, himself an ardent
Republican, who came to America in order
that he might live under the flag that waves
for liberty and freedom. Soon after coming
to Chicago Frederick Maas, the father, be-
came affiliated with the Republican party
upon its formation in this city, and was
made president of the Tenth Ward Repub-
lican Phalanx. He wielded considerable in-
fluence among the German-Americans, and,
had he been mor.' familiar with the English
language, would have been appointed to of-
fice. As it was he performed a great deal
of good in the interest of his party, and was
an invaluable worker in the ranks. He
came to the United States in 1850, and
after remaining in the city of New York for
nine months he came to Chicago, where his
death occurred in 1882.
Philip Maas' connection with politics in
this city has been an important factor in
the success of the party, and his services
have commanded universal praise. He has
been president of the Seventh Ward Repub-
lican Club, a member of the Republican
state committee from the old second con-
gressional district; of the Cook county cen-
tral committee; was a delegate to the state
convention in which the anti-Grant third-
term fight occurred, and in which he took
an active part; and was a member of the
state convention that nominated Richard
Oglesby for governor the last time. He is
vice-president of the Twenty-fifth Ward
German Republican Club, and is the presi-
dent of the German-American Republican
Central Club of Cook county. He was
nominated in 1884, much against his will,
for the office of county commissioner and
was defeated by fraud, the returns being
tampered with. The board that was elect-
ed formed what was known as the " boodle
board" and several of its members were
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
197
sent to the penitentiary for malfeasance in
office. He was appointed city collector in
the spring of 1895, which position he filled
with honor and to the entire satisfaction of
the public. The success of his administra-
tion was so marked that it attracted the
commendation of the newspapers, and Mr.
Maas received the personal congratulations
of Mayor Swift. The reports submitted by
him for the year 1895 showed an increase of
nearly half a million dollars over the reve-
nues for the year before.
Socially Mr. Maas is a member of the
Germania and the Marquette Clubs on the
North Side and of a number of musical so-
cieties; he has been an active member of the
Masonic fraternity for a quarter of a century
and was Master of his lodge for six years in
succession, and is affiliated with the Wiley
M. Egan Chapter of the Chicago Command-
ery, has received the ineffable degrees in
the Oriental Consistory, Scottish Rite, is a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine, Past Grand of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
was a member of the Grand Lodge; also he
was a member of the Knights of Pythias, in
which order he filled all the chairs of the
subordinate lodge, and became a member of
the Grand Lodge. He was treasurer of the
North American Saenger Bund festival
which was held in Chicago in 1881.
The birth of Mr. Maas occurred at Hesse-
Darmstadt, Germany, in 1845, and he came
to this country with his father when but five
years old. Upon settling in Chicago, Mr.
Maas attended the public schools until thir-
teen years old and then began to learn the
trade of designer, modeler and carver.
After spending several years in that occu-
pation he began his business career by open-
ing a shop at the corner of Twelfth street
near Blue Island avenue, in which he em-
ployed a large force of men, This business
he closed out in 1868 to assume the position
of superintendent of Vorwaerts Turner Hall,
where he remained for a year and a half,
and then opened a billiard hall and Repub-
lican headquarters, which he conducted suc-
cessfully until 1885, when he entered into
partnership with his brother in the whole-
sale and retail hardware business at Van
Buren street and Ogden avenue. This was
discontinued in 1889, when Mr. Maas was
appointed secretary of the Northwestern
Brewing Company, retaining that position
for four years. He still holds stock in the
company, of which he is a director. For
the past fifteen years he has been president
of the Waldheim Cemetery Company. He
has been most successful in all his enter-
prises and has won a position in business
and political life that speaks most highly
for his intelligence, his character and his
elevated motives.
Mr. Maas was united in marriage with
Miss Elizabeth Pokorny in 1868, and they
have one child, Frederick, who has followed
in the footsteps of his father and grandfa-
ther, and is a stanch adherent of the Re-
publican party. He holds the responsible
position of cashier of the Northwestern
Brewing Company and is a prominent mem-
ber of the Germania Maennerchor, being
himself possessed of fine musical talent.
The life of such a man as Mr. Maas has
in it many lessons that it would be wise for
the coming generation of young men to take
well to heart. It shows what can be ac-
complished by application of honorable
methods, and demonstrates that honesty,
fidelity and a conscientious performance of
duty will bring as a reward the good will
and high regard of one's fellowrnen and an
enviable position in society.
THOMAS W. MACFALL, of Quincy, is
a Past Master of Bodley Lodge, No.
i, A. F. & A. M., and has been prominent-
ly connected with the educational offices of
the city for the past thirty years. For the
first three years he was a member of the
Board of Education; then he was elected
superintendent of the city schools, which
he has now for the past twenty-six years
filled with entire satisfaction to the public.
The duties have often been arduous and
embarrassing, but he bravely worked his
way through.
198
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Long before identifying himself with the
Masonic order he had the matter under
consideration, but hesitated on account of
the opposition that sundry politicians might
have to it. When it became evident to
him, through the good offices of a brother,
that his fears were groundless, he at once
sent in an application for initiation and in
1884 was made a Master Mason, in Bodley
Lodge. He immediately became interested
in the esoteric work and was soon appoint-
ed Senior Deacon; at the end of his term in
that office he was elected Junior Warden,
and afterward Senior Warden and at
length Worshipful Master, an office
which he very ably tilled for five successive
terms, during which he thoroughly acquired
the Illinois work, and by both precept and
example he has brought the brethren up to
a high state of perfection in the work of the
lodge, and is entitled to great credit for his
patience and thoroughness.
Mr. Macfall is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born on the 24th of June,
1824. He came to Illinois in 1848 and for
seven years was prominently engaged in
teaching. In 1855 he came to Quincy, and
in 1856 was elected clerk of the Circuit
Court. In the spring of 1861 he enlisted
in the service of the United States and
raised Company F of the Third Illinois
Cavalry, of which he was elected cap-
tain. He went to the front with a com-
pany of ninety-six men. Soon he was com-
missioned major, and he served in the
southwest, being engaged in the battle of
Pea Ridge and numerous skirmishes until
his health failed by reason of the hard service
on horseback, and he was compelled to re-
sign his commission and return to Quincy,
where he has since devoted the most of his
time to the city schools.
In 1846 he was happily married to Miss
Katharine Myers, and they had six children,
three of whom are living — Esther, Rose and
Katharine. They have a pleasant home and
are citizens of culture and refinement, en-
joying the high esteem of their fellow citi-
zens in the city with which they have so
long been identified.
WILLIAM LYCURGUS ICKES, of
Freeport, is a thirty-second-degree
Mason and a prominent member of the or-
der. It was in 1890 that he joined Ever-
green Lodge, No. 170, since which time he
has progressed rapidly through all the de-
grees up to and including the thirty-second.
His is an excellent Masonic record and he is
a worthy and valued member of the society.
He took the Royal Arch degrees in Free-
port Chapter, No. 23, joined the Royal &
Select Masters of Freeport Council, No. 39,
and was knighted in Freeport Commandery,
No. 7. He is also a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine and is deeply interested in the growth
and progress of this benevolent and honor-
able order.
Mr. Ickes is a native of Illinois, his birth
having occurred in Victoria, Henry county,
on the 1 5th of October, 1862. He is of
German and Scotch ancestry, his grandfa-
ther Ickes having come from Germany to
America in an early day and located in
Pennsylvania, where he raised his family.
There the father of our subject, George
Franklin Ickes, was born and spent his
youth, coming to Illinois in 1857. Soon
afterward he married Miss Sarah Ann Suth-
erland, a lady of Scotch descent, locating
on the farm on which they continued to re-
side until 1885, when the father laid aside
the cares of active business life and removed
to Tolono, Illinois, where he is now living
retired, at the age of sixty years. His wife
is also living, and of their family of nine
children six yet survive.
The subject of this review is the second
of the family. He was educated in the
public schools of Tolono and worked on his
father's farm until seventeen years of age,
when he began railroading as a brakeman
on the Illinois Central road. He filled that
position for four years, was fireman for
three and a half years, was conductor for
five years and for the past few years has
been locomotive engineer in the employ of
the Illinois Central road. He is thoroughly
informed in this department of railroading
and is one of the bright, active and capable
men who follow this useful vocation.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
o
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
201
Mr. Ickes was married on the 22d of
September, 1886, to Miss Flora Pendergast,
a native of this state, born in Irvington,
Marion county. This union has been
blessed with two sons and a daughter,
namely: Willie G. , Ralph E. and Ferol.
Mr. and Mrs. Ickes are genial and friendly
people and as a consequence have made
many warm friends. In his political views
he is a Republican, but his business cares
preclude the possibility of his holding office.
His fidelity to duty is one of his marked
characteristics and whether in public or
private life he is ever true to the trust re-
posed in him.
TrONATHAN ABEL.— For nearly two
j score years has the subject of this review
stood as an exemplar of the great craft
with which this compilation has to do, and
as a man of signal ability and honor and as
one of the Masonic patriarchs of the State
of Illinois, it is imperative that a review of
his career be incorporated in this work.
Mr. Abel became a Master Mason in Meteor
Lodge, No. 283, at Sandwich, Illinois, in
the year 1860, and about 1865 he passed
the capitular degrees in Sandwich Chapter,
R. A. M. , in which he retains a life mem-
bership. About the year 1884 he was dim-
itted from Meteor Lodge, transferring his
affiliation to Dearborn Lodge, No. 310, A.
F. & A. M., of Chicago. In 1891 Mr. Abel
attained the honors of knighthood, in Mont-
joie Commandery, No. 53, Knights Temp-
lar, in whose affairs he has since maintained
a pronounced interest. He is a stockholder
in the Masonic Temple Association, whose
magnificent enterprise he aided materially,
even as he has other undertakings which
have given him unmistakable prestige as one
of the representative citizens of the great
western metropolis.
Jonathan Abel, who has made a record
of signal success in the business world and
who is known as a man of stanchest integ-
rity and attractive personality, is a native
son of the Empire state, having been born
at Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, New
'
York, on the 4th of December, 1832, the
son of John and Miranda (Sampson) Abel,
the former of German and the latter of En-
glish extraction, the father having been a
substantial farmer and a man of no little
ability. Our subject received a good En-
glish education, completing his studies in an
excellent Quaker school at Oswego, in his
native county. He assisted his father in the
cultivation of the home farmstead until he
had attained the age of twenty-four years,,
when he started out upon his own responsi-
bility. Looking upon the west as a more
eligible field of endeavor, he came to Illinois
in 1857, locating at Sandwich, DeKalb
county, where he resided about ten years,
having been variously concerned in success-
ful business enterprises — giving his atten-
tion in turn to lumber dealing, the live-stock
and the drug business. He was also identi-
fied with banking operations in Sandwich
and held the office of postmaster for a num-
ber of years, serving under the administra-
tions of Presidents Lincoln and Johnson.
Mr. Abel removed to Chicago in Feb-
ruary, 1868, and within the following year
purchased an interest in the extensive dis-
tilling business of Dickinson, Leach & Com-
pany. Several changes in the membership
of the firm occurred within the next few
years, the enterprise being finally incorpor-
ated, in 1878, with Mr. Abel as president.
The company met with great financial
losses in the great fire of 1871, but such
was its reputation that it was enabled to
resume operations and to secure that credit
which placed the enterprise among the fore-
most of the sort in the west. In 1887,
upon the organizaion of the Distilling and
Cattle Feeding Company, the Phoenix Com-
pany disposed of its business to that organ-
ization, after which the firm of Abel, Ames
& Company continued in the general dis-
tributing business in connection with dis-
tilled liquors, their operations reaching an
average annual aggregate of fully a million
dollars. In May, 1895, Mr. Abel withdrew
from this firm and became secretary of the
Ogalla Land and Cattle Company, an im-
portant corporation in which he has large
202
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
financial interests. He is also a stockholder
in the Metropolitan National and Union
National Banks of Chicago, and is concerned
in various other business enterprises of im-
portant character. He is a man of broad
mentality, progressive and alert in his
methods and animated by a distinctive pub-
lic spirit, which has manifested itself in
many directions. He is identified with the
People's church, being a liberal contributor
to worthy causes and enjoying a marked
popularity by reason of his genial personal-
ity and inflexible integrity in all the relations
of life. Mr. Abel lends his support to the
Republican party, but has never sought the
honors or emoluments of political office,
believing that his best field for accomplish-
ment has been in connection with business
affairs.
'\DWARD I. CAMM, the popular jew-
eler and a prominent citizen of Mon-
mouth, Illinois, has been in business here
for eighteen years, eight years of this time
at one stand, and is now located at No. 100
South Main street.
Mr. Camm was born in Brockville, On-
tario, Canada, January 26, 1852, and was
reared under the influence of Masonry, his
father being an active and enthusiastic Ma-
son, a member of Sussex Lodge, No. 756,
of Brockville, in which, in 1856, he served
as Worshipful Master, and subsequently
moved his membership to Newboro, Ontario,
in which he retained membership up to the
time of his death, in that place. These early
impressions of the order his father had loved
remained with the youth, and when he grew
to manhood and went to New York he was
made a Mason, in Ilion Lodge, No. 591, of
Ilion. Some years later he took out a di-
mit, and since August 26, 1 889, has affil-
iated with Monmouth Lodge, No. 37, in
•which he has served officially during the
past three years, filling the office of Treas-
urer in 1894, Junior Deacon in 1895, and
Senior Deacon in 1896; and since coming
to Illinois he has received some of the higher
degrees of the order. He was exalted in
Warren Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M., of Mon-
mouth; knighted inGalesburgCommandery,
No. 8, K. T. , of Galesburg; and September
IS> J893, was initiated into the mysteries of
Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Chicago,
in all of which he still maintains member-
ship, and in the chapter is filling the office
of Master of the First Veil.
Mr. Camm was for five years a member
of the National Guard, holding the rank of
corporal, and was with Company H, Sixth
Regiment, at East St. Louis during the riots
in 1885.
His religious views and symathies are
in keeping with those of the Protestant
Episcopal church.
JEFFERSON ABBOTT, a
Jl consistory Mason of the thirty-second
degree and one of the early settlers of Rock-
ford, is a native of New York, born January
1 1, 1839, and is of English lineage, his an-
cestors having crossed the ocean from En-
gland during the days when the Empire
state was first becoming settled. John and
Thomas Abbott, the father and grandfather
of our subject, were both natives of that
state, and the former, born in 1811, is still
living, a hale and hearty man. He married
Miss Nancy Bluefield, a native of New York,
and to them were born eight children. The
mother died and Mr. Abbott afterward
wedded Mrs. Eleanor James, by whom he
had seven children. In 1856 they emigrated
to Rockford, where he is now living. His
life occupation has been farming, and he is
a worthy and consistent member of the
Methodist church and one of its local
preachers.
Thomas J. Abbott was the second child
of the family. He is indebted to the public
schools of his native state for his educational
privileges, and when his school days were
over he turned his attention to farming. He
was following that pursuit in Illinois when
the great Civil war was inaugurated, but he
put aside all business considerations to re-
spond to the country's call for aid, enlisting
on the rst of August, 1861, as a member of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
203
Company G, Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry.
He served for three years in the Army of
the Cumberland and then veteranized and
continued at the front until after the cessa-
tion of hostilities, when the preservation of
the Union was an assured fact. He was
mustered out September 25, 1865, after an
honorable and patriotic service of more than
four years, during which time he was always
found at his post of duty, faithfully defend-
ing the stars and stripes which now float so
proudly over the united nation. With his
regiment he participated in all the engage-
ments from Pea Ridge, Arkansas, to Atlanta,
Georgia, including the memorable battles of
Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, in which
the Union forces covered themselves with
glory. Mr. Abbott was once severely
wounded. He was promoted to the rank of
adjutant of his regiment, holding that posi-
tion at the time when he received his hon-
orable discharge.
Returning to the quiet and peaceful pur-
suit of farming, Mr. Abbott continued the
operation of. his land for six years, since
which time he has been continuously iden-
tified with the business interests of Rock-
ford. He is a wholesale dealer in beer and
is agent for the Indianapolis Brewing Com-
pany. He gives his political support to the
Republican party, with which he has affil-
iated since casting his first vote for Abraham
Lincoln. His identification with the Ma-
sonic fraternity dates from March, 1865,
when he was made a Mason in Huntsville,
Alabama. In Rockford he has advanced
through the various degrees of the Scottish
Rite until he is now numbered among the
thirty-second-degree Masons of the city,
and is at present serving as Junior Deacon
in the Star of the East Lodge. He is also
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine and has always
been an active and acceptable worker in the
order. He has also been a leading member
of the Grand Army of the Republic since its
organization and is now Quartermaster Ser-
geant of the post in Rockford.
In 1864 Mr. Abbott was united in mar-
riage to Miss Adaline Kilburn. He has
erected one of the best residences in Rock-
ford and its hospitable doors are ever open
for the reception of their many friends.
Mr. Abbott has always taken a deep interest
in all that pertains to the welfare of the city
and its advancement, and is a public-spirited,
progressive man who keeps up with the
times in all matters of improvement.
E
ZRA OSTRANDER DANA has for al-
most thirty years been identified with
the Masonic fraternity, and through that long
period has been a most loyal and devoted
member, deeply interested in the growth of
the fraternity. He was made a Mason in
1868 in Owisco Lodge, No. 571, of Kanka-
kee, Illinois, and served as Senior Deacon.
Later the lodge building was destroyed by
fire and he joined Kankakee Lodge, No.
389, continuing his relationship therewith
for four years, when he became a member
of Landmark Lodge, No. 422, of Chicago.
On removing to Champaign, Illinois, he
joined Western Star Lodge, No. 318, and
was dimitted from there in 1889 to Excel-
sior Lodge, No. 97, of Freeport, with
which he is now connected. He is one of
the oldest supporters of the Masonic Aid
Association located in Chicago. His life is
in harmony with the beneficent principles of
the order and he is a worthy representative
of the craft.
The business career of Mr. Dana is also
one of the utmost fidelity, his record for
trustworthiness and thorough reliability
being unexcelled. For thirty-six years he
has been an employe of the Illinois Central
Railroad Company and has won the confi-
dence of his employers and the highest re-
spect of all his business associates. His
name is a synonym for all that is honorable
in business life, and while his fame has not
been spread abroad throughout the land he
belongs to that class of citizens who form
the stability of a nation, and his well-spent
life contains many valuable lessons of prac-
tical utility, showing what can be accom-
plished through persistence, energy, de-
termination and honorable dealing.
204
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Dana was born in Schoharie county,
New York, June 10, 1841, and traces his
ancestry back to England, where Richard
Dana was born in 1612. When a young
man he braved the dangers of an ocean
voyage at that time, and became a member
of the Connecticut colony. There his de-
scendants resided for several generations.
The grandfather of our subject, James
Dana, was born there, and when the colo-
nies attempted to throw off the yoke of
British oppression he gallantly went to their
aid, serving under General Putnam. He
participated in the battle of Lexington,
fired the first shot at Bunker Hill, and
fought at Princeton. He was afterward
under the immediate command of General
Washington until the close of the struggle
which ended so happily in the establish-
ment of this republic, and was highly com-
mended by both General Putnam and Gen-
eral Washington for his valiant and capable
service. When an American flag had been
adopted Connecticut made several for her
soldiers, and " the father of his country"
conferred on Captain Dana the honor of
first displaying it to the army. After the
war the Captain became prominent in the
state militia and was raised to the rank of
general. He was a man of fine physique,
six feet in height and splendidly developed,
and his name will go down to posterity on
the pages of history that record the deeds
of the honored heroes of the Revolution.
James Dana, Jr., the father of our sub-
ject, was born in Schoharie county, New
York, and married Miss Jane Sinsabaugh, a
native of the Empire state. Seven children
were born to them in New York, and in
1855 they removed with their family to
Will county, Illinois, settling on a farm,
where they resided until the father laid
aside all business cares. He then removed
with his wife to Chicago, where his death
occurred in his sixty-fifth year. His wife
long survived him and died in 1889, in her
eighty-ninth year.
Mr. Dana, of this review, was their
youngest child. He acquired his early edu-
cation in Oswego, New York, and later at-
tended school in Will county, Illinois. In
1 860, when nineteen years of age, he began
railroading as a locomotive fireman on the
Illinois Central road, and throughout his
business life has been an employee of that
company, one of the most trusted men in
their service. No more honorable record
can be shown, for through the thirty-six
years of his connection with the road he has
never received even a reprimand. After
serving four years as fireman he became a
locomotive engineer and for twenty-four
years successfully filled that position. His
care and watchfulness was most marked.
He had no accidents, attended most strictly
to his duties and was one of the most capa-
ble men on the road. Later he was for two
years foreman of the machinery department
in Chicago, and was then made master
mechanic at the shop in Freeport, in which
capacity he has now served for eight years.
He thoroughly understands the business in
every detail as well as the major points, and
this enables him to so direct the men under
him that the best service is secured. He
has the warmest regard of all and his jus-
tice and courtesy to those who work under
his supervision has won him their loyalty
and warm friendship.
In 1866 Mr. Dana was happily married
to Miss Elizabeth Holland, a native of
Mount Morris, New York. She is descend-
ed from Scotch ancestors who came to this
country in an early day. Mr. and Mrs.
Dana now have three children, — Ester, Ed-
gar and Bert. The parents are members of
the People's church and in his political
views Mr. Dana is a Republican. His son,
E. W. Dana, is a Royal Arch Mason and
has followed in the business footsteps of his
father, being a machinist in the Illinois
Central Railroad shops. Our subject is a
genial, courteous gentleman, of generous
impulses, and is quick to see and commend
fidelity to duty in others. He has made for
himself an honorable record in social, busi-
ness and private life and is well worthy of
representation in this volume among the
leading members of the Masonic fraternity
of Illinois.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
205
QUSTAVE WALTER.— During the pe-
riod of his connection with the Masonic
fraternity — twenty years — Mr. Walter, of
Sandwich, has manifested such diligence in
the work of the craft and such fidelity to its
teachings that his brethren have honored
him by election to various official positions
therein. He is one of the most prominent
Masons in the city where he makes his home,
having risen to high rank. In 1877 he be-
gan his study of the symbolic truths which
incite men to the development of the best
that is in them, which promulgate the prin-
ciples of justice, loyalty, benevolence and
forbearance, and now with a full understand-
ing of the obligations which rest upon all
followers of the order he faithfully observes
the teachings of the blue lodge and chapter
and the vows of the commandery. He took
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason in Meteor Lodge,
in 1 877, has served as its Worshipful Master,
and in 1893 represented the subordinate
lodge in the Grand Lodge. In 1881 he ad-
vanced through the degrees of Mark Master,
Past Master and Most Excellent Master and
was exalted to the sublime degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Sandwich Chapter, No. 107.
For eight years he served as the King of
this chapter. He took the degrees of cryptic
Masonry and now holds membership in
Aurora Council of Royal and Select Masters.
He was created and dubbed a Sir Knight in
Aurora Commandery, No. 22, in 1883, and
received the grades and orders of the Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory, of Chicago,
where in 1891 he was greeted a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret.
Mr. \Valterwas born on the 3d of Octo-
ber, 1 849, in Alsace, then a province of
France, but now of Germany. He was
reared in his native county, obtained his
education in its public schools, and when
fourteen years of age entered on a three-
years apprenticeship to the blacksmith's
trade. When that period had expired he
worked as a journeyman for a year and then
came to the United States, believing in the
superiority of the advantages here afforded
for advancement. For a year he followed
blacksmithing in Ottawa, Illinois, and then
went to Chicago, where he worked in dif-
ferent shops for a year. He next located
in Peoria, but after six months removed to
Woodstock, where he engaged in black-
smithing on his own account for two years.
For a similar period he followed his trade
in Serena, later spent one year in the same
business in Piano, Illinois, and in April,
1876, came to Sandwich, where he pur-
chased the carriage factory of J. H. Wag-
oner. For twenty-one years he has now
continued in that line of business, with a
constantly increasing trade which has
brought to him a handsome income. It
has resulted from his high reputation for
honor in all business transactions and for
his courtesy to those who give him their
patronage.
On the 2Oth of July, 1872, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Walter and
Miss Sophia Retterer, a native of Alsace.
The wedding took place in Woodstock, Illi-
nois, and to them have been born three
children, Charles A. , Laura A. and Mabel.
The parents attend the Presbyterian church
and in politics Mr. Walter is a Republican,
For three years he served on the school
board of Sandwich and has long been iden-
tified with various measures tending to the
substantial growth and progress of the com-
munity. He is a man of high personal
worth, with an irreproachable record in
business and in private life, and his Masonic
career is one of exemplary fidelity.
CALOT EZEKIEL BAKER, who occu-
' pies a leading place in commercial cir-
cles in Quincy, became a Mason through
his initiation as an Entered Apprentice of
Quincy Lodge, No. 296, A. F. & A. M.,
on the iith of June, 1886, and having
passed the Fellow-craft degree on the 3d of
December of that year he was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason on the
I4th of February, 1887. He added to his
understanding of the principles and teach-
ings of the blue lodge a knowledge of the
inspiring and beautiful legends of past ages
206
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
through his connection with Quincy Chap-
ter, No. 5, wherein he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason. He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and
was greeted a Royal and Select Master in
Quincy Council, No. 15, on the 2Oth of
September, 1887, and took the degrees of
chivalric Masonry in El Aksa Commandery,
No. 55, K. T., January 26, 1888. He has
also been elected to the Quincy Consistory,
but has not yet had the degrees confirmed.
Mr. Baker takes an active interest in Ma-
sonry and the accomplishment of its mis-
sion among men. It is the labors of such
representatives of the order who have made
it an active agency in the world's better-
ment, counteracting by its benevolence and
fraternity much of the opposition and self-
ishness of the world.
Mr. Baker is a native of New York,
born on the 2ist of March, 1844, of Eng-
lish and French ancestry, who located in
the Empire state in its pioneer epoch and
took an active part in the events which
form the early history of New York, and also
bore arms in defense of the rights of the
colonies in the war of the Revolution. Eze-
kiel Baker and D. Bryan Baker, grandfather
and father of our subject, were both born in
New York. The latter married Miss Marie
Jeannette Calot, a native of Massachusetts
and of French lineage. Her father, Louis
William Calot, was sent to America by
the French government to take charge of
an island near Cape Cod claimed by the
French. He became a resident of the
country and died here. D. Bryan Baker
was a physician and surgeon and died in the
twenty-ninth year of his age.
The gentleman whose name introduces
this review, the only living representative
of his family, began his education in a pri-
vate school, afterward attended an academy
in Fort Miller and later continued his stud-
ies at Fort Edward in his native state. He
was but seventeen years of age when he of-
fered his services to the government, enlist-
ing September 2, 1862, as a member of
Company D, First New York Mounted
Rifles. He served in the Army of the
James with the Eighteenth Army Corps and
participated in the battles of Cold Harbor,
Petersburg and other engagements of that
great struggle. He was never wounded,
and on the I2th of June, 1865, was honor-
ably discharged, after three years of valiant
service.
Mr. Baker came to Illinois in 1865, and
on the jth of May, 1867, was united in
marriage to Miss Isabella Brown, a native
of Quincy and a daughter of William
Brown, now deceased.
In his political views Mr. Baker has been
a Republican from the time he attained his
majority. He belongs to the Grand Army
of the Republic, and thus renews his asso-
ciations of his military life. He has long
been numbered among the prominent busi-
ness men of Quincy, where he is engaged
in the wholesale and retail grocery business.
His trade has steadily increased until the
volume of his business is extensive, and his
interests have ever been conducted accord-
ing to the old, tried maxims of honesty and
perseverance. The most envious can
scarcely grudge him his success, so worthily
has he earned it and so admirably does he
use it, being a generous contributor to
many good causes. He has also erected a
number of residences in the city and is do-
ing his full share toward the upbuilding and
improvement of Quincy.
^RNEST E. EGLER, assistant foreman
of the dial department of the Na-
tional Watch Company, of Elgin, repre-
sents the class of prominent business men,
who in the "rush and hurry" of industrial
life yet find time to devote to those duties
which develop the gentler side of nature and
awaken in man a realization of the needs of
humanity. The beneficent principles of
Masonry, promoting not only charity but all
that is noblest and best in the world, elicited
his admiration and secured his allegiance.
In 1889 he joined the order and has since
affiliated with Monitor Lodge, No. 522, A.
F. & A. M. Learning its lessons of charity
and hospitality, those of capitular Masonry
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
207
were then placed before him in L. L. Munn
Chapter, No. 96, in which he was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason.
He has been honored by the Companions of
that branch by election to the office of Cap-
tain of the Host and of Chaplain, serving in
the latter position for two terms. In 1890
he received the grades and orders of chiv-
alric Masonry, being constituted, dubbed
and created a Sir Knight in Bethel Com-
mandery, No. 36, in which he has served as
Standard Bearer, Senior Warden, General-
issimo, and at this writing is the Eminent
Commander. He also threaded the laby-
rinth of Elgin Chapter, No. 212, Order of
the Eastern Star, in 1892, and his wife also
belongs to the same society.
Mr. Egler in business life, as in Masonry,
has attained to an eminent position. Suc-
cess is not a matter of genius, but the out-
come of earnest purpose and untiring in-
dustry, and this truth finds verification in
his life. He was born in Mulhouse, in the
province of Alsace, France, July 19, 1850,
and is a son of Charles F. and Marie Egler,
who came to the United States about 1853
and took up their residence in Hoboken,
New Jersey. In that city our subject spent
his youth and obtained his literary educa-
tion. He entered upon his business career
as an employe in the United States Watch
Factory, where he remained for about three
years, when he went to Philadelphia and
engaged in the lamp and oil business as a
member of the firm of Lowden & Egler.
That connection was maintained from 1875
until 1881, when the junior partner sold out
and returned to New Jersey.
Mr. Egler was married there December
15, 1 88 1, to Miss Algire Peugeot, a native
of France and a daughter of Pierre and
Catherine (Boillot) Peugeot, who came to
this country in 1868 and located in New
York city. After his marriage Mr. Egler
entered the employ of Henry Abbott, of
New York, proprietor of a stem-winding
watch factory, and while working in that
establishment developed the new process of
painting dials. On the gth of August, 1889,
he came to Elgin in response to a request
from the National Watch Company to in-
troduce his new process into their works,
and has since been assistant foreman of the
dial department of one of the most exten-
sive watch factories in the entire country.
He is a man of much business and executive
ability and of considerable talent, and has
not contented himself with merely perform-
ing the duties assigned to him, but has al-
ways performed with conscientious fidelity
all trust committed to his care and has
studied the work closely and systematically.
This earnest investigation led to his inven-
tion of the new process of painting dials,
which is far superior to the old process and
was thereby the means of securing him his
present responsible and lucrative position.
Mr. and Mrs. Egler are parents of two
children, — Ettie E. and Elmer E. Our
subject and his wife are members of the
Universalist church, in which and in social
circles they are highly regarded. Mr. Egler
belongs also to the Modern Woodmen of
America and to the Jewelers' League of New
York city. His political support is given
the Republican party.
LEWIS E. PENNINGTON. — Almost
.' thirty years have passed since this gen-
tleman became interested in Masonry and
placed his membership in Warren Lodge,
No. 209, F. & A. M., of Chicago. He
joined the blue lodge in 1868, the same
year of his arrival in the city, and since that
time has maintained his connection with it.
Passing from this initial and basic step to
the chapter, he became a Royal Arch Ma-
son in Chicago Chapter in the same year.
The following year he was knighted in
Apollo Commandery, No. i, and on the 22d
of November, 1869, he joined the Oriental
Consistory of the Scottish Rite. He is also
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, his member-
ship being in Medinah Temple of Chicago,
and throughout the term of his affiliation
with the society he has been recognized as
a worthy representative of Masonry, — its
time-honored and honorable principles. Its
advocacy of all moral teaching, of all that
208
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
is straightforward in business and in social
life, shows that its consistent members are
those who are deserving of the high regard
and respect of their fellow men in all walks
of life as well as in the circles of Masonry.
With many friends among the brethren of
the craft, the sketch of Mr. Pennington
cannot fail to prove of interest to many of
the readers of this volume.
A native of the Keystone state, our sub-
ject was born in Chester county, on the 9th
of February, 1846, and upon his father's
farm in Pennsylvania spent the days of his
boyhood and youth, early becoming familiar
with the labors of the fields, for his assist-
ance in their cultivation was required from
his young days. A deep thinker, his study
of the needs of the soil and what would pro-
duce the best crops undoubtedly led to his
undertaking his present business. He came
to Chicago when a young man of twenty-
four and embarked in the manufacture of
fertilizers, — a business which he has since
continued with good success. He placed
upon the market fertilizers which, when
tested, were seen to supply the needs of the
farmer, who wished something to enrich his
worn-out land from which previous crops
had drawn all the sustenance for the grains.
His comprehensive understanding of the
subject made him successful in the venture,
and his thorough reliability and enterprising
business methods have brought him a large
trade.
In 1880 Mr. Pennington was united in
marriage to Miss Samole Bryan, of St. Louis,
Missouri, and they have two children,—
Florence and George. In his political views
Mr. Pennington favors the principles of the
Republican party.
JOHN TEMPLETON, a worthy member
of the Masonic fraternity of Freeport, is
one of the native sons of Stephenson
county, his birth having occurred at Cedar-
ville on the 3d of July, 1867. He is de-
scended from Scotch ancestry, who early
located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His
great-great-grandfather on the paternal side
was a native of Scotland, but was driven
from the land of hills and heather at a time
of great religious persecution in that coun-
try. He escaped to the north of Ireland,
where the great-grandfather of our subject
was born. He was the founder of the fam-
ily in America. Braving the dangers of
ocean sailing in those early days he located
in Pennsylvania about the time of the close
of the Revolution, making his home in
Union county, where he spent his remaining
days. His profession was civil engineering.
The grandfather of our subject, Alex-
ander Templeton, was born, reared and
married in that county, and during his youth
learned the cooper's trade. In 1850 he
sought a home in the west, believing the
resources of the country and the opportu-
nities afforded here to be superior to those
of the east. Settling in Stephenson county,
he established his family in their new home,
and here Alexander Templeton, Jr., father
of our subject, was reared to manhood.
He was born in Union county, Pennsylvania,
in 1835, and was therefore in his fifteenth
year when he arrived in Illinois. When he
had arrived at years of maturity he married
Miss Elizabeth Miller, a native of Gettys-
burg, Pennsylvania, and afterward gave his
attention to agricultural pursuits, being one
of the industrious farmers of the commu-
nity. They reared three children, — two
daughters and a son.
The latter is the subject of this notice.
He was educated in the common schools of
his native county, worked on the home
farm, and in 1884, when seventeen years of
age, began to learn the carriage-painting
business in the shops of the Henney Buggy
Company. He completely mastered his
work, both in principle and detail, and from
time to time has been promoted until he is
now serving as salesman, — a position which
he has filled for six years. He travels to a
limited extent in the interests of the house,
but is usually found in their extensive estab-
lishment in Freeport, selling to the trade of
the city and surrounding country. He is
one of the most valuable and capable em-
ployees of the company, and his twelve
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
209
years' connection therewith indicates the
confidence reposed in him and his fidelity to
every trust.
Mr. Templeton was one of the organ-
izers of the fine band of twenty-eight pieces
composed of the employees of the company,
and plays the large double-bass horn. This
band is a credit alike to the company and
the men who compose it, and ranks among
the best in this section of the state. Mr.
Templeton formerly gave his support to the
Republican party, but is now independent
of party ties in his political views.
WENRY W. WALES, M. D., a well-
known practicing physician of Lanark
and for many years a representative mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity, was made a
Master Mason in 1864 in Lanark Lodge,
No. 423, F. & A. M. This was in the very
early history of the lodge, and since then
he has been one of its most active and re-
liable supporters. He was among the early
incumbents of its executive chair. Also he
has at different times filled nearly all its
offices, ever rendering his part of the work
in an earnest and impressive manner and in
a way that reflected credit both upon him-
self and the organization. He became a
member of Lanark Chapter, No. 139, R. A.
M., in 1872, receiving the Royal Arch de-
gree on the 7th of June, he being among
the first who were exalted by that chapter.
He has had the honor of being its High
Priest several times, has also held other
offices in the chapter, and in it, as in the
blue lodge, he has ever been faithful and
efficient. Also he is a Knight Templar.
He was knighted by Freeport Commandery,
K. T. , and became a charter member of
Long Commandery at Mount Carroll. Both
the Doctor and his wife are valued members
of Polo Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star.
Dr. Wales is a native of Illinois, born in
Ogle county, in 1840, and springs from
English ancestry, his forefathers having
landed on the rock-bound shores of New
England at an early period in the history of
this country, and for many years were resi-
dents of Massachusetts. His father, Hora-
tio Wales, was born in Connecticut and
emigrated in 1835 to the then far-away
state of Illinois, bringing with him his wife
and their only child, and locating on a facm
in Ogle county, near Polo, at a place called
Buffalo Grove. In the affairs of this county
he was for many years a prominent factor,
at one time serving as county sheriff; and
in 1891 passed away at the ripe old age of
eighty-one years. His wife survived him
o
three years, her death occurring in 1 894,
at the age of eighty-two. In their religious
faith they were Presbyterians.
Dr. Wales was the third born in their
family of children. He had excellent edu-
cational advantages in his youth, was sent
to Mount Carroll Seminary and Beloit
College, and received his medical educa-
tion in St. Louis and Chicago, being a
graduate of Hahnemann College, of the lat-
ter city, with the class of 1863. After
210
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
his graduation he began the practice of his
profession in Ogle county, and in the fall of
1 864 came to Lanark, Carroll county,
where for more than three decades he has
conducted a successful practice, winning
and maintaining the confidence and high es-
teem of his patrons and all with whom he
has in any way been associated. He is a
member of the Homeopathic Society and of
the American Institute of Homeopathy, and
is on the local board of health. In his po-
litical views he has ever been a stanch Re-
publican.
Shortly after he settled down to the
practice of medicine Dr. Wales took to him-
self a wife, wedding in 1865 Miss Lizzie
Muir, a native of New York city, and to
them have been given four children, — Albert
H., Frederick M., Henry W. , Jr. , and R.
Purcell.
DANIEL EICHHOLTZ, deceased.— The
qualifications required for each promo-
tion in the Masonic order are those which
go to make up a well-rounded character.
Honor, diligence, application, truth, fidelity
and the practice of virtue are inculcated,
and the man who carries out these precepts
is fitted to discharge the highest duties of a
citizen. We consequently find among the
members of this organization many who are
filling offices of trust in their communities,
and there is no lack of illustrious names
which stand high on the roll of fame.
Daniel Eichholtz was a Consistory Ma-
son, a representative citizen of Shannon,
and a resident of the state of Illinois from
1860 until his death in 1897. He sent in
his petition for membership in Shannon
Lodge, No. 490, on April 15, 1878, was en-
tered April 23, passed May 20, and raised
June 3, of the same year. Thenceforward
he was a faithful and consistent member of
the fraternity, and honorably and satisfac-
torily filled all the offices of his lodge with
the exception of that of Master. He was
also a member of Lanark Chapter, No. 139,
having the degree of Mark Master conferred
upon him August 14, 1878, that of Past
Master on the same date, and Most Excel-
lent Master and Royal Arch July 24, 1882.
He belonged to Freeport Commandery, No.
7, being made a Sir Knight at Freeport in
1888; was a member of Freeport Valley
Consistory, receiving the degrees in that
body up to and including the thirty-second,
and was a "Shriner " in the Medinah Tem-
ple, Chicago. Mr. Eichholtz was an enthu-
siastic brother and took great pride in the
order.
He was a native of Pennsylvania, hav-
ing been born in Sinking Spring Valley on
May 13, 1834. His ancestors, who were
Germans, were among the early settlers of
that state.
Henry Eichholtz, the father of our sub-
ject, was also born in Pennsylvania, where
he was married to a Miss Rhodes. After
her death, which occurred shortly after her
marriage, Mr. Eichholtz was united in mat-
rimony with Miss Angeline Chrisman. In
1857 he came west and purchased land in
Ogle county, where he lived up to the time
of his death, that sad event taking place in
his sixty-fifth year. His wife departed this
life when sixty-eight years old.
Mr. Eichholtz, the subject of this mem-
oir, was the eldest of a family of seven
children. He was raised on the farm,
where he worked during his youth and had
only an opportunity of attending school for
about six months altogether. He may thus
be said to be a self-made man. The fam-
ily was poor but industrious, and during his
few leisure moments he supplemented
his schooling by studying at home. Desir-
ing to begin a business career, he secured a
clerkship in the service of a railroad con-
struction company, which was then build-
ing a road to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He finally gave up his position and returned
to his father's farm, where he worked for
wages and saved enough out of them to buy
a farm of his own, which he improved, mak-
ing it a valuable property. This he recent-
ly sold for thirteen thousand dollars. Thus
by perseverance and industry this poor boy
not only helped to support his family but
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
211
secured a competency which placed him in
old age beyond the pale of want.
Mr. Eichholtz was married in June,
1860, to Miss Lydia Nikirk, who was born
in Maryland, and five children were born to
them, as follows: Francis Henry, who
died when nine months old; Cora C., now
Mrs. M. P. Murphy, residing in Kirkland;
Jessie Benton, who died at the age of eight
months; Henry Caswell, who died when
seven months old ; and Wilbur S. , who died
at about the same age. Mrs. Eichholtz de-
parted this life in 1890, after a well spent
life. She was one of the best of women, a
good mother, a true and worthy helpmeet,
and her loss is keenly felt by her many
friends.
Mr. Eichholtz was a lifelong Democrat,
was treasurer of the school district for
over twenty years, and town clerk for sev-
eral terms, which positions he filled in a
conscientious and creditable manner. He
held the faith of the Lutheran church and
was a most worthy and respected citizen.
His death took place February 16, 1897,
and the event cast a funeral pall over a
large community, for he was a useful and
exemplary citizen.
FRANK EDWARD D ARROW. —Among
the distinguished and influential busi-
ness men of Rockford whose names are
found on the roll of Masonic membership is
this gentleman, who for twenty years has
been an adherent of the order. He was
made a Mason in 1876, in Rising Sun Lodge,
No. 103, of Saratoga Springs, New York,
but afterward dimitted to become a mem-
ber of Star in the East Lodge, of Rockford.
He has advanced steadily through the vari-
ous bodies of Masonry and is now affiliated
with Rockford Chapter, No. 23, R. A. M.,
and Crusader Commandery, No. 17, K. T.
He took the thirty-two degrees of the Scot-
tish Rite in Freeport Consistory, of Free-
port, Illinois, and of all these organizations
he is a valued and faithful member.
Of the citizens whom the Empire state
have furnished to Illinois Mr. Darrow is of
the number. He was born in Saratoga
Springs, on the 22d of September, 1847,
and his ancestors were among the early set-
tlers of the colony of Connecticut. His
parents, James H. and Mary J. (Waring)
Darrow, were not natives of that state and
the father became a prominent contractor
and builder, being actively and largely con-
nected with the building interests in New
York, Brooklyn and Washington, D. C.
Many of the important structures which he
erected in those places still stand as monu-
ments to his handiwork and as evidence of
his superior ability in that line. He was
also largely interested in real estate and
through his own exertions accumulated a
handsome property. He departed this life
in 1885, at the age of sixty-seven years, but
his wife is still living, in 1896, at the age of
seventy-five years. They were members of
the First Baptist church of Saratoga Springs.
Their family numbered four children, but
only two are now living.
Frank E. Darrow, whose name intro-
duces this sketch, was educated in his native
town and for eight years was an efficient
clerk in the postoffice of New York city.
Since that time he has been continuously
engaged in the lumber trade, and an experi-
ence of twenty-five years has made him
thoroughly informed on everything con-
nected therewith. He is an excellent judge
of all kinds of lumber and has a compre-
hensive knowledge of values and the condi-
tion of the market. This enables him to
buy and sell very advantageously, and his
keen sagacity, his well directed efforts and
his enterprise have brought to him a merit-
ed success. He came to Rockford in 1891
to represent several large manufacturers,
selling entirely to the wholesale trade, and
has secured a wide acquaintance throughout
this section of the country and is known as
a thoroughly reliable and competent busi-
ness man.
On the 6th of April, 1867, Mr. Darrow
led to the marriage altar Miss Margaret Al-
len, daughter of General James Allen, a
prominent Mason of Pennsylvania. Mrs.
Darrow is a member of the Order of the
212
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Eastern Star, and is now serving as Chap-
lain of the organization in Rockford. Both
Mr. Darrow and his wife hold membership
in the Court Street Methodist Episcopal
church of Rockford, and their social stand-
ing is high in the city of their adoption. In
his political views Mr. Darrow is a Repub-
lican.
JAMES CARL, a highly esteemed citizen
of Rock Island, is also an exemplary
Mason. He was initiated in Trio Lodge,
No. 57, at Rock Island; in the year 1868, re-
ceived the degree of Entered Apprentice
April 23, Fellow-craft December 3, and
Master Mason in 1869. The Royal Arch
degree was conferred upon him March 22,
1870, in Barrett Chapter, No. 18, R. A. M.,
and in 1877 he joined Everts Commandery,
No. 1 8, K. T., receiving the degrees May 2
and 22. He also received the council de-
grees and is a member of Kaaba Temple at
Davenport. Being a railroad engineer,
however, he has found it impossible to at-
tend lodge meetings as often as he has de-
sired, but he appreciates the principles of
Masonry, and is faithful to them. Accord-
ingly he enjoys the confidence of his breth-
ren in the lodge.
He was born in the town of Clinton,
Michigan, July 31, 1839, of Scotch-Irish and
French ancestry. His father, P. A. Carl,
became a settler at Detroit, that state, in
early day. He married Miss Margaret
Daily, a native of New York and of French
and Scotch ancestry. They continued to
reside near the city of Detroit to the time
of his death, which occurred in the sixty-
third year of his age. He had been a cap-
tain in the war of 1812, and was a worthy
citizen. His wife died in the eighty-eighth
year of her age. They had ten children, of
whom seven are now living.
Mr. Carl, of this sketch, the sixth child,
was educated in the public schools of De-
troit, Michigan, and began railroading dur-
ing his youth. Has been in the employ of
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ever
since the year 1864. He began as a fire-
man, was employed in the shops four years,
then an engineer for freight trains and at
length for passenger trains. For thirty-
three years now he has been a faithful
worker for the railroad company,— a testi-
monial to his fidelity that can scarcely
be equaled.
March 4, 1873, is the date of his mar-
riage to Miss Frances J. McDonald, and
they have one daughter, named Edna F.
Mrs. Carl is a valued member of the Presby-
terian church. In politics Mr. Carl is in-
dependent, voting for those men whom he
deems best fitted for the office for which
they are nominated. He has a pleasant
residence in the city of Rock Island, in
which city he has been a resident for thirty-
two years and is well known and highly
respected.
CHARLES HENRY HAMMOND, who
\^l is prominently engaged in the furniture
trade in Rushville, is an active young Sir
Knight Templar. November 24, 1894, is
the date of his receiving the degree of Mas-
ter Mason in Rushville Lodge, No. 9; April
26, 1895, he was exalted to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in Rushville Chapter,
No. 184; and June 6, 1896, he was created
and dubbed a Sir Knight Templar in Rush-
ville Commandery, No. 56. At present he
fills the office of Master of the First Veil in
the chapter, and in the Commandery he is
the Standard Bearer. He is a faithful and
enthusiastic worker in the order, appre-
ciating its history and principles.
Mr. Hammond is a native of Schuyler
county, born near Rushville, and is the son
of Jacob Hammond, who also is a member
of the Masonic fraternity, having been made
a Master Mason in Antioch Lodge, at Dan-
ville, Oh'io, in 1 858. He has been a resident
of Rushville ever since 1864, and a member
of the lodge ever since 1865. He has been
postmaster of Rushville for ten years, and
has always been one of the respected busi-
ness men of the place. During his father's
incumbency of the post-office Mr. Charles
H. Hammond was his assistant from 1883
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
213
to 1893. Since the close of their term in
the public service they have been prominently
engaged in the furniture business in Rush-
ville, with an extensive trade; and they are
also undertakers, accomplished in the deli-
cate duties connected with the direction of
funerals. They are highly esteemed citi-
zens and business men of their favorite city.
J. ADAMS. — Among the successful
J&!L_ business men of foreign birth who
have found in Chicago an outlet for their
talents and ambitions is the gentleman of
whom this sketch is written, and who is one
of the proprietors of the Fulton Machine
Works, a nourishing manufactory well known
for the excellence of the work it turns out.
Mr. Adams was born in Aberdeen, Scot-
land, August 22, 1866, and learned the
trade of machinist there. Not content with
the poor prospects of making a fortune
in the old country, the young Scotchman
looked with longing eyes to the wider fields
and higher compensations of the new world
and in 1887 bade adieu to his native land.
He came at once to Chicago, when he en-
tered the employ of the Fulton Machine
Works and steadily worked his way up until
he is now one of the proprietors of the es-
tablishment. The manufacture of the
"Thistle" bicycle, which is one of the
most popular wheels in use, is a leading
feature of the works and has proved a finan-
cial success. In common with all other
work sent out by this house, the construc-
tion of this wheel can be depended on for
stability, perfection of detail and enduring
qualities. The reputation of the firm is
well established in business circles, and the
energetic, straightforward Scotchmen who
are at the head of this business are deserv-
ing of the esteem in which they are held.
The firm employs about 400 people. There
are now over twenty thousand Thistle bi-
cycles in use. Experts say they have the
best equipped bicycle plant in the world.
Inspection both in the purchase of material
and in the manufacture of the m'achine is
most thorough.
Mr. Adams was married in November,
1895, to Miss Mary Ketrick, a native of
Scranton, Pennsylvania, and they have one
child, viz., John Ketrick.
He is a member in good standing of the
Masonic order, and has taken the following
degrees: Master Mason in Union Park
Lodge, No. 610, in 1894; Royal Arch in
York Chapter, same year; and Knight Tem-
plar in St. Bernard Commandery, in 1895.
He also belongs to Medinah Temple, Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine, with which he be-
came affiliated in 1895.
LBERT WILLIAM ADCOCK, of the
J?3L firm of Shourds, Adcock and Teufel,
jewelers, No. 66 State street, Chicago, has
long been a prominent member of the Ma-
sonic order, and his history as such is of in-
terest in this connection. Briefly, it is as
follows:
Mr. Adcock dates his identity with the
ancient order of Freemasons from the year
1869. He was that year initiated, passed
and raised by William B. Warren Lodge,
No. 209, F. & A. M. ; and from the night of
his initiation has maintained a deep interest
in Masonry. Nor did he stop with degrees
of the blue lodge, but has continued his ad-
vancement in the work until he has reached
the thirty-second degree of the Scottish
Rite. He is a member of Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, No. 126, of Apollo Commandery,
No. I, and of Oriental Consistory, — all of
Chicago, and is an honorary member of
Eber Preceptory, of York, England. In
1883, when Apollo Commandery visited En-
gland, Mr. Adcock acted as Senior Warden
of the order. In both the blue lodge and
the chapter he has filled official position, in
the former having served as Junior Deacon
one year, Senior Deacon one year, and
Junior and Senior Warden each one year;
and in the latter having served one term as
Principal Sojourner.
Mr. Adcock is by birth an Englishman,
but has no recollection of any other home
than America, and is thoroughly an Ameri-
can at heart. He was born August 6, 1847,
214
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
in Leicestershire, England, son of Edward
and Anne (Postnett) Adcock, and in early
childhood accompanied his parents and other
members of the family on their emigration
to this country, crossing the Atlantic in a
sail vessel and being three months in mak-
ing the voyage. They landed in safety at
Chicago May 30, 1850, and here sorrow soon
came to their new home, the mother being
stricken with cholera and dying on the 3Oth
of the following month. The grandmother
and a brother, Edward, also died of cholera
about that time. The father survived until
December 11, 1865, when he died, at the
age of forty-two years and eight months.
Young Adcock, our subject, received his
education at the Dearborn school, of Chi-
cago, but did not complete his high-school
course for the reason that at fourteen he
was thrown upon his own resources. His
first employment was in a publishing office,
working on a commercial report; was one
year employed in a picture-frame establish-
ment on Washington street; next spent four
years and seven months in the employ of
the Crane Brothers, elevator men; and after
that entered upon an apprenticeship to the
trade of brass-finisher. On completing his
trade he was given a journeyman's wages,
but shortly afterward a threatened strike in
the establishment caused him to quit work.
The next year he was employed in another
establishment, but under his old foreman,
and during that year saved some money,
with which he then started up a broker's
business at No. 184 Clark street, in partner-
ship with Drukker, under the firm name of
M. Drukker & Company, their location be-
ing on the site now occupied by Fort Dear-
born National Bank. The great fire which
swept over this city in the fall of 1871
reached Mr. Adcock's place of business on
the night of October 9, and in the morning
only a pile of ashes and some ruined walls
marked the spot where the day before he
had done business. His insurance was ten
thousand dollars. A year before the fire he
had purchased the interest of his partner.
In January, 1872, Mr. Adcock entered the
employ of C. D. Peacock, as clerk, and re-
mained with him until March 31, 1895,
when he became associated with his present
partners, Messrs. Clayton B. Shourds and
H. J. Teufel, in the jewelry business at the
southwest corner of State and Randolph
streets.
In his political views Mr. Adcock is a
Republican, and his religious creed is that
of the Baptist church, in which he was
reared.
In 1883 he built the handsome residence
where he and his family reside, — 327 War-
ren avenue. September 6, 1874, he wed-
ded Miss Carrie Estelle Young, daughter of
George H. and Emma L. (Watson) Young,
of Chicago; and their happy union has been
blessed in the birth of two children, — Al-
bert Young and Earl Edward. Mrs. Ad-
cock's father, like her husband, was a prom-
inent Mason. He was a charter member of
Pleiades Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Wiley M.
Egan Chapter, R. A. M. ; and Chicago Com-
mandery, K. T. He died March 30, 1875.
JAMES H. CARSON.— Masonry has
gained a firm hold on the affections of
Rockford's citizens, and on its rolls are
found the names of many of the leading res-
idents of the Forest City who ably uphold
its teachings, while their lives are an expo-
sition of its principles. To this class be-
longs the gentleman whose name introduces
this review, the popular and efficient Secre-
tary of E. W. F. Ellis Lodge, No. 633, A.
F. and A. M. His membership has always
been in that society, to which he was ad-
mitted on the iith of February, 1887.
From the commencement of his Masonic
career he has taken a deep interest in the
welfare of the order, and after the first year
of his membership he was elected Secretary,
which position he has filled with such fidel-
ity and ability that he has been continually
retained in that office. He is active in all
the affairs connected with Masonry in Rock-
ford, does all in his power to promote its
interests and is most highly esteemed by
his brethren of the craft. He is also a
valued member of the Independent Order
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
215
of Odd Fellows, has passed all the chairs
in both the subordinate lodge and the En-
campment, and for three years has been the
representative of the Grand Lodge.
Mr. Carson is a native of Scotland — a
land where Masonry has flourished for many
centuries and where one branch — the Scot-
tish Rite — had its origin. He was born in
Greenock on the loth of March, 1846, and
comes from the sturdy, dauntless ancestry
of the Highlands. His parents, Robert and
Jane (McVey) Carson, were also natives of
Greenock, were married there and came to
America in 1853, locating on a farm in
Monroe county, New York, where they have
since resided. They are members of the
Presbyterian church and people of the high-
est respectability. They have now reached
the ages of seventy-eight and seventy-five
years respectively.
James H. Carson was the eldest of their
eight children, five of whom are yet living.
He spent the first ten years of his life in
Scotland and then accompanied his parents
to America; where he early became inured
to the labors of farming in the new world.
He remained with his father in Monroe
county, New York, until 1873, when he
came to Rockford, then a young man of
twenty-three years. Here he was married
to Miss Ella M. Thompson, a native of Con-
necticut and a daughter of Hiram Thomp-
son, one of the early settlers of Winnebago
county. Three children blessed this union:
Robert D. , who is now in Beloit, Wiscon-
sin; Mable, at home; and Frank A., who is
employed as a salesman by W. D. Harbi-
son. On the day he attained his majority
he sent in an application for admission to
E. W. F. Ellis Lodge, and at the following
regular meeting he was elected. He took
his first degree and three weeks later had
passed the Fellow-craft degree and was
created a Master Mason. Like his father,
he is deeply interested in the workings of
the order, and is a bright, enterprising
young man. Mrs. Carson is a member of
the Order of the Eastern Star and has the
honor of being Past Matron in the lodge to
which both she and Mr. Carson belong.
In his political views Mr. Carson is a
stalwart Republican, has been supervisor of
Rockford for the past six years and is chair-
man of the committee on fees and salaries.
He is now in the employ of the city, looking
after the poor of Rockford, and to these
duties gives his entire time. Mrs. Carson
is a valued member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and both are highly esteemed
residents of Rockford, occupying a pleasant
home which was erected by Mr. Carson.
> OBERT HENRY MANN, the Worship-
Jfll ful Master of his lodge in the city of
Virginia and an enterprising and progressive
citizen, was initiated in Virginia Lodge, No.
344, on March 2, 1892, passed April 22,
and -was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason on May 3 1 , and at once
evinced considerable interest in the order
and became a valued working member. He
served as Junior Warden for two years and
so thoroughly did he acquire the ritual and
proved himself so accomplished a Mason
that he was chosen by his brothers to fill
the exalted office of Worshipful Master,
and in that capacity his unremitting labors
and faithful discharge of his duties have
gained for him the gratitude of the fratres
to the extent of being re-elected to that
honored position on two consecutive occa-
sions, at this writing serving his third term
with undiminished credit to himself and to
the eminent satisfaction of the brethren.
Under his capable management the lodge
has attained a highly prosperous condition
and is meeting with frequent accessions
from the best citizens of the town and sur-
rounding country.
Mr. Mann was born in Wilmington, Illi-
nois, on January 29, 1855, and comes of
old English ancestry, his parents, Henry
Thomas and Matilda (Stephenson) Mann,
having both been born in the ckty of Lon-
don, where they were married, whence they
emigrated in 1852 to America, first locating
in Chicago, where Mr. Mann engaged in the
saddlery business, later removing to Wil-
mington, where he continued in the same
216
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
vocation. He was a worthy member of the
Masonic fraternity, leading a life consistent
with its tenets, and departed this life in
1892, aged sixty-seven years, his wife sur-
viving him until 1895. They were both ad-
herents of the Protestant Episcopal church,
and reared eight children, three of whom
are deceased. Our subject was second in
order of birth, and was educated in the
public and high schools of Lincoln, Illinois,
subsequently learning the art of photogra-
phy, pursuing that vocation in Delavan,
Illinois, until 1879, when he came to Vir-
ginia and opened a studio, which he still
conducts and is considered one of the most
skilled artists in the state. He produces
the highest grade of work and enjoys the
business patronage and confidence of the
community.
For the past eleven years Mr. Mann has
been connected with the hotel business in
his home city, and in 1896, being a man of
an observant and progressive nature, he
saw the necessity for better accommoda-
tions in that line, and erected the Hotel
Mann, a beautilul structure of brick, thirty-
one by eighty-feet, three stories and a base-
ment, and handsomely furnished through-
out in a most tasteful manner, the rooms
being supplied with steam heat, electric
lights and all modern improvements. No
little credit is due to the man whose busi-
ness enterprise has supplied Virginia with
such an attractive hostelry, and who has
shown in various other ways the public
spirit with which his entire nature is im-
bued. As a host Mr. Mann has proved
eminently successful, his genial disposition,
agreeable manners and careful considera-
tion of the comforts of his guests securing
his popularity among the traveling public.
Politically our subject is a stanch Republic-
an, and is doing everything in his power to
advance the interests and promote the wel-
fare of his city.
In 1882, Mr. Mann was united in mar-
riage to Miss Maggie Hickox, and they have
one daughter. Myrtle. All of them are ad-
herents of the Christian church. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Mann are members of the Order
of the Eastern Star, of which she is one of
the most energetic workers and holds the
office of Associate Matron, while he is Past
Worthy Patron. They have a delightful
home and are among Virginia's most highly
esteemed residents.
JOSIAH B. PARKINSON, editor, propri-
etor and publisher of the Savanna
Times, was made a Mason in Mississippi
Lodge, No. 385. In 1893 he became a
member of Savanna Chapter, No. 200, of
which body he is now the efficient Secre-
tary, serving his fourth term. Being an
ardent admirer of Freemasonry, he intends
to progress therein, and he will do so, as
he enjoys the confidence of the brother-
hood.
Mr. Parkinson is a native of Jo Daviess
county, Illinois, born on the 3d of Septem-
ber, 1854, and is of English ancestry. His
father, James Parkinson, was born in Penn-
sylvania, married Miss Christine Hoy, a na-
tive of that state, and emigrated to Illinois
in 1839, bringing with them their two chil-
dren. He entered land and was a success-
ful farmer and stock-raiser for a great many
years, and died when he was seventy years
old. His wife, surviving him, lived to be
about eighty-two years of age, her death
occurring in 1894. They had twelve chil-
dren, of whom seven are still living. They
were members of the Methodist church, of
which they were indeed pillars and the chief
founders of Methodist societies in their
neighborhood.
Four of the sons responded to the call
of their country for volunteers to put down
the rebellion, and three of them — John,
William and James — yielded up their lives
in the great struggle. Mr. Josiah B. Park-
inson, the youngest of the sons and the
subject of this sketch, was reared on the
farm, attending the public schools and
Rock River Seminary at Mt. Morris and
Knox College at Galesburg, both in this
state. He graduated at Knox with the
class of 1 88 1, and has since been engaged
in the newspaper business. During the ad-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
219
ministration of President Harrison he was
postmaster of Savanna. Next he pur-
chased the Savanna Times, January, 1884.
It is the organ of the Republican party of
the county, is both daily and weekly, and is
ably edited and conducted. Mr. Parkinson
has been elected justice of the peace, and
has served two years.
In March, 1894, he married Miss Emma
Benton, a native of Stockton, Jo Daviess
county, this state, and a daughter of Lucius
Benton, of that place. She is a member
of the Methodist church.
T'HOMAS L. FANSLER.— The field of
Masonry is the world : its objects touch
all mankind. Its aims and purposes are such
that, while it extends its charity to all man-
kind and labors for the elevation of the hu-
man race in whatever condition it may ex-
ist, it does not propose, nor indeed can it, do
so by throwing open its doors and gathering
to its bosom the dissolute and vicious. This
practical law of selection exercises its func-
tions in an involuntary way, for such has
been the character of the institution through
all the dim ages of the past that its strong-
est appeal has been only to those animated
by elevated motives and imbued with high
ideals. The personnel of Illinois Freema-
sonry bears distinctive evidence of the work-
ings of the exalted principle which has con-
served the survival, the consecutive perpe-
tuity, of the order from the remote period
in which it had its inception. As a native
son of the state of Illinois, as a man of high
standing in the business circles of the great
western metropolis, and as one who has at-
tained marked distinction in the grades and
orders of the Masonic fraternity, in appre-
ciation of whose dawning ' ' light " there was
to him an earnest of the devotion and ad-
vancement to maximum degrees which have
been his, there is undoubted propriety in
offering in this connection a brief review of
the life of Thomas L. Fansler. He became
an Entered Apprentice in Waverly Lodge,
No. 1 1 8, A. F. & A. M., at Waverly, Illi-
nois, in the year 1880, and in the same duly
13
passed the Fellow-craft and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason. He
maintained his affiliation with this lodge
until 1886, when he was dimitted and iden-
tified himself with Piasa Lodge, No. 27, at
Alton, Illinois, and in 1889 he again dimit-
ted and became a member of Evans Lodge,
No. 524, of Evanston, in which his ancient-
craft affiliation has ever since been repre-
sented. In 1882 he was exalted to the au-
gust degree of the Holy Royal Arch, and his
present capitular association is with Evans-
ton Chapter, No 144, of Evanston. The
year 1890 witnessed his reception of the
grades and orders of knighthood in Evans-
ton Commandery, No. 58, at Evanston, in
which he was constituted, created and
dubbed a Knight Templar. In February,
1896, Mr. Fansler made a distinctive ad-
vance in Masonry, receiving the degrees in
the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite up
to and including the thirty-second, thereby
entitling him to a place as a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory,
in the Valley of Chicago. From the be-
ginning his interest in the work of the order
has been earnest and constant, and the fra-
ternal appreciation of this fact is shown in
the matter of the official positions in which
he has been called upon to serve. In the
blue lodge he held the office of Senior War-
den, while in the commandery he served in
turn as Prelate two years, as Captain Gen-
eral one year, and at the annual election of
Evanston Commandery, in November, 1 896,
he was honored with the preferment as Emi-
nent Commander, — a distinctive mark of the
personal popularity which is his among his
brother knights.
Thomas Lafayette Fansler was born in
Macoupin county, Illinois, on the 25th of
November, 1854, being the son of Endimon
and Helen A. Fansler. He received his
preliminary educational discipline in the
public schools, after which he was a student
for one year in the Illinois College, at Jack-
sonville. He finally matriculated in Black-
burn University, at Carlinville, Illinois,
where he completed a course of study and
graduated as a member of the class of 1889,
220
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
He soon put his acquirements to practical
test by teaching, devoting his attention to
pedagogic labors for a period of four years,
after which he became concerned in that
line of enterprise in which he has since con-
tinued and in which he has won unmistak-
able prestige. He accepted the position as
District Agent for southern Illinois of the
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Com-
pany, of Milwaukee, one of the leading in-
stitutions of the sort in the Union, his
headquarters being at Alton, where he re-
mained four and one-half years, within
which time he had so clearly proved his
value and executive ability that he was ad-
vanced to the office of special agent for the
state of Illinois, with headquarters in Chi-
cago. In the important field under his
jurisdiction he has done much to advance
the interests of the company, and his effect-
ive efforts have not fallen short of ap-
preciation. His office is located at 805
Chicago Stock Exchange Building, and his
home is in that beautiful suburb of Chicago,
Evanston, his residence being at 928 Ben-
son avenue. Mr. Fansler's ability and cor-
rect business methods have gained him a
position of prominence in insurance circles
of the west and in the respect and confi-
dence of all with whom he has had to do.
In the year 1 879 was consummated the
marriage of Mr. Pansier to Miss Sina B.
Montgomery, of Carlinville, Illinois. In
this connection it is apropos to note that she
was the sister of H. H. Montgomery, a
prominent Knight Templar and Past Grand
Commander of the Grand Commandery of
the state of Illinois. Mrs. Pansier died
within less than a year after her marriage,
and in 1882 Mr. Pansier was united in mar-
riage to Miss Willia R. Spruill, of Waverly,
Illinois, daughter of Rev. W. P. Spruill,
well known in the Illinois Conference. To
this happy union have been born six chil-
dren, one of whom is deceased.
In his political adherency Mr. Pansier is
a stanch supporter of the Republican party
and its principles, and in religion he holds
to the tenets of the Presbyterian church, of
which he is an elder. He has been the in-
cumbent in offices of distinctive trust and
responsibility since becoming a resident of
Evanston, having been chosen its first treas-
urer after its assumption of the dignity of an
incorporated city, holding this office in
1892-3, while he has retained a lively inter-
est in educational affairs and is now serving
his third term as a member of the board of
education.
f UDGE BENJAMIN L. PATCH is one of
the oldest Masons in the city of Mount
Carroll, Illinois. He was initiated,
passed and raised in the year 1850, in Warren
Lodge, No. 240, Montrose, Pennsylvania.
Four years later he was dimitted and be-
came one of the charter members of Cyrus
Lodge, No. 1 88. In July of the following
year, 1855, while sojourning at his old home
in Montrose, the chapter degrees were con-
ferred upon him, and upon his return to
Mount Carroll he joined Lanark Chapter,
No. 1 39, and from the time of his initia-
tion in both lodge and chapter has been a
consistent and valued member of the same.
During the years of 1863 and 1864 he
served as Secretary of the lodge. He has,
however, not been an active worker in the
lodge room, but rather has in his every-day
life shown the true spirit of Masonry and
exemplified the beautiful teachings of this
ancient order.
Judge Patch is a Pennsylvanian. He
was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsyl-
vania, September 13, 1828, and comts of
stanch New England stock. John A. Patch,
his father, was a native of Massachusetts,
and removed from that state to Vermont,
where he was subsequently united in mar-
riage to Miss Polly Brown, a native of
New Hampshire. After their marriage they
removed to Pennsylvania and settled on a
farm, where he was engaged in agricultural
pursuits the rest of his life and where he
died in 1840, in the fifty-fifth year of his
age. His widow survived him until 1874,
when she passed away at the ripe old age
of eighty-six years. They were the parents
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
221
of eleven children, the subject of our
sketch being next to the youngest and one
of the four who are still living. His educa-
tion, begun in the common schools, was
finished with a course at Harford Univer-
sity, of Pennsylvania. In early life he
learned the printer's trade, at which he
worked for eight years in Pennsylvania and
New York, and following which he was for
some time engaged in school-teaching. In
1849 he came west to Illinois, settling first
in McDonough count)1, where he accepted a
position as teacher and where he was thus
occupied for several terms.
In the meantime he took up the study of
law and pursued it diligently, and in 1853
was admitted to practice. That same year
he opened an office in Mount Carroll, and
soon established himself in a lucrative busi-
ness, and here he has figured prominently
for nearly half a century. At the organiza-
tion of the Republican party he identified
himself with it and has never since found
cause to leave its ranks. Time after time
he has been honored officially. The first
office of any importance to which he was
elected was that of clerk of Carroll county,
in 1854. In 1860 he was elected a member
of the Illinois state legislature, in which
honorable body he served during the ses-
sions of 1 86 1 and 1862. He was elected
county judge of Carroll county in 1865, was
re-elected again and again, and served in
that position for twenty-nine consecutive
years, up to 1 894, when he retired from the
bench. Since then he has devoted the
whole of his energies to the practice of law.
His public career has been characterized by
fidelity and with a just appreciation of the
responsibility which has rested upon him,
and thus far his life has been untarnished;
and in all that has pertained to the welfare
of Mount Carroll he has taken a lively
interest.
NTHONY C. SANDERS is a loyal
and industrious brother who dates his
membership in the Masonic fraternity back
to 1870, and who since that time has taken
advantage of every opportunity to make
manifest his sanguine interest in the order
and his sincere belief in its aims and ob-
jects. He has become thoroughly familiar
with Masonic history, well posted on its
laws and regulations and has done much to
place the local bodies of Piano in their pres-
ent flourishing condition. Mr. Sanders was
elected an Entered Apprentice in Galva
Lodge, No. 243, in 1879, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in 1 880.
He dimitted to become affiliated with Sun-
beam Lodge, No. 428, of Piano, of which
he was Worshipful Master for two terms
and represented it in the Grand Lodge for
the same period. He was exalted to the
Royal Arch degrees in Kewanee Chapter, in
1882; received the degrees of Royal and
Select Masters in Aurora Council, No. 45,
in 1892; and was constituted a Sir Knight
in Aurora Commandery, No. 22, in 1889.
Mr. Sanders is a native of Sweden, his
birth occurring in Christianstad, July I ,
1854. He attended the public schools un-
til sixteen years old and was then sent to
college, where he was thoroughly educated
in all the modern branches of knowledge.
In 1870 he determined to seek his fortune
in the United States, and accordingly start-
ed for this country, by way of England, his
passage being taken in an old, abandoned
war vessel. After spending two months on
the ocean, Mr. Sanders landed in New York
on the night of July 6, 1870. He journeyed
west to Minnesota, finally locating in Lake-
land, that state, and there engaged in farm-
ing for a number of years, with an interrup-
tion, however, by a short residence in
another locality. At the end of that time he
came to Illinois and located in Rock Island,
but eventually returned to Minnesota, and
after a short sojourn in Red Wing he took
a trip to New Orleans, and then came north
to Peoria, Illinois. In the winter of 1872
he went to Lafayette, Illinois, where he as-
sisted in the construction of the Rock Island
& Pacific Railroad. In the fall of 1873 he
engaged in the mercantile business for one
year, and then moved to Galva and clerked
there until 1875, when he moved to Elm-
222
COMPENDIUM OF FRBBXASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
wood and embarked in the coal business, in
which he continued until 1876, when he re-
turned to Sweden and remained there two
years. Coming back to the United States
in 1879 he again settled in Galva and en-
gaged in the mercantile business for two
years, then went on the road as traveling
salesman for a hat and cap firm tor a year
and a half; was employed by a Chicago
house for a year, and for a clothing estab-
lishment for the same time. Returning to
Galva he clerked for a short period and then
went to Woodhull. In 1887 Mr. Sanders
came to Piano and purchased a half interest
in a dry-goods, boots, shoes and clothing
store, and organized the firm of A. C. Sand-
ers & Company, which is now doing the
leading business in that line in this city.
Mr. Sanders is mentally equipped with all
the requirements of a business man, and
richly merits the success he is now enjoy-
ing.
Our subject was married January II,
1883, to Miss Ella Edson, a native of Galva,
and four children have been born to them:
Edith, Bennie, Leslie and Helen. Mr.
Sanders and his family are consistent ad-
herents of the Congregational church.
In politics the subject of this review is a
stanch Republican. He is a member of the
Knights Templar Life Insurance Companv,
and is highly esteemed in Masonic, busi-
ness and social circles.
CHARLES THEODORE REICHERT.
—The gentleman whose name graces
this biographical resume is a member of the
firm of Reichert Brothers, hardware mer-
chants of Belvidere, and has recently be-
come identified with the Masonic fraternity
of this place. About a year ago he peti-
tioned for the degrees of blue Masonry.
was favorably received by Belvidere Lodge,
No. 60, A. F. & A. M., and the degrees
of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and
Master Mason were conferred upon him on
the evenings of February 20, March 2,
and March 23, 1896, respectively. Short-
ly after his reception into the blue lodge he
sought admission to the next higher branch
of Masonry, and was duly elected to receive
the degrees of Kishwaukee Chapter, which
were given him as follows: Mark Master,
April 13; Past Master and Most Excellent
Master, May 7; and Royal Arch, May 11.
Mr. Reichert comes of German ancestry,
both on his father's and mother's side, his
ancestors being early settlers of Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania, where his parents, G.
A. and Emma R. (Horn) Reichert, were
born, reared and married, and where he
was ushered into life December 10, 1862.
G. A. Reichert, Jr., was a dry-goods mer-
chant during most of his life. He was a
man of the highest integrity of character
and was a consistent member of the Lu-
theran church, as also is his wife. He de-
parted this life at the age of fifty-six years.
The grandfather of our subject, Rev. G. A.
Reichert, was a Lutheran minister and for
many years was pastor of St. John's church,
Lutheran, of Philadelphia.
Charles T. Reichert is one of a family of
eight children, of whom five are living. He
was educated in the public schools of Kit-
tanning, Pennsylvania; started out in life in
the hardware business, and has ever since
been engaged in that lii.e of trade. In
company with his brother, H. H. Reichert,
he, in 1894, established himself in business at
Belvidere. Here by honorable business
methods and obi ging, genial manner, they
have built up a large trade and gained a
high standing among the representative
business men of the town.
In his political affiliations he is what
may be termed an independent, casting his
vote where he believes it will result in the
most good.
DR. JOHN M. SAUCERMAN. a native
son of Stephenson county and a promi-
nent representative of the dental profession
in Freeport, belongs to the Masonic frater-
nity, with which he has affiliated since i 894,
when he was made a member of Excelsior
Lodge, No. 97, of this city. He took the
Red Cross degrees in 1895 and became a
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
223
Knight Templar in 1896." He is now the
Junior Warden of Excelsior L-odge, Principal
Sbjburner in' his chapter and is one of the
excellent workers in the order.
The Doctor was born in Winslow, Ste-
phenson county, on the 3Oth of November,
1866. His parental grandfather emigrated
to Coshocton county, Ohio, in the days of
its early settlement, becoming one of its
prominent pioneers. His son, Dr. John W.
Saucerman, was born there in 1837, and in
1847 the grandfather came with his family
to Stephenson county, Illinois, where he
became the possessor of a large and valua-
ble farm. The father of our subject took
up the study of medicine in early life and
was graduated at the Rush Medical College,
of Chicago, with the class of 1863, after
which he took :up "his abode in Winslow,
Stepherisori county, where he opened an
office and has since' carried -oh a successful
and lucrative practice, acquiring wealth and
influence in that locality. He is president
of the pension examining board and stands
high : in his profession. Soon after locating
at Winslow he was united in marriage to
Miss Luella Bradford, a native of that town
and a daughter of John Bradford, a descend-
ant of the Pilgrims who founded the colony
of Massachusetts. He was one of the first
settlers of Stephenson county and- repre-
sented a large land company that had much
to do with the early settlement of this sec-
tion of the state. The parents of our sub-
ject had three children, two daughters and
a son, and the family circle yet remains un-
broken by the hand of death.
The Doctor, whose name introduces this
review, is the only son. In the public schools
of his native town he acquired his literary
education and later was graduated at the
Chicago College of Dental Surgery with the
class of 1891. The following year he began
the practice of his chosen profession in
Freeport and now has an excellent suite of
rooms at No. 116 Stephenson street, fitted
up in a tasteful style and supplied with all
modern appliances for conducting his busi-
ness in the most approved style. He is a
wide-awake, progressive dentist, who keeps
thoroughly abreast with the advancement
and improvement which is constantly being
made in dentistry, and the enviable success
which is crowning his efforts is due to his
skill and ability.
SCHILL has for almost a
\^/' third of a century been identified with
the Masonic fraternity and his history is
therefore of more than passing interest in
this connection. In 1865 he first became
acquainted with the esoteric • doctrines and
sublime principles upon which the order
rests, taking the three degrees of Entered
Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason
in Havana Lodge. Becoming deeply inter-
ested in the work of the fraternity he con-
tinued his study of its teachings into capit-
ular Masonry and was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Havana
Chapter, No. 86. : In 1867 he was greeted
a Royal and Select Master in the council and
in 1871 became identified with chivalric
Masonry, being the fourth candidate knight-
ed in Damascus Commandery, No. 88. He
has been honored with various offices which
have been conferred upon him in recogni-
tion of his zeal for the order and his fidelity
to its principles. In the lodge he has filled
all the offices up to and including that of
Senior Warden, in the chapter has served
as High Priest and is now Master of the
Third Vail, while by the Sir Knights of the
Commandery he has been chosen to serve
as Sword Bearer and Senior and Junior
Warden. He has been one of the most act-
ive workers in the interests of Masonry in
Havana and was a member of the building
committee at the time of the first and sec-
ond Masonic halls. He has been in the
forefront of every advance movement for its
upbuilding, and his brethren acknowledge
him as a leader in Masonic work. Having
no family, he has lavished upon the order
all of the affection of a great heart. His
zeal for and devotion to Masonry in
all its branches and for all its princi-
ples is the ruling passion of his pur-
poseful life, and those principles sway him
224
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
in his conduct toward the Grand Architect
of the universe and toward his fellow men.
Mr. Schill, although of German birth,
has spent the greater part of his life in Illi-
nois. He was born in Baden, Germany,
December 31, 1838, and in the fatherland
spent the first fifteen years of his life, ac-
quiring there a fair education in the com-
mon schools and spending a year and a half
at work at the tinner's trade. He then came
to America, crossing the Atlantic to New
York, where he remained until 1856, when
he came to the west, taking up his residence
in Havana; and here he has since continued
to make his home. For six years after lo-
cating here he was employed as a tinner by
A. W. Kemp, but in 1862 embarked in the
hardware business on his own account and
has since carried on a store, meeting with a
fair degree of success in his undertakings.
He carries a large and well selected stock,
and his enterprise, his energy and his well
directed efforts have brought to him pros-
perity. His business methods are above
questions, his treatment of his customers is
courteous and straightforward and in this
way he has secured a liberal patronage, of
which he is well deserving.
ELMER WARD, one of the wide-awake
, and enterprising young business men
of Rockford, and one of the recently ad-
mitted members of E. W. F. Ellis Lodge,
No. 633, A. F. & A. M. , is a native son of
Illinois, his birth having occurred in Mil-
ford near the city of Rockford, on the 28th
of January, 1862. The family to which he
belongs is well known in the latter city,
where the name of Ward is inseparably
connected with its business interests. The
parents of our subject are Frank and Helen
(Wortman) Ward, natives of New York
and Pennsylvania, respectively.
In early life the father was a foundry-
man and machinist, becoming a proficient
worker in iron. In 1854 he took up his
residence in Rockford, where he embarked
in business on his own account, and has
since met with excellent success. He is
the builder of the large brick pump factory
which bears his name and of which he is
the owner. This is one of the leading in-
dustries of the city and furnishes employ-
ment to a large force of men, thereby pro-
moting the material welfare of the commu-
nity. The company manufactures all kinds
of hand and windmill pumps and enjoys a
very extensive business, the trade extend-
ing throughout the south, west and north-
west, as well as into the adjoining states.
Frank Ward is a man of excellent business
and executive ability, a systematic organ-
izer, and in the management of his affairs
displays sound judgment, energy and reso-
lute purpose which always attains the end
in view.
Elmer Ward was reared in Rockford
and educated in its public schools. On
leaving the school-room he entered the
pump manufactory and has since been asso-
ciated with his father in business. He is
thoroughly familiar with all the depart-
ments of the work and is a progressive, en-
terprising young business man, thoroughly
reliable and at all times accurate. In the
absence of his father he assumed entire
charge of the manufactory and with its
employees he is very popular.
In 1883 Mr. Ward led to the marriage
altar Miss Anna Wetenhall, a native of Con-
necticut. Their home is blessed with two
interesting children, — Frank and Ralph,—
both born in Rockford. Mr. Ward is a
member of the Independent Order of Red
Men, andis a stanch Republican in politics.
WALTER BEARD NELL, the pres-
ent Recorder of Rushville Com-
mandery, is a Mason who has devoted much
of his time and attention to the fraternity,
and, possessing more than ordinary ability,
he has brought to his work a high degree of
intelligence, which makes him eminently
fitted for any position assigned to him. He
received his initial degrees in Rushville
Lodge, No. 9, and was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason on July II, 1882;
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
225
Arch Mason in Rushville Chapter, No. 184,
on May 7, 1883, in which he served as Sec-
retary for several years, and on February
11, 1895, was constituted a Sir Knight in
Rushville Commandery, No. 56. In this
body he is holding the office of Recorder
for the sixth term, which is an evidence of
the faithfulness and ability with which he
discharges the arduous duties of that posi-
tion, and the high appreciation held of him
by his fellow Masons.
Mr. Nell is a native son of Rushville,
where he was born February 19, 1858, his
parents being August and Mary E. Nell, the
former of whom was the founder of the
large hardware and farm implement busi-
ness which he and his four sons are now
carrying on in Rushville. It is one of the
most extensive concerns of its kind west of
Chicago, and for the accommodation of
their ever increasing stock Mr. Nell erected
a fine building, two stories in height, with a
depth of two hundred feet. Our subject
acquired his education in the public schools
of his native city, and subsequently entered
into an association with his father in the
hardware business, is in charge of all the
firm's books, and is one of the successful
and prominent citizens of Rushville.
On June 6, 1884, Mr. Nell was married
to Miss Anna Pettijohn, of Huntsville, Illi-
nois, and of this union one daughter, Jessie
May, has been the issue. Mr. and Mrs.
Nell are valued members of the Methodist
church and contribute liberally to its sup-
port. In politics our subject's sympathies
are with the Republican party. He is a
loyal friend, active and zealous in all the
affairs of life, and a devoted, enthusiastic
brother who holds a warm place in the
hearts of his confreres.
MATHANIEL L. BARMORE.— Man is
but " human," and therefore addicted
to the frailties which his race has inherited for
centuries. If, therefore, he associates him-
self with an organization that has for its ob-
ject the amelioration not only of his own
condition but also that of his fellow men
and the generations that are to follow, it
becomes a question as to whether in the
course of time the evils that flesh is heir to
may not be entirely eradicated and a new
plane of morality instituted. Such indeed
is, and ever has been, the endeavor of the
fraternity of Freemasons, and its member-
ship is growing to such an extent that one
is led to hope its aims will in time be at-
tained. One of the worthy brothers in Chi-
cago who has proved himself to be an acquisi-
tion to the local lodge is Nathaniel L. Bar-
more. He was initiated and raised to the
degree of Master Mason in South Bend
Lodge, No. 294, at South Bend, Indiana,
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in South Bend Chapter, No.
29, and was knighted in South Bend Com-
mander, No. 13, from which he dimitted in
1887 and became affiliated with Chevalier
Bayard Commandery. Mr. Barmore has
ever displayed a true spirit of charity and
manly consideration in his daily life, and
faithfully follows the precepts of the craft.
The birth of Mr. Barmore took place in
New York city, March 7, 1846, and his ed-
ucation was acquired in the public schools,
later supplemented by a course in an acad-
emy. He then turned his attention to mak-
ing a living for himself, and engaged in the
cloth business in the city of his nativity for
two years, after which he entered the serv-
ice of the Union Pacific Railroad, remain-
ing in its employ for five years, during two
of which he was a passenger conductor. In
1870 he gave up railroading and moved to
South Bend, Indiana, where he embarked
in the drug business for three years and in
the manufacturing business for two years.
In 1879 he became associated with the
Cleveland Burial Case Company as a sales-
man, which position he filled with efficiency
for about five years, at the end of that time
being sent to Chicago to take charge of
their branch office. He remained here in
the capacity of manager for two years and
then resigned to accept the secretaryship of
the F. H. Hill Company, and is fulfilling
the duties of that office at the present writ-
ing. He is also a stockholder in the con-
226
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
cern, which is one of the largest of its kind
in the west, .its specialty being the manu-
facturing of undertaking /supplies. Mr.
Barmore is a man -of energy, perseverance
and industry, and as a result of possessing
these admirable qualities he has made .a suc-
cess of his life and is to-day in a position to
enjoy the fruits of his early labors. His in-
tegrity of character and honesty of purpose
are undisputed, and he commands the re-
spect and high esteem of all with whom he
comes in contact.
In 1871 Mr. Barmore was united in mar-
riage to Miss May Coonley, of South Bend,
Indiana. In his political faith he is a Re-
publican and a stanch supporter of the prin-
ciples incorporated in the platform of that
party.
SYLVESTER GAUNT.— Among .the
numerous distinguished craftsman who
have been prominent in Freemasonry . in
Chicago during the past twenty years the
subject of this brief review may consistent-
ly be classified. He has given ample proof
of his love for' the institution of Masonry
and his desire to advance its interests. He
has always shown the characteristics of a
truehearted f rater, and has gained the confi-
dence and esteem of those with whom he
has been associated in the various organiza-
tions wherein he has had membership, his
popularity in- Masonic circles being of pro-
nounced order. In private, social and business
life he has been the synonym of his Mason-
ic professions, thus commanding the high
regard of the fraternity and the respect of
all who know him in other departments of
life. Mr. Gaunt was brought to the "light"
of symbolic Masonry in May, 1876, when
he became an Entered Apprentice in Home
Lodge, No. 508, A. F. & A. M., of Chi-
cago, and in this body he was raised Mas-
ter Mason. Upon the organization of Miz-
pah Lodge, No. 768, in 1884, Mr. Gaunt
became a charter member of the same, was
Master of the same while under dispensa-
tion and at the first election was made the
regular incumbent of this distinguished of-
fice, in which he rendered -effective service
for a term of five yearsv showing here, as
he has done in every -other official capacity,
a distinctive tact and marked administrative
talent, as well as a never failing courtesy.
The beautiful and impressive legends of ca-
pitular Masonry, teaching the history of the
past, were revealed to him in Chicago
Chapter, No. 127, in which he was exalted
to the Royal Arch in 1877, thereafter pass-
ing the various official chairs and serving as
High Priest for three years. In the chap-
ter he also passed the circle of the Council
degrees, having been greeted a Royal and
Select Master in Corinthian Chapter, No.
69, duly empowered to confer these degrees.
He was a charter member of Palestine
Council, No. 66, from which he was later
dimitted to Temple Council, No. 65, with
which his affiliation is now placed. He has
served in the cryptic body as Deputy Illus-
trious Master. The orders of Knighthood
were attained by Mr. Gaunt in 1879, when
the chivalric honors were conferred upon
him in Apollo Commandery, No. I , Knights
Templar. He is now a member of Engle-
wood Commandery, No. 59, having been
dimitted to the same. He held the office of
Sword Bearer in the Commandery in 1896.
Sylvester Gaunt is a native son of the
Wolverine state, having been born at the
university city, Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the
3d of September, 1850, the youngest of the
five children of Thomas and Mary Gaunt.
His father died when he was a child and he
was early thrown upon his own resources,
his eldest brother, the natural mainstay of
the family after the father's death, having
enlisted for service in the late war of the
Rebellion at the age of seventeen and hav-
ing died in Danville prison. Sylvester was
a boy of self-reliant nature and did not flinch
from the duties which came to him. He
began his practical career as a telegraph
operator in the employ of the Michigan
Central Railroad Company, and while thus
retained came to Chicago, the date of his
advent here having been 1871. He was
employed in the Chicago office of the West-
ern Union Telegraph Company for a period
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
227
of four years, after which he resigned his
position to accept that which he holds at
the present time, — cashier and general office
manager for Clay, Robinson & Company,
one of the leading live-stock-commission
firms of the western metropolis. His pro-
nounced executive ability and his capacity
for handling multifarious details have made
him a most valuable employee, and his serv-
ices are duly appreciated by the firm to
whose interests he has thus given his atten-
tion.
In the year 1872 Mr. Gaunt was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Stoll, a native of
Michigan, and they are the parents of one
daughter, Louisa Alida. In politics Mr.
Gaunt is a stanch supporter of the Repub-
lican party, and socially he retains member-
ship in- the Oakland Club, one of the repre-
sentative organizations of the sort in the
south division of the city.
FREDERICKS ROBINSON.— Twenty-
six years ago Mr. Robinson crossed the
threshhold of the blue lodge and there re-
ceived the first three degrees of Freemason-
ry. Since that time he has gradually pro-
gressed in the order and is to-day one of
the highly-honored and most popular Ma-
sons in Genoa. He was initiated in Peru
Lodge, No. 281, at Peru, New York, in
1871, and dimitted from that bod}' to be-
come affiliated with Genoa Lodge, No. 288;
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Sycamore Chapter, No. 49;
received the degrees of Royal and Select
Master in Sycamore Council; was created
a Sir Knight in Sycamore Commandery,
No. 1 5 ; and attained the ineffable degree of
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Free-
port Consistory in 1891. He is a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine in Tebala Temple, of
Rockford, and a member of the Order of
the Eastern Star.
Mr. Robinson was born in Keeseville,
Essex count}', New York, July 19, 1850,
and is the son of Hiram and Aurilla (Cutler)
Robinson. He was sent to the public
schools of his native city, and later attended
the academy there and at Plattsburg. He
began his career by working with his father
at the forge in an iron foundry, which he
subsequently left to take up the vocation of
teaching, and afterward clerked in a store.
In 1 864, although but fourteen years of age,
he enlisted in the Civil war as a bugler with
Company A, Sixteenth New York Cavalry,
and served until the close of the conflict.
In 1874 he came west and about seven years
later located in Genoa. He attended the
Chicago School of Pharmacy, at which he
was graduated in 1885; returning to Genoa,
he embarked in the drug business, -which
he has followed ever since. He has a well-
FREDERICK T. ROBINSON.
appointed store, and by perseverance and
honest business methods has succeeded in
establishing a large and flourishing trade.
In 1893 he was appointed postmaster at
Genoa, and has given general satisfaction.
Mr. Robinson was married in 1878 to
Miss Ada R. Van Alstein, and one son,
Frederick G. , was born to them. Mrs.
Robinson died in September, 1885, and our
L'L'K
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
subject married again, his second wife being
Miss Anna McCormick, by whom he had
one child, Hazel F. Mrs. Robinson's de-
mise occurred in April, 1895.
Our subject is a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows and of the
Maccabees. He is one of Genoa's substan-
tial and progressive citizens, and stands
high in the opinion of all who know him.
JOSEPH ELDER, a resident of Peoria,
Illinois, and for many years identified
with railroading, has for over a quarter
of a century taken pleasure in Masonic
associations, and in this ancient order has
advanced to the higher degrees.
Mr. Elder is a native of the Empire
state. He was born in Chatham Center,
Columbia county, February 24, 1844, and
in 1 860, "while yet a boy in his 'teens, en-
tered the employ of the Hudson River Rail-
road in the capacity of fireman. Later he
served an apprenticeship to the trade of
machinist in Troy, New York, finishing at
Philadelphia, and for three years thereafter
was with Henry Burden & Sons, of Troy,
as their millwright. Following this and
during the oil excitement in West Virginia
he was there engaged in the oil business
two ye;irs. From West Virginia he came
out to Indiana and became associated with
Lord, Thomas & Company, of Indianapolis,
with whom he was interested in building
the first roll mill of its kind west of Pitts-
burg, the work of which was all done by
hand. It is three stories h'gh. Next we
find him at Minneapolis, in the employ of
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail-
road Company, where he was for two years
and a half machinist and engineer, and
from that company he went to the Union
Pacific, with which he was connected for a
year. At this time he crossed the plains to
the far west, this being the second trip he
had made to the Pacific coast overland.
The first trip was attended with much ex-
citement and adventure, and on one occa-
sion he was captured by the Sioux Indians.
On his return the second time he accepted
a position on the Rockford, Rock Island &
St. Louis Railroad, first as machinist and
shop foreman one year, afterward taking
charge of the locomotive department for
several years; since 1877 he has had charge
of the Rock Island & Peoria Railway as
master mechanic for both locomotives and
cars.
Coming now to the Masonic portion of
Mr. Elder's history, we find that he was in-
itiated, passed and raised in Beardstown,
Cass county, Illinois, about 1870, and the
same year was exalted in Clark Chapter,
No. 3. He now affiliates with both the
lodge and chapter in Peoria. In 1878 he
was made a Knight Templar in Peoria,
in 1879 had revealed to him the mysteries
of the Scottish Rite, and in 1892 became a
member of Medinah Shrine, of Chicago,
from which he was dimitted when Moham-
med Temple, of Peoria, was instituted, and
placed his membership in it, and thus at
present all his Masonic affiliations are in
Peoria, and nearly ever since he has been a
Mason he has held office in the various
branches of the order. He has passed most
of the chairs in the blue lodge, serving in
the first lodge of which he was a member,
and for two years filling the Senior Deacon's
chair in Peoria Lodge. He has filled all
the offices of the Peoria Commandery, oc-
cupying the executive chair in 1890-1, in
the consistory has served in every office ex-
cept that of Commander-in-Chief, and in
the Shrine is now gracing the chair of Chief
Roban.
HARMAR DENNY DOUGHERTY,
general contractor, Canton, Illinois,
is an enterprising and thoroughgoing busi-
ness man, and one who has for several years
been interested in Masonry, he having ad-
vanced through the various degrees of this
ancient order until he has attained high
rank in the same. He maintains member-
ship in Ionic Lodge, No. 438, F. & A. M. ;
Bellaire Chapter, No. 107, R. A. M. ; Hope
Commandery, No. 26, K. T. ; Canton Coun-
cil, No. 23, R. & S. M., and Peoria Con-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
229
sistory, Scottish Rite. Also he is a mem-
ber of Mohammed Temple, Mystic Shrine,
of Peoria, into which he was initiated May
25, 1894, and both he and his wife are
members of the Order of the Eastern Star,
the popular auxiliary of Masonry, their
identity being with Canton Chapter.
Mr. Dougherty is a native of Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, and was born November 12,
1857. In early life he began contracting,
taking contracts for railroad construction,
city streets, sewers and water works, trav-
eling through various portions of the East,
and in Indiana and Illinois. February 20,
1892, he came to Canton, Illinois, and has
since maintained his home here. During
this time he has paved many miles of street
in Canton and made four miles of sewer
here and three-quarters of a mile at Pekin,
this state, besides carrying to completion a
number of other contracts.
As a business man, citizen and Mason he
stands high and justly merits the esteem in
which he is held.
HERMAN F. HANKE is a Royal Arch
Mason, having been a member of the
fraternity since 1891, in which year he
joined Excelsior Lodge, No. 97, F. & A. M.,
of Freeport. He took the Royal Arch de-
grees in Freeport Chapter, and has taken
all the degrees of the Scottish Rite up to
and including the thirty-second. He is an
interested and worthy member of the fra-
ternity, and well deserves mention in this
volume devoted to Masonic history in Illi-
nois. He is also connected with other civic
societies, having been an active member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for
a quarter of a century. He has passed all
the chairs in the subordinate lodge, and is
a member of the Grand Lodge. He be-
longs to the Knights of Pythias society, to
the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and
has represented the two latter in their re-
spective grand lodges.
Mr. Hanke is a native of Bremen, Ger-
many, born on the 25th of September,
1846. His father, Herman Hanke, was
also born in that country, and emigrated to
the United States, arriving in Freeport on
the 1 2th of June, 1847. He brought with
him his young wife and their little son,
Herman F. , who was then only nine months
old. The father first worked at teaming
and later was engaged on the construction
of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad.
He now resides with his son, retired from
active life, and has attained the age of
eighty-one years. His good wife departed
this life in 1884, when sixty-five years of
age. They had twelve children, of whom
only six are now living.
Herman F. Hanke, their eldest child,
was educated in the public schools of Free-
port and when seventeen years of age began
learning the mason's trade, a business which
he has since successfully followed. He has
become one of the prominent contractors
and builders of the city, doing a large
amount of building and sewer work. He is
also a member of the firm of Hanke &
Stewart, contractors for artificial stone, tile,
brick, asphalt and tar sidewalk. He has
ever been a most thorough and reliable
workman and many of the important struc-
tures of the city stand as monuments to the
thrift and handiwork of our subject. He
was connected with the erection of the four
schoolhouses of Freeport and is now super-
intending the mason work of the new school-
house in process of erection. He built also
the county courthouse and the St. Mary's
Catholic church, a splendid edifice that is a
model of architectural beauty and of com-
plete workmanship. He has also erected
two residences for himself, the second being
a most beautiful, elegant and commodious
dwelling.
In 1870 Mr. Hanke was united in mar-
riage to Miss Sarah Stichter, and they now
have four children, — Kate, Henry H., Al-
bert F. and Mae.
Mr. Hanke is an enthusiastic and loyal
supporter of the Republican party and has
held various offices. He was superintend-
ent of public works for many years, also
alderman of the city and one of the super-
visors of the county. He is active, capable
230
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and thoroughly reliable whether in business,
social or public life, and has always been a
valuable factor in the upbuilding and pros-
perity of Freeport.
ELMER E. BAST, an active working
member of the Masonic fraternity, who
follows closely and conscientiously its teach-
ings, has for four years been a member of
Garden City Lodge, No. 141, A. F. & A.
M., having taken the degrees of Entered
Apprentice and Fellow-craft and been raised
to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on
the 2Qth of June, 1892. He has since been
a faithful attendant on its meetings and has
done all in his power to advance the inter-
ests of the order and promulgate its princi-
ples.' He is now serving in the position of
Junior Warden, and has just been elected
Senior Warden. To these offices he was
called by the Vote of his fellow members of
the craft who esteem him highly for his genu-
ine worth and devotion to the fundamental
truths of the society. In 1893 he was ex-
alted to the sublime degree of a Royal Arch
Mason in Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177,
and in 1895 was created a Knight Templar
in Apollo Cormnandery, No. i , wherein he
is now serving as Sword Bearer. This is
the largest and most powerful Commandery
in the country, and Mr. Bast is numbered
among its most faithful and zealous adher-
ents. He has made a close study of the
teaching of Masonry and of the workings of
the order, fully understands the require-
ments imposed upon its members, and lives
up to all obligations.
Although Mr. Bast has spent the greater
part of his life in Chicago, he is a native of
New Jersey, his birth having occurred in
Frenchtown, on the 5th ofNovember, 1861.
When a child of two years he was brought
by his parents to the metropolis of Illinois,
and spent his boyhood days in their home,
attending the common schools from the age
of six years. When he left the school-room
to take up the practical duties of a business
career, he turned his attention to the mer-
chant tailoring business, which he has since
followed. He learned the trade, mastering
the business in all its details arid becoming
an efficient workman. In 1896 he embarked
in business on his own account and is now
enjoying a liberal patronage, receiving the
support of many friends whom he had met
before beginning operation on his own ac-
count. His courteous treatment of his pa-
trons, his excellent workmanship, his prompt-
ness and his thoroughly reliable methods in-
sure him a constantly increasing trade, and
he will undoubtedly establish a first-class
tailoring parlor.
In 1882 Mr. Bast was united in marriage
to Miss May M. Cromlish, a native of Wheel-
ing, West Virginia. They have one daugh-
ter, May Irene.
FRANK ST. LEON CARTER is a Royal
Arch and thirty-second-degree Mason.
Among the prominent society men of Rock-
ford he occupies a conspicuous place, for
his zeal and earnestness in promoting the
orders with which he is connected has made
him a valuable member. Through the past
decade he has affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity, and his deep sympathy with the
order and the noble mission which underlies
its ceremonies is shown by the- conformity
of his life to its teachings. He was made
a Mason in Rockford Lodge, No. 102, in
1886, taking the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason at
the successive regular meetings of the lodge.
In August, 1895, he was exalted to the sub-
lime degree of a Royal Arch Mason in Win-
nebago Chapter, No. 24, and in the same
year joined the Tebala Temple, of the An-
cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, and Crusader Commandery, No. 17,
K. T. He is now serving as Captain of the
Host in the Chapter, and is one of its active
working members. It was also in February,
1896, that Mr. Carter, with a class of twen-
ty-five of his friends, took the consistory
degrees in Freeport Consistory, of the Scot-
tish Rite, thereby becoming a thirty-second-
degree Mason. Nor is his membership con-
fined to Masonry alone. He is a worthy
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
281
representative of the Knights of Pythias
fraternity, is Past Chancellor of Arthur
Lodge, No. 3 1 , is now Keeper of the Rec-
ords and Seals, and since 1885 has filled
the office of Adjutant of the Fifth Regiment
of the Uniform Rank of the society. With
a deep enjoyment of the social features of
these organizations, it is not this alone
which wins the loyalty of Mr. Carter; their
benevolent and fraternal principles are in
harmony with his belief as to what should
be the attitude of man to his fellow man,
and their teachings find worthy exposition
in his life.
Mr. Carter is also deeply interested in
the military organization of the state, and
is a prominent and active member of the
Illinois National Guards, having served with
honor as captain and adjutant in the Third
Infantry Regiment. His loyal American
spirit is manifest in his interested connection
therewith, and among his comrades he is
most popular and highly esteemed.
Mr. Carter is a native of England, born
July 5, 1864; was educated at the world-
renowned school of Rugby and afterward
became a bookkeeper and stenographer.
In 1880 he sought more active fields of
labor in the new world, crossed the ocean
to Montreal, Canada, and thence made his
way to Chicago, where he secured a posi-
tion in the law office of E. G. Mason. La-
ter he was connected with the wholesale
confectionery house of John Kranz in the
capacity of bookkeeper, and in 1884 he
came to Rockford, where, for some time, he
held an important position in the Rockford
Watch Manufactory as setter of jewels.
On the ist of January, 1890, he became
connected with the Forest City Baker}'
Company, which firm does a most exten-
sive business, and has since remained
with them as bookkeeper, also largely fill-
ing the position of general manager of their
enormous business. The precision and ac-
curacy which marks his career as a soldier
is manifest in the office; he possesses much
executive ability, is far-sighted in his judg-
ment and has the unlimited confidence of
the company and the warm regard of those
who are associated with him in the office
work.
In 1891 Mr. Carter was united in mar-
riage to Miss Gertrude Vandercook, a na-
tive of Illinois. With her husband she be-
longs to the Order of the Eastern Star.
They move in the best circles of Rockford
society, where intelligence and true worth
are the passports which obtain entrance
thereto, and their own home is noted for its
hospitality.
C^HANCEY HARLOW CASTLE is one of
' the veteran Masons of Quincy who has
followed the principles and precepts of the
order in an enthusiastic and praiseworthy
manner for the past twenty-two years.
He was initiated and raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason in Bodley Lodge,
No. i, in 1875, was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Quincy
Chapter, No. 5, May 25, 1876, and was
created a Sir Knight in El Aksa Command-
ery, No. 55, in the same year. He has
faithfully continued his membership in these
bodies and is an exemplary and highly re-
spected Mason.
The birth of Mr. Castle took place in
Adams county, Illinois, January 10, 1843,
his ancestors being of Scotch extraction,
who emigrated from the land of the thistle
to the United States, locating in Vermont,
where they became prominent in the early
history of that state, and were participants
in the Revolutionary war. Timothy Castle,
the father of our subject, was born in Wil-
mington, Vermont, and in 1835 moved to
Adams county, Illinois, subsequently taking
up his residence in Quincy, where from
1863 to 1880 he was engaged in the manu-
facture of stoves. He was an important
factor in the upbuilding of - Quincy and was
closely identified with its interests up to the
time of his death, in i 880. He was a man
of enterprise, progress, and integrity, a firm
adherent of the Presbyterian church, and a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He married Miss Julia A. Boyd,
282
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
who, like himself, was born in Wilmington,
Vermont. She has followed her husband to
the "city of eternal rest."
Our subject, the second of the four sons
of Mr. and Mrs. Castle, received the rudi-
ments of his education in the public schools
of Quincy. He was but eighteen years old
on the breaking out of the Civil war, but
notwithstanding his youth he promptly of-
fered his services in the defense of the Union
and enlisted in Company I, Seventy-third
Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He proved to
be a brave and efficient soldier, but was un-
fortunate in having his military career cut
short by being wounded in the battle of
Chickamauga, which necessitated his dis-
charge, after serving two years. Upon his
return to Quincy he associated himself with
his father in the Comstock Castle Stove
Company, of which he was later made presi-
dent. It is one of the largest concerns of
its kind in the country and is doing a large
and ever increasing business. Mr. Castle is
also president of the Mullner Box & Planing
Company, a director and stockholder in the
First National Bank of Quincy, a director
and stockholder in the American Straw
Board Company, and is interested in vari-
ous other business enterprises in the Gem
City. He is a public-spirited citizen and
always stands ready to do everything in his
power to support any movement that has
for its object the advancement and welfare
of Quincy.
In 1868 Brother Castle was united in
marriage to Miss Mary E. Parker, of Gales-
burg, Illinois, and they have had seven chil-
dren, namely: Julia A., Ella G., Timothy
P. , Alfred L. , Elizabeth, Mary E. and Clara.
Mr. and Mrs. Castle are affiliated with the
Presbyterian church, to which they are lib-
eral contributors. He has been a lifelong
Republican, takes a deep interest in the
politics of his county, of which he has served
as supervisor, and in 1 897 was again the
nominee of his party for that office. He is
a member of the Grand Army of the Re-
public and since 1892 has been aid-de-camp
on the national staff under the different
commanders.
LEE WOOD ALBRIGHT, train master
i of the Illinois Central Railroad, resid-
ing at Freeport, is one of the wide-awake,
enterprising young business men, whose
activity in the affairs of life has led to
the rapid upbuilding and advancement of
this western section of the country. It has
been the infusing of their youthful spirits
and energy with the plans and methods of
older men that has produced the excellent
results achieved in the Mississippi valley,
and to this class belongs the subject of our
sketch.
Mr. Albright is a native of Cuba, Illi-
nois, born on the 4th of March, 1864, and
is of German lineage. His father, Dr. J.
B. E. Albright, was born in Pennsylvania
and came to Illinois in 1845, locating in
Cuba, while for many years he engaged in
the practice of the medical profession in
that place, in Dixon and in Forreston. He
was in the last named city for eighteen
years, or up to the time of his death, which
occurred when he had reached his sixty-
fifth year. He married Catherine Cline, a
native of Virginia and a descendant of one
of the old and highly respected families of
that state. They were married in 1845 and
at once came to Illinois, where the mother
is still living. They had a son and daugh-
ter, the former being the subject of this re-
view.
In the common schools and the high
school of Forreston, Lee W. Albright ac-
quired his education, and when seventeen
years of age began railroading, being in the
employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
and Illinois Central Companies. He was
with the latter at Amboy, Freeport and
Rockford, Illinois, through a period of six
years, and has been train master at Free-
port for the past four years. His position
is a highly responsible and important one,
and he is discharging his duties with marked
fidelity and ability.
In 1891 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Albright and Miss Rose Zapf, a native
of Freeport. They have two sons, Donald
Alfred and Keneth Cline. His connection
with the Masonic fraternity dates from 1894,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
233
when he joined Excelsior Lodge, of Free-
port. He has progressed rapidly in the or-
der, from the blue lodge to the chapter,
the council and the comrnandery.
In politics he is a liberal Democrat, but
has never taken an active part in political
matters, preferring to give his whole time
to his business interests and the interests of
the company with which he is connected.
JOSEPH E. ILG belongs to the Masonic
order in Rockford, with which he has
been connected for fifteen years. He
took the first degree in the fraternity in
1 88 1 and is now a Royal Arch and Knight
Templar Mason. He became a Master
Mason in Acacia Lodge, of LaSalle, Illinois,
was raised to the sublime degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Peru, Illinois, and is a
Knight of Sterling Commandery, No. 57.
He also belongs to Medinah Temple of
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine, of Chicago. He was
elected and served as Junior Warden of the
blue lodge, but so great have been the de-
mands of his business that he has had no
time for active official work in the order.
By attendance at the meetings and by a
faithful exemplification of the teaching of
the society in his every-day conduct, he at-
tests his loyalty and is well numbered
among the worthy Masons of Rockford.
Mr. Ilg is a native of Cleveland, Ohio,
his birth having occurred in that city on the
9th of January, 1857. His parents, Sev-
ern and Frances (Turin) Ilg, were both na-
tives of France, and emigrated to America
in 1848, locating in Cleveland, where the
father was employed as a master mechanic.
He died in 1876, at the age of fifty-seven
years. His wife and three children still
survive him, Mrs. Ilg being now seventy-
six years of age.
The gentleman whose name introduces
this review is their oldest child. He was
educated in the public schools of his native
city and on the 1st of April, 1866, started
out in business in the same line in which he
is now engaged, securing a clerkship in a
drug store, where he was employed until
1873. He then removed to Dallas, Texas,
where he embarked in business on his own
account, but about a year later a fire de
stroyed his store and he lost all he had —
the accumulated savings of several years.
He was then forced to commence life anew
as a clerk in St. Louis. In 1876 he re-
turned to his native city and again estab-
lished a drug store, but after a year sold out
and returned to St. Louis in 1878. For
some time he was engaged in the manufac-
ture of glass at LaSalle, Illinois, where he
again was overtaken by disaster, a second
fire causing heavy losses. With det rmined
energy and unfaltering purpose, however,
he set to work to repair his losses, and in
1881 established a drug store in Prophets-
town, Illinois, in partnership with J. H.
Mosher. In 1886 he removed to Elkader,
Iowa, where he became a member of the
drug firm of Merritt, Williams & Company,
but after a year sold his interest and went
to DeKalb, Illinois, where he was employed
as salesman in a drug store for a year. In
1889 he came to Rockford, and, after a
year spent as salesman, opened his present
store on Seventh street. This is one of the
best equipped drug stores in the city and he
is now enjoying a good business, which is
steadily increasing. His broad experience
in this line, his thorough familiarity with
the requirements of the trade, and his
ready adaptability well enable him to meet
the wants of his patrons, while his energy
and diligence have brought to him a well
deserved success.
Mr. Ilg was happily married in 1872 to
Miss Lilian Cox, a native of Selma, Ala-
bama, and a daughter of Frank Cox, a con-
tractor and builder of that state. Two chil-
dren came to bless their union — Frank Joseph
and Mary Frances. After twenty-one years
of happy married life Mrs. Ilg was called to
the home beyond this life. She was a most
amiable and estimable lady, a loving wife
and devoted mother, and her death was a
source of greatest sorrow to husband, chil-
dren and many friends.
Mr. Ilg is a member of the Knights of
234
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Pythias fraternity and of the Loyal League.
In politics he is a Republican, and although
deeply interested in the growth and success
of his party has never been an office-
seeker, perferring to give his time and
attention to his business. He has met
reverses which would have disheartened a
resolute man, but his strong purpose and
courageous spirit would brook no opposition
that could be overcome by energy, perse-
verance and honorable business methods,
and he is now enjoying a comfortable com-
petence as the reward of his earnest labors.
REICH ARDT is numbered among
J3L those of foreign birth who have become
loyal American citizens, prominent in the
commercial affairs of their adopted country,
and who in Masonic circles have won the
esteem and confidence of all with whom
they have been brought in contact. He
was made a Mason in Landmark Lodge,
in 1894, and the same year took the
Royal Arch degrees in Fairview Chapter.
He is also a Knight Templar, his affiliation
with this branch of Masonry being through
his membership in Apollo Commandery, No.
i . He is a worthy member of the order,
true to its principles, and is . widely and fa-
vorably known in its circles.
As his name indicates, Mr. Reichardt is
of German nationality. His birth occurred
in the fatherland on the 24th of October,
1857, and in the public schools of that
country he acquired his education. He
early began work in a grocery store and was
thus trained to mercantile pursuits, becom-
ing familiar with the methods of business
life and the best ways to conduct an enter-
prise. He was a youth of fourteen years
when he bade adieu to his native land and
sailed for the new world. Since that time
he has been a resident of Chicago and has
steadily worked his way upward by steady
application, resolute purpose and c <pable
management. In 1892, when he had ac-
quired some capital, he became connected
with the Vienna Model Bakery and has
since been secretary and treasurer of the
company. His efforts have contributed
largely to the success which has attended
the industry, and his prosperity has been
won along the well denned line of honorable
labor, while his course has been shaped by
the tried principles of honorable dealings,
consecutive effort and earnest purpose.
Mr. Reichardt is married, his wife hav-
ing been Miss Mary Nyerie, of Cedar Rapids,
Iowa.
WILLIAM A. REMINGTON has the
honor of being the only thirty-sec-
ond-degree Mason residing in Geneseo, Illi-
For many years he has been identi-
nois.
fied with this fraternity, which belongs to
no one land or to no one people, but is
practically universal, embracing in its mem-
bership men of almost every rank, faith
and tongue. Catholic in its aims and spirit,
it welcomes the beneficent enterprises of
the day, jealous of neither sect nor party,
but ever toiling to enlarge the boundaries of
human progress and to put into life the
streams of deeper and richer experience.
Though its origin may be merely a matter
of tradition, its influence is unmistakable,
and civilization owes to the fraternity a
debt of gratitude that is incalculable. To
the world Greece has furnished the stand-
ard of sculpture, Italy of painting, Ger-
many of music, and America of republican
government; but Masonry has given to all
lands a standard of conduct in harmony
with all religions, whereby the truest and
best impulses of man's nature are devel-
oped.
Mr. Remington began the study of the
teachings and esoteric doctrines of the fra-
ternity in Washington Lodge, No. 3, A. F.
& A. M., of Warren, Rhode Island, Febru-
ary i, 1853, and is one of the oldest breth-
ren of that society, with which he still re-
tains his membership. He was exalted to
the august degree of a Royal Arch Mason
in Temple Chapter, June 9, 1853, and man-
ifests the zeal and ardor symbolized by its
prevailing tincture of scarlet, which historic-
ally refers to the rebuilding of the temple of
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
287
Jerusalem. He received the grades and
order of the Scottish Rite after coming to
the west, being proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret in Davenport Valley
Consistory, of Davenport, Iowa, wherein
he attained the thirty-second degree. Twen-
ty-six years have passed since he received
the ineffable degree of the Lodge of Per-
fection, and he is therefore one of the old-
est consistory Masons in this locality. In
1894 he metaphorically became familiar
with the sands of the desert through his
entrance into Kaaba Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Remington was born in Rehoboth,
Massachusetts, on the 29th of April, 1830,
and is of English descent, being a represent-
ative of a family that located in New Eng-
land soon after the process of reclamation
from savage rule had begun. Its members
were active participants in the events which
go to form the history of that period and of
the Revolution. His father, Samuel W.
Remington, was born in Seekonk, and mar-
ried Miss Harriet Read, also a native of that
town. For many years he was a prominent
and successful merchant and became a large
landowner. He died in Warren, Rhode
Island, at the age of sixty-nine years, and
his wife departed this life in her seventy-
first year. For many years they were act-
ive and consistent members of the Congre-
gational church. Of their family of five
sons and one daughter, only three are now
living.
William A. Remington, the eldest son,
was educated in Warren, Rhode Island, and
entered upon his business career as a mer-
chant, which pursuit he followed in the east
and also for a number of years after locat-
ing in Davenport, Iowa, which was the first
scene of his labors after his removal to the
Mississippi valley. An active factor in the
development of Davenport and a leading
and influential citizen, he served for eleven
years as city treasurer and was otherwise
connected with the public interests, espe-
cially as a member of the Republican party.
Since 1871 he has been in the employ of the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
14
Company, having control of the stock-yards.
For twenty-five years he has held this im-
portant position, and has rendered to the
company most efficient service. In April,
1897, he was elected mayor of Geneseo, by
the Republican party.
In 1855 Mr. Remington was united in
marriage to Miss Maria Cole, of Warren,
Rhode Island, and to them were born three
children, but only one is now living, Henry
W. , who is a resident of Chicago. Mr,
Remington is a man of gentlemanly bear-
ing, whose life is in harmony with his Ma-
sonic professions and therefore commands
the confidence and love of his brethren and
the respect of all who know him in other
departments of life.
)URR ROBBINS, who for almost forty
years has held membership in the Ma-
sonic order, was made a Mason in Iris
Lodge, No. 229, of Cleveland, Ohio, in
1858. He did not advance beyond the blue
lodge for ten years, when he was exalted to
the sublime degree of a Royal Arch Mason
in Paw Paw Chapter, No. 23, of Paw Paw,
Michigan, in 1868. The same year he was
knighted in Peninsular Commandery, No.
8, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; received the
ineffable degrees of the Ancient & Accepted
Scottish Rite in Wisconsin Consistory, of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1887, and be-
came a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, Mil-
waukee Temple, in the same year. He
also belongs to the Masonic Veterans' Asso-
ciation and has a wide acquaintance among
the fraternity throughout the entire country,
meeting many brethren of the craft in his
travels over this continent.
Mr. Robbins was born in Broome coun-
ty, New York, on the 1 3th of October,
1837, and spent the first twelve years of his
life in the Empire state, after which he went
to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was reared to
manhood and made his home until 1868.
From 1873 until 1888 he was engaged in
the circus business, spending the winters at
Janesville, Wisconsin, and the name of
Burr Robbins thus became familiar through-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
•out the length and breadth of this land. He
attained an enviable reputation along this
line, and the excellent and high-grade en-
tertainment which he furnished brought to
him a liberal patronage, and he derived
therefrom an excellent income. In 1888 he
retired from active business pursuits and re-
moved to Chicago, but for the past three
years has been connected with the American
Advertising and Bill Posting Company, of
which he is president. He is a man of
courteous manner and genial disposition,
popular with all classes, and his friends are
many.
He was united in marriage, January 20,
1862, to Miss Libbie C. Ackley, who died
in 1869. Mr. Robbins was married again
December 18, 1871, to Miss Nett W. Web-
ster, of Lawrence, Michigan. To this union
are born two children, Burnett W. and
China L.
In politics Mr. Robbins has been a life-
long Republican, casting his first presi-
dential vote for Abraham Lincoln.
LBERT L. SCHIMPFF, second vice-
^ president and teller of the German-
American National Bank, of Peoria, Illi-
nois, occupies a place well to the front
among the leading business men and active
Masons of this city, and at this point in this
series of biographical reviews we take pleas-
ure in touching upon the salient items in his
life history.
Albert L. Schimpff was born in Rhenish
Bavaria, Germany, October 9, 1844, in his
native land was reared and educated, and
when a youth accompanied his parents across
the Atlantic to America, settling in Peoria,
Illinois, before our late war. On locating
here he was with his father in the grocery
business. He left the store in the fall of
1 86 1 to enlist in the Union army, and as a
member of Company A, Twenty-sixth Mis-
souri Infantry, went to the front, where he
made an honorable record as a brave, true
soldier. In May, 1863, he was severely
wounded at Champion Hills, Mississippi, a
ball passing through his left shoulder, from
the effects of which he still has a lame arm.
The following autumn he was honorably
discharged and returned to Peoria, resuming
his old place as clerk in his father's store,
and remaining there until 1868. That year
he went to Elmwood, Peoria county, and
engaged in the grocery business for himself.
Returning to Peoria in 1871, he became in-
terested in the manufacture of cigars, being
thus occupied for three years. Next we find
him doing business as a member of the firm
of Louis Green & Company, wholesale gro-
cers, with which he was connected until the
firm was dissolved on account of Mr. Green's
death. Mr. Schimpff then built a cold-stor-
age warehouse, conducted the same for four
years, up to 1893, and then entered the Ger-
man-American National Bank as second vice-
president and teller, the position he now
occupies, as stated at the beginning of this
sketch.
For a period of twenty-six years there
has been a thread of Masonic history run-
ning along with his varied business career,
and turning now to this we find that in
1870 he was made a Master Mason in
Horeb Lodge, No. 363, at Elmwood, with
which he affiliated until his return to Peoria,
when he became identified with Schiller
Lodge, No. 335. Also he has a member-
ship in Peoria Chapter, No. 7, Peoria Com-
mandery, No. 3, and Mohammed Temple,
Mystic Shrine, and has at various times
filled numerous official positions of promi-
nence and trust in these bodies. He has
passed all the chairs in Schiller Lodge and
has been its Master four times, filling the
office at present; has filled all the chairs in
the chapter except that of High Priest, and
in the commandery all except that of Com-
mander, which he declined to accept. In
short, he has been a prominent and active
Mason ever since he joined the order, and
in his life has exemplified many of its
teachings.
In Grand Army councils also do we find
Mr. Schimpff a leading factor. He has
been identified with the G. A. R. ever since
its organization, has been commander of
Bryner Post, No. 67, and has been junior
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
289
vice department commander. Also he was
a prominent aspirant at Cairo in 1896 for
department commander, coming within ten
votes of being elected. At the encamp-
ment held at Galesburg in May, 1897, he
was elected department commander.
I WALTER E. SCHMIDT.— The up-
jt/jfl building of Masonry in Illinois is
due to the devoted service and loyal attach-
ment of the members of the fraternity, and
is the result not of the efforts of a single
individual, nor even of the highest officials
of the state, but is the aggregate efforts
of the members in all the various branches
and lodges. Mr. Schmidt is one among the
many who have aided in furthering the
cause of this noble and honored fraternity
by his adherence to its principles and its
precepts. He was made a Mason in Tri-
luminar Lodge, No. 767, A. F. & A. M., in
1894, still retains his membership therein,
and is now serving as Worshipful Master, to
which position he was called by his brethren
of the craft, who recognize his unchanging
fealty. In 1895 he took the Royal Arch
degrees in Sinai Chapter, No. 185.
Mr. Schmidt is a western man by birth,
training and preference, and possesses the
true western spirit of progress and advance-
ment. He was born on the i8th of May,
1868, in Minnesota, and was reared and ed-
ucated there. With a practical English ed-
ucation to fit him for the duties of life he
entered upon his business career, and has
always engaged in the real-estate and insur-
ance business. His arrival in Chicago dates
from 1893, at which time he came to this
city and entered into partnership with Mr.
Hanberg, under the firm name of Hanberg
& Schmidt. They handle city real estate
of all kinds, and Mr. Schmidt is thoroughly
informed on land values. They also do a
good insurance business, and the two enter-
prises are well associated. The liberal
patronage which they receive indicates their
high standing in business circles and their
reliability in all transactions. He is alert,
energetic and capable, and possesses those
distinguishing characteristics whereby the
man of the Mississippi valley is known from
the slower and more conservative man of
the east. In politics Mr. Schmidt is a Re-
publican.
In 1895 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Schmidt and Miss Nellie Starr, of New
York.
WILLIAM HENRY THACKHAM. -
The seeds of charity, love and mor-
ality have been sown broadcast throughout
the universe by the grand institution of
Freemasonry, and when the harvest shall
have been garnered it will culminate in a
condition of human happiness which will
gratify the highest aspirations of the breth-
ren. The purging of sin and selfishness
from the world is an end devoutly to be
wished, and that society or organization
which shall endeavor to accomplish such an
object deserves not only the encouragement
but the moral support of every man worthy
of the name. Happy homes, a peaceful in-
tercourse among our fellow citizens, and a
general state of contentment, will all attest
the glorious achievements of the work pro-
mulgated by the craft.
One of the intelligent and enthusiastic
young Masons of Moline, Illinois, is Will-
iam H. Thackham, who became a member
of the fraternity in 1 890, , when he was
made a Mason in Doric Lodge, No. 319.
On June 21, 1892, he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Bar-
rett Chapter, No. 18, and received the de-
gree of the Red Cross February 20, being
created a Sir Knight on March 20, 1893, in
Everts Commandery, No. 18, at Rock
Island. He has been a consistent member
of the brotherhood, taking to heart its prin-
ciples and by his daily life showing how
well he understands and appreciates its
precepts.
Brother Thackham comes from an old
English family, and was born in London
March 23, 1868, his parents being William
John and Amelia (Woodbridge) Thackham,
both of whom were natives of England. In
240
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
1872, when the subject of this sketch was
but four years old, they came to the United
States and located in DeKalb, Illinois,
where they resided for ten years, the father
engaging in the meat business. The latter
died in 1882, leaving a widow and three
children, and the mother was obliged to
support her little family to the best of her
ability until the boys should be large enough
to go to work. Mr. Thackham attended
the public schools of DeKalb and at an ear-
ly age learned the trade of carriage-making
and blacksmithing, later taking up that of
machinist. He obtained a thorough knowl-
edge of his work in all its details and soon
became an expert mechanic. He is now
engaged in building gun carriages for the
United States government in the arsenal
located at Rock Island.
On December 24, 1895, Mr. Thackham
was married to Miss Jennie Rose Blackman,
a daughter of Edwin A. Blackman, of Mo-
line. They possess a comfortable home in
this city, where they attend the Baptist
church and are highly esteemed by their
neighbors and friends. Besides being a
Mason in excellent standing. Brother
Thackham is also a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. In his po-
litical affiliations he is a stanch supporter of
the Republican party. In all his associa-
tions with his fellow citizens and the breth-
ren of his lodge, the many good qualities
of his mind and character have won for him
the respect of all.
GEORGE L. WARD, secretary of the
department of buildings, Chicago, is a
gentleman of marked business ability and
wide experience and one who figures promi-
nently in both the business and fraternal
circles of this city. Some personal mention
of him is therefore appropriate in this work,
and we are pleased to here present a resume
of his life.
Mr. Ward is from the ' ' Land of the
Maple Leaf," having been born in Hamil-
ton, Ontario, January 5, 1848; but he has
spent nearly the whole of his life in Chicago,
having come here at the age of twelve years.
After completing his studies in the public
schools, he entered a printing-office to learn
the printer's trade. This, however, he soon
gave up and from it turned his attention to-
the hardware trade, accepting a position in
the service of Larrabee & North, with whom
he was associated for a period of twenty
years, in that time working his way up to a
position of trust and responsibility. Sever-
ing his connection with this hardware estab-
lishment in 1 88 1, he at that time became
general clerk in the office of county treas-
urer of Cook county. The following year
he was made deputy sheriff of the county,
under General Mann, and served as such
until the expiration of the General's term of
office. Next he entered the employ of the
Mason contractors, as bookkeeper, a posi-
tion he filled until the election of Hon. John
A. Roche to the office of mayor of Chicago,
when Mr. Ward was appointed to his pres-
ent position, that of secretary of the build-
ing department. This office he also held
by appointment under Mayor Washburne,
and his present appointment is at the hands
of Mayor Swift. In the meantime he has
filled the secretaryship in some of the fra-
ternal organizations with which he is con-
nected. He was Secretary of Covenant
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Corinthian
Chapter, R. A. M., and Recorder of St.
Bernard Commandery, K. T. , and Chicago
Council, R. & S. M.
Mr. Ward has been identified with the
great Masonic body for nearly two decades,
the date of his initiation into blue Masonry
being 1878, the degrees which made him a
Master Mason being conferred by Cove-
nant Lodge, No. 526, A. F. & A. M. In
1880 he was exalted a Royal Arch Mason
in Corinthian Chapter, R. A. M., and that
same year was knighted by St. Bernard
Commandery, K. T. ; was made a Royal
and Select Master by Chicago Council, No.
4, R. & S. M., in 1885; in 1892 he received
the Scottish Rite degrees, including the
thirty- second, in Oriental Consistory; is also
a "Shriner," having joined Medinah Tem-
ple, Mystic Shrine, in 1886. In all these
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
241
branches of Masonry he has taken an active
interest, both by exemplifying the work in
the lodge room, making impressive the
ritualistic work, and by showing forth in
his life the teachings of the order. He is
Past Master in his lodge, and Past Eminent
Commander of his commandery, and for
five years has served as Secretary of the
Knight Templar Charity ball committee.
Indeed, there are few Masons in this city
who have been more deeply interested in
the work of the order or done more to ad-
vance its interests than has Mr. Ward.
Also, he is a member of the Loyal League.
prominently engaged in the grocery trade
at Rushville, is an exemplary and useful
citizen and stands high in the estimation of
all the brethren in the philanthropic so-
cieties.
JOHN HARVEY WARD, a Sir Knight
Templar and Secretary of the chapter at
Rushville, was advanced to the degree
of Master Mason in Huntsville (Illinois)
Lodge, No. 465. He was initiated January
28, 1 88 1, passed February 19, following,
and raised to the sublime degree March 12,
same year, and he served as Senior Warden
of the blue lodge there. Having been at
length dimitted from that lodge he was af-
filiated with Rushville Lodge, No. 9, Feb-
ruary 21, 1888, and in this lodge he has
filled the offices of Senior Deacon, Junior
Warden, Senior Warden and Worshipful
Master one term. He was exalted to the
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Augusta
Chapter, No. 72, R. A. M., in 1878, and
was elected to membership in Rushville
Chapter, No. 184, February 24, 1891, and
is now serving his third term as Secretary
of the chapter. He was created a Sir
Knight Templar in Rushville Commandery,
No. 56, on the 3d of June, 1896. Mr. Ward
is active and capable in all the bodies of the
order and enjoys the fullest confidence of
his confreres.
He is a native of the state of Illinois,
born at Camden, Schuyler county, on the
1 6th of September, 1856, and is the son of
Joseph N. Ward, who was a native of Ken-
tucky and also a member of the Masonic
fraternity. He came to Illinois in 1836,
and was one of the best early settlers of the
county. Mr. Ward, our subject, is now
JAMES WORTH WAYLAND, who has
been closely identified with the best in-
terests of Masonry for fourteen years,
has attained to the thirty-second degree in
the Scottish Rite, and is regarded as one of
the most worthy fraters in Quincy. He
was initiated in Brookfield Lodge, No. 86,
in Brookfield, Missouri, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in 1884.
He obtained a dimit and is now a member
of Lambert Lodge, No. 659, of Quincy.
He was exalted to the Royal Arch degrees
in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, November 24,
1891; received the degrees of Royal and
Select Masters in Quincy Council, No. 15,
June 14, 1893; was dubbed a Sir Knight in
El Aksa Commandery, No. 55, K. T. , March
2, 1892; and became a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret in Quincy Consistory, Val-
ley of Quincy, May ii, 1894. He was made
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Ararat Tem-
ple, Kansas City, Missouri, on March 1 1 ,
1892.
Mr. Wayland is a native of Virginia, his
birth having taken place at Mount Jackson,
Shenandoah county, on March 11, 1855.
His ancestors were among the earliest set-
tlers of the colony of Virginia, were partici-
pants in its pioneer history, and bravely
fought as soldiers in the Revolutionary war.
The father of our subject, John Wesley
Wayland, was also born in Virginia, where
he was principal in a polytechnic school,
and engaged in educational work all his life.
He married Miss Anna M. Kagey, of Vir-
ginia, and they had four children, all of
whom, as well as the parents, are still liv-
ing. The subject of this review was edu-
cated in his father's school, and at the age
of eighteen he began his career of railroad-
ing, his first work being in the machine
shops. After remaining there a short time
he became a freight brakeman on the Balti-
242
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
more & Ohio road, faithfully performing the
duties of that position for three years, when
he came west and secured employment on
the Wabash Railroad. His efficient serv-
ices were recognized and from time to time
he was promoted until he attained the im-
portant post of passenger conductor, and
for the past fourteen years he has served in
that capacity on the Hannibal & St. Jo line,
during which time he has given the fullest
satisfaction to the company.
In 1877 Mr. Wayland was united in
marriage to Miss Ellen Brunk, of Virginia,
and their union has been blessed by one son,
Eugene Adelbert. Mrs. Wayland is an ad-
herent of the Methodist church, and both
she and her husband are members of Grace
Whipple Chapter, No. 312, Order of the
Eastern Star. They are popular in their
home city and enjoy the good will and
friendship of all with whom they are ac-
quainted.
Politically our subject is a consistent
Democrat. He is an active member of the
Order of Railway Conductors, of which he
is Grand Inside Sentinel, and now has charge
of the society's excursion to the Pacific coast.
JOHN MOSLEY BATCHELDER.— The
ever widening circle of Masonry has em-
braced within its circumference the high-
est and the humblest of the land, and all
distinctions are forgotten save those of
character, — that true moral worth which
may lift the poor man above his rich neigh-
bor, or bring to the millionaire that good
name which is rather to be chosen than
great riches. On the common ground of
universal brotherhood they meet, and mu-
tual helpfulness and mutual forbearance
hold them together in indissoluble ties.
The world is not wide enough to rend the
bands of this kinship asunder. Masonry is
a great cable stretching around the universe
to-day and across the ocean of time, bind-
ing the fraternal life of the nineteenth cen-
tury to the reality of the world's morning.
Its representatives to-day are men who in
the varying walks of life mold their actions
in harmony with Masonic ethics. The in-
fluence of the fraternity principles is noise-
less as the sunbeams in their fall, but as
effective. One who subscribes to the teach-
ings of the fraternity, and is most loyally
devoted to his vows, is Mr. Batchelder, of
Dixon, a prominent business man now en-
gaged in the wholesale marble and granite
business there. He was made a Master
Mason in Friendship Lodge, No. 7, in Dixon,
in 1 894, and was created a Sir Knight in
Dixon Commandery, No. 21. He received
the ineffable degree of Perfection in Free-
port Valley Consistory, Sublime Princes of
the Royal Secret, with the class of 1895,
and is therefore a thirty-second-degree Ma-
son. He is also a member of Medinah
Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at
Chicago.
Mr. Batchelder was born in Dorset, Ver-
mont, on the 6th of July, 1862, and is of
English descent , his ancestors locating in Bos-
ton in 1637, not twodecades afterthe landing
of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. Members
of the family were prominent in the events
which shaped the history of that early
period, and also fought for the independ-
ence of the nation when the British tyranny
forced the colonists to seek their just rights
by a separation from the mother country.
The father of our subject, J. L. Batchelder,
was born in Peru, Vermont, and was mar-
ried to Miss Rachel Slocum, a native of
Manchester, Vermont. He has spent most
of his life in the marble business in his na-
tive state, and has also been a contractor
and builder. He and his estimable wife
now reside in Detroit, Michigan, and are
sixty-three and sixty-one years of age re-
spectively. They are valued members of
the First Congregational church of that
city, and the father is also identified with
the Masonic fraternity.
In their family of two children, Mr.
Batchelder, of this review, is the elder. He
was educated in Manchester, Vermont, and
since arriving at years of maturity has been
identified with the wholesale marble and
granite business. In his youth he became
familiar with that industry, being more or
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
243
less familiar with his father's business, and
this practical experience stood him in good
stead when he embarked in business on his
own account. He now represents through-
out the northwest several of the most im-
portant quarries of Vermont. The head-
quarters of his business are at Dixon, but
his shipments cover a wide territory. He
has made his home in Dixon since 1893
and is regarded as one of the most enter-
prising and substantial business men of the
city. His keen sagacity, reliable methods,
tireless energy and perseverance have
brought to him prosperity and he is now in
command of a good trade.
Mr. Batchelder married Miss Agnes
Keene, a native of Gallatin, Missouri, and
they have one son, John Keene. In poli-
tics Mr. Batchelder is a stanch Republican,
but has never sought or desired office, pre-
ferring to give his entire attention to his
business interests.
JH. GIBLER, a thirty-second-degree
Mason, whose deep interests in the fra-
ternity and loyal service in its behalf has
made him a valued member of the craft,
makes his home in Freeport, Illinois. He
is a native of Stephenson county, born on
the ist of July, 1844. His parents, Morgan
and Eliza Jane (Van Matre) Gibler, were
natives of Ohio and emigrated to this state
in 1839, locating on government land in the
town of Oneco, Stephenson county, where
they made a home and reared their family
of ten children. The father departed this
life in 1890, at the age of sixty-nine years,
but the mother is still living and has reached
the age of seventy-two. They were con-
sistent members of the Christian church and
were people of great worth of character.
Thus Joseph H. Gibler, of this sketch,
comes of one of the honored pioneer fami-
lies of Stephenson county. He is the eld-
est child in his father's family and in the
public schools near his home he acquired
his education. When a youth of sixteen he
entered upon his business career and since
that time has been entirely dependent upon
his own resources, so that the success he
has achieved is the reward of his earnest
labors. Clearly denned purpose, resolute
will, energy and sound judgment, — these
are the salient points in his character and
have led to his present prosperity. In 1860
he began learning the blacksmith's trade in
Freeport and has since followed that pur-
suit. He continued his work uninterrupt-
edly for many years, but now has laid aside
all business cares save when he enters the
shop, at his own pleasure, to wield the
hammer once more. He has acquired a
handsome competence that relieves him
from the necessity of further labor, having
' ' Enough for self and some to give to such
poor souls as need it." Two of his sons
are now successfully conducting the shop,
which he built, carrying on the business in
the same reliable, straightforward way which
won their father his enviable reputation as
a man of unimpeachable integrity.
Mr. Gibler was married in 1864, the
lady of his choice being Miss Emma M.
Sneesby, of Waukegan, Illinois. They
have four sons, all living, namely: William
M. and Fred H., who are conducting the
blacksmith shop with which the name of
Gibler has been so long connected; Robert
A., a professional musician; and Jerome H.,
at school. Their home is one of the sub-
stantial and beautiful residences of Free-
port. Mr. Gibler is very fond of fine horses
and finds a means of recreation and pleas-
ure in driving over the country behind his
fine team.
In his political adherence he is a stal-
wart Democrat and for years has taken
an active part in the affairs of the city and
county. He has attended all the conven-
tions of his party and for four years has
served efficiently as one of the county super-
visors, advocating all measures calculated
to advance the public interests and promote
the general welfare. In 1894 he was a del-
egate to the state convention and in 1896
served as a delegate to the senatorial con-
vention of his party.
In 1891 he was made a Mason in Ever-
green Lodge, No. 170, at Freeport, and
244
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
since that time has been one of its active
members. He has progressed rapidly in
the order and has now attained to the
thirty-second degree. Having acceptably
and creditably filled various offices and
labored earnestly in the interests of the or-
ganization, he is regarded as one of the
most reliable and esteemed members of the
fraternity.
Mr. Gibler is a man of fine physique,
large, strong and well proportioned. In
manner he is pleasant and genial, and by all
who know him is regarded as a whole-souled
man of broad sympathy, ever ready to ex-
tend a helping hand to the needy.
HON. VIRGIL STUART FERGUSON,
who has attained to an eminent posi-
tion in the ranks of the legal fraternity in
Sterling and is a recognized leader in politic-
al and professional circles, like many of
his fellow townsmen, is identified with the
Masonic fraternity, which had its origin in
the remote regions of antiquity and has
come down through the passing centuries
inculcating among men purity of life and
nobleness of character. As an Entered
Apprentice he joined Rock River Lodge,
No. 612, of Sterling, passed the Fellow-
craft degree and was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason on the ipth of
October, 1883. In the work of the blue
lodge he has been most active, has passed
all of the chairs and has served for two
terms as Worshipful Master, during which
time the society enjoyed great prosperity
and was in a very flourishing condition. He
took great pride in the work, induced many
leading citizens of Sterling to become mem-
bers of the order and attained great per-
fection in methods of procedure.
He became a Royal Arch Mason in Ster-
ling Chapter, No. 57, on the 7th of May,
1884, and in the chapter has held various
offices, including that of Royal Arch Cap-
tain. He became a Knight Templar in
Sterling Commandery, No. 57, in the same
year, and has filled a number of official
positions therein in a most creditable and
acceptable manner. His zeal for Masonry,
his wide and accurate knowledge of the
craft, which he is ever ready to impart to
his less informed brethren, his acumen, his
diligence, his untiring efforts and the vigi-
lance with which he guards the ancient land-
marks, make him a bright and shining light
in the Masonic world. He is a close and
conscientious student of the teachings and
ethics of Masonry in all its departments, and
being a man of much more than average
ability has brought to his work a high
degree of intelligence.
Mr. Ferguson was born in Bedford,
Lawrence county, Indiana, on the 1 8th of
September, 1 844, and is of Scotch and Eng-
lish ancestry. The first of the family in
America crossed the Atlantic just prior to
the war of the Revolution, and five broth-
ers entered the colonial army to aid in the
attempt to throw off all allegiance to the
British crown. One brother was known to
be killed and another was supposed to have
lost his life in battle. The third located in
New York after the independence of the
nation was achieved, the fourth settled in
Ohio, and the fifth took up his residence in
North Carolina. It is from the southern
branch of the family that Mr. Ferguson, of
this review, is descended. His grandfather,
Stuart Ferguson, was born in North Caro-
lina and emigrating westward became one
of the pioneers of southern Indiana. There
Andrew Stuart Ferguson, father of our sub-
ject, was born, in 1819. He married Miss
Zerelda Brock, a lady of English ancestry
and a native of his own state. In 1849
they came to Illinois and for four years the
father engaged in farming, becoming a large
landowner. He died on the 25th of July,
1891, in the seventy-third year of his age.
His wife still survives him and is now sev-
enty-one years of age. In Scotland the
Fergusons were Covenanters, but after com-
ing to this country became members of the
Presbyterian church, and later branches of
the family have been identified with the
Baptist church. Mr. Ferguson was a man
of uncompromising integrity and unblem-
ished character and his influence for good
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
245
was strongly felt in the communities in
which he made his home. He held various
offices and discharged his duties with a
promptness and fidelity which won him high
commendation.
Virgil S. Ferguson, the eldest of a fam-
ily of four sons and four daughters, was
educated in the public schools, Mount Car-
roll Seminary, the University of Chicago
and the Union College of Law, being grad-
uated at the last named on the 25th of
June, 1868. He at once opened a law of-
fice and began practice in Sterling. He is
one of the most conspicuous figures at the
bar of Whiteside county, for his superior
skill has gained him pre-eminence that only
results from merit. He is most careful and
painstaking in the preparation of cases and
his points of litigation are fortified by au-
thority and precedent which he can quote
most readily. His argument is forcible, his
deductions logical and his eloquence con-
vincing. He is a man of the highest integ-
rity of character and his devotion to his
client's interests is proverbial.
In politics Mr. Ferguson has always been
a stanch Republican, and he has been very
active and efficient in the ranks of his party,
his oratorical powers being of much service
in campaign work. He has served as su-
pervisor for a number of years, has been a
member of the board of education of Ster-
ling for about eighteen years, and in 1891
was elected to the state senate, where he
was one of the most active and influential
members of the assembly for four years.
He served on a number of very important
committees, was chairman of the committee
on penal and reformatory institutions, and
was the author of a bill for the control and
detention of the insane, — a bill which greatly
remodeled the law and improved the condi-
tion of that unfortunate class. He gave to
the question which came up for settlement
before the senate the benefit of a mature
judgment and broad intelligence, and his
course was highly satisfactory to his constit-
uents.
In 1868 Mr. Ferguson was united in
marriage to Miss Annie E. Mickle, a native
of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and a daughter
of John C. Mickle. They have two sons:
Harry T. , who is now city editor of the Ap-
pleton Daily Crescent, of Appleton, Wiscon-
sin; and Virgil Stuart, Jr., who is attending
the public schools of Sterling. They have
a beautiful and commodious home which
stands in the midst of lovely grounds, and
are rated among the best people of the city.
JOHN H. LAFFERTY, who figures as a
prominent dry-goods merchant of the
town of Lanark, Illinois, also enjoys a
high standing as a member of the Masonic
JOHN H. LAFFERTY.
fraternity. He was made a Mason in Cyrus
Lodge, No. 1 88, in 1882, and in the blue
lodge served as Senior Deacon and Junior
and Senior Warden. The following year,
1 883, he became a member of Lanark Chap-
ter, No. 139, the degrees of this organiza-
tion being conferred upon him as follows:
Mark Master and Past Master, January
26; Most Excellent Master and Royal Arch,
February 2. In the chapter he has thrice
246
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
been elected Scribe, and at this writing,
1896, is the incumbent of that office. He
received the Knight Templar degrees in
Freeport Commandery, No. 7, in 1883, and
at the organization of Long Commandery
he became one of its charter members.
Also he has advanced through the degrees
of the Consistory and Mystic Shrine, those
of the former having been given him by
Freeport Valley Consistory in January,
1886, and those of the latter by Medina
Temple at Chicago, Illinois, in 1892.
Mr. Lafferty dates his birth in Potts-
town, Pennsylvania, April 18, 1850, and is
a son of James H. and Catharine (Spatz)
Lafferty. He is next to the oldest in a fam-
ily of seven children, received his early
training in the public schools of his native
town, and when only nine years old secured
a position as cash boy in store. From that
time until the present he has been engaged
in merchandising. He came to Illinois in
1876, locating first at Mt. Carroll, where
he was employed by McKinney & Loveland
for twelve years, and whence he came to
his present location at Lanark. Here he
has been in business for eight years, the
firm style being McKinney Brothers & Laf-
ferty. They have one of the finest dry-
goods establishments in the county, have a
large and substantial trade, and enjoy an en-
viable reputation as business men.
In 1875 was consummated Mr. Laffer-
ty's marriage to Miss Anna M. Pennick, who
is a native of Illinois but who was reared in
the east. They have one child, Charles C.
Their home is one of the handsomest in the
city and they enjoy the esteem of a large
circle of friends. Both Mr. and Mrs. Laf-
ferty are valued members of Ola Chapter,
No. 17, Order of the Eastern Star, and he
is also a Knight of Pythias. In his political
views he harmonizes with the Republican
party.
JAMES DEAL, a contractor and builder
and a prominent and influential citizen
of Peoria, Illinois, has for more than
thirty years been identified with the inter-
ests of this place. His connection with
Masonry has covered a number of years and
has extended to the higher degrees of the
order; and while he has never been active in
Masonic circles or as an officer participated
in the work of the order, he has by his life
exemplified many of its teachings and al-
ways shown a deep interest in its welfare.
He was made a Master Mason in Temple
Lodge, No. 46, Peoria; a Royal Arch Ma-
son in Peoria Chapter, No. 7; a Knight
Templar in Peoria Commandery, No. 3;
and a Royal and Select Master in Peoria
Council, No. 15. November 21, 1883, he
received the degrees of the consistory in
Peoria. Also he was among the number of
Masons at this place who were inducted
into the mysteries of the shrine by Medinah
Temple, of Chicago, that body coming to
Peoria to confer the degrees, and when
Mohammed Temple was instituted his name
was on its list of charter members.
Mr. Deal is a New Englander by birth,
and dates his nativity in Burlington, Ver-
mont, October 11, 1848. In 1856 he ac-
companied his parents and other members
of the family to Illinois, their first settle-
ment being in Aurora, whence in August,
1865, they came to Peoria, and here the
subject of our sketch has ever since main-
tained his home. In Peoria he learned the
trade of carpenter, and in 1878 he began
contracting, in which he has ever since been
engaged, carrying on extensive operations.
Among the buildings erected by him are the
State Normal University at Carbondale
after the original building was burned in
1885; the county buildings at Carthage,
Hancock county, Illinois; the insane depart-
ment of the Peoria county infirmary; the
National Hotel, the wood-work on the
Woolner building and the Van Martin and
Watson blocks, the first three stories of the
Magoria building, Central Iowa Elevator,
Christian church and Grace Presbyterian
church, — all in Peoria; all the buildings in
the old state fair grounds and an elevator
and mill in Chicago for the North Chicago
Street Railway Company, besides many
other buildings too numerous to mention.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
247
Mr. Deal was married in 1869 to Miss
Fannie Benson, whose life was happily
blended with his until August 10, 1886,
when she fell a victim to the Chatsworth
railroad disaster. Besides her husband she
left a son and daughter to mourn their sad
loss. April 5, 1887, he was united in mar-
riage to his present wife, nee Mollie Harsch.
Mr. Deal and his family are attendants
upon worship at Grace Presbyterian church,
of which they are consistent members, and
both in religious and educational matters he
has always shown himself deeply interested.
Since 1882 he has been a member of the
Peoria Board of Education.
WILLIAM HANNA.— The clear light
of truth illumines the character of
each individual as he approaches nearer
and nearer the high ideal that marks the
symbolic path of the ancient order of Free-
masonry. For over thirty years Mr. Hanna
has followed the path leading to universal
brotherly love, and has become thoroughly
imbued with the beauties concealed within
the inner circle of the fraternity. He re-
ceived his initial degrees at Rockville, Ala-
bama, in the camp of the Sixty-sixth Illi-
nois Infantry, the Masons of that gallant
regiment having obtained a special dispensa-
tion from the Grand Lodge of Illinois. A
little hut of logs was built for a temporary
lodge room, and there, in 1862, Mr. Hanna
received the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son. After the close of the war he went to
Camp Point, Illinois, and became affiliated
with the lodge there. In 1866 he came to
Golden, and was elected a member of La
Prairie Lodge, No. 267, which, in 1896, was
moved to Golden and given a most desira-
ble Masonic hall, especially built for them
by the brethren of this city. In 1864 Mr.
Hanna was exalted to the Royal Arch de-
gree in Quincy Chapter, No. 105, and was
created a Sir Knight in Delta Commandery,
No. 48, in 1877. Since his admission to
these bodies our brother has been an active
representative Mason, serving in his com-
mandery as Captain General and Eminent
Commander, and in the latter capacity
proved himself to be a talented and effi-
cient officer, his military experience during
the Civil war making him a valuable drill
master, which he made use of by bringing
his commandery to a state of perfection in
drilling that is second to no other similar
body in the state. He is just as faithful in
his loyalty to the other bodies of the order,
in which he holds the high consideration of
his fellow Masons.
Mr. Hanna is of Scotch-Irish descent
and was born in Lexington, Indiana, on
January 23, 1833. While yet a child he
was deprived of his parents by death, which,
as he had neither brother nor sister, left
him entirely alone in the world. Compelled
thus early in life to rely upon his own efforts,
as soon as he was able to earn anything he
began life as a chore-boy on a farm, picking
up a little education at odd times as the op-
portunity presented itself, and thus, by his
unaided efforts, backed by perseverance and
honesty of purpose, he has struggled through
adversity, overcome all intervening obstacles
and has attained to the summit of human
ambition — a successful man and a respected
citizen, honored by all who know him.
When that great calamity, the Civil war,
was forced upon the country, Mr. Hanna
answered President Lincoln's call for volun-
teers to assist in preserving the Union, and
on September 12, 1861, he became enrolled
as a private in Company E, Fiftieth Illinois
Regiment, and before leaving camp at Quincy
was commissioned captain of the company,
with which he went to the front and partici-
pated in all its engagements with the valor
of a true soldier. At the battle of Altoona
he received a gunshot wound in the groin,
necessitating his retirement, a furlough for
ninety days being granted him. In 1862,
for meritorious conduct on the field of bat-
tle, Mr. Hanna was commissioned major of
the Fiftieth Regiment, and in 1864 was pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel,
serving in that capacity until the close of
the war, when victory perched itself upon
the banners of the Union army. Colonel
Hanna's military record is one he may well
248
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
be proud of, and which will go down to pos-
terity as a glorious example of one who
knew no fear in the face of death and whose
career will continue to illumine the pages
of history with undimmed splendor for ages
to come. Notwithstanding the fact that
thirty-six years have elapsed since he first
enlisted, the Colonel's bearing is still that of
a soldier, and his eye is as keen and his step
as light as the time he fought for the stars
and stripes.
After hostilities had ceased and white-
winged peace once more reigned throughout
the land, Colonel Hanna returned to Illinois
and engaged in business at Camp Point, re-
maining there one year and then moving to
Golden, where since 1866 he has conducted
successfully a general merchandise estab-
lishment; and for over thirty years his busi-
ness methods have been such that he has
commanded his share of the trade in this
city, and to-day occupies a place in the front
rank of the prominent and progressive mer-
chants in Adams county, content in the en-
joyment of the high esteem and friendly
wishes of his fellow men.
In 1860 Mr. Hanna consummated his
marriage with Miss Mary Roth, of Camp
Point. She died in 1866, and in 1870 our
subject married Urith Johnson, of Colum-
bus, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Hannaarenow
gracefully spending their latter days in a
charming home, where they frequently dis-
pense a cordial hospitality to their numer-
ous friends. The Colonel and his estimable
wife are both valued members of Prairie
Queen Chapter, No. 75, Order of the East-
ern Star, of which Mrs. Hanna has for the
second time served as Worthy Matron. Mr.
Hanna is a stanch Republican, and is an
active member of the Grand Army of the
Republic.
i ICHARD S. ALLEN.— When life lies
JfSi. before the young man he starts out
hopefully and zealously to fight its battles,
confident of victory and success, but, alas!
many fail of achieving this end. Disasters,
unlooked-for trials, hardships and opposi-
tion arise to block his progress and his
courage and energy fail. To the one of
perseverance, resolute purpose and careful
but unyielding deliberation, however, these
hindrances seern but to prove an impetus for
renewed effort and he presses on undeterred
by all obstacles until the desired goal is
reached. To the latter class belongs the
subject of this review. His life has been
one of honest toil, which ultimately has
been crowned with prosperity. He has
justly won the proud American title of a
self-made man and now is permitted to
spend his declining years in an honorable
retirement from all labor.
Richard S. Allen well deserves the re-
gard in which he is held by all who know
him. A native of England, he was born
on the 28th of November, 1833, and at-
tended the public schools near his home
until his eighth year. It was a meager
preparation for a life work, but his few
opportunities developed in him a self-reli-
ance and native manliness which are hard
to combat. He secured employment at
various kinds of labor that would yield him
a living and later was apprenticed to the
tailor's trade, which he thoroughly mas-
tered, becoming a most proficient workman.
In 1849 he bade adieu to the land of his
birth and sought a home in America, believ-
ing that in the livelier competition and by
methods of the new world he might more
rapidly advance on the road to prosperity.
Mr. Allen took up his residence in Rock-
ford and as a cutter entered the employ of
George R. Atkinson, with whom he re-
mained for twelve years. He was regarded
as the best workman in his line, his gar-
ments always being well made, stylish and
unsurpassed as to fit. He began business
on his own account and many of his former
business acquaintances became his patrons
and many others brought to him their trade.
His patronage steadily increased and with
the passing years he added to the compe-
tence which he was acquiring until at length
it enabled him to lay aside all business cares
and labors. His home, one of the finest
residences in the city, stands as a monu-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
249
ment to his enterprise and industry. In
1893 he withdrew from commercial circles
and with his wife is enjoying the comforts
of home life and social pleasures among his
many friends.
Mr. Allen was married on the 22d of
July, 1857, the lady of his choice being
Miss Clarissa Jane Woodworth, a native of
Canada and a daughter of Gresham Wood-
worth. Three children were born to them,
but two died in infancy, the surviving son
being Frank I. Allen. Mrs. Allen belongs
to the Baptist church and is a lady most
highly esteemed for her many excellent
qualities. Mr. Allen belongs to the Ancient
Order of United Workmen and for almost
a third of a century has been numbered
among the representatives of Masonry here.
In 1864 he took the degrees of Entered
Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason
in Rockford Lodge, No. 102, with which he
has since affiliated. For forty-seven years
he has been identified with the business and
social interests of the Forest City, and his
private life and public career are alike above
reproach.
JOHN BATSCHY, one of the capableand
well-known architects of Quincy and a
thirty-second-degree Mason, took his ini-
tial degrees in Bodley Lodge, No. i, and was
raised to the degree of Master Mason No-
vember 4, 1889. He was exalted to the
degrees of capitular Masonry in Quincy
Chapter, No. 5, R. A. M., September 25,
1890; received the degrees of Royal and Se-
lect Masters in Quincy Council, No. 15, on
March 5, 1891; was constituted a Sir
Knight in El Aksa Commandery, No. 55, on
November 13, 1890, in which he has held
all the chairs up to and including that of
Junior Warden, being elected to the latter
in 1897; and has attained the ineffable de-
grees of the Scottish Rite as follows:
Quincy Grand Lodge of Perfection, four-
teenth degree; Quincy Council of Princes
of Jerusalem, sixteenth degree; Quincy
Chapter of the Rose Croix, eighteenth de-
gree, De H. R. D. M. ; and Quincy Consis-
tory, thirty-second degree, Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret, receiving the latter
May 8, 1890. In his lodge relations he has
proved himself to be in every way an ac-
ceptable, well informed, and a worthy
brother.
Mr. Batschy is a native of Switzerland,
having been born at Filisur March 8, 1855.
He was educated in his own country and
there acquired a thorough knowledge of
architecture. He subsequently came to
the United States and in 1884 located in
Illinois. Two years later he moved to
Quincy and has since continued in his pro-
fession, meeting with unqualified success
and building up a large and lucrative busi-
ness. He has designed many of the best
buildings that adorn the beautiful Gem
City, which will long stand as monuments
to his skill and genius.
Our subject was married in 1891 to Miss
Louisa Schoeneman, a daughter of John
Schoeneman, of Quincy. They are the
parents of one son, whom they have named
John Martin. Mr. and Mrs. Batschy are
valued members of the Congregational
church. They have a delightful home and
enjoy the high esteem of a large circle of
friends. Politically Mr. Batschy is a Re-
publican. He is a gentleman of merit and
ability and possesses the highest integrity
of character.
JM. NELLES, M. D.— The Canton (Illi-
nois) list of Masons who have climbed
the Masonic ladder to the Knight Tem-
plar round would be incomplete did it not
contain the name which graces this brief
sketch — James Melvin Nelles — one of the
prominent physicians of Canton.
Dr. Nelles gained his first insight into
Masonry in Montreal, Canada, in 1873. In
the spring of that year he was elected to
receive the degrees in Zetland Lodge, No.
21, was initiated by it May 8, passed June
12, and raised October 9, and since residing
in Canton, for a period of nearly twenty
years, has affiliated with Morning Star
Lodge, of this place. He received the de-
250
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
grees which made him a Royal Arch Mason
in Canton Chapter, No. 68, in which he
still maintains membership, and his Knight
Templar membership is in Damascus Com-
mandery at Havana, Illinois, where he re-
ceived the degrees of this branch of the
order.
Dr. Nelles is a native of Brantford, On-
tario, Canada, and dates his birth November
21, 1850. He was educated at McGill Uni-
versity, graduating in the medical depart-
ment in 1875, and immediately after his
graduation entered upon the practice of his
profession in the city of Chicago, where he
lived for two years. From Chicago he
came in 1877 to Canton, and here he has
conducted a successful practice, winning
and retaining the confidence and good will
of the citizens of the town and surrounding
country, and enjoying that popularity which
is due him both in professional and fraternal
circles.
L F. SCHOCH, one of the most
-/*3L prominent and influential business
men of Ottawa, the vice-president of the Na-
tional City Bank, is numbered among the
representatives of Masonry in Illinois. From
that far distant time wherein the first of the
craft established its immortal basic princi-
ples down to the present day, one may
read in history of the humanizing and lib-
eralizing tendencies of our great association,
ever taking sides with the foremost cham-
pions of human rights in every clime and
land, and at the same time lifting up its
mighty potentiality for law and order and
peace. Liberty and justice, guided by con-
servative law, have been promoted and up-
held in every country and in every century
by the ancient and most honorable fratern-
ity of Free and Accepted Masons. It is
this that draws to its ranks the practical
business man and faithful citizens of this
latter age and wins their firm allegiance to
its principles. Mr. Schoch is a blue-lodge,
chapter and commandery Mason. He took
the three fundamental degrees of Entered
Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason
in Humboldt Lodge, No. 555, andhassince
maintained his connection therewith, hav-
ing served for three terms as its Worshipful
Master. He took the capitular degrees in
Shabbona Chapter, No. 37, being exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason, and
became identified with chivalric Masonry
in Ottawa Commandery, No. 10, in which
he took the degrees of the Red Cross,
Knight Templar and Knight of Malta. For
two terms he served as its Eminent Com-
mander, and was also Worthy Patron of
Mary E. Chapter, No. 270, Order of the
Eastern Star, for two terms.
Mr. Schoch is one of the native sons of
Ottawa, born on the i8th of December,
1857. He completed his literary education
in the high school of Ottawa, and afterward
spent two years in the Ottawa postoffice as
delivery clerk. In August, 1875, he entered
the National City Bank as a messenger boy
and has filled every intermediate position
up to that of vice-president, rising succes-
sively, step by step, until he occupies the
second highest place in one of the strongest
and most reliable banks in northern Illinois.
He was promoted to this position in July,
1890, and has for more than a decade been
an important factor in the development and
the prosperity of the institution. In those
interests which tend to benefit the city and
promote the public welfare, Mr. Schoch is
deeply and actively interested, and his pro-
gressive, enterprising spirit has been a
marked potentiality in the substantial growth
and improvement of Ottawa. In the spring
of 1891 he was elected mayor of the city,
and on the expiration of the two-years term
was re-elected, serving for four years. For
two years he served as city treasurer, was a
member of the school board for six years,
and on resigning that office was made town-
ship school treasurer. His public service,
marked by the utmost fidelity to duty, has
been most acceptable to his fellow towns-
men. He has also been the promoter of
various business enterprises, and in this way
has added to the general prosperity as well
as to his individual success.
Socially Mr. Schoch is identified with
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
251
the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
Mystic Circle, Knights of the Globe, and
Legion of Honor. He was married in De-
cember, 1879, to Miss Mina Wolf, by whom
he has three daughters — Carrie, Lulu and
Esther.
m VERNON HART, of Freeport, is a
J$JL thirty-second-degree Mason and one
of the esteemed and valued members of that
honored fraternity in Illinois. He is now
the Worshipful Master of Excelsior Lodge,
and as the head of this organization is con-
stantly striving to make its name the key-
note of the society, that it may advance
higher and higher toward perfection in work
and in those benevolent and beneficial prin-
ciples which underlie the order. He was
made a Mason in 1884, in Moses R. Thomp-
son Lodge, of Freeport, which was after-
ward consolidated with Excelsior Lodge. He
has from the first taken a deep interest in
the work of the order and has passed
through all the degrees of Royal Arch,
Commandery, Council, Consistory and Mys-
tic Shrine, having thus attained to the
thirty-second degree. Masonry long ante-
dates the Christian era; its principles have
been those which have awakened respect and
admiration through all ages; and, recogniz-
ing the universal brotherhood of mankind,
with a sympathy that is as broad as the
globe, its representatives to-day still stand
for the inculcation of that beneficence which
extends the hand of kindly aid to all.
Mr. Hart is not only a leader in Masonic
circles in Freeport, but is recognized as one
of its most prominent business men, and
moreover he is a native son of the city — a
representative of an honored pioneer family
that has been connected with Stephenson
county since the days of its early develop-
ment. His parents, Albert W. and Mary
(Munn) Hart, were descended from New
England ancestry, the former born in New
York, the latter in Vermont. They came
to Freeport before the era of railroads in
this state, which now numbers more miles
than any other state in the Union, and for
many years the father was actively inter-
ested in business affairs which not only ad-
vanced his individual prosperity, but also
promoted the material welfare of the com-
munity. He was for some time a contrac-
tor and builder, and later engaged in mer-
chandising, but is now living retired, enjoy-
ing a rest which he richly deserves. He
and his wife have long been faithful mem-
bers of the Methodist church. They had
three daughters and a son.
The latter is the subject of this review.
A. Vernon Hart was educated in the schools
of Freeport, completed the course in the
high school of the city and afterward served
a ten-years apprenticeship to the jeweler's
trade. Having thoroughly mastered the
business in its various departments, he
opened an establishment of his own in 1891 ,
and now the name of A. Vernon Hart hangs
over the door of the largest and finest
jewelry store in Freeport to indicate his
proprietorship. His close application to his
business and his thorough integrity in his
methods have brought him rapidly to the
front rank in commercial matters in his
native city. He is also a professional opti-
cian and takes special interest in this de-
partment of his work. His store is located
at No. 98 Stephenson street, and from the
public he receives a liberal and lucrative
patronage, for he has established a reputa-
tion for reliable dealing that has gained him
the public confidence.
The home life of Mr. Hart is most pleas-
ant. He was married on the 25th of Sep-
tember, 1888, to Miss Emma J. Long, a
native of Freeport, and they now have a
bright and interesting little daughter, Lola
Claire. Our subject and his wife are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian church, and in
politics he is a stanch Republican. Their
home is a favorite resort with a large circle
of friends and is noted for its warm hospi-
tality which rivals that of the south.
/TMJSTAVE A. BAUMAN, who has at-
^yp tained to the thirty-second degree in
the fraternity, is one of the substantial citi-
zens of Quincy, where he took the degrees in
252
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Lambert Lodge, No. 659, A. F. & A. M.,
as follows: Entered Apprentice February
i, 1892, passed March 21, and raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason April 4,
1892. He received the capitular degrees
in Quincy Chapter, R. A. M.,on December
13, 1892, and in 1897 nekl the office of
Treasurer. January 14, 1893, he was made
a Royal and Select Master in Quincy Coun-
cil, No. I 5 ; was constituted a Sir Knight in
El Aksa Commandery, No. 55, on January
i, 1893, and has been the Recorder of that
body for three terms; and he attained to the
ineffable lodge of perfection in Quincy Con-
sistory, receiving the degrees up to and in-
cluding the thirty-second, the latter being
conferred upon him May 10, 1894.
Mr. Bauman was born in Herman, Mis-
souri, December 14, 1857, and is the son of
Engel and Louise (Danzeisen) Bauman, the
former of whom was of Swiss and German
ancestry, and was born in Switzerland in
1825, coming to this country about 1840.
He acquired his education in the public
schools, and subsequently established a meat
market in Quincy, which he conducted for
many years, but has now, at the age of
seventy-two years, retired from active busi-
ness. Our subject attended the common
schools of Herman, Missouri, and later en-
gaged in the meat-market business with his
father. In 1885 he accepted the position
of cashier of the Quincy Savings & Loan
Office at Quincy, a position which he has
filled in an efficient and satisfactory manner
for the past twelve years. Mr. Bauman is
a business man of ability, possessing ster-
ling qualities of character, and is highly
spoken of by his fellow citizens as well as
by the members of his fraternity.
The marriage of Mr. Bauman to Miss
Augusta L. Frendenstein, of St. Louis, Mis-
souri, was celebrated March 26, 1890. Of
this union three children have been born:
Eugenia L. , William G., and Gustave
A., Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Bauman are valued mem-
bers of the Congregational Church. Politi-
cally our subject is a Democrat in national
affairs, but in local matters is independent,
voting for the man whom he considers most
worthy of holding office. He is treasurer of
the Quincy Boulevard & Park Association,
and ever holds himself ready to do any-
thing in his power to promote the best in-
terests of the city of Quincy.
CHRISTIAN SCHOETTLER.—
' It has been and always will be the sub-
lime duty of Freemasonry to wage continual
warfare against all that seeks to lower
the standard of manhood and drag the em-
blem of truth and charity in the mire of
vice and corruption. Loyal men are they
who enroll themselves under its banner and
consecrate their lives to the uplifting of
humanity, and to earnest endeavors in that
direction the world is so much indebted.
Christian Schoettler is a Sir Knight Temp-
lar and one of the oldest Masons residing
in Princeton, Illinois. He was made a
member of the brotherhood in Ames Lodge,
No. 142, and was raised to the sublime de-
degree of Master Mason in October, 1856.
He served this lodge as its Tyler and Junior
Deacon, and was dimitted from it in 1861
in order to join Wyanet Lodge, in Bureau
county, in which he held the offices of Junior
Warden, Senior Warden, Junior Deacon
and Senior Deacon, and was for several
years its Master. In 1877 he was demitted
from Wyanet Lodge and became affiliated
with Bureau Lodge, No. 112, at Princeton,
of which he has since been a faithful mem-
ber. In 1 866 he was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Princeton
Chapter, No. 28, and in 1890 was made a
Royal and Select Master in Orion Council,
No. 8. In the same year he was created a
Sir Knight in Temple Commandery, No.
2O, Knights Templar. Mr. Schoettler is an
ardent believer and follower of the teach-
ings of Freemasonry, has been a faithful
and well posted member of the fraternity,
and has exhibited a great degree of zeal in
the workings of the order. He is a brother
in high standing and enjoys the good will
and confidence of his fellow members.
Mr. Schoettler is of German ancestry,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
253
born in Prussia December 23, 1822, and his
early education was received in the public
schools of his native land. His father died
in 1832, and two years later his mother and
her five children — three daughters and two
sons — came to the United States and located
in Pennsylvania, where they remained until
1835, when they moved to Ohio, and after
staying there until 1847 came to Illinois,
settling in Bureau county. Early in life
the subject of this sketch worked at farm-
ing but subsequently became a gunsmith, in
connection with which he conducted a re-
pair shop. In politics he is an independ-
ent Democrat, and in 1889 held the office
of township collector.
In 1847 Mr. Schoettler was united in
marriage to Miss Nofaer, a native of Bavaria,
and they had five children, four of whom
survive: Mary, who married J. C. Gurgen-
rich, and resides in McLean county, Illinois;
Effie, who became the wife of J. Schen-
dell, and they live in Princeton; Helen is
the widow of C. Eresmem, and they reside in
Lincoln, Nebraska; and Albert C. is a sales-
man in Chicago. Mrs. Schoettler died in
1879, and the subject of this sketch after-
ward married Miss Nellie Smallie, who was
born in Ireland.
Mr. and Mrs. Schoettler have a pleasant
home in Princeton, where he does a thriv-
ing business and where he is well known as
a man of integrity and reliability.
©LIVER PERRY WRIGHT, an esteemed
member of the Masonic fraternity of
Freeport, and a stockholder and secretary
of the Henney Buggy Company, has been
connected with this business as employe and
partner since 1876, and is widely and fav-
orably known in commercial circles. A
native son of Stephenson county, he was
born April 5, 1855, and is of English and
Welsh extractions, the earliest American
ancestors having belonged to the Society of
Friends, who were among the pioneers of
Philadelphia. The towns of Columbia and
Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, were named by
and in honor of the family, and various rep-
is
resentatives of the name were prominent in
the early history of the Keystone state.
John Wright, the father of our subject,
was born in Union county, Pennsylvania,
and after attaining to years of maturity mar-
ried Margaret Ewing. By occupation he
was a farmer, and in 1844 he came with
a colony of twenty-eight families to Illinois
and was one of the sturdy pioneers of Ste-
phenson county. They made the journey
in wagons and entered land from the gov-
ernment on the then unimproved prairie.
The date of their arrival was July 4, 1844,
and on that Independence day of the nation
they began to make their homes on which
they continued to reside throughout the re-
mainder of their lives. The value of the
work performed by these heroic pioneers,
254
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
and the realization of their toils and sacrifi-
ces, are not generally understood or appre-
ciated long after they have passed away.
Those of Illinois' sons and daughters of
to-day, who are living in affluence in the
homes established by pioneer parents, do
not, neither can they, realize the many ob-
stacles and difficulties which those early set-
tlers had to meet. To feel gratitude for and
to honor the pioneer is no less a duty than
to do the same for the heroes of the Revolu-
tionary war, for the former made it possible
for states, empires in themselves, with in-
creasing millions of population to enjoy the
principles of liberty and government which
the latter struggled for years to found. The
parents of our subject were members of the
Presbyterian church and were honest, indus-
trious people, in every way worthy settlers
of this now great state of Illinois. The fa-
ther departed this life in 1889, at the age of
sixty-four years. His wife died in her twen-
ty-eighth year, leaving two children, of
whom Oliver is the younger. There was
also one child by the father's second mar-
riage.
In his native county Oliver Perry Wright
was educated, pursuing his studies in the
country school-house in the midst of the
woods. He worked on the home farm, as-
sisting his father, until he had attained his
majority, when, preferring a trade to agri-
cultural pursuits, he entered the employ of
John W. Henney, who was engaged in the
manufacture of buggies in Cedarville, Illi-
nois. This was in 1876, and from that time
he has been continuously connected with the
business. He began to learn the trade, and
so thoroughly and steadily did he apply him-
self that he soon mastered the business.
His relations with Mr. Henney became still
closer through their marriage to sisters.
Their energies were combined, they worked
toward a common interest, and so judiciously
and carefully have their efforts been con-
ducted that they to-day stand at the head
of their especial industry in this section of
the state, and their establishment equals
that of many larger cities. They have rea-
son to look with pride upon their labors,
and Freeport gladly numbers them among
her adopted sons. They came to this city
in 1880, and on the incorporation of the
Henney Buggy Company two years later,
Mr. Wright was elected secretary, a posi-
tion which he has since ably filled. He is
sagacious and farsighted and is quick to see
and take advantage of opportunities; he is
resolute and persevering and surmounts all
difficulties that he cannot thrust from his
path; above all he has the strictest regard
for business ethics, and this has greatly won
the enviable reputation which his house
bears for thorough reliability.
May 28, 1879, Mr. Wright was united in
marriage to Miss Louisa R. Bennethum, and
they have two children, — John W. and
Sarah Bethel. Like her sister, Mrs. Hen-
ney, Mrs. Wright is a valued member of the
Presbyterian church. Mr. Wright was made
a Mason in 1886 and has since progressed
in the order until he is now a Knight of the
Commandery. In politics he adheres to the
principles of Republicanism and takes an
active part in the affairs of the city. He
has thrice been elected alderman, and in
1 895 was the candidate of his party for mayor
and was defeated by only fifty-four votes.
He is a citizen of the highest probity of char-
acter, is very highly spoken of by the men
in the manufactory and richly merits the es-
teem in which he is held by his fellow
townsmen.
fARVEY M. HENDERSON.— The sub-
JHL ject of this review has attained a posi-
tion of no inconsiderable prominence as a
financier and manufacturer, but he has not
rounded up his life in the sordid matters of
pecuniary acquisition, having found pleasure,
satisfaction and profit in his association with
the great fraternal order whose history traces
far away down the dim and misty aisles of
the remote past.
Mr. Henderson's identification with the
Masonic order dates back to the year 1889,
within which he passed the degrees of the
blue lodge, chapter and council, at Salem,
Indiana, which figures as the place of his
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
255
nativity. He was initiated in Salem Lodge,
No. 21, A. F. & A. M., and upon his re-
moval to Chicago transferred his member-
ship to Covenant Lodge, No. 526, and was
also dimitted from his original chapter, and
is now enrolled as a member of Englewood
Chapter, No. 176. In the chapter he has
held official preferment as Scribe. He still
retains his membership in Salem Council.
Mr. Henderson was knighted in New Albany
Commandery, No. 5, Knights Templar, at
New Albany, Indiana, in the year 1890,
withdrawing from the same to become a
member of Englewood Commandery, No.
59. His advancement in Masonic craftsman-
ship was rapid, as is evidenced in the fact
that within the year 1890 it became his
privilege to receive the initial degrees of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, at In-
dianapolis, Indiana, where he still retains
his affiliation, having passed the thirty-sec-
ond degree. A successful pilgrimage across
the sands of the desert enables Mr. Hender-
son to claim title as a Noble of Murat Tem-
ple of the Mystic Shrine, in Indianapolis,
Indiana. He maintains a lively interest in
Masonic affairs and enjoys a marked popu-
larity in the fraternity. He is also a mem-
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows and the Improved Order of Red Men.
At Salem, Indiana, in the month of
March. 1859, occurred the birth of Harvey
M. Henderson, and there he was reared and
educated. After attaining to manhood he
engaged in the drug business, with which
line of enterprise he was identified until
1 889, when he organized the Citizens' Bank
at Salem, and has ever since been the chief
executive officer of this institution, which is
recognized as one of the solid and reliable
monetary concerns of the state, its business
being conducted upon careful and conserva-
tive principles and conducted upon those
policies of utmost fidelity and integrity which
ever gain and retain public confidence and
insure a concomitant success. He was twice
elected and served two terms in the city
council from the third ward, discharging
every duty faithfully.
In 1 892 Mr. Henderson removed with
his family to Chicago, where he has impor-
tant capitalistic interests in manufacturing
and other lines. He is still conducting his
banking business at Salem, and his well
directed management of his affairs has
brought to him a due measure of success.
In the year 1883 was consummated the
marriage of Mr. Henderson to Miss Lizzie
Lyon, of Salem, Indiana, and to this union
three children have been born, only one of
whom, Harvey Uawson, survives.
HENRY B. CHANDLER.— As an ex-
emplar of the exalted principles of
Freemasonry and as one who has attained
prominence in this and other fraternities,
consideration may be most consistently ac-
corded Mr. Chandler in this connection.
Since the year 1886 he has held the impor-
tant preferment as Grand Secretary of the
Royal Arcanum, with headquarters in Chi-
cago, and in this city are his various frater-
nal associations maintained, while his iden-
tification with the business interests of the
western metropolis date back nearly forty
years.
A native of the old Green Mountain
state, Henry Bradford Chandler was born
at Lunenburg, Vermont, on the I2th of
March, 1840, being the son of John and
Nancy (Whipple) Chandler, representatives
of prominent old families of New England.
After having received the advantages of a
common-school education Mr. Chandler
turned his face westward in seeking a field
of endeavor, and in October, 1857, he ar-
rived in Chicago, where he secured a posi-
tion as clerk in the flour and feed store of
Chandler & Baker, the senior member of
the firm being his brother. He retained this
incumbency until 1860, when he went on a
prospecting tour to Pike's Peak, Colorado,
where he remained until the fall of the suc-
ceeding year, when he returned to Chicago
and associated himself with his brother, C.
R. Chandler, in the general commission
business, with which enterprise he was iden-
tified until a higher duty called him from
the pursuits of peace to the fields where
256
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
waged a desperate conflict which ultimately
preserved the integrity of the nation. On
the 22d of July, 1862, he enlisted as a
member of the Board of Trade Battery,
with which he proceeded to the front, being
assigned with his command to the Army of
the Cumberland, in which he rendered loyal
service until the close of the war of the Re-
bellion, receiving his discharge June 30,
1865, and being mustered out as sergeant of
his company.
For a full decade after his return from
the service Mr. Chandler was employed as
a commercial traveler, his territory cover-
ing Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.
He was for several years the traveling rep-
resentative of the Union Knife Company,
of Naugatuck, Connecticut.
On the I 3th of April, 1886, Mr. Chandler
was elected Grand Secretary of the Royal
Arcanum for Illinois, which position he has
since retained consecutively. His head-
quarters are in Chicago, and the duties of
this office demand a very considerable por-
tion of his time and attention. Our sub-
ject's identification with the Masonic order
dates back to the year i 866. On the 5th
of January, of that year, his petition was
presented to Star in the East Lodge, No.
1 66, A. F. & A. M.. of Rockford, Illinois,
his election was consummated on the 2d of
the succeeding month, and on the 3d he
became an Entered Apprentice in said lodge,
receiving the Fellow-craft degree on the 2d
of March, and being raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason on the 2Oth of
April. On the 2;th of September, 1882,
Mr. Chandler secured a dimit from Star in
the East Lodge, and thereupon became a
member of Hesperia Lodge, No. 411, of
Chicago, with which he has ever since affil-
iated. In December, 1885, he was made
Secretary of this lodge, and has continu-
ously served in this capacity up to the pres-
ent time, — a fact indicative not only of his
personal popularity in the fraternity, but of
his efficiency and interest. Mr. Chandler
has passed the Royal Arch degrees in Wash-
ington Chapter, No. 43, while the distinc-
tion of knighthood was conferred upon him
in Chicago Commandery, No. 19, with which
he is still identified. He became a member
of the Royal Arcanum on the 22d of Janu-
ary, 1880, and in this order has served as
Trustee, Vice-Regent and Regent, having
held the last mentioned office for two terms.
He is a member of George H. Thomas Post,
No. 5, Grand Army of the Republic; is a
charter member of Alpha Council, No. i,
Royal League, and a charter member of
Continental Council, No. 55, National
Union, while still further fraternal relations
are implied in his identification with Pinzon
Lodge, No. i , Columbian Knights, and with
Jeptha Chapter of the Eastern Star, of
which Mrs. Chandler also is a member. In
his political adherency he lends an unswerv-
ing allegiance to the Republican party.
On the 2d of May, 1 867, was solem-
nized the marriage of Mr. Chandler to Miss
Eunice Sherman, of Newton, Massachusetts,
and they are the parents of two daughters:
Flora May, who is the wife of Frank H.
Hall, of Chicago; and Jennie Frances.
GEORGE MERITT ILLINGWORTH,
M. D. — It is the sacred duty of every
generation to preserve a faithful memorial
of the character and conduct of its distin-
guished men. The maxims, motives and
destinies of prominent men, as exemplified
from age to age in the moral drama of our
race, constitute the elements of historic
philosophy and impart to the annals of man-
kind their own practical utility. The life
of every individual exerts an influence, more
or less strongly felt, upon those around him,
and the career of the prominent citizen is
studied by those with whom he comes in
contact, and by coming generations, through
the medium of history, furnishing its lessons
of incentive and inspiration. He who has
achieved some work that results for the
benefit of his fellow men becomes an ex-
ample to others and merits the gratitude of
his generation for the good he has done.
Dr. Illingworth is recognized as one of the
most progressive men in the fields of medi-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
257
cal practice and has carried his investiga-
tion far and wide into this occult science.
He is a leader in its advancement, and his
discovery of truths and application of them
to the physical needs of humanity have
gained him a reputation that place him in
the front rank among Chicago's physicians.
The Doctor was born in New York on
the 28th of January, 1845, and during his
infancy was taken by his parents to Wiscon-
sin, where he was reared and acquired his
primary education. Becoming interested
in the science of medicine and wishing to
make its practice his life work, he entered
the medical department of the Northwestern
University, where on the completion of the
prescribed course he was graduated in 1874.
He at once entered upon active practice and
from the beginning has been successful. In
1878 he went abroad and spent that and the
following year in studying in the best uni-s
versities of the old world, thus further
qualifying himself for his profession. He
has ever striven to reach the goal of perfec-
tion and has spared neither labor nor expense
that he might advance and give to his pa-
trons the benefit of the most improved
methods and practice. He has introduced
the use of electricity into his practice, with
the most gratifying results, and his exhaust-
ive study and experiments along this line
have enabled him to introduce methods
hitherto unknown with excellent success.
His patronage is large and lucrative, and
well indicates the confidence of the public
in his superior ability. He is also greatly
interested in dentistry and conducts the
Elite Dental Parlors, carried on by skillful
operators. Down to the modern ages the
science of dentistry was unknown, and
since its introduction it has made marvelous
strides. Although he does not himself en-
gage in the active work of the profession,
Dr. Illingworth has studied closely into its
needs and requirements, and has been a
leader in its improvement. He has ad-
vanced a method of treating sensitive teeth
that is unexcelled and has gained for him a
most enviable reputation. His business is
extensive, and the prosperity that has come
to him is a just reward of earnest labor,
deep investigation and superior ability.
That the Doctor deserves mention in the
Masonic history of Illinois comes through
his honorable connection with several
branches of the fraternity. He was made
a member of the order in Hiram Lodge, of
Madison, Wisconsin, and was exalted to the
sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason in the
same city, while in Apollo Commandery of
Chicago he took the Knight Templar degree
on the Qth of September, 1886.
Politically the Doctor has been an ar-
dent Republican and a zealous worker in its
ranks, but has ever held principle paramount
to party, and he is a man who does his own
thinking and he wears no man's collar, but
is ever ready to espouse the cause of what
his own judgment indicates to be right, and
in the present campaign is an earnest advo-
cate, with multitudes of his former political
coworkers, of bimetalism in the ratio of
sixteen to one.
JC. BENCH, the efficient and capable
Secretary of the blue lodge, chapter and
commandery at Galena, is a native son
of that city, born October 8, 1851. He
was made a Mason on the 2ist of October,
1879, in Miners' Lodge, No. 273, at Ga-
lena; in 1880 was elected Junior Deacon; in
1 88 1 Senior Deacon; in 1882 Junior War-
den; in 1883 Senior Warden, and was re-
elected to the last named office the follow-
ing year. In 1885 he was elected Worship-
ful Master, and in 1886 re-elected to that
office, and in 1892 Senior Deacon; became
a Royal Arch Mason in 1 893 ; in 1 894 was
elected Secretary of the Chapter, an office
to which he has been annually re-elected
ever since. In the same year, 1893, he
also became a Sir Knight Templar, and the
next year was elected Recorder of the Com-
mandery, an office which he has ever since
held by annual re-election. This is a fine
Masonic record, as a testimonial to Mr.
Bench's intelligence, responsibility and
fidelity.
Mr. Bench's father, Cajeton Bench, was
258
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
born in 1828, in Bertholdsdorf, Germany,
learned the blacksmith's trade, came to the
United States in 1 848, spent a short time in
New York city, and in 1851 came on
through Chicago to Galena, where he re-
sided until his death, October 21, 1894.
He was a respected tradesman; in politics
was a Democrat, and as such served several
terms as a member of the city council. His
wife, whose name before marriage was
Agnes Kemer, was a native of his own
country, born in 1829, and came to the
United States in 1847, and died November
27, 1895, at the age of sixty-six years,
leaving seven children.
Mr. Bench, whose name heads this
sketch, and who was the eldest of the chil-
dren referred to, was educated in Galena's
public schools and learned the wagonmak-
er's trade under his father, and has been es-
tablished in that business in his native town
for the past thirty years, turning out first-
class, reliable work, and enjoying the confi-
dence of all with whom he is acquainted.
In 1 88 1 he was happily married to Miss
Louisa Ritscher, a native of Galena, and
they have two children: Stella and Alfred.
Mr. and Mrs. Bench are members of the
Presbyterian church. In political faith Mr.
Bench is a Democrat. He and his family
have a pleasant home on Franklin street,
and enjoy the esteem of the citizens of their
native place.
.1R KAUFMAN. — The ancient and hon-
M&. ored institution of Freemasonry em-
braces among its members men of every
rank and condition of life, of every nation
and clime, and of every religion which ac-
knowledges a Supreme Being and has faith
in the immortality of the soul; it stands pre-
eminent among the institutions established
for the improvement of mankind — as far
above other secret organizations in useful-
ness as it is beyond them in age. In Chi-
cago this society embraces a following that
includes some of the most prominent and
reliable business men of the city, men
whose enterprise and progressive methods
have been the means of promoting the
growth and prosperity of the western me-
tropolis; and of this class Mr. Kaufman is a
representative. He is regarded as one of
the valued members of the fraternity here,
and his virtues as a man and a Mason are of
the highest order and worthy of imitation.
He was made a Mason in Dearborn Lodge,
No. 310, and was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Lafayette
Chapter, No. 2. He became a Royal and
Select Master of Palestine Council, No. 66,
and received the order of knighthood in
Apollo Commandery, No, i, Knights Tem-
plar, on the 3d of August, 1886. He also
affiliates with the social department of the
society and was made a Noble of the An-
cient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine in
Medinah Temple, in 1886. The vigilance
with which he guards the ancient landmarks,
his allegiance to the principles of the chap-
ter and his observance of the vows of knight-
hood are deserving of praise and "cheering
commendation. "
Mr. Kaufman is a native of Prussia, born
on the 1 4th of April, 1850. His education
was acquired in the public school of that
kingdom, and in 1869 he sailed for America,
severing the ties which bound him to the
fatherland in order to become a citizen of
the "land of the free." His early experi-
ence was in the line of merchandising and
on coming to Chicago in 1872 he secured a
position in a mercantile establishment and
has since worked his way upward in that
branch of industrial effort. He now occu-
pies the responsible position of manager of
the wholesale clothing house of Fliescher
Brothers and enjoys the unqualified confi-
dence and high regard of the members of
the firm. He came to America with no
capital, but willingness to work and fidelity
to the interests entrusted to his care soon
won him advancement, and he to-day occu-
pies an enviable position in the business
world of Chicago. His kindly and genial
disposition and his unfailing courtesy have
won him many friends, and his excellent
business qualities command the respect of
those with whom he comes in contact
through commercial relations.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
259
In 1878 Mr. Kaufman was united in
marriage to Miss Sadie Owen, a native of
Chicago, and they have one daughter.
DAVID M. ELDRIDGE, a worthy rep-
' resentative of the Masonic fraternity
in Belvidere, was born in Chardon, Ohio,
on the 5th of May, 1861, and is of English
and Welsh descent. His ancestors came to
America at an early day and allied their in-
terests with those of the colony of Massa-
chusetts. The first representatives of the
family to cross the Atlantic were Edward
Zenas and Asahel Eldridge, who in their
youth left the little rock-ribbed country of
Wales and braving the dangers incident to
an ocean voyage at that early period sought
a home on Cape Cod. Edward Eldridge,
who was born in 1737, afterward emigrated
to Sharon, New York, where he and his
descendants became quite prominent, tak-
ing an active part in public affairs and pro-
moting the progress and development of
that section of the state. They intermarried
with the Hammonds and Wadsworths, lead-
ing families of New York; and the father
of our subject, L. P. Eldridge, was born in
Sharon. When a lad of seven years he ac-
companied his parents on their emigration
westward, a settlement being made in
Munson, Ohio, where the old homestead,
which the grandfather entered from the
government, is still in the possession of the
family. The father became a prominent
business man and an extensive dealer in
wool in Munson, and won a comfortable
competence. He married Miss Nancy
Moore, who was born in that city, and to
them were born three children.
David M. Eldridge was the second of
the family. In the public school he began
his education, completing his course by pur-
suing the high-school studies, after which
he entered the employ of the Banner To-
bacco Company, of Detroit, as an account-
ant. He came from that city to Belvidere
to accept the position of head bookkeeper
for the National Sewing Machine Manufac-
turing Company, and has since served in
that capacity — an important position de-
manding great skill on account of the very
extensive business controlled by the com-
pany.
In 1883 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Eldridge and Miss Viola Burlingame, a
native of South Haven, Michigan. Their
union has been blessed with two daughters,
Bessie E. and Louise V. Mr. and Mrs.
Eldridge are valued members of the Episco-
pal church of Belvidere, and are held in the
highest esteem by all who know them. Mr.
Eldridge became a member of the Masonic
fraternity while residing in Detroit, taking
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason in Kilwinning
Lodge, No. 272, of Detroit, from which
he was dimitted to Belvidere Lodge, No.
60, on the 6th of May, 1895.
JAMES BENNETT, a retired citizen of
Peoria, Illinois, has been a resident of
this place for more than four decades, and
in his life has exemplified many of the teach-
ings of the great Masonic body, of which he
is an honored member. His Masonic his-
tory dates back to 1867, when he was con-
ducted through the degrees of Temple
Lodge, No. 46. At present he affiliates
with Illinois Lodge, of which he is a Past
Master. For years he served as Junior and
Senior Warden in Temple Lodge. Also he
has taken the higher degrees and maintains
membership in the R. A. M., R. & S. M.,
K. T. and Scottish Rite, in some of which
he has been honored with official position.
At the present writing he is filling the chair
of Alchemist in Mohammed Temple, Mystic
Shrine, at Peoria.
Mr. Bennett is an American by adoption
only. He was born in Rainsworthy, Glou-
cestershire, England, January 27, 1829, and
was reared in his native land, remaining
there until 1848, when he made the Atlan-
tic voyage and took up his abode in the
United States. In 1855 he came to Peoria,
and here he has since lived, having resided
in his present home since 1863. He estab-
lished an undertaking business here and
260
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
conducted the same successfully for a period
of fifteen years. In 1883 he was elected
coroner, being the only Republican elected
that year in four adjoining counties, and for
eight years, up to 1891, filling the office.
He is now living retired from active busi-
ness and in his pleasant home is surrounded
with all that goes to make life happy in this
world.
m NDREW WELCH. — Twenty-seven
J&L milestones mark the years that have
passed since the gentleman whose name ap-
pears at the head of this review first became
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. Dur-
ing that period he has been a diligent worker
in the cause, always ready to perform any
duties that may be assigned to him and to
serve the lodge in any way in his power.
Mr. Welch was initiated in Yorkville
Lodge, in 1870; was exalted to the Royal
Arch degree in Sandwich Chapter, at
Sandwich, Illinois, in 1880; and received
the degrees in chivalric Masonry in Aurora
Commandery, No. 22, in 1882, and held the
office of Generalissimo in that body. Faith-
ful to every task given him, loyal to the
precepts and tenets of the craft, Mr. Welch
merits the high meed of praise extended to
him by his fellow Masons.
The birth of our subject occurred in On-
tario, Canada, July 9, 1844, his parents
being Richard and Margaret (Gray) Welch,
the former of whom died when our subject
was nine years old. At the age of twelve
the latter started out to make his way in the
world with a courage worthy of an older
head. He went' to New York state and
secured employment on a farm, where he
labored faithfully for four years, and then
worked for three years in a sawmill. In
the spring of 1864 he came to Illinois and
located in Yorkville, Kendall county, and
again found employment tilling the soil,
which he followed for one summer. He
then enlisted in Company C, One Hundred
and Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infan-
try, attached to the Army of the Cumber-
land ; he was mustered out in January, 1 866,
and returned to Yorkville, there engaging
in the sale of agricultural implements, which
he followed until 1886, when he disposed
of his interests in Yorkville, and January i ,
1887, he came to Aurora and here embarked
in the agricultural implements and carriage
business, in which he is at present employed.
His thrift and enterprise have placed him
in the front ranks of that industry in Kane
county.
In his political faith Mr. Welch is a
stanch supporter of the Democratic party.
In 1870 he was elected collector of York-
ville; ten years later was appointed a dele-
gate to the Democratic national convention,
and in 1882 was elected to the state legis-
lature, and re-elected in 1884. In 1885 he
was appointed collector of internal revenue
for the second district of Illinois, serving in
that capacity until the consolidating of the
first and second districts. In 1888 Mr.
Welch was the Democratic candidate for
state auditor, and in 1 890 was elected as
the Democratic central committeeman for
the state at large. In 1 893 he was appointed
brigadier-general of the Illinois National
Guards and assigned to the Third Brigade.
He is a member of Post No. 20, Grand
Army of the Republic, and was formerly a
member of the Yorkville post, of which he
was vice-commander.
Mr. Welch was married December 24,
1872, to Miss Lissie E. Shephard, of Ken-
dall county, and this union has been blessed
with one child, Bessie. Our subject is one
of the best known citizens of Aurora, and
does everything in his power to promote
the welfare of the community in which he
resides.
H
WARRY W. McDONALD was made a
Mason in Fides Lodge, No. 842, F. &
A. M., at West Pullman, Illinois, on the
3ist of July, 1895, and is one of its charter
members. He has served as its Secretary
and is deeply interested in the work of the
order and devoted to its principles.
Among the faithful representatives of the
fraternity in Illinois he well deserves men-
tion.
Mr. McDonald is a native of the Empire
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO!0
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
268
state. His birth occurred in the city of
Utica, New York, on the 1 1 th of June. 1871,
and there he remained until thirteen years
of age, when he removed to the west,
locating in St. Louis, where he made his
home for seven years, at which time he
came to Chicago. Since 1891 he has re-
sided in this city, and is one of its pro-
gressive, energetic young business men.
He was reared to mercantile pursuits, and
early became familiar with the methods in
vogue in business circles, while his ready
adaptability, his foresight and his energy
have enabled him to successfully work his
way upward. His known reliability has
won him the confidence of all with whom
he has been brought in contact, and the
future doubtless holds in store for him a de-
sirable prosperity. For four years he has
been connected with the Columbia Shade
Company, faithfully and promptly perform-
ing the duties that devolve upon him, and
thus contributing to the general success of
the enterprise.
Mr. McDonald has a pleasant home,
presided over by the lady who now shares
his name and fortunes, and who in her
maidenhood was Miss Emma McClelland.
She is a native of Oswego, New York, and
their marriage was celebrated in 1893. On
October 15, 1896, a daughter, Florence,
was sent to bless their union and strengthen
their bonds.
W INFIELD NEWELL SATTLEY, a
Knight Templar and thirty-second-
degree Mason, whose advancement in the
order has been rapid and satisfactory, was
made a member of the order in Oriental
Lodge, No. 33, A. F. & A. M., in 1883.
From Entered Apprentice he has risen step
by step; he was exalted to the sublime de-
gree of a Royal Arch Mason in Lafayette
Chapter, No. 2, and joined the Royal & Se-
lect Masters of Palestine Council. He was
knighted in Apollo Commandery on the 3Oth
of July, 1889, and attained the thirty-sec-
ond degree of the Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory on the 23d of April, 1891. Of
all these various branches he is a life mem-
ber, and in Medinah Temple, Ancient Ara-
bic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, he holds a membership. The benefi-
cence, helpfulness and brotherly feeling
which the society inculcates among its mem-
bers appeals to a man of broad mind and
strong sympathies like Mr. Sattley, and he
is deeply interested in the fraternity and is
a worthy and acceptable member of the
craft, meeting fully every obligation which
it imposes upon its members.
Widely, favorably and prominently
known in Masonic circles, the history of
the life of Mr. Sattley cannot fail to prove
of interest to many of his Masonic breth-
ren throughout the state. His is the record
of a thoroughgoing, reliable business man,
whose attention throughout life has been
given mostly to the vocation which he chose
in his early years and in which he has
achieved considerable eminence. A native
of Vermont, he was born in Ferrisburg, on
the igthofjune, 1859, and was reared there
on a farm until twelve years of age. On
the expiration of that period he went to
Burlington, Vermont, where he soon en-
tered upon his business career in the humble
capacity of office boy for the Vermont Life
Insurance Company; but the gates of suc-
cess readily open to perseverance, industry
and determined effort, and these qualities
Mr. Sattley possessed. With a laudable
ambition to advance, he has utilized every
opportune moment; and his steady applica-
tion to business, his faithfulness to the
work entrusted to his care soon won him the
attention of his employers and gained him
promotion. He was no longer an office
boy, but he occupied a clerical position,
and thus has he advanced step by step, new
duties and new responsibilities being given
him as he has demonstrated his ability to go
further in the business, until to-day he
occupies a prominent place among the in-
surance men of the nation. In 1881 he
was made general agent of the Vermont
Life Insurance Company at Chicago, and
acted in that capacity until February i ,
1884, when he was made general agent of
364
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the Massachusetts Mutual Life, where he
remained until April i, 1887. At that time
he became connected with the New York
Life Insurance Company as superintendent
of agents in Illinois, continuing thus to
serve until the I5th of March, 1889, when
he was made manager of the Manhattan
Life Insurance Company of New York, one
of the strongest and most extensive com-
panies in the entire country. A man of
keen perception, great sagacity and un-
bounded enterprise, his power nevertheless
lies to a great extent in that quality which
enables him to successfully control men
and affairs. His position embraces a volume
of business that has increased to immense
proportions, but he handles all with the
ease that comes from long familiarity with
the work and ability to fully guide and mas-
ter it.
Mr. Sattley was married June 19, 1884,
to Miss May E. Kelley, a native of Wiscon-
sin. They have two children — Ethelwynne
May and Winfield Newell, Jr.
In politics Mr. Sattley is a Republican.
He is a valued member of the Washington
Park, Hyde Park and Chicago Athletic
Clubs, and is the honored president of the
Sons of Vermont, the oldest state organiza-
tion in the city and known as the Vermont
Association.
WILLIAM HENRY ALBERT REN-
NER, a prominent member of the
bar of Carroll county, and a thirty-second de-
gree Mason, dates his connection with the
Masonic order from the year 1889, at which
time he was made a Master Mason in
Lanark Lodge, No. 423. In that lodge he
often filled the office of Junior Deacon. He
became a member of the chapter in 1890,
in 1892 he joined Long Commandery, No.
60, and in 1893 he was received into Free-
port Valley Consistory, and has taken in it
all the degrees up to and including the
thirty-second. In all these bodies he is an
active worker. Also he is a Shriner, a
member of Medinah Temple, of Chicago.
Mr. Renner is a native of the state of
New York. He was born in the city of Al-
bany, September 3, 1863, and is of German
ancestry. He was educated in the public
schools of Illinois, having been brought
west to this state in the spring of 1865,
when only two years old. After complet-
ing his course in the public schools he took
up the study of law, which he pursued in
the office of O. F. Woodruff, of Morrison,
Illinois, and after diligent and careful prep-
aration for his profession was admitted to
practice in Chicago in March, 1888. His
first practice was in Lanark, where he spent
two years, and whence he removed to his
present location at Mount Carroll. Here
he has since conducted a successful law
practice, now doing business under the firm
name of Renner & Smith, and enjoying a
large and remunerative practice.
Politically, Mr. Renner has always been
a stanch Republican and takes an active
interest in local politics. For four years
he has been master in chancery, and for
two years has served as city alderman. As
a speaker he is interesting and instructive,
is effective in campaign work, and in this
way has rendered his party much valuable
service.
He was happily married, March 27,
1890, to Miss S. Allie Miller, a native of
Lanark, Illinois, and a daughter of David
Miller, of that city. To them have been
born three children, Rex R. , Max and Al-
len. They have a pleasant and attractive
home in Mount Carroll, which he had built
after his own plan.
Other orders to which Mr. Renner be-
longs are the Ola Chapter, Order of the
Eastern Star, the Knights of Pythias and
the P. O. S. of A. Mrs. Renner is a valued
member of the Christian church.
DOUGLAS PATTISON, one of the lead-
ing young attorneys of Freeport, is a
native son of this city, his birth having oc-
curred on the i ith of December, 1870. His
father, Jere Pattison, was descended from
one of the old and prominent families of
Maryland, which settled in America in 1716.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
265
It has furnished many men of note to differ-
ent walks of life, ex-Governor Pattison be-
ing a nephew of the father of our subject.
Jere Pattison was one of the honored pio-
neers who bore an active part in the develop-
ment of this great state. He took up his
residence in Freeport in 1838 and was the
first to engage in the manufacture of agri-
cultural implements in this city. He built
up a good business and was an able repre-
sentative of commercial interests in this sec-
tion of the state. His political support was
given the Democracy and he was a recog-
nized leader in local political affairs, holding
many city and county offices, while in 1874
he was the candidate of his party for con-
gress. He married Miss Eliza Manny, a
daughter of Pells Manny, the inventor of
the reaper; they became the parents of three
sons and three daughters, all born in Free-
port. The father of this family died on the
i gth of August, 1895, but the mother is still
living.
Mr. Pattison, whose name introduces
this review, is the youngest child of the
family. He was educated in the Freeport
schools, and on the completion of the liter-
ary course was graduated at the Michigan
State University, at Ann Arbor. He then
entered the law department of the same in-
stitution, where he was graduated with the
class of 1895. In the same year he was ad-
mitted to the bar and soon after opened his
office in his native town, where he has since
engaged in practice. He is a member of
the well-known law firm of Snyder, Pattison
& Mitchell, which is now enjoying a liberal
and constantly increasing patronage. The
partners are all men of good ability and the
firm is a strong one in Freeport. Mr. Pat-
tison, although one of the younger members
of the bar, possesses the qualifications nec-
essary to a successful lawyer and will un-
doubtedly win for himself an enviable posi-
tion at the bar. He has as a foundation for
his legal labor a broad general information
and a thorough knowledge of the law, and
added to these are keen discrimination and
sound judgment. He has followed in the
political footsteps of his father and is now
the candidate of his party for the office of
state's attorney.
Mr. Pattison was made a Mason in 1896
and is now one of the active members of the
order, deeply interested in its workings and
in its upbuilding. He also belongs to the
Modern Woodmen of America, the Red Men
and to his college society, the Delta Chi
fraternity.
WILLIAM McCONOCHIE, builder
and contractor, Rock Island, is a
prominent business man, a leading citizen
in public affairs and in Masonry a Sir Knight.
He was made a Master Mason in Trio
Lodge, No. 57, receiving the Eternal Ap-
prentice degree on the 1 5th day of Febru-
ary, 1 872, that of Fellow-craftsman on the 2d
of March following, and that of Master Mason
on the 1 8th of April, that year. December
!9> l&73 ne was received into Barrett Chap-
ter, R. A. M., No. 1 8, Rock Island, and soon
afterward was elected Captain of the Host.
He is also a member of Everts Command-
ery, No. 18, being made a Sir Knight June
13, 1887, and he has filled a number of
offices therein up to that of Senior Warden.
He appreciates the sublime principles of
Masonry and therefore is faithful to his ob-
ligations and zealous to advance in a knowl-
edge of the order, which indeed is so im-
mense that no man living can master it
entirely.
Mr. McConochie is a native of Scotland,
born on the iith of January, 1847, of
Scotch ancestry. His father, John McCono-
chie, was a native of the "lowlands" of
that country, and his mother, whose maiden
name was Anna Campbell, was of the high-
land clan of Campbell. In 1853 they emi-
grated to America, bringing with them their
six children, and locating at Joliet, Illinois,
where the father died, in the thirty-fifth
year of his age; the mother died in 1873, at
the age of fifty-five years. They were
members of the Presbyterian church and
people of the highest respectability. Five
of the children still survive.
Mr. McConochie, the third of the fam-
266
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ily, was in his seventeenth year when the
family moved to Illinois. After attending
the Joliet schools for a number of terms he
learned the trade of stone-cutter.
In 1862, although but fifteen years of
age, he was very large and succeeded in
getting into the army fighting for the Union
and served two years under that enlistment,
and then, on the 22d of January, 1864,
being then of military age, he enlisted under
his own name in Company K, Seventy-
second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
took part in the battles of Shiloh, Fort
Donelson, the Vicksburg campaign, siege of
Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville and along the
Gulf of Mexico, when the war closed, and
he received an honorable discharge in De-
cember, 1865. Though so young, he had
made an excellent army record, having en-
gaged in much hard fighting, but without
receiving as much as a scratch.
In 1867 he returned to Joliet, whence he
proceeded to Rock Island, which city he
has since made his home. Here he has
extensively engaged in contracting and
building.
In his political sentiments Mr. Mc-
Conochie has always been an ardent Re-
publican. He has served his city as alder-
man, and in 1889 he had the honor of being
elected mayor, and in 1891 re-elected, so
that he served two terms, of two years
each, with great efficiency and accepta-
bility. Many improvements of the city
were inaugurated and completed during his
administration and by the aid of his special
efforts.
In 1868 he was happily married to Miss
Isabella Kitson, a native of Scotland, and
they have had six children. The eldest
son, Captain John McConochie, departed
this life October i, 1896. He was a young
man of much promise, and was captain of
Company A, Illinois National Guards. The
second son, William H., is now filling the
office made vacant by his brother's death.
The third son is Robert J., who is sergeant.
The daughters are Isabella, May Alice and
Margarette. The family are all members
of the Methodist church, and the subject of
this sketch is one of its trustees. They
have one of the nice homes of this beautiful
city, and are highly esteemed. Mr. Mc-
Conochie is Past Commander of the G.A.R.
post of Rock Island.
CHARLES EDWARD PAUL is one of
T^J the most active and worthy members
of the fraternity living in Virginia, and dur-
ing the two years in which he has been
affiliated with the order he has proved to
be a valuable accession to the ranks of the
local lodge. He dates his connection with
the society from 1895, when he was initia-
ted, passed and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Virginia Lodge,
No. 544, A. F. &. A. M. Having quickly
mastered the ritual he was shortly after
elected to the chair of Tyler, which he has
since continued to faithfully fill, much to
the gratification of his brothers in the order,
by whom he is highly esteemed.
Mr. Paul was born in Morgan county,
Illinois, in the city of Arcada, on the igth
of October, 1856, and comes of German
ancestors, who were among the early settlers
of the state of Pennsylvania, where the
father of our subject, Jacob Miller Paul,
was born. The latter was married four
times, became the father of sixteen chil-
dren, and died at the advanced age of eighty-
three years. He was a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was
an honorable, upright, and greatly respected
citizen. The mother of our subject, whose
maiden name was Nancy Hall, departed
this life when Mr. Paul was but one year
old. His early mental discipline was ac-
quired in the public schools of Montgomery
and Cass counties, and for a time he fol-
lowed the vocation of farming, but for the
past eight years he has held the position of
superintendent of the Virginia Tile & Brick
Works, and in that capacity has given the
fullest satisfaction to his employer and to
the citizens of Virginia and the surround-
ing country, and retains an enviable repu-
tation for honesty and integrity.
In politics Mr. Paul is a stanch adherent
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of the Republican party, and has served as
treasurer of Virginia, and was a member of
the board of health. He is a public-spirited
citizen and uses every opportunity for the
advancement and welfare of the commu-
nity in which he resides.
Mr. Paul was married in August, 1880,
to Miss Ada Dean, who was born in Cass
county, near Virginia. Their three children
are: Stella, who is now the wife of Fred-
erick Fisher, and Harry and Nellie, who
are at home with their parents. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Paul and the two children are
affiliated with the Christian church, of
which he is a valued and active pillar and
a deacon and trustee. He is a member of
Ada Robinson Chapter, Order of the East-
ern Star, and is generally regarded as a
faithful Christian, a good citizen, and a
worthy Mason, exemplifying in his daily life
the doctrines inculcated in the tenets of the
fraternity and in the advancement of the
church, and in so doing he posseses the sin-
cere respect of his fellow men.
filON B. McFALL, a prominent thirty-
second-degree Mason residing at Bel-
videre, Illinois, dates his identity with this
ancient order from the year 1879, the de-
grees which made him a Master Mason
being conferred upon him by Delta Lodge,
No. 195, A. F. & A. M. , of Escanaba,
Michigan. He was dimitted from that
lodge, and since March 18, 1895, has affili-
ated with the blue lodge at Belvidere. In
1890 he petitioned for the degrees of the
R. A. M., was favorably received by Kish-
waukee Chapter, and its work was conferred
upon him as follows: Mark Master, May 7;
Past Master and Most Excellent Master,
June 3; and Royal Arch, June 18. Sep-
tember 28, 1891, he became a member of
Crusaders' Commandery. K. T. , and Febru-
ary 20, 1894, was received into Freeport
Valley Consistory, which conferred upon
him all its degrees up to and including the
thirty-second. Also he is a member of the
Mystic Shrine, holding membership in the
same at Rockford, wher^: he was initiated
October 18, 1894. At this writing he oc-
cupies the chair of Master of the First Veil
in the chapter.
Mr. McFall is a native of Wisconsin,
and was born in Waupaca, May 25, 1858, a
descendant of ancestors who were among
the prominent early settlers of New York
state. His father, Henry McFall, was a
pioneer of Wisconsin, a stanch Republican
and a man of local prominence, the office
of marshal of Escanaba having been filled
by him for a period of twelve years. The
mother of our subject was, before her mar-
riage, Miss Frances Elizabeth Anthony.
In the public schools Mr. McFall re-
ceived a fair education, and when he
started out in life on his own account it was
as fireman on the Chicago & Northwestern
Railway. Later he was for years an em-
ployee in the land-office of this company,
and still retains a connection with the road,
being now one of its most capable engi-
neers. He is identified with several of the
important business enterprises of Belvidere,
among which is the National Sewing Ma-
chine Manufactory located here, of which
he is a stockholder.
September 27, 1888, Mr. McFall was
united in marriage to Miss Laura T. Wood-
ruff, a native of Morrison, Illinois, and a
daughter of C. W. Woodruff, now deceased,
who was one of the highly respected cit-
izens of Belvidere. Mrs. McFall is an art-
ist, an accomplished and amiable woman,
and both she and her estimable husband
enjoy the confidence and esteem of a large
circle of friends.
"YRON E. McHENRY, whose con-
nection with the Masonic fraternity
dates from 1893, since which time he has
attained to the thirty-second degree, is a
popular and well known resident of Free-
port, Illinois; but his reputation as the
owner and trainer of fine race horses has
made him known throughout the country.
Born in Henry county, Illinois, in the year
1856, he is of Scottish lineage and is a son
of D. B. and Rachel A. (Fritts) Me Henry.
268
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
The mother was a native of Pennsylvania,
the father of Illinois. The paternal grand-
father was one of the first settlers of White
county, Illinois, and it was there that the
birth of D. B. McHenry occurred. He has
spent his entire life in this state and is now
living in the county of his nativity, having
retired from active business life.
The subject of this review was the second
in a family of eight children and on the
home farm was reared to manhood, while
in the public schools he acquired a fair Eng-
lish education that fitted him for life's prac-
tical duties. He entered upon his business
career as a farmer, but soon afterward
embarked in the livery business. He has
always been a lover of fine horses and his
power of understanding the needs and wants
of the "noble steed" is truly wonderful.
He began training horses for the race-track
and so successful have been his efforts in
this line that he now has a reputation which
has made him known throughout America.
The first record that he made with a racing
horse was in driving Guy, the time being
2:o6|, which was then the world's record for
a trotting stallion. He drove Mary Marshall
in 2:08^, the lowest record for racing mares
at the time, and gave John R. Gentry a
record of 2:03!, which is the best time ever
made by a pacing stallion. Numerous other
horses have been trained and driven by him
and have developed such speed as to make
him one of the most renowned horsemen in
the world. For a number of years he has
been a successful breeder of race horses and
is still engaged in this business, his prefer-
ence being for the Wilkes blood, of which
he has several fine specimens upon his farm,
and of them he has great expectations. He
has done much to advance the grade of
horses in this section of the state, and in his
development of racing capabilities he is
almost unequaled.
In the year 1878 Mr. McHenry was
united in marriage with Miss Ida A. Gear-
hart, a native of Geneseo.
In his political views our subject is a
stalwart advocate of Republican principles.
Mr. McHenry has made many warm friends,
and wherever he goes his courtesy, his gen-
uine worth and his genial manner win him
the high regard of those with whom he has
been brought in contact. He has now
passed all the degrees in the blue lodge,
chapter, consistory, council and command-
ery of Masonry, and is an esteemed repre-
sentative of his ancient and honored order.
/PVEORGE LINCOLN IRVINE, who is
\^ filling the responsible position of presi-
dent and manager of the overall factory of
Rockford, and is one of the most active
business men of the city, was born in Rock-
vale, Ogle county, Illinois, on the i/th of
December, 1863, and is of Scotch lineage.
His grandfather, Alexander Irvine, emi-
grated from Scotland to Canada, was
married in the latter country, and in 1836
came to Ogle county, Illinois, being one of
the pioneers in that section of the state and
a prominent factor in its development. He
followed farming and was a most highly re-
spected citizen. Joseph W. Irvine, father
of our subject, was seventeen years of age
when he came with his parents to Illinois
in 1836. He married Rebecca W. Wag-
goner, a native of Pennsylvania, and then
began his domestic life on a farm, continu-
ing its cultivation until his removal to
Rockford in 1869. He lived to the age of
seventy-seven years, and his wife is still
living, at the age of sixty-seven. They
were members of the Methodist church,
and the grandfather was one of Illinois'
pioneer Methodist ministers — in fact might
be said to be one of the early founders of
the denomination in the state. Our sub-
ject's father was a strong Republican, and
was active and efficient in the work of the
party when it needed the loyal service of all
its stalwart members.
Mr. Irvine was the eighth in this family.
He is indebted to the public schools of
Rockford for his educational privileges, and
when his school life was ended he entered
upon his business career, which has been a
straightforward, prosperous one, until he is
recognized as one of the leading representa-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
2G9
tives of the commercial interests of the
city. For the past nine years he has been
engaged in the manufacture of overalls.
This is one of the important industries of
the place, and the business under his able
management has been increased and is a
paying investment. Large quantities of
goods are turned out each year and extens-
ive shipments sent to the northwest. The
excellent quality of the product of their
factory and the known reliability of the
house has gained them a liberal patronage,
which is certainly well deserved.
In 1 889 Mr. Irvine was made a Mason
in Star of the East Lodge, No. 166, of
Rockford, has since taken the Royal Arch
degrees and was knighted in the com-
mandery of this city. He is a faithful
member of the order and is a gentleman of
ability and worth. On the 22d of Janu-
ary, 1891, Mr. Irvine was united in mar-
riage with Miss Harriet M. Swain, a native
of Ripon, Wisconsin.
JUDD DECKER. — It is not possible for
all men to accomplish some great work
by which their names shall be perpetu-
ated after they are dead; but there is no
man so humble or so devoid of talents that
he may not accomplish something to make
the world better for his having lived in it.
The individual achievement of one may
seem small, but the united efforts of the
fifty thousand Masons in Illinois have ac-
complished a work for humanity which is
incalculable in its beneficent results. Amid
all the repellent forces which tend to drive
men farther apart, — wars, social distinctions,
creeds and competitions, — there is yet one
force that draws all men together, one com-
mon ground on which all may meet and
clasp hands. That force is the fatherhood
of God and the brotherhood of man, and
that ground is Freemasonry. Rich and
poor alike may here assemble, class distinc-
tions are forgotten and character is the test
of a man's fitness for Masonic honors.
Mr. Decker has for six years been prom-
inently connected with this ancient frater-
nity and is most loyal in his advocacy of its
principles. He was made a Mason in Rock
River Lodge, No. 612, A. F. & A. M., on
the 3d of October, 1 890, and is now serving
as Junior Warden. Not long after taking
the degree of Master Mason he was still
further advanced, taking the capitular de-
grees in Sterling Chapter, No. 57, and be-
coming a Royal Arch Mason on the 1 3th of
January, 1891. His interest in the society
grew as he more fully understood its advo-
cacy of all that tends to uplift man and
promote nobleness of character, and he en-
tered the commandery of Sterling, being
knighted on the 5th of May, 1891. He is
now serving his second term as its Sword
Bearer. He has the high regard of all the
brethren of the craft in Sterling, and well
deserves mention in this volume.
Mr. Decker also occupies a prominent
and influential position in the business cir-
cles of Sterling. He was born in Jackson
township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania, on
the 1 3th of Octobet, 1855, and is of Hol-
land Dutch descent, his great-grandfather
having emigrated from Holland to New Jer-
sey in an early epoch of this country's his-
tory. The father of our subject, Addison
Decker, was born in Wellsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, and was married to Miss Phoebe
Reynolds, of Middleton, New York. In
1870 the father went to California for his
health, and in the fall of that year returned
to Iowa, where he died at the age of sev-
enty-two years, in 1881. His wife died in
1878. They were members of the Congre-
gational church and of the highest respecta-
bility.
Judd Decker, of this review, the second
son in a family of ten children, was educated
in Almira, New York. After entering on
his business career he removed to the west
and lor about eight years was engaged in
the butter and egg business in Des Moines
and for five years was in the insurance busi-
ness as the representative of the Phrenix
Insurance Company. He came to Sterling
in 1884 and purchased a drug store which
he conducted for seven years, meeting with
satisfactory success. His trade rapidly in-
270
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
creased, and as his income permitted he
made judicious investments in real estate,
which also brought to him good returns, and
he became the owner of considerable prop-
erty in Sterling and elsewhere.
It was on the igth of February, 1893,
that Mr. Decker became connected with the
Sterling Water Company, of which he is
now secretary and manager. They have
developed a fine water-works system and
furnish to the inhabitants of Sterling an
abundance of pure artesian water. Mr.
Decker is manager of the offices of the com-
pany, and his control of the business is most
satislactory to the stockholders, for his wise
judgment, sagacity and excellent executive
ability enables him to carry forward to suc-
cessful completion whatever he undertakes.
On Christmas day of 1880 Mr. Decker
was united in marriage to Miss Florence E.
Fowler, a native of New York and a daugh-
ter of W. H. Fowler of the Empire state.
They have had two children, Florence Lo-
rene and Hazel, the latter of whom is de-
ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Decker attend the
Presbyterian church and are people whose
intelligence and sterling worth are ever pass-
ports to the best circles of society. He be-
longs to the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows and the Modern Woodmen of America.
In politics he is a stanch Republican and
belongs to that class of enterprising, pro-
gressive citizens whose deep interest in the
welfare of the community is manifest in an
active support of all measures calculated to
promote the public good.
HENRY RHINEBERGER
m. an honored and representative mem-
ber of the Order of Free and Accepted
Masons of Illinois, who faithfully prac-
tices the precepts and principles of the
fraternity, was initiated in Cass Lodge, No.
23, at Beardstown, on the 2d of March,
1888, and quickly familiarized himself with
the ritual, after which he was advanced to
the degrees of capitular Masonry in Clarke
Chapter, No. 29, R. A. M., at Beardstown,
on the 24th of November, 1890. The
orders of knighthood were conferred upon
him in Rushville Commandery, No. 56, K.
T. He thoroughly understands the tenets
of the society, by which his life has been
governed, and is a careful and conscientious
student of the teachings and ethics of the
craft.
The birth of Mr. Rhineberger took place
on June 10, 1844, in Washington county,
Ohio, and he is a descendant of one of the old
Pennsylvania German families, his grand-
father having served in the Revolutionary
war. The family moved to New York and
later to Wheeling, West Virginia, where
the father of our subject. William Henry
Rhineberger, was born and eventually mar-
ried Miss Julia Dunham. They moved to
Washington county, Ohio, and were num-
bered among the early settlers of that sec-
tion of the state, whence they came to
Beardstown, and here the father engaged in
his vocation, that of contractor and builder,
in which he continued up to the time of his
death in 1895, at the venerable age of sev-
enty-eight years. He was a valued mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity, receiving the
sublime degree of Master Mason in Cass
Lodge, No. 23, and was a worthy pillar in
the Methodist church, and a highly esteemed
man and Christian. Our brother was his
third son, and after obtaining a public-
school education he was taught the building
trade, in which he was engaged at the out-
break of the Civil war, and although but
seventeen years old he offered his services,
inspired by a love of his country and the
spirit of patriotism inherited from his an-
cestors, and in answer to President Lin-
coln's first call for seventy-five thousand
men, he enlisted, July 3, 1861, in Company
D, Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
under the command of U. S. Grant, who
had at that time only attained the rank of
colonel. Our subject was, with his regi-
ment, assigned to the western army and par-
ticipated in a number of skirmishes and im-
portant battles, among the latter being
those of Fredericksburg, the siege of Cor-
inth, Stone river, Missionary Ridge, Chick-
amauga, Resaca, and marched with Gen-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO!0
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
273
eral Sherman in his triumphant campaign
of one hundred and forty days, in which
Mr. Rhineberger was on the skirmish line
for thirty consecutive days, until, on the
1 9th of May, 1864, he received a gunshot
wound that nearly ended his career and
from which he did not recover until his
three years' term of service had expired,
when he was mustered out and returned
home. As a soldier he was courageous,
efficient and faithful, and retired with the
satisfaction of having performed his duty to
his country in contributing his best efforts
toward the preservation of the Union.
Upon returning to Beardstown Mr.
Rhineberger became associated with his
father in the contracting and building busi-
ness until 1867, when he moved to Kansas,
which was then in a primitive state, with
the intention of growing up with the coun-
try; but, becoming dissatisfied with the ex-
isting state of affairs there, he came back to
Beardstown and once more engaged in his
former vocation, and by enterprise, energy
and upright methods has acquired success
in his line of work and accumulated a com-
fortable competency, He has done a large
portion of the building in this city and in
several surrounding towns throughout the
county, his facilities for doing which are
afforded by an extensive planing-mill of his
own, where he manufactures his material,
buying his lumber at wholesale.
Politically Mr. Rhineberger is a stanch
Republican, and has been chosen by his fel-
low citizens as their mayor, filling that hon-
orable office in a highly creditable and praise-
worthy manner and taking a deep interest
in the growth and welfare of his home city.
He was a member of the Mississippi Valley
waterway committee, composed of repre-
sentative men from some twenty adjacent
cities, to protest against the sewage of Chi-
cago being emptied into the Illinois river,
thereby affecting the towns along its banks;
and so ably was the case presented that the
secretary of state granted their request and
the evil was consequently prevented.
Regarding his social relations it may be
stated that Mr. Rhineberger is an active
16
member of the Grand Army of the Republic^
in which body he is Past Commander of his
post, and holds a membership in the frater-
nity of the Modern Woodmen of America,
the Maccabees, and the Independent Order
of Foresters, representing each in the grand
lodges.
On May 29, 1867, was solemnized the
marriage of our subject and Miss Nannie
Richards, a native of Cass county, and of
their six children two survive: Jessie, now
the wife of James Nixon, of Beardstown;
and Lillie, who married Frank Corkhill,
likewise a resident of this city. Mrs. Rhine-
berger departed this life on May 14, 1879,
and on June 7, 1882, our subject married
Miss Delia Clark, of Cass county, by whom
he has had three children, as follows: Mabel
R. , Claude E. and Maude E. He has
erected a good, substantial home, where,
surrounded by his wife and children, he is
enjoying the fruits of his life's labors. As a
brave soldier, an honest business man and
citizen, and chief magistrate of Beardstown.
Mr. Rhineberger possesses a record of which
he may well be proud, and richly deserves
the high regard and good will in which he
is held by his fellow men.
GH. HOVNANIAN.— There are prob-
ably in this country few Armenians
numbered among the members of the Ma-
sonic fraternity; but our subject belongs to
this class. By birth an Armenian, he came
to this country to complete his education,
and in 1893 became a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, in Calumet Lodge, of Blue
Island. He was afterward dimitted from
that organization in order to become a char-
ter member of Fides Lodge, No. 842, of
West Pullman, in 1895, and is now Wor-
shipful Master of the same, faithfully and
conscientiously discharging the duties that
devolve upon him as the highest officer in
the lodge. He was raised to the sublime
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Calumet
Chapter, No. 203, in 1895, and the follow-
ing year joined the Royal and Select Mas-
ters of Imperial Council, No. 85. He was
274
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
knighted in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, in 1895, and in April of that year
took the Scottish Rite degrees in Oriental
Consistory. He was made a Noble of the
Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple in April,
1895, a°d tnus n:is gone through the vari-
ous branches of Masonry, becoming well
versed in its teachings and following closely
those principles which have formed the
foundation of the fraternity through the
many centuries of its existence and which
have appealed to the noblest and best in
man's nature in all countries and in all
climes, making the kinship of man a recog-
nized fact no matter what country happens
to be the land of his birth.
Dr. Hovnanian was born in Turkey, in
Asia, on the 23d of November, 1864, and
was reared there until nineteen years of age,
when he made the long voyage across the
ocean to America to make his home here.
He spent a year and a half in Boston Uni-
versity, Massachusetts, taking a special
course, and thence went to Philadelphia,
where he engaged in the drug business un-
til he had obtained enough money to pay
his tuition and other expenses in a medical
college. He was graduated at the Medico-
Chirurgical College in 1890, and spent one
year in Philadelphia Hospital as a resident
physician. He afterward went to the Nor-
ristown Insane Asylum, where he remained
for a year and a half, and thus gained a
thorough and comprehensive knowledge, as
well as practical, of the science of medicine,
to the practice of which he was thereafter
to devote his energies and attention. In
1893 he came to Chicago and has since been
an active practitioner in West Pullman,
where he has a large and constantly increas-
ing patronage. His methods are up to date,
and he is progressive and constantly on the
alert for improvements.
Dr. Hovnanian had only fifteen dollars
when he landed in America, but, undeterred
by the difficulties that seemed to surround
him, he has steadily worked his way up-
ward, overcoming all obstacles by undaunt-
ed perseverance, energy and untiring efforts.
He is certainly deserving of great credit for
his success, which would be an honor to a
native American. His standing, both in
professional and Masonic circles, is high,
and his many admirable qualities have
gained him a host of warm friends.
In addition to his Masonic relations, the
Doctor is a charter member of West Pull-
man Lodge, I. O. O. F., and a charter
member also of Perseverance Lodge, Knights
of Pythias, at West Pullman.
JAMES NICHOLAS WELLMAN, one of
the successful and progressive business
men of Quincy engaged in the manufacture
of tobacco, is one of the indefatigable,
well-informed members of the Masonic
fraternity in this city. He took his initia-
tory degrees in New London Lodge, No.
207, at New London, Missouri, and was ex-
alted a Royal Arch Mason in Rails Chapter,
No. 5. Upon coming to Quincy in 1876,
Mr. Wellman obtained a dimit and affili-
ated with Quincy Lodge, No. 296, on No-
vember 17, of that year, and with Quincy
Chapter, No. 5, May 27, 1879. On May
11, 1879, he received the degrees of Royal
and Select Masters in Quincy Council, No.
15, and was created a Sir Knight in Beau-
seant Commandery, No. 11, April 25, 1879,
with which he remained until the organiza-
tion of El Aksa Commandery January 25,
1884, when he became a member of the
latter body. May 16, 1888, he received the
ineffable degrees of Scottish Rite, Oriental
Consistory, up to and including the thirty-
second. Mr. Wellman has been an able
and enthusiastic worker in the order, and
in his lodge has held the offices of Junior
and Senior Deacon, Senior Warden, and
Worshipful Master, occupying the latter
two terms. He is held in high esteem by
his fellow Masons, is well informed on the
ritual, and exemplifies the tenets of the
society by an upright and honorable course
of conduct.
Mr. Wellman was born in Rails county,
Missouri, December 3, 1847, and comes of
German ancestry. His father, Dr. Harvey
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
275
Wellman, was born in Cleveland, Ohio,
and married Miss Ann E. Haskell, a native
of New Orleans. After moving to Rails
county, the father continued the practice of
his profession until his death, which oc-
curred in his twenty-ninth year, leaving his
wife and two children to mourn their loss.
Mrs. Wellman passed away in 1886.
Our subject was reared and educated in
his native state and moved to Quincy in
1876, where he engaged in the manufacture
of tobacco. In 1878 he became one of the
organizers of what is now the Wellman &
Dwier Company, which was incorporated
in 1880. Mr. Wellman has always served
its interests in the capacity of superintend-
ent, and under his able direction it speedily
grew to be one of the largest manufacturing
enterprises in the city, its goods being sold
at wholesale throughout the United States,
and doing an especially large business in
the northwest. As a manager, Mr. Well-
man has exhibited good executive ability,
excellent judgment, and has filled this re-
sponsible position in an eminently success-
ful manner.
In political affairs, Mr. Wellman has
ever been a stanch Democrat, but has
never been a politician in the sense of hold-
ing, or desiring to hold, office. He is a
man of ideas, of independence of thought,
and always possesses the courage of his
convictions.
Mr. Wellman was married on March 1 1 ,
1869, to Miss Virginia E. Cameron, the
daughter of Captain Niel Cameron, a
steamboat captain of the Mississippi river.
Three children have been born in the fam-
ily of Mr. and Mrs. Wellman: Harvey C.,
who is associated with his father in busi-
ness; Arelia Percie and James N., Jr. Our
subject and his wife are devout members of
the Christian church, which they have at-
tended for the past thirty years. Since
coming to Quincy they have been among
the church's most ardent supporters, he
serving as one of its deacons. In their de-
lightful home they receive and enjoy the
society of their many friends in a spirit of
most cordial hospitality.
TfEROME HEATH THOMAS is one of
j the active and thoroughly posted Masons
residing at Belvidere. His Masonic his-
tory is as follows: Mr. Thomas was ini-
tiated into the mysteries of blue Masonry in
Belvidere Lodge, No. 60, F. & A. M., in
the centennial year, 1876, receiving the
three degrees in close succession, and
shortly afterward was appointed Senior
Deacon of his lodge. The same year he
joined Kishwaukee Chapter, No. 90, R. A. M.,
of Belvidere, receiving the Mark Master
degree on the 6th of December. January
3, 1877, the Past Master degree was given
him, and the degrees of Most Excellent
Master and Royal Arch were conferred
upon him on the evenings of May 3 and
May 10, respectively. In both the lodge
and chapter he has filled prominent official
positions. He passed from the chair of
Senior Deacon to other offices in the lodge
and was for five years its Worshipful Mas-
ter. In the chapter he filled various sta-
tions, for a long time was Principal So-
journer, and for five years officiated as High
Priest, and is now holding this position.
He was a charter member of the council
organized at Belvidere, and held one of the
offices in it. In 1880 he united with Cru-
saders' Commandery, No. 17, K. T. , of
Rockford, being made a Sir Knight in May
of that year, and in the commandery has
served as Senior Warden. There are but few
Masons who understand the ritualistic and
practical workings of Freemasonry better
than does Mr. Thomas. Recently he had
the honor of being commissioned Deputy
Grand Lecturer, an office in which he is
now serving most efficiently.
Closely connected with the Masonic his-
tory of Mr. Thomas is his identity with the
Order of the Eastern Star, that popular
auxiliary of Freemasonry which was insti-
tuted for the benefit of the wives, daughters,
mothers, widows and sisters of Master
Masons. He was active in the organization
of the Eastern Star at Belvidere, is one of
its Past Worthy Patrons, and has done
much to bring about the prosperity of this
order here.
276
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Thomas is a native of the Empire
state and dates his birth in Erie county,
February 18, 1852, his ancestry being
traced back to England and Scotland, on
his father's side, and through his mother to
France. By occupation Mr. Thomas has
been a salesman and hotel keeper, and has
a wide and favorable acquaintance.
JOHN FRANKLIN NELSON is a repre-
sentative of a family whose history is
interwoven with that of Rockford, and
with the development of its industrial and
commercial interests. The Nelsons have
for more than fifty years been connected
with the progress and advancement of the
city, and by their promotion of enterprises
have added to the material welfare of Rock-
ford as well as to their individual pros-
perity. The knitting factories of which
they have control have become important
industries, doing a vast volume of business
and furnishing employment to many men.
Mr. Nelson, whose name introduces this
review, is a native of Rockford, born on the
26th of June, 1868, and is a son of John
and Eva C. (Pearson) Nelson. His parents
were both natives of Sweden, and in 1852
emigrated to the United States, locating
first in St. Charles, Illinois. Soon, how-
ever, they removed to Rockford, and the
father, who had been a wood-turner in early
life, gave his attention to the work of in-
vention. He was a man of much genius,
and the result of his study and labor were
given to the world in an automatic knitting
machine, which has proved of valuable and
practical utility. Put to a thorough test it
was found that the work that could be per-
formed with the machine was not only of a
first-class quality, but that the amount that
could be produced by one operator was
enormous when compared with what a
single knitter could produce. His labors
have resulted in the establishment of three
large knitting factories in Rockford, which
have proven of great benefit to the com-
mercial activity of the city, have given em-
ployment to a large force of workmen, and
have brought a handsome competence to
the individual owners. The inventor of
this valuable machine, however, did not
live to enjoy the fruits of his labors. He
was but beginning to reap the merited re-
turns of his genius wh'en illness overtook
him, and he departed this life on the I5th
of April, 1883.
His widow, five sons and a daughter
were left to mourn his untimely death.
The eldest son, Alfred, has since died. The
other sons are continuing the business
which was inaugurated by their father, and
they are now interested in two large fac-
tories— the Nelson Knitting Factory and
the Forest City Knitting Factory. All are
energetic, persevering and progressive busi-
ness men, -and their united efforts have re-
sulted in the establishment of a very large
and profitable business. The excellent
quality of their goods has gained them a
deserved reputation for reliability, and
their trade has so greatly increased that
their daily output is from five to six thou-
sand dozen pairs of hosiery.
J. Frank Nelson is the youngest of the
brothers. He resides with his mother in
one of Rockford's beautiful residences,
which is adorned with all the accessories
that wealth can procure and refined taste
suggest. He was educated in the public
schools of Rockford, and throughout his
business career has been identified with the
knitting industry. His entire attention is
devoted to this business, and he gives his
personal supervision to the manufacture of
the machinery used in the factories. The
Nelson brothers are all members of the
Masonic fraternity, in which they have
attained the thirty-second degree. J. Frank
Nelson was made a Mason in Rockford
Lodge, No. 102, F. & A. M., in 1891, and
has since risen rapidly, taking all the de-
grees of the Scottish Rite.
JAMES JARRETT, a thirty-second-de-
gree Mason and a progressive business
man of Quincy, was initiated in Herman
Lodge, No. 39, on April 17, passed May i,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
277
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason May 5, 1894. He at-
tained the fourteenth degree of the Scot-
tish Rite in Quincy Grand Lodge of Per-
fection, the sixteenth degree in Quincy
Council of Princes of Jerusalem, the
eighteenth degree Quincy Chapter of
Rose Croix, and the thirty-second degree
in Quincy Consistory, Sublime Princes of
the Royal Secret, receiving the latter on
May ii, 1894. He has been an earnest
adherent to the precepts of the order, and
has so conducted his life as to conform to
its principles and tenets.
Mr. Jarrett was born in Quincy, March
28, 1866, and comes of a sturdy Scotch
stock, both his grandfather and father,
James Jarrett, senior and junior, having
been natives of the "land of the thistle."
They came to this country and located at
St. Louis, where they successfully engaged
in contracting. The father of our subject
came to Quincy while yet a young man and
was married here to Miss Matilda Baywater.
He attained prominence as a steamboat
captain and also embarked in the fuel and
ice business. He was atone time mayor of
the city and was conspicuous for the inter-
est he evinced in looking after the welfare
of the community. He departed this life
in 1895, at the age of fifty-five years, and is
still survived by his good wife. Brother
Jarrett is the eldest of their seven children.
Upon finishing his education in Quincy he
secured employment on a railroad, where
he continuned until 1890, when he em-
barked in the coal, wood and ice busi-
ness, in partnership with William M.
Dickason. This continued until 1894,
when our subject purchased Mr. Dicka-
son's interest and has since conducted
the business alone. He is meeting with
merited success, his upright character, hon-
orable methods and sincere disposition win-
ning for him the confidence of all with
whom he comes in contact. Brother Jar-
rett was married in 1 893 to Miss Mary Ann
King, of Quincy, and they are the parents
of two children, Helen Wood and James
Dickason. Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett reside at
one of the landmarks of this city, in the
old dwelling built by his father over half a
century ago.
Politically our subject is a Democrat,
and in his social relations is a member of
the Knights of Pythias.
FRANKLIN EUGENE SERFASS, man-
ager of the Western Union telegraph
office, at Freeport, is one of the younger
representatives of the Masonic fraternity in
this beautiful city, where he was born on
the 2Oth of April, 1866. He is descended
from German ancestors who early located
in Pennsylvania. His father, Reuben Ser-
fass, was a native of the Keystone state,
and when a young man emigrated to Ohio,
where he married Miss Catherine Wise, a
native of the Buckeye state. In 1858 they
became residents of Freeport, where for a
number of years the father was actively en-
gaged in contracting and building. He de-
parted this life on the 2/th of October,
1893, at the age of sixty-seven years. His
wife is still living, at the age of sixty-three
years. In their family were six children,
three of whom are now living.
Franklin E. Serfass, of this review, is
the youngest. He was educated in the
Freeport schools and learned telegraphy in
the Western Union office at this place, since
which time he has gradually advanced from
one position to another until he now occu-
pies the responsible place of manager of the
Freeport office. He has for short times, at
different periods in his life, been a telegraph
operator for the Illinois Central Railway
and for one or two other roads, and has be-
come one of the most expert telegraphers in
the country. His superior ability well fits
him for his present position, which he is
filling with eminent satisfaction to the com-
pany, and is a most trusted and reliable em-
ployee. He is a young man of excellent
business ability and has already attained a
success which would well grace the efforts
of a man many years his senior.
In his political adherency Mr. Serfass is
a Republican and keeps well informed on
278
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
the issues and questions of the day. He
was made a Mason in 1891, and has since
taken the chapter degrees, while in the
order he is highly esteemed for his genuine
worth. Almost his entire life has been
spent in Freeport, and being thus well
known the respect in which he is so univer-
sally held is a just tribute to a young busi-
ness man of excellent business habits.
J
JfOHN BURKERT DELHAUER, who for
almost forty years has been a member of
the Masonic fraternity, having become a
member of the order in 1857, is a resident
of Freeport and one of the old and most
highly respected citizens.
A native of Pennsylvania, he was born
in Berks county, on the 3<Dth of January,
1828, and is of French and German ances-
try, the founders of the family in America
having crossed the Atlantic in colonial days.
They were participants in those events which
formed the early history of the nation, and
were valiant defenders of their country dur-
ing the wars in which it became involved.
The father of our subject, Henry Delhauer,
was born in New Jersey, near Philadelphia,
and in Berks county, Pennsylvania, married
Miss Maria Winkler. In 1836 he removed
with his parents to Canton, Ohio, becoming
one of the worthy pioneers of that section
of the state, where he established a forge
for the manufacture of iron, and worked
there for many years. He attained the age
of sixty years, and his wife was eighty-two
years of age at the time of her death. They
had eleven children, eight of whom reached
years of maturity, although only two are
now living.
John B. Delhauer was the third of the
family, and in a primitive log schoolhouse
of Ohio he obtained his education, being
reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life.
In his youth he learned the cabinet-maker's
trade, which he followed for some time.
He was married in Ashland, Ohio, on the
25th of December, 1849, to Miss Catherine
Kenegy, of Franklin county, Pennsylvania,
and in the spring of 1853 he brought his
wife- to Freeport, where he has since made
his home. He at once became prominently
identified with the business interests of the
city and has won a success that evidenced
his industrious, energetic career, for he came
here with little capital and has depended
entirely upon his own resources for all that
he has secured. With a partner he opened
a restaurant, but after a short time embarked
in the grocery business. As the population
of Freeport increased his trade grew until it
had assumed extensive proportions. He was
ever courteous in his treatment of his pa-
trons, and his fair dealing and earnest desire
to please soon won him a large business.
He had the confidence and good will of all
and his capable management brought to him
a handsome competence, which was well
deserved, and which now enables him to
spend his declining years in retirement from
active labor. His attention is given to no
commercial interest, save the care of his
investments. As his financial resources in-
creased he purchased considerable realty
and is now the owner of various buildings
in Freeport, which he rents, deriving there-
from a good income. He is also engaged
in the loaning of money.
Mr. and Mrs. Delhauer had a family of
seven children, five of whom are now living,
namely: Charles E. ; Ada, now the wife of
George A. Lindgren; John H., Mrs. Mar-
garet Hickman and Edward K. The par-
ents are estimable members of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Del-
hauer is serving as trustee, while both are
active in the work of the church and its up-
building. Our subject is a stanch Repub-
lican in his political associations, but has
never been an office-seeker. His life is one
of the highest respectability, and he is one
of the most esteemed citizens of Freeport.
Through the era of its greatest development
he has been numbered among its residents,
in fact, has been identified with its history
from its pioneer days and has been an im-
portant factor in promoting its commercial
interests and thus aiding largely in advanc-
ing its material welfare and prosperity.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
279
LEXANDER HENDERSON.— Rock-
JML ford's Masons are well worthy of men-
tion in the history of the fraternity in Illi-
nois. They have been active in promoting
the interests of the order and many have
attained to a high degree therein. Among
those whose identification with the society
have added new luster to its fair name is
Mr. Henderson, a thirty-second-degree Ma-
son who for twelve years has been accounted
one of the worthy representatives of Rock-
ford Lodge, No. 102, F. & A. M. Since
that time he has advanced in the York Rite
until he has taken all the consistory degrees,
and of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine he is also a
member. He is ever ready to extend a
helping hand to his brethren and manifests
the true spirit of fraternity in his well-spent
life. He is also an Odd Fellow, affiliating
with Social Lodge in Rockford.
Mr. Henderson is widely known in this
city, not only in society circles, but also in
in the ranks of its leading business repre-
sentatives. He is a native of Scotland and
of Scotch ancestry. He was educated in
the Madras Academy of his native country,
and for five years was employed in a drug
store there, during which time he received
only ten pounds per annum for his services,
but he gained a thorough and accurate knowl-
edge of pharmacy, which has ably fitted him
for his present business career. In 1879 he
and his brother, John W. Henderson, came
to America to settle up the estate of their
uncle, William Henderson, who died in
Rockford in that year. So well pleased
were they with the city and its prospects
that they decided to embark in business here
and make it their future home.
Alexander Henderson accordingly opened
a drug store which he has since conducted,
and by his honorable methods and courteous
treatment of his patrons has won a liberal
share of the trade in his line. His store is
modern in all its appointments and is most
completely equipped with everything found
in a first-class establishment of the kind.
As his financial resources have increased he
has made judicious investments in real estate
and now owns some valuable property in
Rockford and Chicago. He is rated as one
of the most enterprising and progressive
business men of the former city, and would
be a valued acquisition to the commercial
circles of any community.
In his political views Mr. Henderson is
Republican, but has no time nor desire for
political preferment. He was married in
1884 to Miss Minnie Farquhar, a native of
Rockford and of Scotch ancestry. Their
pleasant and hospitable home receives many
friends who always find a warm welcome at
their fireside.
Mr. Henderson's brother, John W. Hen-
derson, also engaged in business in Rockford
and was connected with the Winnebago Na-
tional Bank and the N. C. Thompson Manu-
facturing Company. He, too, was made a
Mason and advanced rapidly in the order
until he had taken all the Scottish Rite
degrees up to and including the thirty-
second. He was highly esteemed as a
worthy citizen and good business man, and
the many excellencies of his character won
him the high regard of all. He, too, was
happily married, but in March, 1896, both
he and his wife suffered a severe attack of
spinal meningitis, which terminated life.
Mr. Henderson died on the i6th of March,
1896, and his wife passed away within a few
days. The double calamity awakened. the
most widespread and sincere regret throught
out Rockford and in his great sorrow Alex-
ander Henderson and his wife have the
keenest sympathy of the entire community.
lOSWELL Z. HERRICK.— High on
-Ot the roll of Chicago's loyal and influen-
tial Masons stands the name of this gentle-
man, whose connection with the fraternity
even antedates his arrival in this city,
where he has made his home since 1869.
For twenty-eight years he has been a wor-
thy exponent of its principles in the metrop-
olis of the west. He was first made a
Mason in 1868, becoming a member of
Olive Branch Lodge, No. 124, F. & A. M.,
of Charleston, Maine. He now belongs to
280
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Home Lodge, No. 508, and in 1870 he took
the Royal Arch degrees in Chicago Chap-
ter, No. 127, R. A. M., while in Apollo
Commandery No. i, he was made a Knight
Templar. He is still connected with Chi-
cago Chapter, but in 1880 transferred his
membership from Apollo Commandery,
No. i, K. T., to Chevalier Bayard Com-
mandery, No. 52, K. T. , his name appear-
ing on the roll of its charter members. He
has taken an active interest in the work
and progress of the various branches and
has been honored with a number of offices,
having been Senior Warden in Home Lodge
and its Secretary for four years; High Priest
in the Chapter, and Recorder, Senior War-
den and Generalissimo in the Commandery.
He belongs to the Masonic Veterans' Asso-
ciation and is a prominent and valued mem-
ber of the ancient fraternity which has
largely inculcated the principles of charity,
benevolence and kindliness among men
through many centuries.
In business circles Mr. Herrick has
made a record that is most honorable and
satisfactory. The world instinctively pays
deference to the man whose success has
been worthily achieved, who has attained
wealth by honorable business methods, by
merit acquired a high reputation in his
chosen calling, and whose social promi-
nence is not the less the result of an irre-
proachable life than of recognized natural
gifts. We pay the highest tribute to the
heroes who on bloody battle-fields win vic-
tories and display a valor that wins the ad-
miration of the world. Why should the
tribute be withheld from those who wage
the bloodless battles of civil life, who are
conquerors in the world of business? The
career of Mr. Herrick is one that demon-
strates the possibilities that America affords
her energetic, ambitious young men.
Born in East Corinth, Maine, on the
27th of December, 1846, he is a son of
Joshua M. and Betsey (Stinchfield) Herrick,
both representatives of early colonial fami-
lies. The ancestry of the Herricks can be
traced back to Sir William Herrick, a gold-
smith and money-lender of London, of high
repute. He was born in 1557, was a mem-
ber of parliament from 1601 to 1620 and
was knighted by King James I in 1605.
His fifth son, Henry Herrick, was born in
1604, and in the early part of the seven-
teenth century was sent to investigate his
father's mercantile affairs in the colony of
Virginia. Instead of locating in the south
he took up his abode in Beverly, Massa-
chusetts, in 1629, and became the founder
of the family in the New World. The
grandfather of our subject, removed from
New London, New Hampshire, to East
Corinth, Maine, in 1807.
Mr. Herrick, of this review, acquired his
earlier education in an academy in East Cor-
inth, and on laying aside his text-books
entered upon his business career as a copy-
ing clerk in the office of the register of
deeds of Bangor, Maine. As he demon-
strated his ability to successfully perform
more important duties he was promoted,
and at length was given entire charge of
the office. In the winter of 1868-9 he was
employed as bookkeeper in the office of
Dwinel & Dennett, a prominent lumber firm
of Bangor, but in May of the latter year
severed his connection with that company
in order to remove to Chicago, where he
has since made his home. Here he ac-
cepted a position as messenger in the Union
Stock Yards National Bank, which had
been organized in 1868, with S. M. Nicker-
son as president and E. S. Stickney as cash-
He was soon promoted to the position
icr.
of bookkeeper and later was made paying
teller, serving in that capacity for fourteen
years, when, having mastered the business
in all its departments, he was engaged in
varied service. Upon the organization of
the National Live Stock Bank, which suc-
ceeded the older institution, March i, 1888,
he became cashier, and in January, 1890,
was elected a director of the bank, having
served in both capacities continually since.
He has made a close study of the business
and is one of the most able financiers of the
city. His mastery of banking is complete and
his management of affairs entrusted to his
care most satisfactory. Not a little of the sue-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
L'Sl
cess of the institution is due to his superior
sagacity and management, and among the
bankers of Chicago he occupies a conspicu-
ous place. He has given but little atten-
tion to other business interests, but was one
of the organizers and for several years
president of the Drexel Building & Loan
Association.
In politics our subject is a Republican,
and in 1 880-81 was treasurer of Hyde
Park. He was also president of the board
of education for two terms, the office being
discontinued by reason of the annexation
of Hyde Park to the city. Socially he is a
member of the Oakland Club, the Bankers'
Club, and is one of the directors of the So-
ciety of the Sons of Maine. He is a mem-
ber and trustee of the Forty-first Street
Presbyterian church.
Mr. Herrick was married October 28,
1873, to Miss Martha E. Thurston, daugh-
ter of Mark Thurston, of Bangor, Maine,
and they now have one daughter, Ger-
trude T.
C.HARLES MINOR SWALLOW, a zeal-
ous and industrious member of the craft
who resides in Danville, has been a consci-
entious adherent to the laws and principles
of Freemasonry for the past twelve years.
The initiatory degrees of the order were con-
ferred upon him in Olive Branch Lodge, No.
38, in 1885, and in the same year he was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Vermilion Chapter, No. 82, and
constituted a Knight Templar in Athelstan
Commandery, No. 45. In the latter body
he held the office of trustee.
On September 8, 1844, occurred the
birth of Mr. Swallow, in Luzerne county,
Pennsylvania. His early life was spent on
a farm, working during the summer months
and attending the district schools in the
winter. Subsequently he entered Dicker-
son Seminary and later the Cazenovia Semi-
nary at Cazenovia, New York. He then
began the study of law under the preceptor-
ship of the Hon. Garick M. Harding, of
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, with whom he
studied during the year 1868, and then
took a course in the law department of Ann
Arbor University, in which he was gradua-
ted in 1871. In April of that year he came
to Danville and here followed his profession
until 1885. In 1886 he became associated
with the Glennard Coal Company, and has
given his entire attention to operations in
that line of business. He has met with
merited success, as his present prosperous
position in life is the result of intelligently
applied energy and perseverance, backed
by a strength of purpose that remained un-
C. M. SWALLOW.
daunted in spite of all obstacles. He is a
self-made man in every sense of the word,
and richly deserves to reap the benefit of
his labors. His politics are Republican,
and on that ticket he was elected state's
attorney for Vermilion county, holding that
office for four years, and was city attorney
of Danville for one term.
Mr. Swallow was first married in 1 874,
to Miss Clara A. Northup, of Pennsylvania,
and they had one son, Howard Arnold, born
in August, 1878, and is now attending Brown
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
University. Mrs. Swallow died in Febru-
ary, 1879. Our subject's second marriage
took place in November, 1883, when he
wedded Miss Mary L. Whaite, of Pennsyl-
vania, whose family were of English descent.
Of this union five children were born: Ma-
bel R., Clara N., who died when seven
years old, Nellie E. , Walter Calhoun, and
Rebecca Maud. Mrs. Swallow is a worthy
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
LBERT DEMAREE, one of the old
JrQ and highly respected citizens of Quincy,
Illinois, has an excellent Masonic record.
He was made a Master Mason in Bodley
Lodge, No. i, A. F. & A. M. , in 1866, ex-
alted a Royal Arch Mason in Quincy -Chap-
ter, No. 5, R. A. M., on the I2th of March,
1867; received the cryptic degrees in
Quincy Council, No. 15, R. & S. M., Janu-
ary 30, 1 868 ; was created a Sir Knight Temp-
lar in Beauseant Commandery, No. 11, K.
T. , on the 27th of March, 1868; and has re-
ceived all the Scottish Rite degrees in all
the bodies of that order in Quincy. He is a
member of Quincy Grand Lodge of Perfec-
tion, fourteenth degree; of Quincy Council,
Princes of Jerusalem, sixteenth degree;
Quincy Chapter, Rose Croix, eighteenth
degree, De H. R. D. M., and a member of
Quincy Consistory, thirty-second degree, S.
P. R. S. , his membership in the last men-
tioned being dated January 4, 1870. He is
a Past Master of Bodley Lodge, has been
Principal Sojourner a number of terms, and
High Priest of the chapter. He has also
held various offices in the commandery,
being Captain General a number of years,
and is also Past Eminent Commander. In
the consistory also has he held several
offices. He is now Secretary of Bodley
Lodge, Secretary of Quincy Council, and
Secretary of all the Scottish Rite bodies,
being also Grand Secretary of the con-
sistory; and as such he is a very efficient
and capable officer, perhaps not excelled by
any similar officer in the United States, for
his system of keeping the records very
nearly approaches perfection, and he has
done the order much valuable service. He
also has the honor of being one of the organ-
izers of the consistory in Quincy.
Mr. Demaree is a native of Stark county,
Ohio, born at Franklin August 31, 1836.
His great-grandfather, David de Maree (as
they wrote the name then) was a French
Huguenot. His father, Samuel Demaree,
was a native of Pennsylvania and came to
Quincy in an early day. He, too, was an
acceptable member of Bodley Lodge for
eighteen years, and was a devout member
of the Presbyterian church. By occupa-
tion he was a leather manufacturer. In
1873 he was thrown from a wagon and the
resulting injuries caused his death; and his
good wife was brought to final dissolution by
a similar accident a few years later, leaving
three children.
Mr. Demaree, the subject proper of this
sketch, is the youngest survivor of the
family. He came to Quincy in 1844, in the
eighth year of his age, was educated in the
Quincy public schools, and has ever since
resided in that city, so that he is now one
of the oldest residents. Learning in his
youth the trade of printer, he was for many
years engaged in newspaper work, having a
job and lithographing establishment for
some time. He has also been engaged in
various other pursuits.
In his political principles he has been a
lifelong Democrat. Was city controller
one year, city clerk four years, and then
city controller again for six years. Also he
has been clerk of the city school board for
the past twenty-six years.
In 1857 he was united in marriage with
Miss Adaline Burlingame, a native of
Adams county, Illinois, and a daughter of
Orrin Burlingame. They have had seven
children, of whom two died in child-
hood. The eldest, Albert E. , is a printer
in Chicago; Elizabeth J. is now Mrs. Nat.
O. Walker; On B. is the wife of George
L. Corly; Charles D. is a bookkeeper in
Quincy; and Minnie J. is now Mrs. George
Leggett. The mother of these children
died a member of the Christian church.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
288
She was a Worthy Matron of Alpha Chap-
ter, No. 109, and Mr. Demaree has been
its Worthy Patron.
T «OMAS CHICK, proprietor of the
Chick Hotel, and a leading citizen of
Rockford, belongs to the Masonic fraternity,
having taken the initial degrees in E. W.
F. Ellis Lodge, No. 633, A. F. & A. M., in
1883. He was exalted to the sublime de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Winnebago
Chapter, No. 24, and was knighted in Cru-
sader Commandery, No. 17. He also
joined Tebala Temple of the Ancient Ara-
bic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
and in these various bodies has held a num-
ber of offices. He was Junior Warden in
the blue lodge and Standard Bearer in the
commandery, and from his earliest associa-
tion with the lodge he has been one of its
most zealous members and ardent advocates,
doing all in his power to promote its growth
and secure the adoption of its principles.
It is such men that have given honor and
dignity to the title of Mason.
Mr. Chick is a native of England, born
November 18, 1846. His parents, William
and Hannah (Pengillie) Chick, were natives
of Devonshire, England, and emigrated to
the United States in 1851, at which time
the subject of this review was only five
years of age. He was educated in this
country, and in his youth learned the flour-
milling business under the supervision of
George Phillips. He also became a loco-
motive engineer, and served in that capac-
ity for fourteen years as an employee of the
Northwestern Railroad Company. His
steady application, faithfulness to the trusts
committed to his care, and his persevering
energy, won him the confidence of his errf-
ployers and brought to him success. In
1888 he invested his capital — all of which
had been acquired through his own exer-
tions— in property in Rockford, becoming
owner of the Chick House, which he has
since conducted. It is managed as a first-
class hotel, and is a favorite resort with the
traveling public. Everything about the
place is characterized by neatness, and the
tasteful furnishings and modern appoint-
ments make it a desirable home for those
who temporarily reside in Rockford.
In February, 1871, Mr. Chick was
united in marriage to Miss Lena Kennedy,
a native of Vermont, who proves a most
capable hostess of the hotel, looking after
the comfort of the guests and supplying
those little attentions which only a woman
knows how to give. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Chick have made many warm friends
among those who visit the hotel, and in
Rockford are widely and favorably known.
In manner they are social, genial and cour-
teous to all, and therefore popular.
In addition to his membership in the
Masonic Lodge, Mr. Chick is connected
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks.
FRANK W. AMBLER, JR.— Cosmopoli-
tan Chicago furnishes many examples
of self-made men. The city itself is the
product of the energy and the enterprise of
a population of self-made men, whose un-
flagging industry has been the means of
building on the once swampy shores of Lake
Michigan a city whose growth has been one
of the miracles of the age. Built by men
who have been the architects of their own
fortunes, Chicago is quick to recognize
merit in those who seek homes here and to
accord them rapid advancement as opportu-
nity offers. The "I will" motto of the city,
when exemplified in the legitimate channels
of trade, wins a sure success and fails not
of the reward which crowns honest endeavor.
The gentleman whose name heads this sketch
is an example of Chicago enterprise and
to-day occupies a leading position in mer-
cantile circles.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August
30, 1865, and reared and educated there,
he came to Chicago when young, hoping to
find this city a fair field in which to labor.
He soon secured a position in the wholesale
house of Carson, Pirie, Scott & Company,
284
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and for seventeen years has been an attache
of that extensive establishment. He began
in a humble position, but the earnest and
close application of the errand boy was
noted by those above him and as vacancies
occurred he was promoted. As the years
passed greater responsibilities were entrusted
to him and ultimately he was promoted to
his present important position as European
buyer for this house, having charge of the
extensive trade with the old-world commer-
cial emporiums. He is a man of resourceful
ability and executive force, of keen discrim-
ination and sound judgment, and has the
unqualified confidence of the partners of the
firm.
Mr. Ambler was married on the 3d of
April, 1889, the lady of his choice being
Miss Lulu B. Holmann, who was born in
Naperville, Illinois, but at the time of her
marriage was living in Iowa. Their union
has been blessed with one son, Harold H.
Mr. Ambler maintains pleasant relations
with the Masonic fraternity, with which he
has affiliated since 1895, when he took the
degrees of ancient craft Masonry in Lincoln
Park Lodge ; the following year he acquainted
himself with capitular Masonry in La Grange
Chapter, in which he was exalted to the
august degree of a Royal Arch Mason. He
received the grades and orders of chivalric
Masonry in St. Bernard Commandery, where-
in he took the vows of knighthood in 1896.
He attained the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite in 1895, and was proclaimed a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret, and the
following year became a Noble of Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine.
Mr. Ambler is a member of the well
known and popular Lexington Quartet of
Chicago, and his gift of song has often added
to the enjoyment of the social gatherings
of the various bodies of Masonry.
sonic circles, he being a member in good
standing of several branches of this ancient
order. He was made a Master Mason in
Alpha Lodge, No. 155, in which he has
filled the chairs from Senior Warden to
Worshipful Master, representing his lodge
two years in the Grand Lodge of Illinois.
Also he is a member of Galesburg Chapter,
No. 46, R. A. M., and Galesburg Command-
ery, No. 8, K. T. , in the latter of which
he is now serving as Junior Warden, having
filled the office of Standard Bearer in 1894
and '95. December 10, 1895, he received
the degrees of the Mystic Shrine in Moham-
med Temple, of Peoria.
Mr. Perrin is a native of Galesburg,
Illinois, born July 9, 1861, and has spent
the whole of his life here. During the past
six years he has been in the drug business.
Previous to that he was for some time em-
ployed at Brown's Corn Planter Works as
time-keeper, and for three years was in the
restaurant business.
GEORGE HORACE PERRIN, a drug-
gist of Galesburg, Illinois, is one of the
enterprising and popular young business
men of the city, and is popular also in Ma-
^ DWARD LEROY BENSON.— To this
_/ gentleman belongs the distinction of
being the oldest Freemason in the town of
Belvidere, Boone county, Illinois. A New
Yorker by birth and early association, a
veteran of the Mexican war, a California
"Forty-niner," for many years an honored
resident of Illinois, and for nearly half a
century a Mason in good standing, it is fit-
ting that more than a passing notice be
accorded the life history of Edward Leroy
Benson.
Mr. Benson was made a Mason in the
spring of 1849, in Belvidere Lodge, No.
60, in which he for years served officially,
filling the office of Treasurer a number of
years, and now, and for some years past,
acting in the capacity of Tyler. In 1865
he was exalted a Royal Arch Mason in Kish-
waukee Chapter, No. 90, R. A. M., and in
the chapter has been Master of the Second
Veil for many years. He was knighted in
Crusaders' Commandery at Rockford about
twenty-five years ago, and has advanced in
the Scottish Rite to the thirty-second de-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
285
gree, the consistory work having been con-
ferred upon him by Freeport Valley Con-
sistory, where he meets with the brethren
annually. Throughout his Masonic history
his life has ever been in harmony with the
teachings set forth by this ancient order,
and by such a life he has naturally gained
and retained the high esteem of his fellows.
Another fraternal organization with which
Mr. Benson is connected is the Knights of
the Globe.
As already stated, Mr. Benson is a na-
tive of New York. He was born in Madi-
son county, that state, March 10, 1826, and
is descended from one of the old New
England families, his ancestry through the
agnatic line being traced back to Prussia.
The first of the Bensons who came to this
country settled in Massachusetts. They
and their descendants have filled useful and
honored positions in life. Grandfather Ben-
son was a Revolutionary soldier, and lost
his life in the struggle for independence.
Our subject's parents, Isaac and Julia
(Thomas) Benson, were both natives of
New York, and made their home in that
state until 1845, when they removed to
Illinois and settled at Belvidere. Here
they passed the residue of their lives and
died, at time of death he being fifty-five
and she sixty-one. In their family were
eight children, the last two born in Illinois,
the others in New York, and all except two
are still living.
In his youth, Mr. Benson learned the
trade of blacksmith, but he followed agri-
cultural pursuits the greater part of his
active life. When the Mexican war came
on, he was among the volunteers for service
in that conflict, and at its close made the
overland journey to then far-away Cali-
fornia. He remained in California, en-
gaged in mining and various other pursuits,
until 1862, when he returned to Belvidere
and settled down to farming. He was iden-
tified with farm life till his retirement from
the same and removal to Belvidere in order
to give his children educational advantages.
Mr. Benson was a Whig when he first
became a voter. On the organization of
the Republican party he joined its ranks
and has since given it his fealty. Fre-
quently he has been honored with official
position of local prominence. For the past
twelve years he has been street commis-
sioner of Belvidere, in that capacity ren-
dering faithful and efficient service.
Mr. Benson was married in 1860 to
Miss Adaline A. Harper, a native of Ohio,
and a most estimable lady, who shared life's
joys and sorrows with him until her death,
in 1887. Their union was blessed in the
birth of five children — Frank H., Cora D.,
Mary J., Eben Lane and Jessie.
DANIEL PRESCOTT SHAW is a loyal
J^ Knight of Apollo Commandery of Chi-
cago, and for thirteen years has been
identified with the Masonic fraternity. Its
principles of beneficence, fraternity and
loyalty find embodiment in his conduct, and
he is a close and conscientious student of
the teachings and ethics of Masonry in all
its departments, and an efficient and en-
thusiastic worker for their promotion.
The history of his connection with
Masonry dates from 1883, when he took
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason in Berlin Lodge,
of Green Lake county, Wisconsin. The
same year he was exalted to the sublime
degree of a Royal Arch Mason in Berlin
Chapter of Green Lake county, and in 1884
he received the order of Knighthood in Ber-
lin Commandery. His work in the com-
mandery has been untiring and of great
benefit to the societies in which he has held
membership. He is thoroughly informed
in regard to its principles, and has followed
its beauseant with unfaltering loyalty,
while his observance of the vows of knight-
hood has won him the true regard of all
worthy members of the craft. In 1885 he
was dimitted from Berlin Commandery to
Apollo Commandery, No. i , of Chicago,
and has been honored with various offices.
He served as Standard Bearer for one year,
was Warder for one year, Junior Warden
for one year and Prelate for two years. In
286
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
1887 he joined the Ineffable Lodge of Per-
fection and became a Scottish Rite Mason
of the thirty-second degree in Oriental Con-
sistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret. The same year he was made a
Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple, of
Chicago. His deep and abiding interest in
Masonry is manifest in his active efforts to
promote its growth and secure the adoption
of those principles which cause the breth-
ren to dwell together in unity wheresoever
dispersed around the globe.
Mr. Shaw is a native of New Hamp-
shire, his birth having occurred in Grafton
county on the i/th of November, 1851.
When a child of four years he accompanied
his parents on their removal to Wisconsin
and afterward went with them to Carroll
county, Illinois. He was reared on a farm
until seventeen years of age, aiding in the
labors of field and meadow, and then came
to Chicago, thinking that better oppor-
tunities could be secured in the rapidly
growing city. Here he became connected
with mercantile interests, and later was a
traveling salesman for ten years. In 1885
he started the Office Toilet & Supply Com-
pany, and is now the efficient manager of
their extensive interests and business. His
life has been one of energy and great busi-
ness activity, and his close application,
enterprise and progressiveness have en-
abled him to overcome the difficulties in his
path and steadily work his way upward.
The success of the company with which he
is associated is due in no small measure to
his efforts, and in all business transactions
his integrity and honor are above question.
In 1891 Mr. Shaw was married, the lady of
his choice being Miss Arpie E. Smith, a
native of Greenburg, Pennsylvania. They
have one son, Daniel P., Jr., whose birth
occurred on the nth of September, 1894.
received the chapter degrees in, Barrett
Chapter, No. 18, and a year later, in 1896,
was elevated as a Sir Knight in Everts Com-
mandery, No. 18. Being an enthusiastic
admirer of the shining mysteries and benev-
olent principles of the order he intends to
take every opportunity to inform himself on
the ritual and tenets of this ancient and
honored brotherhood.
He was born in this beautiful city of
Rock Island, March 18, 1865, of Scotch an-
cestry who belonged to the Highland clans.
His paternal grandfather was born in Scot-
land, and, emigrating to America, he located
in the state of Alabama, where he brought
up his children. His father, George La-
mont, was born in Alabama and married
Miss Sarah Baker, a native of Pennsylvania.
In 1856 they removed to Rock Island,
where they have since been respected citi-
zens. He has been a steamboat captain on
the Mississippi river, but he is now agent of
the Diamond Jo line of steamers, and also a
coal dealer. All his five children are living.
The subject of this brief outline, Mr.
Ben D. Lament, the eldest of the children
just referred to, was educated in the public
schools of Rock Island, his native city, and
began his business career here as a clerk in
the steamboat office, and for a number of
years been the valued shipping clerk of the
Rock Island Plow Company, one of the
most extensive manufacturing firms of the
kind in the northwest,
Mr. Lament is still unmarried, is a mem-
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, as well as of the Masonic order already
mentioned, and in politics is a Democrat.
He is a genial, pleasant gentleman, whole-
souled, and enjoys the high esteem of a wide
circle of friends both in and out of the frater-
nal orders of which he is a member.
BEN D. LAMONT, a Sir Knight Tem-
_ ' plar residing at Rock Island, was made
a Mason in Trio Lodge, No. 57, in 1894,
and in the following year united with, and
GEORGE WELLS, one of the worthy
members of the fraternity in Quincy,
was inititated in Quincy Lodge, No. 296, A.
F. & A. M., on December to, 1869, and at
once became an enthusiastic worker in that
body. He was its Senior Warden for two
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
287
years, became Worshipful Master of the
lodge in 1888, and held the same office in
1889. He received the capitular degrees
in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, R. A. M., and
the Royal Arch degree on March 22, 1870,
and was elected Captain of the Host. He
was made a Royal and Select Master in
Quincy Council, No. 15, on May 14, 1887,
and was created a Knight Templar in El
Aksa Commandery, No. 55, on May 17,
1882, while it was under a dispensation, and
has the distinction of being one of the first
nine Sir Knights constituted in that com-
mandery. He was first elected its Sword
Bearer, then Senior Warden, Prelate, Gen-
eralissimo, and in 1888-89, its Eminent
Commander. During the whole of Mr.
Wells' Masonic career his record has
been an excellent one — that of a brother
who has posted himself on the ritual and
is faithful in the practice of its tenets — all
of which tends to make a man a worthy
Mason and an estimable citizen.
Quincy is Mr. Wells' native home, his
birth have taken place here on August 22,
1 846. His parents, Edward and Mary
(Evans) Wells, were born in Newburyport
and Gloucester, Massachusetts, respectively,
and in 1834 came to Quincy, where they
were among the first progressive citizens.
Mr. Edward Wells was principally engaged in
the pork-packing business during the most
of his career, and in 1869 he retired from
active life. He was an active Republican,
but was not a politician in the sense of
seeking or holding office, being content to
work for his party without a thought of
reward. He was one of the organizers and
sustainers of Unitarianism in Quincy, and
was a good, upright man. His death took
place in the seventy-ninth year of his age.
He was survived by his wife until 1894,
when she died, at the venerable age of
seventy-five years. They had four chil-
dren, all of whom are living, Mr. Wells, of
this sketch, being the eldest.
Mr. Wells received his mental training
in the schools of Quincy and Massachusetts,
and then for some years followed his fa-
ther's business of pork-packing, subse-
quently embarking in the fruit-canning in-
dustry. He then engaged in loans and
mortages and is now one of the leading
men in that line in Quincy, and one of the
city's progressive and aspiring business men.
Politically he holds faith with the Repub-
lican party.
In 1869 Mr. Wells was happily married
to Miss Sarah Jane Castle, a native of Car-
lisle, England, and the union has been
blessed with four children: Edward C.
and James R. , who are associated with
their father, Charles L. and Harriet E.
Mr. and Mrs. Wells occupy a pleasant home
in the residence part of Quincy, where they
are always glad to extend a cordial welcome
to their many friends.
WILLIAM H. THOMPSON, treasurer
of the Illinois Steel Company for
many years has been widely known in busi-
ness circles for his sterling qualities and his
fearless loyalty to his honest convictions.
Close application, earnest purpose, indefati-
gable industry and sound judgment are the
salient features in American success and
have been the crowning points in the career
of Mr. Thompson.
Born in Chicago on the 6th of February,
1859, he is a son of Henry Thompson, who
came to Chicago in 1852. Reared under
the parental roof, his youth was passed in
a manner similar to most city boys of the
period, his time being given to play and
study. He obtained his education in the
public schools and entered upon his busi-
ness career as an employee in a clothing-
house, where he remained for eleven years.
Consecutive preferment also marked his
connection with the Illinois Steel Company,
with which he became associated in 1886.
He occupied the responsible position of
cashier until the roth of February, 1897,
when he was elected to the still more im-
portant office of treasurer. During his
eleven years' identification with this industry
he has proved an important factor in its
success. His life has been one of unusual
activity and industry, and he is a self-made
288
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
man in the fullest sense of that often mis-
used term. Holding such an important po-
sition in the association controlling such vast
interests, speaks louder than words of Mr.
Thompson's executive and business ability.
On the a/th of June, 1881, Mr. Thomp-
son was united in marriage to Miss Marie C.
Tack, a native of New York, and they have
two children, — George Henry and Ursula
Emma.
Although Mr. Thomas has been closely
identified with large enterprises, his time
and attention have not been wholly given
to them. He has rare social qualities, de-
lights in good fellowship and lacks none of
those personal traits of character which are
indicative of warm-hearted and high-minded
gentlemen. These qualities naturally make
him a valued member of the Masonic fra-
ternity and he is an enthusiastic Mason,
deeply interested in the order which through
many centuries has been one of the chief
agencies in the upliting of humanity and
the advancement of civilization. To con-
scientiously ally one's self with any of the
mighty movements that have molded the
past, are influencing the present and shap-
ing the future, is to invest life with new
dignity and power. The present is a time
of combinations for varied aims, for man
sees more and more clearly his weakness as
an individual as compared with his strength
in union with others. Realizing most fully
the import of this truth Mr. Thompson has
allied himself with the ancient and honor-
able fraternity of Freemasons, having taken
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fel-
low-craft and Master Mason in Covenant
Lodge, No. 526, in February, 1896. Since
that time he has attained the thirty-second
degree of the Scottish Rite, and in April,
1897, was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory.
JOHN BROWN RHODES, JR.— In an
old English work on Masonry, written
in 1795, we find the following eulogium
on the order: "Masonry comprehends with-
in its circle every branch of useful knowl-
edge and learning, and stamps an indelible
mark of pre-eminence on its genuine pro-
fessors, which neither chance, power nor
fortune can bestow. When its rules are
strictly observed it is a sure foundation of
tranquillity amidst the various dissappoint-
ments of life; a friend that will not deceive
but will comfort and assist in prosperity and
adversity; a blessing that will remain with
all times, circumstances and places, and to
which recourse may be had when earthly
comforts sink into disregard." That it
has proved such to them, all true Masons
who live up to the vows they have taken
will admit.
Of the many prominent members of the
Masonic fraternity in Savanna, none is
better or more favorably known than the
subject of this sketch, John Brown Rhodes,
Jr., who is a native of this place and has
always lived here, and is at present extens-
ively engaged in the lumber business. He
was made a Master Mason in Mississippi"
Lodge, No. 385, at Savanna, in 1892, and re-
ceived the first three degrees as follows: En-
tered Apprentice; January 7, 1892; Fellow-
craft, February 18, 1892; Master Mason,
March 4, 1892. He is also a member of
Savanna Chapter, No. 200, and received
the following degrees in 1894: Mark Mas-
ter, May 15; Past Master, May 24; Most
Excellent Master, May 29; Royal Arch,
May 30. He is at present filling the office
of Scribe in this chapter. He has held the
offices of Steward, Junior and Senior Deacon
in his blue lodge for several terms. He has
filled these offices in a most acceptable
manner, and his services have been greatly
appreciated by his brother Masons. He is
so well pleased with the order that it is his
intention to remain one of its members and
progress in the same until he has attained
the thirty-second degree.
Mr. Rhodes was born in Savanna No-
vember 20, 1860, and is a twin brother of
Thomas B. Rhodes, of Mount Carroll,
whose history appears in another portion of
this work and to which the reader is referred
for further particulars of the father and fam-
ily. Suffice it to say here that the father,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
John Brown Rhodes, Sr. , was a pioneer of
the state of Illinois, having come here in
1836. For his wife he married Miss Mary
J. Pierce. Her birth occurring in Savanna
in 1828, she was the first white child born
in Carroll county. She is a daughter of
William Pierce, who was the first settler
in Savanna, and both the father and grand-
father were among the most prominent
pioneers of the county. Mr. Rhodes was
for many years an honorable merchant of
Savanna, but is now retired, and, at the ad-
vanced age of eighty years, is one of its most
respected citizens and enjoys the esteem of
all who know him.
Mr. Rhodes, the subject of this sketch,
was the seventh child in a family of eight.
During his youth he attended the public
schools, where he acquired his education,
and then began his business career as a
clerk in a store, where he remained for
three years. At the end of that time he
decided to start in business for himself, and
with his brothers organized the firm of
Rhodes Brothers, manufacturers of sash,
doors and blinds. By perseverance and in-
dustry they succeeded in building up a large
and prosperous trade, and they have ex-
tensive yards and offices at both Savanna
and Mount Carroll. They are members of
the firm of Brown & Rhodes, which also
manufactures doors and blinds and operates
a planing-mill at Savanna. Besides these,
Messrs. Rhodes Brothers deal in coal to
some extent.
Mr. Rhodes was married in 1884 to
Miss Fanny L. Jencks, who was born in
Savanna, the daughter of Francis M. Jencks,
one of Savanna's most prominent business
men and one of the oldest Masons of Carroll
county. Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes have one
child, Florence L. by name. Both are
members of Ola Chapter, O. E. S., of Mount
Carroll.
Mr. Rhodes has a large amount of real
estate in Savanna, and is one of the ex-
tensive builders of the place. His home is
a model of neatness and beauty, and he and
his wife have attained an enviable reputa-
tion for the hospitality shown to their many
17
friends. Mr. Rhodes is connected with the
Republican party in politics, and at present
holds the office of clerk of the township.
JAMES ELMER WHEAT.— For a num-
ber of years the traveling public over the
line of the Chicago & Northwestern Rail-
way between Belvidere and Chicago have
had reason to appreciate the kindly atten-
tions of the popular passenger conductor,
James Elmer Wheat, whose name we are
pleased to place at the head of this article.
J. E. WHEAT.
The Masonic badge he wears at once stamps
him as a member of the greatest of all civic
organizations, and it is especially on his
identification with Masonry that we would
dwell in this connection.
At this writing Mr. Wheat occupies the
position of Deputy Grand Lecturer. He
was made a Mason in 1887, the Entered
Apprentice degree being conferred upon him
October i, the Fellow-craft November 15,
and the Master Mason December 5. In
1889 he was elected Senior Deacon, in 1890
290
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Senior Warden, and in iSgi Worshipful
Master, all of which positions he filled with
marked ability, his thorough and impressive
work reflecting credit both upon himself and
the lodge. He took another step in Ma-
sonry in 1890 when he petitioned for the
degrees of Kishwaukee Chapter, R. A. M.,
the same being given him as follows: Mark
Master, March 19; Past Master, April 9;
Most Excellent Master, April 30; and the
Royal Arch, May i. He is also a Sir
Knight and a " Shriner," a member of Sil-
van Commandery, K. T. , at Oak Park; and
of Tebala Temple, Mystic Shrine, at Rock-
ford. From the time he was initiated he
has taken an active interest in Masonic
work. He is now serving his fourth year as
Deputy Grand Lecturer, and as such is ren-
dering a high degree of satisfaction.
Mr. Wheat is a native of Illinois. He
•was born in Lee Center, Lee county, Sep-
tember 17, 1859, and is descended from Eng-
lish ancestors who were among the early
settlers of New York state and who were par-
ticipants in the Revolutionary war. Samuel
Elmer Wheat, the father of our subject,
was born in Steuben county, that state,
near the place where his forefathers had
settled years before, and there he was
reared to manhood. He married Miss Mary
E. Post, who was descended on the mater-
nal side from General Hopkins, of Revolu-
tionary fame. Samuel Elmer Wheat was
by occupation a contractor and builder. He
was a man of sterling integrity, deep piety
and great usefulness, and both he and his wife
were consistent members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. He reached the ripe old
age of seventy-two years and she departed
this life at the age of sixty-five. In their
family of seven children their son James E.
was the third born.
James E. Wheat was educated at Dixon,
Illinois, and in his youthful days, until he
was twenty-one, worked at the carpenter's
trade with his father. On reaching his ma-
jority he entered the employ of the Illinois
Central Railway, as brakeman. In 1881 he
accepted a position with the Chicago &
Northwestern Railroad, with which he has
continued without interruption since that
date, having made an enviable record as a
passenger conductor; and to his credit be it
said that the company has never lost a dol-
lar through any error of his.
Mr. Wheat was married March 13, 1889,
to Miss Vena Seibert, a native of the city
of Belvidere, Illinois, and they have one
son, Elmer Roy.
In connection with the Masonic history
of Mr. Wheat, it should be further stated
that both he and his wife have threaded the
labyrinth of the Eastern Star and are
worthy members of that popular auxiliary
of Freemasonry. Mr. Wheat is also ident-
ified with other fraternal organizations. He
is a member of the Royal Arcanum, the Or-
der of Railroad Conductors, and the Broth-
erhood of Railroad Trainmen. He was a
delegate to the convention of the Brother-
hood of Railroad Trainmen at Los Angeles,
California, in 1890, and also was a repre-
sentative to the Galesburg convention in
1893.
*T*\HOMAS B. RHODES, the representa-
JL tive lumber merchant of Mount Car-
roll, Illinois, is a worthy member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity at this place and has been
identified with the order for six years. He
took the degrees of blue Masonry in Cyrus
Lodge, No. 1 88, in 1890, that of the En-
tered Apprentice being conferred upon him
September 9; Fellow-craft, November 4,
and Master Mason, December 2 ; and for
two terms has he served acceptably as Junior
Deacon of the lodge. Also he has pene-
trated the mysteries of Royal Arch Masonry,
being exalted in Lanark Chapter, R. A. M.,
in 1894. Both as a Mason and citizen he is
deserving of personal mention in this work,
and to a brief review of his life we now di-
rect attention.
Thomas B. Rhodes was born in the town
of Savanna, Carroll county, Illinois, No-
vember 20, 1860, and comes of English an-
cestors who were among the early settlers
of the Old Dominion. From Virginia they
scattered some years later to newer portions
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
291
of the country, the grandfather of our sub-
ject taking up his abode in the Western Re-
serve and being one of the pioneer settlers
of Ohio. It was in that state that John B.
Rhodes, the father of Thomas B. , was born.
With the pioneer instinct of his ancestors,
John B. Rhodes, on becoming a young man,
left the home of his childhood and turned
his face westward, Illinois being his object-
ive point. He located at Savanna, where
he engaged in merchandising for many years,
and where he still resides, honored and es-
teemed by all who know him, and at this
writing, in his eightieth year, well preserved
both mentally and physically. His wife,
whose maiden name was Mary Jane Pierce,
and who was a daughter of Aaron Pierce,
was the first white child born in Carroll
county. She departed this life in 1877, at
the age of forty-nine years. To them were
born eight children, of whom six are living,
— five sons and a daughter,- all occupying
honored and useful positions in life — the
sons all exemplary members of the Masonic
order.
The immediate subject of this sketch,
Thomas B. Rhodes, grew up in his native
town, received his education in its public
schools, and at the age of seventeen directed
his energies to the lumber business, in which
he has ever since been engaged. At first
he was in the employ of his brother, with
whom he remained until 1884, and that year
came to Mount Carroll and established a
business of his own, which he has conducted
up to the present time and in which, through
his honorable and upright methods, he has
met with signal success. In the affairs of
his town Mr. Rhodes has always shown a
commendable interest, has several times
been honored with election to the office of
alderman, and has rendered excellent serv-
ice as such. In educational matters espec-
ially is he interested. He has served as a
member of the Mount Carroll school board.
Indeed, he is a man whose progressive views
are up with the times, and who, as a busi-
ness man, citizen and Mason, is entitled to
the confidence and esteem he receives from
all who know him.
The same year in which he came to
Mount Carroll and engaged in business for
himself he was married to Miss Emma Cham-
bers, a native of his own town, and their
family circle now includes three children,
Frederick J., Mary Laura and Emma Mabel.
Their home is one which he erected and
which is among the handsome ones of the
town, and besides it he owns much other
valuable property here. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Rhodes are members of the Order of the
Eastern Star, in which she is active and ef-
ficient, having filled a number of its offices.
WILLIAM L. POND.— A brother dem-
onstrates his loyalty to the frater-
nity by the manner in which he conducts his
daily life and the work performed by him in
the bodies of which he is a member. Mr.
Pond has been an earnest laborer in the
lodge and has displayed unusual ability in
filling many offices of importance. He was
initiated in De Kalb Lodge, No. 144, re-
ceiving the degree of Entered Apprentice,
August 1 8, 1886; Fellow-craft, September
15, following; and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason, November 3, 1886,
also the same year. He was advanced to
the degree of Mark Master, elected and pre-
sided in the Oriental Chair June 10, 1887,
received and acknowledged as Most Excel-
lent Master, exalted to the degree of Royal
Arch, August 17, 1887, in De Kalb Chapter,
No. 52, R. A. M., in which he served as
King; received the degrees of Royal and
Select Masters in De Kalb Council, No.
81, on December 12, 1897, being elected
its Thrice Illustrious Master; and was
created a Knight Templar in Sycamore
Commandery, No. 15. Mr. Pond and his
wife are members of Normal Chapter, No.
357, Order of the Eastern Star.
Mr. Pond was born in Genoa, Illinois,
February it, 1860, and is the son of A. H.
and Amy (Hollembeak) Pond. His youth
was spent on a farm, attending to the du-
ties connected therewith, and securing such
education as was afforded by the district
schools. He was graduated at the high
292
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
school of Genoa in 1881, and in 1882 began
the study of law under the preceptorship of
D. J. Carnes, of Sycamore. He was ad-
mitted to the bar before the supreme court
at Ottawa in May, 1884, and on September
2 he took up the practice of his profession
at De Kalb, where he soon acquired an en-
viable reputation and has since succeeded in
building up a large and lucrative practice.
He is bright, progressive and energetic, and
the thorough knowledge of the profession
he has adopted has won for him the un-
limited confidence of all who place their af-
fairs in his hands.
In his political faith Mr. Pond is a
stanch Republican. He has served as city
attorney of De Kalb for eleven consecutive
years, is also on the board of . education,
and on April 19, 1897, Mr. Pond was nom-
inated by the Republicans of De Kalb
county as their candidate for county judge;
and as this county is two to one Republican,
there seems to be no doubt of his election.
Socially he is a member of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern
Woodmen of America, Royal Arcanum,
Knights of the Maccabees, and the Red
Men of America. In all these organizations
Mr. Pond's considerate nature and genial
disposition have made him a popular ac-
quisition.
On November 9, 1887, our subject was
united in marriage to Miss Alice E. Cole, of
Kingston, and one child, Jessie A., has
been born to them.
JOHN McLAREN, of Chicago, was
initiated in Cleveland Lodge, No. 211,
of this city, October 19, 1864; was
passed November 23, and raised December
12, of the same year. He filled the follow-
ing offices in the lodge: Junior Warden in
1868, Senior Warden in 1869, and Wor-
shipful Master for the years 1870 and 1871.
In Washington Chapter, No. 43, Chicago,
he was marked June 15, 1866, elected and
presided as P. M., received and acknowl-
edged as M. E. M. June 21, 1866, and
made a Royal Arch Mason June 29, same
year. He also received the degrees of
R. & S. M. in this body December 15, 1877.
In the chapter he filled the following
offices: Royal Arch Captain in 1868, King
in 1873, and Most Excellent High Priest in
1874. In Chicago Commandery, No. 19,
he was created a Knight Templar January
28, 1867. He served as Junior Warden in
1872, and as Eminent Commander for the
years 1875 and 1876. April 28, 1870, the
thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite
was conferred upon him in Oriental Con-
sistory, and he was made Inspector General
of the thirty-third degree in September,
1879.
He was a member of the board of trus-
tees of the Masonic Temple (corner of Ran-
dolph and Halsted streets) for a number
of years, and has served both as president
of the board and secretary of the associa-
tion.
Mr. McLaren is a son of William and
Helen, nee Hume, McLaren, and was born
in Edinburgh, Scotland, September 11,
1836. The family, consisting of the
parents and five children, emigrated to
America in 1852, locating in Chicago.
Here William McLaren, a cabinet-maker,
plied his trade for three years, and then
moved westward to Dubuque, Iowa.
Shortly after his arrival in Chicago,
John McLaren, the immediate subject of
this review, was apprenticed to Sanford
Johnson, a well-known carpenter and
builder of his day. On completing his ap-
prenticeship in 1857, he joined his father's
family in Dubuque, where he was employed
at his trade until the breaking out of the
war. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Com-
pany F, in what was known as the " Engi-
neer Regiment of the West," it being com-
posed of volunteers from the states of Iowa,
Illinois, Michigan and Missouri. He en-
listed as a private, but rose steadily in the
ranks, filling the offices of orderly sergeant,
sergeant-major, second lieutenant, first
lieutenant and adjutant. ' He was mustered
out of the service at Savannah, Georgia, in
December, 1864.
Then Mr. McLaren located permanently
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
293
in Chicago. In 1865 he occupied the posi-
tion of bookkeeper for Colonel John Ma-
son Loomis, a lumber dealer. In 1870 he
became a member of the firm of John Ma-
son Loomis & Co., which continued
in active business until 1885. These gen-
tlemen are still associated in the Pere Mar-
quette Lumber Company. The firm of
McLaren & Morris was formed in 1885, and
continued for three years, Mr. Thomas S.
Morris being the junior partner. Mr. Mc-
Laren is vice-president of the Pere Mar-
quette Lumber Company and of the A. R.
Beck Lumber Company. He was treas-
urer of the Chicago Lumber Exchange for
the terms of 1878-9 and 1889-90. For
many years he served as a member of the
board of directors of this institution, was
elected vice-president of the board in 1886,
and president in 1887.
In 1887 he was appointed a member of
the city school board by Mayor Roche, and
was continued under Mayor Cregier. He
served as chairman of the committee on
buildings and grounds, and was president of
the board for the year 1892. In 1894 he
was again appointed by Mayor Hopkins, to
succeed D. W. Preston on the board, but
owing to other duties could not accept
the honor. The John McLaren School,
corner of York and Laflin streets, was
named in his honor.
Mr. McLaren was elected president of
the Hide & Leather National Bank, of Chi-
cago, in the spring of 1894, and still serves
in that capacity, In May, 1894, he was
appointed by Judge Horton a trustee of
the important trust fund created by the late
Allen C. Lewis, for the purpose of estab-
lishing an institute for the education, use
and benefit of all who desire the advantages
of a polytechnic school, and to assist those
who might otherwise be unable to secure
the privilege. In this position our subject
succeeded the late Hugh A. White.
In 1868, Mr. McLaren married Miss
Hattie A. Studley, a daughter of Captain
Davis Studley, of Cook county, Illinois.
Of their four children three are living —
J. Loomis, Jessie and Grace.
Our subject has been a member of the
Chicago Relief & Aid Society for a number
of years, and was made its president in the
fall of 1871. During his term of office the
society had charge of the distribution of
the relief fund to the fire sufferers. Mr.
McLaren aided in the organization of both
the Milwaukee Avenue State Bank and the
Industrial Bank of Chicago, and was a di-
rector in the former for several years. He
was a member of the late LaSalle Club,
and is at present active in the membership
of the Union League and Illinois Clubs,
having been vice-president of the last
named in 1895, and being its present treas-
urer. He also retains membership in the
Loyal Legion, in Grant Post, G. A. R. , and
in the Army of the Tennessee. Politically,
he is stanchly arrayed in support of the
Republican party and its principles.
j)AUL J. BENSON, whose extensive
business interests have made him well
known in trade circles, also has a wide ac-
quaintance in the Masonic fraternity, in
which he has attained high rank. Masonry
finds him a worthy exemplar, and he faith-
fully upholds the banners of the ancient
and benevolent fraternity whose course
through the centuries has awakened the
highest admiration of all, drawing to its
standard the good men and true of all lands
and peoples. One of its strongest features
is its universality, recognizing the ties of
brotherhood which unite all nations. Life
is meaningless unless it is universal and
coherent, and the powers of the individual
are greatly strengthened by their coalition
with others. This truth, recognized by
Masonry long before it impressed itself upon
any other class or association of people,
has been one of its most potent elements.
Thus united its followers have waged victo-
rious warfare against the bigotry, the self-
ishness and the sin of the world, and been
one of the most enduring and serviceable
factors in the civilization and ennobling of
the race. With this fraternity Mr. Benson
identified himself in 1893, taking the ini-
294
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tiatory degree of Entered Apprentice in D.
C. Cregier Lodge, No. 643, A. F. & A. M. ;
passed the Fellow-craft degree, and was
raised to the sublime degree of a Master
Mason, and then, wishing to drink still
deeper at the fountains of Masonic truth,
he entered the realms of capitular Ma-
sonry. In Washington Chapter, No. 43,
he was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason, and passed the circle of cryp-
tic Masonry in Siloam Council, No. 53, in
1894, being greeted as a Royal and Select
Master. He was constituted, created and
dubbed a Sir Knight in Chicago Command-
ery, No. 19, and is a worthy follower of
the beauseant. In the year 1897 he
had conferred upon him the various de-
grees of the Scottish Rite and was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory. He also
crossed the sands of the desert with the
Nobles of Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine.
A very enthusiastic Mason, Mr. Benson
has done all in his power to promote the
growth of the order, and is true and faith-
ful to its teachings and precepts. This has
won him the high esteem of his Masonic
brethren and he has many warm friends in
the circles of the society.
Mr. Benson isa native of the fatherland,
born on the 25th of January, 1849; was
reared and educated at his birthplace, and
as he approached manhood and was led to
consider the duties of life, which one must
prepare to meet as he leaves his youth be-
hind him, the thought of the United States
and its advantages came to him and he re-
solved to try his fortune in the new world.
Accordingly he crossed the water and tak-
ing up his residence in Chicago learned the
trade of japanning, in which he became an
expert workman. For four years he occu-
pied the responsible position of foreman in
a manufactory, and then with the capital
that he had acquired embarked in business
on his own account. Opening a grocery
store he continued in that line of trade for
fifteen years, and during the last three
years of that period also carried on a cloth-
ing store in connection with the other de-
partment. About 1 890 he closed out the
grocery aud has since given his exclusive at-
tention to the clothing business, establish-
ing the Benson-Rixon Clothing Company,
of which he is president and treasurer.
The West Side store is located at Nos. 947
and 949 Milwaukee avenue, and the
North Side store at the corner of Division
street and Clybourn avenue, one of the
most advantageous corners in the city out-
side of the down-town district, and their
stores are among the largest up-town estab-
lishments. The volume of their business
has rapidly increased until it has assumed
extensive proportions. They carry a very
large and complete stock of clothing, shoes,
hats and men's furnishing goods, and their
honorable dealing and courtesy to patrons
has secured them a large trade.
Mr. Benson is a man of resourceful busi-
ness ability, who carries forward to suc-
cessful completion whatever he undertakes,
and in connection with his clothing inter-
ests he is a director in the Western State
Bank, in which capacity he has served
since its organization. In the prosecution
of his business there has been manifest one
of the most sterling traits of his character,
his desire to carry forward to the highest
perfection attainable anything that he un-
dertakes. This has marked his social and
business career and has been one of the
most important factors in his almost phe-
nomenal success.
In March, 1881, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Benson and Miss Catherine
Rixon, a native of Germany, and they now
have four interesting children: George,
Walter, Ella and Mildred.
SAMUEL S. DODGE, a prominent busi-
ness man of Dixon, Illinois, has been
engaged in the jewelry business here for
thirty years, and for a like period has been
identified with the Masonic order. His con-
nection with Masonry had its beginning in
1866, when he was initiated, passed and
raised in Rosco Lodge, from which he was
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
295
shortly afterward dimitted in order to place
his membership with Friendship Lodge, No.
7, of Dixon. He joined Nachusa Chapter,
No. 56, R. A. M., of Dixon, in 1869, in
which he still retains membership and in
which he has ever since been an active
worker, having filled the various chairs up
to and including that of High Priest. De-
cember 28, 1869, he was made a Sir Knight
by Dixon Commandery, No. 21, K. T. , in
which for years he rendered valued and ap-
preciative service as an official. He was
Eminent Commander in 1889 and "90. Also
he is a member of the consistory and the
shrine, the degrees of the former up to and
including that of the thirty-second having
been conferred upon him by Freeport Con-
sistory; the latter by Medinah Temple of
Chicago. Thus has he passed from round
to round up the Masonic ladder, and with
each ascent appreciating more and more the
beautiful teachings of this grand old order.
And such has been his life that he has won
and retains the high esteem of his brother
Masons.
Mr. Dodge claims the Buckeye state as
the one of his nativity. He was ushered
into life December 2, 1841, at Shalersville,
a descendant of English and Welsh ances-
tors who crossed the Atlantic to this country
and made settlement here at a very early
day. His grandfather, Seymour Dodge,
was born in the state of New York, was a
merchant and ship-owner, and lived to be
ninety-three years of age. Almeron Dodge,
the father of our subject, was also a native
of the Empire state. He went to Ohio when
a young man and was subsequently married
there to Miss Sallie Baldwin. In 1845 they
came with their family to Illinois, locating
in Winnebago county, where for many years
he ranked with the enterprising and pros-
perous farmers of the county. By trade he
was a blacksmith. His good wife died in
the seventy-first year of her age, and he sur-
vived her several years, his age at death
being eighty-seven. For many years they
were zealous and active members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and, frater-
nally, both father and grandfather were as-
sociated with the great Masonic organiza-
tion, our subject thus being of the third
generation of a family of Masons.
Mr. Dodge is next to the youngest of
the family, which consisted of five children.
He enjoyed the advantage of attendance at
the common Schools and also the high
school. Before he had emerged from his
'teens the Civil war came on, and, in answer
to President Lincoln's call for volunteers to-
put down the rebellion, young Dodge en-
listed as a Union soldier, entering the army
at nineteen, in the fall of 1861. He went
out as a private in Company L, Eighth Illi-
nois Volunteer Cavalry. His army service,
however, was of short duration, for in the
Peninsula campaign at Mechanicsville he was
struck on the elbow by a cannon ball, the
result being a dislocation of his arm and an
honorable discharge. After his return to
Illinois he took a course in the Bryant &
Stratton Business College, of Chicago. Then
he located at Rockford, Illinois, and engaged
in the jewelry business, removing to his pres-
ent location in 1869, and, as already stated,
has now for thirty years been a jeweler of
this city. He erected and owns the build-
ing in which his store is located, and he
also built his residence, one of the beautiful
homes of this prosperous city. He is a
stockholder and director in the Dixon Na-
tional Bank, in which he has been interested
for a number of years. Like most veterans
of the late war, he has a membership in
that popular organization known as the G.
A. R. , in which he occupies official position.
In 1873 Mr. Dodge was happily married
to Miss Hattie Davis, a native of Amboy,
Lee county, Illinois, and a daughter of
Cyrus A. Davis, one of the founders and
prominent citizens of Amboy and Dixon.
Mrs. Dodge has resided in Dixon since she
was a child, and is a member of the Method-
ist Episcopal church.
*|pHEODORE DWIGHT HEWITT, a
Jl worthy and acceptable member of the
Masonic fraternity in Illinois, holds mem-
bership in Evergreen Lodge, No. 170, of
296
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Freeport, with which he has been connected
since 1 887. He ranks among the prominent
manufacturers of the city and is a leading
promoter of its industrial interests. Thus
has he contributed largely to the material
welfare of the community, which recognizes
in him a valued citizen.
Mr. Hewitt was born in Forreston, Illi-
nois, on the 1 3th of October, 1860, and is
descended from New England ancestry, who
were among the early settlers of Connecticut
and participants in those events which go to
make up the history of that section of the
country. Not less than eight members of
the family fought for the honor of their
country in the war of 1812. The father of
our subject, John Joseph Hewitt, was born
in Pennsylvania, near Hagerstown, and mar-
ried Susan Emerich, also a native of the
Keystone state. In 1851 they emigrated to
Illinois, and for some years resided in For-
reston, where the father was successfully en-
gaged in the banking business and in other
business pursuits. As his financial resources
increased he made judicious and extensive
investments in real estate and now owns
valuable property in Englewood, a suburb
of Chicago, in Freeport and in Riverside,
California. He is widely and favorably
known and has the warm regard of many
friends. At the age of sixty-nine years he
is now residing in Riverside, California.
Theodore D. Hewitt was the third child
of the family and acquired his education in
the public schools and the Illinois State
Normal, where he was graduated in 1877.
For some time afterward he was with his
father in the bank in Forreston, but in 1885
turned his attention to mining, being thus
engaged for a year. In 1886 he became in-
terested in the manufacture of windmills in
Freeport with Mr. Woodmansee, who was
operating an extensive plant. They have
been doing a large and successful business
for the past ten years, making this one of
the leading industries of the city. Mr.
Woodmansee founded the business thirty
years ago and the factory is one of the best
in the country, thoroughly equipped with
the latest improved machinery and capable
of turning out the most complete and finished
products. The superiority of their wind-
mills and their reputation for thorough re-
liability has brought to them a large patron-
age, which is not confined by the bounds of
America, but also extends to Africa and
Mexico.
In 1 88 1 Mr. Hewitt was united in mar-
riage to Miss Clara Long, a native of Free-
port, and they have one son, Emerich.
They are influential and leading members
of the Episcopal church, in which Mr.
Hewitt is now serving as vestryman. In
his political adherency he is a Republican,
but has neither time nor inclination for public
office, preferring to devote his energies en-
tirely to his business, in which he is meet-
ing with signal success.
W1
WILLIAM CLENDENIN.— One of
those who has always demonstrated
by his acts and in his daily life how well he
has learned and understands the tenets of
the grand institution of Freemasonry is the
gentleman whose name heads this review,
who is a prominent business man and a
Royal Arch Mason residing in Moline,
Illinois. After receiving the degrees in the
blue lodge Mr. Clendenin was made a Mas-
ter Mason in Doric Lodge, No. 319, at
Moline, in 1885. He has served for six
years as one of the trustees of his lodge,
and was recently elected for another term
of three years. He was exalted to the
Royal Arch degree in Barrett Chapter, No.
1 8, at Rock Island, in 1893.
Mr. Clendenin is a native of the state
of Illinois, having been born in Whiteside
county, February 12, 1845. He is of Scotch
ancestry, and several members of the family
were early settlers of Pennsylvania. The
father, Robert G. Clendenin, was born and
raised in that state, and was united in
marriage to Miss Hannah Clark, a native of
New York. In 1835 they emigrated to
Illinois and settled in Whiteside county,
near Lyndon, where the father purchased a
tract of land and became one of the active
farmers of the county. He was for a num-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
299
her of years sheriff, and also filled other
positions of trust. He departed this life in
1867, at the age of fifty-five years. His
wife survives him, and to-day, at the ven-
erable age of seventy-eight years, enjoys
the kind regards and respect of all the early
settlers of her acquaintance, and the love
and devotion of the rising generation. In
her religious faith she is aCongregationalist.
Three sons were born to this worthy
couple, of whom the subject of this sketch
was the second.
Mr. Clendenin was educated in the
public schools of Whiteside county, and
was in his sixteenth year when the great
calamity of the Civil war burst upon the
country. No one at that time even partially
realized what mammoth proportions the
struggle would assume, the suffering it would
entail, or the vast number of lives that
would be sacrificed before the end would
be attained. At the time when the demand
for men became the greatest, and when the
result of the conflict hung in the balance,
Mr. Clendenin enlisted as a volunteer in
Company B, One hundred and Fortieth Illi-
linois Infantry, being at that time but nine-
teen years old. He served in the Army of
the Tennessee until his term of enlistment
had expired, and then entered the One
Hundred and Eighth United States Regi-
ment of Colored Troops as first sergeant-
major, from which position he was pro-
moted to the rank of second lieutenant, and
subsequently to that of first lieutenant.
After the close of the war he was assigned
to duty in Mississippi for the purpose of
preserving order.
In March, 1866, Mr. Clendenin re-
turned to Illinois and engaged in the drug
business in Morrison, where he remained
until 1873, in which year he moved to Mo-
line and continued to follow the same voca-
tion up to the present time. He has always
been an active Republican and a worthy
member of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lic, in which he was for three years com-
mander of Graham Post, No. 312. He
has taken quite a prominent part in the
affairs of the Illinois National Guards for
the past sixteen years, and was one of the
organizers of Company F, of Moline, and
has done a great deal in promoting its pros-
perity. Entering the company as second
lieutenant he was repeatedly promoted until
he attained the position of brigadier gen-
eral. For eleven years Mr. Clendenin was
in command of the Sixth Regiment, which,
during his connection with it, was in a high
state of perfection.
Mr. Clendenin was happily married
April 1 6, 1867, to Miss Rachal E. Gridley,
who was born in the state of New York,
and three children have been born to them:
Frank J., who is a clerk in his father's
establishment, and a captain of Company F,
Sixth Regiment; Robert G. and Mabel H.
Mrs. Clendenin departed this life in 1877,
mourned by a large circle of friends, who
held her in high esteem. She was an ex-
cellent wife and a good mother, and her
loss was deeply felt by her husband and
children. Mr. Clendenin's second marriage
took place in 1879, when he was united to
Mrs. Laura E. Mayo, who was also a native
of New York state. One son was born to
them, but was taken away in his infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Clendenin are members of
the Congregational church. They are an
estimable couple in every respect and are
spoken of as being two of Moline's most re-
spected citizens.
CHARLES WEBB WALDUCK, of Chi-
\^1 cago, occupies an eminent position in
Masonic circles, being a loyal adherent of
the fraternity which wages its warfare against
selfishness and internal evils and defends
the citadel wherein are enshrined mutual
forbearance, mutual helpfulness and broth-
erly love. Like the fragrance of the rose,
its influence permeates the lives of those
who take upon themselves its vows, and the
sorrows and burdens of life are lessened as
the brother extends his sympathy and assist-
ance to him who is less fortunate.
Masonry in Chicago claims a large fol-
lowing, and its growth and prosperity are
due to such men as Mr. Walduck, who has
300
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
taken an active part in the work of the or-
der and given to it an intelligent and ear-
nest support that has materially advanced
its interests. His identification with the so-
ciety dates from November, 1882, when he
was raised to the sublime degree in Garfield
Lodge, No. 686, A. F. & A. M. In De-
cember, 1885, he was elected Worshipful
Master of the lodge, and ten years later was
chosen its secretary, which position he is
still filling by reason of his re-election on
the ist of December, 1896. In August,
1885, he took the Royal Arch degree in
York Chapter, No. 148, and in 1891 was
elected its Secretary, in which capacity he
has now served for six years, his fidelity to
duty being well indicated by his frequent
election to office. In August, 1893, he be-
came a charter member of Tyrian Council,
No. 78, Royal & Select Masters, and for
three years has served as its Recorder. He
was created a Sir Knight in December,
1892, in St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35,
but on the organization of Columbia Com-
mandery, No. 63, in 1893, he was elected
Recorder and is now serving the command-
ery in that capacity.
His various official preferments in these
branches of the order well indicate the con-
fidence reposed in him by his fellow mem-
bers of the craft, and also attest the able
manner in which he meets the obligations
which devolve upon him. His life is in
harmony with the fundamental truths of the
order, and it is the influence of such men as
Mr. Walduck that makes the Masonic fra-
ternity one of the most potent influences for
for good in our modern civilization. Mr.
Walduck is also Secretary of the Lowther
Hall Masonic Association, with which he
has thus been connected since March, 1895.
His capability precludes the possibility of
his occupying a retired position in any or-
ganization where are needed the active co-
operation, wise counsel and careful guiding
hand of men of worth; and he is justly
prominent in the Masonic circles with which
he is identified.
Charles W. Walduck was born in Eng-
land on the 4th of October, 1857, a son of
Joseph Webb and Anne (Harris) Walduck.
At an early age he was left an orphan, and
after the various vicissitudes usually met
and encountered by homeless children he
was finally located among good and true
friends in McLean county, near Blooming-
ton, Illinois. His new home was on a farm,
and there he lived, assisting in the develop-
ment and cultivation of the land until about
nineteen years of age. During this time he
laid the foundation for a substantial Eng-
lish education in the common schools, and
at intervals for three years was engaged in
teaching in Ellsworth, Illinois, and adjoin-
ing districts. In the year 1876 he attended
Champaign University, and in 1881 was a
student in the Wesleyan University at
Bloomington. On the ist of September,
that year, he came to Chicago, thinking to
find better opportunities in the western me-
tropolis. He secured a position in the em-
ploy of A. C. McClurg & Company, the
well-known publishers and booksellers. He
is now one of the most efficient general
salesmen in the house and is widely known
in business circles.
On the 29th of December, 1886, Mr.
Walduck was united in marriage with Miss
Annie Hill, of Ottawa, Canada, and a
daughter of John Hill, a prominent mer-
chant of that city. They have two interest-
ing children, — Charles Louis and Annie
Lorna; and they also lost one son, Frank
Webb, who died in infancy.
Mr. Walduck is very popular in society
circles, and is a valued member of several
prominent social organizations, including
the Menoken Club and the Neighborly Club
(incorporated), serving as president of the
latter in 1895-6.
lOBERT D. CLARKE, a native of
JFlL Peoria, Illinois, and one of its active
young business men, has extensive holdings
in this state and also in the mining districts
of Arizona. He was educated in the east
at Poughkeepsie, New York, in River View
Military Academy and at Andover, Massa-
chusetts, where he completed a scientific
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
801
course in Phillips Academy with the class
of 1892. Thus equipped with a fine educa-
tion and with abundant means, he has
started out on life's voyage with every
prospect of fair sailing.
Early being favorably impressed with
Masonry and its visible workings, he de-
cided to identify himself with this great
order, and on March 4, 1896, he was con-
ducted through the mysteries of Temple
Lodge, No. 46. On the 1 5th of April,
1896, he received the consistory degrees;
June 9 of this same year was made a mem-
ber of Mohammed Shrine, of Peoria, and in
April, 1897, of Peoria Commandery, No. 3,
K. T.
CHARLES E. KELSEY, the Secretary
\^) of Kishwaukee Chapter, No. 90, R. A.
M., of Belvidere, has for more than a third
of a century affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity, and Freemasonry has no more
zealous and faithful representative than he.
Its object of drawing men closer together
in the ties of brotherhood, in promoting a
helpful and benevolent spirit, and of lifting
them above selfish interests, so that they
will acknowledge the claims of the weak on
the strong, and give a chivalrous support to
the oppressed, — this object receives his un-
qualified commendation and support; hence
he is earnest and loyal to the fundamental
principles of the society, and the lodges of
Belvidere are glad to claim him among
their members.
Mr. Kelsey was made a Mason on the
iith of March, 1862, in Madison Lodge
(Connecticut), No. 87, A. F.1 & A. M., with
which he maintained a continuous relation
until dimitted to Belvidere Lodge, No. 60,
on the 6th of November, 1865. He joined
Kishwaukee Chapter in 1868, received the
Mark Master and Past Master degrees on
the loth of June, that of Most Excellent
Master on the 22d of June, and was ex-
alted to the Royal Arch degree on the 23d
of the same month. Throughout his con-
nection with these organizations, Mr. Kel-
sey has served almost continuously as or-
ganist, furnishing impromptu music which
has been an interesting addition to the
work of the lodge. He has for several
years been the efficient Secretary of Kish-
waukee Chapter, and has also held the
offices of Scribe and King. He is honored
by his fellow members of the craft, and
well deserves mention in the history of
Freemasonry in Illinois.
Mr. Kelsey is a native of Connecticut,
his birth having occurred in Clinton on the
4th of April, 1834. He is descended from
Irish and Welsh ancestry that early became
connected with the Nutmeg state On the
maternal side he belongs to the Buell fam-
ily of Connecticut, and his grandfather,
Samuel Buell, rendered valuable service to
the colonies in the Revolutionary war.
The parents of the subject of this review,
Calvin and Henrietta (Buell) Kelsey, were
both natives of Connecticut, and the latter
belonged to the same family as General
Grant. The father was engaged in school-
teaching in early life, and was a man of
broad general information; later he engaged
in merchandising, until his retirement from
business cares. He passed away at the age
of eighty-five years and his wife departed
this life in the seventy-fifth year of her age.
They had a family of seven sons, four of
whom are yet living.
Of this family Charles E. Kelsey was
the eldest. He completed his literary edu-
cation in the high school of his native town,
and in early life began teaching music, in
which art he had attained a high degree of
proficiency. He afterward entered the jour-
nalistic field as editor and publisher, and for
a number of years published the Clinton
Advertiser. In 1865 he came to Belvidere
and published the Belvidere Recorder, a
semi-weekly journal. After a number of
years he disposed of the paper, but still
conducts a music store and a job printing es-
tablishment and is doing a profitable busi-
For upwards of thirty years he taught
ness.
music and sold musical instruments, and
had done probably more than any one man
to cultivate a love for the art in Belvidere.
His musical ability well fits him to direct
802
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the public taste, and his love for the ' ' har-
mony divine " is one of the strongest ele-
ments in his character. Throughout the
greater part of his residence in Belvidere he
has not only served as organist of the Ma-
sonic lodges but was, for nearly twenty-five
years, also organist of the Presbyterian
church; and his punctuality and fine system
of order, combined with his skill, makes his
service in this direction very valuable.
On the organization of the Republican
party Mr. Kelsey allied himself with its sup-
porters and gave to it an unfaltering alle-
giance until a few years since, when his
opinions in regard to the temperance ques-
tion led him to join the ranks of the Prohi-
bitionists. He is a most earnest advocate
of temperance, does all in his power to pro-
mote its interests, and is himself a total ab-
stainer from both tobacco and intoxicants.
His life has been pure and true, upright and
honorable, and all who know him have for
him the highest respect and regard.
In 1859 Mr. Kelsey was united in mar-
riage to Miss Ellen E. Tompkins, a native
of Towanda, Pennsylvania. Throughout
the greater part of her married life she has
been an invalid, which deprives her of the
enjoyment of social pleasures, but in her
home she has the loving care and attention
of her husband and the sympathy of many
warm friends.
HARRY HAYES CLEAVELAND, a Sir
Knight Templar residing at Rock
Island, is one of the active and capable
workers in the order. He was made a
Mason in Trio Lodge, No. 57, at Rock-
Island, in March, 1891, and at once became
an efficient worker. Was elected Senior
Deacon and Junior Warden, and filled each
of these offices in a creditable manner. He
became a Royal Arch Mason, receiving the
degrees November 3, 1891, in Barrett Chap-
ter, No. 1 8, and his first office therein was
that of Principal Sojourner. In 1895 he
was elected High Priest, which important
office he filled acceptably. March 28, 1892, he
was created a Sir Knight Templar in Ev-
erts Commandery, No. 18, in which body
he has been Warden two terms, Junior
Warden one term, and is now Captain-
General. In 1892 he became connected
with Kaaba Temple, Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, at Davenport, Iowa.
He was born at Rock Island, August 13,
1869, and is a son of Sir Knight H. C.
Cleaveland, one of the most prominent
Knight Templars in the state, filling the
most important office in the Grand Lodge
of the state. He (our subject) received his
education in the public schools of his native
town and at Knox College, where he gradu-
ated with honor in 1890; and he has since
been in the insurance business with his fa-
ther at Rock Island, where they do an ex-
tensive amount of business, and stand high
in their reputation for integrity and intel-
ligence.
In October, 1892, Mr. Cleaveland mar-
ried Miss Olive Cox, a native of Vermont,
and they have two children, — Eleanor and
Marion. They have a nice home in the
city, have a host of friends and are highly
esteemed. Mrs. Cleaveland is a worthy
member of the Presbyterian church, and in
politics Mr. Cleaveland is a Republican.
WILLIAM DON, engaged in the busi-
ness of manufacturing blank books
and in general bookbinding at Rock Island,
is a Sir Knight Templar who appreciates
the beauties of Freemasonry. He was
first initiated into the shining mysteries of
Masonic rites in 1866, in Davenport Lodge,
No. 37, and having since been dimitted
from that lodge he now affiliates with Trio
Lodge, No. 57, Rock Island. He is also a
member of Barrett Chapter, No. 18,
R. A. M., having received the degrees in
that branch of Masonry March 28, 1871,
and was made a Sir Knight in 1880, in
Everts Commandery, No. 18, K. T. , re-
ceiving the degrees April 28 and May 17.
He has filled various chairs both in the
chapter and in the commandery, under-
standing the work thoroughly, and is now
Chaplain of the chapter.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Don has the honor of being a native
of this city. He was born here on the Hth
of September, 1842. His parents, William
and Agnes (Mclntosh) Don, were both
natives of Scotland. His father emigrated
to this country when twenty-one years of
age, and his mother came when a girl of
only nine years. They located first in
Montreal, Canada, where the father died,
leaving a widow and six children — the
eldest a boy only eighteen years of age.
With this family Mrs. Don moved from
Montreal, Canada, to Chicago, then
crossed the state of Illinois with a team,
and for a short time was a resident of
Davenport. It was a great undertaking at
that time for a woman, but she was equal
to the task, and the movement deserves to
be recorded in history as one of the bravest.
She had but little means, and had to
struggle against innumerable adversities.
She died at the age of sixty-eight years,
and since then two of the children also have
died.
Mr. Don, who is the subject proper of
this sketch, received his elementary educa-
tion at Davenport and Rock Island, and
early began to work and take care of him-
self, learning the arts of printing and book-
binding. Commencing as early as 1858,
he was paid at first but two dollars and a
half a week; but he mastered the business,
and for some years was employed as a
journeyman. In 1882 he opened a book-
bindery on his own account, and has pros-
pered in his chosen occupation.
In his political principles he is a Repub-
lican, and as a citizen he stands high in
the estimation of the community.
THOMAS HICKS.— The sterling pre-
cepts and exalted principles of Free-
masonry have held the abiding appreciation
and loyal devotion of the subject of this
review from his youth, and to him was
granted the privilege and honor of becoming
identified with the great fraternity at an
earlier age than it has been given the aver-
age man so to do. This appreciation may
also be said to have come to him as a leg-
acy from his honored father, who was a
zealous and eminent member of the order,
and the years of personal identification have
but served to increase his admiration for
and solicitous devotion to Masonry, whose
high aims and purposes, as unfolded to him,
have caused him to embrace the endearing
fellowship of the order with the ardor and
devotion of a true knight, all these things
tending to increase his popularity in the
fraternal circles where his genial personality
could not but give inception to the same.
The Masonic career of Mr. Hicks has been
such as to eminently entitle him to repre-
sentation in this compilation.
Mr. Hicks, who is a native son of the
Emerald Isle and a descendant of stanch old
Scotch-Irish ancestors, came to America as
a mere boy, but he can not but look with
enduring satisfaction upon the fact that it
was permitted him to secure admission to
the Masonic Order in the land which gave
him birth, and in which his father had
figured as an honored representative of
the ancient fraternity. In the year 1878
Thomas Hicks became an Entered Ap-
prentice in Newbliss Lodge, No. 374,
A. F. & A. M., at Newbliss, in the north
of Ireland, and in the same body he
was thereafter duly raised Master Mason.
At the time of his initiation he was but
slightly more than nineteen years of age,
and his admission was secured by special
dispensation of the Grand Lodge of Ireland,
this action being taken by reason of his be-
ing a "Lewis," or son of a Mason. He
soon returned to the United States, and in
1880 became a member of Hailman Lodge,
No. 321, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, of
which he served as Junior Deacon in 1885,
in which year he was dimitted and came to
Chicago, where he became an affiliate in
Mizpah Lodge, No. 768. Of this lodge he
became one of the most honored and popular
members, having passed the various chairs
and been called upon to serve as Senior
Warden in 1896 and Worshipful Master in
1897. In 1888, Mr. Hicks passed forward
in the Masonic grades, becoming a Marked
304
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Master in Delta Chapter, No. 191, of Chi-
cago, in which he was duly exalted Royal
Arch Mason, being Past High Priest of the
same. In the cryptic grades he received
his degrees in Temple Council, No. 65,
R. & S. M., in which he is Past Thrice Il-
lustrious Master, and which he represented
in the Grand Council of Illinois, where he
was dignified with the office of Grand Mar-
shal, in 1895, and elected Grand Conductor
in 1 896. To the final, or chivalric, de-
grees of the York Rite Mr. Hicks turned in
1890, when he was created a Sir Knight in
Englewood Commandery, No. 59, Knights
Templar.
In each of these several bodies he has
been constant and faithful, thoroughly alive
to the duties and privileges offered by the
fraternity and earnest in promoting the
great humanitarian interests for which it
stands sponsor.
Thomas Hicks was born in county
Fermanagh, in the north of Ireland, on the
1 5th of October, 1858, being the son of
John and Jane Hicks. His mother died
when he was a child of three years, and he
had only attained the age of ten when he
was also deprived by death of a father's
care and guidance. He was thereafter
reared by an aunt until he was fifteen years
of age, when he left his native land and
courageously set forth to make his own
way in the world, coming to the United
States and securing employment in a store
at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he re-
mained until 1877, when he returned to
Ireland. The superior advantages offered
in America led him to return to this coun-
try, and he was located at Pittsburg until
August, 1885, when he came to Chicago,
where, in the succeeding year, he engaged
in business upon his own responsibility,
opening a grocery at 4449 Halsted street,
where he has ever since continued opera-
tions in the line. His enterprise, ability
and correct methods have been the potent
factors which have insured his success, and
he is to-day the owner of a fine business
which is the due reward for his well-di-
rected efforts, his establishment being one
of the leading and most popular in the
division of the city where it is maintained.
In November, 1886, Mr. Hicks was
united in marriage to Miss Martha L.
Beatty, who, like himself, was born in the
north of Ireland. They are the parents of
five children — Lizzie Olive, Martha El-
eanor, Evalyn Florence, William Trev-
alyn and Pearl Mae. Mr. and Mrs. Hicks
are members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and in politics our subject is a Re-
publican.
JEFFERSON HODGKINS.— To one in
j the least familiar with the personality of
the subject of this review and with the
exalted plane upon which Masonry accom-
plishes its work, it needs not be said that
there is much in the teaching and in the
basic principles of the great fraternal craft
which can not but appeal forcibly to a
man of such character as Colonel Hodgkins,
— a man of most inflexible integrity, of
strong mentality and one who has the deep-
est appreciation of all that stands for real
valuation in human attributes and aspira-
tions. It has been his to attain a marked
prestige and success in business affairs of
great breadth; his to render to the nation
the valiant service of a valiant and loyal de-
fender at a time when it was in jeopardy
through armed rebellion; his to accomplish
much in the ' ' piping times of peace, " through
public -spirited endeavor and broad-minded
liberality; his to prove himself, through the
many vicissitudes of capricious fortune, a
type of true manhood, — one who may well
be referred to as a consistent exponent of
the time-honored principles of Masonry.
Mr. Hodgkins became an Entered Ap-
prentice in Cleveland Lodge, No. 211, A.
F. & A. M., of Chicago, in the year 1878,
being duly raised therein to the degree of
Master Mason. He was subsequently ex-
alted to the Royal Arch in Washington Chap-
ter, No. 43, being eventually dimitted from
each of these to identify himself with simi-
lar bodies more nearly in the vicinity of
his home, becoming a member of Engle-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
305
wood Lodge, No. 690, and Englewood Chap-
ter, No. 176. He received the chivalric de-
grees in Chicago Commandery, No. 19,
Knights Templar, but withdrew from this to
become one of the charter members of En-
glewood Comrnandery, No. 59, in which he
has since been honored with a life member-
ship. His interest in all that pertains to
the great fraternity is deep and abiding, and
here as elsewhere he is held in highest es-
teem.
Jefferson Hodgkins is a native son of the
old Pine Tree state and is a distinctive type
of the sturdy manhood which has emanated
from that commonwealth in all the years
agone. He was born at Lemoine, Maine,
on the a/th of October, 1845, being the son
of Philip and Mary (Blunt) Hodgkins, both
families having been identified with Ameri-
can annals from the early colonial epoch,
and both having granted representatives in
the noble patriot army of the Revolution.
The Blunt family was of English origin,
and the name has been one of prominence
in both the civic and military history of the
nation. Philip Hodgkins was a sea captain,
a man of forceful individuality and sterling
honor. She who became his wife was a
woman of education and refinement, having
been a school teacher prior to her marriage.
Thus it may be inferred that the early disci-
pline of our subject was one of grateful or-
der,— one powerful in molding his char-
acter and shaping it toward that final sym-
metry which has been attained. As a boy he
was enabled to attend the public schools
about four months in the year, and when he
had reached the age of thirteen years he en-
tered the broad school of practical affairs,
following in the footsteps of his father and
adopting a seafaring life. He was thus oc-
cupied for a period of nearly seven years,—
years prolific in benefit to the youth, who
profited by the experience and by the op-
portunities afforded him for extended ob-
servation.
Ardently patriotic, the young man was
roused to action and responsive protest
when the rebel guns thundered against Fort
Sumter, and he was not slow to turn from
the peaceful traffic of the sea to the pursuits
of war. On the I2th of December, 1861,
the young sailor enlisted in Company C,
Twenty-sixth Maine Volunteer Infantry,
with which he proceeded to the south, par-
ticipating in the Banks Red River expedition
and serving until the close of his term of
enlistment. The regiment was on duty in
the swamps of Louisiana and Mississippi,
where its numbers were decimated through
disease and the fortunes of war, only four
hundred and twenty-five men escaping death
out of a total of more than a thousand. Mr.
Hodgkins was mustered out of the service
in 1863, with shattered health. He was
incapacitated for labor of any sort for eight
months, when, having recuperated his en-
ergies, he again went to sea for a year.
After this he joined an engineering corps on
the Western Pacific Railroad, the same corps
subsequently running and locating the lines
of the Southern Pacific Railway. This ser-
vice ended, Mr. Hodgkins was engaged for
the ensuing two years in the government
survey of the Chickasaw land and Cherokee
strip, of which work* he had charge.
In 1872 Mr. Hodgkins located in Chi-
cago, which has ever since been the scene
of his labors. Here he has gained a notable
success in business and a distinction as one
of the representative men of the city. Soon
after his arrival in the Garden City he
founded the firm of Blunt & Hodgkins,
dealers in sand. After two years the part-
nership was dissolved and Colonel Hodgkins
became concerned in the organization of the
Chicago Dredging & Dock Company, of
which he was superintendent nearly three
years. He was thereafter engaged in gen-
eral contracting upon his own responsibility,
and in 1885 he was instrumental in the or-
ganization of the Kimball & Cobb Stone
Company, of which he has since continued
president and manager. He is also treasurer
of the Rice Stone Company, and a stock-
holder in the Ottawa Fire Brick Company,
the Findlay Hydraulic Press Brick Company
and the Commercial Loan & Trust Company
Bank.
In politics Colonel Hodgkins is a stal-
306
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
wart Republican, and though in no sense a
politician he has been called upon to serve
in various capacities of public trust and re-
sponsibility. He served for two terms as
commissioner for Cook county, was a mem-
ber of the congressional committee from the
First district of Illinois, is now serving his
second term as a member of the South Park
board of commissioners. He was appointed
a member of Governor Fifer's staff, serving
in this capacity for four years. He is a
member of the Thirty-first Ward Repub-
lican Club, the Veteran's Club, and the Illi-
nois, the Union League, the Harvard and
the Home Clubs, having been one of the
organizers of each of the last two mentioned.
He is also a member of Columbia Post,
Grand Army of the Republic.
In the year 1875 was consummated the
marriage of Colonel Hodgkinsto Miss Jennie
Lewis, of Orange, New Jersey, and they
have two children, — William L. , who is
completing a course of study in Purdue
University, and Edna R. The family home
is one of the beautiful modern residences in
the Englewood district of Chicago, and is a
center of refined and gracious hospitality.
It has been well said of the subject of this
review that ' ' few men have lived to better
purpose," and what stronger words of com-
mendation could be uttered. He has been
true in all the relations of life and has
gained the confidence and esteem which is
so clearly merited in such cases.
FRANCIS EDWIN JENKINSON, the
Worshipful Master of Rock Island
Lodge, No. 658, of Rock Island, Illinois,
is an honored exemplar of Freemasonry —
its teachings and its principles. He was made
a member of the fraternity in Galesburg
Lodge, wherein he was initiated as an En-
tered Apprentice. Before proceeding far-
ther, however, that organization was con-
solidated with Alpha Lodge, of Galesburg,
wherein he passed the Fellow-craft degree
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason. In 1881 he removed to
Rock Island and being dimitted from his
home lodge petitioned and was elected to
membershp in Rock Island Lodge, No. 658.
His zeal and loyalty to the interests of so-
ciety has made him a valued member, and
his brethren, appreciating his faithful service
in its behalf, have honored him with election
to various offices. He has served as Junior
Deacon for one term, Senior Deacon for
two terms. Junior and Senior Warden one
term each, and in 1895 had the honor of
being chosen Worshipful Master to which
he has been elected for a second term. He
is an able and enthusiastic Mason, having
a thorough knowledge of the ritual, and
under his able leadership the progress and
advancement of the lodge has been very
satisfactory. During his first term he con-
ferred twenty-five degrees.
Keeping abreast with the improvement
and development that has been going on
through the centuries, Masonry has been a
potent factor in civilization. Invention,
science, art and letters have tended toward
the development of the material and aes-
thetic, but Masonry has had a direct influ-
ence on the conduct of man in relation
with his fellow man, placing before him
higher ideals, teaching him to cherish the
good, the true and the beautiful, and to prac-
tice mutual forbearance and mutual help-
fulness. It has often caused him to forget
the asperities of nature, the fierce compe-
titions of the business world and pause by
the wayside to help an unfortunate brother.
Its charity is not corporate but individual ; but
the sum total of the beneficent work of its
followers has justly entitled it to rank first
and best among the fraternal organizations
of the world.
Mr. Jenkinson, whose name forms the
caption for this article, is a native of Wis-
consin, his birth having occurred in Fond
du Lac county, on the 3Oth of November,
1851. He is of Scotch-Irish ancestry and
a son of Robert Jenkinson, who was born
in Arklo, county Wicklow, Ireland. In
1822, when a young man, he emigrated to
the new world, remaining for a time in Mon-
treal, Canada, where he was married to
Miss Georgiana Appleton, a native of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
307
France. He removed to Chicago, where
he engaged in the grocery business. Sub-
sequently he removed to Kalamazoo, Michi-
gan, and in 1845 took up his residence in
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he became
interested in lands, holding much valuable
realty. Prominent in public affairs, he was
elected sheriff of the county and afterward
elected its treasurer, but died before taking
the oath of office. His business interests
were crowned with prosperity and he
amassed considerable wealth. He departed
this life on the ipth of January, 1854, at the
age of forty-six years. His wife survived him
fora time and died in the fifty-second year of
her age. They had a family of eleven chil-
dren, ten of whom are living and are re-
spected citizens of the various communities
with which they are connected.
Mr. Jenkinson, of this review, was the
seventh son of this family. He was reared
to manhood and educated in the schools of
his native city, and about the time he at-
tained his majority went to Galesburg, Illi-
nois, where he learned the moulder's trade,
a pursuit he has since followed. In 1881
he accepted a position with the Rock Island
Plow Company, and has since been one of
their most trusted and faithful employees,
ever discharging his duties with promptness
and fidelity. In politics he is a stalwart
Republican and is an upright man and loyal
Mason, who enjoys the confidence and
esteem of a large circle of friends and
acquaintances.
FREDERICK W. WERNER.— One of
the physicians and surgeons of the
city of Joliet, Illinois, who has won recog-
nition for his personal qualities as well as
his skill in the practice of medicine, and
who occupies a high position in the Masonic
fraternity, is Dr. Werner, whose name ap-
pears at the head of this sketch. He re-
ceived the degree of Entered Apprentice
in Matteson Lodge, No. 175, was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason, and
occupied the chair of Worshipful Master in
that body for two terms. He received the
18
Royal Arch degrees in Joliet Chapter, No.
27, is a charter member of Joliet Council.
Royal and Select Masters, No. 82, and was
created a Sir Knight Templar in Joliet
Commandery, No. 4. In 1893 he became
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, Ancient Ara-
bic Order, in Medinah Temple, in Chicago.
The Doctor takes a personal interest in
Masonry, and has worked hard to advance
its cause in every way in his power, always
ready and willing to give as much of his
time to the order as is consistent with the
duties of his profession.
F. W. WERNER.
Dr. Werner's home has always been in
Joliet, where he was born February 8,
1858, and there obtained his early educa-
tion in the public and high schools. His
youthful aspirations were to follow the
medical profession, and when only eighteen
years of age he began the study of that
science and entered Bellevue Medical Col-
lege, in New York city, at which he was
graduated March 1 , 1 880. He had previ-
ously taken a course in the medical de-
partment of the University of Michigan, at
808
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Ann Arbor. After receiving his diploma
Dr. Werner returned to Joliet and began
the practice of his profession in the house
where he was born, his office being in the
room in which he first saw the light of day.
His skill soon became known throughout
the city, and he rapidly rose to a position
of prominence, until to-day he is one of
the best known and highly respected physi-
cians in Joliet, in posession of a fine, lucra-
tive practice. The Doctor is president of
the Will County Medical Society, member
of the American Society of Microscopists,
American Medical Association, Knights of
Pythias, the Elks and of the Germania
Club.
In 1 88 1 Dr. Werner was united in mar-
riage to Miss Louise F. Staehle, who also
was born in Joliet. They have a charming
home and are very popular members of so-
ciety.
JAMES F. PERSHING, of Chicago, has
for twelve years held a membership in
the Masonic fraternity, his first association
therewith being when he was initiated into
the order in Ashlar Lodge, No. 308, in
1876. His relation with that organization
continued until 1895, when he was dimit-
ted and became a charter member of Wood-
lawn Park Lodge, No. 841. He is now
serving as Senior Warden therein and is
most faithful to his duties and to the obli-
gations which rest upon him as a member
of the fraternity, which through many cen-
turies has been an important factor in rais-
ing the moral standard of the race. He
has advanced beyond the blue-lodge degrees
into the chapter, having taken the Royal
Arch degrees in Corinthian Chapter, No. 69,
in 1887. The same year he joined the
Royal and Select Masters of Chicago Council,
and on the i6th of November, 1887, he at-
tained the thirty-second degree of the Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory. He be-
longs to the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, with which he
has been associated since 1887, and in all
these different branches of Masonry he is
an interested member. Steadfast and true,
these various branches of Masonry receive
his unwavering allegiance, and the order
may well be proud to claim him among its
members.
Mr. Pershing is also widely and favora-
bly known in Chicago's business circles.
He was born in LaClede, Linn county, Mis-
souri, on the 1 8th of January, 1862, and
remained there until fifteen years of age.
He was educated in the public schools and
entered upon his business career in a mer-
cantile establishment, thus becoming ac-
quainted with the methods of trade. At
length he went upon the road as a traveling
salesman and to that work devoted his ener-
gies for eleven years. He was trusted by
the house, was popular with his patrons
and did a good business. At length he de-
termined to engage in merchandising on his
own account and is now doing an excellent
business as a member of the firm of Per-
shing & Anderson, wholesale tailors. They
are located at No. 2 1 1 Jackson street, and
from the beginning their patronage has
steadily increased and been attended with
gratifying results.
In 1885 Mr. Pershing was united in
marriage to Miss Jessie Jackson, a native of
Detroit, Michigan, and their home is bright-
ened by the presence of three interesting
children — Gracie E. , James F., Jr., and
Frank E. In his home Mr. Pershing is
genial and has many friends. As a busi-
ness man he is wide-awake, active, ener-
getic and industrious, thorough, reliable in
all transactions and having the confidence
of all in commercial circles. As a Mason
he is true to the honored principles of the
fraternity and has the sincere respect of his
Masonic brethren. .
rUGH MAcMILLAN, Chicago.— The
career of him whose name initiates
this review is one into which have entered
many picturesque elements. He went
forth in his early youth to win for himself a
place in the world, leaving home and kin-
dred and finally taking up his abode in a
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
809
land far over the seas, and there attaining
success and honor through well-directed
and conscientious effort. His long identi-
fication with the material interests of Chi-
cago renders peculiarly consonant a review
of his life in this connection.
A native of Scotland, Mr. MacMillan
was born at Port William, on the 24th of
May, 1843, and he received his preliminary
educational discipline in the public schools
of the city of his birth. He very early
manifested a predilection for a seafaring
life, and accordingly, at the age of thirteen
years, he became connected with a com-
pany operating a line of boats between
Glasgow and New York, continuing to sail
the Atlantic for four years, and constantly
advancing in position by reason of his
fidelity and practical ability. His advent
in the city of Chicago dates .back to the
year 1859, at which time he was seventeen
years of age. He became identified with the
navigation of the Great Lakes and advanced
to positions of maximum responsibility and
precedence, having been in turn mate and
master and chief officer on some of the
finest steamers on the lakes, and this while
he was still a mere boy. His connection
with this line of enterprise continued to be
one of most intimate nature for a full decade,
or until about the year 1869, during several
years of which period he was retained as an
official on the steamers of the Western
Transit Company, having served with dis-
tinction as chief officer of two of their finest
vessels. He also became associated with
others in the operation of a vessel upon
his personal responsibility.
In the year 1869, Mr. MacMillan de-
cided to abandon the sea and to take up his
abode in the city of Chicago. He, how-
ever, did not resign his connection with
maritime interests, for he was offered and
accepted the position as foreman of the
Western Transit Company, becoming their
contracting agent and later being given the
entire management of their very extensive
Chicago business. He is still retained in
this important capacity, and his efforts have
done much to conserve the interests of the
corporation and to further its magnificent
advancement. He is a stockholder in sev-
eral steamers on the lake, and is also finan-
cially concerned in other enterprises of an-
alogous order. It should be noted in the
connection, that his capacity for business is
so pronounced that he has become promi-
nently identified with various important in-
dustrial undertakings, being at present the
president and sole stockholder of the Saline
River Ochre Company, with headquarters
at Kansas City, Missouri. He has extens-
ive real-estate interests in Kansas and Cal-
ifornia, owning a valuable and prolific olive
ranch near Santa Barbara, California. His
business connections are still farther aug-
mented by his holding of the agency for
several leading insurance companies.
Our subject is a man who has not
rounded up his life in business affairs alone,
for he has traveled extensively, both in the
United States and abroad, and is thoroughly
broad and cosmopolitan in his views and
forceful in his intellectuality. Never an
aspirant for political preferment, he has yet
maintained a lively interest in public affairs,
rendering a stanch allegiance to the Repub-
lican party. His religious affiliations are
with the Presbyterian church.
In the great fraternal order of Free-
masonry Mr. MacMillan has advanced to
the Knights Templar degree, being a mem-
ber of St. Barnard Commandery, No. 35.
He is identified with Kilwinning Lodge,
No. 311, A. F, & A. M., in which he has
served as Master; while in Corinthian Chap-
ter, No. 69, R. A. M., he has passed the
various chairs and to hold the office of King.
He is highly honored in Masonic circles and
is a zealous adherent of the noble order.
The marriage of Mr. MacMillan was
celebrated in the year 1864, when he was
united to Miss Anna B. McKay, who was
born on the British frigate Belle Isle, which
was en route to Quebec, on the St. Law-
rence river, her father having been a soldier
in the English army. Mr. and Mrs. Mac-
Millan are the parents of five children:
Murdoch A., Susie C., Jennie H., James C.
and Anna B.
310
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
JAMES HINES ANDERSON. —That
land where has come a supreme exal-
tation to the noble fraternity of Free-
masonry, figures as Mr. Anderson's place of
nativity, and this circumstance lends some-
what of additional interest to the record
which is his through his conspicuous identi-
fication with the great order whose wonder-
ful organization extends to every quarter
of the civilized world, numbering among its
adherents representatives of every calling
known to human life — the toilers for daily
bread, no less than men of letters and of
great affairs — whose living faith and sublime
code reach the most elevated humanitarian
planes, and whose potency as one of the
instrumentalities that, on the trestle-board
of the outstretched years, is to work out
those deep designs whose accomplishment
implies the ennobling and the elevation of
the race, can not be denied.
In Kincardineshire, whose high-heaved
hills and fertile lowlands lend fairness to
the picturesque wealth of Scotland, James
Hines Anderson was born, on the 2d of
July, 1841, the son of James H. and Ann
(Duncan) Anderson, representing in their
lineage the sturdiest of Scotch strains. The
boyhood days of our subject were passed in
his native county, and the invigorating
discipline of the Mearns had an invaluable
effect during this formative stage of his
life. He received a common-school educa-
tion, while that keen appreciation of prac-
tical values, which is so characteristic of
the race from which he is sprung, soon
came into evidence. He learned the stone-
cutter's trade in Scotland, and when he was
about eighteen years of age he went to
England, where he secured employment in
the line of his trade, remaining there for a
period of five years, after which, cognizant
of the superior advantages offered in Amer-
ica, he emigrated to the United States,
arriving here in the winter of 1863 and soon
after coming to Chicago, which has ever
since been his home and the scene of his
honorable and successful endeavors. He
continued to devote his attention to that
line of business with which he was familiar.
An orphan at the age of sixteen years, he
had early developed a study of self-reliance
and those habits of industry and consecu-
tive application which have stood him so
well in hand in his singularly successful
career. For four weeks after his arrival in
Chicago Mr. Anderson was employed as a
journeyman, and at the expiration of this
period he associated himself with Wilhelm
G. Cooper in the cut-stone and building
business, with which line of enterprise he
has ever since been conspicuously identified.
At the expiration of one year he purchased
his partner's interest in the enterprise, and
for a score of years he has made a specialty
of grarite and marble work. He is at the
present time president of the J. H. Ander-
son Granite Company, retains an interest in
the Berlin & Montello Granite Company, of
Chicago, and is identified with the Hurri-
cane Island Granite Company, in Knox
county, Maine, where are located granite
quarries which are among the most prolific
in the Union. In the city of Chicago there
are many monuments to Mr. Anderson's
honor as a builder, for he has devoted his
attention principally to this phase of busi-
ness since the Centennial year, 1876. The
magnificent granite work of the Masonic
Temple, the City Hall and the Herald
building was executed by the company of
which Mr. Anderson is the head.
Mr. Anderson's identification with the
Masonic order dates back fully thirty years,
for he became an Entered Apprentice in
Evans Lodge, No. 524, at Evanston, soon
after the same was organized — about 1865.
He still affiliates with this lodge, and is a
member of Evanston Chapter, No. 144;
Siloam Council, No. 53; and Chicago Com-
mandery, No. 19, Knights Templar, having
received the degrees of knighthood in 1873.
He enjoys the distinction of being a life
member in each of these bodies. Still more
distinguished Masonic honors have been
conferred upon Mr. Anderson, since he
passed the degrees in Oriental Sovereign
Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite, nearly twenty years ago, and
has also "crossed the sands of the desert,"
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
311
and gained title to nobility in Medinah
Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He has
ever maintained a lively interest in the
great Masonic fraternity, in whose circles
he enjoys an unmistakable popularity.
In his political adherency, Mr. Anderson
is a stanch supporter of the Republican
party. He has been the incumbent as post-
master of Havelock, one of Chicago's postal
substations, for the past twenty years, the
practical duties of the office being handled
by a capable deputy. The family home is
located at High Ridge, Lake View.
In September, 1865, Mr. Anderson was
united in marriage to Emma Louise Rills,
of Jamesville, New York. They are the
parents of three children.
NTON NEUMEISTER, a representa-
-/$1L tive of the Masonic fraternity in Rock-
ford, was born in Germany on the 27th of
November, 1837; and his parents, Frederick
and Rosina (Sock) Neumeister, were also
natives of the same land. The father was
married twice, and by his first union had
five children and by the second eight. He
engaged in the manufacture of iron in Ger-
many,— a business which his family had
followed for several generations ; but in 1 848
he severed all ties that bound him to the
old world and sailed for America, accom-
panied by his wife and nine children, one
son having previously crossed the Atlantic.
Going first to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he se-
cured a tract of land near that city and car-
ried on agricultural pursuits up to the time
of his death, which occurred in the sixty-
seventh year of his age. His wife survived
him and lived to be eighty -six years of age.
They were members of the Lutheran church
and were industrious and honorable farming
people, whose genuine worth won them the
respect of all.
Anton Neumeister was ten years of age
when he accompanied his parents on their
emigration to America. He attended school
in Germany, but after coming to this coun-
try was obliged to assist in the development
and cultivation of the home farm and all the
education he obtained was self-acquired out-
side the school-room. When a youth of
fourteen he left the parental roof and began
learning the wagon and carriage maker's
trade. He worked for three months with-
out receiving any compensation for his
services and then for a year received eight
dollars per month. The great Civil war,
however, interrupted his labors. When the
south attempted to overthrow the Union,
he went forth to the defense of the govern-
ment under whose protection he was living
and fought with all the loyalty of a native-
born son of America for the upholding of
the national power. It was July, 1862,
that he joined the boys in blue of Company
I, Twenty-sixth Wisconsin Infantry, and in
October the regiment joined the Eleventh
Army Corps in Virginia. He participated in
the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettys-
burg, and then with his command joined the
Army of the Cumberland. He afterward
took part in the battle of Missionary Ridge
and pursued the Confederates to Knoxville,
also participated in Sherman's Atlanta cam-
paign. At the battle of Kenesaw mountain
he was wounded in the left arm by a rifle
ball which passed through his arm and
struck a comrade on the ear. The injury
he sustained forced him to remain in the
hospital for a short time, but as soon as
possible he reported for duty once more.
When the war was over he was honorably
discharged, having for three years valiantly
protected the glorious old ensign of the re-
public which now floats over the united na-
tion, its power strengthened by the bloody
conflict through which it led the hosts to
victory.
When the country no longer needed his
services Mr. Neumeister came to Rockford,
where in the meantime his brother had es-
tablished a carriage and wagon manufac-
tory. Not long afterward his brother met
with a serious accident which forced him to
give up the business, and our subject pur-
chased the same. Thus starting out on his
own account he soon demonstrated to the
public that he was worthy of its patronage,
his efficient workmanship and reliable deal-
812
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ing commending him to the confidence of
all. He soon secured a liberal business,
which has steadily increased, and from time
to time he has enlarged and improved his
facilities until he now has one of the best
equipped wagon and carriage shops in this
section of the state. The small board shop
on State street near the bridge, in which he
first carried on operations, was followed in
1 869 by a large brick shop on Madison
street, and here he has secured a large
trade, his increased patronage demanding
greater facilities until, with the many addi-
tions he has made to his factory, his plant
now covers several lots. He has a large
blacksmith shop in addition to the wagon
shop >and handles carriages only of his own
manufacture. He always keeps a large
number on hand, and his customers know
that his goods are most reliable.
On the 1 2th of April, 1869, Mr. Neu-
meister married Miss Theresa Staps, a
native of Germany. They have no chil-
dren of their own, but have reared an
adopted son, Fred, who has lived with
them from the age of three years. He is
now seventeen years of age, and is his
father's able assistant in the business, man-
ifesting all the interest therein that an own
son would do.
In the same year of his marriage Mr.
Neumeister became a Mason, joining Rock-
ford Lodge, No. 1 02. In politics he is a
Republican, and both he and his wife are
active members of the Lutheran church, in
which he is now serving as deacon. As
citizen, soldier, and business man he has
manifested a loyalty to duty that portrays
a noble, upright character:, and he is justly
entitled to the high regard in which he is
held.
F
RANKLIN B. NEWELL is one of the
JT' most active, influential and prominent
Masons in central Illinois, and the lodge of
Galva, with which he is connected, owes
much of its growth and present prosperous
condition to his efforts. He became iden-
tified with Galva Lodge, No. 243, in 1882.
Having petitioned for and been elected to
membership he was initiated as an Entered
Apprentice on the 5th of December, passed
to the Fellow-craft degree on the 2d of June,
1883, and was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason on the 24th of June. He
has informed himself thoroughly concerning
the ritual, the working of the order and is
an enthusiastic and zealous member of the
team, putting great spirit and life into his
work, and thus inspiring his brethren by his
own ardor and devotion. He joined the
lodge for the worthy purpose of benefiting
others, and has been untiring in his efforts
to assist those in need of brotherly aid.
Charity and hospitality are the grand char-
acteristics of the order, and his life fully ex-
emplifies the spirit of helpfulness and for-
bearance. His virtues as a man and a
Mason are of the highest order and worthy
of imitation. He has perhaps done more
ritualistic work than any other member of
Galva Lodge, and is always present to as-
sist in conferring the sublime degree of
Master Mason. He is a member of Galva
Chapter, No. 57, Order of the Eastern Star,
was elected and has served for three years
as its Worthy Patron, and has conferred
the degrees in that order in a most capable
and acceptable manner. In the blue lodge
he has held the office of Junior Warden for
two terms and of Senior Warden for nine
years. His zeal for Masonry, his wide and
accurate knowledge of the craft, which he
is ever ready to impart to his less informed
brethren, his acumen, his diligence, his un-
tiring efforts and the vigilance with which
he guards the ancient landmarks, make him
a bright and shining light in the Masonic
world.
Mr. Newell is a native of Vermont,
born in Jamaica, Windom county, on the
6th of October, 1836. The family is of
English origin, but for many generations
has resided in the United States. The
grandfather Newell was one of the patriots
of the Revolution, participating in the bat-
tle of Bunker Hill, and remaining in the
service until victory crowned the arms of
the colonists, and the nation became an in-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
818
dependent republic. He carried a British
bullet in his shoulder until the day of his
death, which occurred in the eightieth year
of his age. Solomon Newell, the father
of our subject, was born in Colrain, Mas-
sachusetts, in 1798, married Malinda B.
Cutler, a native of New Hampshire, and
they had eight children, six of whom are
yet living. The mother is now living, in
her seventy-seventh year, but the father
departed this life in 1873, at the age of
seventy-five years. Soon after attaining
his majority he was made a member of the
Masonic fraternity, and led an upright,
honorable life which ever won for him the
confidence and esteem of those with whom
he came in contact. In 1853 he came to
Illinois and resided, in the order named, in
Geneva, St. Charles, DeKalb and Gales-
burg, being buried in the last named with
Masonic honors.
Franklin B. Newell was educated in the
common schools of his native state, and
began his business career as a fireman on
the railroad. Before the war he was pro-
moted to locomotive engineer, and served
in that capacity for twenty years. For
twenty-two years he has been foreman of
the railroad interests of the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy lines at Galva, and his
continued service with this company cov-
ers the long period of forty years, during
which time he has never been censured or
reprimanded in any way, but has faithfully
performed his important duties to the full
satisfaction of the company, winning golden
opinions both from his employers and the
public with which his duties bring him into
relations. Those who served under him
entertain for him the highest regard, for he
is ever courteous and fair in his treatment
of all.
In 1864 Mr. Newell was united in mar-
riage to Miss Zora M. Whitmore, a native
of Medina, Ohio, and their union has been
blessed with three children: Harry A.,
Bessie and Ada. The eldest and youngest
are at home, and the second daughter is the
wife of Henry Dunbar, who resides near
Galva. The family is held in the highest
esteem throughout the community, and the
circle of their friends is very extensive.
In his political affiliations Mr. Newell is
a Republican, but is not bound by party
ties. His political views are the result of
extensive reading and careful consideration,
and not alone on party questions is he well
informed. He entertains broad views of
all general topics of interest, and is a pro-
gressive, public-spirited citizen, who does
all in his power to promote the welfare of
the city.
GORHAM BARTLETT COFFIN, of
Chicago, has for almost a quarter of
a century followed the teachings and advo-
cated the principles of Masonry as a worthy
member of this ancient and honored order
that through long ages has inculcated
among men those cardinal virtues upon
which upright character forever rests. He
is a close and conscientious student of the
ethics of Masonry in all its departments,
and is most zealous and earnest in his ad-
vocacy of the order, and his name is
closely interwoven with its development in
Chicago. In 1874 he became a member of
Covenant Lodge, No. 526, A. F. & A. M.,
of Chicago, and is most vigilant in guarding
the ancient landmarks. He is now Past
Master and his devotion has won him the
high esteem of his brethren of the craft. In
1876 he was exalted to the august degree
of a Royal Arch Mason in York Chap-
ter, No. 148, and is now Past High Priest.
In 1878 he became a Royal and Select
Master in Chicago Council, from which he
has since dimitted to Tyrian Council. He
received the degree of knighthood in St.
Bernard Commandery, No. 35, K. T., and
in 1887 was honored by the Sir Knights,
who called him to the position of Eminent
Commander. He was the founder of Co-
lumbia Commandery, No. 63, became one
of its charter members under the dispensa-
tion, was the first Eminent Commander
under the charter, and is now Past Com-
mander. He is also interested in the or-
ganization which promotes the social rela-
314
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
tions between members, being a Noble of
Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine. His pleasant manner
and popularity makes him a valued addition
to all social functions of the order, while
his genuine personal worth has won him the
warm friendship of many of his brethren of
the craft. He was also one of the first
Trustees of the Illinois Masonic Home, and
one of its organizers.
Gorham B. Coffin is a native of Massa-
chusetts, born in Newburyport, in Decem-
ber, 1846, a son of George and Sophronia
(Richards) Coffin. His father was a sea
captain and a man of considerable means.
The son acquired his preliminary education
in the common schools of his native town
and afterward continued his education in
Boston, but in 1861 laid aside his text-books
to enter upon his business career. He se-
cured a situation with the firm of Banker &
Carpenter, paint dealers in Boston, and
later became a salesman in their house,
where he remained continuously until 1869.
Thinking the rapidly developing west offered
better opportunities, he came to Chicago
and entered the employ of Heath & Milligan
as salesman. In 1883 he became connected
with the New York house of F. W. DeVoe
& Company in their branch store in Chicago,
which was conducted under the name of
Coffin, Devoe & Company. The responsible
duties of manager of their interests here
were entrusted to his care and ably con-
ducted until 1892, when the business was
consolidated with that of the C. T. Rey-
nolds Company, at which time Mr. Coffin
severed his connection with this firm and re-
sumed an important position with the
Heath & Milligan Manufacturing Company.
That in his business relations his course
has been most honorable is shown by his
long connection with the houses whose
interests he has served, while in private
life his social qualities are such as have
gained him many friends. He is a trustee
of the Mencken Club; also a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
His interest in the military organizations
of this country was shown through his con-
nection with the First Massachusetts In-
fantry, of which he was a member seven
years, during which time he was promoted
to the rank of lieutenant. He also served
for three years in the First Regiment of
Illinois National Guards. His political
support is given the Republican party.
Mr. Coffin was married in 1870 to Miss
Helen Bullock, of Boston, who died in
1873, leaving one son. PercivalB. In 1875
he was again married, his second union
being with Miss Helen Green, of Chicago.
They have four children — Helen, Grafton,
Ralph and Ruth.
UENRY WERNO, the popular merchant
tailor at 100 Jackson street, Monad-
nock block, ground floor, Chicago, is a gen-
tleman who is identified with a number of
fraternal organizations, including the great-
est of all civic societies, the Masonic order.
He was made a Master Mason by Kilwinning
Lodge, No. 311, F. & A. M. , of Chicago,
in which he has passed all the chairs, served
as Secretary three years and Worshipful
Master two years; and he still affiliates with
that lodge. Also he has been exalted and
knighted, his exaltation being in Corinthian
Chapter, No. 69, R. A. M. ; and the degrees
of knighthood being conferred upon him by
St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, K. T.
In the chapter he has filled some official
positions. Also he is a "Shriner, " a mem-
ber of Medinah Temple. During his active
work in the lodge he was a member and
regular attendant of the Grand Lodge of
the state, and for five years served as
Deputy Grand Lecturer. Other organiza-
tions with which he is connected are the
Royal Arcanum, North American Union and
Chicago Athletic Association.
Mr. Werno is a native of Brooklyn, New
York, born October 19, 1857, but has never
known any other home than Chicago, he
having been brought here by his parents
when six months old. On completing his
studies in the public schools, he chose the
trade of tailor for his life work, served an
apprenticeship to it, and from his sixteenth
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
317
year has been engaged in this business. In
1 88 1 he established himself in business on
Halsted street, near Madison; was in the
Tacoma Building for five years; ran two es-
tablishments for a few years, and since 1893
has been at 100 Jackson street, where he
has an extensive trade.
Mr. Werno resides in one of the delight-
ful suburbs of the city, La Grange, with
which for years he has been prominently
identified and which owes much to his en-
terprise and good judgment as an official.
He was elected president of La Grange in
1891, 1893, 1894, 1896 and 1897, and is
now serving his fifth term. Politically, he
is an independent.
In 1879 was consummated Mr. Werno's
marriage to Miss Rose Kuhles, a native of
Chicago, and they have a family of four
children, Laura, Rosella, Cecilia and Hen-
rietta.
NDREW H. WHALEN has held a
<QL membership in the Masonic order for
six years, and well deserves mention in this
volume, whose province is the portrayal of
the lives of those who have been and are
faithful and consistent members of the fra-
ternity, and who by their adherence to its
honored principles have given it a standing
second to none among the civic societies of
the land. Mr. Whalen was initiated into
the mysteries of the order in 1890, joining
Dearborn Lodge, No. 310. The following
year he was exalted to the sublime degree
of Royal Arch Mason in Lafayette Chapter,
No. 2, and also joined the Royal and Select
Masters of Palestine Council, No. 66. In
1893 he took the degree of a Knight Tem-
plar in Apollo Commandery, No. i, and the
Scottish Rite degrees in Oriental Consist-
ory. He has been honored with office by
his brethren of the fraternity, who thus
showed their appreciation of his loyalty,
and in Dearborn Lodge served as Worship-
ful Master in 1895.
Mr. Whalen was born in the capital
city of Illinois on the I5th of November,
1859, and was reared and educated in
Springfield. He also learned the black-
smith's trade there, and his life has been
an industrious, energetic one. He located
permanently in Chicago in 1880, and
through the succeeding decade was engaged
in railroading. He was then appointed
manager of the south side yards of the W.
L. Scott Coal Company, and has since effi-
ciently served in that capacity. His care-
ful foresight, his executive ability, and his
straightforward dealings have enabled him
to secure a good patronage for the estab-
lishment, and he has the confidence and
respect of the public and the company.
On the loth of June, 1888, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Whalen and
Miss Minnie Fisher, a native of Terre
Haute, Indiana. Mr. Whalen has been the
architect of his own fortunes and has
builded wisely and well, forming a magnifi-
cent structure of character by perseverance,
industry and energy. He is therefore able
to-day to command a good position, and is
known as a thoroughly reliable man.
ASMUS J. TROLDAHL, of Chicago,
is one of the leading and well-known
Masons of the city, who has attained to a
high degree in the order. He was made a
member of the fraternity in Blair Lodge, of
this city, in 1894, and was exalted to the
Royal Arch degrees in La Fayette Chapter,
No. 2, in the same year, also took the de-
grees of the Royal and Select Masters in
Palestine Council. With all of these bodies
he still affiliates, and in 1895 he was knighted
in Apollo Commandery and joined the Ori-
ental Consistory of the Scottish Rite. He
belongs to Medinah Temple of the Mystic
Shrine, and though his affiliation with the
fraternity covers only a short period he is
one of its loyal and acceptable members,
never wavering in his support of its prin-
ciples.
Mr. Troldahl is a native of the kingdom
of Denmark, where his birth occurred Sep-
tember 23, 1865. The first fourteen years
of his life were spent in that land, and he
then went to England, where he remained
818
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
for two years, when he crossed the Atlantic
to America. Later he returned to Europe
and remained abroad for a few years. When
he once more came to the United States he
took up his abode in Chicago, where he has
remained continuously since 1888. In early
life he was engaged in the commission busi-
ness, and later spent three years in the
ticket business, procuring tickets for foreign
travel.
In 1893 Mr. Troldahl embarked in busi-
ness on his own account, and is now enjoy-
ing a good patronage, his office being located
at 171 East Harrison street. He procures
tickets for tourists and travelers on the
Trans-Atlantic steamship lines, also on the
railroads, and does a foreign exchange and
banking business. He has become widely
known to the traveling public, and his life
abroad and his knowledge of the countries
of the old world well fits him for the work
he has undertaken.
Mr. Troldahl was married in 1888, the
lady of his choice being Miss Alvina Ras-
mussen, a native of Copenhagen.
/CLARENCE LESLIE SHELDON, of
\^i Sterling, a leading member of the legal
profession in this section of the state, has
risen to the Knight Templar degree in the
Masonic fraternity, and is one of the worthy
representatives of the order, his fidelity to
its teachings winning him the confidence
and regard of his brethren of the craft,
and reflecting honor upon the society. The
potency of any cause or organization is de-
termined by the influence it exerts upon its
followers, and the many men of worth who
are allied with Masonry indicate the high
and ennobling principles which form the
basic elements thereof.
Mr. Sheldon took the initiatory degrees
in Rock River Lodge, No. 612, being raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason on
the 8th of August, 1882. He passed suc-
cessively the degrees of Mark Master, Past
Master and Most Excellent Master in
Sterling Chapter, No. 57, and was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
on the 1 7th of January, 1883. He was
created a Knight Templar in Dixon Com-
mandery, of Dixon, Illinois, and assisted in
the organization of Sterling Commandery,
becoming one of its charter members. He
has held the office of Prelate and later
Eminent Commander. He is also a Noble
in Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
of the Mystic Shrine, in Chicago.
Mr. Sheldon is a native of New York,
born in Sennett, Cayuga county, on the
2 ist of April, 1841, and is of English an-
cestry, the family having been established
first in Vermont. Subsequently representa-
tives of the name removed to the Empire
state and were active participants in those
events which go to make up the early his-
tory of the country, including the Revolu-
tionary war. Rufus H. Sheldon, the father
of Sterling's well-known lawyer, was born
in New York and was married there to Miss
Mercy E. Edmonds, a native of that state,
descended from French ancestors, who
located in Massachusetts in Colonial days.
In 1847 they removed to Illinois, locating
in Fairfield, where the father secured land
from the government, on which he con-
tinued to reside until 1 869. In that year
he removed to Sterling. He has for many
years engaged in the implement business at
Rock Falls, and is one of the prominent
and highly respected citizens of the com-
munity. He is now eighty-two years of
age, and his wife is in her seventy-ninth
year. They have traveled life's journey
together for almost sixty-two years, sharing
with each other the joys and sorrows, the
adversity and prosperity, which checker
the careers of all. Mrs. Sheldon has always
been a devout Christian woman. In her
early life she united with the Christian
church, afterward became a Congregational-
ist, and is now a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church of Rock Falls. Mr. Shel-
don has served in the offices of postmaster
and justice of the peace.
Clarence L. Sheldon, whose name in-
troduces this review, was the third in order
of birth in their family of eight children,
five of whom are now living. He began
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
819
his education in the public schools, after-
ward attended the academy in Princeton,
Illinois, and later continued his studies in
the Western College, of Toledo, Iowa, and
the Lombard University, of Galesburg,
Illinois. Determining to make the practice
of law his life work, he entered the law de-
partment of the Michigan State University,
at Ann Arbor, and was graduated on the
5th of March, 1868. He began practice in
Sterling in 1869, and has since continued a
member of the bar at this place. His cli-
entage is large and constantly increasing.
He is widely and favorably known through-
out northwestern Illinois, and in the legal
profession has gained high rank. His
practice is general, and he brings all the
powers of a strong mind, a comprehensive
knowledge of law and sound judgment to
bear upon the intricate questions which are
involved in the litigation with which he
may be connected. In addition to his law
business he is a stockholder and director of
the Sterling Gas and Electric Light Com-
pany, and is also its attorney. He owns
some good property, including one of the
substantial and pleasant residences in the
city and three hundred and forty acres of
land, comprising the homestead farm on
which his father first settled on coming to
this state.
In his political adherency Mr. Sheldon
is a stanch Republican and soon after his
arrival was called by the popular vote of
the people to fill the office of city clerk.
He has also served as a member of the
city council and as city attorney. He
has been an able and effective organizer and
orator in the interests of his party, has ren-
dered much valuable service to the Repub-
lican cause and has been a member of the
Republican central committee for a number
of years. He was a delegate to the county
convention of 1896 and introduced the res-
olution instructing the national delegates
to vote for Major McKinley as presidental
candidate.
In 1 869 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Sheldon and Miss Letitia M. Crawford,
the latter a native of Sterling and a daugh-
ter of James L. Crawford, a prominent res-
ident of this city who came from Pennsyl-
vania to Illinois. Mrs. Sheldon is a valued
member of the Presbyterian church and the
family attend services there. They have
four children: Leslie Crawford, Carl Ed-
munds, John Rufus and Edith Irene. Mr.
Sheldon belongs to the Knights of Pythias
fraternity and is one of the prominent and
progressive citizens of the county, whose
skill and merit have gained him prestige in
his profession, while his personal worth has
won him warm friendship.
R. SHERGOLD, of Chicago, is a man
of much usefulness in the Masonic cir-
cles of Illinois. His untiring labors in the
interest of the society have not been ex-
tended beyond the western metropolis, but
here he is recognized as one whose earnest
devotion has advanced the organization and
added dignity and honor to the name of
Mason. He embraces every opportunity
for molding Masonic sentiment and promul-
gating its teaching, and faithfully practices
its virtues and its principles. It is difficult
to embody in set terms that which is ac-
complished by this honored society, for its
influence is silent like the waters flowing
behind the rocks of the Alps and loosening
them from the mountains on which they
rest; but his power is felt just as surely, and
the sublime principles of the magnanimous
order are continually lifting men to a higher
and nobler plane. Mr. Shergold has for
almost twenty years been identified with
the order, having been made a Mason in
Waubansia Lodge, No. 160. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of a Royal Arch
Mason in Chicago Chapter, No. 127, and
received the degrees of Royal and Select
Master in 1878. He received the degree of
Knighthood in Apollo Commandery, No. i,
in 1878, and has since followed the beau-
seant of Knight Templary as a life member
of Chicago's first commandery. A noble
man and a loyal knight, he is most active
in the workings of the society and is always
glad to instruct others less well informed.
320
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Through forty-eight years Mr. Shergold
has been a resident of Chicago, and like a
worthy Mason he has also been true to his
duties of citizenship. He was born in the
Garden City, on the i/th of Angust, 1848,
his parents being numbered among the pio-
neers of Chicago. He is indebted to the
public schools for the educational privileges
which he enjoyed, and was thereby fitted
for the practical experiences of business
life. Throughout the greater part of his
business career he has been connected with
railroad interests. He entered the employ
of the Illinois Central road in 1871, and was
employed with that line for eight years,
when he went to Montana, remaining from
1879 until 1884, when he returned to Chi-
cago and accepted a position with the Illi-
nois Central Railroad. His connection
therewith has since been continuous, and he
is now occupying the responsible position of
cashier in the freight department. He is
most true and faithful in the discharge of
his duties and his promptness and accuracy
has secured him the confidence and com-
mendation of those whom he serves.
In 1876 Mr. Shergold led to the mar-
riage altar Miss Anna A. Cook, a native of
Wisconsin. They now have two daughters.
The life of Mr. Shergold has been one of
industry and perseverance, and his gentle-
manly manner and honorable business
methods have won him the esteem and con-
fidence of those with whom he has been
brought in contact.
Tf AWRENCE HOFENRICHTER, one
jLji of the prominent and valued members
of the Masonic fraternity living in Yorkville,
was initiated in Kendall Lodge, No. 471,
February 22, 1881, and served as its Senior
Warden for two years. He was exalted to
the degrees of Royal Arch Mason in Aurora
Chapter, No. 22, in 1883; received the
degrees of Royal and Select Master in
Aurora Council, No. 45, in 1886; was created
a Sir Knight in Aurora Commandery, No.
22, in 1883; and attained the ineffable
degree of Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret in Oriental Consistory, Valley of Chi-
cago, in November, 1895. He was made a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah
Temple, Chicago, in November, 1895, and
is a member of Yorkville Chapter, No. 295,
Order of the Eastern Star, with which Mrs.
Hofenrichter is also affiliated. He is also a
member of Charlemagne Lodge, No. 245,
Knights of Pythias, of Aurora.
The subject of this review was born in
Oswego, Illinois, April 29, 1854, and is the
son of Nichols and Margaret (Schilor) Hofen-
richter. He spent his early boyhood upon
a farm, attending the district schools until
arriving at the age of sixteen, when he
began his mercantile career by engaging as
a clerk in a general store at Oswego. He
remained there for six years and then em-
barked in business for himself, but after six
months he disposed of his interests and re-
turned to his former place, where he stayed
for a year and a half. He came to York-
ville and accepted a position in a cheese
factory, in which he continued for a year.
About 1880 he entered the employ of George
M. Johnson, with whom he has remained
for the past seventeen years, and during that
time has proved himself to be an efficient,
trustworthy gentleman, meriting the con-
fidence and esteem with which he is regarded
by his business associates.
Politically Mr. Hofenrichter is a stanch
supporter of the Republican party, and for
eight years held the office of village trustee.
In 1882 our subject was united in marriage
to Miss Lottie Shibley, a native of Oswego
and a daughter of Alfred and Mona (Furling)
Shibley, also of Oswego. Mr. and Mrs.
Hofenrichter have a pleasant home in York-
ville, where they entertain a large circle of
friends.
HENRY D. BENTLEY, a thirty-second-
degree Mason, is a leading representa-
tive of the industrial interests of Freeport,
and his identification with the city has con-
tinued since his fourth year. He was born
in the word's metropolis — London — on the
5th of December, 1848, and is a son of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
321
Peter J. and Anne (Harvey) Bentley, who
were both English people. In 1851 his
parents emigrated to the United States and
at once came to Illinois, locating in Free-
port. The mother died only a short time
afterward, but the father still survives, at
the advanced age of eighty-six years, and is
living retired from all active business cares.
He married a second time and is the father
of three children.
Mr. Bentley of this review is the young-
est of the the three children born of the
first marriage. He was educated in the
public schools of Freeport and began his
business career in Walton's dry-goods house,
one ot the oldest and best known establish-
ments in the city. After some years' con-
nection with that business he became iden-
tified, as an employee, with a music house,
and it was this that led him to embark in
his present enterprise — the manufacture of
piano stools. He began operations along
this line in 1881 and has carried on the
trade continuously since with excellent suc-
cess. His trade has constantly grown until
the capacity of his factory is one thousand
stools per week, and his goods are sent
throughout the United States. He manu-
factures various kinds, from the plainer
styles, selling at low prices, to the most
elaborate in design and beautiful in finish,
commanding the highest market prices. He
has erected a large brick factory, forty by
one hundred feet, and three stories in height
with a basement. This is all used in the
manufacture of the stools, and the large
trade which he is now enjoying makes him
one of the prosperous citizens of Freeport.
Mr. Bentley was married in 1876, the
lady of his choice being Miss Elida Pattison,
a native of Stephenson county. They have
two sons, Charles J., who is now a student
in the University of Chicago; and Henry D.,
Jr., who is attending the Freeport high
school. The family reside on Lincoln ave-
nue, where they have a nice home erected
by Mr. Bentley. He has attained to the
thirty-second degree in Masonry and is a
highly esteemed member of the order, with
which he has been connected for over twenty
years, his membership being in Excelsior
Lodge. In politics Mr. Bentley is a Re-
publican.
In closing this sketch of a well-rounded
character and successful business man, may
we not pause a moment to study the lesson
it teaches? It is needless to add that he is
a self-made man. All noble characters are
self-made. "Every man is the architect of
his own character as well as his own for-
tune." But there is a lesson in such a
career for every American boy. Follow
him from his home to the store where he
served in a humble clerkship, then on
through the years where his merit won him
promotion to his present position of afflu-
ence and influence, and you have an object
lesson, plain and practical. It is not fortu-
nate circumstances or inherited wealth that
makes such men, but work, persistence
and pluck.
YrAMES W. SHINN, of Chicago, whose
II intimate connection with Masonry covers
a period of more than twenty years, was
made a member of the order in Tipton
Lodge, No. 33, of Logansport, Indiana, in
1875. He was exalted to the sublime de-
gree of a Royal Arch Mason in Peru Chap-
ter, No. 62, at Peru, Indiana, in 1879, di-
mitted and became a member of Logan
Chapter, No. 2, in 1881. He has served
as Captain of Host, Royal Arch Captain and
Principal Sojourner of the chapter. He be-
came a member of Logan Council, No. u,
R. & S. M. and P. C. of Work. He be-
came a Knight Templar in Lafayette Com-
mandery, No. 3, of Lafayette, Indiana, from
which he was dimitted in 1895, in which
year he placed his membership with Apollo
Commandery, No. i, of Chicago. He has
been honored with official preferment in
these various branches of the fraternity, hav-
ing served as Worshipful Master of the blue
lodge, which he also represented in the
Grand Lodge of Indiana in the years 1888
and 1889. In the chapter he held the office
of a Principal Sojourner and in the Council
was Principal Conductor of Work. He has
822
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
always lived up to the requirements of the
order, has been true to the belief and prac-
tices of the craft and is highly esteemed by
his brethren of the order.
A native of West Virginia, Mr. Shinn
was born in Harrison county, on the 4th of
June, 1849, and there spent his first four
years. His parents then removed with their
family to Indiana and he was reared on a
farm in that state, while to its public-school
system he is indebted for his educational
privileges. He continued to aid in the cul-
tivation and improvement of his father's
property until, desiring to enter commercial
circles, he went to Logansport, where for a
number of years he was engaged in mercan-
tile interests. He went to that city in 1873
and there made his home until 1894. For
some years he was upon the road as a trav-
eling salesman. In 1894 he came to Chi-
cago and embarked in business on his own
account, being now engaged in the cigar and
stationery trade at No. 3001 Cottage Grove
avenue. He is enjoying a liberal patronage
and his trade is increasing.
In 1879 Mr. Shinn was united in mar-
riage to Miss Jennie Pryor, a native of In-
diana, while her parents were from Pennsyl-
vania.
DAVID HOGG is one of the prominent
representatives of Masonry in Chicago,
and has been identified with the order here
for more than twenty years. He became a
member of the fraternity in 1874, joining
Covenant Lodge, No. 526, and with that
organization has since been connected.
Since then he has taken various degrees,
and now belongs to Corinthian Chapter,
No. 69, R. A. M., while in St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35, he was knighted, and
in Chicago Council, No. 4, took the degrees
of Royal and Select Masters. He belongs
to Oriental Consistory and to Medinah
Temple of the Mystic Shrine. For a num-
ber of years he was a member of St. Bernard
Drill Corps, and has always been a promi-
nent worker in the interests of the order.
Mr. Hogg is a native of Kinross-shire,
Scotland, born in 1842, and was there
reared to manhood. In his youth he
learned the decorator's trade, and for a
time was engaged in the wall-paper business
in Scotland. At length he determined to
seek a home in America, and, crossing the
Atlantic, located in New York city, where
he carried on operations as a dealer in wall
paper for several years. His identification
with the commercial interests of Chicago
dates from 1869. He became associated
with John J. McGrath in the wall-paper
business, remaining in the employ of that
gentleman until 1872. In 1874 he em-
barked in his present business, and has now
an immense trade as a wholesale and retail
dealer in liquors. He formed a partnership
with A. D. Hannah, a connection which has
since continued with mutual pleasure and
profit, and the firm of Hannah & Hogg is
probably the best known in their line
throughout the west. They began business
on a small scale on the west side, and from
the beginning prosperity attended their
undertakings. Their facilities were in-
creased to meet the growing patronage,
and their business has now assumed extens-
ive proportions. They own ten stores in
Chicago, some of them fitted up in most
magnificent style, and they have a large
wholesale and retail house at Nos. 222 and
224 South Clark street.
Mr. Hogg started upon his business
career a poor boy, but possessed of energy
and ambition. When he arrived in New
York his cash capital consisted of only nine
dollars, but within two days he had secured
employment, and from that time to the
present fortune has smiled upon his perse-
vering, well-directed efforts. He now owns
besides his business considerable valuable
property in Chicago and a beautiful summer
home at Mackinac Island, where he spends
the hot summer months each year with his
family. He was married in 1878, to Miss
Margaret Grady, and they have three chil-
dren: Robert, Ethel and Raymond.
Mr. Hogg is fond of travel and has been
on nearly all the pilgrimages with St. Ber-
nard Commandery. He spends considera-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
323
ble time in Europe, visiting the many points
of beauty and of interest on the continent,
and has that breadth of mental vision and
culture which only travel brings. Mr.
Hogg is charitable and contributes liberally
to many deserving public enterprises. He
is a man of fine physique, weighing about
two hundred and eighty pounds, and in
manner is ever genial and courteous.
FRANK ANTHONY, M. D., a prominent
physician and surgeon of Sterling, is a
representative of Masonry in Illinois. The
worth and standing of any cause are deter-
mined by the lives of its followers. Much
of the high character of Masonry in this
state and nation is due to those men who
fully understand its aims and its mission
and let the influence of its teachings shine
through their acts. Cato said that "our
actions are the only property that is truly
ours, and they go with us beyond the
grave." He who practices the mutual
helpfulness, mutual forbearance, magnan-
imity and integrity which form the basic
elements of the ancient craft, is truly a
Mason worthy of the honored name, and
Illinois numbers many faithful adherents of
these noble teachings.
In this number is included Dr. Anthony,
who became an Entered Apprentice in Rock
River Lodge, No. 612, A. F. & A. M., and
was raised to the sublime degree of Mas-
ter Mason on the i/th of March, 1882.
In the blue lodge he has held the offices
of both Junior and Senior Deacon, also
Junior and Senior Warden. He became a
member of Sterling Chapter, No. 57, in
1882, being exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason on the 2d of August.
He has been Master of one of the Veils in
the chapter, but his pressing duties have
forbidden him taking an active part in the
work officially. It was also in 1882 that he
was created a Sir Knight in Dixon Com-
mandery, and in October, 1883, he became
a charter member of Sterling Commandery.
He was instrumental in its organization and
takes great pride in its growth and efficient
work.
The Doctor is one of the native sons of
Sterling, his birth having occurred on the
9th of March, 1858. The family is of Eng-
lish origin, and for many generations it has
furnished able representatives to the med-
ical profession, men who trace their ances-
try back to Dr. Francis Anthony, of the
fifteenth century, who at that early day dis-
covered what is known as the ' ' gold treat-
ment," and was prosecuted and twice cast
into prison on account of his wonderful
discovery. Members of the family came
to America during colonial days and were
prominent in the early history of the coun-
try. The Docter's father, Dr. Julius Phelps
Anthony, was a native of New York, and
in that state married Miss Martha Jane
Park. In 1850 they came to Sterling, Illi-
nois, where the father engaged in the
practice of his profession until his death,
which occurred in June, 1891, when he
had reached the age of sixty-nine years.
He had built up a very large and remu-
nerative practice and was ' widely and fa-
vorably known as a skilled physician. His
wife died in 1886, at the age of sixty-
five years. She was an active and faithful
member of the Presbyterian church, and
her many excellent qualities won her the
warm regard of all who knew her. During
the Civil war Dr. Julius Anthony had ren-
dered his country valuable service as a sur-
geon, his superior skill alleviating the suffer-
ing of many a poor soldier who in defense
of his country had sustained severe injuries.
In the family were five children, all of
whom are yet living.
Dr. Frank Anthony, of this review, was
the youngest of the family and in the pub-
lic schools of Sterling he acquired his pre-
liminary education, which was afterward
suplemented by a course in Beloit College.
His choice of a life-work fell upon that
profession to which his family had furnished
many distinguished members, and he pur-
sued a course of medicine in the Rush Med-
ical College, of Chicago, where he was
graduated with the class of 1881. Return-
324
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ing home he joined his father in practice,
and has since continued his chosen life-
work in his native town, where he has a
wide acquaintance and has won high stand-
ing on account of his thorough and compre-
hensive knowledge of the science of medi-
cine. His patronage has steadily increased
until it has now assumed extensive propor-
tions. He is especially interested in sur-
gery and is most skilled and successful in
that branch of his work. He is now serv-
ing as surgeon for the Chicago & North-
western Railroad Company, and for the
Sixth Regiment Illinois National Guards.
Of a studious nature and possessed of a
deep love of his calling, Dr. Anthony is
steadily advancing on the road to perfection,
and in the medical fraternity in this section
of the state has won high and merited
prestige.
In October, 1882, Dr. Anthony led to
the marriage altar Miss Nellie Ellsworth
Persels, a native of Beloit, Wisconsin.
They have two interesting children, Nellie
L. and Hazel E. Their home is one of
the pleasant residences of the city, and is a
favorite resort with their wide circle of
friends. The Doctor gives his political sup-
port to the Republican party, and is a
genial, kind-hearted and social gentleman,
whose genuine worth commands the high
respect of his fellow townsmen.
DJOHN FORBES, cashier of the
Peoria Water Company, is one of
the best known and most enterprising young
men of Peoria, popular alike in business
and fraternal circles. To omit personal
mention of him in this work would be a
mistake.
Mr. Forbes was born in Peoria, Illinois,
April 3, 1865, and was educated in Pekin,
this state, to which place his parents re-
moved with their family when he was quite
small. He is an expert bookkeeper, and
for ten years has had a position as such;
was in the money department of the Peoria
postoffice during President Harrison's ad-
ministration, and has served four years in
his present capacity, that of cashier of the
Peoria Water Company.
Mr. Forbes is not an exception to the
rule that the pushing, enterprising business
men are those who make the most inter-
ested and active Masons. His Masonic
history began ten years ago. He was in-
itiated, passed and raised in Temple Lodge,
No. 46, of Peoria, in 1886, and seven days
after becoming a Master Mason was chosen
Junior Deacon of his lodge, which position
he filled one year. Next he served two
years as Secretary and one year as Senior
Warden. In October, 1 890, he was elected
Worshipful Master; the following year
was re-elected to the same office, but de-
clined to accept, and in October, 1892, was
again elected, this time serving until
November 30, 1893. During his incum-
bency of the executive chair there were
eighty-seven members added to Temple
Lodge, doubling the largest Masonic record
ever made in this city; and he was the
youngest Worshipful Master who ever pre-
sided over a lodge in Peoria. As showing
their appreciation of his service in this
capacity, the members, in 1891, presented
him with a handsome Past Master's jewel
of solid gold, and at the expiration of his
last term they presented him with a dia-
mond ring of Masonic design, representing
the blue lodge, chapter, commandery and
consistory, of all of which bodies he is a
member. He affiliates with Peoria Chapter,
No. 7, Peoria Council, No. 11, Peoria Com-
mandery, No. 3, Peoria Consistory, and
Mohammed Temple, Mystic Shrine. Also
he and his wife — who was before her mar-
riage Miss Bassett — are identified with the
popular auxiliary to Masonry, known as the
Order of the Eastern Star, and have mem-
bership in Electa Chapter, No. 175, of
which he was the first Worthy Patron.
SAMUEL W. McMUNN.— An order that
) teaches the higher ideal of life, that
gives men a new faith in virtue, charity and
love, assuredly deserves a considerate study
by all those who are interested in the wel-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
325
fare of the human racev As a means to an
end Masonry has long figured as one of the
most powerful weapons in the warfare
against ignorance and vice and the host of
evils that beset man at every step in his
career. Thus it is that to the vicious and
dissolute the great crafthood offers no at-
tractions, while it must perforce appeal
strongly to all such as have cognizance of
the true values and objects of life. Mr.
McMunn's identification with the Masonic
•order dates back to the year 1880, when
he became an Entered Apprentice in Tus-
can Lodge, No. 360, at St. Louis, Missouri,
being -duly raised therein to the degree of
Master 'Mason. He still affiliates with this
lodge. In 1894 he was exalted to the
Royal Arch in Normal Park Chapter, No.
2 jo, Chicago, while within the same year
he became identified with chivalric Masonry,
as a Sir Knight of Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, Knights Templar. He holds in
high appreciation the privileges and the
principles of the order, and is highly es-
teemed in the fraternity. He is also a
member of St. Louis Lodge, No. 9, of the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, at St.
Louis, Missouri, and of the Columbus and
Technical Clubs of Chicago, and the Lotus
and Engineers' Clubs of New York city.
His political support is given to the Repub-
lican party.
Samuel W. McMunn is a native son of
the old Buckeye state, having been born at
Sharon, Noble county, Ohio, on the 2Oth of
March, 1850, being the son of Isaac and
Maria McMunn. He was reared in Ohio,
where he received a thorough academic edu-
cation. After leaving school he turned his
attention to the wholesale jobbing of salt
and river transportation, afterward becom-
ing identified with manufactures and rail-
way supplies, continuing in that line up to
the present. Mr. McMunn became a resi-
dent of Chicago in April, 1894, and here he
is established as a manufacturer's agent.
He brings to bear in the important position
in which he is retained a rare discrimina-
tion, an excellent business ability and an ex-
perience which eminently qualifies him for
19
the successful handling of. affairs of great
breadth and respousibility.
On the 4<h of December, 1878, Mr. Mc-
Murin was united in marriage to Miss Jessie
Northrop, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and
they are the parents of two children: W.
N., born January 12, 1880; and Mary W.,
born October 23, 1883.
MARTIN E. SCHRYVER.— Figuring
conspicuously as one of the leading
business men of Polo, Illinois, and enjoying
high rank as a Mason, the gentleman whose
name graces this article is one whose life
history is well worthy of special consider-
ation.
Looking first to his connection with the
great Masonic order, we find that the blue-
lodge degrees were conferred upon him by
826
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mystic Tie Lodge, No. 187, of Polo, in
1869, the Master Mason's degree being
given on the evening of December 2. The
following year he was exalted in Tyrian
Chapter, No. 61, of Polo, receiving the
Mark Master and Past Master degrees Feb-
ruary 2, the Most Eminent Master, Febru-
ary 4, and the Royal Arch, February 9. He
was knighted by Dixon Commandery, No.
21, on the 22d of August, 1877, and in
1884 passed the higher degrees up to
and including the thirty-second in Free-
port Valley Consistory, in all of which
bodies he maintains membership and an
interest unabated, and in which he has per-
formed efficient work.
Mr. Schryver, not unlike many of the
leading citizens scattered throughout the
Union, looks back to the Empire state as
the place of his birth and early associa-
tions. He was born at Tioga Center, Ti-
oga county, New York, January 29, 1838,
and is descended from German ancestors,
who settled at Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
New York, in 1709. Barnet Schryver, his
father, was born, reared and married at
Rhinebeck, the lady he wedded being Miss
Irene Steel, a native of Delaware county,
that state. She was a second cousin of
the noted General Steel, and was of En-
glish descent. In 1862, Barnet Schryver
and family left the east and came west to
Illinois, settling on a farm in Buffalo town-
ship, Ogle county, where he passed the res-
idue of his life, engaged in farming and
stock-raising, and where he died in 1877, at
the ripe age of seventy-three years. His
good wife departed this life at the age of
sixty-six. In religious faith he was a Pres-
byterian, while she was a Baptist. They
had a family of eleven children, six daugh-
ters and five sons, of whom all of the sons
and three of the daughters are still living,
Martin E. being eighth in order of birth.
He was educated at Myresburg Academy,
Pennsylvania, and on leaving school began
life as a bookkeeper, at which he was occu-
pied three years. In 1861, the year previ-
ous to the removal of the other members of
the family to Illinois, he came here and lo-
cated at Polo. For four years he farmed
and taught school, the next five years was
engaged in the grocery business, and from
the grocery trade turned his attention to
the line of occupation to which he has since
devoted his energies, namely, loan and in-
surance. He has been connected with the
Union Central Life Insurance Company for
the past twenty-five years, has been gen-
eral manager for a number of years for the
district comprising northern Illinois, south-
ern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa, has done
all of the collecting and disbursing, hand-
ling large sums of money, and .during his
long connection with the company, has by
his honorable business methods and sterling
integrity, won the confidence and esteem of
both employers and patrons.
For a number of years Mr. Schryver
has been a stockholder and director in the
Exchange National Bank, of Polo, and dur-
ing his residence here has acquired consid-
erable real estate. He platted an addition
to the city, improved and sold a number of
lots, and in this and various other ways has
done his part to advance the growth and
development of the beautiful city of Polo.
When he became a voter he was Demo-
cratic in his views. Soon, however, he
gave his support to the new party which had
for its presidential candidate Abraham Lin-
coln, and since then Mr. Schryver has been
in harmony with the Republicans and cast
his vote and influence with them, showing
himself to be an active and efficient party
worker. At this writing he is chairman of
the Republican central committee of his
county. He has served officially as town
clerk, assessor, president of the city school
board, alderman and mayor, holding the
last named office as long as he would have
it and refused to serve longer. All his pub-
lic service has been characterized by fidelity
and honest purpose, and by a desire to pro-
mote the best interests of all concerned.
Mr. Schryver has a pleasant home and
interesting family. He was married in 1 864
to Miss Ellen Wood, a native of Susque-
hanna county, Pennsylvania, and they have
five children, viz. : Louie, Jessie, Netty
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
827
C., Pauline and Martin E., Jr. Mrs. Schry-
ver and the children are Baptists, and Mr.
Schryver attends that church with them,
contributing liberally to its support.
WILLIAM PIEL, has affiliated with
the Masonic fraternity in Belvidere
for three years, being initiated into the
order in Belvidere Lodge, No. 60, on the
2 ist of August, 1893. He took the Fellow-
craft degree on the 2Oth of November, and
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason on the i8th of December. He is
much interested in the working and the de-
velopment of the order, and his loyalty to
its fundamental principles is above question.
Mr. Piel is one of the younger represent-
atives of the business interests of Belvi-
dere, but is a most progressive and enter-
prising young man. He was born in this
city on the I2th of February, 1869. His
father, Richard Piel, a native of England,
came to Belvidere when a young man of
eighteen years, and for forty-two years made
his home here, engaged in thedraying busi-
ness. He married Miss Celia Jarvis, of
English lineage, and they had a family of
ten children, eight of whom are living.
The father was a valued member of Belvi-
dere Lodge, No. 60, F. & A. M., and lived
an industrious and upright life, winning the
respect of all. He was called to the home
beyond in July, 1895, at the age of seventy
years. His wife still survives him, and is
now, 1896, sixty-seven years of age.
Mr. Piel acquired his education in the
public schools of Belvidere and entered
upon his business career as a clerk when
only fifteen years of age. He served in
that capacity for some time, and during that
period gained an excellent knowledge of
business methods, studying the plans of
procedure which have brought success to
others. Before attaining his majority he
began business on his own account, estab-
lishing a small grocery store. He was
active, obliging and honorable, and soon
his patronage began to increase. This fa-
vorable turn in the tide of his affairs has
been steadily continued, and to-day he has
a large share of the grocery business of the
city. His efforts have been crowned with
a high measure of success, and he well
merits his prosperity, because of his indus-
try, his close application, his perseverance
and his straightforward dealing.
Mr. Piel was happily married in 1893,
the lady of his choice being Miss Lilian
Lewis, a native of New York, and they now
have an interesting little daughter, Neva.
Mr. Piel and his wife are members of the
Methodist church. He has erected a nice
home in Belvidere and they have many
warm friends here, who enjoy the hospi-
tality of their pleasant residence.
JE. McPHERRAN, a member of the
legal profession at Sterling, Illinois, is a
Master Mason, having been initiated into
the mysteries of the ancient and honored
Order of Freemasons forty years ago, in
Washington county, Pennsylvania. Dimit-
ting from that lodge, he in 1862 placed his
membership with the old No. 202 Lodge at
Sterling, Illinois, in which he was elected
and for some time served as Junior Warden;
since March 6, 1896, he has been a member
of Rock River Lodge, No. 612, F. &. A. M.
Mr. McPherran was born in Huntingdon
county, Pennsylvania, November 21, 1834,
and is of Scotch descent. His grandfather,
Andrew McPherran, was born in Pennsyl-
vania in 1752, served as a soldier in the Rev-
olutionary war, and some time after the
war settled in Huntingdon county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he passed the rest of his life
and where he died at the ripe old age of
seventy-six years. John McPherran, his
son and the father of our subject, was born
in York county, Pennsylvania, and spent his
later years in Huntingdon county, Pennsyl-
vania, as a farmer and contractor and builder,
and at the time of his death was seventy-
five years of age. He married Miss Eliza-
beth Stewart, also a native of Pennsylvania
and a representative of a Scotch-Irish family.
She died in her fifty-second year. This
worthy couple were Presbyterians of the
828
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
strictest sect, as were their forefathers as
far back as the days of John Knox. Of the
twelve children which blessed their union
J. E. McPherran was the tenth born.
J. E. McPherran enjoyed excellent edu-
cational advantages in his youth. In 1857
he graduated at Jefferson College, Pennsyl-
vania. To him belongs the credit of having
drafted and presented for adoption the rit-
ual of the Phi Kappi Psi Society, from which
has since sprung all the college fraternities
of that name throughout the United States.
His legal education was obtained in the law
department of Chicago University. He grad-
uated at this institution in 1861, a member
of its first graduating class. In 1864 he
established himself in the practice of law at
Sterling, Illinois, and from that date to the
present time has been engaged in law prac-
tice at this place.
Politically, he has long harmonized with
the Democratic party, being what is known
as a Jeffersonian Democrat. He was one of
the first representatives who served under
the new constitution of this state in 1872.
In many ways has he been closely identified
with the interests of Sterling. He has
served as city attorney and alderman and
has always been especially interested in ed-
ucational matters. For the past eighteen
years he has been president of the Public
Library, the growth and welfare of which
he has ever had at heart, he having been
one of the prime movers in the organization
of this institution.
April 20, 1865, Mr. McPherran was hap-
pily married to Miss Sarah A. Withrow, a
native of McDonough county, Illinois, and
to them have been given a daughter and
three sons. The daughter, Mabel, is a grad-
uate of Elmira College, New York, where
she received the degree of A. M. The sons
are all worthy members of the Masonic fra-
ternity and are graduates of the Michigan
State University. Edgar is land commis-
sioner for the Duluth, South Shore & At-
lantic Railway Company, and resides at
Marquette, Michigan. Ralph is chief chem-
ist in the chemical department of the
E. P. Allis Company's Machine Shop, Mil-
waukee, Wisconsin; and Charles is chemist
for the Illinois Steel Works at Joliet, Illi-
nois. The whole family are identified with
the Presbyterian church. Mr. McPherran's
home is among the most beautiful ones
which adorn the city in which he resides,
and where he enjoys the confidence and
high esteem of the people among whom he
has so long lived.
RCHIBALD A. RICE, real estate and
JrQ loans, Aledo. — As a rule all those who
enter the gates into the celestial city of Ma-
sonry continue their journeyings until they
make the grand rounds of the commonwealth.
Even the temple occupied by the ' ' Master
Mason " does not contain all the symbols of
the ancient art: there are several brilliant
post-graduate courses to follow, — Royal
Arch, chivalry, sociability and perfection;
and the symbols and teachings of the order
inculcate not only the general virtues but
also the principles of brotherhood, and the
peculiar principles of the brotherhood, and
afford the facilities for the practice of those
principles. Hence Mr. Rice has been pro-
gressing onward and further on in the study
of Masonry, while his practice is up with
his intellectual advancement, having now
been a member ever since the year 1863.
He was first initiated into the order in
Mankato, Minnesota. In 1870 he was di-
mitted and became a member of Vesper
Lodge at Galesburg, Illinois. In 1888 he
became a member of Glenwood Springs
Lodge, in Colorado. During the five years
he resided in that town he assisted in organ-
izing both the chapter and commandery
there. While these were operating under
dispensation he was Principal Sojourner of
the chapter and Captain General of the
commandery. From these he was at length
dimitted, and he came to Aledo in the year
1893 and joined Aledo Lodge, No. 252, Cy-
rus Chapter, No. 211, of Aledo, and Gales-
burg Commandery, No. 8. Of the last
mentioned he was for seven years Captain
General, and during that time he gave much
attention to the drill of his commandery,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
329
which acquired great proficiency under his
direction. He had thoroughly memorized
all the commandery work, and is able to fill
in a most creditable and satisfactory manner
any of its offices. He is one of the most
efficient Sir Knights in the state.
He has successfully "traversed the
sands of Arabia" and joined the Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine in Isis Temple, at Salina,
Kansas. He was one of the charter mem-
bers of Eljabel Temple in Denver City,
Colorado. He has also received the fourth
to the fourteenth degrees inclusive of the
Scottish Rite in the consistory at Peoria,
Illinois, and designs taking the remaining
degrees as soon as convenient.
Mr. Rice is a native of the state of Illi-
nois, born in Knox county on the I2th of
January, 1839, and descends from an old
Virginia family who were early settlers of
Kentucky, his great-grandfather, Jacob
Rice, being the first settler in that wild and
deep-wooded section of the west. One son,
Jonathan Rice, moved to Leaven worth,
Indiana, in 1816, and in 1831 came on to
Knox county, Illinois, with his family of
eight children. He purchased land there
and occupied it until his death, which took
place in his seventieth year. He was one
of the first supervisors of Knox county, a
worthy citizen and a pioneer of the pio-
neers. His son, Dr. Jacob Rice (the father
of the subject of this mention), was born in
Leavenworth, Indiana, in 1818, and mar-
ried Miss Alsy Ann Heflin, who was a na-
tive of Bourbon county, Kentucky, from
English ancestry who were early settlers of
Virginia, and some of whom were partici-
pants in the Revolutionary war. He was
finally killed by the runaway of his team,
going down a mountain road in Utah. Of
his seven children, five are yet living.
Mr. Rice, whose name heads this sketch,
the eldest of the children, was educated in
Galesburg, Illinois, and at Western Col-
lege, in Iowa. While in his junior year
there, he abandoned his studies to take up
arms in defense of his country. Enlisting
in 1862, in Company B, Seventh Minnesota
Volunteer Infantry, was elected second
lieutenant, and throughout his term of
service made a grand record for faithfulness
and efficiency. He is now an active and
valued member of Warren Shedd Post, No.
262, Grand Army of the Republic, and is its
Past Commander. He is also a member of
the Illinois Commandery of the Loyal Le-
gion, of which he was made a member in
San Francisco, California, in 1890. His
insignia is No. 9,543.
In the year 1866, Mr. Rice was married
to Mrs. Emily F. Boyer, a daughter of Mr.
Nicholas Edwards, and a sister of J. W.
Edwards, Master of Aledo Lodge, and a
prominent business man and citizen of the
place. They had one son, Archibald
Eugene, but had the misfortune to lose him
when he was two years old. He was a
bright and promising boy, and his loss was
a sad bereavement.
Mr. Rice engaged in the real estate and
money-lending business for about ten years,
and is one of the prosperous business men
of Aledo, where he has a delightful home
and enjoys the confidence and high esteem
of a very large circle of acquaintances. He
was for sixteen years a traveling salesman
for wholesale houses in New York and Chi-
cago, selling hats and caps, his territory
extending as far west as Utah. In fact, he
is the first salesman that ever opened up a
line of hats and caps in Salt Lake City,
Utah, in February, 1869.
HON. S. P. SHOPE, who has attained
an eminent position at the bar and is
recognized as one of the leading corporation
lawyers of the state, has been identified
with Masonry in Illinois, since 1868, in
which year he became a member of the blue
lodge, in Lewistown Illinois. In 1874 he
took the chapter degrees in Canton, this
state, and was knighted in Damascus Com-
mandery, No. 42, K. T. In all these
organizations he still holds his membership,
and in 1886 he served as Worshipful Mas-
ter in Lewistown Lodge.
Judge Shope was born in Akron, Ohio,
December 3, 1837, ar>d in October, 1839,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
was brought by his parents to Illinois, the
family locating in Ottawa, where he ob-
tained his early educational training. He
attended the public schools of Woodford
county, and afterward pursued an aca-
demic course. He was reared on the farm
and from boyhood was familiar with the
duties and labors that fall to the lot of the
agriculturist. He took up the study of law
in Peoria, in the office of Judges Powell &
Purple, and in 1858 was admitted to the
bar. The same year he removed to Lewis-
town, where he opened an office and success-
fully continued in the practice of his profes-
sion until 1877. He had been previously
called to public office in 1862 and served
as a member of the legislature during the
important session which had to deal with
war measures. In 1877 he was elected
judge of the circuit court of the tenth judi-
cial circuit, and re-elected to that bench,
and in 1885 was elected to the supreme
bench of the state, thus serving until 1894.
During the period of his office-holding he
continued to make his home in Lewistown,
but in 1894 removed to Chicago, where he
has since resided. He is now a member of
the firm of Shope, Mathis, Barrett & Rogers,
and they occupy commodious and pleasant
quarters in the Title & Trust Company
building. The Judge is the general attor-
ney of the Suburban Railway, and is attor-
ney for several other important companies,
and is enjoying a large general practice.
He is considered authority on all matters
pertaining to corporation law and ranks
among the most prominent members of the
bar in the state.
Judge Shope gives his political support
to the Democracy, and may be termed a
conservative Democrat. In addition to his
membership in the Masonic fraternity, he
belongs to the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and to the Knights of
Pythias. His mind is keenly anaytical
and comprehensive in its scope; and his de-
votion to his profession, his diligence and
his superior ability has brought to him a
success that is well deserved. On the
bench his decisions were models of judicial
soundness and particularly free from per-
sonal bias. He stands to-day as one of the
leading members of a bar that embraces
some of the brightest minds of the nation.
TrOHNALEXANDERTHORNBORROW,
I] the accomplished Secretary of Virginia
*^ Lodge, No. 544, A. F. & A. M., at Vir-
ginia, Cass county, was raised to the degree
of Master Mason in that lodge on the 9th of
December, 1895, having been initiated as
an Entered Apprentice November i, and
passed as a Fellow-craft on the 1 5th of the
same month, just preceding. Ever since
his initiation he has been one of the most
enthusiastic and worthy members, serving
first as Junior Steward, and is now Secretary
of his lodge.
Mr. Thornborrow was born in Jackson-
ville, Illinois, on the iith of February,
1873. His father, John A. Thornborrow,
now deceased, was also a Free and Accepted
Mason, and was a citizen of the highest re-
spectability. Mr. Thornborrow, of this
sketch, was educated in the public schools
of his native city, and graduated in the class
of 1893, in the Chicago Veterinary College,
and at once opened out in the practice of
his profession in Virginia, where he is rap-
idly building up a successful practice, and
where, by his genial manners and upright
conduct, he has made many friends and en-
joys the fullest confidence of his brethren in
the order.
THOMAS B. WHITE, one of the prom-
inent members of the Masonic lodge
of Quincy, was in April, 1896, called to the
"lodge above," where the Great Architect
of the Universe measures and judges the
character that has been builded here. Mr.
White's exemplary life was in accord with
the noble and beneficent principles of
Masonry, whose creed, brief but compre-
hensive, is the fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man. He understood fully
the teachings of the society, and put into
practice in his every-day conduct the help-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
881
fulness which is the basic element of the
society. He was one of the oldest and
most faithful members of Bodley Lodge,
No. i, A. F. & A. M., of Quincy, in which
he took the Entered Apprentice degree in
1870, passed the Fellow-craft degree, and
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason. He was constituted, created and
dubbed a Sir Knight in Beauseant Com-
mandery, No. 1 1, on the 2ist of February,
1871, and was exalted to the august degree
of a Royal Arch Mason in Quincy Chapter,
No. 5, on the 28th of February, 1871. He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and
was greeted a Royal and Select Master of
Quincy Council on the I ith of March, 1878.
From the time of his initiation until his
death he was a regular attendant on the
meetings of the order, was thoroughly
posted on the ritual, and followed closely
the tenets and practices of the society,
which through many centuries has been the
guiding star of thousands, and has been a
most important factor in civilization. His
relations to the brethren of the societies
with which he was connected were of the
most pleasant character, and he had their
warm regard and unqualified respect. He
was honored by them with election to
various offices, which he creditably filled.
He was Past Master of the lodge, Past
High Priest of the chapter, and Past
Eminent Commander of the commandery,
and at different times filled all the offices in
those bodies, and was serving as Treasurer
of the commandery at the time of his death.
His nature was kindly, his sympathies broad,
his manner courteous and genial, and the
Masonic fraternity of Quincy had no more
worthy representative than Mr. White.
He was a native of Scotland, the land
which has given to the fraternity one of its
important branches. His birth occurred in
Paisley on the 8th of January, 1825, and
he was educated in his native land and
learned there the trade of cabinet and pat-
tern maker. In 1851 he became a resident
of Quincy, and for a time worked at his
chosen vocation, securing a position as fore-
man in that line. In 1860 he established
the Thomas White Stove Company, which
he successfully managed for thirty-six years
and then left the business to his children,
together with an untarnished name — which
is rather to be chosen than great riches.
He was a man of the highest integrity and
unflinching honor in all business transac-
tions, and prosperity came to him as the re-
sult of energy, perseverance and well-di-
rected efforts. He was progressive and
enterprising, and his business methods com-
mended him to the confidence of all, so that
he won a very liberal patronage and accu-
mulated a comfortable competence.
Before leaving his native land Mr.
White was united in marriage to Miss Mary
Bowman, a native of Kilmarnock, Scotland.
In their early married life they came to Amer-
ica, bringing with them their first-born, a
daughter, and seven children were added to
their family in Quincy, all of whom became
respected representatives of the city of their
birth. Mr. and Mrs. White were members
of the Congregational church. As in the
lodge, so in the church, he was a leading
and consistent member. He served as
trustee for a number of years and was act-
ive in all that would advance the interests
of the Christian religion. His wife, a most
estimable Christian woman, died in 1884,
at the age of fifty-five years, and in the fine
church edifice of the Congregationalists their
children have placed a beautiful memorial
window, a most fitting tribute to lives well
spent in the service of the Master and in
kindness to their fellow men.
)OBERT B. WHITE, a progressive
JTH business man of Quincy, has been iden-
tified with the Masonic order since 1883,
when he was initiated as an Entered Appren-
tice of Bodley Lodge, No. i, A. F. &A. M.
Having passed the Fellow-craft degree, he
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason and at once became an active and
well-informed worker. He has filled all the
offices of the lodge from Junior Deacon to
Worshipful Master and has discharged his
332
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
duties in a most satisfactory and commend-
able manner. He filled the office of Wor-
shipful Master for two terms and labored so
efficiently in the interests of the society that
his administration proved an era of progress
to the organization. Desirous of learning
more of the teachings of this benevolent and
practical order, he began the study of capit-
ular Masonry and on the roth of December,
1884, was exalted to the august degree of a
Royal Arch Mason in Quincy Chapter, No.
5. He was knighted in Beauseant Command-
ery, No. u, K. T. , on the 4th of April,
1885, and has served as Senior Warden,
Captain General and Eminent Commander,
holding the latter office for two years. Hav-
ing become proficient in the work of chival-
ric Masonry he then identified himself with
cryptic Masonry and was greeted a Royal
and Select Master of Quincy Council, No.
15, on the 26th of September, 1888.
Mr. White is a native of Quincy, his
birth having occurred here on the 2/th of
December, 1 860. He has inherited the best
traits of his Scottish ancestry and displays
the fidelity and reliability which character-
izes that race. He attended the public
schools of Quincy and then entered the es-
tablishment of his father, Thomas White,
who in 1 860 founded the White Stove Com-
pany. In 1888 the father retired, placing
the business in the hands of his children,
who have maintained the excellent reputa-
tion which the house has always sustained.
Robert B. White is now secretary and treas-
urer of the company and is one of Quincy's
representative business men, whose reputa-
tion in the circles of trade is unassailable.
Mr. White was married on the 8th of
May, 1895, to Miss Frances B. Gay, a daugh-
ter of William H. Gay, of Quincy. He and
his wife are both members of and active
workers in the Congregational church and
Sunday-school, and he is serving as trustee
of the former. His political support is given
the Republican party. A man of strong will
and steadfast nature, his life is characterized
by many benevolent deeds, he has ever
shown his detestation of wrong and oppres-
sion, and has filled the Masonic offices to
which he has been called with credit to him-
self and the entire satisfaction of the society
and his Masonic brethren.
T'HOMAS S. SIMPSON, one of Chi-
cago's prominent young business men,
who holds the responsible position of buyer
in the firm of Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co.,
has for more than ten years taken an active
interest in Freemasonry and is well known
to the members of the fraternity in this
city. He has several offices in the local
bodies and has discharged the duties per-
taining to them in a most creditable and
satisfactory manner. He was initiated in
Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611, and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in 1887, holding in that body the office
of Worshipful Master. He was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch in the fol-
lowing year, in Lincoln Park Chapter, No.
177, of which he was Captain of the Host;
was greeted a Royal and Select Master in
Chicago Council, No. 4, and was created a
Sir Knight in St. Bernard Commandery,
No. 35, in 1891. He is at present affiliated
with Lincoln Park Commandery, No. 64,
of which he is a charter member, and holds
the chair of Generalissimo. Mr. Simpson
is a representative of the Grand National
Mother Lodge of the Three Globes, of
Berlin, Germany, is a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine in Medinah Temple, Chicago, Dep-
uty Grand Lecturer, 1893-4, and a member
of the Royal Arcanum, the Chicago Ath-
letic Club, Lincoln Park Yacht Club, Chi-
cago Yacht Club and the Marquette Club,
in all of which his genial nature and manly
characteristics have won for him great popu-
larity.
Mr. Simpson was born in Chicago, Oc-
tober 8, 1 86 1, and received a liberal educa-
tion in the public schools of this city.
After leaving school he entered upon his
business career by securing a position as
stock boy for the firm of Carson, Pirie,
Scott & Co. , and began his duties with a
firm determination to make a place for him-
self in the mercantile world. His energy
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF I
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
335
and enterprise soon won the recognition of
his employers, and, desiring to encourage
such thrift and industry, they gradually ad-
vanced him as he grew older, until, after
seventeen years of faithful service, he to-
day occupies the position of general buyer,
which fitly demonstrates the great confi-
dence imposed in him by his employers.
He is a man of integrity and discernment,
thoroughly reliable in all his business trans-
actions, and as a consequence wins the ap-
probation of all who come in contact with
him. His sterling qualities as both a man
and a Mason endear him to his many friends,
both in and out of the fraternity. In his
religious belief Mr. Simpson is an adherent
of the Presbyterian church.
WOMER A. STILLWELL.— Ever toil-
ing to enlarge the boundaries of human
progress and to pour into life the streams of
deeper and richer experience, to Masonry
civilization owes much, for its influence has
extended over "all sorts and conditions of
men " in the ever-widening angle, though
the strength of the ancient institution lies
primarily in the fact that, per se, it has
drawn to it the allegiance of good men and
true; for not otherwise could its perpetuity
have been maintained. In the personnel of
the great craft in the state of Illinois there
is ample exemplification of this fact; and
the commonwealth is honored by those who
are true devotees of Freemasonry.
The subject of this biographical outline
is one who has been the artificer of his own
fortunes, who has been content to win his
progress along the various consecutive grades
of personal endeavor, and even as he has in
the great fraternity with which he is identi-
fied; and that he stands to-day as a repre-
sentative business man of the western me-
tropolis and as a member of one of the
largest mercantile concerns in Chicago must
of itself remain as a voucher for his peculiar
eligibility for the honors conferred by the
various Masonic bodies with which he is
identified.
Mr. Stillwell became an Entered Ap-
prentice in Landmark Lodge, No. 422, A.
F. & A. M., of Chicago, on the 1st of April,
1892, attained the Fellow-craft degree on
the 8th of the same month, and was raised
a Master Mason on the 3d of June. On the
26th of January, 1893, he passed forward
to the capitular grades, receiving the Mark
Master, Past Master and Most Excellent
Master degrees in Fairview Chapter, No.
161, in which he was exalted to the Royal
Arch February 2 of the same year. In
cryptic Masonry Mr. Stillwell was greeted
a Select Master in Palestine Council, No.
66, on the 2Oth of February, 1893. His
rise continued to be rapid, properly consec-
utive in the line, for he received the grades
and orders of knighthood in Montjoie Com-
mandery, No. 53, in which he was consti-
tuted, created and dubbed a Knight Tem-
plar on the i jth of May, 1893. He was
elected Senior Warden of his commandery
for the year 1897, his interest in the work
of the various Masonic bodies being earnest
and unflagging and his popularity in the fra-
ternity unmistakable. Passing the various
preliminary grades of the Ancient and Ac-
cepted Scottish Rite, Mr. Stillwell was hon-
ored in being crowned a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret, thirty-second degree, in
Oriental Consistory, April 22, 1897; and,
successfully crossing the sands of the desert,
he was accepted in the temple of the Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine April 24, 1897. His
Masonic career has not covered a great num-
ber of years, but the pronounced distinction
which is his through the rapid progress in
the order bears evidence of the high esti-
mation in which he is held by the members
of the fraternity.
Homer Allison Stillwell is a native of
the old Keystone state, having been born at
Nineveh, Greene county, Pennsylvania, on
the 3 ist of December, 1860, the second in
order of birth and the older son of the three
children of Addison and Rhoda (Thompson)
Stillwell. At the time of the late war of
the Rebellion the father manifested his
sterling loyalty and patriotism by enlisting
in the Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, with
which he served in McClellan's division for
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
one year, when he was honorably discharged,
having been incapacitated for further serv-
ice by reason of illness contracted in the
field. Returning to his home, he was still
unable to recuperate his wasted vitality, his
death occurring a few weeks later. The
widow was left with three small children to
care for, the eldest being a daughter and
the youngest a son, George Benton McClel-
lan, who was born while the father was in
the service and who received his name in
honor of the general under whom said serv-
ice was rendered, the father having been
an ardent admirer of his commander.
In 1871 the family removed to the west,
locating at Urbana, Champaign county, Illi-
nois, where the subject of this sketch re-
ceived his educational discipline in the pub-
lic schools, graduating at the Urbana high
school as a member of the class of 1878 and
with high honors. He then passed the re-
quired examination and matriculated in the
University of Illinois, at Champaign, where
he continued his studies for two years, after
which he went to McPherson, Kansas,
where he assumed the management of a
lumber business. This was disposed of at
the expiration of a year, after which Mr.
Stillwell entered the employ of the West-
ern Lumber Company, of Kansas City,
Missouri, establishing a branch yard at
Golden City, same state. After placing
this enterprise upon a substantial basis he
was given the responsible position of pur-
chasing agent for the company, having
charge of the buying of the lumber in the
woods. He retained this position until Au-
gust, 1882, when he came to Chicago and
entered the employ of Butler Brothers,
wholesale dealers in department-store sup-
plies, and one of the most extensive con-
cerns of the sort in the Union. Mr. Still-
well accepted a modest position for this
house, but his business sagacity, his experi-
ence in executive capacities, his tact and
discrimination, as well as faithful and zeal-
ous service, brought about his rapid ad-
vancement to positions of consecutively in-
creasing trust and responsibility. In 1892
he became manager of the Chicago house,
whose interests in the west he has done
much to advance; and later he secured a
financial interest in the business, the con-
cern being an incorporated company. He
is well known in commercial circles, and as
one of the younger business men of the city
he is an excellent type of that strong and
alert individuality which has given Chicago
so wonderful prestige in all important lines
of industrial enterprise.
Mr. Stillwell is identified with a number
of fraternal organizations other than Ma-
sonic bodies, and is active in the Chicago
Alumni Association of the University of Illi-
nois, being one of the charter members of
the same.
At St. Louis, Missouri, on the ist of
March, 1887, was celebrated the marriage
of Mr. Stillwell to Miss Ellen Hill, and
they have three children. One of these,
Blachley Thompson, died at the age of
three and a half years; and Addison and
Wellesley remain to add brightness to the
attractive home, where the refined ameni-
ties of social and cultured life are distinc-
tively in evidence. The family attend the
Baptist church.
GEORGE WHITEFIELD JOHNSON,
M. D. — No one has a better opportu-
nity of seeing the seamy side of life than the
physician, for he not only mingles with
every class of society but also stands in
the relation of " father confessor " to many
of his patients who pour into his ear their
private sorrows and troubles, and no one
has a better opportunity of watching the
workings of the Masonic fraternity in their
labors of love. Charity is the distinguish-
ing characteristic of this order, and not
only includes a supreme degree of love to
the great Creator and Governor of the uni-
verse, but also an unlimited affection to the
beings of his creation — of all characters and
every denomination. The heart of a true
Mason beats in sympathy with all who are
in distress, and the word "brother" at
once enlists his aid. The profession of
medicine contains no small number of men
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
337
who are as prominent in Masonic circles as
in their chosen vocation, and they as a rule
are men of fine character and high attain-
ments.
Dr. Johnson, who is a prominent physi-
cian of Savanna, is an enthusiastic member
of the Masonic fraternity, in which he
holds the honorable office of Worshipful
Master of Mississippi Lodge, No. 385. It
was in this lodge that he first became a
member of this old and venerable order in
1888, becoming an Entered Apprentice on
December 6 of that year, a Fellow-crafts-
man January 4, 1889, and taking his Mas-
ter's degree on February 7 of the same
year. The first office that he held was that
of Senior Warden, in which capacity he
served two terms. He was then elected
Master, and is now in the third term as
such, his faithful discharge of its duties and
his unwavering interest in the work of the
order, securing for him the confidence and
esteem of his brethren. He is also a
Royal Arch Mason, becoming a member
of Lanark Chapter, No. 1 39, at Lanark,
Illinois, and being affiliated March 12, 1896,
with Savanna Chapter, No. 200. He is a
member of Long Consistory, No. 9, at
Mount Carroll, and has taken the consist-
ory degrees in Freeport Valley Consistory
with the class of 1 896, receiving all the de-
grees up to and including the thirty-second.
Dr. Johnson was born in Southbury,
Massachusetts, December 19, 1843, on the
farm which had been in the possession of
the family for two hundred years, and
where his father, Webster Johnson, was also
born. The latter married Miss Susanna
Harrington, a native of Westboro, Massa-
chusetts, and in 1878 the family removed
to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where the father
departed this life at the advanced age of
eighty-eight years, his devoted wife, who
was four years his junior, surviving him but
one week. This worthy couple, who hap-
pily lived together for fifty-five years, were
greatly beloved in their own circle and held
in the highest esteem by all who knew
them. They were members of the Congre-
gational church, in which Mr. Johnson held
the office of deacon and was justly regarded
as the pillar of the church. He followed
the occupation of farmer, in which he was
successful, and was known throughout his
community as a man of strict integrity and
blameless life.
Dr. Johnson was the youngest of their
eight children. He completed his literary
studies in the high school of West Newton,
Massachusetts. Later he entered the med-
ical department of the Michigan State Uni-
versity, in which he was graduated in 1863.
The Civil war was in progress at this time,
and the young physician entered the army
as assistant surgeon of regiment, serving
for one year. Then he again took up his
medical studies, this time at the Harvard
Medical College, and received his diploma
from that institution in 1865. Since that
time, a period of thirty years, he has pur-
sued the practice of his profession in Sa-
vanna, being very successful therein and
making an enviable record as a skillful and
conscientious physician. He is the surgeon
of both the railroad companies whose lines
pass through the town, and has been coro-
ner of Carroll county for the past thirteen
years.
In 1868 Dr. Johnson was married to
Miss Elizabeth Pulford, a daughter of Mr.
Charles Pulford, one of the prominent cit-
izens and early settlers of Savanna. They
have two children: Webster B. and Nellie
E. The son also is a physician and is asso-
ciated in practice with his father. He is a
Sir Knight Templar. Dr. Johnson has a
delightful home, and he and his family are
prominent in social affairs. He is an hon-
ored member of the I. O. O. F. and K. of
P., and in all the relations of life commands
the esteem and respect of his fellow citizens.
\RANT McFERSON. — Masonry is an
emblem of all that is true, honorable,
and charitable, and ever seeks to benefit
humanity by instilling in the minds of men
elevating thoughts and sound principles.
It never conflicts with the duties of citizen-
ship, and neither the judge, juror, witness
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
in court, the official nor the voter can find
a warrant in its ritual for the slightest dis-
regard of the rights of neighbor or towns-
man, or disloyalty to society, state or nation.
But because a man is a Mason he is under
special obligations to adhere to those fund-
amental principles of justice, equal rights
and integrity which are the glory and safety
of society, as well as the principles of the
honor and protection of the individual. The
common law and the Masonic law are in
full accord upon this all-important, far-reach-
ing proposition, — that the rights and priv-
ileges of every man are bounded on all sides
by the like rights and privileges of his
neighbors. The city of Kewanee has many
zealous members of the craft, among the
most prominent of whom is Mr. McFerson.
He was initiated in Kewanee Lodge, April
6, 1896, passed May I, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason May
1 8, of the same year. In 1897 ne was
elected Junior Deacon and is now satisfac-
torily fulfilling that office in the lodge, of
which he is a most capable and interested
brother.
Mr. McFerson was born in Tonica, Illi-
nois, February 8, 1864, and springs from a
Scotch-Irish ancestry. He is the son of
Harvey and Mary McFerson, the latter of
whom died when the subject of this sketch
was but six months old, leaving two other
sons, of whom George A. is Master of Tonica
Lodge and Past Eminent Commander of
St. John's Commandery at Peru, Illinois.
The other son died in 1865. Their father,
an influential farmer who filled the office of
supervisor and other local offices, was a
good and upright man and a consistent
member of the Congregational church. His
death occurred in 1878, when he had at-
tained the age of sixty-three years. After
passing through the various grades of the
public schools, Mr. McFerson attended the
state university and later entered the Chi-
cago College of Pharmacy, at which he was
graduated in 1889. In the following year
he came to Kewanee and opened a drug
store, which he has conducted ever since,
with satisfactory success.
Mr. McFerson was united in marriage to
Miss Marie Haxtun, who is a native of New
York, and the union has been blessed with
one child, William H. Mrs. McFerson
attends divine service at the Presbyterian
church. She and her husband occupy a
delightful home and are highly honored
members of Kewanee society. In politics
he acts with the Republican party, but his
whole time and attention are given to his
business, and he is considered one of the
most enterprising and successful citizens of
Kewanee.
DANIEL ALLEN ARNOLD, treasurer
' of Rand, McNally & Company, No. 166
Adams street, Chicago, has been a Free-
mason for ten years, and at present occu-
pies the same position in his lodge that he
does in the firm with which he is connected,
that of Treasurer. He was created a Mas-
ter Mason by Hesperia Lodge, F. & A. M. ,
has been a member of the same since his
initiation, April 6, 1887, and has filled a
number of its official positions, including
those of Senior Deacon, Senior Warden,
Worshipful Master and Treasurer, the
executive chair having been filled by him
in 1892 and 1893. Also he has advanced
through the higher degrees of the order up
to and including those of the consistory and
Mystic Shrine, in Oriental Consistory per-
forming the work which made him a Scot-
tish Rite Mason. And during the years of
his identity with this fraternity, "Brotherly
Love, Relief and Truth" has been his
motto, and in his every-day life he has
sought to live up to the teachings of Ma-
sonry.
Pennsylvania is Mr. Arnold's native
state. He was born in Warren county,
February 21, 1843, son of George and
Maria S. (Rieg) Arnold, natives of Alsace,
France, who emigrated to this country in
1832 and located in Warren county, Penn-
sylvania. In that county young Arnold
passed his youthful days, attending public
school in winter, but before he had emerged
from his 'teens he came west to Illinois,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
339
stopping first at Plainfield, Will county.
In November, 1861, he entered the North-
western College at Naperville, for the winter
and spring terms, and his name appeared
first on the list of students' names in the
first catalogue issued by that institution.
Then, after an interval of some time spent
in farm work, he again entered the college
and was a student there two more terms.
Following this he was for a short time em-
ployed in the dry-goods establishment of
Fred Edler, on Erie street, Chicago, and
in May, 1864, he enlisted as a member of
Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-
fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was
in the service six months, coming home in
the fall and accepting a position as teacher
near Wheeling, Cook county, where he
taught three winters and one summer. In
the meantime he took a commercis 1 course
at Bryant & Stratton's Business College,
Chicago, and in the spring of 1 867 secured
a position as teacher in that institution,
taking charge of the penmanship depart-
ment, and, with the exception of two years,
when he was away on account of sickness,
was connected with the college until June,
1873, at that time becoming general book-
keeper for the firm of Rand, McNally &
Co. After seven years as bookkeeper for
this firm he was elected its treasurer, the
position he has since occupied; is also a
stockholder and director in the company.
Another firm with which he is connected,
and of which he is secretary, treasurer and
director, is the International Steel Post
Company of Chicago.
When he first became a voter Mr. Ar-
nold identified himself with the Democratic
party and cast the vote of his franchise for
Tilden. Mr. Arnold was born a Democrat,
but upon his return from the war he cast
his right of suffrage with the Republican
party until 1876, since which time he has
affiliated with the Democratic party. He
has, however, never been a radical par-
tisan. He is a member of Columbia Post,
No. 706, G. A. R. , and of Douglas Park
Club, being president of the latter.
Mr. Arnold was married December 25,
1866, to Miss Sabina Ruth, daughter of
Aden and Saloma (Fehlman) Ruth, early
settlers of Lake county, Illinois, who came
to this state from Berks county, Pennsyl-
vania.
BENJAMIN BERGQUIST, superintend-
ent of repairs on the public -school
buildings of Peoria, Illinois, is a gentleman
whose idenity with the interests of this city
covers nearly three decades and whose con-
nection with the great Masonic fraternity
reaches over a period almost as long, the
beauties and mysteries of the blue lodge
having been intrusted to him in 1869, and
the degrees of the other branches of this
ancient order up to and including those of
the Scottish Rite, following the next two
years.
Mr. Bergquist was made a Master Mason
March 17, 1869, in Temple Lodge, No. 46,
Peoria; a Royal Arch Mason, October 28,
1869, in Peoria Chapter, No. 7; a Royal
and Select Master, November 24, 1869, in
Peoria Council, No. 1 1 ; a Knight Templar,
March 18, 1870, in Peoria Commandery,
No. 3; and a member of the Scottish Rite,
June 26, 1871, in Peoria Consistory, with
all of which he still affiliates, and in all has
been honored with official position. In
1882 he was Junior Warden of the lodge; in
1875 Master of the Second Veil in the
chapter; in 1875 Warder in the command-
ery; and three years was Second Lieuten-
ant in the consistory. He has held the po-
sition of Master of Wardrobe since 1870,
and Captain of Guards when not serving in
elective office, these offices in the upper
bodies being filled by him at the present
time. Also he is a member of the Mystic
Shrine, the degrees of this branch having
been conferred upon him by Medinah
Temple, of Chicago, June 4, 1892; and he
became a charter member of Mohammed
Temple of Peoria, and both he and his wife
were in 1872 conducted through the laby-
rinth of Central City Chapter, Order of the
Eastern Star. Still another Masonic body
with which he is associated is that of the
340
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Masonic Veteran Association, which he
joined March 3, 1894.
Mr. Bergquist is an American only by
adoption. He was born in Sweden, De-
cember 19, 1840, and in his native land
grew to manhood, being twenty-four years
of age at the time of his emigration to this
country. He spent two years in Boston,
Massachusetts, then two in Detroit, Michi-
gan, and from Detroit came in the latter
part of 1 867 to Peoria, Illinois, where he
has since maintained his home. He had
learned the trade of machinist in Sweden,
where he served an apprenticeship of seven
years, in that time becoming an expert in
all kinds of iron work. He was employed
at his trade in the machine shops of Peoria
until 1883, when he became superintendent
of repairs on the public schools of this city,
the position he now ably fills.
June 8, 1875, at Peoria, was consum-
mated Mr. Bergquist's marriage to Miss
Caroilna Miller, of this city, and they now
have a family of eight children.
FRANK G. GODEL, a pork-packer of
Peoria, Illinois, and an enterprising and
thoroughgoing young business man, early in
life became interested in Masonry and has
already reached a high place in the work of
the order. He has received the degrees of
the lodge, chapter, council, commandery
and Scottish Rite, all in Peoria, and is an
interested and enthusiastic member of all
these bodies. In the chapter he is now fill-
ing most acceptably the chair of Scribe, to
which he was elected in the fall of 1895,
and in the consistory he is Standard Bearer.
He is also a member of Mohammed Temple,
A. A. O. N. M. S.,at Peoria.
Mr. Godel is a native of Peoria, Illinois,
and was born May 7, 1863. He is yet young
in years, and starting out as he has with a
devotion to an order which has for its object
the squaring of life by strict justice and uni-
versal charity, it is fair to presume that suc-
ceeding chapters in his career will tell of
usefulness and honor.
WILLIAM ISAAC LARASH, editor,
publisher and proprietor of the
Schuyler Citizen, a daily and weekly pub-
lished at Rushville, is one of the prominent
Sir Knight Templars of Schuyler county.
It was in Rushville Lodge, No. 9, A. F. &
A. M. , on the 26th of December, 1876, that
he received the degree of Master Mason; he
was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Rushville Chapter, No. 184, R.
A. M., on the 27th of September, 1881,
and created a Sir Knight Templar in Rush-
ville Commandery, No. 56, K. Ti, April 17,
1882. From his first connection with the
order he became an interested and active
worker, filling various offices in all the bodies
of the craft in a most creditable manner.
He has been Senior Warden of the blue
lodge, Secretary of the chapter and Prelate
of the commandery. Although he declines
office all that he can, yet when he does ac-
cept a responsibility he is as faithful to his
post as any man can be.
Mr. Larash is of French ancestry, and
was born in Allentown Pennsylvania, on
the 2d of October, 1851, and the next
year he was brought by emigration of
the family to Illinois, and was reared and
educated in Pekin, in which city he learned
the printer's trade, in the office of the Pekin
Republican. At length, with others, he was
the publisher of the Evening Review, at
Peoria. In 1875 he came to Rushville,
where, in 1879, he purchased his present
paper, of which he has made a signal suc-
cess. He started the daily in 1894.
In his political principles he is a pro-
nounced Republican, and in his religious
connections he is a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church. He has a wife and
four children, and a delightful home, and is
one of Rushville's most progressive and use-
ful citizens.
TfOSEPH HENRY KERR is one of those
I who form the vast Masonic army of Illi-
nois. He resides in Rock Island, and
is a most faithful and consistent member of
Trio Lodge, No. 57, F. & A. M., of that
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
341
city. His first knowledge of the esoteric
doctrines of the order came at the time of
his initiation into this lodge in 1887. His
fitness for official preferment and his deep
and devoted interest in the work led to his
election to the office of Steward in the fol-
lowing year, and since that time he has
filled all of the positions of trust. In 1896
he was elected Worshipful Master, and dur-
ing his incumbency in that position he con-
ferred eighteen degrees and retired from the
office leaving the lodge in a most thriving
and prosperous condition. He has a thor-
ough and comprehensive knowledge of the
ritual and in every sense of the term is a
true Mason, taking great delight in the
growth and work of the order and in the
promulgation of its principles. He has the
high esteem of his Masonic brethren and his
relation to them shows that he is indeed
in sympathy with the principle of universal
brotherhood.
Mr. Kerr is a native of Maryland, born
in Pikesville, Baltimore county, on the 2/th
of October, 1839. He traces his ancestry
back to the colonial period in our country's
history when members of the family left
their native Scotland and founded a home
on this side of the Atlantic. His great-
grandfather, John Kerr, lost his life in the
struggle for independence, and others of the
family have been prominent in the affairs
which fill the annals of the republic. One
of his great-uncles represented Ohio in the
United States senate. His grandfather
lived to the advanced age of ninety-four
years, and his grandmother Kerr was eighty-
seven years of age at the time of her death.
James Kerr, his father, was born in Balti-
more county, Maryland, on the 2 ad of Oc-
tober, 1814, and having arrived at years of
maturity married Miss Julia Bailey, also a
native of the same county. He too was a
faithful member of the Masonic fraternity,
and both he and his wife were members of
the Baptist church and people of high Chris-
tian character. By trade he was a carpen-
ter and supported his family by following
that occupation. He reached the psalmist's
span of three-score years and ten, dying in
1884, but his wife departed this life in her
thirty-eighth year.
Mr. Kerr, of this review, is now the only
survivor of their family of nine children.
He was educated in the public schools of
Baltimore, learned the pattern-maker's
trade, and since 1862, with the exception of
two years, has been continuously in the em-
ploy of the ordnance department of the
United States government. He came to
Rock Island on the 8th of August, 1869, and
has since worked in the arsenal on the island,
having charge of the pattern department.
He is thoroughly competent to administer
the affairs of his position, is himself an ex-
cellent workman and a man of the highest
integrity of character, believing and teach-
ing that an upright life is the leading prin-
ciple of Freemasonry.
Mr. Kerr was married on the 6th of Sep-
tember, 1860, to Miss Harriette T. Finna-
gan, a native of Maryland. They became
the parents of eleven children, eight of
whom are now living, as follows: Josephine,
wife of Jero Hoskins; William J. ; James;
Beulah, who became the wife of Carl Dahn,
and departed this life February 12, 1893,
leaving two children; Nettie, wife of John
McMeeken; Maria C. , wife of James Mc-
Meeken; and Harry L. Lillis.
In his political affiliations, Mr. Kerr is a
Democrat, and is deeply interested in all
that pertains to the welfare and advance-
ment of his city. He has served as alder-
man, has been superintendent of the water-
works and is a member of the library board
of Rock Island. Fraternally he is not only
connected with the Masonic society, but is
also a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America, the Court of Honor and the Pa-
triotic Order Sons of America.
EDWARD DOOL, Aledo.— It is with
. pleasure that we add to the list of
Masonic worthies the name of the gentle-
man who is the subject of this sketch. An
industrious and successful farmer, a good
citizen and a faithful member of society,
his life has been exemplary.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Dool was initiated into the shining
mysteries of the ancient craft in Webb
Lodge, No. 275, at Meade, Kansas, in the
year 1887, and served that lodge as its
Junior Deacon. The following year he re-
moved to Trinidad, Colorado, and affiliated
with Trinidad Lodge, No. 28. In 1890 he
returned to Aledo, his former home, and is
now a worthy member of Aledo Lodge,
No. 252, of which he has served as Junior
Warden one term, and he has filled other
positions as occasion has suggested. His
advancement in the knowledge of the craft
qualifies him for any position in the work
of the lodge. In 1889, while residing in
Trinidad, he aided in the organization of
Trinidad Chapter, No. 13, becoming one of
its charter members; and at Aledo he be-
came a charter member of Cyrus Chapter,
No. 211, and has been its Treasurer ever
since its organization. He is also a Sir
Knight Templar, being a member of Everts
Commandery, No. 18, at Rock Island. He
received the degrees of the commandery in
February, 1897.
Mr. Dool is one of Aledo's native sons,
born on the I3th day of June, 1858, of
Scotch-Irish ancestry. His parents, Henry
and Mary (Clifford) Dool, were born in Ire-
land. His father, however, was but two
years old when he was brought by his par-
ents in their emigration to this country
in 1818, and his wife came to this country
when fifteen years of age. They resided at
Cadiz, Ohio, for a period, and in 1854 came
to Illinois, settling in Mercer county. Here
Mr. Dool became the owner of a farm four
miles west of Aledo, which he improved
and made a good place; he was a successful
farmer, and he and his wife were devout
members of the Presbyterian church, of
which he was a pillar and for many years
an elder. He departed this life in 1885, at
the age of sixty-nine years, and his wife
died in her sixty-fifth year. Of their five
children four still survive.
Mr. Edward Dool, the youngest in the
above family, was educated in Aledo, in the
public schools and in the Aledo Academy.
After following agricultural pursuits for a
number of years he was engaged in the
hardware business in Meade, Kansas, where
he was one of the organizers of the Meade
City Bank and its vice-president. After
doing a successful business there for several
years he sold out and moved to Trinidad,
Colorado, where he was for some years in-
dustriously engaged in real estate. In
1 890 he returned to Aledo, worked his farm
three years and now resides in the city, oc-
cupying the dwelling erected by his father.
He is now engaged in conducting the city
telephone exchange. He is a solid citizen,
a thoroughly upright man, who has suc-
ceeded in all that he has undertaken.
In 1886 he was happily united in mat-
rimony with Miss Anna M. Irvin, a daugh-
ter of Dr. George Irvin and a native of
Aledo. They have two children: Lucile
and George Donald. Mr. and Mrs. Dool
are members of the Presbyterian church.
In his political principles Mr. Dool is a
Democrat, but he is not an office-seeker.
While in Meade City, however, he served
for a time as alderman.
WILLIAM B. SIPES, a Sir Knight
Templar and Secretary of Cyrus
Lodge, No. 1 88, was made a Mason in that
lodge in 1 890, receiving the degrees as fol-
lows: Entered Apprentice, February 4;
passed March 12; and raised March 26. He
is a member of Lanark Chapter, No. 139,
and of Long Commandery, No. 60.
Mr. Sipes is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born in Fulton county,
March 15, 1865, and is of German ancestry,
who were early settlers of the Carolinas
and people of prominence in all the pro-
fessions— doctors, lawyers, judges and mer-
chants. His father, David V. Sipes, was
born in Fulton county, Pennsylvania, and
is now sixty-five years of age. He has been
active as a merchant and as a politician,
and is a gentleman of considerable influence
and ability, having held various offices in
this county. He married Miss Angeline
Binkley, a native of his own state, and they
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
343
have nine children — six sons and three
daughters, all of whom are still living.
Mr. Sipes, our subject, the second child,
was educated in his native state, and began
his business career when a boy, taking a
position as clerk in a store, and has made
merchandising his business through life.
He is now a salesman in the large dry-goods
establishment of A. G. Jackson at Mt. Car-
roll; and he and his brother Henry E. are
partners in business, as the Sipes Brothers,
at Savanna, owning the "Noah's Ark" store
there. Their stock of goods there consists
of crockery, glassware and notions. They
are progressing and enterprising young men,
and are building up a desirable trade. Mr.
William B. Sipes was a salesman in the
store of Rodinek & Stitley, of Mt. Carroll,
for nine years, and is a reliable gentleman
in every phase of life, obliging and courte-
ous, possessing all the attributes of char-
acter that secure to him the high regard of
all with whom he has an acquaintance. He
is unmarried.
In his political views, he is a Democrat.
In Masonry he is thorough and exemplary,
has passed all the chairs in the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a
member of the Order of the Eastern Star.
JEFFERSON PURSLEY, a
A grain dealer of Peoria, Illinois, and a
gentleman well known throughout this part
of the state, has for thirty years been iden-
tified with the Masonic fraternity and has
squared his life by its principles.
He was made a Master Mason in Union
City, Tennessee, in 1866, and the higher
degrees of the order, up to and including
those of the consistory and shrine, were con-
ferred upon him after he became a resident
of Peoria, Illinois. It was in 1893 that he
joined Mohammed Temple, Mystic Shrine.
He has been Grand Treasurer of Peoria
Consistory for fifteen years, and for many
years has filled the office of Treasurer in
Illinois Lodge, No. 263. In the latter of-
fice he first served ten consecutive years, at
the end of that time declining to accept the
20
position longer. However, in 1895 ne was
again elected Treasurer and is now the in-
cumbent of that office.
Mr. Pursley was born in Hartsville, Ten-
nessee, August 6, 1842, and when twelve
years of age removed to Union City, that
state, where he maintained his home until
1868. The year which marked the out-
break of civil war in this country he was
twenty-one, and that year, on the i8th of
September, he enlisted as a member of
Company C, Thirty-third Tennessee Regi-
T. J. PURSLEY.
ment, under General Frank Cheatham, and
served all through the war. At Nashville
he was captured by the northern forces and
taken a prisoner to Columbus, Ohio, where
he was held for six months, at the end of
that time being exchanged. The war over
he returned north and entered Hedding
College, at Abingdon, Illinois, and after his
graduation at that institution he went back
to Tennessee. Two years later he was
married in Prairie City, Illinois, to Miss
Nellie Beagles, of that place, and took his
844
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
bride to his southern home, the two years
following their marriage being spent on a
farm in Tennessee. Then again he came to
Illinois, this time locating at Bardolph,
where he engaged in the grain business and
where he operated until 1873, the year he
took up his abode in Peoria, where he has
ever since resided. Here he has continued
in the grain business, carrying on extensive
operations, now owning no less than thirty
elevators situated at various points along
the railroad lines, chiefly on the Toledo,
Peoria & Western, the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy and Fulton County Narrow
Gauge Railroads.
During his residence in this city he has
been a prominent factor in advancing its
best interests, has filled numerous positions
of local prominence and trust, and ever had
at heart the development and welfare of the
city. He has been a member of the Peoria
board of trade since 1875. For six years
he was one of the city commissioners, ap-
pointed under different mayors, and having
charge of the police and fire departments
and for six years he served as a member of
the Peoria school board. Both he and his
estimable wife are given to charities. Their
presence and their purse have entered many
a poor home in this city and made glad the
sad hearts within. Mrs. Pursley is one of
the directors of the Home of the Friendless
in Peoria.
Their family consists of three children,
two sons and a daughter, viz.: Charles B.,
who has been with the United States Ex-
press Company for eight years at Peoria;
Wilson L. , an employee of the Rock Island
Railroad Company; and Rosa M., an at-
tractive and accomplished young lady who
has a wonderful talent for music and who
has for two years been under the instruc-
tions of Professor Sherwood, of Chicago.
TfOSEPH ROBBINS, M. D., one of the
!| most prominent representatives of Ma-
sonry in Illinois, is known throughout
the circles of the fraternity in this country.
He has been very active in the work of the
order for forty years, and has been honored
with the highest official preferment within
the gift of the Grand Lodge of Illinois. As
an Entered Apprentice he was received into
Wyoming Lodge, at Melrose, Massachu-
setts, in 1856, passed the Fellow-craft de-
gree, and was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason. He was soon called to
official service in that organization, and
was active in its work until 1858, when he
came west to Quincy, Illinois, and here
joined Quincy Lodge, No. 296, A. F. &
A. M., which was then under dispensa-
tion. He was elected a member on the
1 5th of December, 1859, soon after it was
constituted under its new charter, and has
since been affiliated therewith, the lodge
accounting him one of its most valued and
acceptable brethren. He has filled the
offices of Senior Deacon, Senior Warden
and Worshipful Master, and then, in ac-
cordance with the custom of the lodge, was
elected Tyler. On the 3ist of March, 1863,
he was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Quincy Chapter, No.
5, and learned therein the beautiful and in-
spiring lessons of the past. Its symbolic
color of red, indicating zeal and ardor,
found manifestation in his earnest effort to
promote its work, and his companions
indicated their appreciation of his work by
electing him Principal Sojourner and Cap-
tain of the Host. He passed the circle of
cryptic Masonry in Quincy Council, No. 15,
Royal and Select Masters, January 28, 1864,
and was constituted, created and dubbed a
Sir Knight in Beauseant Commandery, No.
n, December 7, 1863. As a Mason he is
fraternal and philanthropic, sagacious and
enthusiastic. From the time he first be-
held the "light " whereby Masons work, he
became thoroughly impressed with its
beauties, and as more light broke in upon
him he became an active, earnest worker
in the temple. In the commandery he has
held the offices of Warder, Junior Warden,
Prelate and Eminent Commander. On the
loth of May, 1894, he attained the thirty-
second degree of the Scottish Rite, and,
having passed the grades and orders of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
345
Cjuincy Consistory, was proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret.
Dr. Robbins' official connection with
the Grand Lodge began in 1868, when he
became Orator for the state of Illinois. In
1871 and 1872 he was Junior Grand War-
den, in 1873 and 1874 was Senior Grand
Warden, and in 1875 and 1876 was Deputy
Grand Master. In 1876 he was elected
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge. Owing
to the illness of his predecessor he presided
at the communication that year, and during
the two following years held the same office.
He began writing the correspondence re-
ports in 1 869, and for seventeen years — in-
cluding ten consecutive years — has prepared
the reports, and is now engaged in that
service for the present year, 1897. He
has no superior in this work, and through
his reports has become known to the fra-
ternity throughout the world. His views
are always well matured; he is a stranger
to all mere parliamentary finesse, disdains
neutrality, and always confronts his ad-
versary with his visor lifted. In private
and social life the Doctor is the synonym
of his Masonic professions, thus command-
ing the respect and love of the fraternity
and the confidence of all who know him in
other departments of life.
A native of Massachusetts, he was born
in Leominster, September 12, 1834, and is
of English descent, his paternal ancestry
being members of the Plymouth colony.
On the maternal side he is descended from
the Rev. Henry Dunster, the first president
of Harvard College. His grandfather and
a brother participated in the war of the
Revolution, and the latter was killed at the
battle of Bunker Hill. The grandfather
served throughout the struggle, valiantly
aiding in the service which secured Ameri-
can independence, and lived to be present
at the unveiling of Bunker Hill monument.
He died in the eighty-fifth year of his age.
His son, Gilman Robbins, was the Doctor's
father. He, too, was born in Leominster,
Massachusetts, and was a farmer and suc-
cessful business man. He married Miss
Rebecca Dunster, a native of Westminster,
Massachusetts, and also a descendant of a
very old Massachusetts family. Mr. and
Mrs. Robbins spent their entire lives in
their native state, the former dying at the
age of four-score years, and the latter in
her fifty-third year. They were Unitarians
in religious faith, and were citizens of the
highest respectability.
Dr. Robbins was the fourth child of
their family of six children, four of whom
are still living. He acquired his literary
education in his native state, and prepared
for a professional career in the Jefferson
Medical College, of Philadelphia, where he
was graduated in 1861. In the meantime
he had come to the west, locating in
Quincy, and on the completion of his med-
ical course returned to that city and became
the successor of his former preceptor, Dr.
John Parson. Uninterruptedly he has con-
tinued his practice in the Gem city and has
become widely known as one of the most
able and successful medical practitioners of
this part of the state. He has been a close
student of his profession, and has a com-
prehensive and accurate knowledge of the
science of medicine, which in his large and
important practice he has ample opportu-
nity to apply to the needs of suffering hu-
manity. His superior ability is widely ac-
knowledged, and in professional circles he
is accorded a foremost place. With the
progress and advancement that has char-
acterized the science of medicine, especially
in the last half of the nineteenth century,
the Doctor has kept place, and is a valued
member of the Adams County Medical As-
sociation, the Quincy Medical Association,
the Illinois State Medical Association, and
the American Medical Association.
The Doctor has been twice married.
His present wife was Mrs. Julia D. Pratt,
daughter of Henry Jones, of Jacksonville,
Illinois. She is a lady of liberal culture
and high literary attainments, and is the
editor of the Quincy Sunday Optic, a literary
and society paper. The Doctor is a man of
scholarly tastes and habits, and no one in
Quincy has done more to cultivate among
her citizens a love for classical writing than
346
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
he. For thirty years he has been con-
nected with her library interests. He was
prominent in the work of the Library Asso-
ciation, and in the organization of the City
Free Library, which is the successor of the
former, and has done much to make this
institution a valuable and creditable one to
Quincy.
It is seldom that one man attains prom-
inence in several directions. Usually his
energies are directed along one certain line
to the neglect of other interests which go to
make up a well-rounded character; but Dr.
Robbins is a striking exception to this rule.
One of the leading Masons in the state, one
of the most capable physicians in his adopted
city, and a citizen whose intelligent inter-
est and active efforts have done much to
promote the substantial growth of Quincy,
he is at the same time well known in polit-
ical circles, and is one of the influential
members of the Republican party. He has
served on various party committees, has
been a delegate to county, congressional
and state conventions, and in 1876, and
again in 1892, was a delegate to the Repub-
lican national conventions. He was nom-
inated by his party for delegate to the state
constitutional convention, has been a can-
didate for congress, and in 1 896 was prom-
inently spoken of in connection with guber-
natorial honors. His life has been a busy
and useful one, and his record is unsullied
by shadow of wrong. In business he is
honorable, in society courteous and kindly,
and at all times typifies the best meaning of
the old-time term of gentleman.
WILLIAM ARNOLD, a Sir Knight
Templar, of Rock Island, was made
a Master Mason in Trio Lodge, No. 57, in
the winter of 1892. He received the chap-
ter degrees in Barrett Chapter, No. 18, in
November, 1893, and received the corn-
mandery degrees in Everts Commandery,
No. 1 8, in 1896.
A native of the state of New York, he
was born in Fulton county, on the 8th of
January, 1850, of English ancestry, who
were early settlers of Vermont. His fa-
ther, Lyman E. Arnold, was also born in
that state, in 1819, married Catharine B.
Kestead, also a native of the Empire state,
of Holland ancestry, who were early settlers
of Connecticut, and in 1864 emigrated to
Wisconsin, and afterward to Illinois. He
has followed railroading since 1865, and has
been in the employ of what is now the
Western Union Railroad for the past thirty-
two years. His wife departed this life in
1859.
Mr. Arnold, whose name introduces this
sketch, the third of the six children in the
above mentioned family, obtained his early
edncation in the public schools of his native
county, and he also has been employed in
railroad work ever since the year 1869 — for
the past twenty-five years in the service of
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Company. Beginning as a fireman he has
by faithfulness and competency climbed the
ladder of promotion until he became one
of the most reliable engineers in the serv-
ice, which position he has steadily main-
tained now for the past seventeen years.
December 30, 1880, is the date of Mr.
Arnold's marriage to Miss Myra E. Perrin, a
native of the state of Massachusetts, who,
in her religious faith, is a member of the
Episcopal church, and in relation to the
fraternal orders is an efficient and highly-
esteemed member of the Order of the East-
ern Star, in which she is now Assistant
Matron. She has also held other official
positions in the chapter.
In 1893 Mr. Arnold erected for his home
one of the most pleasant dwellings in the
city, where he and his family enjoy lite and
hospitably entertain their many friends. His
reputation is that of a first-class citizen and
faithful Mason.
'HOMAS E. LAWRENCE, who has
been conspicuous in Masonic circles
for the past forty years, is one of the best
known and highly esteemed brothers in the
fraternity, his unselfish labors and tireless
energy bestowed in the interest of his local
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
847
lodge having endeared him to the heart of
every member of the craft in Elgin, as
well as throughout the state. Mr. Law-
rence was initiated and raised to the Master
Mason degree in Genoa Lodge, No. 288,
about June, 1858, was elected Senior War-
den in December of the same year, and in
1859 he became Worshipful Master. He
dimitted in 1865 and affiliated with Elgin
Lodge, No. 117, in which he was elected
Worshipful Master in 1869 and served as
Secretary for seventeen years, concluding
his term of office in 1896. Mr. Lawrence
received the chapter degrees in Sycamore
Chapter, No. 49, R. A. M., in October,
1858. He assisted in organizing Trinity
Chapter under dispensation, which after-
ward became L. L. Munn Chapter, No. 96,
of which he acted as Principal Sojourner,
and was named in the charter as the first
Excellent King, afterward being elected
High Priest in December, 1867, and serving
in that capacity during 1868, 1872 to 1876,
1888-9 an£l 1890 to 1892.
In October, 1866, Mr. Lawrence was
knighted in Sycamore Commandery, No. I 5,
and later assisted in creating Coeur de Leon
Commandery, U. D., being named in the
charter, and acting as Captain General of
that body and also of Bethel Commandery
during the years of 1870, 1871 and 1872.
He was Eminent Commander in 1873-4,
serving with credit to himself and profit to
the commandery. He has been its Prelate
for many years, and is the present incum-
bent of that office.
On May 9, 1867, our subject received
the degrees in the various ineffable grades
of the Scottish Rite at Geneva, Illinois,
where he attained the degree of Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret, which were con-
ferred by the Illustrious brother, D. W.
Thompson, by order of Illustrious Grand
Commander-in-Chief, Walter A. Stevens.
Mr. Lawrence became a member of Chicago
Consistory, which body was consolidated
with Occidental Consistory, and later
merged into Oriental Consistory. Brother
Lawrence attended the conclave at Wash-
ington as aid to Norman T. Cassette, and
at the Denver conclave he was aid to Syl-
vester O. Spring. He held the chair of
Thrice Illustrious in Cryptic Council, No.
46, for two years, and filled other offices in
that body with credit and honor. He is
Past Patron of Elgin Chapter, No. 212, Or-
der of the Eastern Star, of which Mrs.
Lawrence is also a member and served as
its Warden for two years.
Mr. Lawrence was born in Cranmer,,
near the city of Kingston, Canada, Septem-
ber 29, 1833, and is the son of Nelson and
Elizabeth (Smith) Lawrence, who were na-
tives of New York. The father was a mill-
wright and lived in Canada for two years.
Our subject obtained his early schooling at
Rochester, New York, and in 1844 came to
Illinois, locating at Greenwood, McHenry
county, where he remained until 1846, and
then moved to Elgin. At the age of thir-
teen he entered the office of the Western
Christian, a Baptist anti-slavery publication
and the first paper published in Elgin. At
the end of two years and a half he went to
Chicago and worked on the Democrat for a
year and a half, and then learned the opera-
tive mason's trade, making a specialty of
ornamental plastering. This vocation he
continued to follow, and had entire charge
of the mason work on the insane asylum at
Elgin for thirteen years.
When the Civil war broke out Mr. Law-
rence enlisted, September 6, 1861, in Com-
pany K, Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, and
a year later was promoted as principal musi-
cian. He served with his regiment until
October, 1864, when his term of enlistment
expired. In politics he is an uncompromis-
ing Republican, and served as township col-
lector one year. He is an active member
of Veteran Post, No. 49, Grand Army of the
Republic.
Mr. Lawrence was married in April,
1854, to Miss Eliza Young, whose death oc-
curred in August, 1859. In October, 1861,
Miss Olive Green became his wife, but on
May 3, 1879, death claimed her for his own.
On October 15, 1880, Mr. Lawrence was
married to Miss Mary Willis, a native of El-
gin and a daughter of George Willis, who
348
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
came to Elgin in 1844 from St. Lawrence
county, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence
are honored citizens of Elgin and enjoy the
society of a large circle of friends.
^YRON WOODWARD GOODSELL, a
packing manufacturer of Chicago, has
for ten years been a member of the Masonic
fraternity. Having petitioned for and been
elected to membership in Garfield Lodge,
No. 686, A. F. & A. M. , he was initiated as
an 'Entered Apprentice, and having passed
the Fellow craft degree was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason. His ad-
vancement to capitular Masonry came
through his connection with York Chapter,
No. 148, in which he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason. He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and was
greeted a Select Master in Palestine Coun-
cil, No. 66, and received the grades and or-
ders of Templar Masonry in Chevalier Bay-
ard Commandery, No. 52, being constituted,
created and dubbed a Knight Templar. He
is also a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order
of the Mystic Shrine, his membership being
in Medinah Temple. Although his business
interests prevented him from holding office
in the various organizations with which he
is connected, he is nevertheless loyally in-
terested in the order, which has been a po-
tent instrumentality in the civilizing of the
race. It has proved an effective agency for
the betterment of mankind, emphasizing
man's duty to his fellow man, upholding
patriotism, promoting benevolence and
keeping as its standard the truth and right.
The Empire state has furnished to Chi-
cago many 'of its most successful and promi-
nent citizens, who, uniting with the ex-
perience and substantial business methods
of the east the progressiveness and enter-
prise of the west, have become leaders in
the world of trade in the metropolis of Illi-
nois. Mr. Goodsell was born in Steuben
county, New York, May 25, 1844, and was
educated in the high school at Corning,
New York. He entered upon his business
career as a traveling salesman and for
eighteen years remained upon the road as
the representative from various houses.
His energy and honorable business meth-
ods, combined with a most courteous genial
manner, which everywhere won him friends,
and with a keen discrimination which en-
abled him to read human nature readily,
made him very successful, and he com-
manded a most excellent trade. In 1886
he located in Chicago and began the manu-
facture of rod packings, known as the
Goodsell packings, which industry he has
since conducted, his trade steadily increas-
ing until it has now assumed extensive pro-
portions. His plant is located at No. 33
South Canal street. He has been very suc-
cessful in this field of effort and his goods
are now known and sold throughout the
United States. He is one of the leaders in
the trade, and the reputation of the house
for promptness, reliability and trustworthi-
ness has secured to it a very liberal and lu-
crative patronage.
In September, 1894, Mr. Goodsell was
united in marriage to Miss Lotta Jean Hen-
ry, of Chicago, and they have one child,
Gladys Evangeline, born May 29, 1896.
Mr. GoodselT has been a resident of Chi-
cago since 1881 and has a wide acquaint-
ance in the city, being held in the highest
regard by his business and society acquaint-
ances. Mental alertness, a genius for de-
vising and executing the right thing at the
right time, and careful management, have
been the leading elements in his career and
have resulted in a competence which is a
fitting reward for his many years of earnest
labor.
JAMES ARTHUR, one of the pioneer
citizens and highly esteemed business
men of Quincy, is the only charter mem-
ber of Quincy Lodge, No. 296, now living
in that city. He was made a Master Mason
in Herman Lodge, No. 39, and became one
of the organizers of Quincy Lodge, No. 296,
his membership being dated September 24,
1858, the same as that on which the body
received its dispensation. Of the fifteen
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
349
charter members, eight were known to have
been deceased in 1892, among them being
Governor Wood. Mr. Arthur was an active
brother in the early history of the local
bodies, filling all the offices in Herman
Lodge up to that of Worshipful Master,
which he declined to accept. He was Junior
Warden of Quincy Lodge during the first
year of its existence, but later his business
interests compelled him to resign the office.
Mr. Arthur is of Scotch-Irish stock, he
and President Arthur having descended from
the same ancestors, and were second cousins.
His parents, James and Mary (Hill) Arthur,
were born in county Tyrone, Ireland, and
were industrious farmers and manufacturers
of fine Irish linen. They were devout mem-
bers of the Presbyterian church, and lived
to a good old age, respected by all who
knew them. Mr. Arthur was also born in
county Tyrone, March 2, 1811, was reared
and educated in the place of his nativity,
and remained with his father until twenty-
two years of age, when he emigrated to the
United States, locating in New York, and
was for two years employed as a bookkeeper
in that city. He then moved to St. Louis,
Missouri, and there engaged in the whole-
sale and retail grocery business, together
with boat supplies, and later dealt in general
merchandise. In 1846 he came to Quincy
and for the past fifty-one years has been
one of her most honored citizens. He em-
barked in pork-packing, general merchan-
dising and the manufacture of lumber, and
has been intimately identified with the
growth and development of the city, and
has been a liberal contributor to everything
that had for its object the progress and pros-
perity of the community. In 1873 Mr.
Arthur disposed of his interest in the saw-
mill and retired from active business life
with a comfortable competency.
In 1840 our subject was married to Miss
May J. Reed, and their last anniversary
marked the fifty-seventh year of a peaceful
union, full of perfect happiness and conjugal
felicity. Seven children have been born to
them, all of whom are living and settled in
life. They are : Mary Virginia, now the
wife of Colonel Prince, of Quincy; Jane
Elizabeth is a widow and resides with her
parents; Isaac Hill is in business in St. Paul,
Minnesota; James Albert has a stock farm
in Missouri; William H. is in the drug busi-
ness in Quincy, the firm name being Miller
& Arthur, wholesale druggists; Emma mar-
ried Charles A. Gaskill and resides in Chi-
cago; and Newman W. is a merchant in St.
Paul, Minnesota. Mr. Arthur and his wife
have been lifelong members of the Presbyte-
rian church, were active and helpful in its
organization and upbuilding, and for the
past thirty-seven years he has been one of
its elders and a valued pillar, always taking
a deep interest in its welfare.
In his early political views Mr. Arthur
was a Democrat, but being a lover of liberty
and opposed to oppression and slavery, his
faith underwent a change, and he became a
Republican upon the formation of that
party, to which he has since been a stanch
adherent. He is now spending the evening
of a well ordered life in a commodious brick
residence, which he built in 1854, situated
on the corner of York and Third streets.
Mr. Arthur's life has been one of the high-
est integrity of character, and he will leave
behind him a record of uprightness, honesty,
and faithfulness to every trust reposed in
him, of which his posterity may be justly
proud.
JOSEPH SILAS LEAS, a prominent Sir
Knight Templar residing at Rock Island,
was initiated in Trio Lodge, No. 57, as
Entered Apprentice December n, 1851;
Fellow-craftsman, December 25, following;
and Master Mason, January 8, 1852 — all
soon after he became of age. Immediately
becoming an enthusiastic and zealously
working member, he was given minor
offices, and by 1855 he was filling the posi-
tion of Worshipful Master, which place he
continued to occupy until March 4, 1856.
March 4, 1858, he was again elected to this
position, and continued in that relation un-
til March 24, 1859; in 1861 he was again
elected, and served until March 20, 1862;
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
March 24, 1864, he was elected again, and
served until March 16, 1866, when J. Bu-
ford was elected to the position, but did not
serve, and Mr. Leas held over for one
term — making five terms altogether that he
served as Worshipful Master, faithfully and
efficiently. During this long period, the
lodge enjoyed a remarkable degree of pros-
perity. Many of the brethren refer with
pleasure to the fact that they were raised
by "Brother" J. Silas Leas.
After the above period, Mr. Leas affili-
ated with Rock Island Lodge, No. 658, for
the purpose of helping it to obtain a good
start, as there seemed to be a need of a sec-
ond blue lodge in the city. He joined Bar-
rett Chapter, No. 18, and was also made a
Sir Knight in Everts Commandery, No. 18,
January 10 and 11, 1866. Since joining
the latter bodies of the order, he has been a
very faithful member of all of them so far
as he was permitted by his business, which
requires his absence from the city much of
the time. When in the city he is ever
ready to fill chairs in the lodge. Both as a
Mason and as a business man, Mr. Leas'
record has been such as to secure for him
the highest esteem of his fellow men.
Mr. Leas is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born October 31, 1830, in
Kingston, Cumberland county, and is of
Holland and German ancestry, who were
very early settlers of the Keystone state.
His grandfather, Benjamin Leas, was also
born in that state, as was also his father,
Christian Harmon Leas. The last named
married Miss Julia Brant, also a native of
Pennsylvania, and they continued to reside
at Mechanicsburg, same state, for a number
of years, where he was engaged in the mer-
cantile business. He was also a merchant
in other towns of Pennsylvania. He came
from West Hill, that state, to Rock Island
in 1850, where he continued in merchan-
dising for four years, his son, the subject of
this sketch, being then in business with
him.
In 1854 they built a flouring-mill, and
for thirteen and a half years worked as-
siduously at the business of milling, but,
not meeting with as great a degree of success
as they desired, they sold out and the father
retired from business. He died in 1869, at
the age of sixty-seven years. His wife
(our subject's mother) had passed away
when he was a child, and he, the father,
married a second and a third time. He
was a Baptist, and a man who led a most
worthy life.
Mr. Leas, whose name heads this
sketch, was the only child by the first mar-
riage. He was educated in the public
schools of his native state and at Plain-
field, under Professor Burns. He learned
the mercantile business in his father's store,
and when he became of age he was his
father's partner in the business. After
thirteen and a half years' hard work in the
flouring-mill (the first built in Rock Island)
they sold it and paid one hundred cents on
the dollar, leaving in their own hands only
three thousand dollars for the father and
two thousand dollars for the son.
Next Mr. Leas, the subject of this
sketch, went to Chicago, with the very
highest recommendations, and sought a
position, but failed to get one, and was
much discouraged, as his little store of
money was giving out and none coming in.
He returned to Rock Island, and, while
standing in the lodge-room beside Mr. Ber-
nard, his present partner, he inquired,
"Haven't you got something you want me
to do?" and the reply was, "Come up and
I will sell you a third interest in my busi-
ness." Said Mr. Leas, " I couldn't buy a
one-third interest; I have only a little
money." The following lodge night they
happened to be standing together again,
and a similar conversation was engaged in,
and Mr. Barnard said again, "Come up
to Moline and I will sell you a third inter-
est; come up anyway and look it over."
The price of the whole was ten thousand
dollars. Mr. Leas' father then told him,
' ' You can take my money, and with your
own make a payment, if you want to see
what you can do." So the bargain was
made, and Mr. Leas went in debt for the
greater portion of the purchase money.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLIIW
'i.WW
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
353
The business prospered, and his divi-
dends paid his notes as they matured.
Thirty years and over have elapsed since
then, and the firm of Barnard & Leas has
become widely known throughout the
United States as the most extensive manu-
facturers of mill machinery and mill-
builders in the whole country. They have
now a capital of three hundred thousand
dollars, and they are perfectly reliable
business men, richly deserving the great
success they enjoy; and few men have a
wider acquaintance or a higher reputation
than Mr. Leas. There are many excellent
business men in Rock Island and Moline,
but none are spoken of more highly. He
is a gentleman of kindly sympathies, makes
and keeps friends, and is a thorough busi-
ness man.
In his political principles he is a Repub-
lican. In early days he was assessor of
his city, but in later life has declined all
offers of public office. In Masonry he still
takes much pleasure, is thoroughly posted
in all the ritual and tenets of the order, and
has served as Deputy Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge for his district.
OW. F. SNYDER, M. D.— When we
take into consideration the difficulties
that must beset those who seek to make a
better world, and the enormous amount of
courage necessary to even attempt such a
task, it does not seem possible that an
undertaking of such a nature should ever
have been thought of, much less put into
motion. The reformer, from the dark
ages, when ignorance was king and vice its
throne, down to the present enlightened
day, has ever had to contend with ob-
stacles that would have driven ordinary
mortals to the verge of despair. However,
reforms have progressed slowly at times, but
none the less sure, and we of the nineteenth
century are reaping the benefits. The
principles of Masonry have ever been those
of the highest order and the struggle for
a better life, better morals, and nobler
aims instituted by that order must eventu-
ally culminate in success.
One of those who have rendered great
service in the ranks of the brotherhood is
Dr. O. W. F. Snyder, of this city. His
connection with the society dates from 1891,
when he was initiated in the blue lodge,
and was made a Master Mason in Lawn
Lodge, No. 815, of which he was^also a
charter member. In the same year he was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Delta Chapter, No. 191, and in
1892 he was created a knight in Montjoie
Commandery, No. 53, Knights Templar.
The Doctor is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple, and, with his wife, is a
member of Forestville Chapter, No. 177,
Order of the Eastern Star.
Dr. Snyder is a native of Maryland,
where he was born May 11, 1849. He re-
ceived a limited education in the public
schools, which he endeavored to extend by
studying at nights and on Sundays. When
twenty-two years old he began the study of
medicine at Lanark, Illinois, under the pre-
ceptorship of Dr. T. O. Mershon, with
whom he studied for three years, working
during the day and receiving his instructions
in the evenings. He took his first course
of lectures at the Physio-Medical Institute,
of Cincinnati, Ohio, at which he was gradu-
ated February 28, 1878. In April, 1876,
he began to practice his profession at Hal-
dane, Ogle county, Illinois, where he re-
mained until April, 1877. After gradu-
ating he returned to Haldane and continued
in active practice until October i, 1879, at
which time he moved to Polo, Ogle county,
and lived there until September, 1884, when
he came to Chicago. In 1881 Dr. Snyder
made his remarkable discovery of a cure for
obesity, on which he worked until 1888,
when, having brought it to a state of per-
fection, he gave his entire attention to that
specialty. In this line of work the Doctor
has no superiors, and his cure has been
tested by thousands, who are loud in their
praise for the man who has done so much
for humanity. He has not come to his
present position in science without careful
354
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
work and long endeavor. He has studied
obesity for sixteen years, worked upon it in
the hospitals, considered it in clinics, and
examined it in private houses until the time
came when he could place his finger on the
seat of the trouble and apply his remedies
with exactness and certainty to its source
and fountain head. The Doctor's main
office is in the McVicker's Theater building,
Chicago, and he has branch offices in New
York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland
(Ohio) and St. Joseph (Missouri).
When but thirteen years old Dr. Snyder
enlisted in Company A, Third Delaware
Volunteer Infantry, and served two years
and two months. He was in the Army of
the Potomac and participated in the battles
of Cold Harbor, Five Forks, Appomattox,
and was through the siege of Petersburg.
At the close of the war he received an
honorable discharge. Politically the Doctor
has always been affiliated with the Repub-
lican party. He is a member of U. S.
Grant Post, Grand Army of the Republic,
Franklin Lodge, No. 251, Knights of Pyth-
ias, the Royal League and the National
Union.
The Doctor was first married to Miss
Elizabeth A. Palley in October, 1872, and
of this union five children were born, two
of whom survive, Roscoe F. and Everett E.
The death of Mrs. Snyder took place in
April, 1880, and in September, 1882, Dr.
Snyder was married to Miss Mina E. Mc-
Murrin, who died in 1892. He was again
married to Miss Flora B. McDonald in 1893,
by whom he has one child, O. W. F. , Jr.
GEORGE WASHINGTON GRAHAM,
a Knight Templar Mason, residing in
Freeport, has been identified with this hon-
ored fraternity for thirty years, and is well
deserving of mention in a volume devoted
to the craft. He was born in Pennsylvania
on the i jth of October, 1841, and is of
German and Scotch-Irish lineage, coming
of a family that has long been established in
the Keystone state. The father, Samuel
Graham, was born there, and after arriving
at years of maturity married Miss Rebecca
Lutz, who on the maternal side belonged
to the Grove family that furnished so many
noted Indian fighters during the troubles
with the red men during the early history of
the country. In 1847 Samuel Graham re-
moved with his family to St. Joseph county,
Michigan, where he remained for four years,
working at the trade of millwright, which
he had learned in the east. In 1851 he
came to Freeport, and for many years con-
ducted a good business here, building all
kinds of mills. He departed this life in
the sixty-sixth year of his age. His wife
survived him one year and died at the same
age. They had four daughters and three
sons, but only four of the family are now
living.
Mr. Graham, whose name begins this
sketch, was their third child. He was
eleven years of age at the time of the re-
moval to Freeport, where he completed his
education in the public schools, while on
the nth of August, 1862, at the age of
twenty-one, he enlisted in Company G,
Ninety- third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in
which he served until the close of hostili-
ties, being mustered out June 3, 1865. He
was in the Army of the Tennessee and
fought in the memorable battles of Jackson,
Champion Hills and Mission Ridge, where
the Union troops covered themselves with
glory. At the battle of Champion Hills
Mr. Graham received a gunshot wound in
the right thigh, but was disabled for only a
short time. He went with Sherman on the
celebrated march to the sea and had the
honor of being with the victorious army at
the grand review in Washington. He made
for himself a worthy record in the great
struggle for the preservation of the Union
and has justly earned the gratitude and re-
spect of every loyal citizen of the republic.
On his return from the war, Mr. Gra-
ham took up the peaceful vocation of farm-
ing, and continuously followed that pursuit
for about fifteen years. In the meantime
he was married, in the year 1873, to Miss
Clara J. Stewart, a native of Stephenson
county. They soon after located in Free-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
355
port, and Mr. Graham was engaged in vari-
ous pursuits, being a part of the time inter-
ested in dealing in stock. On the iith of
August, 1880, he accepted a position with
the Henney Buggy Company, and has since
been one of its most trusted and faithful
employees. He is now serving in the ca-
pacity of shipping clerk, a position which
requires much close attention, but he is
thoroughly competent to discharge the
onerous duties that devolve upon him, hav-
ing mastered the business in all its details.
He is a man of excellent executive ability,
and his foresight, care and management
have won him a place among the represent-
ative business men of the city.
Mr. and Mrs. Graham have three sons.
The eldest, James Stewart, is the proprie-
tor of the Freeport Cigar Factory, and is a
member of the Masonic fraternity. The
others are Samuel Leroy and Thomas
Henry. They have a pleasant home in
Freeport, which was erected by our subject,
and parents and sons are highly respected
by all who know them. They attend the
Baptist church, of which Mrs. Graham is a
member. In politics, our subject is a
Democrat, and is now in favor of free sil-
ver. He has held the office of treasurer of
Freeport, and enjoys the fullest confidence
of his fellow citizens. Of the Grand Army
post at this place he is a worthy member,
and has held the office of Judge Advocate.
He was made a Master Mason in 1 866, and
is now Past Master of Evergreen Lodge,
No. 170, of Freeport. He joined the chap-
ter in 1882 and rose to the highest position
in that body, serving as High Priest. He
has now taken the commandery degrees
and is a Knight Templar.
J STEWART GRAHAM, one of the
younger but enthusiastic members of the
Masonic fraternity at Freeport, is a na-
tive of the state which is still his home, his
birth having occured in Cedarville, on the
i8th of November, 1873. He is a son of
George W. Graham, a well known Mason,
whose history appears on another page of
this volume. He was educated in the pub-
lic schools and his literary course was sup-
plemented by study in the commercial col-
lege of Freeport.
In his early business career Mr. Graham
was engaged in the advertising business in
New York city for two years, and on the ex-
piration of that period returned home and
connected himself with the Freeport Cigar
Factory, which he managed for a time, when
he purchased the establishment and is now
sole proprietor. He manufactures numer-
ous brands of cigars, among which are the
celebrated Jo Murphy, Dixie Girl and Wash-
ington. These have proved to be great
favorites with the public and therefore he
enjoys a large trade in these special brands,
which extends throughout Illinois, Wiscon-
sin and Iowa. He is a wide-awake, enter-
prising business man, keeping abreast with
the times and well deserves the patronage
which has come to him.
In 1894 Mr. Graham, who had just at-
tained his majority, made application for
membership in Evergreen Lodge, No. 170,
of Freeport, having becoming interested in
the fraternity on account of his father's
enthusiasm for it, and was accepted in that
order and the degrees of Entered Appren-
tice, Fellow-craftsman and Master were
conferred upon him. He is a faithful mem-
ber and a worthy exponent of its principles.
A bright and capable young business man,
he undoubtedly has a prosperous future be-
fore him and we join with his many friends
in wishing him all success.
JOSEPH W. DOSTAL, M. D., D. D. S.,
one of Chicago's successful practicing
dentists, was made a Mason in Land-
mark Lodge, No. 422, of Chicago, on the
6th of January, 1893, and three months
from that date, on the 6th of April, he was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Fairview Chapter; at present he is
Junior Deacon in Landmark and Captain of
the Host in Fairview Chapter. He was
chosen a member of the Royal and Select
Masters of Palestine Council, January 17,
356
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
1896, was knighted in Apollo Commandery,
No. i.October 31, 1893, and was made a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine on the 26th of
April, 1895. Such is the record of his
affiliation with the various Masonic bodies,
but it tells nothing of his fidelity to the
interests of Masonry or his faithful practice
of its teaching. He is an earnest member
of the order, and, though he has been con-
nected therewith for only three years, he
has become one of the highest esteemed
brethren of the craft in this city.
Dr. Dostal is a native Chicagoan, his
birth having occurred in this city on the
1 5th of September, 1869. His father,
Joseph Dostal, was a native of Moravia,
Austria, and came to America when twelve
years of age. He married Veronica Frana
and took up his residence in Chicago, where
the subject of this sketch was reared
to manhood. He obtained his elementary
education in the public schools, which he
attended until fourteen years of age, when
he entered a business college and pursued
a two years' course. In 1888 he took up
the study of dentistry, and was graduated
in 1890 at the Chicago College of Dental
Surgery. He also pursued a course in
medicine, and was graduated at the Rush
Medical College with the class of 1892.
Since 1890 he has devoted himself to the
practice of dentistry, and has built up an
excellent business. He keeps fully abreast
with the progress of the times, supplement-
ing his natural skill by extensive knowledge,
and his ability has won him an enviable
position in the ranks of his chosen pro-
fession.
In 1891 Dr. Dostal was united in mar-
riage to Miss Florence Nowell, who was
born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They
have one son, Ebenezer J.
M
JIHi MAN. — In the subject of this resume,
one of the worthy young Masons of Illinois,
is a gentleman who dates his nativity in the
town in which he lives, Mount Carroll, and
who is a son of the founder of this town.
Turning first to that page of his history
which has to do with Masonry, we find that
he has but recently identified himself with
this ancient order. The Entered Appren-
tice degree was conferred upon him by
Wisconsin Lodge, F. & A. M., of Milwau-
kee, in 1875, and the other two degrees of
blue Masonry were given him the same year
by Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, at Mount Car-
roll. In 1896 he became a member of Lan-
ark Chapter, No. 139, R. A. M., of Lanark.
Fraternities other than the Masonic
with which Mr. Halderman is connected,
are the P. O. S. of A., M. W. of A. and
the K. of G. Mrs. Halderman is a mem-
ber of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Mr. Halderman was born February 21,
1853, and through the agnatic line traces
his ancestry back to Germany. His father,
Nathaniel Halderman, was born in Mont-
gomery county, Pennsylvania, and made
his home in the Keystone state until 1840,
when he came west to Illinois and settled
on a tract of government land, upon a por-
tion of which now stands the beautiful city
of Mount Carroll. He was a most enter-
prising and liberal man. He built and gave
to the county its first court-house, and sub-
sequently he deeded to the county the site
of its present handsome seat of justice. At
Mount Carroll he spent the rest of his life
and died, his death occurring June 23, 1880,
in the sixty-ninth year of his age. For
many years he was a devoted and active
member of the Baptist church, and was a
pillar in the same up to the time of his
death. He was twice married. His first
wife, our subject's mother, was before mar-
riage Elizabeth McCoy, a native of Norris-
town, Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish de-
scent, and by her he had one son and two
daughters. After her death he married her
sister, Miss Mary T. McCoy, and to them
were born two children, both of whom are
living.
Nathaniel H., whose name forms the
heading of this sketch, is the first wife's
son. He was educated in the schools of
his native town and in the old Douglas
University, of Chicago. He was reared to
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
357
the milling, grain and stock business, and
has never directed his energies to any other
line than this, and as a result of his concen-
trating his forces and adhering close to busi-
ness, he is to-day at the head of a large
and influential concern, the J. M. Shirk
Milling Company, of which he is president.
He superintends the running of the mill and
also buys large quantities of grain and stock.
Besides his interest in this firm, he owns a
large amount of city property. He resides
at the old homestead built by his father in
1858.
Mr. Halderman was married December
27, 1875, to Miss Mary Eliza Crummer, a
native of Mount Hope, Jo Daviess county,
Illinois, and they have two sons, Herbert
Frank and Nathaniel.
WILLIAM THOMPSON SLOAN, M.
D., is one of the prominent physi-
cians of Peoria, Illinois, and, like many of
the members of the medical profession, has
identified himself with the great Masonic
body and adopted the motto of ' ' Brotherly
Love, Relief and Truth."
Dr. Sloan is a native of the "Keystone
state," dating his birth in Clarion county,
September 27, 1848. He was reared and
educated in Pennsylvania, receiving his lit-
erary training in Reed Institute. His medi-
cal course he pursued at Bellevue, where he
graduated with the class of 1874. After
receiving his diploma from that well-known
New York institution, he came west to Illi-
nois and entered upon the practice of his
profession at Elmwood, where he conducted
a successful practice for twenty years, up
to 1894, the time of his removal to Peoria.
Here his high qualifications, together with
his years of experience, at once placed him
among the leading practitioners of the city.
It is, however, of his connection with Ma-
sonry that we wish here to speak, and to his
Masonic affiliations we now revert.
In the latter part of 1889, while a resi-
dent of Elmwood, Dr. Sloan made applica-
tion for membership in Horeb Lodge, No.
363, A. F. & A. M., was duly elected to re-
ceive the degrees, and December 17, 1889,
was initiated. He was passed in the Fel-
low-craft on the 1 8th of the following Feb-
ruary, and on July 7, 1890, was made a
Master Mason. On his removal to Peoria
he found a welcome in the lodge of this
place, and February 4, 1896, received a di-
mit from Elmwood, which he at once placed
in the Peoria lodge. He was exalted in Eu-
reka Chapter, R. A. M. , of Yates City, in
1892, and still has .his membership there.
In Peoria he has taken the Knight Templar
degrees and also those of the Mystic Shrine,
the latter having been conferred upon him
in Mohammed Temple, in November, 1894.
Both he and his wife are members of the
Order of the Eastern Star. The degrees of
this order they received in Elmwood Chap-
ter, October 19, 1893, and in it retained
membership until February 20, 1896, when
they were dimitted in order to affiliate with
Electa Chapter at Peoria, of which they are
now valued members.
E
LMER LEWIS TOBIE, one of the
prominent business men of Keithsburg,
now engaged in the jewelry trade, has for
twelve years been a worthy and acceptable
member of the Masonic fraternity. He
was made a Mason in Golden Gate Lodge,
No. 248, of Prairie City, Illinois, in Octo-
ber, 1885, and at once became a capable
and well informed worker therein. He
soon became thoroughly familiar with the
ritual and was elected to and creditably
filled the office of Senior Warden. In 1891
he was dimitted to Robert Burns Lodge,
No. 1 13, A. F. & A. M., of Keithsburg, and
has since been active in promoting its in-
terests and advancing its growth in all pos-
sible ways. In 1888 he was exalted to the
august degree of a Royal Arch Mason and
is a member of Illinois Chapter, No. 17, in
which he has filled the office of Master of
the Veils. He is an enthusiastic, upright
and consistent Mason, paying strict regard
to the precepts and principles of the order,
and his worth to the fraternity is duly ac-
knowledged by his brethren, who speak of
858
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
him in the highest terms. He has also
threaded the labyrinth of the Order of the
Eastern Star and is now affiliated with Mary
Burns Chapter. He belongs to the Knights
of Pythias fraternity and is highly esteemed
in society circles.
Mr. Tobie is one of Illinois' native sons,
born in Prairie City on the 26th of May,
1864, and is of French descent. The early
ancestors of the family in this country set-
tled in Bangor, Maine, and in 1843 his
grandfather, Nathan Tobie, removed to Pe-
kin, Illinois, becoming one of the early set-
tlers of that place. He established there a
plow manufactory and did a successful busi-
ness, becoming one of the substantial and
valued citizens of the town. His death
occurred when he had reached the advanced
age of eighty-seven years. Samuel P. To-
bie, father of our subject, was born in Ban-
gor, Maine, August 22, 1832, and with his
parents came to Illinois in 1843. He mar-
ried Miss Mary Hodgson, who belonged to
a Quaker family, her father being one of
the pioneers of the state. Mrs. Tobie de-
parted this life on the 23d of January, 1873,
and Mr. Tobie is now living a retired life in
Avon, Illinois.
Elmer L. Tobie was the younger of
their two children, both sons. He was
educated in his native town and afterward
learned the jeweler's trade in Emporia,
Kansas, becoming a practical and expert
workman. He opened his present jewelry
establishment in Keithsburg on the 1 3th of
September, 1886, and has since done a con-
stantly increasing and prosperous business.
He has now a large and well selected stock
of goods, and his honorable dealing and
courteous treatment of his patrons insures
to him a liberal share of the public patron-
age. He is a man of resourceful business
ability whose efforts have not been confined
alone to one line of endeavor. He has been
an important factor in the business develop-
ment and commercial activity of Keiths-
burg and has been connected with a num-
ber of enterprises which have added mate-
rially to the welfare of the city. In con-
nection with Hon. Tom A. Marshall, he
has erected several hundred miles of tele-
phone lines, connecting with the long-dis-
tance telephone of the Bell Company. He
has also built and owns a number of resi-
dences in Keithsburg.
Mr. Tobie was married in 1891 to Miss
Clara M. Stearns, a native of Bushnell, Illi-
nois, and a daughter of Sanger Stearns.
Mrs. Tobie is a member of the Presbyterian
church and a most estimable lady. Mr.
Tobie gives his political support to the Re-
publican party and has served as alderman
of Keithsburg. He is a wide-awake and
progressive citizen, deeply interested in the
growth and development of the community
and lends his aid and influence to all meas-
ures calculated to advance the general wel-
fare.
|p.EORGE THOMAS WHITSON, one of
\£f the oldest and most exemplary Masons
now residing at Rushville, is the present
Secretary of the blue lodge.
He was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason in Rushville Lodge, No. 9,
A. F. & A. M., in February, 1864, and he
at once became a faithful worker and regu-
lar attendant at the meetings of the order.
When not away from the city he has been
so regular as to miss only two meetings
ever since he first became a member; and
when he has been absent from home he has
always made it a point to attend some lodge
as a visitor. He has served his lodge as
Senior Deacon four years; as Junior and Se-
nior Warden for two years each ; as Secretary
ten years, seven years of which time were
in succession; but he has been absent in
the west three years. He has visited lodges
in California, Oregon, Montana, Kansas and
Illinois. He is a great lover of the order,
doing his utmost to follow its teachings,
having a Masonic heart full of kind and
generous impulses. He was exalted a Royal
Arch Mason in Rushville Chapter, No. 184,
R. A. M., on the ipth of November, 1881,
and was its Secretary two years.
Mr. Whitson is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born in Columbia, Lancaster
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
county, on the I4th of September, 1829;
came to Rushville, Illinois, on the 6th of
May, 1837, and has claimed Rushville as
his residence for the past sixty years. He
has made two trips across the plains to
California, the first with oxen in 1852, oc-
cupying a period of eighty days in the jour-
ney from the Missouri river to California,
the shortest time ever made with oxen.
His second journey to the Pacific slope was
made with horses, in 1864; and on this oc-
casion he visited Nevada, California, Ore-
gon and Montana. In business matters
there, like most miners of the time, he both
made and lost large amounts of money, but
he has never regretted his journeys, since
they enabled him to see a wonderful coun-
try. His business occupations have been
those of farmer and stone and brick mason.
In the year 1856 Mr. Whitson was uni-
ted in matrimony with Miss Ermina Patte-
son, and they have six children. In his
political principles he has been a life-long
Democrat. Being elected, he has served as
sheriff of the county, and is now serving
his second term as deputy sheriff. As to
his religious relations we may state that he
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Such has been his life's varied
career that he has become well posted in
the ways of the world, and such has been
the character of his upright and honorable
conduct that he enjoys the respect and high
esteem of all who know him.
WILLIAM DOUGALL, M. D.— The
origin of Freemasonry cannot cer-
tainly be determined. A common saying
among the craft is that it has existed " from
a time whereof the memory of man runneth
not to the contrary." One tradition de-
clares that it took its rise at the building of
Solomon's temple, and a very large major-
ity of the brethren, amounting almost to
unanimity, give this "unwritten history"
the fullest credence; but whether or not its
establishment was at that time it is known
with indisputable certainty that it is the
most ancient as well as the most useful of
the benevolent organizations. Down through
the ages it has been a potent factor in the
work of uplifting man. It exists in response
to the cravings of the soul for a domain of
brotherhood, a fraternity where in congenial
companionships and mutual offices of kind-
ness and regard would soften the asperities
of life and remove the evils of prejudice,
bigotry and intolerance. As the means to
an end, it has become one of the most
powerful weapons in the warfare upon self-
ishness, vice and the host of evils that beset
man at every step in his earthly career. It
teaches mutual helpfulness, mutual forbear-
ance and mutual progress; and advance-
ment toward the true, the useful and the
good is the outgrowth of its practical
working.
Such a society is certainly worthy of due
consideration, and it is but natural that it
should have a large following among the best
citizens of Illinois. Among the prominent
citizens of Joliet who are identified with the
order is Dr. Dougall, who for more than
thirty years has been an adherent of the
fraternity, He Joined Harlan City Lodge,
of Maysville, Indiana, receiving the degree
of Entered Apprentice on the i8th of
August, 1865, passing the Fellow-craft on
the 6th of October, while on the 1 3th of
the same month he was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason. He has since
been dimitted to Matteson Lodge, No. 175,
and has served as Senior Warden in the blue
lodge. In 1871 he received the degrees of
capitular Masonry in Joliet Chapter, No. 27,
being exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason. He has been honored with
the office of its King and has maintained his
membership in that chapter for twenty-six
years. He became familiar with the teach-
ings of cryptic Masonry in Joliet Council, 'No.
82, taking the Royal and Select Master de-
grees, and in 1 872 he was dubbed and created
a Sir Knight in Joliet Commandery, No. 4.
In 1 880- 1 he served as its Eminent Com-
mander, and in 1882 was Prelate. He has
been especially faithful as a follower of the
beauseant, and in August, 1880, attended
the triennial conclave in Chicago.
860
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Dr. Dougall is a native of Paisley, Scot-
land, born March i, 1842. He was a stu-
dent in the Glasgow high school, and in 1858
came to the United States, locating near
Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he remained
with his father on a farm for a few years.
During the war he espoused the cause of
the Union and of freedom and joined the army
of the north in its attempt to crush out the
rebellion. For four years he served as a
loyal defender of his adopted land, and for
meritorious conduct was promoted from the
ranks until he became captain in the Thir-
teenth United States Colored Infantry Reg-
iment. He was in many of the most im-
portant engagements of the war and was
wounded by a gunshot at the battle of Stone
River, after which he was forced to remain
in the hospital for a short time. He was
ever faithful to the cause he served, and his
military record is one of which he may be
justly proud.
When the war was over Dr. Dougall re-
turned home and began the study of med-
icine, which he pursued in the University
of Michigan, as a supplementary course to
the work he had already done in that line in
Scotland. He completed his studies in the
Chicago Medical College in 1868, and began
practice in New Haven, Indiana, whence he
afterward removed to Lemont, Illinois,
where he remained for four and a half years.
He was main surgeon for the canal during
its deepening, which was completed in 1871.
Seeking a broader field of service, he came
to Joliet in 1872 and soon built up a good
practice here. His success has been steady
and rapid. He soon demonstrated his supe-
rior ability and manifested in his practice a
comprehensive knowledge of the science of
medicine and its methods of application to
the needs of suffering humanity.
On the ist of October, 1872, Dr. Dou-
gall was united in marriage to Miss Cassie
Walker, and they have two children, Mayme
and Willie. They are members of Christ
church, Episcopal, and the Doctor is now
serving as vestryman. He is a member and
secretary of the Will County Medical So-
ciety, the Illinois State Medical Society and
of the American Medical Association, and
belongs to the military order of the Loyal
Legion, in the Commandery of Illinois, and
is Past Commander of Bartleson Post, No.
6, G. A. R. He has been especially active
in support of the Republican party and is
thoroughly informed on the issues which
affect the welfare of the nation. He was
chairman of the Will county Republican
central committee from 1876 to 1879 and
his effective organization and management
of the complicated affairs of a political party
advanced the interests and promoted the
success of its nominees during those years.
He has served as postmaster of Joliet, hold-
ing the office from 1879 until 1883, under
the administration of Presidents Hayes and
Arthur. Dr. Dougall is a man of well-
rounded character; was a valiant soldier;
is a conscientious physician; was a faithful
official; is a loyal member of various socie-
ties, and in the highest and best sense of the
term he is ever and essentially a gentleman.
GEORGE F. DOUAIRE is one of the
active working members of the Masonic
fraternity and is now occupying the hon-
ored position of Worshipful Master in
Waubansia Lodge, No. 160, A. F. & A. M.
His zeal for Masonry is of the highest or-
der. His loyalty to its principles, his wide
and accurate knowledge of the craft, which
he is ever ready to impart to his less in-
formed brethren, his acumen, his diligence,
his untiring efforts and the vigilance with
which he guards the ancient landmarks,
make him a bright and shining light in the
Masonic world, and he is a true follower of
the society whose ancient origin gives it a
fame, a pre-eminence, to which the history
of other institutions affords no parallel.
He was made a Mason in the lodge with
which he still affiliates, and having taken
the degrees of Entered Apprentice and
Fellow-craft, he was raised to the sublime
degree of a Master Mason in the month of
February, 1892. He has been called to
serve in several official positions in the so-
ciety; was Senior Deacon, Junior \Varden,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
301
Senior Warden, and on the 23 of December,
1895, was chosen for the exalted position
which he is now acceptably filling. In
character Mr. Douaire is a loyal friend, is
active and energetic in all the affairs of life
and is a devoted and loyal Mason.
Mr. Douaire is one of Chicago's native
sons, his birth having occurred in this city
on the 23d of February, 1865. His boy-
hood days were spent in his parents' home
and as soon as he had reached the age fixed
by a law as the qualification for admission
to the public schools he began his studies
and here acquired his education. When he
laid aside his text-books to learn the more
difficult lessons in the school of experience,
he became connected with the mercantile
interests of Chicago. He is now cccupying
the responsible position of bookkeeper for
the firm of Griffiths & McDermott, exten-
sive contractors on the drainage canal.
He was married in 1890 to Miss Tessie
Handley, a native of Centralia, Illinois, and
they have one child.
JOHN PAGE McMAHAN, A. M., M. D.,
of Peoria, Illinois, has been engaged in
the practice of his profession for thir-
teen years, and for about the same length
of time has been associated with the Ma-
sonic fraternity.
Dr. McMahan was born in Pike county,
Illinois, January 4, 1858, and was educated
in Lincoln University, of which institution
he is a graduate with the class of 1881.
Having chosen the medical profession for
his life-work, in the fall of that same year
he entered Rush Medical College, Chicago,
and in 1883 received his diploma as an
M. D. Immediately after his graduation
at the medical college he located at Atlanta,
Illinois, and began the practice of his pro-
fession; but the following year he removed
to Peoria and has since been engaged in
practice here, his twelve years at this place
being years of activity and success.
Of Dr. McMahan's identity with the
great fraternity of Freemasons we would
now speak. He was made a Master Mason
21
in the blue lodge of Atlanta in the winter
of 1883-4, and upon his removal to Peoria
shortly afterward he placed his membership
in Temple Lodge, No. 46, of this place,
with which he has since affiliated; and re-
cently he has advanced in Masonry beyond
the blue lodge, having in 1896 taken the
consistory degrees and those of Mohammed
Shrine, both in Peoria, and in 1897 the
L>R. J. P. McMAHAN.
capitular degrees in Peoria Chapter, No. 7,
the cryptic in Peoria Council, and the chiv-
alric in Peoria Commandery, No. 3.
BRAHAM OPPENHEIM, a prominent
X*flL and successful merchant of Princeton,
and one of the active and enthusiastic Ma-
sons in that city, was raised as Master Ma-
son in Bureau Lodge, No. 112, of Prince-
ton, December 24, 1870. He has held vari-
ous offices in his lodge and is now its Senior
Warden; he works creditably in any of the
offices of the lodge. May 18, 1892, he re-
ceived the chapter degrees in Princeton
362
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Chapter, No. 28, R. A. M. He has served
as Master of the Second Veil and is now
Captain of the Host, this being his second
term in that office. In 1893 he received
the council degrees in Orion Council, No.
8, and in that lodge he is now filling the
office of Conductor. He is also a member
of Temple Commandery, No. 20, having
been made a Sir Knight March 20, 1896.
He has just received the honor of an elec-
tion as its Warder, so that he is now faith-
fully filling an office in each of the four
bodies of the order; and very few of the
brethren, indeed, have made a better record
than he.
Mr. Oppenheim is a native of Germany,
born on the 3ist of December, 1845; was
educated in the land of his nativity, where
also he was trained in the art of merchan-
dising; and in 1866 he emigrated to the
United States for the purpose of making
this country his permanent home and the
field of his mercantile operations. First he
was a clerk in Indiana for two years, and
then four years in Princeton, in a general
mercantile store, and when, by the saving
of his earnings, he had acquired money
enough to embark in business on his own
account he started out for himself. Accord-
ingly, in partnership with Mr. Hamburg, he
formed the firm of Bamburg & Company,
and opened a store of general merchandise
in Princeton, in February, 1873. Success
crowned their efforts from the first. In
1888 his partner died, since which time he
has been alone in the management of the
business. By close application to the de-
tails of his responsibilities and by pursuing
only honorable methods he soon acquired
and still retains a large run of trade. The
store, one hundred and thirty-five feet deep,
is well filled with first-class clothing and
other lines of gents' furnishing goods. Peo-
ple say he has the best stock in the city,
and is really the leader of the trade in
Princeton and in Bureau county.
In 1872 he was married to Miss Margaret
Winter, a native of Peru, Illinois, and they
have a son and a daughter, — Edwin and
Eva. Mr. Oppenheim and his daughter are
members of the Order of the Eastern Star,
—Ruth Chapter, — and he is also a Knight
of Pythias. In politics he is a Republican.
The family have a fine home.
Mr. Oppenheim is an example of that
great number of industrious, honest Germans
who in their youth had the ambition and
the energy to move to a country where
greater opportunities were offered for the
exercise of the expanding powers, and have
continued to drive with a " tight rein " and
steady nerve until they accumulated snug
little fortunes and comfortable homes. Such
a course only is the foundation of permanent
happiness.
FfABRY A. VAN REED, a thirty-
JPll second-degree Mason of Freeport,
has for the past decade been identified with
the order and is one of its most esteemed
members in this city. He was made a
Mason in Evergreen Lodge, No. 170, in
1886, and has since been an interested and
active member of the fraternity. He has
made laudable progress therein and has at-
tained the thirty-second degree in the Scot-
tish Rite. He took the Royal Arch degrees
in Freeport Chapter, was made a Knight
Templar in Freeport Commandery, No. 7,
and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, his
membership being in Medinah Temple, of
Chicago. He has served as Secretary of
the blue lodge, as High Priest of the chap-
ter and in various other offices, and by his
brethren of the craft is held in the highest
esteem. His Masonic record is an honora-
ble one and there is much in his life that
exemplifies the benevolent teaching of the
order.
Mr. Van Reed is a native of Pennsyl-
vania, where his birth occurred on the i8th
of October, 1841. He traces his ancestry
back to the early settlement of New York,
when representatives of the family name
came from Holland to this country and lo-
cated within the boundary of the Empire
state. • His father, John R. Van Reed, was
born in that state and married Miss Mary
Addams, a native of Pennsylvania, and a de-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
363
scendant of one of the old families of that
state, one of her relatives being General
William Addams, who did valiant service for
the colonies in the Revolutionary war. To
John R. and Mary Van Reed were born
seven children, six of whom are yet living.
The father died in the forty-sixth year of his
age, and the mother, surviving him many
years, died in her eightieth year. They
were members of the German Reformed
church, and by occupation the father was a
farmer and miller.
Mabry A. Van Reed was the fourth
child in the family and was educated near
Reading, Pennsylvania, also attended a
farmers' college in Center county. Later
he engaged in teaching school for a term,
but when the Civil war came on put aside
all thought of business in order to defend
his country in her hour of peril. At Presi-
dent Lincoln's first call for troops he joined
the "boys in blue" of Company G, First
Pennsylvania Infantry, and served in the
Army of the Potomac. When his three-
months term had expired he re-enlisted, be-
coming a member of Troop L of the Sixth
Regiment of United States Cavalry. He
then served for three years in the Army of
the Potomac, taking an active part in that
branch of the service during the war. He
was in the peninsular campaign, saw much
hard service under General Sheridan and
took part in the famous battle of Winches-
ter. He was several times wounded, but
not seriously, and like a true and valiant
soldier remained at his post of duty in de-
fense of the old flag and the cause it repre-
sented. His second term expired October
1 8, 1864, when holding the rank of first
sergeant, and he received an honorable
discharge.
After the war Mr. Van Reed worked
for a short time in a sugar refinery in Phil-
adelphia, and later secured a position in the
First National Bank of Reading, Pennsyl-
vania. In 1879 he came to Freeport and
accepted a position with Mr. Woodmansee
in connection with the manufacture and sale
of windmills. Later he secured a position
as engineer for W. G. & W. Barnes, and
has since been constantly employed in that
capacity. For a time he was with F. S.
Taggart in the Freeport Malleable Iron
Works and for the past eleven years has
been engineer in the sash door and blind
factory owned by Elias Bamberger. He is
a natural mechanic and has given his atten-
tion and thought to that line of work until
he has become a most competent and skilled
engineer. The care and precision which
are required for this kind of work he pos-
sesses in an eminent degree, and his supe-
rior efficiency is indicated by his long con-
tinued service with one firm.
Mr. Van Reed was married in 1866 to
Miss Mary L. Housum, a native of Phila-
delphia. They now have two children,
Edith and Frederick. Their home, located
at No. 47 Brick street, is a large and com-
modious one, and its hospitable doors are
ever open for the reception of their many
friends. In religious faith they are Episco-
palians and are valued members of the
church of their denomination in Freeport.
Mr. Van Reed is also an esteemed comrade
of John A. Davis Post, No. 98, G. A. R.
His genial manner, his kindly and generous
disposition, has gained him many warm
friends and and he well deserves represen-
tation in this volume.
OENONI P. TRIPP.— Well advanced on
the ladder of Masonry, and the better
in every respect for the climbing, is found
the subject of our sketch, Mr. Benoni P.
Tripp, a bookkeeper of Pekin, Illinois.
His entrance into Masonic circles was made
at Delavan, Illinois, when Delavan Lodge,
No. 156, conferred upon him its degrees.
He was made a Royal Arch Mason in Cross-
man Chapter, No. 155, a Royal and Select
Master in Peoria Council, a Knight Temp-
lar in Peoria Commandery, No. 3, and
April 26, 1887, received the Scottish Rite
degrees in Peoria Consistory. Having taken
a dimit from Delavan Lodge, he became a
member of Empire Lodge, No. 126, of
Pekin, February 5, 1885, and has since
affiliated with it; and since December 22,
864
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
1884, has had a membership in Pekin Chap-
ter, No. 25. He still affiliates with the
council, commandery and consistory at
Peoria. In both the lodge and chapter he
has long served officially. In the lodge he
was Senior Deacon two years, Senior War-
den one year, Worshipful Master one year,
and is now serving as Treasurer his third
year; and in the chapter he was Captain of
Host five years, High Priest five years, and
is now serving his third year as Principal
Sojourner. He is also a member of Mo-
hammed Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., at
Peoria.
Mr. Tripp is a native of Providence,
Rhode Island, and dates his birth Christmas
day, 1851. In early life he was brought
west to Illinois, and in Tazewell county,
this state, he was reared and educated.
For twelve years he was engaged in teach-
ing school, four years of that time in Pekin,
and since quilting the school room has de-
voted his time and attention closely to office
work, making a specialty of bookkeeping.
For several years he was employed in the
county offices, and made an index of the
court records running back twenty years.
Also he has been with J. & G. Herget,
wholesale liquor dealers and distillers, as
their bookkeeper, and has served in the
same capacity for the Electric Light Works
of Pekin.
Politically, Mr. Tripp is a stanch Demo-
crat and takes a lively interest in the coun-
cils of his party. He has been chairman of
the city committee, in 1893 was president
of the Cleveland Club of Pekin, and this
year, 1896, was a delegate to his con-
gressional convention.
CE. AUSTIN, an able member of the
dental profession in Chicago, has
through ten years of faithful adherence to
the Masonic fraternity, won a right to honor-
able mention in this history of the society
in Illinois. He was made a Mason in 1886,
joining DeWitt Clinton Lodge. No. 15, in
Northfield, Vermont. He was afterward
dimitted to become a charter member of
Woodlawn Lodge, No. 841, F. & A. M.r
with which he is now connected. With a
thorough understanding of its teachings and
a full appreciation of its noble and benefi-
cent principles he is a true and steadfast
Mason and merits the high regard of his
brethren.
Dr. Austin is a native of the Green
Mountain state, his birth having occurred
in Hancock on the Qth of April, 1864. He
was reared and educated there, his prelimi-
nary mental training received in the public
schools being supplemented by a course of
study in Goddard Seminary, where he was
prepared for Norwich University. At the
latter institution he was graduated with the
deg'ree of Bachelor of Science in the class
of 1 887. His choice of a profession to which
he wished to devote his energies and atten-
tion through life fell upon dentistry, and he
took a course of study in the Chicago Col-
lege of Dental Surgery, where he was grad-
uated in 1 890. He came to Chicago in the
autumn of 1887, and since his graduation has
continuously practiced his profession in
Woodlawn, one of Chicago's beautiful sub-
urbs, being located at No. 6303 Monroe
avenue.
©EORGE ADAM WYATT.— To those
who are not familiar with the true in-
wardness of Freemasonry, the immense
power for good of which that institution is
capable can scarcely be realized. Although
its rites are carried on behind closed doors,
which may not be opened to the uninitiated,
the result of its influence can be seen by
the public in general in the elevation of the
people's morals and the attainment of a
higher plane of manhood. Its fundamental
principles, carried to the outer world by
thousands of the brethren, cannot be other-
wise than beneficial to all who are affected
by them. The simple fact that a man is a
member of the fraternity of Freemasonry
is a sufficient guarantee of character to
place him in the highest position to which
he may aspire. Kewanee is well repre-
sented in the order, and contains a number
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
365
of loyal and zealous members of the craft,
among whom is Mr. Wyatt. He was early
in life imbued with the beauties of such an
organization, and just as soon as he became
eligible in point of years he was initiated in
the degrees of the blue lodge of Ludington,
Michigan, and was made a Master Mason in
Pere Marquette Lodge, No. 299, in 1877,
from which he was dimitted in 1892 and
became affiliated with Kewanee Lodge, No.
159. In the same year he was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Ludington Chapter, No. 92, and was also
created a Sir Knight in Muskegon Com-
mandery, of Muskegon, Michigan, receiving
this degree with the others in order that
they might be able to establish a command-
ery at Ludington. This was eventually ac-
complished, and Mr. Wyatt was one of the
charter members of Apollo Commandery,
No. 31, in that city, in which he still
retained his membership when he came to
Kewanee in 1892. At present he is affili-
ated with Temple Commandery, No. 20, of
Princeton, Illinois.
Mr. Wyatt is a native of Canada, his
birth having taken place in Altsville on the
22d of July, 1856. He is a son of Daniel
and Lena (Hoynes) Wyatt, the former of
whom was engaged in the sawmill and lum-
ber-manufacturing business. He moved
with his wife and family to Ludington,
Michigan, where he followed his vocation
for a while and went to Omaha, Nebraska,
and there died, at the age of sixty-six years
his wife surviving him but a short time.
Brother Wyatt is one of two remaining
children of a family of six. He received a
common-school education at Newaygo,
Michigan, where his father resided for a
time after leaving Canada. At the age of
sixteen he became associated with his par-
ent in the lumber business, and continued
with him for ten years, when they moved
their base of operations to Omaha, and re-
mained there for five years. After the death
of his father, Mr. WTyatt came to Kewanee
and opened his present lumber-manufactur-
ing establishment, in which he has been
very prosperous. He has built up a large
trade and is well known as one of Kewa-
nee's enterprising and progressive citizens.
A brother of Mr. Wyatt 's, German D. , who
was associated with him in Omaha, was a
member of the Knights Templar; his death
occurred in 1891. Mr. Wyatt is unmar-
ried, in political matters is a stanch Repub-
lican, and is a member of Harmony Chap-
ter, Order of the Eastern Star.
F
'•RANK WARREN GRAIN, of Belvidere,
has for less than two years been a
member of the Masonic fraternity, but is
widely recognized as one of its loyal and
faithful adherents. He took the degrees of
Entered Apprentice and Fellow-craft, and
was created a Master Mason in Belvidere
Lodge, No. 60, A. F. & A. M., on the i8th
of March, 1895. He has since held the of-
fice of Senior Deacon and is accounted a
worthy representative of the fraternity in
Boone county.
Mr. Grain is a native of the Buckeye
state, his birth having occurred in Cedar-
ville, Greene county, on the ist of February,
1859. He is of Scotch-Irish ancestry and
possesses the most commendable character-
istics of those sturdy races. His grand-
father, John Grain, was the founder of the
family in America. He crossed the Atlantic,
bringing with him his wife and one son.
They located in Springfield, Clark county,
Ohio, where Mr. Grain carried on agricult-
ural pursuits. In religious belief they were
Presbyterians. John Reeder Grain, the
father of our subject, was born in Spring-
field, Ohio, and when he had arrived at
man's estate he married Miss Rebecca
Townsley, a native of Ohio. He became a
harness-maker and dealer, following that
pursuit for many years and doing a success-
ful business in that line. Both he and his
wife were consistent members of the Pres-
byterian church. Mrs. Grain died in 1878,
but the father is still living, at the age of
sixty-six years. He was a second time mar-
ried and had several children by that union,
while by the first marriage there were two
children.
8(5(5
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Grain, whose name introduces this
review, acquired his education in the public
schools of Jamestown, Ohio, and in early
life learned the machinist's trade, which he
followed for some time. For the past nine
years he has been in the employ of the Na-
tional Sewing Machine Company, at Bel-
videre, working in the milling department.
Three years ago he was promoted to the
position of foreman of that department, and
has since served in that capacity. He is a
good workman and a man .of intelligence,
ability and integrity. He thoroughly under-
stands his business and is therefore capable
of directing the men under him, so that the
best results may be accomplished.
In 1878 Mr. Grain was united in marriage
to Miss Ella N. Fallroth, a native of Spring-
field, Ohio. They have two sons, Page H.
and Clarence R. Mr. Grain is an active
Republican in politics, warmly advocating
the principles of his party. He is well in-
formed on the issues of the day and does all
in his power to promote the growth and in-
sure the success of Republicanism. On that
ticket he was elected, and he is now serving,
as alderman of Belvidere, his support being
given to all measures calculated to prove of
public benefit. The welfare of the city is dear
to him; and educational, social, moral and
material interests have been promoted
through his instrumentality.
JOHN W. SWATEK, Chicago.— From
the time of his induction into the
sacred precincts of the Masonic order
the subject of this review has maintained a
constant and lively interest and concern in
the affairs of the great fraternity, and in the
connection has gained that relative distinc-
tion which such zeal merits. Mr. Swatek's
identification with the order dates from
September 22, 1880, when he became a
member of Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611,
A. F. & A. M., to which he has ever since
rendered allegiance and in which he served
as Master in 1889-90. In the year 1881
he received the Royal Arch degrees, in
Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177, in which
his present affiliations are represented. He
has been Sojourner of this chapter for seven
years.
Mr. Swatek was knighted February 2,
1891, in St. Bernard Cornmandery, No. 35,
from which he subsequently withdrew for
the purpose of assisting in the organization
of Lincoln Park Commandery, No. 64,
having been one of the prime factors in ef-
fecting this organization. Prior to severing
his connection with St. Bernard Command-
ery he was for three years a member of its
military corps. Our subject's earnest en-
deavors in behalf of the Lincoln Park
Commandery have not fallen short of
appreciation on the part of his confreres,
for he has passed the chairs of the same
and in the present year (1896) is the in-
cumbent in the distinguished office of Emi-
nent Commander. This honor was ac-
corded him not less as a reward for his
zealous efforts in promoting the interests of
the commandery than as a token of the high
estimation in which he was held by the Sir
Knights. Under General John C. Smith
he was appointed Deputy Grand Lecturer,
which office he retained for a period of six
years. Under Monroe C. Crawford he re-
ceived appointment as Grand Standard
Bearer. The Ancient Arabic Order of the
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine finds an adher-
ent in Mr. Swatek, who has duly "trav-
ersed the desert" and became identified
with Medinah Temple, on whose director-
ate he is a representative. He is also a
member of that noble benevolent associa-
tion maintaining the Masonic Orphans'
Home. An enthusiastic and devoted worker
in the order for the past sixteen years, our
subject has gained prestige and wide ac-
quaintanceship in Masonic ranks of the city,
and it is but due that proper recognition be
accorded him in this compilation.
John W. Swatek is a native of Bohemia,
where he was born on the i6th of January,
1858. He came to America when a mere
child, and has been a resident of Chicago
since the year 1867, receiving his educa-
tional discipline in the public schools of this
city. He has been distinctively the archi-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
367
tect of his own fortunes, having started out
in life with neither the propitious aids of
financial resources or influential friends.
Step by step he has climbed the ladder of
success, and industry and unwavering in-
tegrity have not been denied their rewards.
He has been engaged in the cigar and
tobacco trade in this city since 1883, and at
the present time is associated with his
brother in the conduct of a representative
business in this line, the firm having two
attractive and finely-stocked establish-
ments—the one located at 153 Madison
street and the other on the southeast corner
of Adams and Dearborn streets. Mr.
Swatek enjoys a marked popularity, and is
known as an able business man, well de-
serving of the success which has attended
his efforts.
JAMES A. RUTLEDGE, M. D., a suc-
cessful practicing physician of Elgin, is
a Knight Templar Mason and manifests
a warm interest in the order. He took the
three degrees of ancient-craft Masonry in
Kishwaukee Lodge, No. 402, of Kingston,
in 1888, and two years later began the
study of the esoteric doctrines and sym-
bolic truths of capitular Masonry in Syca-
more Lodge, No. 49. He was constituted,
created and dubbed a Sir Knight in Syca-
more Commandery, No. 15, in 1895, and is
now affiliated with Bethel Commandery.
There is an element of peculiar consistency
between the principles of Masonry and the
labors of the physician, the one well sup-
plementing the work of the other. In his
province of alleviating human suffering the
physician finds ample opportunity to put
into practice the benevolent and helpful
principles of the order, and this Dr. Rut-
ledge has done, thus showing his under-
standing of the obligations which rest upon
the following of this ancient and honorable
fraternity.
The Doctor was born in St. Louis,
Missouri, on the 2ist of August, 1861, a
son of Thomas W. and Abigail J. (Richard-
son) Rutledge. During the war the father
was connected with an arsenal and after the
close of hostilities removed to DeKalb, Illi-
nois, whence in 1868 he went to Rockford.
There in the public schools the Doctor ob-
tained his literary education, after which he
took up the study of pharmacy and com-
pleted a thorough course therein. Later he
was engaged in the drug business for five
years, but preferring the medical profession
he read medicine for one year under the di-
rection of Dr. W. R. Shinn, of Chenoa.
He graduated at the Rush Medical College,
of Chicago, in the class of 1886, and began
practice in Fielding, DeKalb county, where
he remained for nine years. In 1895 he re-
moved to Elgin, where he has since re-
mained in practice, having a large and
lucrative patronage, which is constantly in-
creasing. He could never content himself
with mediocrity, and has long since left the
ranks of the many to stand among the suc-
cessful few. He has ever been a close stu-
dent of his profession and his interest
therein has led to his attaining a prominent
place in the ranks of the medical fraternity.
He belongs to the Fox River Valley Med-
ical Society and the American Medical
Association. He is examining physician
for the Home Forum, and a member of the
Knights of Pythias fraternity.
In politics he is independent, but is well
informed on political topics and votes ac-
cording to the dictates of his judgment.
He was married in 1887 to Miss Mary J.
Houdeshell, adopted daughter of Isaac
Crill. She is a member of the Congrega-
tional church, and shares with her husband
the high regard in which he is held through-
out the community.
WILLIAM B. PETTIT, of Rock Island,
has for fourteen years been the effi-
cient and honored Secretary of Trio Lodge,
No. 57, A. F. & A. M., and is a worthy and
loyal member of the fraternity which
teaches ethics by symbols, having for its
creed belief in the eternal God, the Father,
the Grand Architect of the Universe, and by
its ceremonials impresses the dogma of the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
resurrection. In its practical workings it
has long been one of the most potent forces
in civilization, discouraging all evil and pro-
moting all good. The ritual of the order,
indeed its very purpose and aim, can do
nothing else than to bring man into closer
relations to his Maker, thereby inspiring
him with high and noble ideals. The in-
tent and aim of an institution like Free-
masonry, however, is larger and broader
than its written code or creed; it is
universal in its scope, having a world-
wide and age-long basis in the fatherhood
of God and the brotherhood of man. For
forty years Mr. Pettit has been a member
of the fraternity, having joined Columbia
Lodge, No. 58, A. F. & A. M., at Frederick,
Maryland. He has the honor of having
been raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason by Brigadier-General Bradley T.
Johnson, of the Confederate army. In 1858
he dimitted from his home lodge and affili-
ated with Keeny Lodge, of Edgington, Illi-
nois, for about ten years. In 1860 he came
to Rock Island and in 1872 deposited his
dimit, and was elected a member of Trio
Lodge on the 7th of November, 1872. He
served as its Senior Deacon, and in 1882
was elected its Secretary, which position he
has since filled most acceptably and faith-
fully. In 1886 he published a very neat
and valuable bound book of the lodge, giv-
ing its history and many valuable statistics,
a tabulated record of the membership, the
charter of the Grand Lodge and the by-
laws. It is a most valuable little work for
Masons, and Mr. Pettit deserves much
credit for the excellent compilation of the
same. Zealous in the work of the order he
is active in its work and is regarded as one
of the leading representatives of the society
in Rock Island.
A native of Cumberland, Maryland, Mr.
Pettit was born on the loth of September,
.1834, and is of French and Scotch-Irish
descent, his ancestors having come to Amer-
ica a century and a half ago. They were
prominent in the events which formed the
colonial history of the country and were
participants in the Revolution and the war of
1812. The father of our subject, Henry Mc-
Ewan Pettit, was born in Bellefonte, Penn-
sylvania, and married Miss Mary Beall.
whose grandfather, Francis Beall, was one
of the patriots who fought for American in-
dependence, while several of her uncles
were in the war of 1812. Henry Pettit
was also a Master Mason. His profession
was that of a civil engineer and he was largely
engaged in that capacity on the construc-
tion of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
He died in Maryland in the forty-seventh
year of his age, while his estimable wife,
long surviving him, passed away in 1894, in
her eighty-sixth year. They had eight chil-
dren, five of whom are now living. For
many generations the family has been con-
nected with the Episcopalian and Presby-
terian churches.
William B. Pettit, the second of the
family, acquired an excellent English edu-
cation in Frederick College, and afterward
learned the milling business, which he fol-
lowed for sixteen years. For a number of
years he was employed in the mill of Mr.
Leas, of Rock Island, who operated an
extensive flour-mill. In 1885 Mr. Pettit
established his grocery store at the corner
of Third avenue and Ninth street, and has
there built up an excellent trade. He car-
ries a large and well-selected stock, and his
honorable dealing, his courtesy and his en-
terprise has secured to him a liberal pa-
tronage.
Mr. Pettit has also erected a pleasant
and commodious residence in Rock Island,
which is now occupied by his family. In
1864 he was married, the lady of his choice
being Miss Emily L. Coldy, a native of
Henry county, Illinois. Of their seven
chidren four are yet living. The eldest son,
Benjamin W. , is in business in Seattle,
Washington; Henry McEwan is in business
in New York city; Fanny is now the wife
of A. W. Giles, of Rock Island; and Mary
L. R. and Isabella M. , at home, complete
the family. Mrs. Pettit departed this life
in 1878, and in 1880 Mr. Pettit was again
married, his second union being with Sarah
E. Ward, a native of Steuben county,
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOr
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
871
New York. They have four children —
Edward, Harriet, Emma and Perry.
The parents are valued members of the
Baptist church, and are very active and
prominent in its work. Mr. Pettit has
served as clerk of the church for ten years,
was financial secretary for five years and
has been treasurer for the past six years.
His political support is given the Republican
party. His duties of citizenship are faith-
fully performed and every trust committed
to his care is loyally discharged.
JOHN B. SEGHERS, whose identifica-
tion with the Masonic fraternity covers
a period of ten years, was made a Ma-
son in Blair Lodge, in 1886, and took the
Royal Arch degrees in Chicago Chapter in
March, 1893. In the same year he was
knighted in Apollo Commandery, and in
June, 1895, he took the Scottish Rite de-
grees in the Oriental Consistory at St.
Louis, in the Missouri Valley. With all of
these he is still affiliated and his interest in
Masonry is steadfast and deep. He has a
wide acquaintance among the representa-
tives of the fraternity, and those who know
him esteem him highly for his fidelity to its
principles.
On the 22d of April, 1851, in Peoria,
Illinois, Mr. Seghers was born, and his en-
tire life has been passed in Illinois, with
the exception of a few years in California
and Missouri. When a youth of ten sum-
mers he came to Chicago, and in its public
schools acquired a practical English educa-
tion to fit him for life's responsible duties.
From his youth he has been familiar with the
catering business, and it was largely through
his efforts that the present club system of
Chicago — now a most important element in
the social life of the city — was inaugurated.
He acted as superintendent of the Chicago
Club and the Union League Club for sev-
eral years, and for the past six years has
most acceptably served as superintendent
of the Standard Club. Nature has emi-
nently fitted him for this calling, in which
he has been extremely successful. He un-
derstands fully the requirements of club
life, and his superintendence of these large
institutions requires a managerial ability
and foresight such as are demanded in the
conduct of the largest mercantile and indus-
trial concerns. Mr. Seghers is a man of
excellent business and executive ability, and
his obliging and courteous manner has made
him a favorite with the club members of all
the associations with which he has been
connected.
In politics Mr. Seghers is independent,
casting his right of suffrage for those men
who in his judgment are the best fitted for
the position which they seek.
On the 5th of January, 1880, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Seghers and
Miss Henrietta Van Gelder, a native of
Chicago. They now have an interesting
family of six daughters, namely: Jennie
Engle, Fannie Ruth, Frederika Florence,
Isabel Delle, Alberta Marietta and Henrietta
Maudella.
EDMUND BURT, a prominent citizen
and extensive grain and coal dealer at
Shannon, Illinois, is a charter member of
Shannon Lodge, No. 490, F. & A. M. , which
was organized October 3, 1866. During
the thirty years he has been a member of
this lodge he has been unwavering in its
support and has from time to time been
called upon to fill official positions, having
passed nearly all its chairs and becoming
thoroughly familiar with the ritual. Nor
has his interest in Masonry stopped with the
blue lodge. He is a member of Lanark
Chapter, the degrees of which were con-
ferred upon him in 1890; Mark Master, Feb-
ruary 10; Past Master, February 10; Most
Excellent Master, February 24, and Royal
Arch, February 24. He has also taken the
commandery and consistory degrees. He
was made a Sir Knight Templar in Freeport
Commandery, and received all the consis-
tory degrees up to and including the thirty-
second in Freeport Valley Consistory; and
he is a member of the Mystic Shrine
also, having been initiated into its mys-
372
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
teries in Medinah Temple, of Chicago, where
he maintains his membership.
Mr. Burt is an Englishman by birth, a
Canadian by early associations, and has
long been a resident of Illinois. He was
born in Cornwall county, England, May 23,
1838, when a child emigrated with his par-
ents to Canada, and came to Illinois in 1858,
locating on a farm near Shannon. In 1873
he began purchasing grain and stock, a busi-
ness in which he has continued with marked
success. He has built and is running a
number of grain elevators in different places,
and in addition to dealing largely in grain
has also for the past ten years carried on a
lumber and coal business.
Mr. Burt's residence in Shannon, which
he planned and erected, is one of the hand-
some homes of this city. He was happily
married in 1881 to Mrs. Esther Buckley,
who has three children by her former mar-
riage. She is a devoted and consistent
member of the Presbyterian church, and of
this church Mr. Burt is a liberal supporter.
Mr. Burt's parents were William and
Elizabeth (Brown) Burt, both natives of
England. It was in 1855 that they came
to America and located in Canada. Shortly
afterward they moved to Illinois and settled
on a farm, and here they spent the residue
of their lives and died, each having passed
into the octogenarian ranks, he being eighty-
three at the time of death and she eighty-
one. They were the parents of five sons
and five daughters, of whom eight are still
living. Mr. Edmund Burt is the owner of
the old home farm, besides which he has
other valuable property. As a business
man and citizen and as a brother Mason he
enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who
have the pleasure of his acquaintance.
CJ. GILBERT. — Among the veteran
members of the Masonic fraternity who
have grown gray in its service and who have
watched its triumphant march in this state
for the past fifty years or so, none is better
known or more honored by his brothers
than is C. J. Gilbert, who dates his connec-
tion with the society back to forty-two years
ago, nearly thirty of which he has passed in
the local bodies of Evanston. in which he
continues to-day as a loyal and enthusiastic
f rater , possessing the same confidence in its
ultimate victory and the attainment of its
greatly desired objects and the same sublime
faith in its divine principles that he pos-
sessed when he first took the vows of appren-
ticeship. His initial degrees were received
in Michigan Lodge, No. 50, at Jackson,
Michigan, on March 8, 1855, and he faithfully
performed the duties of its Secretary for one
term. On October I, 1857, he obtained a
dimit and joined Evans Lodge, No. 524, of
which he became a life member. On March
11, 1856, he was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Jackson Chap-
ter, No. 3, and on November 18, 1858, he
was dimitted, and on locating in Evanston
rendered able assistance in organizing Evans-
ton Chapter, No. 144, becoming a charter
and life member, and has the distinction of
serving as its first King, dispatching the re-
quirements of that office with intelligence,
ability and fidelity. He received the orders
of knighthood in Apollo Commandery, No.
i, in 1890, later joining Montjoie Com-
mandery, No. 58, and finally becoming
a member of Evanston Commandery, No.
53, affiliating with that body at the pres-
ent writing. Mr. Gilbert has attained to
the thirty-second degree in the Ineffable
Lodge of Perfection and was proclaimed
a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret
in Oriental Consistory. April 20, 1888.
Mr. Gilbert's long connection with the fra-
ternity gives him a distinctive place among
the members of the Illinois Masonic Vet-
erans' Association, and his many excellent
qualities as a man and a Mason highly
commend him to all with whom he is ac-
quainted.
A native of the Empire state, Mr. Gil-
bert was born in Lima, on April 15, 1829,
his mental discipline being acquired in the
public schools of Livingston county, upon
leaving which he engaged in the carriage-
manufacturing trade, and was thus employed
until he came west in 1853, locating in Jack-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
373
son, Michigan, where he secured a clerkship
in a mercantile establishment and worked
in that capacity for four years. At the end
of that period he journe3'ed to St. Louis,
Missouri, and embarked in the grain com-
mission business, continuing therein until
1 86 1 , when he came to Chicago, and was
similarly employed up to 1883, during which
time he was a member of the Chicago Board
of Trade, and in 1863 served as its vice-pres-
ident. In 1883 Mr. Gilbert entered the
real-estate business in Evanston, since
which time he has successfully conducted
that branch of industry in this city, his
strict integrity, his irreproachable character,
and the honorable, methods used in all his
dealings, constituting the source of his pros-
perity and resulting in his present exalted
standing as a business man and a citizen.
In his political affiliations he is an independ-
ent thinker and voter. In 1870 he was
elected president of the Evanston board of
trustees, holding that office for a term of
five years.
On February 23, 1858, Mr. Gilbert was
married, in Washington, District of Colum-
bia, to Mrs. Jennie M. Hedges, whose
demise occurred in 1888. They had five
children, three of whom survive. In 1890
our subject was married to Mrs. Charlotte
M. Dwyer, of Chicago.
FRANK M. PUFFER is an active work-
ing member of the Masonic society,
and his name has found a place on its mem-
bership rolls since 1877, when he took the
degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft
and Master Mason in E. W. F. Ellis Lodge,
No. 633, A. F. & A. M. He has since been
most active and useful in promoting the in-
terests of the lodge, and has filled all of its
offices save that of Worshipful Master. His
brethren would have given him that had he
not declined the honor, feeling that his time
would not permit him to give the attention
to the work that it necessitates. He is a
Royal Arch Mason of Winnebago Chapter,
No. 24, and with fifteen brethren he took
the Scottish Rite degrees in Freeport Con-
sistory, so that he is now a thirty-second-
degree Mason. He also belongs to Tebala
Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His deep in-
terest in Masonry is not only indicated by a
verbal endorsement/ but also in his ener-
getic efforts to advance the society and in-
culcate its principles among his fellow men.
Capable and reliable, he is highly esteemed
by the craft, and in this volume he well de-
serves mention.
Mr. Puffer was born in Spring Prairie,
Wisconsin, October 14, 1855, and is a rep-
resentative of an old New England family
that was founded in Massachusetts at a very
early day, and took an active part in the
events which go to make up the history of
the colonies and of the Revolution. In re-
ligious faith they were Baptists. The pa-
ternal grandfather of our subject held mem-
bership in that church for more than fifty
years. Both the paternal and maternal an-
cestors were noted for longevity, and one
member of the family is now ninety-five
years of age, enjoying excellent health and
able to work each day.
Samuel L. Puffer, the father, was born
in Massachusetts, in 1827, and married Miss
Lydia M. Graves, a native of the Bay state.
They became parents of four children, three
of whom are living. The father is a worthy
member of the Masonic fraternity, and his
wife is a faithful member of the Baptist
church.
Frank M. Puffer, their eldest child,
acquired his education in the public schools
of McHenry county, Illinois, and afterward
followed the profession of pharmacist,
being engaged in the business for six years
in Rockford. He then went upon the road
as a traveling salesman in. the interest of
the Trahern Pump Company, and in 1893
was elected assessor of the township of
Rockford, Winnebago county, which in-
cludes the city of Rockford. He has since
been annually re-elected, and has proved a
most capable official, prompt, accurate and
reliable in the discharge of the duties which
devolve upon him. Thoroughly informed
concerning the values of both city and
374
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
country property, he can place a just and
impartial estimate upon all holdings, both
real and personal, and his service in office
has been one of eminent satisfaction to the
public at large.
In 1878 Mr. Puffer was united in mar-
riage to Miss Sarah E. Beck, a native of
McHenry county, Illinois. They have two
children, Bessie M. and Robert, both born
in Rockford. They have a pleasant home,
which was erected by Mr. Puffer, and their
standing in social circles is an enviable one.
Mr. Puffer is a member and treasurer of
the Commercial Club of Rockford, and
takes an active interest in the welfare of
the city, giving a hearty endorsement and
active support to all measures calculated to
prove of public benefit.
W
WILLIAM HENRY MYERS was made
WJH a Mason in Herman Lodge, No. 39,
A. F. & A. M., of Quincy, being initiated
as an Entered Apprentice on the igth of
February, 1884. He passed the Fellow-
craft degree on the 4th of March, and on
the 6th of May was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason. He at once be-
came an intelligent and active worker in
his lodge, and his fidelity to its teachings
won recognition in official preferment to
which he was called by the brethren of the
fraternity. He has served as Steward, as
Junior Warden, Senior Warden and Wor-
shipful Master, and is one whose labors for
the order have resulted most effectively in
the substantial growth of his lodge. He
began the study of capitular Masonry, learn-
ing therein the beautiful and historic lessons
of the past, and was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Quincy
Chapter, No. 5, November 24, 1891. In
the chapter work he has also been active,
having served as Master of the Veils, as
Royal Arch Captain, Captain of the Host,
Scribe and King, filling the last named most
creditably at the present time. On the
25th of June, 1892, he was knighted in
Beauseant Commandery, No. 11, and has
been elected and served as Junior Warden,
Senior Warden, and at the present writing,
in 1897, is Captain General. He took the
degrees of cryptic Masonry in Quincy Coun-
cil, No. 15, Royal and Select Masters, and
in 1896-7 was one of its Wardens. Such
is the history of his connection with the
, various branches of Masonry, but the
record of his affiliation indicates but little
of a faithful service, which has won him
the highest regard of all his brethren and
made him a most valued member of the
society.
Mr. Myers was born in Salem, Jefferson
county, Ohio, January 6, 1850, and is of
German and Scottish ancestry. His father,
Andrew Myers, was born in Pennsylvania,
and was married there to Miss Mary Mc-
Kee, also a native of the Keystone state,
and of Scotch descent. The Myers family
for many generations has been represented
in America, and the great-grandfather of
oar subject fought for independence in the
war of the Revolution. In 1860 Andrew
Myers, with his wife and three children,
came to Illinois, after which he entered the
Union army, and was killed in the battle of
Perryville, Kentucky.
Mr. Myers, of this review, was the eldest
of the surviving children. He was educated
in the public schools of Comanche, Iowa,
learned the trade of millwright and has
made that business his life work. He has
built a number of flouring-mills and for the
past thirteen years has had charge of the
machinery in the extensive flouring-mill
owned by Taylor Brothers, of Quincy. This
mill has a capacity of two thousand barrels
of flour per day, being one of the largest in
the state. That Mr. Myers is an expert
machinist and millwright is evidenced by
the fact that he has kept the machinery in
perfect running order so that no time has
been lost for the past thirteen years. His
fidelity to duty and to the interests of the
company is well indicated by his long con-
nection with the firm, and he merits and
enjoys their fullest confidence. In 1876
Mr. Myers was united in marriage to Miss
Mary Fitzgerald, a native of St. Joseph,
Missouri, and they have three daughters,—
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
375
Agnes, Rose and Geraldine. Mr. Myers
and his wife have the warm regard of many
friends and are widely known in Quincy.
He is a Republican in- his political adher-
ency, but his devotion to his business cares
has precluded the idea of seeking public
office.
BENJAMIN BUTLER HYLER.— There
is no better school in which to train a
man in correct principles of living, to de-
velop his religious and moral nature and
instill in him a thorough appreciation of
that beautiful sentiment which underlies all
good government — the fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of man — than the Ma-
sonic order. Its members are to be found
among the best citizens in every walk of
life, and the influence of its teachings is
felt in every circle. It throws a safeguard
about every member which shields him
from temptation and enables him to rise
superior to unfortunate environments, and
in every way assists him to become a
useful and honorable factor in his commu-
nity.
Among the many loyal Masons in the state
none is more devoted to the order or more
faithful to its teachings than the gentleman
whose name heads this sketch, and who is
the leading dentist in the city of Savanna.
His activity and enthusiasm in the work of
the fraternity is well known and appreciated
by the brothers; and although young in
years, he has held various important offices,
as the following brief summary will show:
Mr. Hyler was made a Master Mason in
Bellevue Lodge, No. 5 1 , in Jackson county,
Iowa. He was dimitted from that lodge
and was elected a member of Mississippi
Lodge, No. 385, at Savanna, on August 20,
1891; received the degree of Mark Master,
December 23, 1890; Past Master, Decem-
ber 29, following, and Most Excellent Mas-
ter January 29, 1891. He became a Royal
Arch Mason February 27, 1891, and has
held the First Veil, been Royal Arch Cap-
tain and is now Companion Captain of the
Host.
Mr. Hyler is thoroughly posted in the
work of the lodges, in both of which he is
held in the highest esteem for his ability and
the active interest he takes in furthering
their usefulness and prosperity. He is one
of those men who can be called upon at a
moment's notice to fill any position or un-
dertake any work to the entire satisfaction
of all concerned. He is also a Sir Knight
Templar, having joined Long Commandery
at Mount Carroll in 1894. His ambition is
to progress in the Masonic work until he
has attained the last and highest degree in
the order; and it is safe to predict that his
ambition will be realized if his life is spared.
Benjamin B. Hyler is a native of Iowa,
his birth taking place May 8, 1864, in
Bellevue, Jackson county. His first Amer-
ican ancestors came from England and Ire-
land, and he combines in his character the
best traits of these nationalities. His fa-
ther, Mahlon G. Hyler, was born at Sack-
ett's Harbor, New York, and on the ma-
ternal side is a descendant of the noted
Potter family of that state. He moved to
Iowa in 1840 and is now the oldest pioneer
settler of Bellevue, where he took up gov-
ernment land and for many years carried on
farming, later becoming a merchant. In
both these callings he was successful, be-
coming a prominent and influential citizen
and a man of means. His fellow citizens
testified their esteem of this gentleman by
electing him mayor several times, and he
has also filled other offices of trust. He is
now, at the age of seventy-five years, re-
tired from active business and is enjoying
the results of a useful and industrious life.
His wife, whose name before marriage was
Jerusha McDowell, and was a native of
Oneida county, New York, died in 1890.
Their four children are all living.
Mr. Hyler, of this sketch, the youngest
of the family, acquired his early education
in his native city. He graduated at the
high school and afterward entered the
dental department of the Iowa State Uni-
versity, from which he received a diploma
in 1886. He at once began practice in Sa-
vanna and has met with most flattering sue-
376
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
cess. Thoroughly posted in his profession,
he secures the confidence of his patrons, by
his skill and careful attention to their needs,
and by his courteous treatment of all who
come in contact with him.
Dr. Hyler was married September 20,
1894, to Miss Louisa Bowen, a daughter of
L. W. Bowen and granddaughter of the
founder of Savanna. They have a comfort-
able cottage, in which they dispense a
charming hospitality, and are held in the
highest regard in social circles. Politically
the Doctor is a stanch Republican and is
faithful to the interests of his party as well
as to all that pertains to the welfare of his
community.
GEORGE COWEN BYERS. — Among
the laudable principles inculcated by
Masonry, none is more insisted on than loy-
alty to one's country; and it is not to be
wondered at that many of our bravest
soldiers were enrolled as members of the
order before they took up their guns in de-
fense of the old flag. Loyalty and bravery
generally go together, and a faithful mem-
ber of the grand old institution could not
fail to make a good record in the service of
his country.
George Cowen Byers, a retired Illinois
farmer and a veteran of the Civil war, resid-
ing at Shannon, is one of the worthy mem-
bers of Shannon Lodge, No. 490, A. F. &
A. M., having been admitted into the lodge
in 1873. He also holds a membership in
Lanark Chapter, No. 423, receiving the
Mark Master's degree February i, 1889,
Past Master, same date, Most Excellent
Master February 14, and Royal Arch same
date. He was knighted in Freeport Com-
mandery, No. 9.
Mr. Byers is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born in Blair county, October
19, 1844. His paternal ancestors were
French and German, while on the maternal
side they were Scotch and German. His
father, David Byers, was born in Adams
county, Pennsylvania, where he married
Susanna Cowen. They came to Illinois in
1850 and located in Carroll county, Lima
township, where they bought a farm and
resided up to the time of Mr. Byers' death,
when he had attained the age of seventy-
two years; Mrs. Byers died at the age of
sixty-eight. They have five children, of
whom three are yet living.
George C., the subject of this sketch,
was the eldest of the family. He was raised
on the farm, where he worked hard during
the summer months and attended school
for a short time during the winter, and in
this way secured a limited education. In
1863, when the civil war was at its height,
and the need of patriotic men was the
greatest, he, in answer to his country's
call, enlisted on August 7, in Company
K, One Hundred and Forty-second Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry, and served first
in the Army of the Tennessee, and later in
the Army of the Cumberland. He fought
at Greentown, Mississippi, Holly Springs,
in the great Atlanta campaign, and went
with Sherman on his celebrated march to
the sea. He was a participant in the grand
review of the victorious army at Washing-
ton, after which he was honorably dis-
charged and retired to his home and the
peaceful vocation of a farmer. In 1877 he
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of
land, which he improved, and as he pros-
pered he added to his possessions one hun-
dred and thirty acres more, all of which he
now owns. It is located two miles and a
half south of Shannon.
Mr. Byers was married in 1873 to Miss
Mary Catherine Bossier, who was born in
Blair county, Pennsylvania. Their union
has been blessed with four children, namely:
Charles Collins, Samuel Aden, Olin, and
one deceased, named J. Scott. Mrs. Byers
is a faithful worker in the Lutheran church,
and Mr. Byers has always been a stanch
Republican and an ardent supporter of his
party, although he has never desired or
sought office.
In 1890 he retired from his farm and
built an elevator, engaging in buying grain.
Later he abandoned that enterprise and en-
tered the lumber and coal business; his
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
377
trade is principally in the line of lumber,
sash, doors and blinds and articles of a like
nature. He is a citizen of high standing in
his community, and is respected by all who
come in contact with him for his integrity,
honesty and irreproachable character.
JAMES MARCUS EVERETT. — During
the short time in which the subject of
this review has been a member of the
Masonic fraternity — about two years — he
has exercised such diligence in the work of
his lodge, and manifested so great an inter-
est in the welfare of the craft that he has
been assigned to duty in several offices,
which he has performed in a manner
worthy of the confidence imposed in him by
his brothers. Dr. Everett received the
Master Mason's degree in De Kalb Lodge,
No. 144, in 1895, and was elected Senior
Warden in December the same year,
and again in December 1896, in that body,
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in De Kalb Chapter, No. 52,
and became Master of the Third Veil in the
same year; in 1896 he received the degrees
of cryptic Masonry in De Kalb Council, No.
8 1, and was elected its King; and attained
the chivalric degrees in Sycamore Com-
mandery, No. 15, in 1895. The Doctor
and his wife are both members of Normal
Chapter, No. 357, Order of the Eastern
Star.
Dr. Everett was born in Dixon, Illinois,
April 13, 1853, and is a son of Dr. Oliver
and Bessie (Law) Everett. His early edu-
cation was acquired in the city of his na-
tivity, and he was later sent to the Uni-
versity "of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, at which
he was graduated as a civil engineer in 1874.
He then took up the study of medicine
under the preceptorship of his father, sub-
sequently entering Rush Medical College,
at Chicago, at which he was graduated in
1877. The Doctor returned to Dixon and
there followed his profession until 1884,
when he moved to De Kalb, and has here
established an extensive and lucrative gen-
eral practice. He is district surgeon for
the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, presi-
dent of the board of pension surgeons, is a
member of the Royal Arcanum, and has
been associated with the Fox River Medical
Association and the Illinois State Medical
Society. The Doctor is a well-read man
and thoroughly posted on all the details of
his profession.
Our subject was married in 1879 to Miss
Etta Jones, whose demise occurred in Feb-
ruary, 1895. The Doctor's second mar-
riage took place December 30, 1896, his
bride being Miss Augusta Jones. Politic-
ally Dr. Everett affiliated with the free-
silver Democrats, and in public position
has served two terms in the city council.
Personally he possesses a happy disposition,
is open-hearted and generous, and is popu-
lar in professional, social and political cir-
cles.
FRANK MARION FULKS, the present
Worshipful Master of Cass Lodge, No.
23, A. F. & A. M., at Beardstown, was
made a Master Mason in that lodge on the
1 9th of June, 1891, and at once became an
enthusiastic and faithful worker, thoroughly
studying the ritual, the history and the le-
gends and principles of the ancient order.
He has ably filled the offices of Junior
Warden, Senior Warden two terms, and
is now serving his second term as Wor-
shipful Master, with credit to himself and
with the fullest satisfaction of the brethren.
Mr. Fulks was born and educated' in
Beardstown, and is now one of the city's
most progressive and successful business
men, doing a large retail and provision busi-
ness in the grocery line. His father, John
B. Fulks, was a native of Virginia and came
to Beardstown as early as 1833, and was
one of the respected pioneers of this locality.
He was a journalist, the first city clerk of
Beardstown, and was also the sheriff of the
county. His wife, who before marriage was
Sarah Crewdson, came to this state in 1831,
with her father, James Crewdson. Mr.
Fulks, of this sketch, was the youngest of
their nine children. He has been brought
378
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
up in the grocery business ever since he
was twelve years of age, and in 1883 he
started out in the business for himself and
from the humblest beginnings has risen to
be one of the principal business men of the
city.
In 1884 he married Miss Maggie Sample,
a native of Morgan county, Illinois, and they
have two sons, — Richard B. and Harry C.
Mr. and Mrs. Fulks are active members of
the Methodist church. He is a member of
the school board of his city, and is president
of the Beardstown Building & Loan Associa-
tion, an institution he has made of great
value to the people. While he is one of
the most active Masons in the city, he is
also one of her best citizens.
WILLIAM STEELE BEST.— Among
those who have attained the thirty-
second degree, and whose connection with
Masonry has been conducive to its ma-
terial welfare, is the gentleman whose name
introduces this review. His Masonic record
is most honorable, and shows a devotion to
the society and a loyalty to its interests
that is unexcelled only by those who, with
no business cares, are devoting their entire
lives to the advancement of the order. For
almost a third of a century he has been a
representative of this ancient and honored
society, having become a Mason in 1864, in
Excelsior Lodge, No. 97, F. &. A. M., of
Freeport. He was raised to the degree of
Royal Arch in Freeport Chapter, No. 23,
and knighted in Freeport Commandery, No.
7. He is also a member of the council
and the consistory, and has taken all the
degrees in the Scottish Rite up to and in-
cluding the thirty-second. He has held all
the offices of importance in these various
bodies, becoming a most useful and active
worker therein. He was Worshipful Mas-
ter of Excelsior Lodge for two years, enter-
ing upon the duties of that position at a
time when the lodge was not in a very
flourishing condition, and when its ex-
chequer was much depleted. His energy
and devotion to the work soon made itself
manifest, and during his incumbency he
conferred two hundred degrees and left a
balance in the treasury of sixteen hundred
dollars. His term of service was certainly
a most successful one, and won him the
gratitude of the fraternity. He has served
as High Priest of the chapter, Eminent
Commander of the commandery, and is
now the able Secretary of the consistory.
When aid is needed by his lodge, no one
more quickly and willingly responds than
Mr. Best, and he is an honored and valued
member of the craft, for whom his brethren
have the highest esteem and most friendly
regard.
Mr. Best's business career also is not
without interest, for it is a record of faithful
service, of duties so well performed that
even a change in political power does not
cause his removal from office of clerk of the
money order department in the Freeport
postoffice.
Our subject was born in Woodfield, Ohio,
November 16, 1839, and is descended from
Holland ancestors, who were among the
earliest settlers of Pennsylvania and were
participants in the Revolutionary war,
valiantly aiding in the struggle to throw off
the yoke of British tyranny. The father of
our subject, Rev. Charles O. Best, was a
pioneer Methodist minister and a native of
the Keystone state. He traveled and
preached the gospel in Pennsylvania, New
York and Ohio, and in 1851 came to Free-
port. He was then connected with the
ministry of Illinois up to the time of his
death. He was a most earnest, devoted
man, and his noble Christian life, as well as
his precepts, led many to seek the better
way of living. He passed to his reward in
1878, at the age of sixty-six years, after
forty-three years of faithful service in the
Master's vineyard. His memory is en-
shrined in the hearts of hundreds, and his
influence remains as a blessed benediction
to all who knew him. His wife bore ihe
maiden name of Eliza Adams, and was a
native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania.
They had five children, three of whom are
living.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
379
William S. Best is the eldest of the
family. He was educated in the public
schools and began life for himself as a farm-
er. After coming to Freeport he entered
the railway mail service in which capacity
he was employed for thirteen years, after
which he was elected and served as city clerk
of Freeport for two years. Since that time
he has held the office of money order clerk
in the postoffice, notwithstanding he is a
pronounced Republican, his superior quali-
fications and efficient service enabling him
to hold the position through changing polit-
ical administrations. He gives the fullest
satisfaction to all concerned and shows that
merit will win and bring its reward.
Mr. Best was happily married December
5, 1860, the lady of his choice being Miss
A. M. Crash, a native of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania. They have had five chil-
dren, three of whom are living — Carrie,
Charles G. and Adel. The first named is
now the wife of James R. Cowley, city ea-
itor of the Journal. Their home is a de-
lightful and peaceful one and they have
very many warm friends.
JAMES L. ONDERDONK, one of Chi-
cago's enterprising business men, stands
high in the ranks of the Masonic frater-
nity and is recognized as one of the valued
members of the order in this city. For fif-
teen years he has been identified with the
society, having been made a Mason in Boise
Lodge, No. 2, of Boise City, Idaho, in
1 88 1. The same year he was exalted to
the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason, in
Boise Chapter, No. 3, of which he was
High Priest for two terms, and since com-
ing to Chicago he has affiliated with Lafay-
ette Chapter, No. 2. In 1891 he became
a member of Palestine Council, No. 66,
Royal and Select Masters. He took the
Knight Templar degrees in Idaho Com-
mandery, No. i, of Boise City, in 1884,
and in 1892 joined Apollo Commandery,
No. I, of this city. Such, in brief, is the
history of his identification with Masonry,
but it simply suggests that fidelity to prin-
22
ciple and loyalty to the teachings of the
order have made him a valued addition to
the organization' with which he affiliates.
Its upholding of all that is honorable in
business and social life at once appeals to a
man of Mr. Onderdonk's character; it goes
even beyond the principles of " live and let
live," for recognizing the brotherhood of
mankind, its members extending the hand
of encouragement and generous aid to a
fellow traveler on life's journey. Believing
firmly in a religion of helpfulness, Mr.
Onderdonk is therefore a faithful member of
this most ancient of all the fraternities.
J. L. ONDERDONK.
The record of his life is as follows: He
was born in Bergen, now a part of Jersey
City, New Jersey, on the 24th of May,
1854, and was reared in the state of his
nativity and in New York. His youth was
spent in acquiring an education. After at-
tending school he entered Columbia Col-
lege, where he was graduated with the
class of 1872, and he at once entered the
Columbia Law School of New York, and
on the completion of a two-years course
880
COMPENDIUM, OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
there he graduated, in 1874. Immediately
afterward he began the practice of his
chosen profession in New York city, where
he remained until 1878, when he went to
Boise City, Idaho. There he soon attained
prominence as an able lawyer, and for two
terms served as city attorney. In 1880-1
he was a member of the territorial legisla-
ture and was appointed comptroller for the
territory, serving from 1881 to 1885. A
leader in the ranks of the Republican
party, he did effective service in its inter-
ests as an orator and campaign manager,
and in 1884 served as chairman of the ter-
ritorial Republican central committee. In
1882 he was appointed a commissioner
from Idaho to the Denver International
Mining Exposition, and in 1883 was ap-
pointed in a similar capacity to the Santa
Fe Tri-Centennial. He was also assistant
commissioner to the New Orleans Cotton
Centennial Exposition. As one of Idaho's
most prominent and representative citizens,
he was thus frequently called to perform
some honorable service for the territory,
and his ability in this direction added new
laurels to its fair name.
In 1886 Mr. Onderdonk went to Port-
land, Oregon, where he engaged in journal-
ism as editor of the Portland Daily News,
continuing that enterprise until 1887, when
he came to Chicago. Here he has devoted
his time largely to contracting. He is a
man of great energy, enterprise and pro-
gressiveness, and his well-directed efforts
have brought to him substantial returns for
his labor. His record is that of a man
whose well-spent life has won him the con-
fidence of many. He manifests in his daily
life the spirit of the Masonic fraternity and
exemplifies its honorable teachings in his
upright career, so that he is a worthy and
acceptable member of the craft. In poli-
tics he has been a life-long Republican.
JAMES CANADA SMILEY, M. D.— The
profession of medicine and the Masonic
fraternity are closely linked together by
bonds of humane sympathy, having, as they
do, within the scope of their work the
moral as well as the physical development
of their fellow beings. Dr. Smiley is a
just and charitable exponent of his calling
and demonstrates by his daily life a knowl-
edge and appreciation of the tenets of the
brotherhood. He was initiated in Kewanee
Lodge, No. 159, March 19, 1880, passed
June 1 8, and received the sublime degree
of Master Mason, October 15, in the same
year. The Doctor takes great pleasure in
his lodge associations, meeting with his
brothers whenever his laborious duties will
permit him, and is an enthusiastic, loyal
member of the craft, ever ready to per-
form any duty that may be assigned to him.
He is thoroughly familiar with the details
of the ritual and endeavors to be actuated
in all his transactions in accordance with
the precepts of the order.
The birth of Dr. Smiley occurred Sep-
tember 14. 1830, at Winchester, Virginia,
near the battle-ground of Bull Run, which
was drenched with the blood of so many brave
men. His father, Walter Smiley, was born
in Scotland and came to this country when
a child with his parents, who settled in
Virginia. He was raised and educated in
Winchester, and became a minister of the
Presbyterian church. He became united
in marriage to Miss Susan Krause, who was
of German descent but an American by
birth. They moved to Ohio, where Mr.
Smiley died, at the age of sixty-eight years,
his wife passing away shortly after. Nine
children were born in their family, six of
whom still survive.
Dr. Smiley was educated in the public
schools of Ohio and subsequently attended
Rush Medical College, of Chicago. He
permanently located in Illinois in 1855,
practicing his profession for ten years at
Cambridge, Henry county, and coming to
Kewanee in 1865, where he has since re-
mained, putting to excellent use all his knowl-
edge and ability in alleviating the sufferings
of the afflicted. The Doctor is thoroughly
in love with his profession, and has been a
most faithful practitioner, attending every
call made upon him, whether it be day or
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
381
night, sunshine or storm, without ever stop-
ping to inquire whether the patient was
rich or poor, but, possessing a true philan-
thropic nature, he was satisfied with the
knowledge that he was doing his duty as it
was pointed out to him to the best of his
ability. He has met with a satisfactory
degree of success and richly deserves the
high esteem in which he is held by the peo-
ple of Henry county.
In 1882 Dr. Smiley was married to Miss
Mary Ellen Cook, a native of Indiana and
a daughter of John Cook. They have two
children: Francis M., who is a graduate
of Rush Medical College and is at pres-
ent associated in practice with his father;
and Florence, who is the widow of Lewis
P. Crouse and now resides with her par-
ents. She is a Baptist in her religious
affiliations, while her mother is a worthy
member of the Congregational church. The
Doctor resides in a pleasant home, besides
which he owns several other residences in
the city. In political matters he has always
been a stanch Democrat. He takes a deep
interest in educational affairs of Kewanee
and has been president of the board of
education for the past three years. He is
a stockholder and president of the build-
ing and loan association and also of the
Democratic Publishing Company, which
issues the Kewanee Democrat.
lICHARD H. LEE.— Since the year of
.Ek the great fire, ever memorable in the
history of Chicago, the subject of this re-
view has been conspicuously identified with
that important line of industry which has in
so large a measure conserved the precedence
and magnificent progress of the western
metropolis, and, as connected with the Chi-
cago Live Stock Commission Company, he
has had to do with operations of great scope
and distinctive commercial import. He is
known as one of the representative live-
stock commissioners of the city whose pri-
ority in this line is far above any other
point in the Union, and, bringing to bear
a pronounced business acumen and executive
ability, an integrity of purpose which has
known no vacillation and a thorough regard
for the ethics of business life, he has not
only attained through his own efforts a due
measure of success, but has held as his
own the respect and confidence of all
with whom he has been brought in contact,
— both of these conditions standing as log-
ical results, and not as matters of chance.
As a member of the great fraternity with
which this compilation has to do Mr. Lee
has been constant and consistent in his de-
votion to its tenets and exalted principles,
has advanced to its supreme grades and is
distinctively popular in Masonic circles,
where he is recognized as a true exemplar
of the order and is honored for his sterling
worth.
Mr. Lee was inducted into the mysteries
of ancient-craft Masonry in the year 1894,
when he became an Entered Apprentice in
Mizpah Lodge, No. 768, A. F. & A. M., in
which he was soon raised Master Mason.
Within the same year he became identified
with the capitular body of the order, in La-
fayette Chapter, No. 2, in which he was
exalted to the Royal Arch. In 1895 ne re-
ceived the chivalric degrees or orders of
knighthood in Chicago's leading command-
ery, Apollo, No. I, Knights Templar, while
in the previous year he had rapidly advanced
in the Scottish Rite grades and gained dis-
tinction as a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret, thirty-second degree, in Oriental
Consistory, of the Valley of Chicago. In
1 894 he was made a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Lee is a native son of Illinois, having
been born in Jacksonville, Morgan county,
on the I4th of August, 1856, being the son
of John F. and Ann Maria Lee, who were
born respectively in Virginia and Kentucky.
His father was engaged in farming, and
Richard received the advantages of a com-
mon-school education, but assumed the re-
sponsibilities of life at an early age. It
is worthy of mention that he has been iden-
tified with his present line of occupation for
the major portion of his business life, and
as he started out without the fortuitous aids
882
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
of either influence or financial reinforce-
ments his success is to be taken as a result
of his own efforts, and that it has been
worthily achieved none can doubt. He is
thoroughly informed in regard to all details
of the live-stock business, and the respect
which he commands from those who are his
strongest competitors stands as the most
effective voucher for his honor and correct
methods. The Chicago Live Stock Com-
mission Company, of which he is a member,
is known as one of the most prominent and
reputable on the exchange, having its offices
in the Exchange building at the Union Stock
Yards.
Mr. Lee came to Chicago in the year
1871, and his record has been that of a
man who has worked his way upward from
small beginnings to a position of responsi-
bility and confidence, his life having been
characterized by indomitable perseverance
and systematic and honorable endeavors.
His natural talents and acquired ablity
are the stepping-stones on which he has
mounted to merited success. In political
matters he supports the principles and poli-
cies advanced by the Democratic party.
In 1 88 1 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Lee to Miss Eliza B. Marlow, who was
born in Maryland, and they are the parents
of three children — Violetta, Margaret F. ,
and Laura Virginia. The attractive family
home, which is one of refinement and gra-
cious hospitality, is located at 4441 Prairie
avenue, in the beautiful south division of
the city.
JOHN T. RICHARDS, Chicago. -
Whether the elements of success in life
are innate attributes of the individual,
or whether they are the results of a process
of circumstantial development, it is impos-
sible to clearly determine; yet the study of
a successful life is none the less interesting
and profitable by reason of the existence of
this uncertainty. So much in excess of that
of successes is the record of failures or semi-
failures that one is constrained to attempt
an analysis in either case and to determine
the method of causation in an approximate
way. The march of improvement and prog-
ress is accelerated day by day, and each
successive moment seems to demand of men
a broader intelligence and a greater discern-
ment than did the preceding. Successful
men must be live men in this age, bristling
with activity, and the lessons of biography
may be far-reaching to an extent not super-
ficially evident. Holding distinctive rank
among the leading and most successful mem-
bers of the bar of Illinois, a man of broad
intellectuality, and one who has granted and
received honor by reason of his intimate
connection with the great fraternal order of
Freemasonry, we may well turn with satis-
faction to a brief summary of the life history
of him whose name initiates this review.
John T. Richards is a native son of the
old Buckeye state, having been born at
Ironton, Lawrence county, Ohio, on the
1 3th of October, 1851. He has, however,
been a resident of Chicago for nearly a quar-
ter of a century, and the western metropolis
has figured as the scene of his professional
triumphs and high relative precedence. Mr.
Richards' identification with the Masonic or-
der dates from December 6, 1878, when he
was duly made a Master Mason in Dearborn
Lodge, No. 310, of Chicago, with which he
still affiliates. In 1882 he received the
Royal Arch degrees in Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, No. 126, while his further advance-
ment in the order is shown in his having at-
tained membership in Siloam Council, No.
53, R. & S. M. ; Chicago Commandery, No.
19, K. T. , and Oriental Consistory and the
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has since
been dimitted from Siloam Council, and as
a Sir Knight has transferred his membership
to Chevalier Bayard Commandery, No. 52.
He has been identified with the Knights
Templar since July 24, 1882, while his con-
sistory degrees were passed April 21, 1892.
Mr. Richards has passed all the chairs of
Dearborn Lodge, having served as Junior
Warden for two years (1880-1), as Senior
Warden for two years (1882-3), ar>d as
Master in 1884-5. He was Prelate of Chi-
cago Commandery for the year 1883 and
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
388
held a similar preferment two years in Chev-
alier Bayard Commandery during 1887-8,
and was Generalissimo of the latter in 1889,
enjoying a marked popularity and esteem
in the various Masonic bodies with which
he is connected. In 1890 he was honored
with the office of Eminent Commander of
Chevalier Bayard Commandery.
John T. Richards received his prelimi-
nary education in the public schools of Illi-
nois, and at Wheaton College, this state,
continued his studies for a considerable
time, after which he resigned his school
work and was employed in various clerical
capacities until September, 1873, when he
began the work of preparing himself for
that profession in which he has attained so
marked success and honor, entering the
office of William Law, Jr. , who is at pres-
ent general counsel of the Northwestern
Masonic Aid Association, with whom he re-
mained one year, after which Mr. Law's
partner, Edward Crane, associated himself
in practice with Robert L. Tatham, in Chi-
cago, and under this effective preceptorage
Mr. Richards completed his legal education,
being admitted to the bar September 17,
1875, upon examination before the supreme
court of Illinois. The determination and
self-reliance of the young man were at once
made manifest, for he immediately entered
upon the practice of his profession alone,
not resting dependence upon an association
with some older practitioner with an estab-
lished business, but determining to secure
for himself a place and a recognition among
the members of the bar of the state. That
he succeeded need not be said; and it is a
rather interesting fact to note that he has
at no time had an associate in his practice.
By his unmistakable ability and unflagging
devotion to his profession he has risen to a
foremost position and is a member of the
bar of the federal supreme court.
Mr. Richards has declined all political
solicitations as applying to official position,
preferring to devote his entire time to his
extensive legal practice.
On March 21, 1888, our subject was
united in marriage with Miss Lucy Keene,
daughter of the late N. B. Keene, of New
Orleans. Their children are Keene, who
was born December 24, 1888; and Lucile,
born July 18, 1892.
FINIS EWING DOWNING, proprietor
and publisher of the Virginia Enquirer,
a weekly organ of the Democratic party of
Cass county, is a Sir Knight Templar, cre-
ated as such in Hospitaler Commandery at
Jacksonville. He was first initiated into
the order in Virginia Lodge, No. 544, where
he was raised a Master Mason on the I7th
of February, 1882. He was exalted a
Royal Arch Mason in Clarke Chapter, No.
29, at Beardstown, June 7, 1882. He has
filled nearly all the offices of the blue lodge,
of which he has for some time been Wor-
shipful Master.
Mr. Downing is still a resident of his
native town, where he was born August 24,
1846, and was educated in the public
schools. He studied law and in due time
was admitted to the bar, and in addition to
the practice of law he has been engaged in
merchandising for a number of years. Po-
litically he became prominent as a Demo-
crat, was secretary of the Illinois state sen-
ate one session, and has the honor of being
the only son of Cass county ever elected to
the United States congress. He is one of
the foremost statesmen and politicians in
his section of the state. In the autumn of
1 896 he was an efficient campaigner for the
nominees of the Democratic party at the
Chicago convention. He wields a wide and
potent influence in favor of bimetalism. He
practices law, deals extensively in real
estate and edits his paper, while his only
son, Harry Finis Downing, is its business
manager. The latter also is a valued mem-
ber of the ancient craft, having been made
a Master Mason in Virginia Lodge May 9,
1892. He was born in Virginia, Illinois,
on the i ith of July, 1869, graduated at the
Virginia high school in 1884, and at Knox
College, this state, in 1890, and also in the
law department of Michigan State Univer-
sity at Ann Arbor, in 1891; and he is en-
384
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
gaged in the practice of his profession. He
was married in 1892, to Miss Lilly May
Mains, a native of Philadelphia, Illinois, and
they have one daughter, named Sue Eliza-
beth. They have a pleasant home. The
Messrs. Downing stand very high in the es-
timation of the fraternity as well as the
community at large where they have spent
their lives; they are "prophets with honor
in their own country." As journalists they
make it "lively," being energetic in the
collection of news and able in the manner
of publishing the same.
ISAAC V. HOLLINGER, senior member
of the firm of Dresbach & Hollinger,
popular grocers of Mount Carroll, Illinois,
is a gentleman who has long maintained
honorable standing in the Masonic frater-
nity. In 1865, thirty-two years ago, he
was made a Master Mason by Cyrus Lodge,
No. 1 88, of which he has ever since been a
worthy member and in which he has filled
the offices of Secretary and Junior Deacon.
Not long after he was raised in the lodge he
became a member of Lanark Chapter, and
October 29, 1891, he was knighted by
Long Commandery, of which he was a
charter member. At the organization of
this commandery he was appointed its Re-
corder, a position he has since ably filled,
his fine penmanship adorning the books.
Mr. Hollinger is a Pennsylvanian by
birth. He was ushered into life at Me-
chanicsburg, that state, January 26, 1838,
and traces his ancestry back to Germany
and France. His parents, George and Eliz-
abeth (Van Zant) Hollinger, are natives of
Pennsylvania and Maryland respectively.
In 1844 they came west to Illinois, where
they have since maintained their home,
their children numbering seven and the fam-
ily circle still being unbroken by death.
The venerable father is now eighty-six years
of age.
Isaac V., the subject of this sketch, was
educated at Mount Carroll Seminary. After
completing his course at this institution he
learned the printer's trade, and not long
afterward was the founder and publisher of
the Mount Carroll Mirror, a paper he pub-
lished for twelve successive years, and
which is still a successful publication. On
retiring from the newspaper business he be-
came interested in the grocery trade as a
member of the firm of Dresbach & Hollinger,
which has attained prominence and a fair
degree of merited success, their trade in-
cluding many of the best citizens of the
town and surrounding country. Mr. Hol-
linger has erected several buildings in Mount
Carroll, among which is his own comforta-
ble and attractive home, and in this way
also has done much to advance the material
interests of the town.
He was married in 1866 to Miss L.
Annie Dresbach, a sister of his partner, and
to them has been given one son, John D. , a
promising young man who is now assisting
his father in the store. He has just started
in Masonry, having taken the degrees in
Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, A. F. & A. M., at
Mount Carroll.
Mr. and Mrs. Hollinger have passed
through the labyrinth of the Eastern Star,
and are valued members of the order, Mrs.
Hollinger being a Past Associate Matron.
HON. JOHN COLEMAN, ex-mayor of
Mount Carroll, Illinois, and a promi-
nent and successful grain merchant of this
city, has been a Mason for more than three
decades and has high rank in Masonic cir-
cles. He was initiated, passed and raised
by Eureka Lodge, No. 302, in Mechanics-
burg, Pennsylvania, in 1865. In 1877 he
was dimitted from that lodge, and elected a
member of Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, June 23
of the some year, in which he still main-
tains membership and in which he has ac-
ceptably filled the official positions of Junior
and Senior Warden and Worshipful Master.
In 1882 he joined Lanark Chapter, No.
192, and was made a Sir Knight in Free-
port Commandery the same year. Free-
port Valley Consistory he joined in 1883,
and has received all the degrees up to and
including that of the thirty-second. He,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
385
however, has never taken the council
degrees.
Mr. Coleman is a native of York county,
Pennsylvania, born December 22, 1831,
and is descended on both sides of the house
from early settlers of the Keystone state.
Great-grandfather Coleman was a Revolu-
tionary soldier. His son, Valentine Cole-
man, was born in Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania, and the latter's son, George Cole-
man, the father of our subject, was born
there also, about the year 1794. George
Coleman married a Miss Zorger, a native of
his own county. He was a tradesman, a
distiller and a farmer, and in religious faith
both he and his wife were Lutherans. In
the prime of life, at the age of forty years,
he died, leaving his widow with five chil-
dren, only two of whom now survive. The
good mother nobly did her part in bringing
up the children and fitting them to occupy
useful and honored positions in life. She
died at the age of fifty-eight years.
John at the time of his father's death
was only three years old. He was sent to
school as soon as large enough and when
only nine years of age began to work in a
store, where his steady habits and earnest
efforts to please brought him into favor with
his employer, and where he remained twelve
years. He was so small at the time he be-
gan working in the store that he could not
reach across the counters and had to walk
around them in order to do the dusting.
After he grew to manhood he attended
Whitehall Academy in Cumberland Valley,
and on quitting the academy engaged in
merchandising on his own account, opening
up on a small scale a country store, which
he conducted successfully for five years.
At the end of that time he sold out and in
1865 came to Mount Carroll, Illinois, estab-
lishing himself in the lumber business and
later turning from lumber to grain. For a
number of years he has been a successful
grain dealer. He is what may well be
termed a self-made man. From a poor,
fatherless boy he has worked himself up to
a position of prominence and influence
among the leading business men of this pros-
perous Illinois town, and the success to
which he has attained is due wholly to per-
severing energy and honest worth.
Mr. Coleman was happily married March
10, 1859, to Miss Mary E. Dresbach, a na-
tive of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania.
They have had eleven children, of whom
nine are living, four of them natives of Penn-
sylvania and the others of Mount Carroll.
They are as follows: Anna Laura; John Al-
bert; George Mathias; Grace, now Mrs. J.
S. Miles; Cora Kate, wife of Mr. Frank Van
Buskirk; Florence May, wife of Mr. Freder-
ick Colehour; Edmund W. , Frances R.
and Louis C. The Coleman home is one of
the most delightful places at Mount Carroll,
is surrounded with handsome and well kept
grounds, and gives every evidence of culture
and refinement. Here with his interesting
and highly esteemed family Mr. Coleman is
passing the evening of a well-spent life.
Two of the daughters, Anna Laura and
Frances R., are members of the Order of
the Eastern Star.
Politically, Mr. Coleman has been a life-
long Republican. He has taken an active
part in the affairs of his city, has served as
alderman a number of terms, and has the
honor of being chosen by his fellow citizens
to the position of mayor for two terms.
PETER OLAF NORLING, a prominent
business man and druggist of Galva, is
a Scottish Rite Mason. He was initiated
into the fraternity in Galva Lodge No. 243,
in 1883, and was dimitted and joined Cam-
bridge Lodge, No. 49, of which he remained
a member for some time, and then again
became affiliated with Galva Lodge in 1894.
In May, 1895, he was made a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret, Scottish Rite,
in Peoria Valley Consistory, and has re-
ceived all the degrees up to and including
the thirty-second. Both he and his wife
are members of the Order of the Eastern
Star, in which Mrs. Norling has been very
active, having held most of the offices in the
order, and the part she has taken in advanc-
ing its interests has been highly appreciated
386
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
by the members. Mr. Norling is a loyal,
industrious brother and stands ever ready
to perform any duty in the craft that may
be assigned to him. He is also a member
of the I. O. O. F. , belonging to Galva Lodge
and Galva Encampment, also the Rebekah,
and Mrs. Norling is also a member of the
Rebekah lodge. Mr. Norling is also a mem-
ber of the Select Knights of the A. O. U.
W., and of the Modern Woodmen.
Mr. Norling is a native of Sweden, where
he was born December 5, 1852, and when
two years old was brought to America by
his parents, Andrew O. and Elizabeth Nor-
ling, who came to Illinois and settled in
Henry county, where they took up the vo-
cation of farming, and became lifelong ad-
herents of the Lutheran church. Seven
children were born to them, — four sons and
three daughters, — all of whom are living
with the exception of the eldest daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. Norling still survive, and
although both are over seventy years old
they are enjoying the twilight of their lives,
surrounded by their family and a large circle
of friends.
Mr. Norling is the eldest son and re-
ceived his education in the district schools
of Henry county, after which he spent some
time on the paternal homestead, assisting
his father until 1876, when he started out
for himself and engaged in the drug business
in Galva, taking into partnership two of his
brothers, John E. and Andrew D. They
conducted three drug stores and also pos-
sessed a farm of eleven hundred acres in
Nebraska. Mr. Norling is now the sole
owner of the pharmacies, having purchased
his brothers' interests, and is also a stock-
holder and secretary of the Mulford Heater
Company, of Galva, which manufactures
boilers and heaters. He is likewise a stock-
holder in the Buck Eye and Magnoline
Mines in Boulder county, Colorado, of which
his brother, John E. , is secretary and treas-
urer, with an office at No. 407 Chamber of
Commerce building, Chicago. The assay
from the ore taken out of these mines shows
that it is worth from ten to four thousand
dollars a ton. The Buck Eye has a large
plant and is considered one of the most val-
uable mines in the west.
On November 2, 1874, Mr. Norling made
an extended trip to his native land, visiting
his aged grandparents aud other relatives,
which proved a source of great pleasure to
him. He returned in July, 1875, and has
since devoted his time to his business, and
by close attention, strict integrity, and hon-
est methods, has succeeded in building up
a prosperous trade.
In, 1880 Mr. Norling was married to Miss
Amanda C. Nordstedt, and two sons have
been born to them, Milford Peter and Leroy
Arthur. Mrs. Norling is a member of the
Methodist church. In politics our subject
is a stanch Republican, and while at Cam-
bridge he was elected as one of the alder-
men of that city, in which he still conducts
a drug store.
A1
LFRED W. NORLING.— There ex-
J$^ ists in the soul of every human being
a power for good and a power for evil. If
one predominates over the other it exerts over
the character an influence that will forever
after be dominant, and which will lead to
the highest state of mental culture or to the
lowest condition of misery and degradation.
How deserving of public approbation, then,
is that organization that has for its object
the fostering of the better nature of man,
and the development of a spirit of good-
ness, charity, and brotherly love for his fel-
low creatures! Such is the fraternity of
Freemasonry, which has ever had as its
guiding star the elevation of humanity to
the highest pinnacle of moral and mental
perfection. Its members are legion and
wherever its precepts have found lodgment
in the heart there will be found peace and
contentment. Among those who have won
the high esteem and regard of his brother
Masons in Galva, Illinois, is the gentleman
whose name heads this sketch.
Mr. Norling was initiated in Galva
Lodge, No. 243, June 9, 1891, passed June
1 8, and was raised to the sublime degree of
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
389
Master Mason June 30, in the same year.
He has, since his connection with the lodge,
held the office of Secretary, and as a man
and a Mason has been ever faithful and true
to the tenets of the craft, showing a thor-
ough appreciation of its ritual, and living up
to its principles in a practical as well as a
theoretical manner.
Galva has been Mr. Norling's home
all his life, he having been born here De-
cember 28, 1870. He is a brother of P. O.
Norling, whose history appears preceding
on these pages, and in which other
facts in connection with the family may be
found. Mr. Norling attended the public
schools of Galva, where he obtained such
knowledge as the facilities of those institu-
tions afforded, and later entered the Chicago
College of Pharmacy, preparatory to engag-
ing in the drug business, which his brother
had established in Galva. Upon returning
to his home city he became associated with
his brother, and remained with him for
some time, but of late years he has given
his attention to a general insurance busi-
ness, which has attained extensive propor-
tions. He handles some of the largest and
oldest companies in the state, and has be-
come one of the most reliable and success-
ful men in his line, possessing, as he does,
an intelligent mind, an energetic nature and
a strict sense of honor and probity. He is
still a young man, and there is every pros-
pect of a brilliant future before him. His
genial and attractive disposition have made
him popular both in the fraternity and
among his fellow citizens.
THOMAS DAVID RANDALL, of Chi-
cago, has been identified with the
Masonic fraternity for more than a third of
a century, and though the pressing duties of
business life have forbidden him taking an
active part as an official in the order, there
is no more loyal and devoted adherent of
the honored and benevolent principles
which form the basis of Masonry than Mr.
Randall.
He became an Entered Apprentice in
Nevada Lodge, No. 4, of Colorado, in 1 860,
and four years later was made an honorary
member of Corinthian Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons, of Chicago. He was knighted in
Apollo Commandery, No. i, and in the
growth and advancement of these various
branches is deeply interested. Mr. Randall
undoubtedly owed his life on one occasion
to Masonry. While temporarily residing in
Colorado an Indian uprising occurred in
which he and a companion were captured
by the red men. The savages were at that
time very hostile and few white men who
fell into their hands escaped death. The
bravery which Mr. Randall and his com-
panion displayed in their bold defense to
escape capture attracted the attention of the
chief of the tribe, who offered his hand to
his captives. While shaking hands Mr.
Randall accidentally gave the chief the Ma-
sonic grip, which was familiarto the Indian,
who at once became the friend of our sub-
ject, protecting and caring for him in the
Indian camp until he was released, two
weeks later. The tie which makes all men
brothers thus saved him from what would
perhaps have been a most horrible death.
He believes most firmly in the teaching of
the order, and in his life shows forth the
practical effects of its principles. He is
thus an esteemed member of the craft and
is well worthy of mention in the annals of
Masonry in Illinois.
In the early days of New England his-
tory the Randall family, of which our sub-
ject is a representative, was founded in that
section of the country. His father, Richard
Randall, was born in Providence, Rhode
Island, January g, 1802, and became a
machinist. He married Betsey Wilcox,
who was born in West Greenwich, Rhode
Island, in 181 1, and died in her native state
in 1848. The father afterward came to
Chicago, where he died in 1878.
Thomas David Randall was born near
Providence, Rhode Island, August 14, 1834,
and first came to the west in 1850, in the
hope of benefiting his health. He visited
his uncle in Chicago, but was not particu-
390
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
larly impressed with the new town, which
was very unrefined in many particulars,
owing to its excessive business development,
and returned to his native state; but when
he once more reached his home he found
that the east no longer satisfied his ambi-
tious nature. He had become thoroughly
imbued with the progressive, enterprising
spirit of the west, and the conservatism of
the east seemed to him slow and dull. Ac-
cordingly he returned to Chicago in 1851
and engaged in the cigar business. In 1852
he established the first commission business
in Chicago, becoming the pioneer in this
now important line of trade. His first sale
was the disposal of a wagon-load of tomatoes
which had been brought into town by a
farmer, who, not wishing to spend his time
in selling to any chance customers who might
happen along, arranged with Mr. Randall
to dispose of the load for twenty-five per
cent of the gross receipts. Thus was estab-
lished the first commission business in the
city, — a business which has grown to such
gigantic proportions that it furnishes a live-
lihood to thousands and has become the
important means whereby produce is trans-
ferred from the producer to the consumer.
He extended his operations in this line
until he had secured an extensive patronage.
He located his store in the business center
of the city, moving it as the center changed,
according to the increased population, and
was enjoying an excellent trade when by the
great fire of 1871 he suffered heavy losses.
Undeterred by his loss he soon began busi-
ness in temporary quarters, which he found
at the corner of Twenty-second and State
streets, in the Broadway market. For about
twenty years he has continuously occupied
quarters on South Water street in the very
heart of the commission-business district.
Operations are now conducted under the
firm name of T. D. Randall & Company,
and the building now occupied is thirty by
one hundred and sixty feet, four stories in
height and a basement under the whole.
The firm is now enjoying a very large and
profitable trade, not confining its business
alone to South Water street, but having also
a grain and hay department, which furnishes
employment to twelve men, and the com-
pany have also three Board of Trade mem-
berships.
In 1855 was consummated the marriage
of Mr. Randall and Miss Ann Lithgow, of
Chicago, daughter of George and Charlotte
Lithgow. Her father died in Chicago, about
1849, and her mother, now having reached
the advanced age of eighty-four years, finds
a pleasant home with Mrs. Randall. By her
marriage the latter has become the mother
of eleven children, nine of whom survive, as
follows: Bessie A., wife of George S. Bridge,
manager of the hay and grain business of
the firm of Randall & Co. ; George W. , who
manages the store on South Water street,
and gives his personal supervision to the
disposition of the produce; A. L. ; Ida C. ,
now Mrs. Ferrell; Charles H., who has in
charge the correspondence for the firm of
Randall & Co.; Clarence A., who is acting
as cashier; Hector L. , in the hay and grain
department; Eli G., in the produce depart-
ment; and Truman D., yet a student in
school. Those deceased are John R. and
Thomas W. The family residence is at
2624 Calumet avenue, and is a favorite
resort with the many friends of the Ran-
dalls.
Mr. Randall holds a membership in the
Washington Park Club, and also belongs to
the Citizens' Association and the Citizens'
League. His love of the fine arts and
scientific research is shown by the interest
which he takes in the Art Institute and Field
Columbian Museum, in both of which he
maintains a membership. His political
support is given the Republican party. He
enjoys travel and his frequent trips in the
interests of business or for pleasure have
made him familiar with the beauty and
points of interest in his native land. He is
a man of wide experience and broad mind
who has many friends all over the state,
being one who is clearly entitled to be
classed as one of nature's noblemen — a
man whose strong individuality is the
strength of integrity, virtue, and deep hu-
man sympathy.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
391
GEORGE RUSSELL FORBES, whose
enterprise is one of the most important
factors in Rockford's upbuilding, has for
thirty years been a member of the Masonic
fraternity and his connection therewith has
been such as to make him a valued repre-
sentative of the order. In 1866 he joined
E. F. W. Ellis Lodge, No. 633, and has
advanced through the various branches of
the Scottish Rite until he has attained the
thirty-second degree. He is also a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, joining the latter in
Medinah Temple of Chicago. His devo-
tion to Masonry has been noted by his
brethren of the craft, and in consequence
they have honored him with official prefer-
ment and found that the confidence thereby
reposed in him has been well placed. He
has faithfully filled various offices, serving
for five years as Junior Deacon of the blue
lodge. He took the Royal Arch degrees
and in the chapter he has served as Junior
Deacon and Junior Warden. He was
knighted in the commandery, and in that
department of the fraternity he served as
Sword Bearer for two years. He takes a
deep interest in the order and is much ap-
preciated by his brethren.
Mr. Forbes is also one of the leading
business men of Rockford, who by the in-
dustry with which he is connected has ad-
vanced the material welfare of the commu-
nity and aided in promoting the substantial
growth of the city. His unimpeachable
business career, crowned with a well mer-
ited measure of success, is deserving of
emulation and should serve as a source of
inspiration and encouragement to others.
A native of Scotland, he was born on
the 7th of April, 1837, coming of one of
the old families of that country. His par-
ents, Duncan and Jesse (Russell) Forbes,
were both Scotch people, were married in
their native land, and in 1841 emigrated
with their four children to Utica, New York,
where the father engaged in iron work until
1854. He came to Rockford then and es-
tablished the iron works which still bear
his name, continuing the operation of the
same up to the time of his death, which
occurred in the sixty-second year of his
age. His eldest son, Alexander, was asso-
ciated with him in business. After the
father's death Alexander and George Rus-
sell Forbes continued the business. They
manufacture all kinds of malleable iron for
machinery and agricultural implements,
have very large shops and do an extensive
and successful business. Our subject was
almost reared in these shops, is perfectly
familiar with the business in all its depart-
ments and gives to it almost his exclusive
attention. His careful management, his
enterprise, his honorable dealing and his
well-directed efforts have brought to him
success, and to the house an enviable repu-
tation that might well be coveted by others.
In the foundry employment is furnished
to one hundred and fifty men, and their
patronage is received not only from all sec-
tions of Illinois but also from Minnesota.
Mr. Forbes was happily married in 1865
to Miss Jane Belknap, a native of Con-
necticut. In politics he is a Republican
and is one of Rockford's well and favorably
known business men.
JOHN ARTHUR, of Freeport, is a thirty-
second-degree Mason, and a devoted
member of that order which encourages
all the virtues which make a man true to
citizenship, morality and those principles of
right living which in every land and in
every clime awaken respect and admiration.
His identification with the fraternity covers
a third of a century, for he was made a
Mason in Killborn Lodge, No. 3, of Mil-
waukee, in 1863. Transferring his mem-
bership to Freeport, he has since held all
the offices in Excelsior Lodge, No. 97, ex-
cept that of Secretary, and for six years was
its trusted Treasurer. He has advanced in
the fraternity through all the degrees up to
and including the thirty-second, and is a
prominent member of the lodge in his
adopted city.
Mr. Arthur is a native of England, born
on the 4th of January, 1828. There he ob-
tained his education, and learned the trade
892
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of blacksmithing, which he followed in his
native land until 1850, when, with the hope
of bettering his financial condition in the
new world, he crossed the Atlantic to the
United States. For four years he followed
his chosen occupation in Newburg, New
York, and in 1855 he removed to Detroit,
Michigan, where he remained for two years,
working for the Michigan Central Railroad
Company. He was also in its employ in
Marshall, Michigan, and in 1864 came to
Freeport, where for thirty-two years he has
made his home. He is now one of the old-
est employes of the Chicago & Northwest-
ern Road, for during all the time of his res-
idence in Freeport he has been in their
service. For twenty-two years he has oc-
cupied his present position as foreman, and
no higher testimonial could be given than
his long continuance in this responsible
place. He thoroughly understands the busi-
ness in every detail, and his comprehensive
knowledge enables him to direct intelli-
gently the efforts of the men under him.
He is ever just to those whom he superin-
tends and has their sincere respect, while
his fidelity to every trust reposed in him
has won him the unqualified confidence of
the company.
Before leaving his native land Mr.
Arthur was married, in 1850, to Miss Har-
riet Davis, a native of England, and to them
have been born four children, namely:
William, Emma, John, Jr. , and Daniel.
Mrs. Arthur is a respected member of the
Episcopal church. Mr. Arthur belongs to
the Republican ranks, but has never sought
political preferment. He has erected a
pleasant home in Freeport, and there, in
the faithful discharge of his duties and in
enjoyment of home life and the regard of
many friends, he is passing the years of
earth's pilgrimage.
T ^HOMAS EPHRAIM DRESBACH, a
prominent business man of Mount
Carroll and a member of the firm of Dres-
bach & Holiinger, grocers of that city, is an
appreciative and honored Mason, and has
advanced in this ancient order until he has
attained the rank of Sir Knight.
Mr. Dresbach was made a Master Mason
in Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, in 1872. He
joined Jacksonville Chapter in 1873, in
which body he filled the office of Master of
the Third Veil for two terms. Also at
Jacksonville he had the degrees of the com-
mandery conferred upon him, Hospitaler
Commandery, No. 31, performing the work
which made him a Knight. At the institu-
tion of Long Commandery, No. 60, he be-
came one of its charter members and has
since affiliated with it. He has always
taken a deep interest in Masonry, has prac-
ticed its principles in his every-day life,
and is held in high esteem by the brother-
hood.
Mr. Dresbach is a native of the Key-
stone state. He was born at Camp Hill,
Pennsylvania, November 21, 1850, and is
of German extraction, his parents being
Simon Dresbach and Frances nee Bowman,
natives of Pennsylvania and descendants of
early settlers of that state. In the year
1865 Simon Dresbach and family came out
to Illinois, and here two years later he died,
leaving a widow and seven children. His
life was one of activity and great usefulness.
He was a minister in the United Brethren
church and the greater part of his life was
engaged in pastoral work in Ohio. The
subject of our sketch is the youngest of their
family of seven children. He was educated
at Campbell Academy and in the schools of
Mount Carroll, and has all his life been en-
gaged in mercantile pursuits, spending
eleven years in business in Jacksonville and
fourteen years at Mount Carroll. Both he
and his partner are genial and obliging, em-
ploying only the best and most honorable
business methods, and are therefore justly
entitled to the success they have attained
and the high esteem in which they are held.
Mr. Dresbach owns and occupies one of
the pleasant residences of Mount Carroll.
He was happily married October 12, 1875,
to Miss Susie F. Sutton, a native of Jack-
sonville, Illinois, and their union has been
blessed with seven children, four of whom
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
393
are living, viz.: Grace C. , Lutie K.,
George T. and Walter S.
Politically, Mr. Dresbach is a Repub-
lican, stanch in his suport of the principles
of this party and interested in all that per-
tains to the welfare of the country. For
two years he served Mount Carroll as city
treasurer. He and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian church, and are also iden-
tified with the Order of the Eastern Star,
that popular auxiliary of Masonry which
was organized to give a working place to
the wives, daughters, mothers, widows and
sisters of Master Masons. Mrs. Dresbach
has been honored with official position in
the Star Chapter.
fPV\EORGE WASHINGTON BILLINGS.
\^ In the history of Masonry in Illinois
and the record of its representative mem-
bers none are more worthy of honorable
mention than this gentleman, who to-day
stands at the head of E. F. W. Ellis Lodge,
No. 633, as its Worshipful Master. He is
one of the leading and zealous members of
the fraternity in Rockford, true to its teach-
ing, exemplifying in his life those basic prin-
ciples of the order which through all the
ages down to the present have inspired men
to become better, and have commanded the
respect of all who have witnessed the work
of the order or seen its effects upon the
membership.
Mr. Billings united with this ancient
and exalted fraternity in 1886, when he
was made a Master Mason. He has since
taken the Royal Arch degrees, and is also,
with his wife, a member of the order of the
Eastern Star. His interest in and fidelity
to the fraternity are manifest in his active
efforts to promote its growth, and he has
been one of its most active workers in Rock-
ford. He has made a close study of Ma-
sonry, examining thoroughly into the purpose
thereof, and his hearty endorsement is given
to the principles which inculcate kindness,
charity and brotherly love. He takes great
pride in the excellent work done in his
lodge, which ranks among the best in the
state, often attending the lodges in adjoin-
ing towns to exemplify the ritual and confer
degrees.
Mr. Billings is a native of Montgomery
county, New York, born January 22, 1844,
and in his veins flows the blood of the
English, Scotch and German races. He is
connected with the Van Rensselaer family,
which was prominent in the early history of
this country and in the war of the Revolu-
tion, receiving for their valued services
therein a large grant of land. The Billings
family also furnished its representatives to
the American army which won the inde-
pendence of this nation.
James Van Rensselaer Billings was born
and reared in New York, and ran on the
first railroad built in that state. In 1850
he removed to Wisconsin, accompanied by
his wife, five sons and two daughters. Mrs.
Billings bore the maiden name of Tempest
Jane Bunn, and was of Scotch descent.
The father successfully carried on farming
in Wisconsin, where he continued to make
his home until 1864, when he sold his prop-
erty and removed to Iowa, where he pur-
chased other lands and made his home up
to the time of his death, which occurred in
the eighty-second year of his age. His
wife is still living, and is now in her eighty-
first year. She makes her home with her
children, and is still in the enjoyment of
good health. In their family were five sons
and six daughters, all of whom are living.
Of this number, George W. Billings
spent his boyhood days on the home farm,
attending the common schools of the neigh-
borhood and aiding in the work of the
fields. He was only eighteen years of age
when grim-visaged war reared its awful
front, threatening the destruction of the
Union, but the patriotism of the young man
equaled that of many an older soldier, and
he responded to the President's call for vol-
unteers to save the nation. Enlisting in
the Second Wisconsin Cavalry, under com-
mand of Colonel C. C. Washburn, who aft-
erward became major-general, he went to
the front in 1862 and served in the West-
ern Department in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth
394
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
and Seventeenth Army Corps, where they
did much skirmishing and reconnoisance
duty. Mr. Billings also served for a part of
the time under the brave General Custer.
Returning to his home in Iowa, he gave
his attention to farm work, and acquired a
valuable landed property. In 1867, with
his brother, Winfield Scott Billings, he
came to South Rockford, where they opened
a general hardware business under the firm
name of Billings Brothers. They have
since conducted their store and have en-
joyed a large and lucrative trade, for the
confidence of the public in their honorable
business methods and straightforward deal-
ings has won them a liberal patronage.
They are also proprietors of a grocery store
located at No. 5432 Chicago avenue, in
the city of Chicago.
Mr. Billings was married December 16,
1867, to Miss Ada M. Cramer, a native of
Canada. They have two children, Ger-
trude V., now the wife of H. E. Herron,
and Ella Blanche, wife of R. H. Renwick.
They have a pleasant home in Rockford,
and their friends are many. In politics
Mr. Billings is a stalwart Republican. He
was for a number of years treasurer of his
township while residing in Iowa, and has
held various other local offices, but since
his identification with the business interests
of Rockford, his attention has been closely
given to his mercantile affairs.
JOHN H. TOLE is one of the younger
representatives of the Masonic fraternity
in Rockford, but is nevertheless one of
its most loyal members. He was born in
this city on the I2th of April, 1873, and is
descended from Scotch-Irish ancestry. His
father, Thomas Tole, was a native of New
York, and after coming to the west met and
married Miss Harriet Atwood, a native of
Illinois. He is engaged in contracting and
building in Rockford and occupies a fore-
most place among the business men of the
city as well as among the Masons of E. W.
F. Ellis Lodge, No. 633, A. F. & A. M., in
which he holds membership.
John H. Tole is the second in a family
of six children, and in his parents' home he
spent his boyhood days, while his education
was acquired in the public schools of the
city of his nativity. Since leaving the
schoolroom he has been almost continuously
employed in the Rockford postoffice, having
for six years been connected with the insti-
tution in different clerical capacities. In
1893 he was promoted to the position of
money order clerk and is still discharging
the duties of that responsible position. He
is thoroughly acquainted with the rules,
regulations and system of the department
and makes a most efficient money-order
clerk, discharging his duties with prompt-
ness, accuracy and ability.
Mr. Tole was married in August, 1894,
the lady of his choice being Miss Nellie
Winchester, also a native of Rockford.
They reside in a pleasant home of their own
at No. 1 1 10 Ferguson street, and their res-
idence is a favorite resort with their many
friends here. They occupy an enviable po-
sition in social circles and are widely known
in the city where their entire lives have
been passed.
Mr. Tole was made a Mason in E. W.
F. Ellis Lodge, No. 633, in December,
1895; he is also a member of the Sons of
Veterans and the Royal Arcanum.
WENRY F. COMSTOCK, manager of
the Keen-DeLang Printing Company,
located at No. 126 Quincy street, Chicago,
was made a Mason in Dearborn Lodge,
No. 310, in 1876, and has therefore for
twenty years been connected with this
most ancient and honored of the fraterni-
ties. He took the Royal Arch degrees in
Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 617, in 1878,
and the same year was made a Knight Temp-
lar in Apollo Commandery, No. I, of which
he is now Senior Warden. His adherency
to the order has resulted from his firm be-
lief in the beneficial results that follow the
adoption of its principles, and he has for
two decades been a worthy and earnest
member, true to its teachings.
.COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Comstock is a native of Ohio, his
birth having occurred in Painesville on the
2 ist of August, 1845. His father, Samuel
F. Comstock, was born in Newark, Ohio,
and his mother, whose maiden name was
Maria D. Runals, was born in New York.
In 1846 the family removed to Kenosha,
Wisconsin, where the subject of this review
was reared and educated, pursuing the reg-
ular course of study in the public schools.
In 1862, when seventeen years of age, he
left home and entered upon his business ca-
reer. He came to Chicago, learned the
printer's trade and has since been connected
with that industry. Mastering the business
in every detail and showing his ability by
most efficient service, he won the confidence
of his employers and has risen steadily until
he now occupies the responsible position of
manager of the Keen-DeLang Printing Com-
pany. He is thoroughly competent to dis-
charge the duties that devolve upon him,
and the success which attends the establish-
ment is due in no small degree to his able
management. Promptness, fairness, good
work and fidelity to the interests of the pat-
rons of the office are the traits which char-
acterize Mr. Comstock's work, and thus he
has won the confidence of the company and
its patrons. His character is admired by
all with whom he has business relations,
and his deep, sterling worth and genial man-
ner have gained him many warm friends.
He has been the architect of his own fort-
unes and has worked his way upward by
that steady application to business, indom-
itable energy and steadfastness to duty which
never fail to eventually win success.
1OBERT E. RICHARDSON.— Among
those who have risen from the ranks
of the many to stand among the successful
few is this gentleman, who occupies a lead-
ing position in electrical circles. His repu-
tation as a consulting and designing engi-
neer is not limited by the confines of the
city or even the state. He has made good
use of his opportunities, has conducted all
business affairs carefully and successfully,
and has mastered many of the most intri-
cate problems connected with electrical
work.
Mr. Richardson is a native of Pennsyl-
vania, born on the 29th of July, 1861, in
the city of Pittsburg. In his early life the
family removed to Concord, Massachusetts,
where he attended the public schools, and
on completing the high-school course he
entered the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, where he was graduated in
1885. He was a diligent and thorough
student and left the college with a broad
and accurate knowledge of the branches of
learning which he had pursued. Since that
time he has been connected with electrical
and mechanical work, and his deep interest
in the subject and his constant study and
research have enabled him to attain a pro-
ficiency equaled by few.
Mr. Richardson has made his home in
Chicago since 1885, and in 1894 entered
into partnership with R. H. Pierce, a con-
nection that has since been continued. The
firm has a reputation for excellence and
honorable dealing that is indeed enviable,
and the important character of their busi-
ness indicates their superior ability. Mr.
Pierce received the appointment of elec-
trical engineer of the World's Fair grounds,
and as his assistant Mr. Richardson had
charge of the arrangement and placing of
all the arc lights used in illuminating the
grounds. All those who visited the Expo-
sition will long remember the beautiful ef-
fects of light and shade produced by his ex-
cellent arrangement, adding a charm which
all acknowledged, — the reflection of the
lamps in the water, the long avenues of
lights bringing into brilliant relief the archi-
tectural loveliness of the buildings, and
turning darkness into an ethereal day, — all
formed a picture never to be forgotten.
The firm of Pierce & Richardson not
only control a large share of the public pat-
ronage in their line of business but have also
given to electrical literature a valuable con-
tribution in a volume which they have re-
cently published, entitled "The National
Electrical Code: an Analysis and Explana-
396
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tion of the Underwriters' Electrical Code:
Intelligible to Non-Experts. " The character
of this work may be indicated by the follow-
ing quotation from an editorial in an elec-
trical journal: "If we had been going to
select any two people to prepare a book on
the subject of proper installation practice,
we could not have chosen two men in all
this broad land more thoroughly equipped
for the task than Messrs. Pierce & Richard-
son. Both of them are rich in experience,
bought in the profitable field of commercial
practice. They have both had that kind of
expert service best calculated to mature
their judgment and give weight to their ad-
vice. Finally they are both scholars and
are abundantly able to put in proper form
what they have to say. Their book pro-
vides a business companion for those in
electrical practice that will prove invalu-
able."
In 1894 the subject of this review was
united in marriage to Miss Maude Richard-
son, a native of Chicago.
He is a worthy member of the Masonic
fraternity, and his father and two brothers
also hold membership in the society, his
father attaining the thirty-second degree of
the Scottish rite. Mr. Richardson's identi-
fication with the craft is of recent date, but
he is nevertheless deeply interested in the
work, the teachings and the successes of
Masonry. He is a Master Mason, belonging
to Home Lodge, No. 508, A. F. & A. M.,
and his fellow craftsmen consider him a val-
ued addition to their ranks. He is ever
loyal and stanch in his advocacy of his
honest convictions, and his support to Ma-
sonic principles will therefore be steadfast.
He is a man of pleasant, courteous manner,
whose prosperity does not affect in any way
his actions toward those less successful than
he, and he always has a cheerful word and
pleasant smile for all with whom he comes
in contact.
JAMES KEATS. —As a distinctively rep-
resentative citizen of the western me-
tropolis, as one who has served with sig-
nal honor and efficiency in positions of high
public trust and responsibility, and as one
who has been conspicuously identified with
the great Masonic fraternity for nearly a
quarter of a century, there is manifest pro-
priety in incorporating in this connection a
brief review of the career of him whose
name initiates this paragraph. On the 1 8th
of March, 1874, Mr. Keats became an En-
tered Apprentice in D. C. Cregier Lodge,
No. 643, A. F. & A. M., passed the
Fellow-craft on the ist of April follow-
ing and on the i 5th of the same month was
raised Master Mason. His popularity and
prominence in this Ancient Craft body is
manifest from the fact that for eight years
he was the incumbent as Worshipful Master
of the same. In capitular Masonry Mr.
Keats was made a member of Washington
Chapter, No. 43, R. A. M., November 6th,
1874, of which he served as High Priest one
year, in 1880. His cryptic affiliation is with
Siloam Council, No. 53, in which he duly
passed the circle and was greeted Select
Master. He has held the distinguished pre-
ferment as Thrice Illustrious Master of this
council. Mr. Keats attained the chivalric
grades and orders in Chicago Commandery,
No. 19, Knights Templar, June 7th, 1880,
of which representative body he is a most
popular member, maintaining a hearty in-
terest in its affairs. Having thus advanced
through the various orders of the York Rite,
Mr. Keats became eventually identified with
the Scottish Rite bodies, having received
the various preliminary grades and orders in
the same and having finally attained the
thirty-second degree and been crowned a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Orient-
al Consistory, on the 22d of November,
1888. As a member of the ancient and
honored fraternity he has been prominent in
all grades as a true craftsman, and has
proved himself worthy and qualified in
every station, ever evincing that fervency
and zeal which characterize the intelligent
and loyal Freemason. In his honorable
and useful career as a citizen and public of-
ficial have been shown that worthiness and
ability which have made him a fit exemplar
of the principles and teachings of the great
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
897
fraternal order with which this work has
to do.
James Keats is a native of England,
having been born at Dorchester, Dorset
county, on the 3d of February, 1840, the
son of Charles and Ann (Sansom) Keats,
representing stanch old English lineage.
James received his educational discipline in
the public and grammar schools of his na-
tive land, and as a youth began and served
an apprenticeship at the copper and sheet-
metal trade, his term of apprenticeship ex-
tending over the period of seven years, at
the expiration of which time he was a most
efficient workman. He was employed as a
journeyman for some time and finally se-
cured the superintendency of a large plant
operated in the line of his trade, retaining
this important position until his emigration
to America, in 1869. He came directly to
Chicago, where for sixteen years he devoted
his attention to work in connection with his
trade. He was retained as superintendent
of extensive industries of this nature, his
business having been largely confined to the
fitting up of distilleries in various sections
23-
of the United States and Canada. He was
very successful in his endeavors, but cir-
cumstances eventually deflected him from
this vocation, and at the present time he is
conspicuously engaged in the insurance busi-
ness, representing a number of the most
important insurance companies of England
and the United States and retaining a large
and representative patronage, his ability,
correct methods and energy supplementing
the prestige of the companies represented
and insuring him the confidence and support
of the local public.
Mr. Keats has served Chicago faithfully
in positions of trust and responsibility. He
was for two years clerk in the office of the
city clerk under Carter Harrison's adminis-
tration. Under the administration of Mayor
Roche he was superintendent of sidewalks
as a member of the board of public works.
An enthusiastic and active worker in the
ranks of the Republican party, and a man
who naturally commanded the confidence
of the people, Mr. Keats has been called
upon to represent his ward, the fourteenth,
in the city council for three terms, and his
record has been one which is most credita-
ble, showing his interest in the progress and
prosperity of the great city and his deter-
mination to aid as far as possible the main-
taining of a clean and effective system of
municipal government. He was elected to
the city council in 1 890 and served for three
consecutive terms. Within this time he
was placed on many important committees,
among them being the one in charge of
ceremonies at the unveiling of the Grant
monument in Lincoln Park; the one which
visited the national capital preliminary to
and in the interest of the World's Colum-
bian Exposition; and one chosen to visit
leading cities of the Union in connection
with a study of the matter of track-elevation
for railroads entering the city. He also
served on the finance committee, was chair-
man of the committee on streets and alleys
west and was considered one of the leading
members of the council during his incum-
bency.
In social circles Mr. Keats is manifestly
898
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
popular, as may be inferred from his retain-
ing membership in the Royal League, the
Ancient Order of Foresters of America, in
which latter he is Past Chief Ranger of Court
Pioneer of the West, No. 5519; and is a
member of the ^2olus Cycling Club. Prior
to his removal from England he was a mem-
ber of the First Dorset Volunteer Artillery
in his native county, in which he remained
for nine years, the same having been located
at Lyme Regis. In religious views Mr.
Keats clings to the faith of his father, be-
ing a member of the Protestant Episcopal
church.
In " merrie old England" was solem-
nized the marriage of Mr. Keats to Miss Char-
lotte Gould, who was born in the same
town as was he himself. They are the par-
ents of eight children, of whom we offer
brief record, as follows: Charles J. is a
printer; Henry G. is an attorney; Anna
Maria is the wife of Elmer Keist; Arthur S.
is a druggist; Walter D. ; Emma Elizabeth;
Charlotte; and Jane S. Miss Jane is an ac-
complished musician, and has recently se-
cured the medal for effective pianoforte in-
terpretation upon a competitive test in the
Chicago College of Music, where she has
been prosecuting her studies. Mr. Keats is
a man of vigorous intellectuality and dis-
criminating knowledge of men and affairs.
In 1889 he made a visit to his boyhood
home, completed a continental tour and
visited the Paris Exposition and other places
of interest.
HENRY LEITCH, one of the respected
and public -spirited business men of
Quincy, is a Mason of thirty-three years'
standing, having received his initiatory de-
grees in Prairie Laporte Lodge, at Gutten-
berg, Iowa, in 1864. He was dimitted from
that body and became affiliated with Bodley
Lodge, No. i, in 1883; was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Quincy Chapter, No. 5, May 26, 1885, of
which he was one of the Stewards for sev-
eral years, and in 1897 he was elected its
Chaplain. He is not only a Mason in ex-
cellent standing but also a loyal citizen and
a gifted and interesting gentleman, as the
facts of the following brief biography will
demonstrate:
Mr. Leitch is a native of Greenock,
Scotland, where he was born May 25,
1835. There he attended the public schools
until thirteen years old and then accom-
panied an uncle to Toronto, Canada, which
place became his home for the next six
years. He then sailed for some time on
the lakes and later on the Mississippi river,
with headquarters at Dubuque, Iowa, occu-
pying various positions on the boats up to
that of mate and following the vocation of
a sailor for twelve years. For three years
he was night engineer in charge of the
draw-bridge at Quincy, and was also en-
gaged in handling hay, wood and coal. In
1887 Mr. Leitch journeyed across the ocean
to visit his relatives and see once more the
land of his birth, ever dear to him whose
feet have wandered far away, and whose
duties demand his presence in some foreign
clime. Although a stanch Democrat and a
true American citizen, Mr. Leitch still has
a warm place in his heart for the ' ' banks
and braes of bonnie Scotland," the home of
the immortal Burns, of whom our subject
is a great admirer; and, indeed, who could
help but love the genius of such a man,
whose verses came from the soul and ap-
pealed to the tenderest emotions and hu-
man sympathies?
" Read the names that know not death:
Few nobler ones than Burns' are there;
And few have worn a greener wreath
Than that which hinds his hair."
The bard was also an honored member
of the craft, and he must have been gifted
with the spirit of prophecy when he wrote
these lines:
" Then let us pray that come it may, —
As come it will for a" that, —
That sense and worth o'er a' the earth
May bear the gree and a' that.
For a' that and a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man to man the wide world o'er
Shall brothers be fora' that!"
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
399
Certainly the day is not far off when
"man to man shall brothers be," and Free-
masonry is one of the potent agencies that
is tendering to hasten such a condition in
the world. Brother Leitch recites many
of Burns' poems, and is himself possessed
of the " divine afflatus," having on several
occasions composed a number of original
verses. He conducted the last entertain-
ment held in honor of the poet's anniver-
sary, and delivered a poem written especially
for the occasion, which was greatly ad-
mired, its author receiving many compli-
ments on its excellence. At a recent Ma-
sonic banquet it became Mr. Leitch's duty
as Chaplain to render the benediction, and
he did so in an appropriate verse, which in-
corporated much of the tenets of the order
and voiced the spirit of Freemasonry in an
admirable manner.
Mr. Leitch was married in 1872 to Miss
Anna Mclntosh, of Kentucky, and they had
five children, only one of whom, Alexander,
now survives, who is in the employ of one
of the large mercantile houses in this city.
Our subject and his wife are members of
the Christian church, in which he has for
several years sang in the choir. Mr. Leitch
owns one of the pretty homes of Quincy,
where he and his good wife receive many
friends with cordial hospitality, and where
a pleasant evening may always be spent in
social intercourse.
F. DICKSON, M. D.— The univer-
sal truth of the brotherhood of man-
kind forming the foundation of the Masonic
society has enabled this organization to em-
brace within its membership those of all
lands and races. A belief in its basic prin-
ciples and adherence to its teaching are
the elements which constitute a true Ma-
son, but within these two seemingly simple
requirements are combined all the moral
and fraternal principles which dominate
mankind and tend to lift humanity to a
higher and nobler plane. Dr. Dickson is a
native of Scotland, but the ties of Masonry
hold him close to his American brethren,
and he is one of the most earnest and de-
voted members of the lodges with which he
is connected. He first united with the so-
ciety in Thistle Lodge, No. 250, of Embro,
Canada, but afterward dimitted from that
and joined St. John's Lodge, No. 68, of In-
gersoll, Ontario, of which he was an ad-
herent until becoming a charter member of
Woodlawn Lodge, No. 841, of Chicago.
He is now serving as Marshal of the same,
and is held in high esteem as one of the
worthy representatives of the order.
The Doctor was born in Ayrshire, Scot-
land, on the 1 4th of August, 1856, and is a
son of William and Nicholas Dickson. In
1857 his parents left their home in Scot-
land and crossed the broad ocean to the
new world, taking up their residence near
Ingersoll, Ontario. Our subject was reared
and educated in Canada, his first instruc-
tion being received in the primary and
grammar schools of Ingersoll, after which
he attended a collegiate institute in St.
Catherine and later was a student in a nor-
mal school in Toronto. When his literary
course was completed he began teaching,
which profession he successfully followed
for six years. Determining to enter the
medical profession he then began preparing,
for that calling, and in 1880 matriculated
in Trinity Medical College of Toronto,
where he was graduated in 1883. Imme-
diately afterward he began practice in Em-
bro, Canada, where he remained for three
years, when, desiring to further perfect
himself in his chosen life-work, he went
abroad for the purpose of continuing his in-
vestigations into the science of medicine in
some of the best schools of Europe. He
first went to London, England, and studied
in the London Hospital. Later he entered
the famous University of Edinburg, where
he was graduated in January, 1887; and
after visiting various other hospitals in
England and Scotland he returned to Can-
ada. Continuing in practice there until
1893, he then came to Chicago and has
since been a member of the medical frater-
nity of this city. His thorough and com-
prehensive investigation has made him one
400
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of the ablest physicians of the city, and
his liberal education has been put to the
practical test in a large and constantly
growing practice, in which he has been
eminently successful. Of strong mentality,
he at the same time possessed the sympa-
thetic nature without which a physician
can never attain to the greatest heights in
his profession.
Dr. Dickson was married on the i8th
of December, 1889, to Miss Elizabeth G.
Oliver, a daughter of Hon. Adam Oliver,
for many years a member of the provincial
parliament of Canada.
WILLIAM M. ODELL, whose enter-
prise has been one of the potent
factors in the business development and
progress of Wilmington through the past de-
cade, is enrolled with the vast army of Ma-
sons in Illinois, and is fully in sympathy
with the noble and benevolent principles of
the fraternity which numbers its members
among the followers of almost every flag.
Charity and hospitality are the grand char-
acteristics of the order and unite mnnkind
in an indissoluble tie of brotherhood.
Catholic in its aims and spirit, Masonry
welcomes all the "amelories" of the day,—
jealous of neither sect nor party, but ever
toiling to enlarge the boundaries of human
progress and to pour into life the streams
of deeper and richer experience. It there-
fore appeals to the most broad-minded, and
in its practical workings awakens their
strongest commendation. Mr. Odell has
been an active working member of the fra-
ternity since 1886, obtaining his first knowl-
edge of its esoteric doctrines through his in-
itiation into Wilmington Lodge, No. 208,
A. F. & A. M. He still retains his mem-
bership therein and has served as Senior
Warden. He became a Companion of
Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, R. A. M.,
and has been honored with the office of
High Priest. Capitular Masonry is the key-
stone of the arch of Freemasonry and
teaches in its beautiful and impressive
legends the history of the past. He next
advanced to the Templar Masonry and was
dubbed and created a Sir Knight in Joliet
Commandery, No. 4. He was proclaimed
a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in
Oriental Consistory, of Chicago, where he
received the ineffable degree of the Lodge
of Perfection. He is also a Noble of Me-
dinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine. Mr. Odell is active in pro-
moting the interests of these societies and
fully meets the obligations imposed upon
him by his vows. Their influence is most
purifying, and a good man is a better man
for adding to his other qualifications those
of the true Freemason.
Prominent in commercial circles, Mr.
Odell has been a leading spirit in the de-
velopment of business enterprises in Wil-
mington. He was born in Joliet, Illinois,
on the 2 ist of July, 1865, and was liberally
educated. He spent three years in Europe
as a student in the Godesberg private
school, and in his journeyings abroad gained
a knowledge and culture that only travel
can impart. After his return to his native
land he was graduated at the University of
Michigan in the class of 1886, and then
turned his attention to a business career,
which he began in Wilmington as a hard-
ware merchant. In 1889 he returned to
Joliet and organized the Joliet Chemical
Works, of which company he has since
been secretary and treasurer. He owns all
of the stock of the Joliet Electrical Manu-
facturing Company, is a stockholder and
director in the Commercial National Bank,
of Wilmington, and owns a third interest
in the stock of the Wilmington Electric
Light and Power Company. He is also
one of the proprietors and editors of the
Wilmington Advocate, the second oldest
paper in the county. It had always been
published in the interests of the Democracy
until Mr. Odell assumed the management
in 1895, when the political complexion was
changed, he making it a strong Republican
journal.
In March, 1895, Mr. Odell was elected
mayor of Wilmington for a term of two
years, being re-elected in March, 1897, and
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
401
has brought to his administration of the af-
fairs of the city government the same keen
discrimination, foresight, tact and energy
that have characterized his business career.
He has thus proved a very capable officer
and the city has prospered under his pro-
gressive rule. He belongs to the Benevo-
lent Protective Order of Elks and is promi-
nent in fraternal, political and social cir-
cles. His business life has been one of dis-
tinguished success, marked by enterprise,
careful management, unflagging industry
and the strictest regard for the ethics of
commercial circles. In manner he is ever
courteous and genial, his deportment at all
times bespeaking the character of the true
gentleman.
JOHN MASON FOX, a worthy member
of Excelsior Lodge, No. 97, F. &A. M.,
was born in the city of Freeport, on the
2d of June, 1852, and is a representative of
one of the early families of the city. His
father, J. P. Fox, came to Freeport in
1849, when the population was quite limited
and the country around was largely an un-
developed region.
He was born in Pennsylvania, of Ger-
man ancestry. On coming to Freeport he
followed carpentering and superintended
and aided in the erection of many of the
business houses, residences and churches
here. His business career was an active
and successful one and he is now living re-
tired, enjoying the fruits of his former toil,
at the age of seventy years. His political
support in early life was given the Democ-
racy, but of recent years he has voted with
the Prohibition party. Of the Methodist
Episcopal church he is a valued and con-
sistent member. He married Miss Margaret
J. Dimmick, a native of La Salle county,
Illinois, and a daughter of Mason Dim-
mick, one of the pioneer settlers of this
state. They have four children and the
family circle yet remains unbroken by the
hand of death.
The eldest son and child is John M. Fox,
the subject of this review. He was edu-
cated in the public schools of his native
city, completing the course in the Freeport
high school, and thus by a practical train-
ing was fitted for business life. He was
married on the 4th of September, 1874, to
Miss Malvina Upp, a native of Freeport,
and the daughter of Mr. H. Upp, one of
Freeport's most respected pioneers. He
then turned his attention to farming, which
he followed in Stephenson county for a
number of years, improving a fine farm,
which he still owns. In 1883 he returned
to the city and has since followed various
business pursuits, including the sale of agri-
cultural implements. He was also engaged
in the livery business for a time.
In political affairs Mr. Fox has always
been an active and enthusiastic worker in
the ranks of the Republican party. He
was elected and served for two terms as
town clerk of his township, also as collector
and assessor, and in these various posi-
tions discharged his duties with a prompt-
ness and fidelity that won him high com-
mendation. In 1893 he was a prominent
candidate of his party for the office of
sheriff of Stephenson county, and entered
the convention lacking only two delegates
of having enough to nominate him; but,
there being so many candidates in the field
for other offices from Freeport, this city
could not rightfully claim all the offices;
and because of this he was not nominated.
After the election was over he was made
deputy sheriff, in which capacity he is now
serving. In the discharge of his duties he
is prompt, active and thoroughly reliable
and gives the fullest satisfaction to all con-
cerned. He has ever been true to the trust
reposed in him, and all who know Mr.
Fox esteem him highly for his genuine
worth and many excellencies of character.
Mr. and Mrs. Fox are valued members of the
Methodist church, and he has rendered the
society much valuable service. He was a
member of the board of trustees and treas-
urer, and during the building of their fine
church edifice held that important position.
In 1893 Mr. Fox was raised to the sub-
lime degree of a Master Mason in Excelsior
402
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Lodge, of Freeport, and has since taken a
deep and commendable interest in the
growth and workings of the order. His
entire life has been spent in Stephenson
county, and those who have known him
from his boyhood are numbered among his
stanchest friends, — a fact which indicates
an upright career.
SILAS O. VAUGHAN, who has been
prominently identified with Masonic
interests in this state for nearly half a cen-
tury, received his initiatory degrees in Eu-
clid Lodge, No. 65, at Naperville, Illinois,
in January, 1850; was exalted to the Holy
Royal Arch Degree in Euclid Chapter, No.
13, in 1852; received the degrees of Royal
and Select Masters at Springfield, Illinois,
in 1858, and was constituted a Sir Knight
in Sycamore Commandery, No. 15, in 1866.
He attained the ineffable degrees of the
Scottish Rite in the lodge of perfection at
De Kalb, Illinois, where he was proclaimed
a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret.
Upon moving to the city in which he now
resides, Mr. Vaughan obtained a dimit from
the parent bodies and became affiliated with
De Kalb Lodge, No. 144, De Kalb Chap-
ter, No. 52, De Kalb Council, No. 80, and
the Oriental Consistory. During his long
association with the fraternity he has filled
various offices of importance, acquitting
himself with honor and distinction and
winning the high favor of his fratres. In
1858 he was elected to the office of Wor-
shipful Master in Euclid Lodge, No. 65, and
held a similar position in De Kalb Lodge
for a period of six years. In the chapter
he was High Priest for fourteen years, and
in 1880 served as Grand High Priest in the
Grand Chapter, and in 1879 officiated as
Eminent Commander of Sycamore Com-
mandery. He is associated with that
branch of Masonry known as the Mystic
Shrine, becoming a Noble in Medinah Tem-
ple in 1890. In December, 1862, he was
Worshipful Master of Hallock Military
Lodge; in 1863-4 he served as High Priest
of Asbrugh Military Chapter, and in 1866
he became a member of the Order of the
Eastern Star, and in all these bodies he at-
tained a high degree of popularity.
Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on
June 6, 1821, our subject is the son of Silas
T. and Polly (Ingels) Vaughan, and he re-
ceived a limited education in the public
schools of his native city, At the age of
eleven years he was bound out to learn the
blacksmith's trade, serving in that capacity
for seven years, at the end of that time go-
ing to Attica, New York, in April, 1839,
and there worked at his trade until July,
1845, when he moved to Naperville, Illi-
nois, opened a shop and conducted the same
for thirteen years. In 1858 he came to
De Kalb and here followed his vocation for
twenty years, at the end of which time he
engaged in the insurance business, which
he has successfully continued ever since.
Mr. Vaughan was married at Naperville,
Illinois, on September 11, 1850, to Miss
Caroline Sabine, a native of Genesee coun-
ty. New York, and of this union five chil-
dren were born, the three following of
whom survive: Edmund E. , of De Kalb;
William, of Ashton, Illinois; and Mary M.
Albert died in 1865, when five years old,
and Julia died at the age of eighteen months.
In his political principles Mr. Yaughan
is independent, casting his ballot for the
candidate he considers most worthy of re-
ceiving political preferment. He served as
city clerk of De Kalb for twenty years,
which aptly testifies to the high esteem in
which he is held by his fellow citizens. He
is a self-made man in the strictest sense of
the term, attaining to his present prosper-
ous position in life solely through his own
efforts; and as an enterprising, public-spir-
ited citizen he stands in an enviable light
among the residents of his community.
JF. OAKS, M. D., is a Royal Arch Ma-
son and for almost a quarter of a century
has been identified with the fraternity
as one of its loyal and devoted adherents.
He joined the society in 1872, becoming a
member of Commonwealth Lodge, F. & A.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
403
M., of Brooklyn, New York. He was
afterward dimitted and affiliated with
Englewood Lodge of Chicago in 1892. His
present membership is in Woodlawn Lodge,
No. 841, and the society regards him as
one of its most earnest and faithful
representatives. His identification with the
Royal Arch Chapter dates from 1875, when
he took the degrees in Rochester, New
York. Since 1 892 he has been connected
with Englewood Chapter, of Englewood.
The Doctor is one of the worthy sons
of New York and was born in the city of
Rochester on the I2th of March, 1850.
There he spent the days of his boyhood and
began his education, but the same has
never been completed. He has been a
student all his life and is continually carry-
ing forward his investigation along one line
or another, adding to his stores of knowl-
edge and broadening his mind by continued
research. He took up the study of medi-
cine and on the completion of a thorough
course was graduated in the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of New York city
in 1871. In order to still further fit him-
self for his chosen profession he also mas-
tered the science of pharmacy and was
graduated in the pharmacy department of
the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor,
in 1879.
Doctor Oaks began the practice of
medicine in St. Mary's Hospital, of Roches-
ter, New York, where he remained two
years, and then went to Brooklyn, where
he lived for three years, when he returned
to his native city. He came to Chicago in
1 888 and has since been connected with the
medical fraternity of this city. It has
become more and more the custom for
medical practitioners, after mastering the
foundation principles of the science, to
devote their energies to a special line, thus
attaining to a high degree of perfection in
that branch, which could not be done if one
dissipated his energies over the whole field
of medical learning. In pursuance with
this custom Dr. Oaks has made a specialty
of diseases of the eye, ear, throat and chest,
and has been pre-eminently successful in his
practice in this department. His high repu-
tation is well deserved, and his large practice
is the legitimate result of his skill and ability.
He has an office in the very center of the
business district of the city, in the Cham-
plain building, at the corner of State and
Madison streets, and also his residence at
No. 6232 Monroe avenue.
The Doctor was happily married in 1888
to Miss Flora Blanding, a native of Morris,
Illinois, and they have one child, Romaine
Blanding. Mrs. Oaks has superior musical
talent, and is an accomplished vocalist as
well as pianist. This art enables her to
render her home a very attractive place,
and the hospitable Oaks household is a
favorite resort with a cultured society circle.
HENRY F. BOWLEY.— For thirty
years this well-known and highly re-
spected citizen of Belvidere, Illinois, has
been identified with the Masonic fraternity
and has striven to incorporate in his life the
teachings of this ancient and honored order.
Mr. Bowley was made a Mason in 1867,
by Belvidere Lodge, No. 60, A. F. & A. M.,
the degrees being conferred upon him as fol-
lows: Entered Apprentice, August 19; Fel-
low-craft, October 2 1 ; and Master Mason, No-
vember 1 8; and the same year he petitioned
for admission to Kishwaukee Chapter, R.
A. M., was favorably received, and on the
following dates the degrees of this branch
of Masonry were given him: Mark Master
and Past Master, December 23, 1867; Most
Excellent Master, March 14, 1868; and
Royal Arch, June 19, 1868. He was one
of the charter members of the council at
Belvidere. Also he is a Knight Templar,
being knighted at Rock ford by Crusader
Commandery, No. 17, K. T., of which he
is yet a member; and he belongs to Free-
port Valley Consistory, in which he took
all the degrees up to and including the
thirty-second, which was conferred upon
him March 14, 1890. In both the lodge
and chapter he has served officially. In
the latter he was for five years Master of
the First Veil and at this writing he is fill-
404
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
i-'g the position of Most Excellent Scribe.
Mr. Bowley is a member also of the Mystic
Shrine, his home in this popular and well-
known organization being in Tebala Tem-
ple at Rockford.
By birth and early association Mr. Bow-
ley is an Englishman. He has, however,
spent the greater part of his life in America
and is thoroughly an American at heart.
He was born in Sussex, England, Septem-
ber 27, 1837, a member of a highly re-
spected family, his parents being John and
Ann (Worsfold) Bowley. Mr. and Mrs.
Bowley in 1855 emigrated with their family
of four sons and a daughter to America and
located at Belvidere, Illinois, where they
lived for many years. In their religious
faith they were Episcopalians, by occupa-
tion he was a contractor and builder, and
they were people who were highly esteemed.
Both are deceased, he having died at the
age of sixty-six years and she at seventy-
two. Four of the children are still living.
Henry F. Bowley, the subject of our
sketch, had but few educational advantages
as he grew up, and his success in life may
be attributed to his natural business ability
and his persevering energy rather than to
any special advantages in early life. When
a boy he worked at whatever he could get
to do and not only provided for his own
support but also at times aided his father in
the maintenance of the family. In 1860,
young and ambitious and eager to see some-
thing more of the world, he crossed the
plains to far-away California, and there got
his first financial start. He worked in Sac-
ramento, Marysville and other towns in
California and in Virginia City, Nevada,
spending five years in the west, much of
this time being given to mining and pros-
pecting, and with gratifying success. At
the end of the five years he returned to Bel-
videre. Here he was bookkeeper in the
dry-goods house of his father-in-law, Mr.
James Rider, from 1866 until 1875, and in
1875 succeeded Mr. Rider in the business,
conducting the same for fifteen years and
at the end of that time retiring. Two years
later he built and established a bakery at
Belvidere and built up a good business,
but at the end of a year made satis-
factory disposal of the establishment. About
a year after this he engaged in the restau-
rant business on State street, where the
Rider restaurant is now located, and after a
year of prosperity in this line he again sold
out. Next he turned his attention to the
real-estate business, and to this has since
devoted his energies, doing much to pro-
mote the material growth and the general
welfare of the town. He built his own
handsome residence here and has also
erected numerous other good residences in
the town, and his whole business career has
been such that it has gained him a foremost
place among the most generous and enter-
prising citizens of Belvidere.
June 27, 1866, not long after his return
from California, Mr. Bowley was united in
marriage to Miss Hannah Rider, a native of
Ohio and a daughter of Mr. James Rider,
who was for many years one of the leading
business men of Belvidere. Mrs. Bowley
is a consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal church.
The political views of Mr. Bowley har-
monize with the Republican party, of
which he is a stanch supporter.
WILLIAM GEORGE MOHLMANN,
who has attained to the degree of
Knight Templar in the city of Beardstown,
is an enthusiastic member of the fraternity,
and his unwearying efforts, his diligence,
and the interest he manifests in the work
of the order, make him a valued and highly
appreciated brother. His primary degrees
were received in Cass Lodge, No. 23, on
the 7th of April, 189x1; was exalted to the
degrees of capitular Masonry in Clarke
Chapter, No. 29, on the 24th of November,
1890, and was constituted, created and
dubbed a Sir Knight in Rushville Com-
mandery, No. 56, at Rushville, in 1893.
In the blue lodge he has filled all the
chairs from Junior Deacon up to Junior
Warden, occupying the latter two terms,
and in the chapter he has been Royal Arch
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOH
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
407
Captain, and is at this writing (1897) acting
in the capacity of Scribe. He is a faithful,
talented and well-informed Mason, and has
discharged the duties of all the positions of
trust reposed in him with signal ability,
thereby gaining the gratitude of his fratres.
Mr. Mohlmann is a native son of Beards-
town, Illinois, where he was born July 10,
1866, the son of William F. and Lydia
(Looman) Mohlmann, both of whom were
born in Germany, coming, in 1848, to Illi-
nois, where the father was successfully en-
gaged in the furniture and undertaking
business, which he conducted in Beards-
town from 185810 1891, when occurred his
death, at the age of fifty-four. He made
an excellent record in the town of his adop-
tion as a worthy citizen and an honest busi-
ness man, and his loss was deeply felt, not
only by his family but by the residents of
the county in which he had so long resided.
His wife survives him. Our subject was
the second son and obtained his education
in the public schools of his native city and
at the college of embalming in Chicago.
Following in his father's footsteps, at the
age of seventeen years he engaged in the
undertaking business, and had the distinc-
tion of being the youngest funeral director
in the state, if not in the United States; and
since his father's death he has had entire
charge of the large furniture and under-
taking establishment, which, from long as-
sociations, he is thoroughly capable of han-
dling and is considered the most expert and
best informed man in the state with regard
to his vocation. He has written numerous
articles on his favorite subject for the local
papers, and they have been copied in the
eastern and European journals, which is
most convincing evidence of his knowledge
and literary ability and the high standard
of his productions. He utilizes in his busi-
ness two of the finest hearses in the county,
a black and a white one, and owns all the
material for /the most modern high-class
work in his line of business.
The maxim that a prophet hath honor
save in his own country cannot exactly be
applied to Mr. Mohlmann, as he is held in
the highest esteem by his fellow citizens;
and regarding his business it has been said
during the thirty-nine years in which it has
been in existence the firm has sold more
furniture than any other like concern in the
state outside of Chicago. During their
professional career Mr. Mohlmann and his
father have officiated at over three thou-
sand interments. Our subject gives his en-
tire time and attention to his work, being
connected with no outside interests except
as a stockholder in the First State Bank of
Beardstown, building, in 1890, the large
brick block in which the institution is now
located.
The marriage of Mr. Mohlmann to Miss
Rose Leggett, of North Carolina, was cele-
brated on February 18, 1892, and one
daughter, Norma Ruth, has been born to
them. As a man, a citizen and a loyal Sir
Knight, our subject merits the kindly con-
sideration in which he is held by all who
know him.
GEORGE W. HOTALING.— For more
than a quarter of a century has the
subject of this review been an exemplar of
the principles which have lifted high in re-
verence the dignity and elevation of the an-
cient and honored craft with which this
compilation has to do, and there are cer-
tain distinctive points which render his
identification with the order of peculiar in-
terest, aside from his long connection with
the fraternity, his loyalty to its interests
and his signal fidelity to its sublime teach-
ings, which, fostering all that is true and
upright, have won the approval and high
regard of men as the centuries have dropped
into the abyss of time, even as the leaves
fall in the forest.
To Mr. Hotaling belongs the distinction
not only of having been initiated into the
mysteries of Masonry in one of the oldest
Lodges in the Union, — Military Lodge, No.
93, A. F. & A. M., of Manlius, New York,
— but his paternal grandfather, who became
a Mason at the time of the war of the
Revolution, was a member of the same
408
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
lodge, of which he served as Treasurer in
1804. Military Lodge was organized in the
second year of the nineteenth century, and
George W. Hotaling became an Entered
Apprentice in the same in the year 1860.
In 1862 he came to Chicago, transferring
his affiliation to one of the lodges in this
city and continuing to be connected with
the same until 1869, when he became one
of the charter members of Apollo Lodge,
No. 642, with which he has ever since
been identified. That the^ lodge has recog-
nition of his abiding interest in its well-
being and his faithful service in its behalf,
is evident from the tribute of honor which
was accorded him on the 5th of November,
1892, when, with seven others, he was
granted a life membership with exemption
from payment of further dues. Mr. Hotal-
ing carried his association with the Masonic
order no further than the blue lodge until
1882, when he passed the Royal Arch de-
grees in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No. 126.
Within the same year he became a Royal
and Select Master in Siloam Council, No.
53, and in 1887 he advanced still further,
receiving the degrees of knighthood in
Englewood Commandery, No. 59, Knights
Templar. With each of the bodies noted
he still affiliates, and his interest in the
esoteric work of the order, as well as in its
noble deeds and aims revealed, has been
unflagging. The esteem that is accorded
him in Masonic circles, as well as in busi-
ness and social life, is the legitimate out-
come of the character of the man and of
his genial personality, for it may be truly
said of him that he exemplifies in all the
relations of life the teachings of the Masonic
order, and these are sufficient voucher for
all that is true and noble. Mr. Hotaling
has other fraternal and socia relations, be-
ing a member of Hyde Park Lodge, No. 722,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; of the
Iroquois Club, of Chicago, and the Society
of the Sons of New York. He is a trustee
of the First Cumberland Presbyterian church
of Englewood, and is chairman of its board
of trustees. He is animated by a broad
humanitarian spirit, has a distinct appre-
ciation of the ethics of life, and contributes
liberally to benevolent and charitable or-
ganizations and to other worthy causes.
George W. Hotaling is a native of La-
fayette, Onondaga county, New York, where
he was born on the 2d of August, 1835, the
son of Conradt G. and Emily Hotaling,
representatives of pioneer families of that
section of the Empire state. He was there
reared to manhood, receiving an excellent
academic education and thereafter entering
upon the practical duties of life with marked
energy and ambition. For seven years he
was engaged in the operation of a flouring-
mill at Jamesville, New York, and he finally
decided that broader opportunities were of-
fered in the west, and accordingly he made
his way to Chicago in the year 1862. For
three years after his arrival here he was
employed in a steel manufactory, and then
established an agency for the handling of
business in the way of collections, loans
and real estate. This enterprise he con-
tinued until 1 88 1, his efforts in the line hav-
ing been attended with a due measure of
success. In the year noted he was elected
justice of the peace for the town of Lake
and rendered effective service in that capac-
ity until 1885, when was conferred upon
him the appointment as deputy collector of
customs for the first district of Illinois,
under President Cleveland's first adminis-
tration.
Mr. Hotaling retained the incumbency
as deputy collector for a term of four years,
after which, in 1889, he was again elected
justice of the peace, which office he still
retains. The widely varied and peculiar
class of matters coming up for considera-
tion in the justice court demand much dis-
cernment and discrimination and make ex-
actions that are quite unknown in the
higher tribunals. The very complexity of
the duties involved makes the office any-
thing but a sinecure, and the conservation
of the ends of justice is often attended by
arduous application and great care. The
mature judgment and the sterling integrity
of Mr. Hotaling make him an exceptionally
eligible incumbent of this office, and his
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
409
duties are discharged with a promptness,
fidelity and dignity which gain him the re-
spect and confidence of all who have occa-
sion to meet him either in his official ca-
pacity or in the private walks of life. He
enjoys an extended acquaintanceship and
unmistakable popularity in the community
where he has labored so long and to so
goodly ends.
Mr. Hotaling has been twice married.
On the 28th of April, 1857, he wedded
Miss Mary E. Huntington, of Onondaga
Valley, New York. Her death occurred a
year later and she left one daughter, Mary
E., who is now the wife of F. D. Gardiner,
of Manlius, New York. On the 23d of
January, 1862, Mr. Hotaling consummated
a second marriage, being then united to
Miss Elizabeth H. King. They have one
daughter, Grace, the wife of Charles A.
Hendricks, of Chicago.
LFRED A. HUBBARD is a prominent
factor in the mercantile interests of
Farmington, Illinois, and also a man whose
work and influence have been felt in Ma-
sonic circles. Mr. Hubbard's identity with
Masonry had its beginning in 1888. He
was initiated March 2, passed March 23,
and raised April 19, and such has been his
interest in the work of the blue lodge that he
has committed the whole ritual and is quali-
fied to fill any office therein. He was ap-
pointed Senior Deacon January 11, 1889;
elected Junior Warden, December 27,
1889; Senior Warden, December 26, 1890;
and Worshipful Master, December 1 1 ,
1891, all of which offices were ably filled
by him. While Master of his lodge he rep-
resented it in the Grand Lodge of the state,
and every year since then has been a visitor
to the Grand Lodge, always manifesting a
deep interest in its deliberations. Finding
the subordinate degrees of Masonry so in-
teresting and instructive, Mr. Hubbard has
naturally been led to penetrate the higher
mysteries and beauties of this ancient order,
and has taken the degrees which have made
him a Royal Arch Mason, a Royal and Se-
lect Master, and a member of the Scottish
Rite. His chapter initiation was in Yates
City Chapter, No. 98, September 16, 1892,
from which he was subsequently dimitted
and is now affiliating with Canton Chapter.
The council degrees he took at Canton.
November 6, 1895, he became a member of
the Scottish Rite at Peoria, where he still
retains his membership. Also May 26,
1897, joining Peoria Commandery, he took
the Red Cross degree, and in July follow-
ing he received the Black Cross degree.
Mr. Hubbard was born in Ohio, Summit
county being his native place, and the date
of his birth June 14, 1847. Nearly the
whole of his life, however, has been spent
in Illinois, he having been brought here
when six years of age, and since 1869 he
has been a resident of Farmington, with
the exception of four years spent in Peoria,
where he was in the employ of B. F. Myles,
in the drug business. Since his return to
Farmington he has been engaged in the
mercantile business on his own account.
During the Civil war he showed his
patriotism by enlisting in the Union army,
and as a member of Company E, One Hun-
dred and Fortieth Illinois Infantry, made an
honorable war record.
LLIOTT W. SPROUL. — Freema-
sonry was, no doubt, purely operative,
— that is, composed of workmen, — prior to
1 396, but. so imperceptibly did the opera-
tive character merge into the speculative
that the exact date can not be determined.
Apropos of the elemental functions and
methods of the great crafthood there is a
peculiar interest attaching to the Masonic
career of the subject of this review, since his
absolute vocation in life has had to do with
the operative phases of that industrial art
which gives inception to the great fraternal
order and its speculative forms and tenets.
As a mason contractor Mr. Sproul has
gained prestige as one of the leading oper-
ators in the line that the western metrop-
olis can claim, while, consistently turning
in allegiance to the great brotherhood of
410
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, he has
there earned his title to exalted fellowship,
through his advancement through the vari-
ious grades whose practical culmination is
represented in the thirty-second degree of
the Scottish Rite. In the year 1883 Mr.
Sproul became an Entered Apprentice in
Englewood Lodge, No. 690, A. F. & A. M.,
in which he was duly raised Master Mason.
On the 1 4th of January, 1886, he passed
forward as a candidate for the capitular de-
grees, being exalted Royal Arch Mason in
Englesvood Chapter, No. 176, while in May
of the same year he attained the distinction
of knighthood in Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, Knights Templar. Courageously
making his way across the desert sands, on
the 27th of May, 1887, Mr. Sproul gained
to himself the title of Noble in Medinah
Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and after re-
ceiving the several preliminary grades of
the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite he was
crowned a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory, in the Valley
of Chicago, on the 27th of June, 1893. His
devotion and his labors in the field of Free-
masonry, and his worth as a man and a
Mason, have been appreciated by his breth-
ren, and in evidence of this fact it may be
stated that he was called upon to serve as
High Priest of this chapter in 1896. He
holds in highest estimation the sterling Ma-
sonic precepts, which can not but be a lamp
to the feet and a light for the pathway of
life, and his fidelity to the principles of the
order is beyond cavil.
Elliott W. Sproul is a native of the
province of New Brunswick, Canada, where
he was born on the 27th of December, 1851.
the son of E. B. and Rebecca Earl Sproul.
He was reared and educated in his native
province, where he early turned his atten-
tion to learning the mason's trade, in which
he became an expert workman. In the
year 1880 he came to Chicago, where he
was employed as a journeyman until 1883,
when he engaged in business upon his own
responsibility. As a mason contractor he
has been eminently successful, this being
the diametrical result of the thorough tech-
nical knowledge, the marked executive and
administrative ability, and the correct buis-
ness methods which he has brought to bear
in the prosecution of his important opera-
tions. An idea of the character of the
work which he has undertaken and success-
fully completed may be gained when it is
stated that he has erected for the city of
Chicago seventy school-houses, in addition
to many other public buildings, among
them the Medinah Temple, — all of which
stand as monuments to his skill and effect-
ive efforts. His office headquarters are lo-
cated at 312 Chamber of Commerce build-
ing, while his attractive home is at 6500
Yale avenue, in the Englewood district of
the city.
Mr. Sproul, in addition to his identifica-
tion with the Masonic order, is very promi-
nently connected with other important fra-
ternities. He is a member of Cook County
Lodge, No. 240, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and of the Alexander En-
campment, of the Uniformed Rank of this
order, as well as Golden Link Lodge, No.
3, of the Rebekah degree. He has served
three terms as Noble Grand of Cook County
Lodge, and represented the same in the
Grand Lodge in 1892. He has also been
honored with the office of Senior Warden
in the encampment. Mr. Sproul is also a
popular member of the Ellsworth Lodge,
No. 114, Knights of Pythias, and rendered
effective service as major of the Third
Battalion, Patriarchs Millitary. As touch-
ing his line of business operations he is con-
sistently a member of the Builders & Trad-
ers' Club.
In his political adherency Mr. Sproul
has been an enthusiastic worker in the
ranks of the Republican party, whose in-
terests he has furthered by his influence and
zealous efforts. In the spring of 1897 he
received the nomination for alderman from
the thirty-first ward of the city, and a more
eligible candidate could scarcely be found,
nor one in whom the municipal interests
could be more safely entrusted.
On the 2d of June, 1881, was solem-
nized the marriage of Mr. Sproul and Mrs.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
411
Jessie M. Sibbet, who is a native of the
Garden City. They are the parents of two
children, — Albertia and Wilford.
GEORGE EDWARD WILLS, a well-
to-do and highly respected citizen of
Mendota, finds both pleasure and utility in
the institution of Freemasonry. The pleas-
ure is derived from many characteristics, as
sociability, glorious history, instructive le-
gends, shining symbols and the exciting
work of the lodge room, while the utility
consists simply of benevolence.
Mr. Wills received the three first de-
grees of the Masonic art in Mendota Lodge,
No. 76, A. F. & A. M. ; the Royal Arch de-
grees in Mendota Chapter, No. 79, R. A.
M. ; and was made a Sir Knight Templar
in Bethany Commandery, K. T., No. 28,
Mendota, and he still holds his membership
in these bodies. Of the blue lodge he has
served as Junior Warden and Senior War-
den, of the chapter as High Priest, King
and Scribe, and of the commandery as its
chief officer, that of Eminent Commander.
Like all other students of Masonry, he finds
that the field is vast enough to furnish en-
tertainment to any man for a lifetime, and,
being appreciative, he is determined — in
fact is constantly allured onward — to keep
up his connection with and interest in the
ancient craft and in the application of its
principles to the needs of the present day.
Besides his Masonic connections already
enumerated, he is also a member of the
orders of Good Templars and Patrons of
Husbandry.
Mr. Wills was born near Detroit, Mich-
igan, March 22, 1834, but was educated
mostly in Pennsylvania. In early life he
was engaged in general business pursuits,
but ever since 1855 he has devoted his at-
tention to agricultural pursuits.
In politics he is a Republican, and in
religion a Presbyterian. As to local offices,
he has been road commissioner and assess-
or. He takes great interest in the welfare
of Mendota and vicinity.
In September, 1862, he was united in
matrimony with Miss Mary Bunker, and
by this marriage there were five children,
namely: Jennie M., James S., George H.,
Oscar F. a'nd Edgar B. For his second
wife Mr. Wills was united in marriage with
Sarah Miller, in 1888, and they have had
two children, — Roy M. and Jennie Mabel.
JOHNSON R. BOWMAN, a leading busi-
ness man of Chicago, became a member
of the Masonic fraternity in 1893, and
since that time has advanced rapidly in the
order. He joined Ashlar Lodge, No. 308,
A. F. & A. M., and in 1894 took the Royal
Arch degrees in LaFayette Chapter, No. 2.
The same year he became identified with
the Royal and Select Masters in Palestine
Council, also was knighted in Apollo Com-
mandery, No. i. He took the Scottish
Rite degrees of Oriental Consistory in
June. 1 893 , and in that year became a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine. Thus with various
departments of Masonry is he identified,
taking an active interest therein.
On the I3th of December, 1852, Mr.
Bowman was born in Allegheny City,
Pennsylvania, and there spent the first seven
years of his life, after which he removed
with his parents to Clinton county, Illinois.
In 1875 he went to St. Louis. He had
been reared on a farm, early becoming fa-
miliar with all its labors and duties. He
became interested in the dairy business,
and on going to St. Louis embarked in tha
industry, which he there successfully con-
ducted until 1891, the date of his arrival in
Chicago. Here he was instrumental in or-
ganizing the Bowman Dairy Company, of
which he has since acted as secretary. This
has become a leading enterprise, extensive
in proportions, its patronage having steadily
increased. The question of supplying cities
with commodities used on the table is one
of such importance as to occasion legisla-
tive action thereon, as the providing of
pure foods largely means the public health.
On account of the superiority of their prod-
ucts the Bowman dairy enjoys a liberal
412
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
patronage and the enterprise has proved a
financial success, yielding to the stock-
holders a good income. This is largely due
to the enterprise, ability, systematic meth-
ods and perseverance of its secretary, John-
son R. Bowman, of this review.
Mr. Bowman was united in marriage
April 1 8, 1 88 1, to Miss Kate Kearney, who
was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1859,
and died in Chicago June 29, 1891.
In politics Mr. Bowman is a Democrat.
ALEXANDER MONCUR is
the vice-president of the Willoughby-
Hill Company, — a name that at once sug-
gests a power in the world of trade. The
day of small undertakings, especially in
cities, seems to have passed and the era of
gigantic undertakings is upon us. In con-
trol of mammoth concerns are men of
master minds, of almost limitless ability
to guide, of sound judgment and keen dis-
crimination. Such men become the recog-
nized leaders in commercial circles and win
a place in the business world that com-
mands the respect while it excites the ad-
miration of all. Mr. Moncur is to-day con-
nected with one of the largest clothing
houses of the country and has aided in se-
curing to it a reputation that is indeed en-
viable. To attain success and prominence
in one's calling before reaching middle life
falls to the lot of comparatively few men.
Many things conspire to the much-desired
ends, but in the main they lie along the
line of patient, persevering and faithful
work. To a student of human nature
there is nothing more interesting than to
examine the life history of one who has at-
tained prominence by his own efforts. To
trace the specific outcome of practical gen-
ius must ever prove profitable indulgence.
It is conceded, however, that the mere sub-
jective possession of this almost indefinable
attribute will not of itself insure either suc-
cess or an application of practical value
to the world. There must be a mentality
that will direct genius into fields where
good may be accomplished. This quality
Mr. Moncur strongly possesses, and by its
exercise he has reached a high position in
business circles.
Mr. Moncur was born in Ontario, Can-
ada, on the 5th of December, 1861, and
was educated in Woodstock, in his native
province. His business training was a mer-
cantile experience and he became familiar
with the methods and plans which lead to
prosperity. He made the most of his op-
portunities and when he came to Chicago,
in 1880, was fitted to improve his oppor-
tunities and rise to higher things. He be-
came connected with the extensive clothing
house of Willoughby Hill & Company, and
on the incorporation of the business in
1895, under the name of the Willoughby-
Hill Company, he was elected vice-presi-
dent, in which capacity he has since con-
tinued. No house in this line of business
is better known throughout the entire west.
They carry the most desirable quality of
goods, their stock is extensive and carefully
selected and the well-known reliability of
the house has secured to them a most lib-
eral patronage.
In 1882 Mr. Moncur was united in mar-
riage to Miss Virginia Quinn. a native of
Kingston, Ontario, and their family num-
bers seven children, — four sons and three
daughters.
Mr. Moncur has been identified with the
ancient and benevolent order of Masonry
since 1892, when he took the degrees of
Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Mas-
ter Mason in Dearborn Lodge, No. 310. He
was exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in LaGrange Chapter, No.
207, in 1894, and was created a Knight
Templar in Apollo Commandery, No. i, in
1895. The following year he became a
Noble of Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
He enters into everything with which he is
connected with well regulated enthusiasm,
and Masonry is no exception to the rule.
He is deeply interested in the society,
heartily endorses its principles and loyally
follows its teachings.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
418
LEWIS EDWIN BROOKFIELD, who
figures prominently as one of the lead-
ing manufacturers of Sterling, Illinois, and
as one of its most esteemed citizens, has a
Masonic history that extends from the En-
tered Apprentice degree in the blue lodge
up to and including the degrees of the com-
mandery. He was made a Mason in Rock
River Lodge, No. 612, F. & A. M., in 1881,
being raised to the sublime degree of Mas-
ter Mason on the 2 5th of November. Soon
after this he joined Sterling Chapter, No.
57, his exaltation occurring November 15,
1882, and shortly thereafter was made a Sir
Knight in Dixon Commandery. In Octo-
ber, 1884, at the institution of Sterling
Commandery, No. 57, K. T. ,he became one
of its charter members and has since affil-
iated with it; and while not an active
worker in these various branches of Ma-
sonry, so far as holding office goes, he has
always maintained a deep interest in the
work and in his life has exemplified many
of the teachings as set forth in Masonry.
Mr. Brookfield has the honor of being a
native son of the great state of Illinois.
He dates his birth in Coleta, Whiteside
county, June 5, 1860, and traces his ances-
try back to Scotland. Ephraim Brookfield,
his father, was a New Yorker by birth, but
was for many years a resident of Illinois.
He was one of the organizers of the Ma-
sonic Lodge at Coleta, of which he served
as Worshipful Master, and later was a mem-
ber of Sterling Chapter. In Illinois he
married Miss Harriet T. Yager, a native of
this state, and they became the parents of
four children, three of whom are now liv-
ing. He departed this life in the forty-fifth
year of his age and was buried with Ma-
sonic honors at Sterling, his death being a
source of sorrow and loss to this entire
community where he was held in high es-
teem by all who knew him. His widow
survives him.
Lewis Edwin Brookfield was educated
in the public schools of Sterling and was
reared in the business in which he is now
engaged, that of manufacturing burial cases
and funeral cars, the Rock Falls Manufac-
turing Company being the firm with which
he is connected. This company was in-
corporated in 1877. Mr. Brookfield was
then but seventeen years of age, but was
its principal stockholder and was elected its
president, a position for which he proved
himself admirably fitted and which he has
continuously held up to the present time.
Under his able management the concern
has grown from a small beginning to an es-
tablishment of magnitude, its rank to-day
being among the largest manufactories of
its kind in the west. The plant is an ex-
tensive one, a large force of men are con-
stantly employed, and consequently through
them a vast sum of money is put in circu-
lation.
Mr. Brookfield was married in 1882 to
Miss Helen T. Gait, a native of Sterling,
Illinois, and a daughter of Mr. Thomas A.
Gait, one of the most prominent business
men of this city. They have three chil-
dren, Emily C. , Fannie H. and Edwin
Gait. The Brookfield home is one of the
most handsome residences of Sterling. Mrs.
Brookfield is a Presbyterian.
Politically Mr. Brookfield gives his sup-
port to the Republican party, and has taken
an active interest in political affairs for
some years. He was a delegate to the St.
Louis convention which nominated Presi-
dent McKinley, and was an active worker
for his election. He has never held office,
as his large business interests demand his
entire time.
SBERRY H. SAUNDERS, who has
JtQ passed his whole life in the city of
Springfield, Illinois, and who is well known
here, has for years been a worthy member
of the Masonic order and in his life has
manifested that true charity which consti-
tutes the cementing bond of Freemasonry,
— that charity which " suffereth long and
is kind." Mr. Saunders was initiated,
passed and raised in Springfield, in Central
Lodge, No. 71, in 1873, and still affiliates
with this body. Also he is a member of
Springfield Chapter, No. i, and Elwood
414
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Commandery, No. 6, having received the
degrees of both in 1892.
Mr. Saunders was born in a house which
stood upon the same lot where his present
residence stands, at the corner of Carpen-
ter and Sixth streets, Springfield, Illinois,
the date of his birth being November 7,
1828. He engaged in the grocery trade as
a first business venture in 1854, in partner-
ship with W. T. Hughes, and they subse-
quently added dry goods to their stock. In
1858 Mr. Saunders purchased Mr. Hughes'
interest in the establishment and the follow-
ing year sold out and turned his attention
to the live-stock business, in which he was
engaged until 1 866. Later, however, he
resumed merchandising and conducted the
same successfully for many years.
October 20, 1856, was consummated
the marriage of Mr. Saunders and Miss
Marcia E. Underwood. Mrs. Saunders
was a native of Portage county, Ohio, born
February 7, 1837, and at the time of her
marriage was a resident of Mt. Pleasant,
Iowa. She was a woman of unusually bright
intellect and most amiable disposition, for
eighteen years was his companion and
helpmate, and departed this life September
30, 1874. They were the parents of four
children, three of whom died in early life,
Helen being the only one now living she
is now Mrs. R. W. Haynes. Mr. Saunders
and his daughter are consistent members of
the Christian church.
JAMES McCORMICK WILSON, of Ale-
do, for many years has been one of the
best-read lawyers and well and favora-
bly known judges in this part of the state.
In Masonry he received the three pri-
mary degrees in Aledo Lodge, No. 252, in
1865. The degree of Entered Apprentice
was conferred upon him November 14,
Fellow-craft December 12, and Master
Mason the following day. Rapidly did he
progress in a knowledge of the noble art,
and in 1868 was elected Worshipful Master
and served one term; and in 1872 he was
again elected to that responsible office and
served another term; and still later he was
a third time elected to the office, and served
five years in succession, — up to 1882.
During that period of his lodge history,
from his initiation to the year 1882, he was
one of the most indefatigable and talented
officers and supporters of the institution.
It is recorded of him that he conferred the
Master's degree on forty-seven candidates.
He received the Royal Arch degrees in
Keithsburg Chapter in 1881, and the next
year he became a member of Everts Com-
mandery, No. 1 8, at Rock Island.
Judge Wilson is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born at Fayette City, Fayette
county, on the 1st of December, 1822. His
grandfather, John Wilson, was born in
north Ireland, twelve miles from the city
of Belfast, married a Scotch lady and emi-
grated to America, settling in the Shenan-
doah valley, in Virginia, where the Judge's
father, David B. Wilson, was born. The
latter left Virginia in his fifteenth year, lo-
cating in Fayette county, Pennsylvania,
where he married Miss Mary McCormick.
He was a farmer by vocation and a re-
spected citizen, residing there to the time
of his death, which occurred in his ninety-
second year; his wife died in her seventy-
sixth year. They had four children, of
whom three are living.
Judge Wilson, the second of the chil-
dren, was educated in his native state and
came to Aledo in 1857; was circuit-court
clerk from 1864 to 1868; read law in the
meantime, and was admitted to practice in
the latter year; was a partner of Hon. John
C. Pepper for thirteen years, and during
this time the firm was one of the strongest
in western Illinois. After this he was
elected county judge, in which office he
served the regular term of four years, giv-
ing entire satisfaction to the members of
the bar as well as to the citizens of the
county. Next for two years he was en-
gaged in the practice of law in partnership
with S. D. Hays, now of Denver; next with
W. T. Church for a time. He has served
his city as its attorney; was two years pres-
ident of the village board of trustees; and
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
415
has been master in chancery four years.
Judge Wilson has a library of about one
thousand volumes, and is considered one of
the best-read jurists in this part of the state.
He is well known as a man of the strictest
integrity of character.
In politics he has always been a stanch
Republican, and he has rendered his party
valuable service in the campaigns; but is
dissatisfied with the action of his party at
St. Louis in 1896 on the financial question,
and consequently he delivered twelve
speeches in favor of bimetalism and Will-
iam J. Bryan for president of the United
States. In this he had the manhood to
show boldly in public where he stood, and
is therefore entitled to credit for his earnest-
ness, for he may have lost some patronage
by so doing. But "a man's a man for a'
that, "and such a man should command the
respect of those who are of the opposite
party on the great financial question of the
age.
In 1853 Judge Wilson was united in
marriage with Miss Mary Smith, a native
of his own county in Pennsylvania, and
they have had five daughters. The first
born, Sarah Caroline, is now Mrs. J. H.
Ramsey, one of the best citizens of Aledo;
Mary Rosetta is now the wife of Mr. Joseph
Boyd, a prominent business man of Aledo;
Nannie is now the wife of Dr. J. M. Wal-
lace, of Aledo; Cora Cordelia resides in
Davenport, Iowa, where she is secretary
and cashier of the Electric Light and Power
Company, of that city; and Fannie Leonia
married Frank Irwin, of Arpee.
Judge Wilson has a commodious resi-
dence in Aledo. He and Mrs. Wilson are
members of the Presbyterian church, in
which he is an el'der. He and his wife en-
joy the highest esteem of a very wide circle
of acquaintances.
FREDERICK B. TOWNSEND is a stu-
dent of Masonic lore who understands
the purpose of the order and the obligations
it imposes upon the brotherhood in all their
bearings, and who has always endeavored
24, •
to live" up to the full requirements. Mr.
Townsend was initiated in Sycamore
Lodge, No. 134, and in January, 1896, was
raised to the degree of Master Mason. He
was exalted to the Royal Arch degree in
Sycamore Chapter, No. 49, and was con-
stituted a Sir Knight in Sycamore Com-
mandery, No. 15, in the same year. He
has quickly acquired the ritual of the blue
lodge and is a popular member of the local
bodies in Sycamore.
//
Mr. Townsend was born in De Kalb
county, Illinois, July 30, 1858, and is the
son of A. W. and Eleanor (Pierce) Town-
send. He was reared in his native county,
attending the district and high schools of
Sycamore, and later the Lombard Univer-
sity, at Galesburg. In 1880 he became
connected with the drug firm of Gale &
Blocki, with which he remained until the
spring of 1881, when he went to Pough-
keepsie, New York, and took a course in
416
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the Eastman Commercial College. In
September, 1881, Mr. Townsend returned
to Sycamore and accepted a position as
clerk in the banking firm of Daniel Pierce
& Company, and has remained with that
institution down to the present time.
Politically Mr. Townsend is a sound-
money Democrat, served as a member of
the city council for two terms, and in 1893
was elected mayor to fill a vacancy, being
re-elected in 1895 without opposition; also
re-elected in April, 1897, without opposi-
tion. In his social relations our subject is
a member of the Knights of Pythias, as well
as of the Masonic order.
On February 18, 1889, Mr. Townsend
was united in marriage to Miss MaryBoyn-
ton, of Sycamore, and this union has been
blessed with two children, Charles Boynton,
born January i, 1892, and Eleanor, born
Decembers, 1895. C*ur subject is a ves-
tryman in St. Peter's church, and is a lib-
eral contributor to its support. He is an en-
terprising, progressive business man, pos-
sessing a strict integrity of character and a
high standard of principles, and holds a
place of esteem in the hearts of his fellow
citizens.
w
WILLIAM F. BROWNING is one of
the most prominent representatives
of Masonry in this section of the state — a
Knight Templar and a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret, having attained the thir-
ty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. The
fact that one has long been a worthy and
loyal member of this ancient and honored
fraternity indicates a career that is well
worthy of emulation, for Masonry is the
advocate of all that is best in life — prompt-
ing a chivalrous defense of the weak, an ad-
vocacy of right against might and a support
of all that tends to elevate humanity above
a desire to labor for one's own selfish inter-
ests alone. The long connection of Mr.
Browning with Masonry, therefore, is ev-
idence of an honorable career, above re-
proach in both the public and private affairs
of life.
Mr. Browning became a Mason in 1866,
taking the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft aud Master Mason in Acacia
Lodge, No. 67, A. F. & A. M., of LaSalle,
Illinois. He was dimitted in 1875 and
elected a member of Cyrus Lodge, No. 188,
of Mount Carroll, on the 6th of October of
that year. He has been called upon to
serve in office by his fellow members of the
craft who realize his devotion to the organ-
ization and his ability to perform the service
required by its office-holders. He has been
Junior Warden, Senior Warden and Junior
Deacon, and for four terms served as Wor-
shipful Master. In 1878 he was exalted to
the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Lanark Chapter, No. 239, and is also a Sir
Knight, having joined Long Commandery,
No. 60, K. T. , in 1893. He is now serving
as Generalissimo in the commandery. He
attained the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite in Freeport Consistory and
thus became a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret.
Mr. Browning is a native of Bradford
county, Pennsylvania, born on the 3Oth of
September, 1840, of English ancestry, who
were early settlers of Providence, Rhode
Island. His grandfather, John Browning,
was born in Connecticut and was a brick-
layer and farmer by occupation. In re-
ligious faith he was a Presbyterian, in his
character upright, and his life was of more
than eighty years' duration. His son,
Ephraim H. Browning, the father of our
subject, was born in Bradford county,
Pennsylvania, and chose for his wife Miss
Sarah Black, a native of England. He de-
parted this life in the thirty-sixth year of
his age, leaving his widow and two sons, of
whom the elder is the gentleman whose
name introduces this review.
William F. Browning began his educa-
tion in the district schools, afterward at-
tended an academy in Leraysville, Penn-
sylvania, and for four years continued his
studies in the public schools of Mount Car-
roll. He came to this place in 1857 and
has since made it his home. At the age of
twenty years he began his railroad career
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
417
and has since been engaged in the railway
service. For nine years he was in the em-
ploy of the Illinois Central Railroad, after-
ward spent two years in the employ of the
Louisville & Nashville, and since that time
has been continuously with the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company.
He is one of the most faithful and reliable
representatives of this line, and his close ap-
plication, fidelity to duty and straightforward
conduct has won him promotion from time
to time. He is now serving as ticket agent
at Mount Carroll, where his obliging man-
ner and his never-varying courtesy has won
him many friends and made him very popu-
lar with the traveling public.
Mr. Browning was married in 1 860 to
Miss Matilda D. Remley, a native of Hagers-
town, Maryland. They have two sons —
Lewis E. and Wayne C. Mr. Browning
and his family live happily in a pleasant
home in Mount Carroll. He is a thorough-
going business man, accurate in all things
connected with his work, and in his busi-
ness transactions his word is as good as his
bond, such is his known integrity and honor.
In politics he has been a lifelong and stanch
Republican.
TvHOMAS JEFFERSON ROBINSON,
founder and president of the Rock Isl-
and National Bank, is a Sir Knight Tem-
plar, one of the oldest Masons and one of
the best known citizens and business men
of the enterprising city of Rock Island.
He was made a Mason in Trio Lodge,
No. 57, of this city, April 14, 1858, passed
May 5 following, and raised on the I2th of
that month. He is a member of Barrett
Chapter, No. 18, and of Everts Command-
ery, No. 18.
Mr. Robinson was born in the state of
Maine, on the 28th of July, 1818, and is of
English and French ancestry, who for many
generations were residents of the state of
Maine. His father, John Robinson, was
born in the latter state, and married Miss
Polly Dillaway, also a native of the old Bay
state. They were members of the Baptist
church. He, by occupation, was a farmer,
and died in the fifty-seventh year of his
age.
The son, the subject of this sketch, was
educated in his native state, at the Wes-
leyan University. In 1838 he came to Illi-
nois, locating in Greene county, where he
taught school and followed farming for a
few years, and was later employed in the
offices of the county clerk and county treas-
urer, up to 1841, after which he was clerk
on a steamer from New Orleans to Nashville
for a year. Then, after spending a year at
his old home in Maine he returned to Greene
county, Illinois. In 1847 he came to Rock
Island county, purchased land and followed
farming for a time: was also engaged in
lumbering, milling and merchandising at
Port Byron. In 1853 he came to Rock Isl-
and and took charge of the ferry, when the
boat was a small and homely craft; but
since then he has been a builder of steam-
boats. He aided in the organization of the
Rock Island Stove Company, and was its
president for a number of years. He was
also active in the organization of the Rock
Island Glass-works Company, and was its
vice-president. He also helped to build the
first horse railway in this vicinity, which
was between Rock Island and Moline, and
was vice-president and treasurer of the
company in its construction and operation.
In fact he has been active in nearly all the
enterprises intended to build up his city.
In 1871 he was one of the prominent
promoters in the organization of the Rock
Island National Bank, and has been ever
since its president, devoting his principal
energies to its prosperity. It now has a
paid-up capital of one hundred thousand
dollars.
In matrimony Mr. Robinson was united
with Miss Amy Ann Henderson, a native of
Greene county, Illinois, and the daughter
of James Henderson, who was one of the
first settlers of that county, in 1818. The
only surviving child by this marriage is J.
F. Robinson, who is now cashier for his
father in the bank. He is Past Eminent
Commander of Everts Commandery. (See
418
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY JN ILLINOIS.
a sketch of him, page 789, first volume.)
Mr. Robinson has been a member of the
Methodist church ever since 1848, and was
one of the first members of the church at
Rock Island, in which he has ever since
been active and efficient, being its most
substantial pillar and aiding it very liberally
in material advancement as well as other-
wise. He has always been one of Rock
Island's most substantial citizens. He was
a large contributor to the building of the
fine church edifice now occupied by the
church. In 1874 he also built a fine Ma-
sonic temple block, in the corner of which
is located his bank, the Rock Island Na-
tional. At the time it was built it was one
of the splendid improvements of the city.
In June, 1895, Mrs. Robinson departed
this life. She, too, had been a most faithful
member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
a devout Christian, a loving wife and
mother, hospitable and charitable. She
had been a companion of her husband for
forty-nine years, and her loss to her hus-
band and other relatives, as well as to the
church, was a severe one. She had attained
the age of seventy-three years.
Mr. Robinson now resides with his son.
In early life, in politics, he was a Whig;
but, being a hater of oppression, when the
effort was made to extend slavery into the
free territories he strongly opposed it and
became one of the first members of the Re-
publican party. At that time he was one
of the associate judges of Rock Island
county, before the adoption of township or-
ganization. He has made a most excellent
record as a Mason, Christian gentleman and
citizen, and richly merits the high esteem
in which he is held by his fellow citizens in
Rock Island and adjoining counties.
F
"RANK STEDMAN, assistant cashier of
Jr the Savanna Bank, Savanna, Illinois,
is one of the oldest Masons in the town in
which he resides. He was made a Mason
in Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, of Mount Carroll,
thirty-six years ago, and affiliated with Mis-
sissippi Lodge, No. 385, of Savanna, soon
after its organization. He was Junior Dea-
con of Cyrus Lodge one term, and in Mis-
sissippi Lodge has been Secretary for a
number of years, and also at different times
has filled the offices of Junior and Senior
Warden. Indeed he has been one of the
most faithful workers of this lodge, and
comes honestly by the reputation he bears,
that of being one of its best and most relia-
ble members. He is also a member of the
Masonic Veterans' Association, of the Odd
Fellows order and of the Patriotic Order
Sons of America.
Mr. Stedman is a native of New York
state. He was born in Onondaga county,
October 30, 1835, and traces his ancestry
back to England. Albert Stedman, his fa-
ther, was also born in New York. He re-
moved to Washtenaw county, Michigan,
with his family in 1835, when Michigan was
a territory; but, not being satisfied with his
location there, he came, in 1836, into
Illinois and settled in Stephenson county.
He located on land on which he was en-
gaged in farming for ten years, and whence
in 1846 he moved to Savanna, where he
engaged in the cooper business. He died
here in 1878, and his wife survived him
only one week. Her maiden name was
Jane Buchanan, and she, too, was a native
of New York. They were the parents of
eleven children, of whom seven are still
living, Frank, the subject of this sketch,
being the eldest. His early boyhood days
were spent on the farm and his educational
advantages he owes to the public schools.
After leaving the farm he secured a position
as salesman in a store, and later was in
railroad employ, for twenty-five years be-
ing with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
Paul Railroad Company, as freight clerk,
ticket clerk and local general business man-
ager. He severed his connection with the
railroad business in 1884 and engaged in
the fire insurance business. In 1890 he
accepted the position of clerk in the Sa-
vanna Bank; four years ago he was elected
assistant cashier, which responsible position
he now occupies, rendering most satisfac-
torv service.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
419
Mr. Stedman was happily married to
the lady of his choice, Miss Mary A. Sar-
gent, a native of Savanna, Illinois, and to
them three children were given, only one
of whom, E. Kleber Stedman, is living.
Mrs. Stedman departed this life in 1882.
She was a most estimable woman, a devoted
wife and loving mother, and her death was
a source of great loss both to her family
and many friends.
Politically Mr. Stedman has always
been a Democrat, but is independent in his
views, and votes for men and measures
rather than party. He has ever taken a
deep interest in local affairs and has filled
such offices as school director, town clerk
and town treasurer.
EGBERT HALSEY OSBORN, a promi-
nent business man of Quincy, has in
some respects a remarkable Masonic record.
He received the first two blue-lodge degrees
in Quincy Lodge, No. 296, being initiated
on February 9, 1 866, and passed April 6,
1866. Then twenty-three years elapsed
before he attained the sublime degree of
Master Mason, which was conferred upon
him in the same lodge by Past Grand Mas-
ter Joseph Robbins, on February i, 1889.
Since that time Brother Osborn has taken
all the degrees in both the York and Scot-
tish Rites, numbering in all forty-two. He
was exalted to the Royal Arch degree in
Quincy Chapter, No. 5, on April 27, 1889,
received the degrees of Royal and Select
Masters in Quincy Council, No. 15, on
January i, 1892; was created a Sir Knight
on August 13, 1889; and attained the de-
gree of Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret
in Quincy Consistory May 10, 1889. Since
becoming a Mason Mr. Osborn has taken
a great interest and pleasure in blue-lodge
work, having thoroughly mastered the
ritual, and now has the honor of being Past
Worshipful Master of his lodge.
Mr. Osborn was born in Brooklyn, New
York, July 17, 1841, and is the descendant
of an old English family, the members of
whom were early settlers in New England.
Great-grandfather Osborn was a soldier in
the Revolutionary war, during which he
was taken prisoner, and while confined on a
British ship of war in New York harbor
made his escape by swimming ashore. He
survived the great struggle for independ-
ence and lived to the venerable age of
ninety-seven years. Grandfather Osborn
was a native of New Jersey, where he fol-
lowed the vocation of farmer. His grand-
son, William S. Osborn, the father of our
subject, was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey,
in 1813, and was married to Miss Mary E.
James, of Brooklyn, a relative of Governor
Buckingham, of Massachusetts. In their
religious faith they were Presbyterians.
The father died in 1873, on his sixtieth
birthday. His wife died May 19, 1897,
aged eighty-one years.
Mr. and Mrs. Osborn had twelve chil-
dren, of whom our subject was the fourth.
His youth was spent in Brooklyn, New
York, where he was attending school when
the Civil war broke out. The same blood
that flowed in the veins of his ancestors
fired his patriotic soul, and he offered his
services on behalf of his country, enlisting
in Company H, Eighty-seventh New Yojk
Volunteer Infantry, which was afterward
consolidated with the Fortieth New York
Regiment, and became one of that state's
celebrated military organizations, partici-
pating in all the battles of the Army of the
Potomac, from the battle of Williamsburg
to Appomattox. It did a great deal of
hard fighting and covered itself with glory,
although its membership was considerably
decimated, losing a total of twelve hundred
and twenty men, including newly enlisted
troops. Mr. Osborn was with his regiment
in all its engagements up to the battle of
Fredericksburg, and was fortunate in not
receiving any dangerous wounds, but had
his feet so badly frozen that he became un-
fitted for further service and was honorably
discharged. He returned to his home in
New York, and after recovering from his
affliction came west, spent a short time in
Chicago, and finally located in Quincy, ar-
riving here on February 22, 1865. He has
420
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
since been one of this city's representative
citizens, is engaged in the real-estate and
loan business, and was the organizer of the
Adams County Abstract Company, of whose
enterprise he is now the sole owner. He
has a most complete and perfect set of ab-
stract books, which he has procured at a
great cost, and has acquired an extensive
business, having had as high as forty clerks
in his employ. He possesses large real-
estate and property interests in Quincy.
May 22, 1866, Mr. Osborn was united
in marriage to Miss Martha Bernard, daugh-
ter of James C. Bernard, one of the earliest
settlers of Adams county and a descendant
of a highly respected Kentucky family.
Our subject and his wife are the parents of
two children — Helen E. and Russell H.
They are members of the Baptist church,
of which he is a trustee. In politics Mr.
Osborn is a stanch Republican, and has
served as alderman for two years, although
he has never had any political aspirations.
JOHN RULSTON ROSEBRUGH, who
has been connected with the Masonic
• fraternity from 1861 down to the present
time (1896), is one of the esteemed citizens
of Freeport, and a prominent business man,
who for a number of years has successfully
conducted the Palace Livery and Feed
Stable.
A native of the Empire state, he was
born in Livingston county, in 1829, and is
of Scotch descent. The founder of the
family in America, Rev. John Rosebrugh,
came from Greenock, Scotland, to America
and took up his residence in Pennsylvania.
He espoused the cause of the colonists when
they attempted to throw off the yoke of
British tyranny, was made a colonel in the
Revolution and was killed by the Hessians
in battle. The grandfather of our subject,
Judge James Rosebrugh, was a man of con-
siderable prominence, winning fame as a
jurist and judge. He reached the advanced
age of eighty-four years. His son, John
Rosebrugh, was born in Groveland, New
York, and was joined in wedlock with Miss
Mary Goheen, a native of Pennsylvania.
He was an industrious and respected farmer
of the Empire state and was seventy-eight
years of age when called to the eternal
home.
The gentleman whose name introduces
this review was one of a family of three
sons and six daughters, of whom only four
are now living, he being the only surviving
son. In his early youth he was sent to the
district school near his home and later en-
tered the Temple Hill Academy. Having
acquired a good education he began teach-
ing. He was not then of age and as was
the custom in those days his father col-
lected his wages. In 1868 he went to Te-
cumseh, Michigan, where he taught shool
for three years in a branch of the Michigan
State University, being at the time asso-
ciated with Prof. Joseph Esterbrook, one
of the most prominent and able educators
in the west. In 1856 Mr. Rosebrugh came
to Freeport and was the first agent of the
Illinois Central Railroad Company at this
place. After occupying this position for
some time he engaged in the building of
railroads, being in the employ of the Da-
kota Southern Company at Sioux City,
Iowa.
On leaving that position Mr. Rosebrugh
returned to Michigan and spent seven years
at Ann Arbor in charge of the University
hospital. In 1888 he came once more to
Freeport, where he opened his present
business at the corner of Galena and Me-
chanic streets. Here he is enjoying an ex-
cellent trade, the Palace Livery being the
most popular establishment of the kind in
the city. He has a large line of fine equi-
pages of various descriptions, and many
horses, so that he can accommodate any re-
quirements. His honorable dealing and
courteous treatment of his patrons has won
for him an excellent business, which yields
to him a good income.
In 1852 was celebrated the marriage
of Mr. Rosebrugh and Miss Julia E. Tay-
lor, of Tecumseh, Michigan, by whom he
has one son, Henry P., who is now asso-
ciated with his father in business. The
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
421
parents adhere to the faith of the Episco-
pal church, and are people of the highest
worth, who deserve and receive the high
regard of a large circle of friends. Since
attaining his majority Mr. Rosebrugh has
advocated the doctrines of Democracy and
has twice been tendered the candidacy of
mayor of Freeport, but has declined the
proffered honor. He, however, regards
not lightly the duties of citizenship, and gives
a commendable support to all measures
calculated to prove of public benefit. The
tenets of Masonry also receive his unswerv-
ing allegiance and of the order he is a
worthy member.
BOARDMAN GRIFFITH,
i^J one of Rushville's prominent Sir Knight
Templars and business men, is prominently
engaged in the hardware trade, including
farm implements.
Mr. Griffith received the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Rushville Lodge,
No. 9, A. F. & A. M., on the i;th of Janu-
ary, 1882, exalted a Royal Arch Mason in
Rushville Chapter, No. 104, R. A. M. , on
the i ith of March, 1882, and was created
and dubbed a Sir Knight Templar in Rush-
ville Commandery, No. 56, on the 2Oth of
September, of the same year, — only nine
months elapsing from the time the sublime
degree of Master Mason was conferred upon
him until he had received all the chapter
and commandery degrees. He carried his
business energy into the lodge. Officially
he has served as the Secretary of the blue
lodge, and Junior Warden, and was for five
years its Worshipful Master. He is en-
thusiastic in blue-lodge work. In the chap-
ter he has been Secretary for several terms,
Principal Sojourner, and is now serving his
fifth term as High Priest. In the command-
ery he has been Junior and Senior Warden
and Generalissimo, but has had to decline
higher honors on account of the pressure of
business.
A "native son" of Rushville, Mr. Grif-
fith has ever been a credit to his town. He
was born on the 2/th of April, 1855, the
son of Reese H. Griffith, whose father, Rev.
G. H. Griffith, was a native of Wales and
a Presbyterian minister. In 1825 the last
mentioned sailed for the United States,
bringing with him his wife and infant son,
Reese H. In 1832 the family located in
Michigan, where Rev. Mr. Griffith preached
the gospel in that new territory and con-
tinued to reside there until his death a short
time after his arrival. In 1852 Mr. R. H.
Griffith came to Rushville, where he became
one of the most influential members of the
Presbyterian church and a prominent busi-
ness man. In the spring of 1853 he began
his business career as a hardware merchant
in the little but ambitious and thriving town.
Commencing on a small scale he carefully
managed until his trade grew to considera-
ble proportions, and for forty-four years he
has stood at the head of this business in
Schuyler county, and now, together with
his son and nephew, he has one of the larg-
est stores in this line in the state west of
Chicago.
Mr. Griffith has been equally energetic
and successful in church and Sunday-school
work, and has been a promoter of every
good enterprise for the benefit of his com-
munity. In respect to religious and polit-
ical principles and character he is a "chip
from the old block," as he is a duplicate of
his energetic father. In politics he is a
stalwart Republican. Mr. Griffith is a gen-
tleman of marked character, of the highest
integrity and unusual ability. He has a
fine family and a delightful home, and is
every way worthy of the high esteem in
which he is held by the citizens of Schuyler
county.
MOBERT CHARLES GRIFFITH.-
Among the leading and influential
members of the Masonic fraternity in Chi-
cago is numbered this gentleman, who has
been a zealous advocate of the order since
his earliest connection therewith. He was
made a Mason in Dearborn Lodge, No. 310,
took the Royal Arch degrees in Lafayette
Chapter, No. 2, and joined the Royal and
422
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Select Masters of Palestine Council, No. 66.
He became a Knight Templar in Chevalier
Bayard Commandery, No. 52, and has re-
tained his membership in these various
branches without interruption. In the blue
lodge he was honored with the office of
Worshipful Master and since becoming a
knight has served as Eminent Commander.
Mr. Griffith is also a member of the Ma-
sonic Veterans' Association, has taken a very
active interest in Masonry, in the working
and advancement of the order, and is widely
and favorably known in Masonic circles.
He has also made for himself a record
in business circles that is at once commend-
able and enviable, having from an humble
position worked his way upward to one of
prominence, with its attendant prosperity
and success. A native of the Empire state,
he was born in Utica, on the i ith of March,
1850, and was educated in the public schools
of that city. On a farm adjoining the city
he was reared, there remaining until twen-
ty-two years of age, when he sought a
home in the west, locating near Racine, Wis-
consin, where he carried on farming for a
year. On the expiration of that period he
came to Chicago, in 1873, and was first
employed in the humble capacity of a driv-
er on a livery wagon. Gradually has he
worked his way upward until to-day he oc-
cupies the responsible position of manager
with the Forbes Transfer Company and
owns a part interest in the business. He
has served in this capacity since 1886, and
has charge of about seventy-five wagons and
teams, and has a number of extra horses,
the whole number amounting to one hun-
dred and eighty-five. This is one of the
best known transfer companies in the city,
doing a very large and important business.
What Mr. Griffith is to-day he has made
himself, for he began in the world with
nothing but his own energy and willing
hands to aid him. By constant exertion,
associated with good judgment, he has
raised himself to the prominent position
which he now holds, having the friendship
of many and the respect of all who know
him. He has never sought preferment or
honors outside of his business but has dili-
gently applied himself to the work in hand,
wherein lies the secret of his enviable suc-
cess.
In his political views Mr. Griffith is a
stanch Republican. The greater part of
his leisure time is devoted to his Masonic
relations, and the fraternity acknowledges
his service in various directions. For the
past ten years he has been connected with
the Masonic charity ball enterprise and has
served as one of the committee to conduct
the same since he has been a member of
the society.
[fARRIS WILLIAM HUEHL. — Ma-
^1 sonry has not escaped the calumny of
its enemies, who have sought by various
means to belittle its value and cast a doubt
upon the genuineness of its purpose; but,
notwithstanding this fact, it pursues the
even tenor of its way, unmindful, of these
belligerents, fully realizing that their at-
tacks will rebound upon themselves from
the armor of truth and intrinsic merit with-
in which the fraternity is encased. The
faithful in the fold are many, and their
numbers are being constantly added to,
one of its earnest followers being Harris
W. Huehl, who has given much of his time
to the workings of the blue lodge. He was
initiated and raised to the degree of Master
Mason in Covenant Lodge, No. 526, in
1887, in which he has held the offices of
Junior and Senior Warden, and is now
serving as Worshipful Master. In 1896 he
represented this body in the Grand Lodge.
He was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Lincoln Park Chap-
ter, No. 177, in 1888, from which he was
dimitted to become a member of Corinthian
Chapter, No. 69. In 1892 Mr. Huehl at-
tained the degree of Knighthood in St.
Bernard Commandery, No. 35, and is a
member of the drill corps. Upon him also
have been conferred the ineffable degrees of
the Scottish Rite, in which he has become a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in
Oriental Consistory, Valley of Chicago.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
425
He has also made a successful journey
across the desert and become a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine of the Ancient Arabic
Order, Medinah Temple.
Mr. Huehl was born in Chicago, May
15, 1862, and after completing the course
of the public schools of this city, about 1878
he took up the study of architecture, and
subsequently entered the practice of his
profession with Edward Bauman, the firm
being known as Bauman & Huehl. After
the death of the former the firm of Huehl
& Schmid was formed, which has since con-
tinued with most successful results. Mr.
Huehl executed the plans and superin-
tended the construction of the Chamber of
Commerce building, and many other of the
magnificent structures for which Chicago is
noted. He is a bright, energetic young
man, is one of the leading architects in the
city, and there is every indication of a bril-
liant future before him.
In 1892 Mr. Huehl celebrated his mar-
riage to Miss Amalia Klare, of Chicago.
Both he and his wife are popular members
of society.
FRANK E. CLAVEREIGNE, the popu-
lar superintendent of the Washington
Park Club, is numbered among Chicago's
followers of Masonry and has attained to a
high degree in the order. He was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason in
Lakeside Lodge, No. 739, in 1895, and his
progress has since been rapid. The same
year he was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Chicago Chapter, No.
127, and capitular Masonry has found in
him a loyal follower. In 1896 the degrees
of chivalric Masonry were conferred upon
him, having been created a Sir Knight in
Chevalier Bayard Commandery, No. 52.
He took the Scottish Rite degrees up to
and including the thirty-second in 1895,
and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory.
His affiliation with the last named entitling
him to membership in the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
he joined Medinah Temple and became a
Noble of that organization, which was in-
stituted by Kelif Alec, cousin and son-in-
law of the prophet Mahommed in the year
656, at Mecca, Arabia. Mr. Clavereigne is
a popular and valued member of these dif-
ferent bodies and is a worthy exemplar of
Masonry. To learn its symbolic truths and
to become familiar with its lessons of in-
spiration and benevolence is to have awak-
ened in one those better tendencies which
have been the means of elevating the hu-
man race from barbarism to the higher civ-
ilization, and Masonic associations have
been a powerful element in molding the
lives of those who enlist under the banner
of the ancient craft.
Mr. Clavereigne was born in England,
October 18, 1860, and when four years of
age left his native land, his parents emi-
grating with their family to the United
States. He was reared in Lowell, Massa-
chusetts, obtained his education in its
schools and received his business training
in that section of the country. In 1882 he
came to Chicago, and after connection
with some of the best hotels of this city
he was appointed, in 1894, superintendent
of the Washington Park Club, a position
which he has since creditably and accepta-
bly filled. He has complete charge of the
affairs of the club and his management has
been most satisfactory to its members. He
is a man of most pleasant manner, courte-
ous address and genial disposition, which
makes him a favorite with all the patrons
of the clubs, among whom he has a large
circle of friends. He has won the respect
and confidence of those with whom he has
business dealings, and in social as well as
Masonic circles is highly esteemed.
Mr. Clavereigne was married on the 5th
of March, 1888, to Miss Ida Brown, a na-
tive of Niles, Michigan, and they have one
daughter, Antoinette.
C.HARLES B. BROWN, the well-known
physician of Sycamore, has been affili-
ated with the Masonic fraternity for the past
426
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
ten years, during which time he has manifest-
ed more than ordinary interest in the lodge,
always ready and willing to do anything re-
quired of him, and to assume any responsi-
bility his brothers wished to entrust to his
care. He has filled many important
offices, giving an administration that reflect-
ed great credit on himself and honor upon
the order. Mr. Brown was initiated in Syca-
more Lodge, No. 34, on October 28, 1887,
passed to the Fellow-craft degree Novem-
ber 12, and was raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason December 2, after
which he was elected to the chair of Wor-
shipful Master; he was exalted to the Royal
Arch degree in Sycamore Chapter, No. 49,
June ii, 1888, and served as its King; and
was constituted a Sir Knight in Sycamore
Commandery, No. 15, November 21, 1888,
in which he held the chair of Eminent Com-
mander for the years 1895, 1896 and 1897.
The birth of Mr. Brown occurred in
Drummondville, Canada, December 25,
1847, his parents being Edward and Ann
(Burnett) Brown. His education was ac-
quired in the public schools of his native
town, after which he took up the study of
medicine and later entered the University
of Buffalo, at which he was graduated in
1876. He at once began the practice of
his profession in western New York, re-
maining there until 1878, when he moved
to Sycamore, and has here met with un-
qualified success. He is a man of resources,
well read in medical lore, and an authority
on all matters pertaining to his calling.
Dr. Brown has served on the De Kalb
county pension examining board for many
years, is surgeon of the Chicago & Great
Western Railroad, and a member of the
Fox River Medical Society and the Ameri-
can Medical Association. He is also asso-
ciated with the Modern Woodmen of Amer-
ica and the Knights of the Maccabees.
The Doctor was married at Rochester,
New York, in 1877, to Miss Annette Bacon,
and of this union two children have been
born, Margarette and Gertrude, both of
whom are bright, interesting young ladies.
In his politics Dr. Brown supports the
principles of the Republican party, and is
entirely in accord with its platform as
adopted by the national convention at St.
Louis, Missouri, in 1896. He is one of
Sycamore's substantial citizens, and in so-
cial and professional circles he is regarded
with the highest esteem.
WILLIAM M. CRILLY is a life mem-
ber of Home Lodge, No. 508, F. &
A. M., with which he has been connected
since 1872, — his first identification with the
order. He was raised to the Royal Arch
degrees in Chicago Chapter, No. 127, of
which he has since been a member, and in
Chevalier Bayard Commandery, No. 52, he
was knighted. He has always been very
active and prominent in the work of the
commandery, and is deeply interested in
the growth and progress of the order. Still
further has he advanced, being now a mem-
ber of Oriental Consistory, while with the
social branch of the fraternity he is asso-
ciated, being a member of Medinah Tem-
ple of the Mystic Shrine. He has been
honored with a number of offices, serving
as Senior Deacon in the blue lodge, Captain
of the Host in the chapter and Eminent
Commander in the commandery ; was elected
an honorary member of Arkansas City Com-
mandery, Kansas, in 1890, having helped
them to get their charters.
WILLIAM CREAR.— The lofty prin-
ciples which form the basic laws on
which the order of Freemasonry is founded
have ever appealed to all that is best and
noble in man, and have been the means of
uplifting and maintaining a high standard
of morality for many hundreds of years.
The followers of the craft's teachings have
for centuries battled against vice and selfish-
ness, and have succeeded in creating con-
siderable havoc in the enemy's camp. In
Illinois the ranks of the fraternity are filled
with men who are constantly making every
effort to advance the cause of Masonry, and
there is perhaps no one better known or
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
427
more highly respected among the brethren
than the gentleman whose name heads this
sketch.
Mr. Crear was elected an Entered Ap-
prentice in D. C. Cregier Lodge, No. 643,
in 1 889, was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason in that body, and now
holds the honorable office of Worshipful
Master, to which he was elected in Decem-
ber, 1896. He was exalted to the degree
of Royal Arch in Washington Chapter, No.
43, in 1894, in which he held the chair of
Captain of the Host. The degrees of Royal
and Select Masters were conferred upon
him in Siloam Council, No. 53, and in 1895
he was created a Sir Knight in Chicago
Commandery, No. 19. He is also affiliated
with the social branch of Masonry, being a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah
Temple. In his daily life, as well as in
his associations with his brothers, Mr.
Crear has ever been upright and honorable,
and has proved himself to be worthy and
acceptable as a member of the craft.
Mr. Crear was born in Scotland, June
28, 1852, and was there reared and edu-
cated until about seventeen years old, at
which time his ambition to try new fields
triumphed and he emigrated to Canada in
1868, locating in Hamilton, Ontario, where
he served an apprenticeship in the mason's
trade, and has since made that his life's
calling. In 1880 Mr. Crear came to Chi-
cago and here started in business for himself
as a contractor and stone mason, in which he
has succeeded in building up a prosperous
trade and is now one of Chicago's enterpris-
ing and progressive citizens. By his probity,
sincerity, and honest methods, he has won
the confidence of his business associates,
and richly deserves the highest regard in
which he is held both as a man and as a
Mason.
WILLIAM H. MOORE, of Belvidere,
Illinois, is one of the competent
business men of this place. He is also a
thoroughly posted Mason and enjoys a high
standing in the Masonic fraternity in this
part of the state. He was made a Mason
in Garfield Lodge, No. 686, Chicago, in
1880. In 1885 he was exalted a Royal
Arch Mason in York Chapter, No. 140, of
Chicago, was knighted by Crusader Com-
mandery, No. 14, of Rockford, and re-
ceived the Scottish Rite degrees up to and
including the thirty-second in Freeport
Valley Consistory. Also he is identified
with the "Shriners," maintaining his mem-
bership in Tebala Temple at Rockford.
Mr. Moore is of German birth and an-
cestry. He was born April 26, 1851, was
partially reared in his native land, having
but few educational advantages, and has
made his own way in the world. In 1862,
when a boy of eleven years, his greatest
ambition was to be a sailor, and the next
three years he spent on the sea, during that
time occasionally touching port, — Hamburg,
Liverpool, Copenhagen and New York be-
ing among the cities he visited. Landing
in New York in 1866, then a youth of fif-
teen, he decided to make the United States
his future home, and has never had cause
to regret the decision then made. In Chi-
cago he learned the trade of machinist,
which trade he has followed ever since, the
sewing-machine business being a specialty
with him. He spent seven years with the
Wilson Company and for eighteen years
has been connected with the National Sew-
ing Machine Company, beginning as shipping
clerk for this last-named company and from
that position working his way up until he is
now superintendent of the foundry depart-
ment of a concern which is the largest of its
kind in the United States. This factory
employs no less than twelve hundred men,
and has done much to bring about the
present prosperity of Belvidere.
Mr. Moore has been a resident of Bel-
videre since 1886, and, as all good citizens
should, he has taken an active interest in
the affairs of his town, and has been a
prominent factor1 in promoting its welfare.
Politically he is a Republican. In the
year 1896 he served his second term as
one of the aldermen of the city. For six
six years he was a member of the city board
428
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of education and he was one of the organ-
izers of the Belvidere fire department.
April 20, 1897, Mr. Moore was elected
mayor of Belvidere, and as such he took
the executive chair in the council on the
evening of his forty-sixth birthday, April 26.
He built and occupies one of the at-
tractive residences of Belvidere, which is
presided over by Mrs. Moore, nee Susie
Brown, whom he wedded March 10, 1875.
Both he and his estimable wife have a
large circle of friends and are highly es-
teemed.
MERBERT D. POST.— Prominently
identified with the commercial inter-
ests of Freeport, who while promoting in-
dividual prosperity has at the same time
advanced the general welfare and added to
the material prosperity of the community,
is the gentleman whose name introduces
this review. He has gained marked pres-
tige among the merchants of the city and
his success is the more remarkable in that
it has been gained entirely through his own
efforts. Without capital he entered upon
his business career, meeting all difficulties
with determination and energy, fearing not
competition, on account of the honorable
policy he pursues, which commends him to
the patronage of the public, and thus
steadily working his way upward. His is a
life that has followed the well trodden paths
of honest, earnest endeavor, and though
not filled with events of exciting interest
contains lessons that may be profitably
followed.
Mr. Post is a western man by birth,
training and interest, and possesses the true
western spirit of progress and advancement.
His birth occurred in Weyauwega, Wiscon-
sin, on the 4th of February, 1857, and he
belongs to the Post family which has long
been connected with the history of New
York. His father, Joseph D. Post, was
born in that state in 1824, and when a
young man emigrated to Jo Daviess county,
Illinois, where he was united in marriage
to Miss Sarah Cook, a daughter of Orson
Cook, who also belonged to an old Ameri-
can family. They removed to Wisconsin,
where four children were born to them and
where they were living at the time the Civil
war was inaugurated. Prompted by a spirit
of patriotism, Mr. Post responded to the
president's call for volunteers and was com-
missioned first lieutenant of Company B,
Fourteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
He was always found at his post of duty,
was in the thickest of the fight, and in the
battle of Shiloh he fell mortally wounded,
yielding up his life as a sacrifice that his
country might be perpetuated. He was a
man of superior ability, honorable in all
business transactions, a prominent member
of the Masonic fraternity, full of generous
impulses, a devoted husband and father, a
good citizen and a most brave and loyal
soldier. His widow bore with fortitude the
great sorrow that came to her, nobly reared
her children, and departed this life in 1894,
at the age of fifty-seven.
Herbert D. Post was only in his fifth
year when the great Civil war bereft him of
a father's care and guidance. He was edu-
cated in the public schools of Freeport and
began his business life as a clerk. He thus
mastered the principles and methods fol-
lowed in mercantile life, and in 1880, when
twenty-three years of age, established a
grocery store on the same block in which he
is now located. He began operations on a
small scale, but has increased his facilities
to meet the growing demand of his trade
and has now a large stock of goods and is
proprietor of one of the leading grocery
houses of Freeport. His honorable dealing
has raised him to his present high position
among the business men of Freeport, and
he is reputed one of the most successful
merchants of the city. He gives his entire
time and attention to his store and is ever
courteous, obliging and prompt. The sa-
lient points of his character are those which
all might cultivate with like satisfactory re-
sults.
In 1885 Mr. Po9> was happily married
to Miss Anna Lois Wilson, of Wisconsin,
and to them were born two children, a son
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
429
and a daughter, but the mother was attacked
by consumption and was called to the home
beyond this life in 1890. She was most
devoted to her family and was highly
esteemed by all who knew her. In 1895
Mr. Post was again married, the lady of his
choice being Miss Caroline E. Wise, of
Sioux City, Iowa. They have one son.
In 1887 Mr. Post was made a Mason in
Moses R. Thompson Lodge, now Excelsior
Lodge, No. 97, of Freeport, and has since
advanced rapidly in the order, having at-
tained the thirty-second degree. He is also
a member of the Knights of Pythias frater-
nity, and he and his wife belong to the First
Presbyterian church of Freeport. His po-
litical support is given the Republican party,
but public office has no attraction for him.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Post are widely known
in Freeport, where they have many warm
friends and their pleasant home is noted for
its hospitality.
D,R. JETHRO MASTIN is one of Shan-
' non's oldest and best citizens, and may
be said to be one of the founders of this
town, he having built one of the first
houses in it; and he is not only a pioneer of
the town, but he is also, a veteran member
of the Masonic fraternity at this place. He
was created a Master Mason in 1866 in
Shannon Lodge, in which he was soon
shown official preference, and in which he
served ten consecutive years as Worshipful
Master, in that time doing much to advance
the best interests of the lodge. The Doc-
tor is also a member of Lanark Chapter,
the degrees of which were conferred upon
him in 1870, as follows: Mark Master,
February 8 ; Past Master, February 8 ; Most
Excellent Master, February 28; and Royal
Arch, Ma}' 24.
Dr. Mastin, like many of the prominent
men scattered throughout this country,
cairns Ohio as the place of his birth. It was
in Harrison county, May 20, 1825, that he
was ushered into life. His ancestors were
among the early settlers of Maryland. His
father, James Mastin, was born on Dela-
ware Bay; was a soldier in the war of
1812, and while in the service of his coun-
try was taken prisoner and was held as such
in Dartmouth prison until the close of the
war. In 1815 he left the east and sought
a home in the Western Reserve, locating
first in Harrison county, whence some years
later he removed to Tuscarawas county,
Ohio, where his death occurred, in 1857,
at the ripe old age of nearly a hundred years.
He had been married four times and was
the father of eleven children. The wife
who was our subject's mother was in her
maidenhood Miss Ann DeWalt, and Penn-
sylvania was her native state. She was
the mother of five children, all of whom
excepting Jethro have passed away, he
and a half-sister being the only living
representatives of the family. At the age
of twelve years death deprived him of a
430
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY JN ILLINOIS.
mother's loving care. He was reared to
farm life, having only meager educational
advantages, as his schooling was limited to
a short attendance at the district school
and a term at Bedford Academy in Ohio.
He made the best of his opportunities, how-
ever, improving all his leisure time in study
and through his own efforts securing a fair
education. He read medicine in the of-
fice of Dr. E. N. Knight, of Chili, Coshoc-
ton county, Ohio, and for about twelve
years was engaged in the practice of the
medical profession at Shannon and in
Stephenson county, Illinois. He located
on the present site of Shannon in 1862,
that year erecting the buildings which form
the nucleus of the town, and here he was
occupied in the practice of medicine up to
1 873. Since that date he has been engaged
in the lumber and coal business here, en-
joying a large patronage and being pros-
pered in his undertakings.
Dr. Mastin is a man of family. He was
married in February, 1852, to Miss Cath-
erine Daugherty, a native of Belmont
county, Ohio, and their union has been
blessed in the birth of three children,
namely: George C., who is engaged in the
practice of law in the city of Chicago;
James W. , a railroad conductor residing at
Denver, Colorado; and Margaret, who is
the wife of George E. Ward, residing with
our subject. For some years they resided
in the old home referred to as the first house
in Shannon, but it has long since given
place to their present comfortable and at-
tractive residence. Religiously, this worthy
couple are devoted members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church, in which the Doc-
tor has for years been an honored pillar.
In local politics our subject has long
figured quite prominently. For thirteen
consecutive years he served as supervisor
of his township, being chairman of the
board of supervisors six years of that time;
and for thirty-three consecutive years has
been elected and served as justice of the
peace.
Such, in brief, is the record of this
worthy citizen, a man now in his seventy-
second year, well preserved both physically
and mentally, and one who is justly en-
titled to the high esteem in which he is held.
FRANK ROTHGEB, who is one of the
Past Eminent Commanders of Beau-
seant Commandery, No. 11, Knights Tem-
plar, at Quincy, was made a Mason in
Lambert Lodge, No. 659, in which he was
elected an Entered Apprentice September
i, 1885, passed the Fellow-craft degree
October 6, and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason November 3 in the
same year. He served efficiently as the
lodge's Secretary for some time, until, on
account of necessary absence, he declined
re-election to the office. He was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, on July 2, 1886;
received the degrees of Royal and Select
Masters in Quincy Council, No. 15, on Au-
gust 22, 1886, and was constituted a Sir
Knight in Beauseant Commandery, No. 1 1 ,
on December 13, 1887. In the latter body
he has held the offices from Sword Bearer
to that of Eminent Commander, filling the
latter for the years 1895 and 1896. The
part taken by Mr. Rothgeb in the Com-
mandery has been capably performed with
the fullest credit to himself and to the en-
tire satisfaction of his brother Sir Knights,
and all speak of his abilities and services in
the highest terms.
Brother Rothgeb is a native son of
Quincy, Illinois, where he was born Octo-
ber 4, 1 86 1, and is of German-Huguenot
stock. His father, Henry Rothgeb, was
born in Germany in 1822, and came to
Quincy in 1845, engaged in the grocery
business and has been one of her industri-
ous and reliable citizens. He married Mrs.
Anna B. (Biddle) Rothgeb, his brother's
widow, and eight children were born to
them, one of the sons, G. A., being a resi-
dent of East Las Vegas, New Mexico, and
a Past Eminent Commander of the Knights
Templar. The mother died in 1870, and
the father at the venerable age of sixty-six
years. They were a worthy couple and
COMPENDIUAf OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
431
their decease was mourned by a large cir-
cle of friends.
Brother Rothgeb was the fifth child in
order of birth, and acquired his education in
the public schools of Ouincy. He is one of
the city's representative sons, and has been
engaged in various business pursuits, is at
present a clerk in the post-office, but is
soon to embark in business on his own ac-
count. He has been captain of the local
militia, having joined Company D, Fifth
Infantry, Illinois National Guard, as a pri-
vate, was promoted to corporal and ser-
geant, and the following year organized
Company F, in the same regiment, and was
elected its captain, which office he held for
some time, taking a great deal of just pride
in his company. Recently, for private
reasons, he resigned his commission.
Politically Mr. Rothgeb is a Democrat.
He is a gentleman of integrity, merit and
ability, and a citizen of whom his native
town may well be proud.
On May 15, 1895, the marriage of Mr.
Rothgeb and Miss Elizabeth Groom, of
Camp Point, Illinois, was celebrated. She
is the daughter of William and Susan
Groom. The union has been blessed with
a little daughter, Constance Elizabeth. Mr.
and Mrs. Rothgeb are consistent members
of the Presbyterian church, of which he is
one of the trustees and secretary and treas-
urer of the board.
FRANK J. KNOWLES needs no intro-
duction to the readers of these vol-
umes, for he is well known in commercial,
musical and Masonic circles. It has been
said that Chicago is thoroughly engrossed in
money-making, that its business interests
are paramount to all others, but a study of
the city life shows a remarkable develop-
ment of art and social interests. While its
trade circles largely control the commerce
of the country, its advancement has been
just as remarkable along the lines of
aesthetic culture, while its organized char-
ities and benevolences are a power in its
cosmopolitan life that is indisputable. The
cultivation of art, science and belles-lettres,
in addition to the promotion of trade, has
produced a symmetrical development that
gives the city its force and greatness. Mr.
Knowles has for a number of years been
prominent in the business life of the west
side, has been active in charitable work as
a member of the Masonic fraternity and as
a member of the Lexington Quartet is wide-
ly known to lovers of music.
The province of this work calling our at-
tention more largely to the Masonic interest,
we find that in 1891 he became a Master
Mason in Waubansia Lodge, No. 160, and
learned the lessons concerning charity, uni-
versal brotherhood and hospitality which
are the grand characteristics of the order.
He was exalted to the august degree of a
Royal Arch Mason in York Chapter, No.
148, in 1892, and learned in capitular Ma-
sonry— the keystone of the Masonic arch —
the history of the past with its beautiful
and impressive legends. He passed the
circle of Tyrian Council in 1893 and the
same year was constituted, created and
dubbed a Knight Templar of St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35. In 1892 he received
the grades and orders of the Scottish Rite
and attained the thirty-second degree in
Oriental Consistory. He is also a Noble of
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership being in Medinah
Temple. Mr. Knowles is deeply interested
in the fraternity and in his upright career
exemplifies its honorable teachings. He is
highly esteemed as a worthy and acceptable
member of the craft and has made many
lasting friendships among the brethren.
Mr. Knowles is a native of Knowlesville,
New York, born July 9, 1856. He resided
in that town until October 10, 1871, when
he came to Illinois, locating in Lockport.
His business training was obtained in a
drug store, and finding that trade congenial
to his tastes he determined to engage in
business for himself along the same line.
Accordingly, in 1876, he opened a store in
Lockport and successfully conducted the
same until 1885, when he came to Chicago.
The following year he established his pres-
482
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ent store at the corner of Polk street and
Ogden avenue, and in the prosecution of
his business he has prospered, building up
an extensive and lucrative trade. Honor-
able business methods and unfaltering in-
dustry have been the secret of his success
and have won him the confidence and pat-
ronage of all with whom he has come in
contact in his commercial life.
On the 2Oth of May, 1894, Mr. Knowles
was joined in wedlock to Miss Belle Smith,
a native of Chicago, and the circle of their
friends is extensive. With an inherent
love of music he has cultivated his talents
in this direction and ten years since became
one of the organizers of the Lexington
Quartet, of which he is the manager. Their
music has been a distinctive and greatly
enjoyed feature in Masonic entertainments,
but this organization has not alone enjoyed
their work. Their popularity in all gath-
erings has made them well known in Chi-
cago's social circles; and the varied range
of their music, from the popular airs of the
day to the most classic, enables them to
please the diversified tastes of the public.
m LEXANDER OWENS, of Milan, Illi-
J&ii nois, has for almost a third of a cen-
tury been numbered among those who fol-
low the ancient teachings of Freemasonry,
and his loyalty to all its principles makes
him a worthy and valued member of the
order. He was made a Mason in Trio
Lodge, No. 57, of Rock Island, being initi-
ated as an Entered Apprentice on the i 5th
of February, 1866, passing the Fellow-craft
degree on the loth of May, and being
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son on the 23d of August. The symbols of
these three degrees contain the germs and
are the foundation of all Freemasonry; and
its principles form the basis of the entire
order. On the 29th of November, 1866,
Mr. Owens dimitted from Trio Lodge to
Eureka Lodge, No. 69, of Milan, of which
he was one of the organizers. He held the
offices of Junior and Senior Warden for sev-
eral terms and has been an active working
member, exemplifying in his life the true
spirit of the society. He is a companion of
the chapter, being exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Barrett Chap-
ter, No. 1 8, of Rock Island. Capitular
Masonry is the keystone of the arch of
Freemasonry and teaches in its beautiful
and impressive legends the history of the
past. Its predominating tincture or color
is scarlet, symbolizing ardor, zeal and purifi-
cation, and historically refers to the re-
building of the temple of Jerusalem. Mr.
Owens has never severed his relation to
Barrett Chapter and is hignly esteemed by
the companions with whom he has thus
been associated for some years.
A native of county Antrim, Ireland, Mr.
Owens was born near the city of Belfast,
on the 1 7th of June, 1 830, and comes of the
good old Scotch-Irish Presbyterian stock
that has furnished to the United States
many of her best citizens, renowned both
in war and in peace. His parents were
Archibald and Mary (McMaster) Owens,
both natives of county Antrim. In 1845
they were both stricken with typhoid fever
and passed away within a week, leaving a
family of two sons and five daughters, three
of whom are still living.
Mr. Owens was then a youth of fifteen
years. Thrown upon his own resources at
that early age, he looked seriously at the
problems which life presented to him, and
with resolute heart and willing hand started
out to make his own way in the world.
After two years he sailed for New York to
improve the advantages afforded young men
in this land of the free. He served an ap-
prenticeship to the carpenter's trade in Pitts-
burg, Pennsylvania, and in 1852 removed
to Cleveland, Ohio, where he followed that
pursuit for four years. In 1857 he came to
Milan, which has since been his place of
residence, with the exception of a short in-
terval. In 1859 he spent six months in
California, visiting Sacramento, Maysville
and San Francisco, and from the Pacific
slope returned to St. Louis, where he re-
mained until 1 86 1, when he returned to
Milan. He has since been engaged in con-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
433
tracting and building on an extensive scale
and has erected many churches, school-
houses, residences and business blocks in
Rock Island and vicinity. Thoroughly un-
derstanding every detail of the business, he
is capable therefore of directing others, and
he has a genius for devising and executing
the right thing at the right time, so that he
has won success in his undertakings. He is
thoroughly honorable in all business trans-
actions, and throughout the community
bears the good name which is rather to be
chosen than great riches. He now holds
the position of superintendent of the Mis-
sissippi & Illinois canal, having charge of
the construction of all the lock gates of the
first five miles.
Mr. Owens was happily married in 1852
to Miss Helen Wyman, a native of New
York. They have reared a family of six
children, namely: Annie Louisa, wife of W.
H. Smith, of Chicago; Charles C., a busi-
ness man of Cleveland, Ohio; Jennie, wife
of Ira Zahn, who resides near Milan; Helen,
wife of H. F. Hunter, a resident of Boston,
Massachusetts; Elizabeth B., wife of Al-
fonzo McNulty, of Des Moines, Iowa; and
Emma A., wife of R. B. Sterns, of Chicago.
Mr. and Mrs. Owens are valued mem-
bers of the Presbyterian church, and in
politics he is a stanch Republican, who
warmly advocates the tenets promulgated
by that party. He has served his county
as supervisor for a number of years, was
one of the trustees of Milan, and for five
years was president of the village. He is
deeply interested in its welfare and does all
in his power to promote its moral and
material interests.
CHARLIE P. DORN. — It is not from
numbers that Freemasonry has derived
its strength, but from the fraternal mission
of humanity which it has executed for so
many years and which gives it dignity,
honor and immortality. Men glorify their
Heavenly Father by loving their neighbors
as themselves, and by doing good to their
fellow men, and this is what Masonry
' 25
teaches. Mr. Dorn has been a valued
member of the order since 1881, when he
was admitted to Euclid Lodge, No. 65, on
December 6, serving as its Junior Warden
and Secretary, holding the latter office for
six years, from 1882 to 1889. He received
the capitular degrees in Euclid Chapter,
No. 13, in 1882, in which he was Master of
the Veil; was made a Royal and Select
Master in Aurora Council, No. 45; and was
constituted a Sir Knight in Aurora Com-
mandery, No. 22, in 1892. He became a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah
Temple, in 1893, an<J 's a member of Ris-
ing Sun Chapter, No. 5 1 , Order of the East-
ern Star. He is also a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America, of which he
was Banker for six years, and in 1896 was
elected its presiding officer, and he is a
rnember-at-large of the Independent Order
of Foresters.
Mr. Dorn was born in Stephenson
county, Illinois, March 5, 1852, and spent
the first part of his life on the home farm,
attending the district schools during the
winter months. Upon attaining his major-
484
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
it'y he began his career in life by engaging
as a clerk in a produce house at Monroe,
Wisconsin, in the meantime devoting his
leisure time to the study of dental surgery.
He subsequently moved to Orangeville and
there practiced dentistry for two years. In
1878 he came to Naperville, where he has
since successfully followed his profession.
In 1885 he took a course of lectures in Rush
Medical College, and in 1892 a post, gradu-
ate course at the Haskell school.
In his political views he is affiliated with
the Republican party, and religiously is an
adherent of the Congregational church. He
is a progressive citizen of Naperville, pos-
sesses a thorough knowledge of his profes-
sion, and is popular with all who know him.
LEXANDER B. LEITH, one of Chi-
. cage's prominent and enterprising
business men, is still more closely connected
with many of his fellow townsmen through
the ties of Masonry. His identification
with this order has been of comparatively
short duration, but within the three years
of his connection he has become fully im-
bued with the spirit of the fraternity and is
•deeply interested in all that pertains to its
advancement. He was made a Mason in
Union Park Lodge, F. & A. M., taking the
three degrees of the blue lodge in 1894.
The following year he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason, his
membership being in York Chapter. He
also became a member of St. Bernard Com-
mandery, K. T. , in 1895, and in that year
was made a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, his membership
being in Medinah Temple. He manifests
in his life the spirit of the fraternity and
exemplifies its honorable teachings in his
upright career.
Mr. Leith is a man well known in the
business world of Chicago, his connection
•with one of the leading industries of the
city securing him a wide acquaintance. He
was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on the
1 2th of July, 1868, and in his native land
learned the trade of a machinist, his close
application making him a good workman.
This he has made his life occupation, and
his steady advancement in that line has
brought to him a merited success. In
1887 he determined to try his fortune in
America, hoping to avail himself of the
better opportunities here afforded young
men for advancement. Chosing Chicago
as the scene of his future labors he followed
his chosen occupation here in the employ
of others until 1890, when he formed a part-
nership with A. J. Adams and B. Hampton,
establishing the Fulton Machine Works.
They do an extensive business, and in ad-
dition to general work in their line make a
specialty of the manufacture of the Thistle
Bicycles, one of the best wheels that have
ever been placed on the market. Its repu-
tation has gone throughout the length and
breadth of the land and the success of the
business has been almost phenomenal. The
excellence and durability of the wheel at
once commended it to the public, and as
bicycling has rapidly grown in favor the
Thistle bicycle has found its way to all
parts of the country. The shops of the
firm are most thoroughly equipped and the
reputation of the company is irreproachable.
In 1896 Mr. Leith was united in mar-
riage to Miss Maria Durkin, of Scranton,
Pennsylvania. They have many friends in
this city, and Mr. Leith is popular in both
social and business circles. His career is
an exemplification of what can be accom-
plished by determined purpose, resolute
energy and capable management. Success
comes largely as the result of the recogni-
tion of opportunities and taking advantage
of the same. This quality Mr. Leith pos-
sesses, and in consequence has worked his
way upward to a foremost place in Chicago's
business circles.
JAMES FRANCIS ROWINS was made a
Mason in Waubansia Lodge, No. 160,
of Chicago in 1894, and the same year
took the Royal Arch degrees in LaFayette
Chapter, No. 2. It was also in 1894 that
he became connected with the Royal &
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
435
Select Masters of Palestine Council and
with Apollo Commandery, in which he was
made a Knight Templar. In April, 1895,
he joined Oriental Consistory of the Scot-
tish Rite, and during the two years of his
connection with Masonry he has advanced
rapidly in the fraternity, has labored ear-
nestly for its interests and has become widely
known as one of its valued members; and
in addition to his Masonic connections he
is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows.
Mr. Rowins was born in Talbot county,
Maryland, on the 7th of August, 1850, and
in that state was reared to manhood and
acquired his education. He also learned
the printer's trade there, gaining a thorough
knowledge of the business which he has
made his life work. In 1873 he left the
state of his nativity and removed to Indiana,
settling at Crown Point, whence he removed
to Dakota in 1 886. Five years were passed
in the northwest and he then returned to
Illinois, since which time he has been a resi-
dent of Chicago. Here he carries on a
general printing business and has a well-ap-
pointed establishment, where he turns out
first- class work. His ability in this direc-
tion and his fair and honorable dealing have
brought to him a liberal patronage and
therefore he enjoys a fair income.
Mr. Rowins was united in marriage in
1873 with Miss Jennie S. Holton, a native
of Crown Point, Indiana, and a granddaugh-
ter of Solon Robinson, at one time agricult-
ural editor of the New York Tribune, and
the first settler in Lake county, Indiana,
where he was known as the ' ' squatter
king." Our subject and his wife now have
four children, Howard H. , James E. , Jo-
sephine Sarah and Cora Belle.
RTHUR H. BRUMBACK, M. D.—
_/*3L The fraternity of Masonry teaches
ethics by symbols, and its creed embraces
a belief in the eternal God, the grand archi-
tect of the universe. It inculcates in the
mind the higher ideal in life, and exists in
response to a desire of the soul for a do-
main of brotherhood, — a congenial com-
panionship that should tend to soften the
harder lines of life and render it more beau-
tiful. Beneath its spreading branches man-
kind may obtain solace and security from
most of the storms incident to human ex-
istence. The work of this order will never
be fully appreciated until men of all ranks,
conditions and creeds shall harmonize in a
combined effort to do the greatest good to
the greatest number. That this much-de-
sired end is being consummated is demon-
strated by the increased interest that is
manifested throughout the world in, and the
daily addition to, the already enormous
membership.
No more convincing argument in favor
of Freemasonry could be given than that it
descends from father to son for several gen-
erations, for surely no father would advise
a son to become affiliated with an organiza-
tion that would be otherwise than of the
greatest benefit to him. The father of Dr.
Brumback was for many years before his
death an honored member of the fraternity,
and his son holds a similar position in the
brotherhood to-day. In April, 1883, he
was made a Master Mason in Denver Lodge,
Hancock county, was exalted in the Au-
gusta Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons in
June, and created a Knight Templar in Al-
moner Commandery, No. 32, August 4, of
the same year. At present he is affiliated
with the Garden City Lodge, the Wiley M.
Egan Chapter, and the Chicago Command-
ery, all of Chicago. In his daily life Dr.
Brumback has always endeavored to follow
the precepts of the society and to advance
its interests in every possible manner.
The Doctor is a native of Hancock
county, Illinois, where he was born March
31, 1862. After passing through the vari-
ous grades of the common schools he at-
tended Carthage College, at Carthage, Illi-
nois, and then entered the College of Phy-
sicians and Surgeons at Chicago in the fall
of 1882, in which he was a member of the
first class and graduated in 1884. Upon
receiving his diploma he went to Quincy,
Illinois, where he began the practice of his
436
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
profession for a short time and one winter
delivered lectures on hygiene in the medi-
cal department of Shattuck University. His
duties next called him to Kansas City, Mis-
souri, where he took up the practice of
medicine until the fall of 1890, at which
time he came to Chicago and has since pur-
sued his calling in this city. The Doctor
makes a specialty of pulmonary diseases
and is professor of physical diagnosis in the
College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is
a member of the Chicago Medical Society
and is examining physician of the Royal
Arcanum, Royal League, National Union,
Northwestern Masonic Aid Association, the
jKtna Life Insurance Company, of Hartford,
the Endowment Rank, Knights of Pythias,
the Fraternal Alliance, of Milwaukee, Wis-
consin, and medical director of the North
American Union. Dr. Brumback is a man
of keen discernment, thoroughly familiar
with all the branches of his profession and
holds a prominent position in the medical
world.
In 1889 Dr. Brumback was united in
marriage to Miss Sophia ]. Wiborg, a na-
tive of Canada, and they have one son, Ben-
ton Lee. A man of genial nature and a
prepossessing personality, he is well liked
by his numerous friends. Among his many
social relations he is a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine, in Medinah Temple, and is highly
respected by his fellow. Shriners.
JULIUS CRONAU.— Masonry is a bond
of friendship which time can only
strengthen and make more indissoluble.
It brings men together and encourages a
spirit of common brotherhood that has for
its object the uplifting of mankind and the
establishment of a universal feeling of char-
ity, love and kindness to one's fellow crea-
tures. Although allied to no particular re-
ligious denomination, its fundamental prin-
ciples are extracted from the book of God
and its aims are directed to the upholding
of Christianity and the fatherhood of a Su-
preme Being, which, while not brought for-
ward in a conspicuous manner, nevertheless
permeates all the rites and ceremonies of
the craft.
Mr. Cronau was initiated into the fra-
ternity in Galva Lodge, No. 243, and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son on February 14, 1887, Brother A. O.
Stoddard being the Worshipful Master who
conferred the degrees. He was exalted to
the degree of Royal Arch Mason in Kewanee
Chapter, No. 47, and was made a Mark
Master April 14, 1887, Past Master May 1 1,
and Most Eminent Master and Royal Arch
June 8. He at once became an active and
efficient member of his chapter, filling the
offices of Master of the Third Veil and Cap-
tain of the Host for two terms. On De-
cember 5, 1887, he was created a Sir Knight
in Temple Commandery, No. 20, at Prince-
ton, and on April 21, 1894, was made a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Tem-
ple, Valley of Chicago. Brother Cronau
has always been zealous, faithful and true
to the precepts of the order, and is regarded
by his brethren as a most exemplary Mason.
The birth of Mr. Cronau occurred at
Kewanee Illinois, on July 26, 1865. He is
of German extraction, his parents being
Peter and Mary (Fallendore) Cronau, both
natives of Germany, who came to the
United States shortly after their marriage,
locating first in New Haven, Connecticut,
whence they moved to Chicago and later to
Kewanee, where Mr. Cronau was for many
years a prominent merchant tailor and
business man. He erected a fine brick
block in the city and a beautiful residence,
where the subject of this review was born
and where he now lives with his mother,
who is now in the sixty-seventh year of her
age. The father was a worthy member of
the Masonic fraternity, being initiated in
Kewanee Lodge, No. 159, on March 19,
1 86 1, passed June 18, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason June
i 8. In 1866 he became a member of Ke-
wanee Chapter, No. 47, receiving the de-
grees of Mark Master November 21, Past
Master November 22, Most Eminent Master
December 6, and Royal Arch December 8.
Mr. and Mrs. Cronau became the parents of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
437
eight children, four daughters and four sons,
three of the latter — Edward, Theodore and
Julius — being active business men and Sir
Knights Templar. The youngest son is
Lewis Peter. The father departed this life
November 11, 1876, at the age of forty-
nine years.
Mr. Cronau was the fifth child and his
early education was received in the public
schools of Kewanee, which was supple-
mented by a course of instruction by mail
from the Philadelphia Ophthalmic College.
He then began to learn the trade of prac-
tical jeweler, which he studied in both Ke-
wanee and Chicago, and at which he
worked in Galva, Illinois, for four years.
In 1 889 he opened his present store in Ke-
wanee, and by strict integrity and close
application he has succeeded in building up
a prosperous business. He is an intelligent,
active man and a capable and gifted worker
in the fraternity, thoroughly well versed in
the ritual and always endeavoring to live up
to the tenets of the order. Politically he is
an enthusiastic Republican, and he is a
member of the Knights of Pythias.
FRED H. DIXON, a prominent con-
tractor and builder of Belvidere, Illi-
nois, is a worthy member of the Masonic
order at this place and has during the near-
ly four years of his identity with it mani-
fested its teachings in his every-day life.
Early in the year 1893 Mr. Dixon sought
admission to Belvidere Lodge, No. 60, A.
F. & A. M., was duly elected to receive its
degrees, and was entered March 20, passed
April 3, and raised May 15. The chapter
degrees were conferred upon him the same
year by Kishwaukee Chapter, R. A. M.;the
Mark Master and Past Master degrees, May
8; Most Excellent Master, May 22, and
Royal Arch, June 12.
Mr. Dixon is a New Yorker by birth,
but from childhood has been a resident of
Belvidere, Illinois. He was born in Oneida
county. New York, August 30, 1861, and is
of English extraction, his parents being
Thomas and Mary Ann (Jarvis) Dixon, both
natives of England. They came from New
York to Illinois in 1867, when their son
Fred H. was five years of age, and settled
in Belvidere, where he was reared and ed-
ucated, having the advantage of the excel-
lent public schools of this place. In his
youth he showed a preference for the car-
penter's trade, devoted his attention to it
after he left school, and soon mastered it
in all its details. His practical knowledge
of the trade, together with his marked busi-
ness ability brought him into prominence,
and to-day there are in Belvidere numerous
buildings, both private and public, which
are monuments to his skill in the line of
business he has chosen. Among these
buildings may be mentioned the fine high-
school building and the large factory of the
National Sewing Machine Company.
In his views politically Mr. Dixon har-
monizes with the Republican party, and in
local affairs has always shown a commend-
able interest. He is at present a member
of the city council, serving as alderman
from the first ward.
Mr. Dixon was married October 7, 1884,
to Miss Corina Daville, a native of Belvi-
dere, and they have one child, a son, J. W.
GEORGE A. ROOT, a prominent citi-
zen of Lanark engaged in the grocery
business, is a gentleman whose identification
with the institution of Freemasonry entitles
him to personal mention in the present
work, since he has been a member of that
order for over thirty years. He received
the degrees of the blue lodge while a resi-
dent of Decatur, Illinois, in 1864; later,
while living at Bloomington, he affiliated
with the lodge at that place; and he is now
a member in good standing of Lanark
Lodge, No. 423, F. & A. M., of which, for
the past five years, he has been Senior
Warden. He became a member of Lanark
Chapter, R. A. M., in 1890, receiving the
degrees of Mark Master and Past Master
January 30, and Most Excellent Master and
Royal Arch February 24. At this writing
he fills the office of King in the chapter.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
In both branches of the order to which he
belongs he takes an active and enthusiastic
interest, all his work in the same being
characterized by his usual earnestness and
dignity.
Mr. Root is of eastern birth. He was
ushered into life at Coventry, Tolland
county, Connecticut, March i, 1839, and is
of English descent. At an early period in
the history- of America three brothers by
the name of Root came from England to
this country and were among the first set-
tlers of Hartford, Connecticut, where they
had lands granted to them from the king of
England. They and their descendants have
figured prominently in the affairs of this
country, both in peace and war, Nathaniel
Root, the grandfather of our subject, hav-
ing participated in the war of the Revolu-
tion. Rev. Marvin Root, the father of
George A., was born in Coventry, was a
graduate of Williams College and of Yale
Theological Seminary, and was for many
years a minister in the Congregational
church. He filled various pastorates in the
east, remaining there until 1857, at which
time he came to Illinois, where he was a
potent force in the home missionary field.
He died at Lanark in the seventy-ninth
year of his age. He had married in his
youth, in the east, Miss Loxea Bushnell, a
native of Stonington, Connecticut, and, like
himself, a descendant of one of the first
families of that state. Their union was
blessed with six children, of whom five are
yet living, one son, Thomas, having lost his
life while serving as a Union soldier in the
late war. The mother lived to be eighty-
four years old. She sympathized with and
encouraged her worthy husband in his min-
isterial work, and in her quiet and unas-
suming way performed many a Christian
deed of kindness.
George A. Root was educated in New-
ark, Ohio, and was in the book and station-
ery business two years at Piqua, that state.
Coming thence in 1859 to Illinois, he taught
school and worked on a farm near Lanark
until September, 1861, when, in response to
President Lincoln's call for volunteers to
put down the Rebellion, he enlisted as a
member of Company B, Seventh Illinois
Volunteer Cavalry, and went to the front.
He was in many of the prominent engage-
ments of the south, and for his gallant serv-
ice was from time to time promoted until
at the close of the war he was major of his
regiment. Like most veterans of the late
war, Mr. Root is identified with the G. A.
R. He has filled nearly every office in his
Post and is now its Past Commander.
The war over, Mr. Root returned to
Bloomington, Illinois, and in 1867 came
from there to Lanark, where he purchased
land and where for twenty years he was
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He still
owns his fine farm of one hundred and
twenty acres near this place. Under Pres-
ident Harrison's administration Mr. Root
served four years as postmaster of Lanark.
In 1 894 he engaged in the grocery business,
in partnership with his son, Fletcher Irviii
Root, and has since done a prosperous busi-
ness in this line.
Reverting to that page in Mr. Root's
life which is more purely domestic, we find
that on June 16, 1866, was consummated
his marriage to Miss Helen Fletcher, a
native of Illinois. They have five children,
as follows: Anna, wife of Mr. Ezra Schrock;
Fletcher I., Lizzie, Robert, and Viola.
WON. EDWARD LAFONTAINE
CRONKRITE stands to-day as one
of the representative citizens of Illinois, his
connection with legislation, his prominence
as a business man of Freeport and his hon-
orable identification with the Masonic fra-
ternity, all serving to make him well and
favorably known.
There are no rules for building charac-
ters; there is no rule for achieving success.
The man who can rise from the ranks to a
position of eminence is he who can see and
utilize the opportunities that come along
his path. The essential conditions of hu-
man life are ever the same; the surround-
ings of individuals differ but slightly; and
when one man passes another on the high-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
I
439
way to reach the goal of prosperity before
others who perhaps started out before him,
it is because he has the power to use ad-
vantages which probably encompass the
whole human race. To-day, among the
most prominent business men of Freeport,
stands Mr. Cronkrite, and his connection
with Masonic interests has made his life
record of interest to his brethren of the
craft.
Mr. Cronkrite was born in Saratoga
county, New York, January 27, 1832, and
is a descendant of the sturdy Holland-
Dutch settlers who established the colony
of New York. His father, Joseph G.
Cronkrite, was a native of that state and
was an industrious farmer through a long
life of eighty-eight years. His wife lived
to the age of sixty-three. They were peo-
ple of the highest respectability and worth,
and the father served as postmaster during
the administration of President James K.
Polk. In the family were six sons and four
daughters.
The subject of this review was educated
in the common schools and in an academy
of West Poultney, Vermont. In 1855 he
went to California, where he engaged in
teaching school until 1859, when he re-
turned to Freeport. Here he engaged in
clerking for two years, during which time he
learned the grocery business and then
opened a grocery store of his own, which
he has since successfully conducted, cover-
ing a period of thirty- four years. He soon
acquired an enviable reputation as a thor-
oughly reliable merchant and in conse-
quence has enjoyed a very liberal patron-
age, which he justly merits.
Mr. Cronkrite was happily married Oc-
tober 17, 1 86 1, to Miss Nellie Carter, a na-
tive of Freeport and a daughter of Marcus
Carter, of this city. Their only son, Will-
iam Napoleon Cronkrite, is now a leading
citizen of Freeport. In politics our subject
has been a lifelong Democrat and has been
one of the most active adherents in this
section of the state. He has served as a
member of the city council and as the
honored mayor, administering the affairs of
the city government in a way that reflected
credit upon himself and constituents and
brought to Freeport material improvement
and prosperity. He was six times elected
by his party to the state legislature and was
chairman of various important committees,
while on one occasion he was the candidate
of the Democracy for speaker of the house.
He was a wise and just legislator, placing
principle above party and fidelity to duty
above self-aggrandizement.
Mr. Cronkrite's connection with Ma-
sonry began in 1862. His wife belongs to
the Order of the Eastern Star, of which she
is now Worthy Matron. In 1863 he became
a Royal Arch Mason and in 1867 was made
a Knight Templar. He is a charter mem-
ber of Freeport Consistory, was one of its
first officers and is now its Past Commander-
in-Chief. During his entire connection
with the fraternity he has been one of its
most ardent and useful members, an untir-
ing worker in its interests and has been
honored with all the highest offices in the
various branches with which he is associat-
ed. He has taken all the degrees up to
and including the thirty-second, and has
served as district deputy. As a member of
the time-honored fraternity, as a public of-
ficer and as a citizen, his career has been
such as to win him the regard of all, and
there is in his record much that is worthy
of emulation.
BENTON BRUMBACK.-
JL Although the grave may receive all
that is mortal of man, yet will his good
deeds live after him and stand as an ever-
lasting monument to a life that has been
spent in following the precepts of Christ
and endeavoring to walk in the narrow path
that He has taught us leads to a heavenly
reward. Mr. Brumback was a man whose
faith in Christianity was unswerving, and
his life was full of the beauties of its teach-
ings. He early perceived the benefits to
humanity to be derived from the principles
of Freemasonry, and became an active mem-
440
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
her of that order, taking more than an ordi-
nary interest in its workings, and doing all
in his power to further its cause and spread
its doctrines throughout the land. He was
a charter member of the Denver Lodge,
of Hancock county, in which he was Past
Master; was a charter member in the chap-
ter and held the office of Past High Priest,
and was also a charter member of the com-
mandery, in which he was Past Eminent
Commander. He took the ineffable degree
of the Scottish Rite in the consistory at
Quincy, Illinois. In all his associations
with the organization he was held in high
esteem by his brothers, who, at his death,
lost one of their most valued members.
Mr. Brumback was born in Hancock
county, Illinois, March 4, 1839, on the farm
where he lived for so many years. His ed-
ucational advantages were few, and were
received at the district schools of the county.
He followed the occupation of farming and
owned eight hundred acres in Hancock
county, which was highly cultivated and on
which he raised a great deal of stock. He
held a number of minor offices, among them
being that of supervisor of his township, to
which he was elected in 1864, and that of
assessor, holding that office in 1868-9. He
was again elected supervisor in 1875, and
served two years, and in 1878 was elected
to the state legislature. In these positions
he was efficient, capable and honest, and
performed his duties in a manner that won
for him the1 commendation of his constitu-
ents.
Mr. Brumback was married in February,
1 86 1, to Miss Abbie D. Southwick, a na-
tive of Massachusetts, and the daughter of
Baruch and Mary (Fowler) Southwick, who
were also natives of that state. The South-
wick family is of English stock, the founder of
the American branch coming to this country
on the Mayflower in 1630. The first of the
name, Lawrence Southwick, located in
Salem, Massachusetts. The family were
members of the Society of Friends and as
such they suffered many hardships in com-
mon with others of their belief, among them
being that of banishment. Mr. Southwick,
the father of Mrs. Brumback, was a chapter
Mason. Five children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Brumback, four of whom died in
childhood. Arthur H., the eldest of the
family, was born in 1862, and a sketch of
him will be found in another portion of this
volume.
Daniel Brumback, the great-grand-
father of Thomas B., was of German de-
scent and came from Pennsylvania to Vir-
ginia at an early day, settling near New-
market. Several children were born to
him, of only two of whom we have any
record, — John and Henry, — the latter being
the grandfather of the subject of this
memoir. He married Miss Mary Grove,
and eleven children were born to them, one
of whom, Jacob, was the father of Thomas
B. He was married February 5, 1835, to
Miss Nancy Grove, of Page county, Vir-
ginia, and in the same year came to Han-
cock county and located on section 30, St.
Mary's township, where he bought two
hundred and forty acres of land, to which
he gradually added more land, until at his
death, which took place January 5, 1853,
at the age of forty-three years, he was the
owner of one thousand and one hundred
acres. He was an energetic, industrious
man and a good financier. In politics he
was a Democrat, but never held any office.
Although not affiliated with any religious
denomination, he had a decided preference
for the old-school Baptist faith. His chil-
dren were eight in number, — Joseph S.,
Thomas B., Henry P., Mary E., Susan F. ,
Emily E. , John H. and Laura A. Three
of them died in childhood.
After his marriage Mr. Brumback lived
in a log cabin, locating on a part of his
mother's farm for one summer, and in the
following fall moved to the homestead
where he resided until his death, which oc-
curred in 1894. After the close of this use-
ful life the last sad rites were performed by
Almoner Commandery, No. 32, which con-
ducted all that was mortal to the grave
with the simple but beautiful ceremonies of
that order. Ever true to the best instincts
of his nature and beloved by his many
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASON RT IN ILLINOIS.
443
friends, the loss of Mr. Brumback was sin-
cerely felt by a community that was bereft
of one of its most honored members.
QEORGE PHILIP BAY is one of the
earnest and devoted members of the
Masonic fraternity of Chicago, his identifica-
tion with the order covering a period of al-
most forty years. As the days have length-
ened into months, the months into years,
he has been found a faithful representative
of the order, and though not specially
prominent as an officer is a worthy expo-
nent of the benevolent and fraternal prin-
ciples which are the basis of the society.
Mr. Bay was made a Mason in Kilwinning
Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he is a life
member, in 1859, and in 1870 was raised to
the Royal Arch degree in Corinthian Chap-
ter, in which his membership is also to con-
tinue until his life is ended. He was
knighted in Chicago Commandery in 1872,
and on the 26th of October, 1886, he be-
came a charter member of Englewood
Chapter, No. 59, K. T. He is highly es-
teemed by the members of the craft and his
long connection with the fraternity makes
him especially worthy of mention in a vol-
ume whose province is the recording of the
Masonic history of Illinois and of the lives
of those who have aided in forming its an-
nals.
The record of Mr. Bay's life tells the
story of a man who has worked his way up-
ward from a humble position to a place of
affluence and secured an honorable position
in the business world of America's second
metropolis. He was born on the 9th of
July, 1830, in Wiborg, Denmark, a son of
Soren Andreas and Henriette A. (Pfaff)
Bay. The family from which he descended
is one of importance in Denmark, its mem-
bers for more than a century having been
trusted officials under the Danish govern-
ment. The grandfather sreved as burgo-
master and the father also held official pre-
ferment in \Yiborg.
In early life Mr. Bay, of this sketch,
availed himself of the opportunities that
the public and private schools of Wiborg
afforded for acquiring a good education, and
was thereby fitted for the practical duties of
a business career. He served an appren-
ticeship to the trade of wood-turning and
was employed at that pursuit until 1852,
when he bade adieu to friends and native
land and sailed for America. Locating in
Chicago, he worked at his trade in connec-
tion with the furniture business for a num-
ber of years, after which he embarked in
the grocery business in 1861. This enter-
prise proved one of eminent success. He
soon secured a good trade, which constantly
increased, and the liberal patronage brought
to him a good income. Thus he accumu-
lated considerable capital, — sufficient to en-
able him to embark in the banking business,
to which he directed his energies in 1873.
Forming a partnership that year with An-
drew Peterson in the establishment of the
private banking house of Peterson & Bay,
with the intention of dealing in real estate
and securities, the business was carried on
under the original firm name up to July I,
1895. Their office was at first at No. 36
Clark street, but the increase in patronage
has been so rapid that it has necessitated
more commodious quarters, and several
changes have been made, until, in 1890,
they removed to the southwest corner of
La Salle and Randolph streets. On the
1st of July, 1895, the firm of Peterson &
Bay reorganized their bank as the Western
State Bank, under which name they are do-
ing an extensive business, comprehensive in
its scope and in the magnitude of its trans-
actions. The name of either of these gen-
tlemen is a sufficient guarantee of reliability
and sound dealing, and since the period of
the great fire, which laid in ruins so much
of the city, they have been connected with
many of the important real-estate transac-
tions of the city. They not only conduct
a bank of deposit, but do a general loan
and discount business and deal extensively
in local stocks and securities. Their bank
is one of the most substantial concerns of
the kind in the city, — a position which is
due entirely to the honorable efforts and
444
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
upright business methods of the members
of the firm, who in this way have won the
public confidence and therefore the public
patronage.
On the 30th of October, 1855, was con-
summated the marriage of Mr. Bay and Miss
Clara T. , daughter of R. Buck, of McHenry,
Illinois. Eleven children were born to
them, of whom four sons and four daugh-
ters are yet living: Their names are: Clara
H. Miller; Alice, the wife of Frank I. Blish;
Charles P. ; Hiram H., a member of Gray-
ling Lodge, No. 356, F. & A. M. , and of
Grayling Chapter, No. 120, R. A. M., both
of Grayling, Michigan; Henry M. ; Erne L. ;
Irean J. and George P., Jr.
Mr. Bay holds his religious membership
in the Universalist church in Englewood
and gives a liberal support to charitable and
church work, thus exemplifying the princi-
ples of Masonry. His political support is
usually given to the Republican party, but
he does not consider himself bound by party
ties, his judgment being an important fac-
tor in exercising his right of franchise. He
is a member of the Real Estate Board, of
which he served for one term as treasurer.
Fond of travel and delighting in the breadth
of mental vision which it brings, he usually
spends two or three months each year in
visiting various sections of his adopted land,
with which he is now very familiar. He is
a loyal American citizen, true to the inter-
ests and institutions of the republic, and
never feeling a single regret that he allied
himself with the United States. When
he came here his capital consisted of less
than fifty dollars, but the advantages for
self-advancement afforded here have brought
to him a handsome competence as the re-
sult of his energy, perseverance and well-
directed efforts, and he finds that his great-
est pleasure is using the wealth so acquired
for the promotion of the happiness and
welfare of his family.
H
[ANIBAL HENRY RUBIN.— As one
3L of the respected and successful busi-
ness men of Belvidere, and more especially
as one of the worthy Masons of the town,
is this gentleman, Mr. Hanibal Henry Ru-
bin, entitled to personal consideration in the
present work.
Reverting first to his Masonic history,
we find that the Entered Apprentice degree
was conferred upon him by St. John's Lodge,
of Whitewater, Wisconsin, January 18, 1883,
and for the time being he made no further
progress in the order. Later, however, he
was transferred to Belvidere Lodge, No. 60;
was passed November 2, 1891, and raised
on the 1 6th of the same month. In 1893
he petitioned for the chapter degrees, was
duly elected by Kishwaukee Chapter, No.
90, R. A. M., and March 28 had revealed
to him the mysteries of the Mark Master and
Past Master degrees. The degree of Most
Excellent Master was conferred May 27,
and on the I2th of June he was exalted a
Royal Arch Mason. In both the lodge and
chapter he has filled official position. In
the former he served acceptably as Junior
Warden, and in the latter he has since 1893
been the incumbent of the Treasurer's of-
fice, having each year been re-elected.
Mr. Rubin was born in White Water,
Wisconsin, February 17, 1861, son of Jacob
and Susan Rubin, natives of Switzerland,
who emigrated to this country in early life
and settled at White Water, where the fa-
ther was for a number of years engaged in
the manufacture of pottery, and where he
died October 14, 1882. The mother died
in 1871, at the age of fifty years. They
were the parents of nine children, Hanibal
H. being one of the four of that number
who are still living. He owes his early ed-
ucational advantages to the public schools
of Janesville, Wisconsin, and there also he
took a commercial course. He is a gradu-
ate of the Commercial College of Janes-
ville. At the age of sixteen years he began
to learn the trade of baker, and to this
business he has since given his attention,
meeting with success in his undertakings.
He came to Belvidere first in 1881, worked
for wages here that year and then returned
to White Water, where he spent the next
two years. In 1884 he established his pres-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
445
ent business at Belvidere, beginning with
small capital, but with plenty of business
push and a determination to succeed; and
that he has made a success is due solely to
his own efforts.
Mr. Rubin was happily married May 30,
1883, to Miss Rosa Fenwick, a native of
Belvidere, and to them have been given four
children, all born in this city, namely:
Charles Francis, Vera Sophia, Pearl Jean-
ette and Susan Jane.
In connection with Mr. Rubin's frater-
nity associations, it should be further stated
that he is a worthy member of the I. O. O.
F., and has passed all the chairs in both
branches of that order. His political views
are those of the Republican party.
w
ILLIAM NAPOLEON CRONK-
RITE. — An honored son of a
worthy sire, this gentleman, like his father,
is an enthusiastic, loyal member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, and at the present is serv-
ing as Eminent Commander of Freeport
Commandery and First Lieutenant Com-
mander in the consistory of Freeport, in
which his father is Past Commander-in-
Chief. Soon after attaining his majority
he became a member of the order, taking
the degrees of Entered Apprentice and
Fellow-craft; on the gth of November,
1884, was raised to the sublime degree of a
Master Mason, and in 1887 and 1888 served
as Worshipful Master of his lodge. He was
soon made a Royal Arch Mason and was
High Priest of the chapter in 1891. Thus
has he been honored in official preferment
in the order in which he has arisen to the
thirty-second degree.
Mr. Cronkrite is one of the native sons
of Freeport, his birth having occurred here
July 8, 1863. His father, Edward Lafon-
taine Cronkrite, has for more than a third
of a century been identified with the com-
mercial interests of the city. William was
reared in his parents' home and acquired
his literary education in the schools of
Freeport, Mount Morris Seminary and Knox
College, -at Galesburg, Illinois. He took
up the study of law under the supervision
of J. S. Cochrin, and was admitted to the
bar in 1884, after which he was appointed
deputy county clerk, holding the office for
eight years. Since that time he has been
engaged in the active practice of his chosen
profession, meeting with gratifying success
and winning a reputation which places him
in the front rank among the representatives
of the law in Freeport. He is now the
corporation counsel of the city of Freeport.
He is a deep student and his researches in
the line of his calling have been extended
and comprehensive; moreover he has the
faculty of readily applying his knowledge
and selecting from voluminous evidence
the points which bear most readily on the
case. His clients' interests are as dear to
him as his own and his thorough mastery
of a case is evidence of careful and pains-
taking preparation. He is an earnest, log-
ical and eloquent speaker and his argu-
ments also carry weight and seldom fail to
convince. He has a wide acquaintance
through this section of the state and the
circle of his friends is very extensive.
ORRIS BISSELL DODGE.— In the
present connection we are pleased to
touch upon the salient points in the life his-
tory of one who figures as a prominent busi-
ness man of Dixon, Illinois, and who has
high rank among the leading Masons of the
state, — Orris Bissell Dodge. He had the
honor years ago of being made a Mason by
his own father. That was in 1865, at Ran-
toul, Illinois, in the lodge of that name, of
which his father was a charter member and
the first Worshipful Master. Two years
later, in 1867, our subject moved to Dixon,
bringing with him a dimit and here joining
Friendship Lodge, No. 7, in which he soon
became an active worker and of which he
is now Past Worshipful Master. He joined
Nachusa Chapter, No. 56, in 1869, the
Royal Arch degree being conferred upon
him on the 27th of July of that year.
Shortly afterward he was elected Secretary
of the chapter and later was honored with
446
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
the official position of High Priest, an honor
which was bestowed upon him four success-
ive years. In 1 87 1 he became a member
of Dixon Comrnandery, No. 21, and was
knighted February 14. In the command-
ery, as in the lodge and chapter, he was
soon recognized as an enthusiastic and val-
ued member, and here, too, he was honored
officially. He served one year as Warder,
five successive years as Prelate, and three
years as Eminent Commander, and during
all this time he worked with unabated zeal
for the best interests of the order, and while
Commander he conferred the orders of
knighthood upon over sixty companions.
At the conclave in Chicago in 1880 his
commandery showed the largest number of
men in line of all commanderies outside of
Chicago, a fact in which he has just reason
to take pride, as it was largely due to his
efficient efforts that the organization enjoyed
such prosperity.
Mr. Dodge is a native of Ohio and was
born at Twinsburg, December 8, 1838, of
English and Welsh descent, his ancestors
having settled in this country previous to
the Revolutionary period. His great-grand-
father was born on this side of the Atlantic
and was one of the American patriots who
lost his life at the battle of Bunker Hill.
He was a resident of Massachusetts and had
been married only a short time when he
joined the army. His son, John Dodge,
our subject's grandfather, was an only child
and was of posthumous birth. When a
young man he moved to Twinsburg, Ohio,
where he lived to the ripe old age of eighty-
seven years. Religiously, he was a Con-
gregationalist, as also were the parents of
our subject. His father, one of the early
Ohio pioneers, became a successful mer-
chant, and moving to Illinois in 1854 he
lived to be eighty-six, and the mother sixty-
seven, and her mother at time of death was
ninety-two.
Orris B. Dodge is one of a family of five
children, three of whom are living, himself
and two sisters. He was reared and edu-
cated at Bissell's Seminary in his native
town, remaining there until 1854, when he
came to Illinois, locating first at Rantoul,
where he spent three years cultivating a
prairie farm and then eight years in mer-
chandising. In 1867 he removed to Dixon,
where he was successfully engaged in the
dry-goods business for seven years. In
1874 he became interested in the Grand
Detour Plow Manufactory, a business which
was established in 1837 at Grand Detour
on Rock river, six miles above Dixon, and
which later was removed to Dixon in 1869.
In 1879 it was incorporated, and since that
date Mr. Dodge has been its secretary and
treasurer. The Grand Detour Plow Man-
ufactory is one of the prominent enterprises
of Dixon and is too well known to need es-
pecial mention here. We state in passing,
however, that the company has enjoyed a
marked prosperity and that the success to
which it has attained is largely due to the
efficiency of its secretary and treasurer.
Mr. Dodge has a most charming family
and delightful home, his residence, which
he planned and built and which is sur-
rounded by attractive grounds, being one
of the most handsome places in Dixon. He
was happily married June 27, 1872, to Miss
Annie More, and to them have been given
a son and a daughter, John Orris and Annie
Louise, both now members of the home
circle. Their household of faith is that of
the Episcopal church, in which Mr. Dodge
is now senior warden and for twenty-nine
years has been an honored vestryman. He
was a member of the building committee
which erected the beautiful church edifice
in which they now worship.
In his political affiliations he is a stanch
Republican, and as a public-spirited citizen
he has a reputation most enviable. Four
years he served as a member of the city
council. He was chairman of the commit-
tee which had in charge the putting in of
the Dixon water-works, a plant now recog-
nized as one of the best in the country.
He aided in the establishment of the public
library of Dixon and is now president of the
Library Association. He is also president
of the Dixon Business Men's Association,
an active member of the Lee Countv Lect-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF !U l"A!!i
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
449
ure Association, the Gladstone Chautauqua
Circle and other social and literary clubs.
In short, he is a man who has at heart the
best interests of the city, gladly gives his
support to all measures or movements
which in his opinion will promote its wel-
fare, and as such he has the high esteem
and good will of all.
SQUIRE RUSH HARRIS, who has for
a number of years been engaged in a
general insurance, real-estate and loan busi-
ness in the city of Chicago, is identified
with numerous fraternal orgc nizations here,
prominent among which are the several
branches of the Masonic order.
Mr. Harris was born in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, on September 27, 1854, the
son of Edward Greenleaf Harris and Lovisa
E. (Harvey) Harris. His father, a native
of Ohio, was the son of Jarius Harris, who
was a native of Massachusetts and joined
the army in the war of 1812. Afterward he
went to Pennsylvania, was married there,
and subsequently moved to Ohio. Mr.
Harris's mother was a descendant of John
W. Harvey and was born in Cattaraugus
county, New York. In February, 1861,
the parents of our subject came west, locat-
ing in Knox county, Illinois, where he at-
tended school. Fired with the war fever
at the opening of the great war of the Rebel-
lion, young Harris desired to enlist, but on
account of his youth he was kept at home
by his parents, and he continued to attend
school during the winter season and work
on the farm during the season of the year
of such labors. The winter of 1867-8 he
attended school in Peoria, Illinois, and in
the winter of 1870-1 he graduated at Oneida
Academy, in Knox county. Agricultural
pursuits proving not in keeping with his am-
bition and tastes and not fulfilling the scope
of his active mind, he came to Chicago, in
April, 1872, and during the month of June
following he entered the service of J. H.
French & Company, afterward the firm of
French & Keuss, in the insurance business.
Still later, in September, 1873, he and Mr.
Reuss succeeded the old firm, under the
name of S. R. Harris & Company, and con-
tinued for about six months, when Mr.
Reuss withdrew; but the firm name remains
the same. Mr. Harris now has entire con-
trol of the business, to which he has added
real estate and loans. For several years,
also, he was financial manager for the Chi-
cago House Moving Company. He is now
interested in several building and loan as-
sociations, of one of which he was one of
the organizers and for some time was pres-
ident: he is yet a stockholder and a director
in the same. He is also connected with
several other business associations and has
invested extensively in real estate.
Politically he is a Republican, but he
has never sought official honors, and indeed
would not accept of any. By his fellow
citizens he has been asked to accept a nom-
ination for the state legislature, but so far
has declined, having lived in the eleventh
and twelfth wards ever since his arrival in
the city. In his religious relations he is a
Congregationalist, a member and regular at-
tendant at the First Congregational church
of Chicago.
April 14, 1882, he was united in matri-
mony with Miss Sarah S. Bradfield, of Mc-
Donough county, Illinois, and they have
had two children, one of whom died in in-
fancy. The one living is Verna Rogene,
who in 1896 graduated at the Marquette
school in Chicago and since that time has
been attending the Lewis Institute.
In his social relations Mr. Harris is a
member of Garden City Council of the
Royal Arcanum, to which he has belonged
for fifteen years and in which he has held
official stations, including that of Deputy
Grand Regent of the state. In the Lincoln
Club, of Chicago, he is chairman of the
municipal committee, and he is also a
member of the Menoken Club. In 1874 he
was one of the organizers of Company E,
First Regiment of Illinois National Guards,
of which he was sergeant. He has been
active in all matters of reform, assisting
with his services and means in all legisla-
450
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tion that would improve our laws or better
the condition of his fellow men.
But the most important item we wish to
record in connection with this brief sketch
is Mr. Harris's connection with the great
order of Masonry. He is a member of
Hesperia Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 411;
of Washington Chapter, No. 43, R. A. M.,
of which he was Captain of the Host for a
time; of Chicago Commandery, No. 19, K.
T. ; in April, 1897, ne became a member of
the Consistory, Scottish Rite; and he is a
member of Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, — in the
workings of all which branches he mani-
fests a deep interest, striving in his life to
exemplify their teachings.
WILLIAM HENRY KONANTZ, one
of the honored Past Eminent Com-
manders of El Aksa Commandery, No. 55,
of Quincy, and one of the successful busi-
ness men of the city, has for a quarter of
a century been a consistent and enthusiastic
Mason, and is most favorably known in the
bodies with which he is affiliated. He pe-
titioned for membership in Lambert Lodge,
No. 659, on October 17, 1872, was elected
November 5, initiated November 12, passed
December 3, and was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason on January i,
1873. He at once entered into active work
in his lodge, and in course of time was
chosen to fill all its offices in succession but
that of Steward, serving as its Worshipful
Master for two terms, and after a long rest
was again, in 1889, elected to fill the same
office. He was exalted a Royal Arch Ma-
son in Quincy Chapter, No. 5, on Septem-
ber 29, 1874, and in the chapter held the
chairs of Scribe, King and others of im-
portance. He received the degrees of
Royal and Select Masters in Quincy Coun-
cil, No. 1 5, and was dubbed and constituted
a Sir Knight in Beauseant Commandery,
No. ii, on May 6, 1876, and in that
body held offices from that of Junior Dea-
con up to and including that, of Captain-
General, serving in the latter capacity dur-
ing the years of 1881 and 1882. He is a
charter member of El Aksa Commandery,
No. 55, which was organized April 15, 1882,
and received its charter in the fall of the
the same year. Of this body he was Emi-
nent Commander in 1891-2.
Mr. Konantz is a native son of Quincy,
where he was born April 9, 1846, since
which time he has watched the city's
growth with keen interest and has become
closely identified with her business enter-
prises. His father, Paul Konantz, was
born in Switzerland on September 11,
1811, eventually coming to the United
States and locating in Quincy in 1836,
where in the following year he was married
to Miss Wilhelmina Schilthcis, a native of
Berlin. He was engaged in the transfer
business for a number of years in this city,
his death occurring in 1875. His wife sur-
vives him, and is now in her seventy-sixth
year. Nine of their twelve children are
still living, of whom the subject of this
sketch is the eldest. His education was
obtained in the public schools of Quincy,
after leaving which he learned the harness-
maker's trade, serving three years in Quincy
and two in Chicago. In 1875 he deter-
mined to branch out for himself, and with
seven hundred and fifty dollars capital he
opened a shop in this city. From this
modest beginning he has, by strict integrity,
industry and honorable methods, succeeded
in acquiring the leading wholesale and retail
saddlery and harness business in Quincy,
one of the results of which is his invariable
rule of paying spot cash for every purchase
he makes. Mr. Konantz has always been
an incessant, conscientious worker, and has
fully merited his present prosperity and
high standing in the mercantile world.
Our subject was married in 1878 to Miss
Louisa Farmer Harris, of Hannibal, Mis-
souri, their issue being the following three
sons: Orion F. , who is attending the Illi-
nois College; and Edward S. , and Ralph
H., who are pursuing their studies in the
public and high schools of Quincy. Mr.
and Mrs. Konantz are members of the Con-
gregational church and of Grace Whipple
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
451
Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star. He
is a Republican in politics, but is an inde-
pendent thinker, and has always declined to
run for office. As a citizen, business man,
and a Mason, his career has ever been
highly commendable.
LEE H. WILSON is an interested and
; loyal member of the Masonic fraternity
in Chicago. His identification with the
same dates from 1881, when he was made
a member of the order in Golden Rule
Lodge, No. 726, F. & A. M. His high
standing in the society and the confidence
reposed in him by his brethren of the craft
is well indicated by the fact that for six-
teen consecutive years he has filled the po-
sition of Secretary in the blue lodge, being
called to office soon after he became a
member and continuing in that position
down to the present time. He was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No. 126, in
1890. His fidelity to the fraternity is man-
ifest in his active efforts to promote its
growth and secure the inculcation of its ex-
alted principles among its members, and by
manifesting in his own life the true spirit of
its teaching.
Mr. Wilson is a native of Pennsylvania,
his birth occurring in Centerville, of that
state, 1848. With his parents he left the
east and went to Maquoketa, Jackson
county, Iowa, where he spent the greater
part of his boyhood and obtained his ele-
mentary education in the public schools.
His business training was of that character
which added continually to his store of
knowledge; and his business career in later
life, in connection with one of the leading
journals of the country, has broadened a
mind anxious to gain much that is valuable
in the realms of learning. In his youth he
began learning the printer's trade and has
since been connected with the "art pre-
servative" in different capacities. He came
to Chicago in 1866 and was a charter mem-
ber of the old-time Printers' Association,
which included on its rolls the names of
some of the most prominent leaders of the
art in the west. He has been connected
with the Inter Ocean for the continuous pe-
riod of twenty -seven years, and is now the
oldest employee in years of consecutive
service on the paper. From the beginning
he has served as superintendent of the cir-
culating department, and that the responsi-
ble duties of the position have been faith-
fully performed is shown by the fact that
through all the various changes in the
ownership of the paper he has been re-
tained in this place, gaining an enviable
reputation as a business man and winning
the confidence of all with whom he has
come in contact. He is a thorough gentle-
man, very upright and reliable, and his strict
adherence to principle commands the respect
of all. The place that he occupies among his
friends and in social circles is a tribute to
that genuine worth and true nobleness of
character which are universally recognized
and honored.
In 1871 Mr. Wilson was united in mar-
riage to Miss Matilda Huston, a native of
Cincinnati, Ohio, and they have one child,
Nettie E.
JOHN C. WINANS, the efficient and
painstaking Secretary of the Star of the
East Lodge, of Rockford, has been a
member of the Masonic fraternity for more
than twenty years and has ever been most
loyal to its interests. He was made a Ma-
son in Pontiac Lodge, of Pontiac, Illinois,
from which he was afterward dimitted to join
the lodge of Rockford. For six years he
has served as its Secretary and has been
most active in its work and zealous in its
advocacy. He and his wife both hold
membership in the Order of the Eastern
Star, and Mrs. Winans is Treasurer of the
same.
Our subject was born in Rensselaer-
ville, New York, on the i8th of December,
1832, and is a son of Aaron and Catherine
(Gossman) Winans, both natives of the
same place, where occurred the birth of
their son. The father attained the ripe old
452
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
age of ninety-eight years, but the mother
died in the thirty-sixth year of her age. The
grandfather was one of the heroes of the
Revolution and for his services was given a
land grant which he located in the vicinity
of Rensselaerville, New York. The family
is numbered among the earliest settlers of
the Empire state.
John C. Winans was quite young at the
time of his mother's death, after which he
lived with his maternal uncles and aunts.
He is now the owner of the old homestead
which his grandfather received from the
government and reclaimed from the wilder-
ness. He has also a nice home in Rock-
ford, where he resides with the wife whom
he wedded in early manhood, — Susan W. ,
nee Crocker, a granddaughter of the Rev.
Ephraim Crocker, a noted minister of his day
and a representative of a family that early
located in Albany county, New York. Mr.
and Mrs. Winans have one son, George A. ,
who is a thirty-second-degree Mason and a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine.
During the greater part of his life Mr.
Winans has followed the profession of
school-teaching, but he is now engaged in
bookkeeping and is also a real-estate con-
veyancer. His wife has the honor of hav-
ing been one of the first lady notaries pub-
lic in the state, and served for some years
in the abstract and recorder's office in Pon-
tiac, Illinois. Our subject and his wife are
both members of the Methodist church and
their many excellencies of character and
sterling worth have gained them many
friends.
HENRY RUFF, one of the well known,
successful, and highly respected busi-
ness men of Quincy, who is now largely
engaged in the wholesale and retail carpet
trade, is one of the old and valued mem-
bers of the Masonic fraternity. He was
initiated in Luce Lodge, No. 439, and took
a deep interest in it and its prosperity, but
adversity overtook it and it was obliged to
relinquish its charter. Mr. Ruff then be-
came affiliated with Lambert Lodge, No.
659. He has attained to the ineffable
lodge of perfection, is a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret, receiving the thirty-second
degree on January 19, 1887, in Quincy
Consistory. He holds a membership and
is an officer in all the Scottish Rite bodies
in Quincy.
Mr. Ruff is of French ancestry, his
grandfather, Ludwick Ruff, and his father,
Casper Ruff, having emigrated from Alsace,
France (now a part of Germany), in 1835,
and became early settlers at Quincy. His
mother's maiden name was Margaret S.
Bastian. Mr. and Mrs. Ruff were the
parents of three sons and six daughters, all
of whom but one are living. The father
was an iron manufacturer, a successful busi-
ness man and an active member of Bodley
Lodge, No. i . His death occurred at the
age of sixty-six years. His good wife sur-
vives him, her years numbering four-score
and eight. The sons are all successful
business men and members of the Masonic
fraternity.
The birth of Mr. Ruff took place in
Quincy, September 19, 1839, and he is
among her pioneer children. His early ed-
ucation was acquired in his native city, sup-
plemented by travel in Europe, he having
been across the ocean seventeen times, vis-
iting the home of his ancestors partly on
business and partly for pleasure. Ever since
his youth he has engaged in various enter-
prises, and by diligence and honest meth-
ods he has met with more than .ordinary
success. He is a stockholder in the Ruff
Brewing Company, and for the past seven
years has been interested in the wholesale
and retail carpet trade.
In his political belief Mr. Ruff is a Dem-
ocrat, but is independent in his views. He
is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and
in his blue lodge he has filled all the offices
up to that of Master, declining the latter
for business reasons.
Mr. Ruff was happily married, in 1861,
to Miss Lizetta Luther, a native of Ger-
many, and they have one daughter, who is
now the wife of Dr. George W. Bock, of
St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Ruff
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
453
are valued members of St. Peter's church,
German Protestant. Notwithstanding his
advancing years, Mr. Ruff is as energetic
and full of business activity as ever, and is
looked upon as one of Quincy's representa-
tive citizens.
RDEN B. CLEFFORD.— Twenty-five
jk years of earnest endeavor and faithful
service on behalf of the fraternity encom-
passes the Masonic career of the brother
whose name initiates this review, than
whom there is no more enthusiastic mem-
ber of the order in the city of Genoa. His
connection with the society has been
marked by an unceasing devotion to the
local bodies with which he is affiliated, and
that his efforts to advance their interests
and uphold the high standard of excellence
it has always been their ambition to main-
tain have been fully appreciated is amply
26
testified to by the sincere regard in which
he is held by his fratres. Mr. Clefford 's
membership dates back to 1872, \yhen he
joined Evergreen Lodge, No. 408, at
Wheeler, Indiana, from which he was di-
mitted upon moving to Genoa and placed
his dimit in Genoa Lodge, No. 288. In
1 896 he was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Sycamore Chapter,
No. 4, and in 1897 received the orders of
Knighthood in Sycamore Commandery, No.
15. Our brother is a close student of the
teachings of Masonry, and, possessing an
ability far above the average, brings to his
work a high degree of intelligence, making
him a valuable acquisition to the Masonic
circles of the state.
A native of the Hawkeye state, Mr.
Clefford was born in Tama county, April 4,
1851, and is the son of John and Elizabeth
(Granger) Clefford, the former of whom
was born in Connecticut. He died at the
age of fifty-eight, his good wife departing
this life after attaining a similar number of
years. They were the parents of ten chil-
dren, our subject being the eighth in the
order of birth. In his youth he received
exceptionally good educational advantages,
having attended the public schools of Val-
paraiso, Indiana, and later the Methodist
College, subsequently concluding his men-
tal discipline at the Normal school of that
city. Possessing a spirit of independence
he started out in the world to face the stern
realities of life, and secured employment at
the munificent salary of thirteen dollars a
month, but relinquished his position to take
up the vocation of teaching, at this time
being but nineteen years old, and for the
following twelve years was engaged in in-
structing the young idea how to shoot, his
labors being principally confined to the
public schools of Indiana and Iowa. Event-
ually concluding to embark in the dairy
business, Mr. Clefford established himself
at Wheeler, Indiana, purchased twelve
cows, and in this modest manner started in
on a career that has culminated in success
and prosperity. In 1890 he came to Genoa
and built the Cold River Creamery and
454
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
thus laid the foundation for what is now
the largest concern of its kind in the north-
western»part of the state, operating it with
rare good fortune until 1 894, at which time
he disposed of it, having been made a most
advantageous offer by Ira J. Mix, of Chi-
cago. Some time subsequent our subject
purchased two finely developed farms, com-
prising four hundred and forty-seven acres,
situated near Genoa, which contain splen-
did residences and out-buildings, and here
Mr. Clefford has one hundred and twenty
cows, from which he supplies milk to Mr. .
Mix. This he does merely from force of
habit and a desire to be occupied, as he is
financially independent, his farms being
valued in the neighborhood of thirty-six
thousand dollars, and his enterprise having
resulted in securing to himself a comfort-
able competency.
Mr. Clefford's record is that of a man
who has risen to affluence and a position of
prominence among his fellow men solely by
his individual efforts, combined with a char-
acter of the strictest integrity, honesty of
purpose and a determination to succeed
which obstacles could not set aside nor tem-
porary failures discourage. Beginning life
with nothing but what was furnished 'him by
nature, — a stout heart and willing hands, —
he has advanced along life's highway, and
now, in the prime of manhood, is enjoying
the fruits of his early labors.
From the time when the book and rule
became the implements by which he ob-
tained a livelihood, Mr. Clefford has been
deeply interested in all matters pertaining
to education, believing that to be the foun-
dation on which rests the highest condition
of moral and social happiness; and since
coming to Genoa his interest has not abated,
as he was at once placed on the school
board, where his extensive knowledge and
intellectual abilities make him one of the
most valued members. He is a citizen of
whom Genoa may well be proud, and whose
presence redounds to the honor of her resi-
dents. As a business man he occupies a
position in the foremost ranks and retains
the confidence of all with whom he deals,
among whom his word is as good as his
bond.
On September 8, 1872, Mr. Clefford
married Miss Abigail Lakey, a native of
Huntington, Indiana, and a daughter of
Aaron B. Lakey, one of that city's oldest
settlers. One child was born to them,
Aaron Arden, who died at the age of five
months. Mrs. Clefford departed this life
April 9, 1874. The second marriage of our
subject took place on March 8, 1877, when
he was united to Miss Linna Jane Hubbard,
of Corydon, Iowa. They have two chil-
dren, Ava L. , born December 21, 1878, and
Florence V., born October 13, 1885, both
of whom are exceptionally bright and at-
tractive, and the pride and the joy of their
parents. Mr. Clefford's home life is a very
happy one, and in the possession of his ex-
cellent wife and charming daughters his lot
is assuredly one to be envied.
COL. MOSES W. POWELL.— For near-
ly half a century has Col. Powell been
identified with the business life of Chicago,
and the prominence he now holds in con-
nection with the city's industrial activities
has not come by accident, but is the logical
result of the application of energy, consec-
utive industry, marked business sagacity
and honorable methods. He is conspicu-
ously concerned in the line of industry to
which he has devoted his attention from
his youth, and the M. W. Powell Company,
of which he is president, is recognized as
one of the leading representatives of the
roofing and paving industries of the Garden
City, the company being general contract-
ors in all kinds of work in these lines, while
the scope of its operations has long been of
extended order. Colonel Powell may be
well considered as among the pioneer busi-
ness men of Chicago, for he has been iden-
tified with its history since 1850, has wit-
nessed the development of the straggling
and unpretentious town to a position as one
of the leading urban centers of the world,
has seen the prostrate city rise from its
baptism of fire to a commanding position
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
455
and a glory greater than the most sanguine
could have apprehended. That he is well
known in both business and social circles
needs scarcely be said, while his identifica-
tion with the great Masonic fraternity is of
so conspicuous order as to render this brief
review of his career peculiarly apropos in
this connection.
Moses W. Powell is a native of the old
Keystone state, his birth having occurred
at Ebensburg, the county seat of Cambria
county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1831.
His parents were David and Mary Powell,
representatives of prominent old families
of that state. Mr. Powell acquired a com-
mon-school education, and in his early
youth turned his attention to that line of
enterprise with which he has ever since
been concerned, learning the roofer's trade.
He came to Chicago in 1850, and was here
employed as foreman in the work of his
trade until 1855, when he instituted opera-
tions upon his own responsibility, associating
himself with N. B. Mansfield in the roofing
business, the firm of Powell & Mansfield
continuing operations for the period of one
and one-half years, after which Mr. Powell
associated himself with Bartlett & Arnold,
in whose employ he had previously been
retained in the capacity of superintendent.
The firm of Bartlett, Powell & Company
conducted an excellent business during the
ensuing twelve years, after which Mr.
Powell was for four years associated with
G. W. Getchell, under the firm title of
Powell, Getchell & Company. Thereafter
business was conducted under title of M. W.
Powell & Company until 1888, when the
M. W. Powell Company was incorporated,
our subject having consecutively served as
president of the same, while Victor M.
Harbour is secretary. The enterprise was
originally limited to general roofing, but in
1 890 its scope was augmented by the addi-
tion of a department devoted to contracting
in paving of all kinds, while metal roofing
and architectural work became a feature of
the company's business in 1891.
In addition to his interests in this line,
Colonel Powell is extensively concerned in
cattle-raising in San Miguel and Montrose
counties, Colorado, his connection with this
enterprise dating back to 1886. The ex-
tent of operations conducted in the roofing
business may be appreciated more fully
when cognizance is had of the fact that a
branch concern is maintained in Los Ange-
les, California, under the firm name of M.
W. Powell & Company, Sutherland Hutton
being the resident manager. Colonel Pow-
ell also has valuable mining interests in
Colorado.
The Colonel gained his military title
through his conspicuous connection with the
Illinois National Guard. He brought about
the organization of the Sixth Regiment,
which was subsequently consolidated with
the Second Regiment. He held the office
of major about four years and was there-
after promoted lieutenant-colonel, which
position he held at the time of his resigna-
tion. In the early days when Chicago's
fire department was maintained on the vol-
unteer system, Colonel Powell served as
assistant engineer seven years; and later
was for four years first assistant chief. He
is a member of the Builders and Traders'
Exchange, the Builders and Traders' Club,
the Civic Federation, and is a trustee of the
Indiana Avenue Improvement Company.
In his political adherency the Colonel is a
radical and uncompromising Republican.
Colonel Powell has been an examplar of
the -principles of Freemasonry from the
days of his early manhood, as is evident
from the fact that as early as February 19,
1869, he had passed the Scottish Rite de-
grees, attaining the thirty-second and the
incidental title as a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret. His affiliations with the sev-
eral Masonic bodies are briefly noted as fol-
lows: Cleveland Lodge, No. 211, A. F. &
A. M. ; Washington Chapter, No. 43,
R. A. M. ; he was knighted in Apollo Com-
mandery, No. I, in 1864; is a charter mem-
ber of Chicago Commandery, No. 1 9, Knights
Templar, and Oriental Consistory of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. He
is a life member of all the Masonic bodies.
He has attainedsa constant and abiding in-
456
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
terest in the affairs of the time-honored
fraternity with which he is so prominently
identified, and is well known and most
highly esteemed in the Masonic circles of
the state.
LORENZO B. MOREY, Aledo.— Free-
: masonry has the facilities for quietly
selecting good men for its votaries. Some,
however, have not the taste or the leisure
for pursuing the higher courses of study
established by the order, and some men. of
course, are naturally more depraved than
others; but those who are both intellectual
and moral are apt to attest their fine men-
tal qualities by advancement in social and
intellectual culture. And while all sane
men fully understand and recognize the
simple principles of justice and mercy in
the abstract, it requires much study of the
peculiarities of the present civilization and
of human nature in general, to be able suc-
cessfully to apply those principles to details
in practice. These principles are exhibited
in the life of Mr. Morey, who is one of the
honored citizens of Aledo.
He was made a Master Mason in Trio
Lodge, No. 57, at Rock Island, in Febru-
ary, 1863, being initiated as Entered Ap-
prentice on the 5th, passed to the Fellow-
craft degree on the 9th, and raised to that
of Master Mason on the loth. This was
during the war, and he took the degrees
while engaged in raising recruits for the
Union army. June 19, following, he was
dimitted from the above lodge. Previous
to the last transaction, however, he had re-
ceived the capitular degrees in Barrett
Chapter, No. 18, also at Rock Island, soon
after joining the blue lodge; and he
also received the chivalric degrees in
Everts Commandery, No. 18, at Rock
Island. He is now a member of Aledo
Lodge, No. 252, is a charter member of
Cyrus Chapter, No. 211, at Aledo, while
he continues his membership in Everts
Commandery.
Mr. Morey is a native of the state of
Illinois, born in Marietta, Fulton county,
April 5, 1838. He is a descendant of
Scotch-Irish ancestry who were early set-
tlers of the states of Maine and New York.
His father, Ezekiel Morey, emigrated from
the state of Maine to Ohio, where he mar-
ried Miss Esther Elizabeth Underbill. In
1836 he came further west, to Illinois, set-
tling first in Fulton county, and in 1838 in
Mercer county. Taking up government
land, he industriously pursued the noble art
of agriculture as the vocation of his life.
He has always beeri an exemplary citizen.
In the late war he served in the Ninth Illi-
nois Cavalry, and was honorably discharged
for disability in 1862. He died at the age
of eighty-three years. His good wife men-
tioned above, departed this life in 1864,
aged forty-eight years, having eight chil-
dren, six of whom are still living; and after
her death Mr. Morey married again and
had one child.
The gentleman whose name heads this
sketch, the eldest of the first family of
children, received his education in the pub-
lic schools and became a clerk in a store in
Pre-emption, Illinois; but, the great Civil
war being then in progress, and his country
calling for help, he, enlisted in her cause
August i, 1861, in Company A, Thirty-
seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
was elected first sergeant, and for faithful-
ness was promoted from time to time until
he became second lieutenant and then first
lieutenant, and ultimately captain of his
company. He participated in the bloody
carnage of the battlefields at Pea Ridge and
Vicksburg, and in all the engagements of
his regiment in the department of the Gulf.
After the siege of Vicksburg he was assist-
ant inspector-general, with Major-General
F. J. Herron, and continued with him dur-
ing the remainder of the war. He was in
Banks' expedition at Brownsville, Texas,
also up Red river, and was in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, when the glorious news of the
surrender of General Lee reached him and
the war closed in victory for the Union
army. He was mustered out on the I2th
of June, 1865, at Shreveport, Louisiana.
Returning home, he purchased a farm
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
457
and since then he has been actively and
successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits
and stock-raising. He has imported several
fine horses from Kentucky, and has become
noted as a breeder of fine horses. He has
raised a two-year-old colt with a pacing
record of 2:21^. In 1875 he became a
member of the firm of A. M. Byers & Com-
pany, and was one of the owners of the
Farmers' Bank, of Aledo.
In his political principles he is a Repub-
lican. He has served several times on the
board of supervisors of his county, and he
has had the honor of being twice elected
mayor of Aledo, and he faithfully served in
that office. He has a delightfully pleasant
and comfortable home in the city, and he
and his wife are highly esteemed by the
community.
October 10, 1865, is the date of his
union in matrimony with Miss Abbie G.
Wright, a daughter of Horace E. Wright.
She is a member of the Order of the East-
ern Star, president of the Relief Corps of
the Grand Army of the Republic, and is
active in the educational interests of the
city. Twice has she been elected a mem-
ber of the educational board, and is now
serving her second term,
JAMES P. MORROW, a prosperous hard-
ware merchant of Carrollton, was ini-
tiated in Carrollton Lodge, No. 50, A.
F. & A. M., in January, 1863, of which he
has since been Secretary, Senior Deacon
and Senior Warden. The Royal Arch de-
grees he received in Jacksonville Chapter,
No. 3, in which he has been High Priest
three years. The cryptic degrees he re-
ceived in Carrollton Council, No. 48, R. &
S. M. ; and the chivalric degrees he received
in Hugh de Payens Commandery, No. 29,
K. T., and of this body he has been Emi-
nent Commander two years. All these
bodies, too, he has represented in the
Grand Lodge. He is also a member of Moo-
lah Temple, Mystic Shrine, at St. Louis,
has been active in Masonic work, and has
attended several conclaves.
Mr. Morrow is a native of this state,
born November 19, 1841, educated in the
public schools, engaged in the dry-goods
business in Carrollton a few years, and for
the past thirty years has been successfully
engaged in the hardware trade. He has
been a member of the school board and of
the town board, but has never been an as-
pirant to any office. He is one of the sub-
stantial business men of Greene county.
Politically he is a Democrat.
PIERSON B. UPDIKE, receiver for the
Litchfield Car & Machinery Company,
at Litchfield, has been prominent in Ma-
sonic circles, having held nearly all the po-
sitions in the bodies of which he is a mem-
ber and attended the triennial conclaves of
Knights Templar at Baltimore, Washing-
ton, New Orleans, Chicago and St. Louis.
He was initiated in Gillespie Lodge, No.
214, A. F. & A. M. ; he is now a member
of Charter Oak Lodge, No. 1 36, and has
held the office of Worshipful Master. The
Royal Arch degrees he received in Elliott
Chapter, No. 120, of which he is still a
member and in which he has held the office
of High Priest; and the chivalric degrees
were conferred upon him by Belvidere
Commandery, No. 2 ; but he now affiliates
with St. Omar Commandery, No. 30, of
which he was one of the constituting mem-
bers; he has held the position of Eminent
Commander.
Mr. Updike was born in Trenton, New
Jersey, July 14, 1836, educated in the pub-
lic schools of Illinois, having been brought
to this state in the year 1842, when a child,
the family locating in Jerseyville. After
the death of his father he learned the
blacksmith's trade, which he carried on for
about ten years. He came to Litchfield,
Illinois, in 1866, and engaged in the imple-
ment and hardware business, and this he
continued for about thirty years, with suc-
cess. Selling out in 1895, he was ap-
pointed receiver of the Litchfield Car and
Machinery Company, which position he is
now filling.
458
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONKT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Updike is one of Litchfield's old
and respected citizens, is well and favora-
bly known, and is a useful member of the
community. Politically he is a Democrat.
He was elected mayor of the city of
Litchfield three times, namely: in 1869,
1870 and 1878; and he was a member of
the thirty-sixth general assembly of the
state of Illinois in 1889-90, in both of which
offices he reflected great honor upon himself
and his constituents by his faithful service.
CHARLES A. WEIMER, a cigar-manu-
facturer of Carrollton, is an exemplary
Mason who stands high in the esteem of his
brethren in the order. The blue-lodge de-
grees were conferred upon him in Carroll-
ton Lodge, No. 50; the Royal Arch in Car-
rollton Chapter, No. 77; the council de-
grees in Carrollton Council; and the Knight
Templar degrees in Hugh de Payens Com-
mandery, No. 29. In the blue lodge he
has filled the office of Junior Warden; in
the chapter the offices of King and Scribe;
and in the commandery he has been Emi-
nent Commander. He is also a member of
Moolah Temple, of the Mystic Shrine, of
St. Louis, and of Temple Chapter, O. E. S.
He attended the triennial conclaves at St.
Louis, Denver and Washington. In his
political views he is a Democrat.
Mr. Weimer was born in Orb, Ger-
many, August 30, 1849, educated in the
public Catholic schools of his native land,
learned the cigar-maker's trade, and in 1872
sailed for the United States. Landing at
New York, he came on direct to St. Louis,
where he worked at his trade for two years,
and then came to Carrollton and opened a
cigar factory. He has ever since continued
in that business, being very successful.
The workmen and traveling salesmen he
has in his employ number altogether about
thirty-two. Of course he carries a fine
stock of cigars, tobacco, pipes, etc. He
came to this country a poor lad, but by
economy and industry he has accumulated
a competency.
In 1875 he married Miss Ida Hall, and
in 1884, a second time, he married Sue
Vedder, and he has two children.
Adam A. Weimer, a brother, is also a
member of all the bodies of Masonry and
has filled some of the minor offices. He is
also a member of Moolah Temple, Mystic
Shrine, and of the Order of the Eastern
Star. He came from Germany, landing in
this country June 16, 1877, and has had a
varied life. By profession he is a musician,
and was with the Boston Ideal Opera Com-
pany for three years, visiting all the im-
portant cities in the Union. He has been
a resident of Carrollton since 1889, being
associated with his brother, Charles, in
business.
He was married September 10, 1884,
to Miss Mattie E. Maberry, and they have
two children. Politically he is a Democrat.
WILLIAM B. MAIN, one of Chicago's
prominent merchants and well-
known citizens, is a Mason of high standing
who has always evinced considerable zeal
in the local bodies of which he is a member
and has fitly manifested his appreciation of
the fraternity's precepts by his honorable
career in both business and social circles.
Mr. Main was raised to the Master Mason
degree in Covenant Lodge, No. 526, was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Corinthian Chapter, and was cre-
ated a Sir Knight in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, in which he has held the chair of
Junior Warden.
Mr. Main is a native of Presque Isle,
Maine, where he was born in 1845. Com-
ing to Chicago in 1850, he is indebted to
the public schools for his educational ad-
vantages. In 1861 he enlisted in the Thir-
teenth Illinois Cavalry, in which he served
three years, and was promoted to the posi-
tion of second lieutenant, participating in
all the principal engagements. He per-
formed meritorious service, proving himself
to be a brave, gallant soldier and possesses
the unusual record of having never been off
duty a single day. He was mustered out
in Chicago and in 1865 embarked in the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
459
wholesale clothing business, which he con-
tinued until 1871, when the great confla-
gration occurred and swept away every-
thing he possessed. Far from being dis-
couraged, however, Mr. Main immediately
started in business again and from that sec-
ond venture has grown the present con-
cern, which is one of the largest houses of
its kind in the city. For the past two
years it has been located at No. 233 Mar-
ket street.
Our subject has witnessed the wonder-
ful growth of Chicago from the time its
inhabitants numbered fifty thousand souls,
and he has grown with it in spirt and in his
business until to-day he is one of the best
known merchants in the country. In 1865
he was acting in the capacity of a traveling
salesman for King, Kellogg & Co., the first
wholesale house established in the city,
which a few years later was changed to
The Charles P. Kellogg Company. In 1888
Mr. Main was taken in as a member of the
firm and became one of its managers,
which position he is at present filling. He
is energetic and progressive, and his hon-
orable business methods recommend him
to all with whom he has dealings.
In 1868 Mr. Main was married to Miss
Emma Merrill, his second marriage taking
place in 1876, when he was united to Mrs.
Eva Spencer, of Cortland, New York. They
have one son, William E.
E.MIL GEHRKE, wholesale dealer in
/ flour at No. 1 10 Illinois street, Chica-
go, is one of the popular young business
men of this city, and has a connection with
Freemasonry that extends from the blue
lodge to the commandery. He was initiated,
passed and raised by Kilwinning Lodge, No.
311, A. F. & A. M.; exalted by Corinthian
Chapter, No. 69, R. A. M. ; had the de-
grees of Royal and Select Master conferred
upon him by Chicago Council, No. 4, R. &
S. M. ; and was knighted by St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35, K. T. , with each of
which he at present affiliates. Also he has
been inducted into the Mystic Shrine and is
a member of Medinah Temple, A. A. O. N.
M. S. , and belongs to the St. Bernard
Drill Corps.
Mr. Gehrke is a native of Chicago. He
was ushered into life here December 25,
1856, and has grown up with this city and
shared in both its adversity and prosperity.
He was a boy of fourteen, a student in
Bryant & S.tratton's College, at the time of
the great Chicago fire, and among those
who lost nearly all their earthly possessions
by the conflagration was his father. Thus
it became necessary for young Gehrke to
abandon the idea of pursuing a further
course in school, and from the schoolroom
he went to his father's store, where, young
as he was, he soon proved a valued assist-
ant. For twenty-five years he has been in
the flour business with his father, and now
has full charge of the establishment, be-
sides caring for his father's large real-estate
interests, having to look after no less than
fifty houses. He is a gentleman of marked
business ability, and to. him is due much of
the success the firm enjoys.
C<HARLES E. OLMSTED, of Danville,
is a member of Olive Branch Lodge,
No. 38, in which he was raised to the sub-
lime degree of a Master Mason on the 8th
of March, 1889. In June, 1894, he was
elected to the office of Worshipful Master
and served one year. On the 29th of May,
1889, he was exalted to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in Vermilion Chap-
ter, No. 82, and in June, 1892, was chosen
by the companions of the order for the po-
sition of High Priest, in which he also-
served for one year. In Danville Council,
No. 37, he passed the circle of cryptic
Masonry, and on the 3d of October, 1889,
he was created a Knight Templar in Athel-
stan Commandery, No. 45, in which he
was elected Eminent Commander in June,
1893. His constancy to the order is most
marked, and he is numbered among the
valued followers of the craft. He also be-
longs to Iris Chapter, No. 307, Order
of the Eastern Star, of which he is now
460
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Worthy Patron. He is also connected with
other civic societies, being a Knight of
Pythias, a member of the Benevolent Pro-
tective Order of Elks and Ben Hur Lodge.
Mr. Olmsted is numbered among the
native sons of Illinois, his birth having oc-
curred in Catlin, on the I5th of July, 1859.
His parents were Albert G. and Elizabeth
Ann (Wright) Olmsted. He acquired his
education in the district schools and as-
sisted in the duties and labors of the home
farm until he had attained his majority.
He then turned his attention to commercial
pursuits and secured a clerkship in a general
store in Danville, where he remained for
a time, after which he engaged in office
work. Since February, 1894, he has been
bookkeeper and credit clerk in the Golden
Rule dry-goods store and most efficiently
discharged the duties of his important posi-
tion.
In politics Mr. Olmsted is a sound-
money Democrat, and is a worthy man, a
valued citizen and a worthy Mason.
On the 1 5th of November, 1881, Mr.
Olmsted was married to Miss Agnes B.
Emmett, of Danville, and they had one
child, who died in infancy. The mother
also departed this life November 17, 1887.
OHN J. BRITTAIN, an active and ear-
nest member of the brotherhood who
makes his residence in Chicago, was
initiated in Englewood Lodge, No. 690, in
1892; he was advanced to the capitular de-
grees and exalted to the august degrees of
the Holy Arch in Englewood Chapter, No.
176; was greeted a Royal and Select Mas-
ter in Imperial Council, No. 85, in 1896;
and he was constituted and created a Sir
Knight in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, in 1894. On April 26, 1895, having
accomplished a successful pilgrimage across
the desert sands, he became a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Brittain is a native of England, his
birth having taken place in London on the
1 8th of July, 1865, and when five years old
he was brought to the United States by his
parents, who located in Chicago, and was
here reared to manhood, receiving his edu-
cation in the public schools, subsequently
engaging with the firm of Fowler Brothers,
packers, remaining in their employ for nine
years. In 1886-7 he was with Swift &
Company for eight months, and then be-
came associated with J. Dold, at Kansas
City and Omaha, for two years, later be-
coming engaged in business for himself for
one year. In 1890 he returned to Chicago
and entered the employ of the Chicago
Packing & Provision Company as buyer, a
position he has since held; fulfilling the du-
ties pertaining thereto in a manner emi-
nently satisfactory to his employers.
The marriage of Mr. Brittain was cele-
brated in 1887, when he was united to Miss
Jennie Morton, who was born in Canada,
the daughter of English parents.
LBERT M. CRANE, whose identifi-
^9^ cation with one of the leading indus-
tries of the country is of a very important
character, being general sales agent of the
Illinois Steel Company, has attained to this
responsible position entirely through his
own efforts. Individual endeavor, close
application to the work entrusted to his
care and the most unremitting faithfulness
to all duties have steadily secured him ad-
vancement, and he is now in a command-
ing position in the world of trade. He is
also known as a worthy member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity and has attained a high de-
gree in the Scottish Rite division of the
order. He was made a Mason in Crystal
Wave Lodge, of Brooklyn, New York, and
after his removal to Chicago was dimitted
to Covenant Lodge, No. 526, of which he is
still an affiliate. He received the grades
and orders of the Ancient Accepted Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory in 1895
and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret. Nor has he neglected the
social side of the fraternity, but is a worthy
Noble of Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILUW™
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
463
Mr. Crane is a native of the Empire
state, his birth having occurred in Oswego
on the 3 ist of August, 1855. He was
reared and educated in that city and en-
tered upon his business career as a stenog-
rapher. In 1878 he went to Boston, where
he lived for seven years, after which he took
up his residence in Brooklyn, where he
spent three years. For two years there-
after he was connected with the business
interests of Pittsburg, but left that city in
1 890 in order to accept a position with the
Illnois Steel Company, at Chicago. In
1894 he was appointed assistant general
sales agent, in which capacity he served
until February, 1897, when he was ap-
pointed general sales agent. The volume
of business conducted by this company
makes this position a very important one;
in fact the success of the industry largely
depends upon those who attend to its sales,
and the careful selection of men to perform
this work is therefore a matter of much
moment. Mr. Crane's promotion from the
position of assistant to that of general sales
agent well indicated the trust reposed in
him by the company and their high opinion
of his ability. He is a man who can look
beyond the exigencies of the moment to the
possibilities of the future, has keen discrim-
ination and sound judgment, and his work
is therefore most satisfactory.
Mr. Crane was married in 1881 to Miss
Winifred Faye, a native of London, Eng-
land, and their family now numbers three
sons, Albert Maynard, Luther Little and
Frederick Sloan.
T^HOMAS EDWARD BOTTENBERG,
a Sir Knight Templar residing at
Rushville, is prominently engaged in the
practice of law, being now state's attorney
for the county of Schuyler. An outline of
his Masonic relations is as follows: He re-
ceived the sublime degree of Master Mason
in Astoria Lodge, No. 100, in 1891; exalted
a Royal Arch Mason in Rushville Chapter,
No. 184, on the i6th of July, 1895; and
was created a Sir Knight Templar in Rush-
ville Commandery, No. 56, K. T. , on the
ist of June, 1896. Ever since his connec-
tion with the order he has taken an active
interest in its history and principles and is
one of the brightest members.
Mr. Bottenberg is a native son of Illi-
nois, born in McDonough county on the
28th of November, 1868, and is of German
ancestry. In 1889 he graduated in the
classical course at the North Indiana Uni-
versity, pursued a course of law reading in
the office of Montgomery & Glass, and was
duly admitted to the bar in the spring of
1893. In the fall of the same year he be-
came a member of the firm of Montgomery,
Glass & Bottenberg. On June I, 1896,
Judge S. B. Montgomery retired from the
firm, and the style name was continued as
Glass & Bottenberg.
In his political sympathies Mr. Botten-
berg is a Democrat, and as such, in the fall
of 1897, was elected state's attorney, in the
execution of the duties of which office he is
now giving satisfaction to his constituents.
( \DWARD D. ELLIS, a gentleman who
-/ ranks high in Masonry and who is one
of the valued members of the order, took
the first vows of crafthood in Hesperia
Lodge, No. 411, in 1883; was exalted to
the Royal Arch Mason degree in Wash-
ington Chapter, No. 43, in 1896; received
the chivalric degrees in Chicago Command-
ery, No. 19, in 1897; and became a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental
Consistory, Valley of Chicago, in 1895.
Mr. Ellis is deeply interested in Masonry
and exemplifies its honorable teachings in
his upright career and irreproachable life.
Mr. Ellis was born in Beloit, Wisconsin,
October 5, 1852, and at an early age ac-
companied his parents to White Water, in
the same state, where he spent the years of
his youth, working on a farm and acquiring
his education in the district schools, sup-
plementing the same by a course in East-
man's Business College at Poughkeepsie,
New York, at which he was graduated in
1872. In the same year he came to Chi-
464
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONKT IN ILLINOIS.
cago and engaged in the laundry business,
organizing, in 1887, the Eureka Laundry
Company, of which he is now president.
This company has expended fifty thousand
dollars in improvements, as it has always
been its policy to test every patent or sys-
tem that would increase the facilities for
producing the highest grade of work, with-
out regard to expense. Among the features
developed in this manner is the steam
ironer, which has resulted most successful-
ly; and a perfect system of heating the irons
by steam is now in operation in the laundry.
Mr. Ellis is alert, progressive and resource-
ful, while his methods and manners are
such as to command the respect of all with
whom he comes in contact, either in a
social or business way, and his present posi-
tion has been won by a strict integrity of
character and a faithful adherence to the
laws of fair dealing.
In September, 1879, Mr. Ellis was united
in marriage to Miss Ella Case, of Wisconsin,
and they have one daughter, Alice Eldora.
fPVHARLES EDDY MORTON, one of the
\^J best informed Masons and most ener-
getic workers in the city of Warren, re-
ceived his initiatory degrees in Jo Daviess
Lodge, No. 278, in which he entered De-
cember 7, 1876, passed January 13, and
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son January 20, 1877. He has for many
years been the very able Senior Deacon of
his lodge, and in 1897 ne was f°r the sec-
ond time elected to the honorable office of
Worshipful Master, his thorough knowledge
of the ritual making him an impressive and
competent official. He has always had the
good of the order at heart, and its prosper-
ous and flourishing condition at Warren is
in a large measure due to his earnest and
untiring efforts on its behalf, his adminis-
tration as Master being one of the most sat-
isfactory ever given in the city. The fra-
ternity owns the three-story brick building
in which is situated the lodge hall, renting
out that portion not in use, and the local
bodies may be said to be practically out of
debt. On April 16, 1877, Brother Morton
was exalted to the august degree of the
Holy Royal Arch in Olive Chapter, No. 168,
of which he was elected Principal Sojourner
several years ago, and such was his excel-
lent and efficient service in this important
position that his brethren have repeatedly
declined to dispense with his services in
that capacity, and he is still fulfilling the
duties incumbent upon that office.
Warren, Illinois, is the native city of
Brother Morton, he having been born here
on September 21, 1855, his ancestry on
both sides of the family hailing from the
state of Maine. His parents, Ward L. and
Ruth Jane (Glidden) Morton, were both
originally from Whitefield, Maine, the
former of whom was a volunteer in the
Union army during the Rebellion and met
his death at the battle of Chickamauga
while making a gallant charge on the
enemy, being at that time but thirty-five
years old. Our subject was but eight years
of age when bereft of his father. His men-
tal discipline was acquired in the public
schools of his native town until old enough
to go to work, when he learned the tinner's
trade, which he has since followed and is
one of the successful, enterprising and
honored citizens of W'arren. He is the
owner of a valuable farm just outside of
the city limits, on which he has erected a
substantial stone residence, and having
practically retired from active business, is,
with his family, enjoying the fruits of his
early labors.
In 1876 Mr. Morton led to the altar Miss
Ella M. Matthews, of Warren, and this
union has resulted in one son, Luther Ward.
Mrs. Morton is a consistent member of the
Methodist church, and active in all the work
pertaining thereto.
A stanch adherent of the Democratic
party, our subject takes a deep and abiding
interest in the welfare of his home city, and
as a member of the council he does all in
his power to promote the prosperity and
improve the existing condition of his com-
munity. He is affiliated with the Modern
Workmen, the Independent Order of Odd
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
465
Fellows, of which he is treasurer and war-
den, and the Knights of the Globe, travel-
ing throughout the country amplifying the
work of the latter organization, and in that
way is rendering to it invaluable assistance.
As a member of the fraternity his record is
an exce'lent one, he is a firm believer in
the teachings of the craft, and his upright,
honorable life is a creditable exemplification
of its principles.
LFRED D. LUTZ, an artist of Chi-
JF cago and a gentleman who ranks
prominently in the business circles of this
city, is a Mason of high degree and one
deeply interested in the work of this time-
honored order. The degrees of blue Ma-
sonry were conferred upon him by Hesperia
Lodge, No. 411, F. & A. M. He was ex-
alted a Royal Arch Mason by York Chap-
ter. York Council, R. & S. M., conferred
upon him its degrees. He was knighted
by St. Bernard Commandery, K. T. , No.
35, and the Scottish Rite degrees were given
him by Oriental Consistory. These organ-
izations are all of Chicago and in all of them
he maintains his membership; and while he
has always manifested a most appreciative
interest in the attractions of the lodge room
and has striven to live up to the teachings
as set forth therein, he has never aspired to
official position in Masonic ranks, nor is he
what may be termed a working member.
Mr. Lutz is also a member of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership in this branch of
the order being in Medinah Temple.
A native of Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania,
Mr. Lutz was born November 17, 1853,
and to the public schools of his native state
he is indebted for the educational advan-
tages he enjoyed. At the age of fifteen he
came west and located in Carroll county,
Illinois, where he passed the years from
1868 to 1878 on a farm. The last named
year he became a resident of Chicago and
from that date to the present time has re-
sided in this city. For four years he was
in the employ of the American Fire Insur-
ance Company. In 1883 he established
the Acme Copying Company, on a small
scale, and from that meager beginning
fourteen years ago the enterprise has grown
to its present large scope, to-day giving em-
ployment to about eighty men and having
a large plant located at Nos. 302 to 308
Van Buren street. In 1887 the company
was incorporated; two years later Mr.
Lutz was made president of the concern,
and he is now its sole proprietor. An artist
himself and a man of more than ordinary
ability both in this line of profession and in
a business way, he has met competition on
every hand and has worked his way up to
the proud position he now enjoys among
the leading business men of this great
mart. He has also other financial interests
aside from the enterprise above noted. He
is president of the Wellston & Jackson Belt
Electric Railroad in Jackson county, Ohio,
and is also president of a land syndicate
owning an immense amount of property.
In addition to being a loyal Mason and
a member of the various branches of that
order as stated, Mr. Lutz is a Modern
Woodman, having his membership in Camp
No. 36. In his political views he accords
with the Republican party and gives to it
his earnest support.
He was married in 1892 to Miss Mar-
garet Minkler, of New York state.
WRAECKE, manager of the Banner
Brewing Company, of Chicago, is
a Mason whose associations were with Wai-
deck Lodge, No. 674, F. & A. M., in which
he was raised to the sublime degree of Mas-
ter Mason in 1884. He became a charter
member of Constantia Lodge, No. 783, and
has been very active in its work, doing much
to promote its growth and insure its pros-
perity. He was for four years Worshipful
Master of Constantine Lodge and has sev-
eral terms served as Secretary. He is faithful
to the principles of the craft and is zealous
in his advocacy of its teachings and work.
Thoroughly conversant with the ritual, he
is a good working member and is one of the
valued representatives of Constantia Lodge.
466
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. Raecke is one of the sons of the
fatherland. His birth occurred in Ger-
many on the 1 4th of October, 1845, his
education was obtained in its public schools
and he there studied architecture and civil
engineering. In 1879 he determined to try
his fortune in America and sailed for New
York. He spent three years in that city,
and in 1882 came to Chicago, where he has
since made his home. Here he accepted
a position with the Seipp Brewing Company,
and in 1896 was appointed to the responsi-
ble position of manager of the business of
the Banner Brewing Company. On the gth
of October, 1873, he was united in marriage
to Miss Mary Wendt, a native of Germany,
and they have four children — three sons and
a daughter.
MENRY C. CLAYPOOL, the efficient
and popular cashier of the Coleman
Hardware Company, of Morris, Illinois, be-
came a member ef the Masonic fraternity in
1882, when he was received as an Entered
Apprentice into Cedar Lodge, No. 124, A.
F. & A. M. He has since been a close
student of Masonry, is thoroughly informed
on the ritual and the workings of the so-
ciety, and for three years has served as
Worshipful Master. His administration
was one of benefit to the lodge, which
prospered under his rule, its members
working in harmony and adding to their
ranks some of the best citizens of Morris.
Mr. Claypool was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Orient Chap-
ter, No. 31, and at this writing, in 1897, is
serving as High Priest. He learned in the
beautiful and impressive legends of capitu-
lar Masonry the history of the past and
manifests a zeal and earnestness in its be-
half which numbers him among the leading
members of the chapter. He is also a faith-
ful follower of the teachings of chivalric
Masonry, having become a Sir Knight of
Blaney Commandery, No. 5. He also be-
longs to Laurel Chapter, No. 145, Order of
the Eastern Star.
Mr. Claypool is a native of Grundy
county, Illinois, where his birth occurred
March 31, 1852. His public-school train-
ing was supplemented by a course in a busi-
ness college, and his early life was spent
upon a farm. He devoted his attention to
agricultural pursuits until thirty years of
age, after which he filled the office of
deputy county clerk for four years. He
then became manager of the Chicago Fire-
proofing Company, with which he was con-
nected for a considerable period, and for
six years he has been cashier of the Cole-
man Hardware Company. He is most re-
liable in all business transactions, a man of
energy and sound business judgment, and
his high personal worth has gained him the
confidence and good will of all with whom
he has been brought in contact.
In 1873 Mr. Claypool was united in
marriage to Miss Annie M. Brown, and
they have one child, named Carrie M. Our
subject is a member of the Globe Mutual
Benefit Association, and in politics is a
stanch Republican. When twenty-one years
of age he was elected supervisor of Wau-
ponsee township and held that position un-
til 1882, when he removed to the city. In
1893 he was elected city clerk of Morris
and is now serving his third year in that
position, discharging his duties with a
promptness and fidelity which has secured
his re-election and won him the public con-
fidence in an unlimited degree.
RANCIS EUGENE RICHMOND, Sec-
JT retary of Stewart Lodge, No. 92,
A. F. & A. M., at Geneseo, received the
Master's degree in the lodge of which he is
still a member in 1880. In 1881 he was
elected Secretary, and in 1892 was again
elected to the position, and has been in the
office since by re-election. These re-elec-
tions are the best testimonial to his effici-
ency as a keeper of records.
Mr. Richmond was born in Groveland,
Tazewell county, Illinois, on the I7th of
August, 1847. In one line of his ancestry
he is a descendant of the Deans who landed
at Plymouth Rock from the famous May-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
467
flower. His great-great-grandfather, Jo-
seph Richmond, served as a soldier in the
Revolutionary army; and his father, Israel
Richmond, was a native of Massachusetts,
came to Illinois first in 1834, and settled
in this state in 1844, where he has been a
farmer and nurseryman all his life. He is
now eighty-eight years of age. For his
wife he married Miss Eliza A. Fenner, of
North Scituate, Rhode Island, born in 1812.
They settled in Geneseo in 1 8 54 upon a piece
of land which has since been incorporated
within the city plat. They had nine chil-
dren, and she died January 29, 1878, at the
age of sixty-six years, a consistent member
of the Congregational church, of which the
surviving husband also is a member, faith-
ful and exemplary.
Mr. Richmond, the subject of this
sketch, was reared to farm work and edu-
cated in the schools of Geneseo, and has
been engaged in the nursery business ever
since he became a grown man. He is also
a successful fruit-grower and farmer, still
occupying the old homestead, and the res-
idence, which was built in 1859.
January 29, 1881, he was married to
Miss Mary A. Hopkins, a daughter of Colo-
nel S. G. Hopkins, of Rhode Island, and
they have four children, namely: Winifred,
Eliza, Abby Louisa, Lela May and Francis
Eugene. Mr. and Mrs. Richmond are
members of Geneseo Chapter, No. 275,
Order of the Eastern Star, of which he is
the present Worthy Patron.
In his political views Mr. Richmond is
a Republican. For the past eighteen years
he has held the office of highway commis-
sioner. He has rendered his county much
service, and stands high in the estimation
of the public.
H'
WON. ALEXANDER McLEAN, a thir-
ty-third-degree Mason of Macomb,
McDonough county, Illinois, is a gentleman
who has in various ways been honored by
his fellow citizens and who has a promi-
nence in educational and fraternal circles
that is state-wide.
He was born in the city of Glasgow,
Scotland, September 24, 1833, and with
his parents emigrated to this country in
1849, settling at Macomb, Illinois, where
he has since resided continuously, excepting
seven years he was in business in New York
city. He has served as deputy circuit clerk,
has been a member and president of the
board of education, served for four success-
ive terms as mayor of Macomb; was Re-
publican elector for the old tenth congres-
sional district in 1876, and was chosen as
messenger to carry the electoral-college
vote to Washington. He has been and is
now the oldest member of the board of
trustees of the University of Illinois, and
has been its president and a leading mem-
ber of its most important committees.
Mr. McLean is fraternally identified with
a number of the most prominent and influ-
ential secret societies and therein has been
honored with high official position. He has
been Grand Master Workman of the Ancient
Order of United Workmen, and for seven-
teen years has been its Treasurer. He has
been Grand President of the I. O. M. A.,
468
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
and is now its Grand Secretary. He is also
Grand Recorder of the Select Knights of
America; and for over forty-two years he
has been an Odd Fellow.
Mr. McLean's identity with the Masonic
order began in 1854. That year he took
the first degree in Masonry and since then
he has taken all the grades of the order up
to and including the thirty-third degree. He
was made a Mason in and is still a member
of Macomb Lodge, No. 17, of Illinois; is a
member of Morse Chapter, No. 19; was
made a Sir Knight in Palestine Command-
ery, No. 18, in New York city, and assisted
in the organization, and is Recorder, of
Macomb Commandery, No. 61, K. T. ; and
is now a member, and has been Grand Com-
mander, of Quincy Consistory. Also he has
been First Lieutenant Commander of Illinois
Council of Deliberation. Mr. McLean has
always been an enthusiastic Mason, having
formed a favorable opinion, and been im-
bued with the spirit, of Masonry through
the influence of his honored father, Hector
McLean, who was made a Mason in 1821,
in St. John Lodge in the city of Glasgow,
Scotland.
FETERJ. KAERCHER, a popular, well-
known member of the Masonic order
and a loyal, energetic Sir Knight, has been
closely identified with the best interests of
the fraternity since first taking his vows in
the blue lodge, and has held many offices of
trust, with credit to himself and honor to
the craft. He was made a Master Mason in
Archimedes Lodge, No. 377, which, in 1889,
became consolidated with St. Clair Lodge,
No. 24, and in that body our brother served
as Secretary. He was advanced to the de-
grees of capitular Masonry and was exalted
to the Holy Royal Arch in Belleville Chap-
ter, No. 1 06, and received the degrees of
Royal and Select Masters in Belleville
Council, No. 6, and the orders of Knight-
hood were conferred upon him in Tancred
Commandery, No. 50. In the command-
ery Mr. Kaercher filled all the chairs, oc-
occupying that of Eminent Commander
for two terms, and he has been espe-
cially active in this branch of Masonry,
accompanying his fellow Sir Knights on
many of their triennial conclaves, and be-
ing a regular attendant at all the meetings.
He is a noble in the Ancient Arabic Order
of the Mystic Shrine, and a charter mem-
ber of Moolah Temple in St. Louis, Mis-
souri. His services have been highly appre-
ciated by all his brothers, all of whom
extend to him their grateful consideration.
A native of Worms, Germany, Mr.
Kaercher's birth occurred in that city on
October 22, 1842, and at the age of seven
years he accompanied his parents to the
United States, locating at New Orleans,
where he remained until 1850, in that year
moving to Evansville, Indiana. There Mr.
Kaercher learned the printer's trade and
followed the same in that city until 1857,
when he returned to New Orleans, Loui-
siana, and was employed for a time on the
Picayune. Once more going to Evansville,
our subject devoted his time to learning the
cigar trade, working at the bench until
1865, in that year going to Olney, Illinois,
and opening a cigar store, which he con-
ducted up to 1873, when he came to Belle-
ville, and has since continued here as one
of the city's successful business men. Be-
ginning life as a poor boy, with no advan-
tages of station or wealth, Mr. Kaercher
has by his individual efforts worked his way
up in the world until now he is in a posi-
tion to enjoy the fruits of his early indus-
try. In politics he affiliates with the Re-
publican party, giving to it a loyal support,
and in his religious faith he is an adherent
of the Catholic church.
CHARLES W. MORRIS is a leading
\J) Mason of Chicago, whose loyalty to
the craft is most marked and whose life ex-
emplifies the teachings of the ancient and
honorable fraternity. He is now Worship-
ful Master of Berwyn Lodge, No. 839, and
his conduct of its work and services has
proved an important factor in promoting its
growth and advancement. He was made a
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
469
Master Mason in Ashlar Lodge, No. 308,
and in October 1895, became a charter
member of the lodge with which he is now
affiliated. He is also a member of Wash-
ington Chapter, No. 43, R. A. M., Siloam
Council, No. 53, R. & S. M., Siloam Com-
mandery, No. 54, K. T. , Oriental Consis-
tory, S. P. R. S, thirty-second degree, and in
Medinah Temple he joined the Nobles of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine.
He is also a member of the Order of the East-
ern Star. His proficiency, his constancy and
his devotion to Masonry are most commend-
able, and it is the allegiance of such men
that constitute the strength and power of
the craft in this great commonwealth.
Mr. Morris comes to Chicago from the
northeast. He was born in St. John's, New-
foundland, on the iith of April, 1859, and
was reared and educated there. That city
also witnessed the beginning of his business
career and continued to be the place of his
abode until 1887, when he came to Chicago.
The following year he entered the employ
of the J. M. W. Jones Stationery & Print-
ing Company, and in 1892 was elected sec-
retary, an election which was at once a
compliment to his superior business ability
and a tribute to his personal worth. In his
business career he has steadily advanced
along the highway of success, and by his
native talent and acquired powers he has
attained an enviable position in commercial
circles.
The home relations of Mr. Morris are
very pleasant. He was married on the i4th
of March, 1892, to Miss Jeanie Henderson,
a native of Newfoundland who descended
from Scotch ancestry. Their family num-
bers two interesting children, — Ernest and
Grace.
WILLIAM H. REID.— Amongthe early
settlers of Chicago who have long
been identified with the progress of the
city stands this gentleman, who is a worthy
representative of its business interests, be-
ing actively associated therewith for more
than forty years. For almost a similar
period he has been a member of the Mason-
ic fraternity and has been most active in
promoting its welfare and growth in this
metropolis. He was made a Mason in
New York city in 1854, but was soon di-
mitted in order that he might join the fra-
ternity in Chicago. He was one of the
founders of Dearborn Lodge and is the
only charter member now living. He filled
all of its offices and for four years was
Worshipful Master. He afterward affiliated
with Apollo Lodge, No. 642, and therein has
been called to various official positions,
which attests the high regard in which he is
held by the brethren of the craft. He
served as Senior Warden, was Secretary for
a time, for three years was Treasurer and
has also been its Worshipful Master. He
took the Royal Arch degrees in La Fayette
Chapter, No. 2, on the nth of June, 1856,
and for two years filled the exalted position
of High Priest. In 1859 he was knighted
in Apollo Commandery and took the Scot-
tish Rite degrees in Oriental Consistory.
He is a life member of all these different
branches of Masonry and is a member of
the Masonic Veterans' Association. Chica-
go numbers him among its most prominent
and influential Masons and his service in
behalf of the fraternity has been attended
with very beneficial results. He is very
familiar with the workings of the order, and
wherever he goes he is pressed into the
service. He puts its principles into every-
day practice in his business life, and is most
loyally devoted to this ancient and honored
fraternity, which stands first among the
civic societies of the world.
Mr. Reid was born in New York city, in
1833, and there spent the days of his boy-
hood and youth, working, playing and at-
tending the public schools, where he ac-
quired his education. He came to Chicago
in 1855 and has since been a resident of the
city, being therefore accounted one of its
pioneers. He has seen the wonderful trans-
formation that has here been wrought with
the passing of years, and, like all loyal citi-
zens, is justly proud of its achievements.
He learned the trade of cutter, and in 1863
470
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
began business on his own account, having
now one of the oldest establishments in his
line in the city, as well as one of the most
popular. By close attention to business,
courteous treatment and an earnest desire
to please his patrons, he has secured an
excellent trade and won for himself a com-
fortable competence.
Mr. Reid was united in marriage with
Miss Mary E. Perry, a native of New York
city. They have five children: Mary E. ,
now the wife of Platt B. Gibbs, John F.,
Samuel C., George W. and James C. One
son, William H., a prominent and rising
young business man, was killed by accident
in August, 1895.
CHARLES W. KOPF, a thirty-second-
\JJ degree Mason, is an affiliate of Herder
Lodge, No. 669, A. F. & A. M., in which
he took the degree of Entered Apprentice,
passed the Fellow-craft and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in 1 895 .
In the same year he received the grades
and orders of the Ancient Accepted Scot-
tish Rite in Oriental Consistory and was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret on the igth of November. He then
joined Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, and in Masonic
circles is highly regarded, while his name
is enrolled among those whose fidelity to
the craft is above question.
It is astonishing to find that some of the
most successful business men of the western
metropolis are natives of the city, and are
in consequence young men; for few of the
old men of Chicago have the honor of being
her sons. Mr. Kopf, however, was born
here, on the i2th of September, 1870, and
in his youth became imbued with the pro-
gressive, enterprising spirit which charac-
terizes Chicago. In his youth he was em-
ployed in an establishment dealing in flour,
and in 1890, with a broad business experi-
ence, he embarked in trade on his own ac-
count as a member of the firm of C. W.
Kopf & Company, dealers in hay and grain.
They are now doing a large and prosperous
business and their trade has assumed exten-
sive proportions.
In 1895 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Kopf and Miss Emma C. Ruehl, a na-
tive of Chicago, and they have one daugh-
ter, Rose Elsie. Mr. Kopf is now serving
as a member of Governor Tanner's staff,
with the rank of colonel. He is a wide-
awake, progressive business man, with the
best traits of his German ancestry, possess-
ing splendid business and executive ability,
is popular and genial and his success is well
deserved.
STEPHEN CLEMENT HOLLAND has
for twenty-seven years been a follower
of Masonic teachings, having in 1 870 been
initiated as an Entered Apprentice in D. C.
Cregier Lodge, No. 649, in which he passed
the Fellow-craft and was raised to the sub-
lime degree of a Master Mason. His
further advancement in the order has been
in the Scottish Rite, in which he has
attained the thirty-second degree. Passing
the grades and orders of Oriental Consis-
tory in October, 1 896, he was thereupon
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret.
Mr. Holland entered upon the stage of
life March 10, 1844, in La Porte, Indiana,
and during his childhood was taken to
Virginia, where he was reared and educated
until 1859. He then returned to the north
and during the Civil war entered the service
of his country as a defender of the Union,
joining the "boys in blue" of the Ninth
Indiana Regiment of Volunteers. After
being mustered out of that command he re-
enlisted, joining the Sixteenth Illinois
Cavalry, in which he served until the close
of the war, faithfully defending the starry
flag and the cause it represented. He then
joined the United States Geological Explor-
ation of the fortieth parallel, under Clar-
ence King, chief of the expedition. His
next service was in the employ of the North
Chicago Rolling Mills, with which he was
connected for several years, when he ac-
cepted a position with B. F. Norris, Allister
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
471
& Company, wholesale jewelers, serving as
credit man of that firm for fifteen years.
He has since been associated with A. C.
Becken, wholesale jeweler, in the same ca-
pacity, and to his sound judgment, keen
foresight and sagacity not a little of the
success of the house is attributable.
Mr. Holland was married on the 29th of
June, 1872, to Miss Fannie A. Hooke,
daughter of Moses Hooke and a native of
Portland, Maine. They now have one son,
Randolph Holland.
0 SSI AN U. FRARY. — Masonry exerts a
power in the advancing of the human
race to a purer and nobler plane of life and
a higher standard of character which can-
not be appreciated by one who has not
made a study of its workings. From the
time when paganism enshrouded the world
in a gloom of unbelief down to the present
age of enlightened intelligence, the frater-
nity has ever raised its voice against big-
otry and in favor of moral education. It
has fought for its priuciples with a stead-
fastness of purpose that has sustained and
upheld it in the struggle for purity in the
life of mankind, and that the craft has won
everlasting success cannot
be doubted. Its work will
end of time or until its en-
resulted in the universal
man and a perfect faith in
the love of God, the father.
One of the most prominent and indus-
trious Masons in Illinois is the gentleman
whose name appears at the head of this
biography. He was made a Master Ma-
son in Normal Park Lodge, No. 797, in
1893, in which he was elected to the office
of Senior Warden in 1896. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Englewood Chapter, No. 176,
and is at present affiliated with Normal
Park Chapter, No. 210, of which he is a
charter member. He was made a Royal
and Select Master in Imperial Council, No.
85, and was also a charter member of that
body. In the same year — 1893 — Mr. Frary
27*
a brilliant and
for a moment
go on till the
deavors have
brotherhood of
was created a Sir Knight in Englewood
Commandery, in which he has held the of-
fice of Guard, and became a Noble of the
Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple. His
other social affiliations are with the North-
western Traveling Men's Association, of
which he is a director, and with the Royal
League. Mr. Frary was born January 26,
1850, his native town being Springfield,
Massachusetts. When he was about six
years old he was brought to Illinois by his
parents, who settled in Kane county, where
he received such an education as was af-
forded by the district schools of that county.
At the age of seventeen Mr. Frary came to
Chicago with the intention of beginning his
business career and making for himself a
place in life. He secured a situation as of-
fice boy with the Walter A. Wood Har-
vester Company, and by perseverance,
energy, and faithful services, he has worked
his way up until he now occupies the re-
sponsible position of manager of the com-
pany's Chicago office.
Mr. Frary was married in 1872 to Miss
Melissa Read, a native of Elbern, Kane
472
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
county, and by this union four children
have been born, namely: Don R. , Charles
O., Paul V. and Blanch. In his religious
belief Brother Frary is a member of the
Normal Park Presbyterian church.
LBERT G. OLMSTEU, a retired
farmer of Catlin, has been a member
of the Masonic fraternity for thirty years,
and in that time has been greatly interested
in the workings of the blue lodge. He was
elected an Entered Apprentice in Catlin
Lodge, No. 285, about the year 1858, was
raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason, and served as Worshipful Master
for one year. He is well versed in the
tenets of the craft and exemplifies its pre-
cepts in his daily life.
Mr. Olmsted was born in Chautauqua
county, New York, October 14, 1831, and
when seven years old was brought to Ver-
milion county by his parents. Here he
was reared, and when old enough was put
to work in his father's mill. Upon the
death of the latter our subject engaged in
farming for eight years, and at one time
was manager of the county farm. He fol-
lowed agricultural pursuits until 1892, when
he retired and settled in Catlin, near which
he owns a farm of one hundred and eighty
acres, part of which is land obtained by his
father-in-law from the government.
Stanley Olmsted, father of our subject,
was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but was
reared in Massachusetts and in early man-
hood went to New York, where he subse-
quently married Miss Almira B. Green. He
then purchased a timbered farm, cleared it
off and resided there for some time, later
moving to Washington county, Ohio. In
1838 he came to Illinois and located in
Vermilion county, where he engaged in
sawmilling and lumber-manufacturing until
his death, which took place January 30,
1848, at the age of forty-six. He was a
Mason, holding his membership in Olive
Branch Lodge, No. 38, at Danville.
Albert Olmsted, the immediate subject
of this sketch, was married in July, 1855,
to Miss Elizabeth Ann Wright, a native
of Vermilion county and a daughter of
Thomas N. Wright, who was an early settler
in this part of the state. Five children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Olm-
sted, as follows : Mary Bell, who is now
the wife of John H. Palmer, of Danville;
Charles E., William C., Albert C., all of
Danville; and George E., of Catlin, a sketch
of whom also appears in this work.
Our subject and his wife are devout
members of the Cumberland Presbyterian
church, and are highly respected residents
of Catlin. Politically, Mr. Olmsted is affil-
iated with the Democratic party.
"ARTIN N. KIMBELL. — "By their
works ye shall know them," may most
aptly be applied to the Freemasons of the
world, who have carried on their labors in
a silent but effective manner, content to let
the results speak for themselves, realizing
that they cannot otherwise but redound to
the honor and credit of the order. Mr.
Kimbell has been conspicuously identified
with Masonry for several years, and has
always been diligent in furthering its pur-
poses and intents and in upholding its pre-
cepts as incorporated in the ritual of the
blue lodge. He was elected an Entered
Apprentice, passed the Fellow-craft degree
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason in Myrtle Lodge, No. 795,
and in 1895 attained the ineffable degree of
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret, in
Oriental Consistory.
Mr. Kimbell is a native of Chicago, his
birth occurring in this city November 8,
1854. His parents were early residents of
the county, to which they came in 1836.
The youth of our subject was spent on his
father's farm, his education having been
obtained in the public schools of Chicago.
He subsequently became interested in brick
manufacturing, which industry has assumed
immense proportions.
On September 8, 1874, Mr. Kimbell was
united in marriage to Miss Annie Craigmile,
a native of Scotland, and five sons and one
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
473
daughter have blessed the union. Our sub-
ject is one of Chicago's progressive citizens
and stands high in the estimation of all who
know him.
)OBERT J. DALY, one of Chicago's
jrj-. rising young men, is greatly interested
in the workings of the Masonic fraternity,
and exemplifies by his daily life how well
he understands and appreciates the precepts
and tenets of the society. Although a
member of but two years' standing, he has
acquired a thorough knowledge of the
principles of Masonry, and is a popular
brother in his lodge. He was initiated and
made a Master Mason in Garden City
Lodge, No. 141, in 1895; was exalted to
the Royal Arch degrees in York Chapter,
No. 148; received the degrees of Royal
and Select Masters in Tyrian Council, No.
78, in 1896; was created a Knight Templar
in Apollo Commandery, No. i ; and at-
tained the ineffable degrees of the Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory in 1895. He is
also a Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple.
Mr. Daly is a native of Ireland, his
birth taking place in that country on No-
vember i, 1867, and at an early age came
to the United States. In 1888 he located
in Chicago, where he followed various oc-
cupations until, in 1895, he was made trans-
fer foreman for the Dixon Transfer Com-
pany, which position he has continued to
fill in an adequate and satisfactory manner.
In his religious faith Mr. Daly is affiliated
with the Episcopalian church, and socially
is a member of the Royal Arcanum.
JOSEPH B. CLITHERO, a Mason who
ranks high in the local bodies of Chi-
cago, was initiated in Pleiades Lodge,
No. 478, and in 1891 was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No.
126, and created a Sir Knight in Chicago
Commandery, No. 19, in the same year,
and received the ineffable degree of Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental
Consistory, Scottish Rite. He is also a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine, Ancient Arabic
Order, his membership being in Medinah
Temple.
Mr. Clithero was born in Gardner,
Grundy county, Illinois, September i, 1867,
and when four years of age was taken to
Watseka, Iroquois county, by his parents,
and .remained on a farm until eighteen
years old, obtaining such mental training
as was afforded by the district schools dur-
ing the winter and working on the home
place in the summer. In 1885 our subject
came to Chicago and was for several years
associated with the Chicago & Alton Rail-
road Company as superintendent of the in-
terlocking, or signal, system, with which he
equipped the entire road. He then ac-
cepted a position in the detective service
of the police department, which he subse-
quently resigned to engage in business.
As a Mason Mr. Clithero has ever been
faithful and true to the ritual, and is in
thorough sympathy with the teachings of
the order. In the lodge his genial disposi-
tion and frank cordiality have caused for
him the kindest feeling among the brethren.
T«OS. H. ROSS.— Among the well-
known citizens of Morris, Illinois, none
is more deserving of mention in this work
than the subject of this sketch, who is suc-
cessfully engaged in the lumber business,
and whose reputation as a man of integrity
and upright life is of the best.
Next to his interest in business, Mr.
Ross classes his regard for the Masonic
order, of which he has been a worthy mem-
ber since 1872. In that year he became a
Master Mason in Clark Lodge, No. 51,
in Louisville, Kentucky. He took the de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Orient Chap-
ter, No. 3 1 , in which he was Master of the
Veil, and that of Knight Templar in Blaney
Commandery, No. 5, of which he has been
Treasurer for several years. He is also af-
474
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
filiated with Cedar Lodge, No. 124, is a
member of the Order of the Eastern Star
at Morris, and of Medinah Temple at Chi-
cago.
Mr. Ross has always been faithful in his
relations to the fraternity in these various
branches of Freemasonry, and has used
his influence in promoting their welfare,
but has never been a seeker after office.
He attended the conclave in Chicago in
1880, and the one held in Boston in 1895.
Thos. H. Ross was born in Waynes-
burg, Ohio, May 27, 1845, and was educated
in the public schools of his native place. In
1864, when only eighteen years old, he en-
listed in Company I, One Hundred and
Sixty-second Ohio Infantry, determined to
do what he could to aid in preserving the
nation from disruption and ruin. Being
mustered out when his term of service ex-
pired, he re-enlisted in Company A, One
Hundred and Ninety-seventh Ohio, which
was the last regiment to leave the state for
the seat of war. In this he served until the
close of hostilities, the regiment being in
several engagements in Kentucky. Al-
though his experience as a soldier was brief
compared with that of many others, he has
never regretted the days spent in camp, and
is proud to be called a veteran. He be-
longs to Darvean Post, No. 329, G. A. R.,
and the reunions of the "boys" are among
the most pleasant occasions of his life.
In 1876 Mr. Ross removed from Ohio to
the "Prairie state," settling in Morris,
where for some years he carried on farming.
In 1885 he engaged in the lumber business,
which he has followed since with much suc-
cess. He is well thought of among his
business associates, and is held in high es-
teem as a worthy and valued citizen.
SOLON H. EVELETH.— There are no
) rules for building characters; there is no
rule for achieving success. The man who
can rise from the ranks to a position of
eminence is he who can see and utilize the
opportunities that surround his path. The
essential conditions of human life are ever
the same; the surroundings of individuals
differ but slightly; and when one man passes
another on the highway to reach the goal
of success before others, it is because he
has the power to use advantages which
probably encompass the whole human race.
Mr. Eveleth is one who has improved his
opportunities and steadily worked his way
upward until he now occupies the respon-
sible position of cashier of the Wagner
Palace Car Company of Chicago. He was
born in Massachusetts, July 6, 1856, and
made his home in the old Bay state until
1880. He acquired his education in the
public schools, and during his early man-
hood was employed in various capacities in
connection with hotel and sleeping-car serv-
ice. In 1880 he came to Chicago and in .
1883 was appointed to the present respon-
sible position which he now occupies. He
has the unqualified confidence of the com-
pany and justly merits the same. He is
most honorable in all business transactions,
and is a man of energy and industry who
leaves no task unperformed or duty slighted.
Mr. Eveleth was married September 12,
1882, to Mrs. Susan J. Bell. His identifi-
cation with Freemasonry dates from 1878,
when he joined Joseph Warren Lodge, of
Boston, Massachusetts. Later he dimitted
and placed his membership in Harlem
Lodge, No. 540, A. F. & A. M., of Oak
Park, Illinois. He was exalted a Royal
Arch Mason in St. Andrew's Chapter, of
Boston, Massachusetts, from which he was
dimitted to Cicero Chapter, No. 180, at
Austin, Illinois. He received the grades
and orders of Templar Masonry in Boston
Commandery in 1880, and is now a Sir
Knight in Siloam Commandery, No. 54, at
Oak Park. On the 4th of October, 1883,
he attained the thirty-second degree of the
ineffable lodge of perfection and was
greeted a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret of Oriental Consistory. He also holds
membership in Medinah Temple of the An-
cient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, and has thus almost round-
ed the circle of Masonry, learning the les-
sons of both the York and Scottish
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
475
Rites and putting into practice in his every-
day life the beneficent and ennobling prin-
ciples of the order. He is a zealous Mason,
whose ardor is evidenced by a fulfillment
of the obligations which rest upon all wor-
thy members of the fraternity, and in Ma-
sonic circles Mr. Eveleth is widely and
favorably known.
JOHN HOSBURY.— One of the great in-
dustrial enterprises which have given
Chicago her proud position as one of the
leading commercial centers of the globe is
that which has to do with the dealing in
live stock, and among the representative
commission operators in this line is he
whose name introduces this review. Mr.
Hosbury is a man who stands high in the
great fraternity which is the subject of this
compilation, and there is eminent consis-
tency in according a brief review of his ca-
reer in this connection. On the 5th of
March, 1866 (which was his twenty-first
birthday), there was received and enter-
tained by Niagara Lodge, No. 375, A. F. &
A. M., of Lockport, New York, a petition
which signified the wish of John Hosbury
to identify himself with the ancient and
noble order, and pursuant thereto the de-
gree of Entered Apprentice was duly con-
ferred upon him on the 2d of April. On
the 6th of June, 1878, he passed the capitu-
lar degrees in Ames Chapter, No. 88, R. A.
M., in the same city, while in 1886 his
name was enrolled among the Royal and
Select Masters of Temple Council, No. 65,
of Chicago. Prior to this, however, Mr.
Hosbury had received the degrees of
knighthood in Lockport, New York, where
he became a member of Genesee Command-
ery, No. 10, K. T., on the nth of April,
1879.
The present affiliations of our subject
are maintained in the following Chicago
Masonic bodies: Landmark Lodge, No.
422, of which he served as Master in 1888;
Fairview Chapter, No. 161, of which he
was High Priest in 1885-6; Temple Council,
No. 65 ; and Montjoie Commandery, No.
53, in which he held the distinguished pre-
ferment of Eminent Commander in 1894.
At the present writing, 1897, he is Secretary
of both his lodge and chapter.
'Mr. Hosbury has a lively appreciation
of the dignity, beauty and nobility of the
great fraternity with which he is identified,
and its interests and objects he does all in
his power to advance and aid. His devo-
tion to the order and to the principles for
which it stands sponsor have gained him
precedence in fraternal circles, while his
personality is such as to have given him
marked popularity therein. As an expo-
nent of Masonic brotherhood in all that the
term implies he is to be classed among
those most deserving of honor in this state.
In his religious relations he is a Presby-
terian.
John Hosbury was born in Lockport,
Niagara county. New York, March 5, 1845,
the son of Thomas and Christina (Cleghorn)
Hosbury. He attended the Union school,
one of the best high schools in that part of
the state, and was reared to the live-stock
business, his father having been one of the
largest live-stock shippers in the county.
He followed that business in New York
until 1880, when he came to Chicago and
has since operated at the stock yards with
gratifying success. He was married March
10, 1864, to Miss Mary H. Hixson, of Lock-
port, New York, and they have one daugh-
ter, named Gertie M.
HIRAM WALLACE LINDLEY, a wor-
thy Sir Knight Templar residing at
Havana, has the following Masonic record:
The degree of Master Mason was conferred
upon him in Havana Lodge, No. 88, A. F.
& A. M., in August, 1864; was exalted a
Royal Arch Mason in Havana Chapter, No.
86, R. A. M., on the 2gth of March, 1867;
created a Sir Knight Templar in Damascus
Commandery, No. 42, K. T. , at Havana,
November 4, 1875. In the blue lodge he
has filled the offices of Steward, Treasurer,
Secretary, Senior Warden and Worshipful
Master, the two latter five terms each.
476
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
During his incumbency of the last term as
Senior Warden he served also as Worship-
ful Master, by order of the Grand Master.
In the chapter he has been Principal So-
journer, Royal Arch Captain, and Secretary
six years, 1874-9, and again for three years,
1885, 1888 and 1891; in 1883 he was High
Priest and is again the present incumbent
as Secretary. In the commandery he was
Generalissimo in 1887, Recorder in 1880-2,
and 1890-2, and Warder in 1889. Mr.
Lindley's life has been in every way a con-
sistent example of the elevating tendencies
of the teachings of the noble craft. While
he was Master he was very prominent in
erecting a fine temple for the order, of
which the Havana Masons have much reason
to be proud. They have a splendid hall
and banquet room and all the paraphernalia
and equipments required for complete and
satisfactory work, all of which they own
clear of debt, besides having money in the
treasury.
Mr. Lindley js a native of Ohio, born
July 5, 1842, and he has been a resident of
Illinois ever since 1850. He is a retired
hardware merchant, having had an illus-
trious record as an honest dealer and polite
gentleman. For four years he was the
police magistrate of the city.
J
TOHN AUGUST WESTBLADE, auditor
U of the Fulton County Railway and re-
siding at Lewistown, is a Sir Knight
whose Masonic record is as follows: He was
made a Master Mason in Lewistown Lodge,
No. 104, in November, 1893, exalted to the
august degree of the Holy Royal Arch in
Havana Chapter, No. 86, in 1894; and was
created a Sir Knight Templar in Damascus
Commandery, No. 42, K. T. , at Havana, in
September, 1 894. Officially, he has served
as Junior Deacon and Steward of his lodge,
and is held in very high esteem by the
brethren.
Mr. Westblade is a native of Sweden,
and was born at Linkoping, on the I4th of
September, 1 864, and was brought to this
country by his parents the next year. They
were Nelson and Anna (Johnson) West-
blade. Our subject was educated in Gales-
burg, Illinois, in the public schools; subse-
quently was engaged in the dry-goods busi-
ness at Peoria and Galesburg, and in 1888
began his connection with the road of which
he is now the auditor. For this road he
began as station agent at London Mills,
Fulton county, and by close attention to the
interests of his company he has been pro-
moted from time to time until he has reached
his present situation; and he is a business
man, a good citizen and a faithful Mason.
He married Miss Blanche N. Wagy,
daughter of Companion J. C. Wagy, of
Lewistown, Illinois.
ilCHARD EDWIN O'CONNOR.— It
was never the intention of the Su-
preme Being to make this world an abode
of strife and discord, or of warring spirits,
continually preying upon their fellow men.
Such a state of affairs, however, has been
existing from the time of Adam, almost,
and the whole order of things has been per-
verted and turned from the original chan-
nel. Man's inhumanity to man has bur-
dened history, and instead of diminishing as
time goes on, in spite of the added intelli-
gence of the human race, it is on the in-
crease, and in the present age the struggle
to obtain an existence has made the war-
fare just as fierce as ever, even if it is of a
more refined nature. Many centuries ago
—just when is lost in obscurity — a little
body of men started a society of Masons,
which was to assist them in their daily life
and give to them higher aims and ambitions.
It was originally composed of active work-
ers in the trade of masonry, but it gradually
developed and expanded until it not only
included the craft alone but also many not
following that trade. Its scope was en-
larged, and out of this modest beginning
sprung the fraternity of Free and Accepted
Masons. Slowly but surely has its influence
been working in every part of the universe,
its beneficent precepts drawing to its ranks
men of all nations, creeds and callings, un-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
477
til to-day it stands out in strong relief as
one of the noblest organizations of which
the mind of mortal man is capable of con-
ceiving. Built upon a foundation of love,
honor and universal brotherhood, it has
come down to us, teaching its glorious les-
sons to all who wish for better things in life
and bringing a message of peace to many
thousands of souls.
In Chicago Freemasonry has established
a firm footing and has a large following,
numbering among its membership some of
the most prominent men of the city. One
of those who has been associated with the
local bodies for a number of years is the
brother whose name heads this review.
After taking the subordinate degrees in the
blue lodge he was raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Arcana Lodge, No.
717, in 1882; was exalted to the august de-
gree of the Holy Royal Arch in Wiley M.
Egan Chapter, No. 126; was created a Sir
Knight in Chicago Commandery, No. 19, in
1886; and received the ineffable degree of
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Ori-
ental Consistory, No. 26, Scottish Rite, in
1887. In 1897 he made a successful pil-
grimage across the sands of the desert and
was elected a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah
Temple. In all these bodies our brother
has been a consistent member and has lived
up to the precepts inculcated in the laws of
the order.
Mr. O'Connor was born in Chicago on
May 26, 1860, and attended the public
schools of this city, after which he took a
course of study at the Metropolitan Busi-
ness College. He followed several occupa-
tions until August 1 6, 1887, when he ac-
cepted a position as bookkeeper and ac-
countant with the firm of Harder & Hafer,
who conduct an extensive coal business.
Mr. O'Connor has been a faithful employee,
and his services with this firm embrace a
period of sixteen years, during which time
he has won the confidence and respect of
his employers by his strict integrity of char-
acter, his capabilities and the thoroughness
with which he accomplishes his work.
In January, 1890, Mr. O'Connor was
united in marriage to Miss Mary Wilkinson,
a native of England, and two daughters
have been born to them, —May and Hazel.
In his political affiliations Mr. O'Connor is
a stanch Republican. He and his wife are
members of the Baptist church, and con-
tribute liberally to its support.
The subject of this sketch is an enthusi-
astic bicycle rider and won the United
States championships in long - distance
events for two consecutive years, 1895 and
1896. He is at present the state centurion
for Illinois, having to his credit about two
hundred century bars, of which he is justly
proud.
WILLIAM TABOR ABBOTT, one of
the prominent young attorneys of
Peoria, Illinois, has advanced to a high de-
gree in the Masonic order. He was first
made familiar with the doctrines of this
esoteric fraternity by his initiation into Illi-
nois Lodge, No 263, A. F. & A. M., and
having passed the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice and Fellow-craft, was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason. He has
served as Senior Warden of his lodge, and
takes a deep and abiding interest in its work
and the promulgation of its honored and
beneficent principles. In the election of
December, 1 896, he was further honored
by the members of the craft by being chosen
Worshipful Master for the year 1897. He
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Peoria Chapter, No. 7, and
has served as Principal Sojourner therein
for four years. He was made a Royal and
Select Master in Peoria Council, No. II,.
and was knighted in Peoria Commandery,
No. 3, K. T. In the last named he has
served as Senior Warden, and is a member
of and holds office of Recorder in the St.
Helena Conclave, No. 3, Knights of the Red
Cross of Constantine. He is also connected
with the social department of Masonry, hav-
ing in June, 1896, become a member of Mo-
hammed Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Peoria, and
478
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
at the annual election in December, 1896,
was elected High Priest and Prophet. In all
these degrees Mr. Abbott takes a lively and
appreciative interest, and conforms his life
to the principles which form the basic ele-
ments of the society.
Mr. Abbott is a native of the Green
Mountain state, born in Wells River,
Orange county, Vermont, on the i6th of
February, 1868. His father, Orrin S. Ab-
bott, is a resident of St. Johnsbury, that
state. He is an honored member of Pales-
tine Commandery, No. 5, K. T. , and it was
from his father that our subject early re-
ceived favorable impressions of Masonry and
became imbued with a desire to identify
himself with the order which promotes all
moral qualities and true worth. He en-
joyed superior educational advantages, was
graduated in the academy in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont, in 1886, and in 1890 received the
degree of A. B. from that well-known seat
of learning, Dartmouth College. He then
took up the study of law with the intention
of making its practice his life work, con-
tinued his reading in 1891 and 1892, after
which he came to the west, and in Febru-
ary, 1893, passed a creditable examination
and was admitted to the bar of Illinois.
He then accepted a clerical position in the
law office of Stevens & Horton, of Peoria,
serving in that capacity until January i,
1895, when he was admitted to a partner-
ship in the business under the firm name of
Stevens, Horton & Abbott. He is now en-
joying a liberal clientage and has demon-
strated his ability by the successful conduct
of a number of cases. He belongs to the
Congregational church and is a young man
of high personal worth whom to know is to
esteem and honor.
GEORGE F. HENTHORNE.— Among
the most active and influential Masons
in the city of Peoria. Illinois, is the gentle-
man whose name adorns this page.
Mr. Henthorne is a native son of Illi-
nois, and was born in the town of Lacon,
March 17, 1846, but since 1871 has main-
tained his residence in Peoria, where he has
attained prominence in both business and
fraternal circles. His identity with Ma-
sonry covers a quarter of a century and is
as honorable as it is long. The blue-lodge
degrees he took in Sparland, Illinois, in
Sparland Lodge, No. 443, May 3, 1871;
shortly afterward he transferred his mem-
bership to Temple Lodge, No. 46, and has
since affiliated with it. He received the
Royal Arch degree in Peoria Chapter, No.
7, June 19, 1873; the order of Knights Tem-
plar in Peoria Commandery, No. 3, K. T.,
March 27, 1874; the R. & S. degrees in
Peoria Council, No. 11, April 5, 1878, and
has also been initiated into the mysteries of
the Knights of the Red Cross of Constan-
tine, St. Helena Conclave, at Peoria, being
elected its first Sovereign, and in Mo-
hammed Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of
this place. And besides these various
bodies he has membership in the Veteran
Association of Illinois Masons. From time
to time he has been honored by the broth-
erhood with official position, and to what-
ever place he has been called he has re-
sponded with prompt and faithful service,
ever active and earnest in promoting the
welfare of the order. For seven years he
was Secretary of the chapter, and for an
equal length of time, from 1874 to 1881,
was Recorder of the Commandery. He
was elected High Priest of the chapter and
served two years, and for two years also
was Eminent Commander of Peoria Com-
mandery, and since that time has been Sec-
retary of the chapter and Recorder of the
comrnandery. In the council he has filled
the chair of Thrice Illustrious, and in Mo-
hammed Temple, of which he is a charter
member, he was first Chief Roban, and is
at present Potentate. He is also Grand
Master of the First Veil of the Grand
Royal Arch Chapter of Illinois.
A close connection with Masonry and
the sublime truths as illustrated by it can-
not fail to leave its impress upon the life of
any member of the order, and to say that
a man is a good Mason means that and
more: it means that he is strictly honorable
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOr
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
481
and upright in all the varied relations of
life, true to humanity and to his God.
Such a man is Mr. George F. Henthorne.
CHARLES FREEMAN HITCHCOCK,
a real-estate dealer of Peoria and a
man well known in the business circles of
that city where he has resided for over
twenty years, became identified with the
Masonic fraternity shortly after he attained
his majority, and has remained an honored
member of the same ever since, squaring
his life by the strict justice and universal
charity taught by this beautiful order which
has been rightly called the "sister of re-
ligion."
He was made a Master Mason in Aurora
Lodge, No. 254, at Aurora, Illinois, No-
vember 22, 1858; he received the Royal
Arch degrees in Aurora Chapter, No. 22,
January 31, 1860; the council degrees in
Peoria Council, No. 11, April 15, 1878; the
chivalric degrees in Peoria Commandery,
No. 3, October 16, 1866; and the Scottish
Rite in Peoria Consistory, March 29, 1870.
He was created a Sovereign Grand Inspector
General of the thirty-third degree, the last
degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite, September 22, 1885.
Mr. Hitchcock's present affiliations are
still with the three local bodies named in
Peoria, besides the other local lodges here,
—Temple Lodge, No. 46, and Peoria Chap-
ter, No. 7. In all of these Masonic bodies
he has been honored with high official pref-
erence, and has filled the various offices
with that becoming dignity which has always
been characteristic of him. For seven years
he was Worshipful Master of Sparland
Lodge, No. 441, and for two years filled
the executive chair in Temple Lodge, No.
46. In Aurora Chapter, No. 22, he was
High Priest one year. He filled the office
of Recorder in Peoria Council, No. 1 1, three
years; was Eminent Commander of Peoria
Commandery, No. 3, five years; and for
twelve years has been Commander-in-Chief
of Peoria Consistory.
In -the Grand Lodge also have official
preference been shown him. He was ap-
pointed District Deputy Grand Master in
September, 1885, for the Fourteenth Dis-
trict of Illinois, by Grand Master Alexan-
der T. Darrah, and was reappointed and
served continuously until October, 1893,
when he was duly elected Grand Junior
Warden of the Grand Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ,
of Illinois, and was re-elected to this office
the following year; and he served as First
Lieutenant Commander of the Scottish Rite
Council of Deliberation for Illinois. Also
he is a member of St. Helena Conclave,
Knights of Constantine, at Peoria, of which
he is now Treasurer. He received the de-
grees in Mohammed Temple, A. A. O. N.
M. S., May 29, 1895, and on January 14,
1896, was chosen Recorder of the same, in
which capacity he is now serving; and in
addition to the above named offices filled
by Mr. Hitchcock, it should further be stated
that he has served also in various minor
ones. Indeed, he has been in Masonic office
ever since he became Master Mason nearly
forty years ago. Having thus referred to
his exalted connection with the great
brotherhood of Masons, we would now
speak briefly of his life's career in other
respects.
Charles Freeman Hitchcock was born in
Pittstown, Rensselaer county, New York,
January 11, 1836. Up to the time he was
twelve years old he lived in his native
county, and from that time until he was
twenty-one he made his home in Washing-
ton county, that state, spending his youth
and early manhood as a clerk in a store.
In 1857 he came west to Illinois and ac-
cepted a position as clerk in a clothing store
in Aurora. Later he engaged in business
for himself at that place. In 1852 he sold
out and removed to Sparland, Marshall
county, this state, where he was in the real-
estate and grain business till the spring of
1875, when he came to Peoria. Shortly
after locating here he became identified
with the Board of Trade and interested in
the grain business, to which he gave his at-
tention until 1888, since which time he has
been dealing in real estate. He is a man
482
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
of marked ability, and has all these years
been recognized as a prominent factor in
the business circles of Peoria.
Mr. Hitchcock was married in October,
1861, to Miss Mary E. Pease, of Aurora,
Illinois, and they have three children — a
son and two daughters.
In his religious views Mr. Hitchcock is
broad and liberal and is a believer in uni-
versal salvation. He is not, however, a
member of any church.
of two years, was again elected in 1895.
and is now serving his fourth year.
Religiously, Mr. Irwin is a Presbyterian
and a consistent church member.
WILLIAM TRAVIS IRWIN, city at-
torney of Peoria, Illinois, and a
member of the firm of Irwin & Slemmons,
leading lawyers of this place, is a self-
made man and one who has always devoted
his attention closely to his profession. He
has, however, amid the pressing cares of
business found time to turn aside for the
pleasure, profit and recreation to be found
in Masonic circles. Mr. Irwin was made a
Master Mason in Illinois Lodge, No. 263,
received the Royal Arch degrees in Peoria
Chapter, No. 7; was made a Knight Tem-
plar in Peoria Commandery, No. 3, and
was initiated into the Scottish Rite at Pe-
oria, with all of which he affiliates at the
present time.
Mr. Irwin is a native of the Keystone
state. He was born in Dayton, Armstrong
county, Pennsylvania, June i, 1856. His
youth he passed in attending school and
teaching alternately, completing his literary
studies with a course in the academies and
schools of western Pennsylvania, and in
1879 he came to Paxton, Illinois. Here he
studied law under the able instructions of
Judge Alfred Semple, judge of the seventh
judicial district; and was duly admitted to
the bar in 1881. Since that date he has
been actively engaged in the practice of law
at Peoria. and since 1886 he has been a
member of the firm of Irwin & Slemmons,
with office rooms in the Niagara building.
As already stated, he now occupies the po-
sition of city attorney of Peoria. He was
first elected to this office in 1893 for a term
fcAVID HENRY TRIPP, senior mem-
ber of the firm of D. H. Tripp & Com-
pany, booksellers and stationers of Peoria,
Illinois, was born in Decatur, Otsego
county, New York, on the 28th of Novem-
ber, 1828, and in the spring of 1851 came
to Illinois. Since the fall of the same year
he has resided continuously in Peoria and
has for a period of forty-five years been
identified with the business interests of this
place, carrying on operations without
change of firm name or location since the
year 1860.
In the fall of 1853 Mr. Tripp petitioned
for admittance within the portals of the
great temple of Masonry, was elected and
received the degrees conferred in Temple
Lodge, No. 46, A. F. & A. M., since which
time he has continued a member thereof,
and is at this date perhaps the oldest mem-
ber that was made a Mason in that lodge.
He is now Past Master. He is also Past
High Priest of Peoria Chapter, No. 7, Past
Thrice Illustrious Master of Peoria Council,
No. 1 1 , Royal and Select Masters, and is at
the present time, 1897, Eminent Com-
mander of Peoria Commandery, No. 3, K.
T. He is a member of Peoria Consistory,
with which body he became affiliated No-
vember 28, 1888, and has ever since been
an earnest and active worker, holding sev-
eral important offices in the co-working
bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite. He is a charter member of St.
Helena Conclave of Red Cross Knights of
Constantine, and never fails to attend its
meetings. He is also a charter member
of Mohammed Temple, Ancient Arabia
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
was elected and has continued to hold
the office of Treasurer from its organiz-
ation and is a member of the Masonic
Veterans' Association, of Illinois, at Chi-
cago.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
48$
FRED F. HANDRUP is an affiliate of
the various branches of Masonry and
is esteemed as a valued representative of
the order. His fidelity to its precepts and
its principles has brought him official pre-
ferment, and his fellow members of the
craft freely acknowledge his worth. In
1877 he took the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason
in D. C. Cregier Lodge, and has therein
served as Worshipful Master. He was ad-
vanced as Mark Master, installed as Past
Master, received as Most Excellent Master,
and exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Washington Chapter, and
has acceptably filled the office of High
Priest therein. He belongs to Siloam
Council, R. & S. M., of which he has been
Thrice Illustrious Master; was created a
Sir Knight in Chicago Cornmandery, was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret after receiving the grades and orders
of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory,
and in Medinah Temple was made a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine.
The people of all races and classes, if
they be men of true moral worth, are wel-
come to this fraternity, and thus it is that
Brother Handrup, a native of Denmark, is
connected by the mystic ties of the broth-
erhood with the representatives of the order
in America. Born in the little peninsular
kingdom which has furnished to the world
some of its most glorious tales of heroism,
he entered upon earth's pilgrimage October
12, 1839, and was reared and educated at
the place of his birth. In his youth he
served an apprenticeship in a mercantile
establishment. In 1869 he came to Chi-
cago, and for the past quarter of a century
has been in the employ of the J. V. Farwell
Company.
WILLIAM K. WOOD, in November,
1869, was made acquainted with the
esoteric doctrines and fundamental princi-
ples of Masonry in Jerusalem Temple
Lodge. No. 90, A. F. & A. M., of Aurora,
Illinois. Becoming a prominent worker in
the organization he was twice honored with
an election to the office of Worshipful
Master, serving in that capacity in 1881
and 1882. He has since been dimitted
from Jerusalem Temple Lodge, placing his
membership in Dearborn Lodge, of Chicago.
In 1869 he joined Aurora Chapter, No. 22,
R. A. M., of which he is still a member,
and of which he has served as Secretary.
He also belongs to Aurora Council and in
1870 was knighted in Aurora Cornmandery,
No. 22, in which he served as Warder,
Junior and Senior Warden; and he became
a charter member of Englewood Com-
mandery, No. 59, Knights Templar. He
and his wife are members of the Order of
the Eastern Star, Rising Sun Chapter, and
were among its organizers. He takes an
active part in lodge work and has done
much to promote the interests of Masonry
in its various departments. He also be-
longs to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, having taken his degrees in Wau-
bansia Lodge, No. 45, at Aurora, Illinois,
of which lodge he was Noble Grand in
1874.
Mr. Wood was born in Bury, Lanca-
shire, England, on the 2Oth of September,
1844, and was reared in his native country
and there served an apprenticeship to the
machinist's trade between the ages of four-
teen and nineteen years. He then deter-
mined to try his fortune in America, where
he believed better opportunities were af-
forded young men, and accordingly crossed
the Atlantic, locating in New York, where
he was employed fora year. He then went
to Newark, New Jersey, and followed the
same business for two years, after which he
returned to England, spending a year in the
" merrie isle." On the expiration of that
period he came again to the United States
and spent almost a year in Richmond, In-
diana, working at his trade, after which he
went to Aurora, Illinois, where he followed
his trade until 1882. He then came to
Chicago and took charge of the machine
shops of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa-
cific Railroad Company; and has since oc-
484
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
cupied that responsible position in a most
creditable manner.
He has never had occasion to regret his
emigration to America, for here has found
a pleasant home and made many friends.
In his religious relations he is a member of
the Protestant Episcopal church.
He was married on the 25th of Novem-
ber, 1870, to Miss Elizabeth Garwood, a
native of Oxford, England, and they have
had eight children, namely: Annie, wife of
Arthur Parker; Harry, William, Joseph,
Elizabeth, Samuel, John and Benjamin H.
FRANK G. STECK is a Knight Tem-
plar Mason whose allegiance to the
fraternity is marked and continuous. He
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Englewood Lodge, No. 690, on
the 3 ist of July, 1884, and continued his
connection therewith until he was dimitted
to become an affiliate of Normal Park
Lodge, No. 797. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in En-
glewood Chapter, No. 176, on the 22d of
December, 1885, and on the I2th of Janu-
ary, 1886, was created a Knight Templar
in Englewood Commandery, No. 59. He
also belongs to Medinah Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, and he
and his wife hold membership in the Order
of the Eastern Star.
Mr. Steck is a native of the Keystone
state, his birth having occurred in Leg-
more, Westmoreland county, on the ist of
April, 1850. He came to Chicago in 1871
and engaged in the live-stock business,
which he has since successfully followed.
He was married November 4, 18/9, to Miss
Maria J. Hoy, of Chicago.
lOBERT D. LOMAX is a thirty-sec-
Jfli ond - degree Mason. He became a
member of the order in 1893, when he was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in Thomas J. Turner Lodge. In the
same year he received the grades and orders
of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite and
was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory in Sep-
tember. The following year he joined the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
his membership being in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Lomax was born in Chicago on the
1 1 th of July, 1869. After passing through
the public schools of Chicago he entered
the business college of Bryant & Stratton,
at which he graduated in 1885. He then
entered the law department of the North-
western University, completing his studies
in the spring of 1889. Since then he has
devoted his entire time, as a stockholder
and director, to the interests of the Chicago
Consolidated Bottling Company, of which
his father, the well-known John A. Lomax,
is president. As a member of one of Chi-
cago's oldest families, Mr. Lomax has a
very wide circle of friends and acquaint-
ances, always ready to welcome his appear-
ance in any part of the city.
CHARLES S. AUSTIN.— The Masonic
body is composed of men in all stations
of life. Rank and wealth are not the req-
uisites for membership, and a man faithful
to its interests has as good an opportunity
of reaching the highest pinnacle in its coun-
cils as the greatest potentate in the land.
Among the unostentatious but no less
valued members of the fraternity in Chicago
is the gentleman whose name heads this
sketch and who carries out in his daily life
the teachings which have made the Masonic
order such an excellent school of morals
and religion. Mr. Austin was made a Ma-
son in South Park Lodge, No. 662, in 1887,
and was elected Worshipful Master of that
body in 1894, having previously held the
offices of Junior Deacon and Junior War-
den. He was exalted a Royal Arch Mason
in Corinthian Chapter, in 1895, and in 1896
was made a Knight Templar in St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35. He has always taken
an active interest in the workings of the
order, and has given much time and atten-
tion to promoting the welfare of his lodge.
Mr. Austin was born in Conway, Mas-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI'
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASON RT IN ILLINOIS.
487
sachusetts, March 17, 1850, and was reared
and educated there. He learned the trade
of meat-cutter, at which he became an ex-
pert and at which he worked for many years.
In 1881 he came to Chicago, where he has
since made his home. In March, 1890, he
was appointed care-taker of the Rialto
building, one of the large and well-known
business and office structures in the heart
of the city, and has held that position ever
since, to the entire satisfaction of the nu-
merous occupants. He is very popular
with the tenants, is faithful in the discharge
of his duties and well deserves the esteem
in which he is held.
Mr. Austin was married in May, 1886,
to Miss Isabel Maud Osborne, a native of
county Tyrone, Ireland, and three children
have been born to them, — Archie, Chester
and George.
LEXANDER McLACHLAN. — Scot-
J& land's history is one of thrilling in-
terest. The world has few heroes to com-
pare with Wallace and Bruce; the deeds of
bravery performed by its daring people
have been the theme of story and of song
through many ages; its legends have formed
the subject of many a romance or poem; its
scenery has called forth the skill of many
famed artists. In commercial activity and
industrial progress it has also kept pace
with modern civilization, and in all those
interests which tend to advance the human-
itarian impulses of the race it has been
among the leaders in the work. The an-
cient origin of the Masonic fraternity gives
it a fame and pre-eminence to which the
history of similar institutions affords no
parallel; but through many centuries it
comprised only what is known as the "blue
lodge." Later other branches were added,
and in Scotland originated one of its most
important divisions, — one which has greatly
extended its usefulness. The Scottish Rite,
composed of thirty-two degrees, germinated
in the latter part of the seventeenth cen-
tury and assumed its distinctive character
in the beginning of the eighteenth. Since
that time it has gained many followers, not
only in the land where it originated but
also elsewhere thoughout the world where-
ever Masonry is known.
This fraternity has received a hearty
endorsement from the native sons of Scotia,
and among its most loyal followers are
many who claim the land of hills and
heather as their birthplace. Of this num-
ber is Alexander McLachlan. A native of
Scotland, he, however, did not join the
Masonic order until after coming to America.
November 8, 1883, he took the degree of
Entered Apprentice; Fellow-craft, Decem-
ber 15, 1883; and Master Mason, December
27, 1883, in Palace Lodge, No. 765, and
was twice elected and served as its Wor-
shipful Master. He was instrumental in
the organization of Kensington Lodge, No.
804, became one of its charter members,
served as Worshipful Master, and is now
Past Master. In 1888 he was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Sinai Chapter, No. 185, and is now affiliated
with Pullman Chapter, No. 204, of which
he is a charter member and was one of the
most active factors in its establishment. He
has served as its High Priest for three years,
and is one of its most honored companions.
In 1893 the degree of knighthood was con-
ferred upon him in Chevalier Bayard Com-'
rnandery, and he now upholds the banner of
sable and azure with all the loyalty of a
true Sir Knight. In September, 1893, he
joined the ineffable lodge of perfection,
placing his membership in Oriental Con-
sistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret. In the same month he was made
a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple, of Chicago.
He is a close and conscientious student
of the ethics and teachings of Masonry, is
a most untiring worker, and, being a man
of much more than average ability, he
brings to his work a high degree of intelli-
gence. He meets fully the requirements
and obligations of the order and devotes a
large share of his time and talent to the
advancement of its interests.
488
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Mr. McLachlan was born in Glasgow,
Scotland, November 10, 1849, and was
reared and educated there. His father,
John McLachlan, was born in Scotland
about 1822, was a dyer by trade, and died
in his native country in 1857. He married
Agnes Hosie, who also died in Scotland,
her native land, in 1889, about seventy
years of age. Mr. Alexander McLachlan
served an apprenticeship to the bricklayer's
trade in the land of his nativity and fol-
lowed that business until 1880, when he
determined to seek a home across the At-
lantic. Accordingly he came to America,
and after a short residence in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, came to Chicago, where he
entered the employ of the Pullman Palace
Car Company. In 1883 he was appointed
foreman of masonry and sewer depart-
ments and served in that capacity until
1888, when he engaged in contracting on
his own account. In his efforts and under-
takings he has met with signal success. He
thoroughly understands his business in every
detail, and is therefore capable of intelli-
gently directing the men under him so as to
accomplish the best results. His justice
toward his employees has won their alle-
giance and regard, and his honorable deal-
ings at all times have gained him the con-
fidence of the many with whom he has been
brought in contact. He built the new
Market Hall, the Market Colonnade Circle,
the Roman Catholic church, the Swedish
church, repair shop and laundry at Pull-
man, and many other structures in Pullman
and Chicago.
In 1871 he was united in marriage with
Miss Agnes Douglass, a native of Glasgow,
Scotland. They have six children, and the
eldest is now in partnership with his father.
Mr. McLachlan took a very active part in
the reorganization of the Pullman Athletic
Association in 1893, and has since served
as its president. He is also a member of
the Central Association of Amateur Athlet-
ics; he is chief of the Clan McDonald, No.
41, of the Order of Scottish Clans, at Pull-
man, which office he has been filling for the
past six years, and this order he organized
in 1888, with a membership of forty. He
is also Past Patron of Palace Chapter, No.
264, Order of the Eastern Star, at Pullman,
and he has had that office for two years.
When measured by what he is and what
he has done, Mr. McLachlan may be pro-
nounced, in the truest and best sense of the
term, a "successful man." Few men in
any community stand higher than he, and
no man enjoys more fully the confidence
and respect of his fellow citizens. While
unostentatious in manner, he readily makes
friends of those with whom he comes in
contact, and the friends thus made invaria-
bly become friends for life.
WILLIAM H. LEWIS.— Onward the
triumphant march of Freemasonry
continues its progress, its ranks being fre-
quently increased by recruits who are pos-
sessed of a desire to perceive the light of
knowledge as emanating from the temple,
and who wish to join their brothers in purg-
ing the world of its sin and selfishness and
assist in raising the standard of manhood.
A fratcr who has become identified
with the fraternity and who been an earnest
laborer in the various local lodges of which
he is a member, is he whose name initiates
this sketch. Mr. Lewis was made a Master
Mason in Pleiades Lodge, No. 478, and
such was his endeavor and activity in that
body that he was chosen its Senior Deacon,
an office he occupies at the time of this
writing (1897), fulfilling the duties thereof
with marked intelligence and ability. In
1895 he was advanced to the grades of capit-
ular Masonry and was exalted to the Holy
Royal Arch in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No.
126, and has been elected its Master of the
Second Veil. He received the orders of
Knighthood in Chicago Commandery, No.
19, in 1896; in the following year he at-
tained the degrees in the ineffable lodge of
perfection, Scottish Rite, and was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret in Oriental Consistory, Valley of Chi-
cago. His life has ever been conducted in
accordance with the spirit of the ritual, as
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
489
learned in the blue lodge, and he well merits
the high regard in which he is held by his
fellow Masons.
William H. Lewis was born in the city
of New York on the 28th of April, 1864,
and there passed the first few years of his
life, his mental educational discipline being
received in the public schools of that place.
Early in life Mr. Lewis began to turn his
attention to cold-storage engineering and
construction, and in that capacity made
frequent journeys to Chicago in the dis-
charge of his duties in that line until 1 890,
when he became permanently located in the
Garden City. In 1897 ne was appointed
manager of the Producer Refrigerating
Company, and, being thoroughly familiar
with the details and mechanical principles
of the business, he has proved a valuable
accession, and his ability, competency and
integrity have gained for him the confidence
and high opinion of those with whom he is
associated.
In his social relations Mr. Lewis is
prominently identified with the Stationary
Engineers' Association, of which he has
been vice-president, and with the National
Association of Stationary Engineers, having
held the office of president of that organiza-
tion. Mr. Lewis is a man possessing a
high order of intelligence, excellent judg-
ment and keen discrimination, and his suc-
cess in life has been the result of his own
individual efforts.
WALTER STICKNEY, of Warren, is
one of the few Masons of that com-
munity who has taken all the degrees in the
various branches of the craft, both York
and Scottish up to and including the thirty-
second degree. The dates of his respective
elevations are as follows: He was entered
as an Apprentice in Jo Daviess Lodge, No.
278, A. F. & A. M., May n, 1878; passed
as Fellow-craft on the i8th of the same
month; raised as Master Mason on the 1st
of June following; exalted to the august de-
gree of the Holy Royal Arch in Olive
Chapter, No. 168, R. A. M., at Warren,
on the loth of May, 1879; created a Sir
Knight Templar in Galena Commander}-,
No. 40, K T. , stationed at Galena in 1882;
and received the Scottish Rite degrees in
Freeport Consistory, Valley of Freeport,
in 1887. In all the bodies of the order
located in his town he has been an active
and efficient member, filling nearly all the
offices in the blue lodge, of which he has
been its Worshipful Master for two terms.
In the chapter he was Secretary for a num-
ber of terms, and is one of the worthy
brethren who is a good representative of
the order, an upright and honorable citizen.
Mr. Stickney is a native of Ontario, born
March 22, 1840; came to the United States
in 1862, and was engaged in the mail service
between Kansas City and Santa Fe, New
Mexico, for a number of years, at a time
when it was very hazardous business, the
agents being frequently attacked by the
hostile Indians. Ever since then he has
been a business man at Nora, and at War-
ren he has been engaged in the grain trade.
He has a nice family, and is one of War-
ren's highly respected citizens.
\DWARD ADAMS JEWETT.— A faith-
ful allegiance to the Masonic order for
a period covering more than thirty-six
years has established a cordial condition of
brotherhood between Mr. Jewett and his
fratrcs, and in that time he has demon-
strated his earnest desire to serve the fra-
ternity, giving to its interests and welfare
the full energies of his nature and filling
various important offices with a degree of
discrimination and a high order of intelli-
gence that has been most gratifying to his
confreres.
Mr. Jewett's identification with the craft
began in 1861, when he was made a Master
Mason in Washington Lodge, No. 3, at
Burlington, Vermont, and was advanced to
the degrees of capitular Masonry, being ex-
alted to the Holy Royal Arch in Burlington
Chapter, No. 3; he received the degrees of
Royal and Select Masters in Burlington
Council, No. 2; was constituted and ere-
490
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
ated a Sir Knight in Burlington Command-
ery, No. 2; and he attained the degrees of
the Scottish Rite in the ineffable lodge of
perfection and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Massachu-
setts Consistory, of Boston. He retains
his affiliation with those bodies and is be-
sides a member of Chevalier Bayard Com-
mandery ( No. 56, Chicago, which he joined
in 1 88 1. Brother Jewett has had distinc-
tive honor conferred upon him in being
elected to numerous preferments in both
the subordinate and grand bodies. He was
Worshipful Master of his lodge, served as
High Priest of his chapter, and was Emi-
nent Commander of Burlington Command-
ery. In the grand bodies he was District
Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge
of Vermont, Grand High Priest of the
Grand Chapter and Grand Generalissimo of
the Grand Commandery of the state. In
all of these positions he served with effi-
ciency, acquitting himself of the duties per-
taining thereto in a manner that reflected
credit upon his executive ability and re-
dounded to the credit of the fraternity.
Edward Adams Jewett was born in the
month of July, 1838, at St. Johnsbury, Ver-
mont, where the first years of his life were
spent, subsequently in attending the public
schools and a local academy, his mental
discipline being further supplemented by
two years at Harvard University. Upon
leaving the latter institution he entered
upon his business career at Boston, remain-
ing in that city two years, and thence, in
1860, he located in the city of Burlington,
Vermont, where he continued to follow
mercantile pursuits until coming to Chicago,
in 1873. Here he entered the service of
the Pullman Company, holding various po-
sitions, until 1888, when he was made as-
sistant general superintendent, which office
he has since continued to fill, discharging
the duties incumbent thereon in a most ca-
pable manner. He is a thoroughly reliable
gentleman, well informed on all the details
of his work, and is well known in business and
railroad circles throughout the country.
Mr. Jewett is a member of the Sons of
Vermont, and while residing in that state
he was appointed on the governor's staff in
1871-72, where he held the rank of colonel.
The marriage of Mr. Jewett was solem-
nized at Burlington, Vermont, in 1870, when
he was united to Miss Jennie M. Hubbell.
In his political affiliations Mr. Jewett is a
stanch member of the Republican party,
and a firm advocate of its policies and prin-
ciples.
fPVHARLES W. EVANS, M. D., one of
\*ft the best known physicians in Chicago,
is a valued member of the Masonic frater-
nity and ranks high in the local lodges of
this city. He- was initiated and raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in Ar-
cana Lodge, No. 717, in 1893; was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No. 126, in
1894; was constituted a Sir Knight in Chi-
cago Commandery, No. 19, in 1895, and
attained the ineffable degree of Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory, Valley of Chicago, in 1895. In the
same year the Doctor made a successful
pilgrimage across the sands of the desert
and became a Noble in the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah
Temple. He is sincerely interested in Ma-
sonry, and gives it all the support in his
power, evincing, by his daily life, that he
understands and appreciates the precepts
of the brotherhood.
Dr. Evans was born in Chicago July 17,
1863, and here acquired his primary educa-
tion in the public schools. Upon attaining
years of descretion he decided to adopt the
profession of medicine, and subsequent!}'
matriculated in Rush Medical College, now
the medical department of the Lake Forest
University, at which institution he was
graduated in 1886. He at once engaged in
practice and since that time his career has
been a most successful one, possessing, as
he does, a large and lucrative patronage.
He has been, for the past ten years, attend-
ing physician to the Central Free Dispen-
sary, Chicago. The Doctor is a member
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
491
of the Illinois State Medical Association.
He is a wide-awake gentleman, well posted
on all the details of his profession, and his
undoubted ability inspires confidence in all
with whom he comes in contact.
EDWARD C. LOTT, who, during a
membership of over twenty years, has
never faltered in his loyalty to the Masonic
fraternity, is at present one of the honored
brothers residing in De Kalb, Illinois, where
he has become conspicuous for the work
performed by him in the lodge of that city,
and in the intense interest evinced in all
the workings of the order. Mr. Lott took
the first three degrees of the craft in
Diamond City Lodge, No. 7, at Diamond
City, Montana, in 1872, and dimitted from
that body to become affiliated with De Kalb
Lodge, No. 144. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in De
Kalb Chapter, No. 52, and was elected
High Priest for two terms; received the
degrees of Royal and Select Master, and
was created a Sir Knight in Sycamore
28*
Commandery, No. 15, in which he served
as Eminent Commander. He is a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, his membership being
in Medinah Temple, of Chicago. In 1875
Mr. Lott was a member of Evergreen Lodge,
No. 170, at Freeport, Illinois.
The birth of our subject took place in
Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, June 29,
1846, his parents being Dennison and
Eunice (Camp) Lott. His early education
was acquired in the public schools of his
native county, which he attended until
sixteen years of age, at which time he
enlisted in the Thirty-fifth Pennsylvania
Regiment, with which he served for a short
time, and was then transferred to the Sixth
Pennsylvania Cavalry, serving in that until
the close of the war. Subsequently he
went west and engaged in gold-mining in
the territories for about eight years, and
then returned east. In 1876, when the I.
L. Ellwood Company was organized, Mr.
Lott entered its employ and for the past
fifteen years has held the responsible po-
sition of general manager.
Politically Mr. Lott is a stanch Re-
publican, and in 1884 he was elected to the
honorable office of mayor of De Kalb, and
gave that city one of the cleanest and most
able administrations in its history.
In 1873 Mr. Lott was happily married
to Miss N. A. Knapp, of Ogle county.
Illinois, and their many friends are always
welcome to the hospitalities of their charm-
ing: home.
w
•ILLIAM F. BROWN, of the firm of
ml Riegel & Brown, wholesale leaf-
tobacco dealers, Chicago, is a young man
of pushing, hustling business qualifications,
and, not unlike many of the leading young
men throughout the country, has thought
it worth his while to identify himself with
Freemasonry. While a resident of Pitts-
burg, Pennsylvania, in 1888, he made appli-
cation for membership in Dallas Lodge,
No. 508, F. & A. M., and was duly elected
and received its degrees. His removal to
Chicago shortly afterward resulted in his
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
obtaining a dimit from that lodge, and since
1 896 he has been a member in good standing
of Kilwinning Lodge, No. 311, F. & A. M.
Mr. Brown is a native of Stoughton,
Dane county, Wisconsin, born January 24,
1863, and was reared and educated at
Stoughton and Milwaukee. His business
career was begun in Pittsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, where he remained from 1883 to
1888, and from thence he came to Chicago,
where he has since resided. Here, as in
Pittsburg, he has dealt in tobacco. In
February, 1895, he associated himself with
Mr. Charles Riegel, under the firm name of
Riegel & Brown, and has since, as a whole-
sale dealer in leaf tobacco, done a prosper-
ous business.
Mr. Brown is unmarried.
LEXANDER J. SIMPSON.— The fra-
ternal spirit is very much in evidence
in Chicago, and the numerous lodges re-
ceive the warm support of several thousand
true and zealous Masons, none of whom
stand higher in the estimation of the breth-
ren than does Mr. Simpson, whose name
appears at the head of this sketch. He
was initiated in Garden City Lodge. No.
141, in 1891, was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in York Chapter,
No. 148, was created a Sir Knight Templar
in St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, in
1896, and received the grades and orders of
the Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory in
1897. Mr. Simpson is deeply interested in
Masonry and does all in his power to pro-
mote its aims, manifesting in his life how
well he understands the tenets of the soci-
ety, and has proven himself to be a worthy
and acceptable member of the craft. He is
also a Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple.
Mr. Simpson is a native of the Empire
state, his birth having occurred in New
York city on January 25, 1860, where he
was reared and educated until fifteen years
old. In 1875 he came to Chicago and ac-
cepted a position as clerk on the Illinois
Central Railroad, in which he proved him-
self such a capable and trustworthy em-
ployee that he was promoted to the post of
stationer, which responsible position he is
to-day filling, to the entire satisfaction of
the company. He is practically a self-made
man, and his success in life is due entirely
to his own efforts, a natural ability and an
unswerving devotion to the interests of his
employers.
In April, 1884, Mr. Simpson was united
in marriage to Miss Ida M. Bintliff, a na-
tive of Wisconsin, and of this union three
children have been born, two sons and a
daughter.
GEORGE W. SHAW, a well-known
merchant at Mattoon, is a consistent
Sir Knight Templar, honoring the princi-
ples and traditions of the Masonic order.
He received the primary degrees of the
blue lodge in Mattoon Circle, No. 707, the
capitular degrees in Mattoon Chapter, No.
85, the council degrees in Mattoon Coun-
cil, No. 10, the chivalric degrees in God-
frey de Bouillon Cornmandery, No. 44, and
the Scottish Rite degrees in Oriental Con-
sistory. With all these he still affiliates, ex-
cepting that in the blue lodge he is a mem-
ber of the Mattoon Lodge, consolidated,
• No. 260. Of the last named he has been
Senior \Varden and for years its honored
Treasurer; of the chapter he has served as
High Priest; of the council. Deputy Thrice-
Illustrious Master, and of the commandery.
Eminent Commander. In all these bodies
he has been prominent; has attended all
the triennial conclaves ever since 1877 ex-
cepting two, and was Adjutant of the Sec-
ond Illinois Regiment at Boston in 1895.
Indeed, in Masonic circles he is known
almost throughout the state of Illinois.
Mr. Shaw was born in Alexandria, Ken-
tuck}', September 19, 1840, and educated
in the public schools of Indiana, as his par-
ents moved with their children to Greens-
burg, that state. He was reared to farm
life, and on attaining his majority he en-
tered the mercantile business, in 1861, as a
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASON RT JN ILLINOIS.
498
clerk. In 1869 he came to Mattoon and
opened a boot and shoe store, where he
has since continuously been engaged in the
business, with the success due diligence and
honesty. He has been a member of the
city council, and a prominent and useful
citizen ever since his residence here.
JOSEPH COLUMBUS HOSTETLER,
an attorney at law, Decatur, has been
in the continuous practice of his pro-
fession since 1875, having a lucrative pat-
ronage.
Mr. Hostetler has been Worshipful
Master of Ionic Lodge, No. 312, A. F. &
A. M., in which he first received the de-
grees of the ancient craft. The Royal Arch
degrees were conferred upon him in Macon
Chapter, No. 21, R. A. M., of which he is
still a member and which he has served as
Secretary; of Decatur Council he has
served as Recorder, and of Beaumanoir
Cornmandery, Knights Templar, he has
been Senior Warden. He is also a mem-
ber of Medinah Temple, Nobles of the Mys-
tic Shrine, at Chicago. He accompanied
his commandery to the triennial conclaves
at Chicago, St. Louis, Washington and
Denver, and in general he takes a deep and
abiding interest in the cause of the fra-
ternity.
Mr. Hostetler was born in Lawrence
county, Indiana, July 14, 1846, and gradu-
ated at Union College, at Schenectady,
New York, in the class of 1871. He has
been a resident of Decatur ever since 1857,
and is one of the best and most favorably
known men in the county. In his political
principles he is a "gold-standard" Dem-
ocrat.
HON. JAMES A. WILLOUGHBY,
publisher of the Advocate at Belleville,
is a member of Lebanon Lodge, No. 1 10,
A. F. & A. M. ; of Lebanon Chapter, No.
62, R. A. M. ; of Belleville Council, No. 6,
R. & S. M. ; and of Tancred Commandery,
No. 50, K. T. Of the last mentioned he
has been Eminent Commander. He is also
a member of Moolah Temple, A. A. O. N.
M. S. , at St. Louis. He is zealous as an
advanced Mason, faithful to his fraternal
obligations.
He was born in St. Clair county, Illi-
nois, May 2, 1855, educated in the public
schools, and early engaged in the drug busi-
ness at Lebanon, in his native county.
After continuing in this for five years, in
1880, he was elected county recorder, and
he served a term of four years. In June,
1885, he purchased a half interest in the
Belleville Advocate, a weekly newspaper
established in 1839. This paper he edits
with ability and publishes with business
capacity. It is a flourishing news journal.
Under President Harrison's administration
Mr. Willoughby was postmaster for a period
of four years at Belleville. In 1894 he was
elected state senator, which honorable posi-
tion he now occupies. He has been very
prominent in politics, as a Republican, and
is widely and favorably known.
JAMES LEWIS PRINGLE.— For more
than two decades Mr. Pringle has been
in the employ of the Chicago & Eastern
Illinois Railroad Company, in whose serv-
ice he has steadily advanced until he is now
occupying an important and responsible po-
sition in the general offices of the company.
His identification with the Masonic order is
one of an intimate nature, and in the same
he has advanced to the Knights Templar
degrees. His initiation into the mysteries
of this ancient fraternity occurred April 12,
1875, when he became a member of Co-
lumbia Lodge, No. 450, A. F. & A. M., at
Patoka, Indiana. On the 9th of July, of
the same year, he was admitted to mem-
bership in Princeton Chapter, No. 75, at
Princeton, Indiana; while the council de-
grees he received at Danville, Illinois. In
September, 1879, he was knighted in Athel-
stan Commandery, No. 45, at Danville,
Illinois. His present affiliations are with
Normal Park Lodge, No. 797; Normal
Park Chapter, No. 210; Imperial Council,
494
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
No. 85; and Englewood Commandery, No.
59 — in the work of each of which he main-
tains a most lively and devoted interest.
He has served as Secretary of Olive Branch
Lodge, No. 38, at Danville, Illinois, and
Warder of Terre Haute Commandery, No.
1 6, at Terre Haute, Indiana. Both he
and his wife are members of the auxiliary
organization, the Order of the Eastern Star,
being connected with Terre Haute Chapter,
No. 43, at Terre Haute, Indiana. In their
religious connections they are members of
the Presbyterian church.
James L. Pringle is a native of the state
of Oregon, where he was born on the loth
of December, 1853. He passed his boy-
hood days in that state, receiving his pre-
liminary educational discipline in the public
schools, and in 1865 accompanied his par-
ents upon their removal to the east, and
they located at Washington, Indiana, where
our subject continued his educntional
training in the public schools, supplement-
ing this with a course of study in the
state university at Bloomington, Indiana.
He was but sixteen years of age when
he became station agent and telegraph
operator in the employ of the Ohio &
Mississippi Railroad Company, and ever
since that time he has been constantly iden-
tified with railroading interests. For seven
years he was train dispatcher of the Chi-
cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, and for
more than twenty years he has been in the
employ of this corporation, in various ca-
pacities, having maintained his home in
Chicago since 1891.
On the 2/th of January, 1876, Mr.
Pringle was united in marriage to Miss
Dovie E. Polk, and they are the parents of
four children, — Agnes, Harry, Jessie and
Lillian, — all possessing unusual musical
talent. The eldest daughter, Agnes, has
attained much prominence throughout the
musical circles of Chicago, being an un-
usually finished performer on that most
difficult of instruments, the violin. She
presents an attractive appearance, shows a
masterly skill, producing rich, firm tones,
bowing artistic, and interpretation almost
faultless. She has studied at the Chicago
Musical College for the past five years, in-
cluding three years under the famous
teacher and virtuoso, Barnhard Listemann.
During the month of June, 1895, she was
awarded a special gold medal for excellent
work. She graduated June 23, 1896, being
awarded the Rev. Dr. H. W. Thomas
prize — a diamond medal — for the best vio-
linist in the graduating class. She has
already played many notable engagements,
receiving much praise from all Chicago's
leading newspapers. Jessie promises to
achieve a reputation equally high as a pian-
ist. During the month of June, 1896, she
also was awarded a medal for excellent
work. The parents of these talented young
ladies have naturally taken great pleasure
and satisfaction in affording them the best
advantages in the attainment of a musical
education, and feel justly proud of the
results.
ELBERT MARSHALL WATERBURY
_j was made a Mason in Englewood
Lodge, No. 690, ¥.'& A. M., in 1880, and
not long after took the Royal Arch degrees
in Englewood Chapter, No. 1 76. He
joined the Royal & Select Masters of Pales-
tine Council, No. 66, and in 1882 was
knighted in Apollo Commandery, of Chica-
go. With all of these he yet affiliates save
the Commandery, having transferred his
membership to Englewood Commandery,
No. 59. His brethren of the fraternity,
recognizing his faithful adherence to the
teachings of the lodge and his zealous la-
bors in its interests, have honored him with
office. For one year he served as Wor-
shipful Master; was Past High Priest in the
chapter and for ten years has been its effi-
cient Secretary; and was Deputy Illustrious
Master. He is an honorable member of
LaFayette Chapter, No. i, and has taken a
very active interest in Masonry and is wide-
ly and favorably known in Masonic circles.
Mr. Waterbury is a native of New York,
born on the I2th of April, 1849. When a
youth of fourteen he left his old home in
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
495
the east and became a resident of Chicago
in 1863. Here he attended the public
schools for a time and then entered upon
his business career, being employed by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company for a peri-
od of eight years. Since 1 884 he has been
employed in the National Live Stock Bank
and his twelve years connection therewith
has been marked by the strictest fidelity to
duty, by thorough reliability and by most
efficient service.
In 1873 Mr. Waterbury was united in
marriage to Miss Matilda A. Dickson, a
daughter of A. C. Dickson, one of the or-
ganizers of the Illinois State Grand Lodge
of Masons.
JERRY B. MOORE, late of Peoria, and
formerly a faithful and enthusiastic
member of the Masonic fraternity, was
called to his eternal rest on May 16, 1896,
mourned by a large number of friends and
brothers who deeply felt the loss of one so
honored and respected for his many sterling
qualities of character. As a man his integ-
rity and honesty were beyond cavil, as a
Mason he conducted his life in a manner
consistent with the craft, his every endeavor
being to live up to the principles and carry
out the teachings of the ritual in fact as
well as in spirit. He received the degrees
of chivalric Masonry in Oriental Command-
ery, No. 12, at Cleveland, Ohio, the Order
of the Red Cross being conferred upon him
on April 17, and those of Knight Templar
and Malta on April 22, 1882.
Born October 26, 1852, Mr. Moore ob-
tained a common-school education in the
city of his nativity, Canal Dover, Ohio, and
subsequently embarked in business with his
father. Upon attaining his twentieth year
he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and for two
years was engaged there as a clerk in a
hardware store, later entering the business
in partnership with a Mr. Burrows, under
the firm name of Moore & Burrows. Some
time afterward our subject disposed of his
interests and became associated with the
Cleveland Rubber Company, remaining with
it two years and then returning to the hard-
ware business, establishing the firm of
Brush, Moore & Company. In 1890 he
came to Peoria, and with Mr. Coleman be-
came proprietor of the National Hotel until
[893, when he bought that gentleman's
share in the concern and continued to man-
age it alone up to the time of his death, the
latter occurring under rather singular cir-
cumstances. Mr. Moore went east to at-
tend the funeral of his mother, which was
held on Easter Sunday, 1 896, and on the
following day he was taken ill and died at
the home of his wife's parents, Mr. and Mrs.
B. F. Powers.
The marriage of Mr. Moore was con-
summated on November 10, 1892, when he
was united to Miss Myrtle M. Powers, of
Cleveland, Ohio, and they had one child,
Harold Powers, who was born February 15,
1894. Mrs. Moore and her son are now
living with her parents in Cleveland.
¥INCENT P. CORY, a veteran of the
Mexican war and an honored citizen
of Chicago, has been identified with the
order of Freemasonry for the past thirty
years, and in that time has given ample
evidence of the great interest he takes in
the workings of the society, by his faithful-
ness and industry. Mr. Cory was initiated
in Temple Lodge, No. 168, at Adrian,
Michigan, in 1865, from which he was
dimitted and became affiliated with Engle-
wood Lodge, No. 690, remaining with that
for two years, and then became a charter
member of Mystic Star Lodge, No. 758.
He was exalted to the Royal Arch degrees
in Delta Chapter, No. 191, serving as High
Priest in 1895. In 1892 he was created a
Sir Knight in Calumet Commandery, No.
62, K. T. . his present affiliation being with
Apollo Commandery, No. I.
Mr. Cory was born in Romulus, Seneca
county, New York, November 16, 1829,
and when eight years old came with his
father to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he was
reared on the frontier. His early educa-
tional facilities were limited, and at four-
496
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
teen years of age our subject began to earn
his own living, finding employment in a
sawmill, where he continued for several
years and then learned the wagon-making
trade, serving an apprenticeship of two
years. He next engaged in carpenter work,
and in 1850 moved to Adrian, Michigan,
where he entered the employ of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, in
1862, with which he remained for seven
and a half years, when, in 1869, he was
sent to Chicago in charge of the shops at
this point, and held that position until 1876.
In 1847 Mr. Cory enlisted in the First
Michigan Volunteer Regiment, and served
during the Mexican war, under General
Scott. In the spring of 1875 our subject was
elected trustee of the town of Lake, in 1877
was elected justice of the peace, and re-
elected in 1 88 1, serving until May, 1885.
He was formerly a member of the Sons of
Temperance, filling all the offices of the
order up to and including that of Grand
Worthy Patriarch of the state of Michigan,
and was a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Good Tem-
plars, in the latter of which he was an active
worker.
On March 8, 1849, Mr. Cory was mar-
ried to Mrs. Alzina Barnum, nee Wightman,
who was a native of New York, and of this
union one son, Alphonso L., who is also a
member of Apollo Commandery, was born.
Mrs. Cory departed this life August 5,
1891.
CiOLONEL ROBERT B. LATHAM, de-
ceased, was one of the founders of the
town of Lincoln and by occupation a gen-
eral trader. As a Mason he was a member
of Mt. Pulaski Lodge, No. 87, of Lincoln
Chapter, No. 147, a charter member of
Lincoln Council and a Sir Knight of Mt.
Pulaski Commandery. He was the first
Master of the blue lodge here, and held the
office for several years, and for a time he
was High Priest of the chapter.
He was born in Union county, Ken-
tucky, June 21, 1818, was a pioneer in
Logan county, Illinois, and the leading cit-
izen during his life; was noted for charita-
ble contributions; was the first owner of the
town site of Lincoln, and the growth of the
place was the principal source of his wealth.
He built almost the entire line of the Pekin,
Lincoln & Decatur Railroad, and was for
some time president of the company. In
1 860 he was a member of the state legisla-
ture, and in 1862 raised the One Hundred
and Sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers,
of which the governor appointed him colo-
nel. No worthier name adorns the his-
tory of Lincoln and Logan county than that
of Colonel Robert B. Latham.
WILLIAM WALCOTT WATSON, a
Sir Knight Templar and Worship-
ful Master of Barry Lodge, at Barry, Illi-
nois, has acquired the reputation of being
one of the most thoroughly posted Masons
in the city. He was made a Master Mason
in Barry Lodge, No. 34, in 1880, in which
he has filled the offices of Junior Deacon,
Junior Warden and Worshipful Master,
holding the latter chair for the past seven
years, and filling it at the present time in
a most satisfactory manner. He has a
complete knowledge of the ritual and takes
a great deal of pleasure in blue-lodge work,
doing all he can to promote the interests
of the order in Barry. He received the
capitular degrees in Barry Chapter, No. 88,
R. A. M., on January 19, 1881, in which
he is quite active, and has qualified him-
self to creditably fill any of its offices. He
was made a Royal and Select Master in
Barry Council, No. 22, and was created a
Sir Knight Templar in Ascalon Command-
ery, No. 49, at Pittsfield.
Brother Watson is one of Barry's rep-
resentative sons, he having been born in
this city on February 16, 1857. His par-
ents, Jon and Agnes Watson, were both
born in Scotland. They emigrated to the
United States and in 1842 located at Barry,
where the father first became engaged in
teaching, later embarking in the mercantile
business. He was one of the prominent
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
497
members of the Masonic lodge in its early
history and served as Secretary for a number
of years, and was highly regarded as a citi-
zen, a business man and a Mason. He
died in 1861, his wife surviving him until
August, 1895, having attained the venera-
ble age of eighty-three years. Three chil-
dren were born to them, of whom our sub-
ject was the youngest. He attended the
public schools of Barry, after which he
learned the printer's trade, and in 1880
purchased the Barry Adage, an independ-
ent weekly paper. In 1883 he enlarged the
plant, changed the paper from a six-column
folio to one double that size, and other-
wise improved the journal until to-day it
holds a place in the front rank of the news-
papers in this county and reflects consider-
ably to the credit of the city. Mr. Watson
has been eminently successful as its editor,
owner and publisher, and conducts the pub-
lication on independent principles, voicing
his sentiments in a clear, concise and con-
vincing manner. He has served in the city
council, was a member of the school board,
and was an alternate from the twelfth Illi-
nois district to the Republican national
convention held in 1888.
Mr. Watson was married December 28,
1 88 1, to Miss Margaret A. Bonnell, of
Griggsville, Illinois, and one son, Bret,
has been born to them. He is most favor-
ably known in this part of the state, is a
valued and useful citizen, and he and his
wife enjoy the good will of a wide circle of
friends.
JOHN C. GUTHRIE, a well-known and
popular member of that order which
cherishes as its ideal object the attainment
of a universal brotherhood and fosters a
feeling of charity, truth and unselfishness
in the heart of man, was initiated in Engle-
wood Lodge, No. 690, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in
May, 1895. He was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Englewood
Chapter, No. 176, on the I5th of July; re-
ceived the degrees of cryptic Masonry in
Imperial Council, No. 85, in October, 1895;
and on August 23d he was constituted, cre-
ated and dubbed a Sir Knight in Engle-
wood Commandery, No. 59. He accom-
plished a successful pilgrimage across the
desert's sands and on October 11, 1895,
was elected a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah
Temple. He is an enthusiastic Mason and
an earnest worker in the bodies of which
he is a member.
Mr. Guthrie was born in Newburg,
New York, on the 3d of March, 1859, and
is a son of John and Mary (Clement)
Guthrie. Reared in his native state, he
obtained his education in the public schools,
supplementing the same by a course of pri-
vate instructions, until arriving at the age
of thirteen years, when he was apprenticed
to the baker's and confectioner's trades, at
which he served four years and then took
charge of the shops, acting in the ca-
pacity of superintendent for the follow ing
four years. In the spring of 1880 he turned
his face westward and located in Montana,
engaging in business there for three years,
and in December, 1883, he came to Chi-
cago and worked at his trade until 1888,
when he started in for himself, opening a
store on Ogden avenue. In the spring of
1891 he moved to Englewood, and here,
by honest methods, untiring industry and a
strict integrity of character, he has built up
a large and prosperous business, his success
being fully commensurate with his merits.
While living in New York he was a mem-
ber of Company E, Seventeenth Battalion,
New York National Guards.
On December 3, 1884, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Guthrie to Miss Mary
Sippel, a native of Germany, and of the
four children born to them, Robert and
Ruth are still living, Florence having died
when two years old, and Willie at the age
of seven months.
LONZO WYGANT. — The creed of
JtQ Freemasonry is not complicated in its
construction nor difficult to understand. Its
45)8
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
beliefs are simple, and yet in them is com-
prised that which if universally adopted
would elevate the standard of the world and
make all men brothers, bringing to bear in-
fluences that would lift the nations to the
highest plane of morality and goodness.
There are many followers of the principles
inculcated in the fraternity in Chicago, and
none are more highly honored than Mr.
Wygant. He has attained the Knight
Templar degree and is most active in that
department of the organization. He was
initiated in the blue lodge September 12,
i 874, passed September 26, and was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason in
W. B. Warren Lodge. He received the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Washington Chapter, in which he was made
Mark Master October 20, 1882, Past Mas-
ter and Most Eminent Master on October
27, and was made a Royal and Select Ma-
son November 3, 1882, in Siloam Council.
He was created a Knight Templar in the
Chicago Commandery, from which he was
dimitted to become a charter member of
Columbia Commandery, No. 63, which was
constituted November 6, 1893, and in which
he served as Generalissimo during the last
year of its existence under dispensation,
holding the same office in the first year
under charter. Mr. Wygant is also con-
nected with that society which has for its
aim the promotion of social intercourse
among its members, the Mystic " Shriners,"
in which he is a Noble of Medinah Temple,
and where he has acquired many warm
friendships by his genial manners and per-
sonal worth.
Mr. Wygant was born at Stone Ridge,
New York, July 31, 1846, and is the son of
Thomas and Hannah Woodruff (Ketcham)
Wrygant. When quite young he came to
Chicago, in 1850, where he received his ed-
ucation in the common or public schools.
In 1863, at the age of seventeen, he became
a messenger in the banking house of C. B.
Blair & Company, where he remained one
year, and left to take the position of mes-
senger with the United States Express Com-
pany. The qualities of his character and
particularly his stanch reliability, forced him
gradually to the front until, in 1888, he be-
came the general agent for the United
States and Pacific Express Companies,
which position he holds to the present day.
In his political affiliations Mr. Wygant
has always given his stanch support to the
Republican party. He is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and in social
circles he is in a number of clubs, principal
among which are the Illinois Club, the Chi-
cago Athletic Association, the Lakeside and
the Review Club.
Mr. Wygant was united in marriage to
Miss Caroline S. Aspinwall, of Chicago, in
1869, and the}' have a daughter, named
Elsie Amy.
JOHN K. MILNOR, plasterer, Litchfield,
is an appreciative student and practi-
tioner of the principles of Masonry and
an admirer of its legends and history. He
was initiated in Litchfield Lodge, No. 517,
A. F. & A. M., received the Royal Arch
degrees in Elliott Chapter, No. 120, and
the Knight Templar degrees in St. Omar
Commandery, No. 30. Of the blue lodge
he has been Worshipful Master, of the
chapter he has been High Priest, and of
the Commandery he has been Eminent
Commander. He is also a member of Le-
vone Chapter, No. 55. O. E. S. Mr. Mil-
nor has been active in the fraternity, and
has attended a number of the triennial
conclaves.
Mr. Milnor is a native of Pennsylvania,
born December 11, 1828, educated in the
public schools, and came to Alton, Illinois,
in 1844, where he learned the plasterer's
trade, which he has followed ever since.
In 1866 he came to Litchfield, where he
has since been a resident. For four years
here he has been a township supervisor.
He was married in 1856 to Miss Elcenia
Jones, and they have five children. Polit-
ically Mr. Milnor is a Democrat, and in his
social relations, besides being so well up in
Masonry, he has filled all the chairs in the
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF IU ltf
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
501
Odd Fellows' lodge, is a member of the en-
campment and at present is captain of the
Patriarchs Militant.
HON. JAMES L. CAMPBELL, one of
the best-known real-estate dealers of
Chicago and a man whose connection with
municipal affairs has made him widely
known to Chicago's citizens, has for twenty-
seven years been connected with the Ma-
sonic fraternity. He became a member of
Blair Lodge in 1870 and has since contin-
ued his relation to the organization which
cherishes the appropriate tincture of
"blue," symbolizing universality, and re-
minding its members that friendship, moral-
ity and brotherly love should be as exten-
sive as the blue vault above them. He took
the degrees of capitular Masonry in Wash-
ington Chapter, in 1873, and is also iden-
tified with chivalric Masonry, through his
connection with Chicago Commandery, No.
19, Knight Templars. He has taken the
ineffable degrees in the lodge of perfec-
tion, becoming a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory. His
relationship to either of the two last-named
organizations would make him eligible to
membership in the Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine, and he is enrolled among
the Nobles of Medinah Temple. Such in
in brief is the history of his connection
with this ancient fraternity, which numbers
him among its consistent members, although
the pressing duties of his business prevent
him from taking an active part in the work-
ings of the lodge.
Mr. Campbell is a native of Livingston
county, New York, his birth having occurred
in Caledonia, on the igth of May, 1832.
He attended the common schools in his
youth, and after reaching the age of twenty-
seven pursued a course in the Upper Iowa
University. In September, 1850, he came
to Chicago, and from this city made his
way to Elgin, where he remained for six
years. In 1856 he removed to Iowa, where
he studied law and was admitted to the bar
in \Yest Union, Iowa, in 1862. The same
year he returned to Chicago and further"
continued his studies in the Union Law Col-
lege, where he was graduated with the class
of June, 1866, the same class of the late
Norman T. Cassette, who made the open-
ing and Mr. Campbell the closing address
at the commencement exercises.
Opening an office in Chicago, Mr. Camp-
bell continuously and successfully engaged
in law practice until after the disastrous
fire which laid the city in ruins in 1871.
His keen foresight enabled him to see what
an excellent opportunity existed then for a
real-estate man, and he turned his attention
to the business which has since engrossed
his time and energies. Homes were needed
by those who had been rendered homeless
by the flames, many transfers in real estate
were being made, and the business became
one of the most active and thriving enter-
prises of the city. The keen sagacity and
sound business judgment of Mr. Campbell
had ample opportunity for exercise, and
his judicious investments resulted in bring-
ing to him a handsome competence. Prob-
ably no business man of Chicago, and cer-
tainly none of the west side, are more
widely known. The real-estate transfers
which he has handled have been many and
extensive, and he is the owner of much val-
uable property, largely residences, which
he has erected for sale and rental. For
thirty-five years he has been continuously
identified with the growth and progress of
the city, aiding in its advancement and pro-
moting its upbuilding.
Mr. Campbell has also been prominent-
ly connected with the municipal affairs of
the city and might well be known as the
patriarch of the city council. He was
elected alderman in 1869, and in 1870 was
elected to represent the West Side of Chi-
cago in the state legislature, serving for
two years. In the fall of 1873 he was
again elected to the city council and was
re-elected in 1884, 1886, 1888, 1893 and
1895. The fact that he has been chosen
again and again for the office indicates his
absolute fidelity to duty and the confidence
reposed in his political integrity. His
502
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMAKONRT IN ILLINOIS.
course in the council is well known to Chi-
cago's citizens and his support of many
measures has largely advanced the welfare
of the western metropolis.
Mr. Campbell is a member of the Lin-
coln Club. He was married in 1859 to
Miss Sophronia R. Crosby, of Fayette,
Iowa, and they had one child, Frank Fre-
mont, who died January 5. 1883, at the age of
twenty years. Along the road to success
passes a never-ending procession, and it is
of much interest to note the progress of
these travelers, especially when one leaves
behind the friends of youth, passes many
whose start was more advantageous and
reaches the goal of prosperity in advance
of many, by reason of his unflagging pur-
pose and tireless energy. Such a one is
Mr. Campbell, who to-day occupies an em-
inent position among Chicago's business
men, — an honored early settler, a faithful
public officer and a worthy Mason.
SETH SCOTT BISHOP, B. S., M. D.,
LL. D. — The delineation of a well
rounded character is one of the most diffi-
cult tasks that the biographer essays, for it
is hard to point to particular elements in
his life record and say these are his marked
characteristics and really show forth the
true man. Distinguished in the medical
profession, honored in civic organizations,
esteemed in social circles and loved by those
who know him best, Dr. Bishop everywhere
commands respect and admiration and has
taken his place among the leaders in
thought and action in the western metropo-
lis. As the province of this volume, how-
ever, is the portrayal of Masonic connec-
tions, labors and service, we will revert
first to his identification with the fraternity
and touch later upon his efforts in other di-
rections.
Since 1883 the Doctor has been familiar
with the esoteric doctrines of the craft, for
in that year he was received as an Entered
Apprentice in Landmark Lodge, passed the
Fellow-craft degree and was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason. In Fair-
view Chapter, No. 161, R. A. M., he took
the degrees of capitular Masonry, and in
1895 he passed the grades and orders of the
Scottish Rite and was proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental
Consistory. In Medinah Temple he be-
came associated with the Nobles of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine.
This in brief is the history of his association
with the different bodies, but it does not
give his real Masonic record, for it is large-
ly in the practice of his profession that Dr.
Bishop, seeing ample opportunity for the
practice of the principles of the order, fol-
lows the teachings in a way that helps the
brother in distress or encourages the dis-
heartened.
The Doctor entered upon the scene of
life's activities in the town of Fond du Lac,
Wisconsin, February 7, 1852, and his early
surroundings were those of the frontier, for
his parents had made a settlement in that
neighborhood among the first residents and
were bearing a part in the development and
progress of the region. The public schools
of the neighborhood afforded him his early
educational privileges, which were later
supplemented by a course in a private
academy, in which he was graduated in
1870. He then continued his studies in
Beloit College for three years, thoroughly
mastering the branches to which he gave
his attention. Fond of music, he devoted
much time to that art as a student of the
piano and organ, and this work, in con-
nection with his application to literary
branches, proved too much for his health,
which became greatly impaired. Mind and
body demanded a rest and he sought an
employment which would afford him a com-
plete change. Accordingly he entered the
office of the Fond du Lac Commonwealth,
where he did general office work until his
health was restored. During that time he
printed the first daily paper ever taken off
a power press in that city. After taking
up his academical studies he edited, print-
ed and published a little school journal.
The Pen, all of which work was accom-
plished outside of school hours.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
503
The Doctor, however, seemed to pos-
sess a natural predilection for the medical
profession, and it was his most earnest de-
sire to make it his life work. While still
in school he began a course of preparatory
reading, and visiting New York he there
pursued the preliminary and regular courses
in the medical department of the University
of the City of New York, in the fall and
winter of 1871-2. He continued hisstudies
under Dr. S. S. Bowers, and then came to
Chicago, where he matriculated in the Chi-
cago Medical College, being numbered
among the graduates of that institution of
the class of 1876.
Opening an office in Fond du Lac, Dr.
Bishop at once began practice, but after a
short time went to Rochester, Minnesota,
thinking that it would prove an advantag-
eous field of labor, for the state was then
passing through an era of rapid develop-
ment. Since 1879 he has been a repre-
sentative of the medical fraternity of Chi-
cago and in this city has found ample scope
for the exercise of his superior skill and
ability. His knowledge of the science of
medicine is broad, comprehensive and ac-
curate, and his investigation has been car-
ried out along original lines and has re-
sulted in the discovery of truths valuable to
the profession. From the beginning his
practice here has been a series of splendid
successes. The public was not long in ac-
cording him a liberal patronage, or the pro-
fession in yielding him a foremost place in
its ranks. In 1881 he was elected to the
medical staff of the South Side Free Dis-
pensary, where he first had charge of the
children's department and afterward of the
department of the eye and ear. Subse-
quently he conducted clinics in the West
Side Free Dispensary. From its organiza-
tion he has been consulting surgeon to the
Masonic Orphans' Home, and from 1882 up
to the present time has been surgeon to the
Illinois Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary.
He is also professor of otology in the Post
Graduate Medical School and Hospital, and
professor of diseases of the ear, nose and
throat in the Illinois Medical College.
Dr. Bishop has been honored in various
medical organizations, being a valued mem-
ber of the Illinois, Wisconsin and Minne-
sota State Medical Societies, the Chicago
Pathological Society, the American Medical
Association, and the Mississippi Valley Med-
ical Association. He has several times
been elected a delegate to the International
and Pan-American Medical Congresses, be-
fore which he has delivered notable ad-
dresses. These have won for him a high
reputation as an original thinker, whose in-
vestigation results in practical benefit to the
profession. His contributions to the med-
ical literature of the country have been
man}' and valuable. His papers on "Hay
Fever" gained the first prizes of the United
States Hay Fever Association, of which
body he is now vice-president. His lecture
on cocaine in hay fever was delivered at
the Chicago Medical College; the mono-
graph, Pathology of Hay Fever, was read
at the Ninth International Medical Congress,
and he also gave a statistical report of
twenty-one thousand cases of diseases of
the ear, nose and throat. He has published
a book on Diseases of the Ear, Nose and
Throat, which has met with a very flatter-
ing reception and is acknowledged by the
profession to be one of the most able and
helpful works of its kind extant.
Dr. Bishop is well known to the profes-
sion as an inventor of numerous surgical in-
struments of inestimable value. These in-
clude the massage otoscope, an adjustable
lamp-bracket, an improved tonsilotome, a
middle-ear curette, an ossicle vibrator, a
compressed-air meter, a light concentrator,
a cold-wire snare, a nasal speculum, a cam-
phor-menthol inhaler, a pocket powder-
blower, a nasal knife, an automatic tuning
fork, double retractors, an ear aspirator,
combined periosteum elevator, retractor
and curette, all of which were suggested in
the course of his own work in hospital or
private practice and each holds on impor-
tant place to day in the estimation of the
profession.
The Doctor is a prominent member of
various societies formed for benevolent or
504
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
social purposes or for self-culture, including
the Knights of Honor, the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order
of the United Workmen and the Beta Theta
Pi of Beloit College. He was married in
March, 1855, to Miss Jessie Button, daugh-
ter of Peter Button, for many years a lead-
ing contractor of Chicago and a prominent
Mason, a Past High Priest of Washington
Chapter, and for fifteen years Principal
Sojourner. The Doctor has two children
—Jessie and Mabel. In 1890 the Doctor
and his wife made an extended tour abroad,
visiting many of the European capitals and
other places of interest in the old world.
While in England he attended the meeting
of the British Medical Association, in
Birmingham, and took advantage of the
opportunity given by travel to witness the
latest phases of European college and hos-
pit'.il work. He is a man of domestic
tastes and finds his greatest enjoyment in
the pleasures of the home circle. Recently
with his wife and daughters he made a trip
in his carriage through the lake regions of
Wisconsin. Such an outing was character-
istic of the Doctor, who puts forth every
effort to promote the interests and enhance
the happiness of his family. His irreproach-
able life, devoted unflinchingly to the faith-
ful discharge of every duty, has won him
the unqualified regard of all with whom he
conies in contact; and the circle of his
friends is only limited by the circle of his
acquaintances.
MILTON JOHNSON, president of the
Citizens' National Bank, of Decatur,
is an active member of the commandery,
and has attended the triennial conclaves at
St. Louis and Washington, besides two
annual meetings of the Grand Commandery.
His present affiliations are still with the vari-
ous lodges in which he was initiated, namelv,
Macon Lodge, No. 8, A. F. & A. M. ; Ma-
con Chapter, No. 21, R. A. M. ; Decatur
Council, No. 16, R. & S. M. ; and Beau-
manoir Commandery, No. 9, K. T., — all
of Decatur. Of the chapter he has been
Secretary, and of the commandery. Emi-
nent Commander.
Mr. Johnson was born in Milwaukee
county, Wisconsin, September 30, 1845.
After receiving a common-school education
he attended a course at Bryant, Stratton &
Spencer's Commercial College at Mil-
waukee, and in 1866 came to Decatur, in
the employ of the United States Express
Company. After the expiration of about
three years he was employed by Powers,
Ferris & Company, wholesale dealers in
boots and shoes, as bookkeeper and sales-
man, and held these positions also three
years. In 1872 he entered the bank of J.
Millikin & Company, where he remained
for the long period of twenty years, filling
various positions of trust, during the last
eight years of this time being a partner in
the business. In 1892 he sold out his in-
terest there and became connected with the
Citizens' National Bank, as vice-president
for the first year, since which time he has
been the president. He is well known in
banking circles as well as business circles
generally, and the outline above given is
sufficient to assure the reader of the high
standing of Mr. Johnson among all classes.
Politically he is a Republican.
QUSTAVUS C. BROBERG.— Consis-
tent charity, the practice of strict
morality, and a high standard of principles
are the requirements necessary to become
a member of the fraternity of Freemasonry.
All selfish aims in life must be cast aside by
the applicant ere he enters the sacred tem-
ple to pay homage before the altar of eter-
nal brotherhood. Mr. Broberg has been a
faithful and industrious Mason for the past
ten years, exemplifying by his daily life the
tenets and precepts of the order. In 1888
he received the degree of Master Mason in
Blair Lodge, No. 393, was exalted to the
Royal Arch degree in Lincoln Park Chap-
ter, No. 177, and was created a Sir Knight
in St. Bernard Commander}', No. 35. He
is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and takes
an active part in Medinah Temple.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
505
Mr. Broberg was born in Sweden Octo-
ber 2O, 1858, and was educated in the pub-
lic schools of his native city. In 1876 he
came to the United States and after remain-
ing in New York city for a while followed
the vocation of a sailor for nearly two years.
During 1878 and part of 1879 he was en-
gaged at the life-saving station at Buffalo,
New York, and in the latter year came to
Chicago, where he entered into the employ
of a steamship company. In 1883 he em-
barked in business for himself as agent for
various steamboat lines, continuing success-
fully in that until 1895, when he was ap-
pointed general western passenger agent for
the Dominion Line Royal Mail Steamers,
with an office at No. 69 Kinzie street. He
is also conducting a general ship and land
agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is
the editor of the Hummerist, a weekly
Swedish paper of twenty pages, which was
established in 1889, and to-day has a cir-
culation of twenty-one thousand copies.
Mr. Broberg was united in marriage to
Miss Bertha Gloor, of Chicago, and one
daughter has been born to them. In his
religious faith he is a member of the Lu-
theran church, and politically is a conserv-
ative Republican. He is a man of energy,
integrity, and excellent business qualifica-
tions, which have gained for him the respect
and confidence of all with whom he comes
in contact.
WARREN M. BROWN.— Catholic in
its aims and spirit, Masonry wel-
comes all the ameliorating agencies of the
age, jealous of neither sect nor party, but
ever toiling to enlarge the boundaries of
human progress and to pour into life the
streams of deeper and richer experience.
Thus touching the supreme humanitarian in-
terests, it has naturally drawn to itself the
allegiance and affection of men whose lives
are ordered upon the higher plane, its per-
petuation becoming by this means a reflex
as well as a direct action. The subject of
this review is known as one of the zealous
and loyal adherents of the great fraternity.
and in the various Masonic bodies with which
he is identified he is distinctively popular,
by reason of his character as a man and his
fidelity to the tenets and teachings of the
order.
Mr. Brown first saw the "light" by which
Masons work in Hesperia Lodge, No. 411,
A. F. & A. M., of Chicago, having become
an Entered Apprentice in the same Febru-
ary 9, 1870, passed to the Fellow-craft de-
gree March 9 following, and raised to the
degree of Master Mason on the i6th. His
earnest devotion to his lodge is shown to
have been appreciated by tfiefratrcs thereof.
since he has been honored with a life mem-
bership, January 17, 1883, in the same, in
which he has held the various official posi-
tions and is Past Master. In 1 874 he passed
forward in the capitular grades and was ex-
alted to the Royal Arch in York Chapter,
No. 148, of which he is now a life member.
The cryptic degrees were conferred upon
him in this chapter, and thus, though not
identified with any council, he has been
greeted a Select Master, the date of receiv-
ing this degree having been March 26, 1 878.
500
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
He was knighted in Chicago Commandery,
No. 19, Knights Templar, August 7, 1880, in
which he later served as Junior Warden.
Upon the organization of Englewood Com-
inandery, No. 59, in 1885, he became a
charter member of the same, and he has
ever since been one of its prominent and
honored knights.
Warren M. Brown is a native of the
old Pine Tree state, having been born at
Atkinson, Piscataquis county, Maine, on
the 1 2th of December, 1836, the son of
Isaac and Sarah A. Williams Brown. His
educational discipline was secured in the
common schools of his native state; but, as
his father died when he was but fifteen
years of age, he was early compelled to as-
sume the sterner responsibilities of life, the
care of the family largely devolving upon
him. He turned his attention to house and
sign painting, being thus employed for a
period of fifteen years. In 1855 he came to
the west, locating in Quincy, Illinois, where
he continued lo work at his trade for a
time, after which he moved to LaSalle
county, where he was engaged in farming
for a period of three years. As early as
1863 he took up his residence in Chicago,
and since that date he has been contin-
uously identified with the business interests
of the western metropolis. He continued
to work at his trade for four years, after
which he engaged in the retail grocery
business, and eventually in the commission
business, on South Water street. He was
duly successful in his enterprise, but in
1890 he directed his efforts into an entirely
different field of endeavor, engaging in gen-
era] contracting in the line of building. In
1891 he became connected with the Kimball
& Cobb Stone Company, which is now
merged into the Brownell Improvement
Company, and this association has ever
since continued. The company holds a
conspicuous position in its line, and has
handled many large and important con-
tracts, in the way of both private and pub-
lic buildings. The contract for the eleva-
tion of the tracks of the Lake Shore and
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail-
re ads in Chicago was secured by this com-
pany, and the work is now under way; Mr.
Brown is superintendent. He is a man of
marked business ability, and in all the re-
lations a' life has proved himself worthy of
respect and confidence.
In political adherency he is identified
with the Republican party, and in religion
he is a Universalist, being a member of the
church of that denomination in Englewood.
In April, 1859, Mr. Brown was united
in marriage to Miss Sarah C. Uunster, who
was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, and
they are the parents of six children, name-
ly: Emma C. ; Freeman E., who is asso-
ciated with his father in business; Grace,
the wife of Dr. Frederick Guthrie; Myrtle
Belle and Ethel May.
Elmer W. , a deceased son, was born in
Chicago, May 26, 1861, and died in this
city, February 22, 1870.
EDWARD L. LOTT.— Considering the
shortness of mortal existence, it seems
unnatural that it should not be a happy one,
filled with a peace and contentment that
should bind the human race together in
bonds of indissoluble friendship. That such
is not the fact, however, is a sad reality,
and none see it with clearer eyes or keener
perceptions than do the members of the
Masonic fraternity, and as a result they are
putting forth every effort to bring about
such a condition of things. Illinois is well
represented in this grand movement and
the lodges of the order are rapidly being
recruited all over the state.
In the city of Morris Mr. Lott has won
the admiration of his fratres by the active
measures he takes to show his interest in
the craft. He was initiated in LaFayette
Lodge, No. 657. at Grand Tower, Illinois,
in 1870, and served as its Worshipful Mas-
ter. He was dimitted from that body and
became affiliated with Cedar Lodge, No.
124, of Morris, Illinois, in 1885, of which
he has served for the seven years past as
Secretary; was exalted to the degree of
LIBRARY
OF THE
DIVERSITY OF
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
509
Royal Arch Mason in Orient Chapter, No.
31, in 1886, and has held the offices of
Secretary seven years and Principal So-
journer, and was created a Sir Knight in
Blaney Commandery, No. 5, in 1886, oc-
cupying in that body the chair of Recorder
for the past ten years. He accompanied
the commandery to Boston in 1895, at the
time of the triennial conclave. Mr. Lott
also holds a membership in Laurel Chap-
ter, No. 145, Order of the Eastern Star.
Mr. Lott was born in Warren, Ohio,
July 16, 1845, and, coming to Morris at an
early age, attended the public schools here
and later the University of Chicago. After
leaving the latter he went to Grand Tower
and there engaged in the drug business for
fourteen years from 1869 to 1883, and then
came to Morris and followed the same oc-
cupation for six years. In 1891 he retired
from active life and has since given his at-
tention to traveling and looking after his
property, of which he is an extensive
owner, among his possessions being two
excellent farms situated near Morris.
Mr. Lott has always been an energetic
man, and it is due to his perseverance and
powers of application that he is to-day able
to enjoy the fruits of his early labors. He
is a public-spirited gentleman and is greatly
respected by his fellow citizens.
JT'ILLIAM O.. BUDD.— The esoteric
K/M. work of the great craft whose noble
history traces down through the dim ave-
nues of the past has never failed to offer a
tangible revelation patent to those who are
aside from the great fraternity. Lofty
principles and goodly deeds have mani-
fested themselves to all sorts and condi-
tions of men, and none but the "profane"
fanatic has ventured to assail an institution
whose influence is altogether ennobling,
whose definition of duty is insistent and
emphatic, and whose level describes the
higher plane where man's inhumanity to
man can find no place. Among those who
have maintained an abiding interest in
Masonry and its broad fraternal functions
is the subject of this review, and his dis-
tinguished advancement in the order stands
in unmistakable evidence of his eligibility
and his worthiness as an exemplar of the
teachings of the ancient and honored craft.
In connection with Masonic history in Illi-
nois there is an element of peculiar interest
attaching to Mr. Budd's identification there-
with, for not only is he a native son of the
state, but he has here passed his life and
has consecutively affiliated with the various
Masonic bodies in which his initiation was
placed, while it has been his to attain the
distinction of the maximum degrees in the
order. On the loth of April. 1888, William
O. Budd became an Entered Apprentice in
Englewood Lodge, No. 690, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, in which he soon
passed the Fellow-craft and Master Mason's
degrees. On the 2/th of November, 1888,
he became identified with Englewood
Chapter, No. 176, R. A. M., and thereafter
rose consecutively through the various de-
grees of the York Rite, becoming a Royal
and Select Master in Imperial Council, No.
85; and on the 24th of September, 1889,
receiving the degrees of knighthood in
Englewood Commandery, No. 159, Knights
Templar. In 1891 Mr. Budd attained the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite,
in Oriental Consistory, and his is also the
distinction of having made a successful pil-
grimage across the sands of the desert, to
win a place in Medinah Temple of the
Ancient Accepted Order of the Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine.
As before stated, Mr. Budd retains
membership in each of the bodies in which
his degrees were passed, and his interest in
the work of each has been singularly un-
flagging. He has been honored with dis-
tinguished preferment in his commandery.
Having filled all the subordinate offices,
beginning with Standard Bearer, he was
chosen Eminent Commander at the annual
election in December, 1896, — this being a
distinctive tribute to his earnest devotion
and particular eligibility, the while stand-
ing in evidence of the popularity which is
510
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
his among the Sir Knights of Englewood
Commandery.
William Orlando Budd was born in La
Salle county, Illinois, on the 7th of March,
1847, the son of Michael and Catherine A.
(Ebersole) Budd. The boyhood days of
our subject were passed on the parental
farmstead in his native county, and he con-
tributed his quota toward carrying on the
work of the farm, incidentally imbibing
copious draughts of the spirit of inde-
pendence which is ever the concomitant of
a life thus closely linked to nature. The
discipline was one which also begot a lively
appreciation of the nobility of honest toil
and of the advantages which stretched far
beyond such a narrowed mental horizon.
In his early boyhood he was afforded such
educational privileges as were granted by
the common schools in the vicinity of his
home, and this training was later supple-
mented in an effective way by courses of
study in the seminary at Mt. Carroll, this
state, and in the Jennings Seminary at
Aurora. After leaving school Mr. Budd
entered vigorously upon the practical work
of life, having been for three years promi-
nently concerned with a carriage-manufac-
turing enterprise at Ottawa, Illinois, whence,
in 1873, he came to Englewood, where he
has gained distinctive precedence among
the successful business men of this popu-
lous and attractive suburb of the Garden
city. For a period of two years he de-
voted his attention to real-estate and build-
ing operations, after which, in the fall of
1875, he removed to Chicago proper and
entered the employ of the extensive iron
merchant, S. D. Kimbark, in the capacity
of traveling salesman. He retained this
incumbency until the year 1882, when he
returned to Englewood and resumed his
connection with the enterprise of dealing in
real estate, the improvement of the same
and of general building operations. This
has represented his sphere of endeavor to
the present time, and most gratifying suc-
cess has attended his efforts.
He has erected in Englewood not less
than one hundred and fifty dwellings, and
in addition to this has handled a large
amount of most valuable realty, both im-
proved and unimproved. It may be stated,
without fear of contradiction, that Mr. Budd
is entitled to the honor of being the most
extensive operator in this line that this
division of the great western metropolis can
claim. His well-directed efforts have had
an important bearing upon the improve-
ment and upon legitimate advancement of
the material interests of Englewood, for
through such medium the general prosper-
ity of any , community is manifestly con-
served. He has a most discriminating
knowledge of real-estate values and is con-
sidered an authority in this regard, while
his honorable methods and strict regard for
the ethics of business life have gained to
him the confidence and esteem of all with
whom he has to do. His reputation in
business circles is such as is ever the dia-
metrical result of the application of the
forces noted.
Mr. Budd is a regular attendant upon
the services of the New Jerusalem church
in Englewood. He has other fraternal rela-
tions aside from those in the Masonic order,
being identified with Normal Lodge, No.
309, Independent Order of Odd Fellows;
with Englewood Council, No. 565, Royal
Arcanum; while of the Harvard Club, one
of the leading social clubs of Englewood, he
served as director from October, 1893, un-
til October, 1896, having been president of
the same during the last year of his term as
a director.
On the 2Oth of February, 1872, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Budd to
Miss Fannie A. Stone, of Ottawa, Illinois,
and they are the parents of two children:
Harry S. , who was born August 25, 1879,
and who is now prosecuting a thorough
course of study in the Manual Training
School of Chicago; and Alice C., who was
born August 9, 1884. The family home,
on Harvard avenue, is a most beautiful and
substantial residence of modern architectur-
al design, being one of the most attractive
domiciles in Englewood, while it is a center
of refined and gracious hospitality, our sub-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
511
ject and his wife enjoying a notable popu-
larity in the leading social circles in the
beautiful suburb where they have so long
maintained their home.
C.HARLES LESTER.— It has been and
ever will be the object of the fraternity
of Free and Accepted Masons to promote a
condition of universal brotherhood through-
out the world which shall be instrumental
in developing social happiness and the hu-
manitarian instinct that is now lying dor-
mant in the soul of all mankind. The lines
made immortal by our martyred president,
Abraham Lincoln, — "with charity to all
and with malice to none," — most aptly illus-
trate one of the fundamental principles of
the order. Mr. Lester has faithfully ob-
served the tenets of the society ever since
his initiation, and is an honored member of
the local bodies in Chicago. He was elected
and raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Waubansia Lodge, No. 160, in
1893; was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in LaFayette Chapter,
29»
No. 2, in 1894; was created a Sir Knight
in Apollo Commandery, No. i, in 1895;
and in the same year received the ineffable
degree of Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret in Oriental Consistory, Scottish Rite.
He is also affiliated with the social organi-
zation known as the Ancient Arabic Order,
and became a Noble of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple in 1896.
Mr. Lester is an Englishman by birth,
born in London, March 11, 1857. Coming
to the United States in early life, he located
in Brooklyn, New York, where in 1869 he
began his business career in the jewelry
line. A few years later he came to Chi-
cago and secured employment in the estab-
lishment of the New Haven Clock Company.
By diligence and strict application to his
duties he attracted the attention of his em-
ployers, who advanced him as occasion de-
manded until he became assistant in the of-
fice of the manager of the company. Jan-
uary i, 1897, he accepted the position of
western manager of the Waterbury Watch
Company, and now has an office at 211-
2 i 3 Wabash avenue.
September 14, 1887, Mr. Lester was
married to Miss Lillian Dent Wilcoxon,
who was born in Iowa and is a descendant
of one of the old families of this country.
Her great-grandfather served with 'Wash-
ington in the Revolutionary war and was
one of the early Masons of the United
States.
LEROY A. GODDARD.— Occupying a
conspicuous place on the roll of Illi-
nois' eminent Masons is the name of this
gentleman. As soon as age entitled him to
admission he joined the ancient and hon-
ored fraternity which through almost thirty
centuries has by its principles and teaching
fostered those qualities of justice, truth and
benevolence which in all ages and in all
climes awaken the respect of men. Thus
when twenty-one years of age Mr. Goddard
received the three ancient-craft degrees in
Fellowship Lodge, No. 89, F. & A. M., of
Marion, wherein he still retains his member-
512
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
bership. He was elected Worshipful Mas-
ter of his lodge in 1880, and has been a
member of the Grand Lodge continuously
since, not missing a single session. He was
appointed Senior Grand Deacon for five suc-
cessive years, and was elected and served
for two years each as Junior Grand Warden,
Senior Grand Warden, Deputy Grand Mas-
ter and Grand Master, holding the last
named office through the years 1 894 and
1895, and being the youngest man to oc-
cupy that position in Illinois. At this writ-
ing he is chairman of the committee on
finance. Thus has he been highly honored
by the members of the craft, who, recoe-
nizing him as one of the most worthy ex-
ponents and loyal members of the fraternity,
have called him to many positions of trust.
His present affiliation is with Fellowship
Lodge, No. 89, of Marion, of which he is
Past Master; Mt. Carmel Chapter, No. 159,
of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, of which he is Past
High Priest; also is Past High Priest of
Marion Chapter, No. 100, of Marion; Chev-
alier Bayard Commandery, No. 52, of Chi-
cago; Oriental Consistory, of the Valley of
Chicago; and Medinah Temple of the An-
cient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine.
In 1896, at Pittsburg. Pennsylvania, he re-
ceived the thirty- third and last degree of
the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, North-
ern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United
States of America. He is an officer of the
Grand Chapter of Illinois, R. A. M., is an
honorary member of the Masonic Veterans'
Association of Illinois, and is also an hon-
orary member of the following lodges of
Chicago, F. & A. M. : Garden City Lodge,
No. 141; Accordia Lodge, No. 277; Ken-
wood Lodge, No. 800; and Berwyn Lodge,
No. 839. While serving as Grand Master
Mr. Goddard dedicated, with the ceremonies
of the craft, the two magnificent Masonic
Temples of Chicago, one at 3118 and 3120
Forest avenue, and the other at 615 and
617 North Clark street. He has also offici-
ated at other ceremonials in connection
with the erection of important buildings.
He placed the corner-stone of the main
building of the Illinois State Fair Associa-
tion, at Springfield, and also of the North-
ern Normal School at De Kalb.
The history of one so prominent and
well known as Mr. Goddard in Masonic cir-
cles cannot fail to prove of interest to the
Masons of Illinois, and we therefore gladly
give it a place in this volume. He was
born in Marion, on the 22d of June, 1854,
and is therefore one of the native sons of
the state. He is the youngest of the seven
children of James T. and Winifred (Spiller)
Goddard, the former a native of Virginia,
the latter of Tennessee. The father lo-
cated near Marion with his parents in 1832
and died there October 29, 1886. He was
a successful merchant and a leading busi-
ness man of the community in which he so
long made his home.
During his boyhood Leroy A. Goddard
worked at various tasks through the sum-
mer, his first employment being in a coun-
try printing-office at a salary of one dollar
a week. In the winter season he attended
the public schools until sixteen years of
age, when he was compelled to abandon his
school entirely, at which time he com-
menced work as a clerk in a country store.
On attaining his majority he purchased a
half interest in a small country store, and
the venture proved a successful one, yield-
ing him a good income and enabling him
later — January i, 1879 — to purchase a
quarter interest in a private bank, which
had been established the year previous in
Marion. In March, 1882, he closed out his
other business interests and assumed entire
ownership and management of the bank
under the title of the Exchange Bank, which
he conducted until 1890. In that year he
transferred the plant and good will of his
bank in Marion and retired from business
after notifying every depositor to call and
get his money. Mr. Goddard then estab-
lished the First National Bank of Mount
Carmel, assuming its management as presi-
dent, with his brother, H. T. Goddard, as its
cashier. On the first of August, 1892, Mr.
Goddard, of this review, was appointed
cashier of the Fort Dearborn National
Bank of Chicago, which important and re-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
513
sponsible position he has since adequately
and creditably tilled. He is one of the able
financiers of Illinois, — a fact which is con-
firmed by his position and his reputation as
a banker. Like most of the successful
business men of the nation he has arisen to
prominence through his own efforts, and
his advancement has been sure and steady,
for it has resulted from earnest purpose,
unabating industry and honorable dealing.
Occupying a high and honorable place in
the business circles of Chicago, his personal
worth has gained him the respect of all
with whom he is brought in contact.
On the I4th of November, 1888, was
celebrated the marriage of Mr. Goddard
and Miss Anna C. Bridenthal, the eldest
daughter of Colonel H. B. Bridenthal, of
Vincennes, Indiana.
The political support of our subject is
given to the Democracy, and at the early
age of twenty-one he was elected treasurer
of his native town, while two years later he
was elected mayor and served in that ca-
pacity for two terms, after which he was
again elected treasurer. He was a mem-
ber of the Democratic state central com-
mittee in the years 1885 and 1886, but has
never had aspirations for political office or
been active in politics other than to enter-
tain his convictions and express and vote
them as all true American citizens should
do. He is a liberal contributor to benevo-
lent and charitable organizations, thus ex-
emplifying the teaching of brotherly kind-
ness of the civic society with which he has
been associated for so many years.
JOHN C. HALLENBECK.— It is a noble
work which has for its purpose the de-
velopment of human love and the spread-
ing of good will and brotherly kindness
throughout the universe; and an organiza-
tion that has for its basis these objects is
destined to go rolling down the ages of
time in a triumphant march of prosperity.
This is the secret of the successful progress
of Masonry, and those who give it their in-
dividual assistance in its onward stride will
have as a reward the consciousness of
knowing that they have been instrumental
in furthering the teachings of Christ in re-
deeming the work from its sordidness and
selfishness and bringing forth the ineffable
light of peace and love.
Mr. Hallenbeck's connection with Ma-
sonry has been a prominent one, and he
has always followed to the best of his abil-
ity the principles incorporated in the laws
of the fraternity. He became an Entered
Apprentice and received the Fellow-craft
degree in Auburn Park Lodge, No. 789, and
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason February 4, 1892. On September
18, 1892, he was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Auburn Park
Chapter, No. 201, and on November 19,
1892, he was created a knight in Englewood
Cornmandery, No. 59; January, 1895, he was
made a member of Temple Council, No.
65, R. & S. M. He has the distinction of
being a charter and life member of both
Normal Park Chapter, No. 210, R. A. M.,
and Imperial Council, No. 85, R. & S. M.,
and in the former holds the office of High
.Priest, while in the council (which he
founded) he is Past Thrice Illustrious
Master. Mr. Hallenbeck is at the present
time affiliated with Normal Park Lodge,
No. 797, Normal Park Chapter, No. 210,
Imperial Council, No. 85, and Englewood
Cornmandery, No. 59. He is a loyal Ma-
son and follows closely the precepts of the
bodies to which he belongs.
Mr. Hallenbeck was born in New York
city, October 17, 1849. He remained
there until he was nine years old, when he
was brought to Chicago by his parents and
secured a good common-school education
in the institutions of this city, after which
he entered into a business career and ob-
tained a position in a book and stationery
establishment, with which he remained for
fifteen years. In 1876 he decided to start
in business for himself, which he did, as a
manufacturer's agent, and this he has suc-
cessfully continued from that time. He is
an energetic man, of a progressive nature,
and is well thought of by all who come in
514
COMPENDIUM Of FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
contact with him in a business way, as well
as socially.
On December 10, 1873, Mr. Hallenbeck
was united in bonds of holy wedlock with
Miss Caroline W. Merrill, who was born in
Sandusky, Ohio, and five children have
been born to them — three of whom sur-
vive— Frank, May and Harry. Frank be-
came a Master Mason March 12, 1896.
WESFORD TAGGART, the principal
furniture dealer of Tuscola, has lived
a remarkable life. He was born in Nash-
ville, Indiana, November 17, 1833, and ed-
ucated at Bloomington, same state. Dur-
ing the war he first enlisted in the Eighth
Illinois, but was rejected, and afterward he
raised Company E. which was attached to
the Twenty-fifth Illinois Volunteers, and he
was made its captain. Subsequently he
was promoted to the rank of major and
afterward lieutenant-colonel, and had the
command of the regiment after the battle
of Stone river. He was wounded at the
battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, March 8,
1862, by a gunshot, but he never left his
command. Serving till the fall of 1864,
he was then mustered out, at Springfield,
Illinois.
He was being initiated as Entered Ap-
prentice in a lodge at Maryville, Tennessee,
during the war, when a squad of soldiers
broke up the lodge, and he was not raised
until he located in Tuscola, in Tuscola
Lodge, No. 332, A. F. & A. M. Subse-
quently he received the Royal Arch degrees
in Tuscola Chapter, No. 66, the cryptic de-
grees in Tuscola Council, No. 21, and the
Knight Templar in Melita Commandery,
No. 37. He has been Worshipful Master
of the blue lodge, King and Scribe of the
chapter and one term was Eminent Com-
mander of the commandery. He attended
the famous triennial conclave of Knights
Templar in 1880 at Chicago.
On arriving in Tuscola in 1865, Mr.
Taggart entered the grocery business, but
after three years he engaged in the manu-
facture of buggies and light wagons till
1877, when he sold out. In 1881 he en-
tered the furniture business, which he has
since continued, doing well in that line.
In 1879 Mr. Taggart was elected sheriff
of the county, and by re-election he served
two terms. He has also served one term
as a member of the thirty-fifth general as-
sembly of Illinois; and he has been alder-
man several terms, and from 1869 to 1875
served as president of the board of educa-
tion. He is a member of the Grand Army
of the Republic, and in politics is a Demo-
crat.
LARRY KNUDSON, a steadfast and
loyal adherent of that fraternity which
involves in its teachings symbols of the
ties of brotherhood, together with all the
duties and obligations incurred in that re-
lationship, became affiliated with Garden
City Lodge, No. 141, in 1893, and he has
contributed a zealous allegiance to that
body, thereby gaining the high considera-
tian and good will of its members. As a
Mason Brother Knudson has ever lived up
to the principles embodied in the ritual and
conducts his daily life in accordance with
the precepts and tenets of the order.
A native of Norway, the birth of Mr.
Knudson occurred in that northern country
on the 28th of March, 1853, and there the
days of his childhood were passed, acquir-
ing his education in the public schools
until nearly fifteen years old, when he was
apprenticed to a shipmaster and for fifteen
years followed the hardy life of a sailor, his
natural adaptability gaining for him con-
stant promotion in that calling until he at-
tained the position of captain.
After so long a service on the rolling
deep Mr. Knudson determined to try his
fortunes on land, and, hearing of the many-
advantages offered in the United States, he
embarked for this country, and in 1881 he
came to Chicago, and here secured employ-
ment in the Chamber of Commerce building.
After that edifice was sold, Mr. Knudson
was retained during the period of recon-
struction and subsequently, upon its com-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
517
pletion, he was appointed its chief janitor,
— a position he has since retained, his long
term of service attesting in a most conclu-
sive manner to his entire efficiency in ful-
filling the duties of that office, his genial
nature, cheerful disposition and obliging
manner making him a universal favorite
with both his employers and the tenants of
the building.
On February 26, 1876, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Knudson to Miss An-
toinette Scherve, who is likewise a native
of Norway.
LOUIS C. WAGNER.— The continuity
and insistency of Masonic influence
constitute one of its most important func-
tions, and have been, perhaps, one of the
most potent elements in preserving the
identity of the great fraternity from the re-
mote past to the present day. Masonry,
with its exalted principles and teachings,
can not fail to maintain a vital hold upon
the consecutive affection and devotion of
those who have been workers on its Tem-
ple, while such are its exoteric claims that
it constantly recruits itself from the ranks
of those most appreciative of the true hu-
man values.
The advancement of the subject of this
review in Masonry has been rapid and grat-
ifying, and his devotion to the great craft-
hood is beyond peradventure. Mr. Wag-
ner received his initiation into the mysteries
of Freemasonry in Chicago, and in this
city he has advanced to the honors of the
various bodies of the order. In 1886 he
became a Master Mason in Pleiades Lodge,
No. 478, A. F. & A. M., and in 1890 he
was exalted to the Royal Arch in Fairview
Chapter, No. 161, while to him was ex-
tended greeting as Royal and Select Master
in Imperial Council, No. 85, in the year
1895. Prior to this, in 1892, he attained
the chivalric degrees in Englewood Com-
mandery. No. 59, Knights Templar, and
had also effected a successful pilgrimage
across the desert and gained title as a
Noble of Medinah Temple of the Mystic
Shrine. In the year 1895 he was created a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Ori-
ental Consistory, in the Valley of Chicago.
He has been zealous and faithful in his Ma-
sonic duties and services, and this has not
passed unnoticed or unappreciated by his
confreres. He has been called upon to
serve at the Third Veil of his Chapter,
while in the commandery he held for two
years the office of Standard Bearer, and
for an equal length of time that of Warder.
In the fall of 1896 he was elected Junior
Warden. He has given ample proof of his
love for the institution of Masonry and his
desire to advance its interests. He has al-
ways shown the characteristics of a true-
hearted ''frater, " and has gained the con-
fidence and respect of those with whom he
has been associated in the various bodies
wherein he has membership.
Louis C. Wagner is a native of the Em-
pire state, having been born at Lancaster,
Erie county, New York, on the 29th of No-
vember, 1 86 1. He was reared and edu-
cated in the state of his nativity, and upon
attaining his majority decided to seek his
fortunes in the west. He located in Chi-
cago in the year 1882, and here identified
himself with the real-estate business, in
which he continued until 1889, when he
engaged in contracting and building, to
which line of operations he has since de-
voted his attention, his efforts having been
attended by gratifying success, while his
prestige has been the direct result of correct
and honorable methods and well-directed
and able endeavors. In politics he renders
allegiance to the Republican party. In the
spring of 1897 he was urged by his friends
to accept the nomination for alderman of
the thirty-fourth ward of Chicago, but de-
clined. He is a member of the Harvard
Club and Woodlawn Cycling Club.
In 1885 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Wagner to Miss Mary Gantzert, a na-
tive of the state of Illinois, and their at-
tractive home in Woodlawn is brightened
by the presence of two children, — Alvin
Louis and Percy Evan. One child died in
infancy.
518
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
JOHN F. SCOTT, attorney at law, Mat-
toon, is a zealous and exemplary Sir
Knight, having been Eminent Com-
mander of Godfrey de Bouillon Command-
ery, No. 44, at Mattoon, of which he has
been for a long time a member. He is also
a member of Mattoon (blue) Lodge, No.
260, of which he has been Worshipful Mas-
ter; of Mattoon Chapter, No. 85, R. A. M.,
of which he has been King, and of Mattoon
Council, No. 10, R. & S. M., of which he
is the Treasurer. He is also a member and
Past Patron of Adah Chapter, No. 62,
O. E. S. He attended the triennial con-
claves at St. Louis and Denver. Also he
has passed all the chairs in the order of
Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Scott was born at Huntsburg, Ohio,
December 5, 1843, received an academic
education and also a collegiate training at
Hiram College in that state; engaged in in-
surance business for a time, reading law
meanwhile, and in 1874 was admitted to
practice, graduating at the Union College
of Law at Cleveland, Ohio. He has been
a resident of Mattoon ever since 1869, and
now for a number of years he has been a
successful practitioner of his profession in
that city. For a few years he was manager
of the Masonic Benevolent Association, of
Mattoon. He is now serving as mayor of
the city for the fifth term; he has been a
member of the county board of supervisors
for five terms, and one term as alderman of
the city; and has been secretary of the
water-works company ever since its organi-
zation.
HENRY CLAY THOMPSON. —The
principal difference between the an-
cient and the modern orders of Masonry
lies in the points which concern religion.
Although the society claims to know no par-
ticular sect or denomination, but to be a
universal religious body, yet there is no
doubt that since its modern establishment
as an association it has received the stamp
of Christianity. That this is so is shown by
the use of prayers and other portions of the
ritual in America, and the Lord's prayer
and versicles in England. The name " Free
and Accepted Mason," and the present rites
and mode of government, are doubtless of
modern origin, their existence not having
been traced back further than to the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century; but the
same idea of the fraternity was extant and
had been from remote time. It is said that
the commencement of the institution is as
ancient as the pyramids of Egypt and that
in the mysteries carried on by the priests of
Osiris and Isis are to be found the same
method of instruction and initiation which
the imagination of four thousand years have
altered to suit the views and necessities of
the times.
Howbeit, Chicago has a large number
of enthusiastic Masons and there is none
more loyal to the brotherhood than Henry
C. Thompson, who is faithful and energetic,
and ever ready to perform any duties to
which he may be called. He was made a
Master Mason in Landmark Lodge, No.
422, in 1891; was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Fairview
Chapter, No. 161, in 1892. in which he
served as Master of the First Veil and Prin-
cipal Sojourner; and was created a Sir
Knight in Montjoie Commandery, Knights
Templar, on April 21, 1892; and in 1896
was honored with the office of Eminent
Commander. Mr. Thompson attended the
conclave of the grand encampment which
was held at Boston, Massachusetts, in Au-
gust, 1895, and in other ways has always
shown an active interest in the affairs of
the order.
Mr. Thompson was born in Natick,
Massachusetts, January 20, 1846, and there
pursued his early studies in the public
schools until the outbreak of the Civil war,
when, though but fifteen years old, the
spirit of patriotism burned hotly within his
breast and he resolved to take up arms in
the defense of the Union. Accordingly he
enlisted at Boston in April, 1861, in the
Eleventh Massachusetts Volunteer Infan-
try, serving under Generals Hooker and
Sickles in the Third Corps of the Army of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
519
the Potomac. He was taken prisoner at
Warrenton, Virginia, and transferred to the
United States navy, being assigned to duty
in the service of the United States steamer
Niagara, at the European station until
August, 1865. After the close of the war
Mr. Thompson returned home and engaged
in mercantile pursuits, principally acting as
traveling representative for some of the
large eastern manufacturers. He finally
came west and was associated with a whole-
sale house in Chicago for a number of years,
and subsequently engaged in the life-insur-
ance business with the New York Life In-
surance Company.
Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Miss Josephine
Hill, and they have one child, named
Eileen.
GEORGE H. NICHOLS, who is identi-
fied with Masonry in several of its
branches, took the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason in
Englewood Lodge, No. 690. He crossed
the threshold of capitular Masonry as a
companion of Englewood Chapter, No. 1 76,
R. A. M., and was dimitted therefrom to
become a charter and life member of
Auburn Park Chapter, No. 201. He was
knighted in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, and received the grades and orders of
the Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory.
He was also admitted to membership in
Medinah Temple as a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine. He is
loyal to Masonic teachings, true to its
principles and active in carrying out its
beneficent purposes.
Mr. Nichols is a native of Marlboro,
Massachusetts, born February 23, 1855,
and was reared in the Bay state, his educa-
tion being acquired in its public schools.
At the age of twenty-one years he went to
Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he remained
until 1 88 1, when he came to Chicago and
engaged in the manufacture of neckwear.
In 1884 he accepted his present position as
superintendent of the Brownell Improve-
ment Company and has since acceptably
served in that capacity.
He was married June 19, 1879, in
THOMAS C. CUNNINGHAM.— As one
investigates more closely the underly-
ing principles that govern the organization
of Freemasonry and obtains a brief glance
of the beauties inculcated in the tenets of
the society, it is not to be marveled at that
an exoteric public is daily viewing with less
prejudice the increasing popularity with
which the order is being invested. Profes-
sional men, men in public life, and business
men all unite with one another in giving
their united support and in promoting its
interest. Among these may be mentioned
with a high degree of appropriateness Mr.
Thomas C. Cunningham, whose member-
ship dates from January, 1889, when he
became a Master Mason in D. C. Cregier
Lodge, No. 643, of which he served as
Worshipful Master during 1892 and 1893.
He was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Masons in Washington Chap-
ter, No. 43, in 1890, and held the chair of
Principal Sojourner; he received the de-
grees of Royal and Select Masters in
Siloam Council, No. 53; was constituted a
Sir Knight in Chicago Commandery, No.
19, in 1890; and attained the ineffable de-
gree in the lodge of perfection, Oriental
Consistory, in 1892. He is also a Noble
of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership being in Medinah
Temple. He is a hard-working, conscien-
tious Mason, and merits the regard in
which he is held by his brethren.
Mr. Cunningham is a native of Canada,
his birth having occurred in Ontario, on
March 17, 1860. Until reaching his ma-
jority his days were passed upon a farm, at-
tending to the duties incident to such a life,
and obtaining what education was possible in
the district schools. In 1881 he came to
Chicago and here engaged in various occu-
pations until 1888, when he embarked in
the stove-repairing business on his own ac-
count, and by perseverance, industry and
520
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
steady application to his work he has suc-
ceeded in building up an extensive trade,
from which he derives a comfortable com-
petency.
On June 25, 1884, Mr. Cunningham
was married to Miss Lillie M. Taylor, of
Trenton, New Jersey, and this union has
been blessed with two children, — Lillian
Estelle and Mabel Gertrude. The home
life of our subject is characterized by the
closest domestic ties; he is a kind father
and a loving husband, and both he and his
wife occupy a high place in the esteem of
their large circle of friends.
JOHN J. ZOLLER.— Freemasonry thrives
in nearly every civilized country on the
globe, and its lodge fires burn brightly,
shedding their gleams of wisdom and good
cheer within the confines of innumerable
cities, towns and villages. Wherever a ray
of intelligence permeates the mind of man
there the altars of the fraternity are erect-
ed and there her rites and symbols conse-
crate the lives of men to the uplifting of
humanity.
Chicago abounds in loyal members of the
order, among the most zealous of whom is
Brother Zoller, who in 1886 became initiat-
ed in South Park Lodge, No. 662, and is its
present Worshipful Master. He was exalt-
ed to the august degree of Royal Arch Ma-
son in Fairview Chapter, No. 161, in 1893,
and in the same year was created a Knight
Templar in Apollo Commandery, No. i.
He is also a Noble in the Ancient Arabic
Order, holding membership in Medinah
Temple. He is zealous and enthusiastic
and is justly esteemed a worthy and ac-
ceptable member of the craft.
Mr. Zoller is a native of Germany, hav-
ing been born in that country May 5, 1847.
When but three years old he came to the
United States with his parents, who settled
in Philadelphia, and there our subject was
reared, receiving his education in the pub-
lic schools of that place. In 1872 he came
to Chicago, and in 1880 embarked in trade
in paints, oils, glass, wall decorations and
painters' supplies, in which he has since
continued most successfully. Our subject
is a careful business man, having a strict
sense of integrity, and has acquired a com-
fortable competency.
In 1876 Mr. Zoller celebrated his mar-
riage with Miss Sarah Magee, who is a na-
tive of Ireland, and of this union two sons
have been born.
WILLIAM H. EBERLE joined the
Masonic fraternity in 1890, being
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in Pleiades Lodge, No. 478, A. F. &
A. M. The same year he took the degrees
of capitular Masonry in Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, No. 1 26, and was exalted to the
sublime degree of Royal Arch. His further
advancement has been in Scottish Rite Ma-
sonry, in which he has attained the thirty-
second degree, and having passed the grades
and orders was proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory,
in 1891.
Mr. Eberle is a native of the fatherland,
born on the iith of July, 1836. He re-
mained in the place of his nativity until
sixteen years of age, and in his youth learned
the confectioner's trade. In 1852 he crossed
the Atlantic to the new world, taking up
his residence in Chicago. In 1854 he went
to Kansas and established the first whole-
sale liquor store in Leavenworth, that
state, the firm name being Gardner & Eb-
erle. Returning to Chicago, he here secured
a position as head cook and was one of the
first white cooks employed on a Pullman
dining car running to California. Since
1871 his time has been given to the con-
ducting of an auction sale stable and in
dealing in horses. His record is that of a
man whose name is synonymous with all
that is honorable in trade transactions and
he thus commands the confidence and re-
spect of the public, while winning a liberal
patronage from which he derives a good in-
come that is well merited.
Mr. Eberle was married on the 24th of
December, 1861, the lady of his choice be-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
521
ing Miss Louisa Kuetemeyer, also a native
of Germany. They now have two daugh-
ters: Ida, now Mrs. Captain A. G. Dutton,
and Louisa.
JAMES WALKER.— Nearly forty years
ago the brother whose name heads this
review took the vows of Freemasonry
and has faithfully adhered to them from
that time down to the present day. He
has been an industrious worker in the bodies
with which he has been associated, has been
honored with many offices that it has been
in the power of his brethren to give him,
and much of the prosperity of the local
lodge is due in a measure to his indefatiga-
ble labors in its behalf. Well does he
merit the gratitude extended to him by his
fellow Masons of Aurora.
Mr. Walker received the first degrees of
the order in Jerusalem Temple Lodge, No.
90, in 1859, and served as its Junior War-
den and Worshipful Master for six years.
He was exalted a Royal Arch Mason in Au-
rora Chapter, No. 22, in 1860, of which he
was High Priest for five years; was made a
Royal and Select Master in Chicago Coun-
cil, and is a charter member of Aurora
Council, No. 45, in which he has held the
office of Thrice Illustrious Master; was con-
stituted a Sir Knight in Galesburg Com-
mandery, No. 8, in 1868, assisted in organ-
izing Aurora Commandery, No. 22, and is
at present the only charter member remain-
ing. He was the second Eminent Com-
mander, serving in that capacity two years.
He attained the ineffable degree of Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Princeton
Consistory, from which he was dimitted to
become affiliated with Oriental Consistory,
Valley of Chicago. He is also a member
of Waubansia Lodge, No. 45, I. O. O. F.,
and served one time as Conductor, refusing
all further honors. Mr. Walker is a charter
member and was the first Patron of Rising
Sun Chapter, No. 51, Order of the Eastern
Star. Mrs. Walker is likewise a charter
member of the same body, and was the first
Associate Matron, and the second Worthy
Matron, filling those offices for nine years.
She was the Associate Grand Matron for
two years, and Worthy Grand Matron of
the state for the years 1885 and 1886. In
1 886 she was appointed Worthy Grand Con-
ductress of the General Grand Chapter,
serving three years.
Mr. Walker was born in Wilmington,
Delaware, November 20, 1834, and is the
son of William and Demaris (Patchet)
Walker. His boyhood days were spent in
attending to the duties of farm life, varied
occasionally by sojourns to the city. In
1841 his parents removed to Michigan and
braved the dangers and vicissitudes of pio-
neer life; his father soon succumbed, dying
of typhus fever, leaving the mother to strug-
gle on alone with her family of little ones
in a new country.
When fourteen years of age our subject
desired to make a start in the world and
went to Detroit, where he served an ap-
prenticeship in a machine shop. Here he
remained until 1852, when he came to Chi-
cago and took charge of the shops of the
Chicago Steam Engine Works for six
522
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
months, and was then called by the Chi-
cago & Northwestern Railroad Company,
with which he remained until the spring of
1857. On June 4 of that year he came to
Aurora and accepted the position of fore-
man in the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
locomotive blacksmith shops, and has been
in charge there ever since. During his
forty years of service he has had only three
days' vacation, and has not been absent
from the place more than two months alto-
gether. He is an expert mechanic and has
been an industrious, faithful employee, wit-
nessing and assisting in the growth of the
great corporation.
Mr. Walker is a stanch Republican,
casting his first vote for John C. Fremont,
and has cast a ballot for his party at each
election since then. In 1870 he was unani-
mously chosen mayor of Aurora, which of-
fice he filled in a most meritorious manner,
settling many disputed questions satisfac-
torily to the city and people.
On November 20, 1856, he was married
to Miss Jennie A. Atkinson, a native of Os-
wego. New York, and a daughter of Will-
iam and Hannah (Prince) Atkinson. When
she was a child her parenis moved to
Cleveland, Ohio, where they lived until
1853, when they came to Chicago. Of the
two children born to our subject and his
wife, one survives, Alice E. She is the
wife of Charles Carroll Nichols, who is
Grand Lecturer of Royal Arch Masonry of
Illinois.
DAM CLARKE SCHADEL is a thirty-
JM^ second-degree Mason, and no man in
Warren has done more for the craft in that
city or labored more assiduously for the
adoption of its principles. He has for
many years devoted both time and money
freely to its great work and interest, its
calls never being allowed to pass by un-
heeded, whether by day or night. His
history forms an important part in the
annals of Freemasonry in this section of the
state, and in the brief outline which we can
here give we can but scarcely suggest the
wide scope in which his kindly, loving dis-
position, mature judgment and generous
impulses have found fertile fields for the
expression of those attributes which bind
men together in one brotherhood. In 1867
he was made a Master Mason in Winslow
Lodge, at Winslow, Stephenson county,
Illinois. Soon afterward he came to War-
ren, and in 1871 was admitted to member-
ship in Jo Daviess Lodge, No. 278, in which
he has since been an active and worthy
affiliate. He learned thoroughly the ritual,
and the tenets of the order are indelibly
engraved on his mind and find expression in
his life. He has efficiently served in several
offices in the blue lodge, including that of
Senior Warden, and for twelve years he
was its Worshipful Master, doing most
excellent work and taking great delight in
advancing the interest of the order. Desir-
ing to organize a chapter of Royal Arch
Masons in his town, he went with others to
Lena, Illinois, where he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Lena
Chapter, No. 112. He became one of the
charter members of Olive Chapter, No. 167,
in January, 1875, and served as its first
Principal Sojourner, after which he was
elected High Priest, and in a most satisfac-
tory manner filled that important office for
eight years, and is the present incumbent.
The frequency with which he has been
called to the place plainly indicates his
eminent fitness for the work and his fidelity
to his duties, also the high esteem in which
he is held by the companions of the chap-
ter. In 1887 ne was constituted, created
and dubbed a Sir Knight in Galena Com-
mandery, No. 40, in which he still retains
his membership. The same year he received
all the Scottish Rite degrees up to and
including the thirty-second, and was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Freeport Consistory. He became
a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple, of Chi-
cago.
Mr. Schadel is a native of Pennsylvania,
his birth having occurred in Hoblersburg,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
528
Center county, on the i8th of June, 1846.
He is of German lineage. His grandfather,
Gideon Schadel, was born in Germany and
became the founder of the family in Amer-
ica, locating in Pennsylvania. He and his
family were Lutherans when they came to
this country, but were won by the fervor of
the early Methodists and became devoted
members of that church and great admirers
of Dr. Adam Clarke. It was this which se-
cured to our subject his name. Gideon
Schadel, Jr., father of Adam Clarke Scha-
del, was born in Pennsylvania and died
when his son was a small boy.
The latter was then reared by his uncle,
Perry Schadel, and with him removed to
Illinois in 1855. After attaining his major-
ity he spent three years in the study of den-
tistry in Orangeville, Illinois, and then re-
moved to Warren, where he opened an of-
fice and has since engaged in practice. In
the prosecution of his profession he has
met with very gratifying success. He keeps
abreast with the improvements that are
constantly being made in the methods of
dentistry and his splendid equipments and
his skill in his work has enabled him to se-
cure a liberal patronage. He is accorded a
foremost place in professional circles by the
representatives of this calling as well as by
the public, and his honor in all business
transactions has brought him the high es-
teem of the citizens with whom he has so
. long been associated. He is a man of ex-
cellent business qualifications, and is now
a member of the banking firm of Clark,
Hawley & Company, who do an extensive
and profitable banking business.
In 1872 Mr. Schadel was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mary Clark, a sister of S. A.
Clark, his partner in banking. Their home
has been blessed with six children, but the
eldest son, Harry, died in his twentieth
year. The surviving children are Hattie
C., Robert L., Ralph Waldo, William C.
and Lucele. They are an estimable family
and enjoy the highest regard of the citizens
of Warren. Their home is one of the best
residences of the city and its hospitality is
proverbial.
"ARL A. LANTAU is a Mason who has
-Bl^. always manifested considerable inter-
est in the welfare of the fraternity and who
has been a faithful worker in the bodies of
which he is a member. His labors have
been highly appreciated and he is one of
the most esteemed members of his lodge.
Mr. Lantau was initiated in Arcana Lodge,
No. 717, and was raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in 1890. In 1892 he
was dimitted to assist in the organization of
Ben Hur Lodge, No. 818, of which he was
elected Worshipful Master in 1897. He
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Wiley M. Egan Chapter in
1892, from which he was dimitted in 1896
to become affiliated with Delta Chapter.
He is loyal and consistent, ever ready to
fulfill any duties that may be assigned to
him, and he is an honored and respected
brother.
Mr. Lantau was born in Sweden Au-
gust 17, 1856, and was reared in his native
country, receiving his education in the ele-
mentary schools of his native town. He
began his career in life by engaging in mer-
cantile pursuits, but subsequently took up
the study of electrical engineering. Realiz-
ing that greater advantages were open to
him in the United States, he came to this
country in 1887, and located in Chicago,
where he secured employment as an elec-
trician, and continued as such until 1896,
since which time he has been engaged in
the manufacture of bicycles.
In 1887 Mr. Lantau was united in mar-
riage to Miss Eda Nelson, who is also a
native of Sweden. He is a business man
of ability, a progressive citizen, and as both
a man and a Mason he possesses the regard
of all who know him.
STEPHEN AUGUSTUS CLARK, for
many years one of the most prominent
business men of Warren, is a thirty-second-
degree Mason, and his identification with
the fraternity covers a period of more than
a quarter of a century. He took the de-
grees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft
524
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and Master Mason in Jo Daviess Lodge, No.
278, of Warren, on the i/th of March,
1870, and was exalted to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in Lena Chapter, at
Lena, Illinois, in 1874. On the 26th of
January, 1875, he became a charter mem-
ber of Olive Chapter, No. 167, of Warren.
He was created a Sir Knight in Galena
Commandery, No. 40, of Galena, Illinois,
in 1877, and received the grades and orders
of the Scottish Rite up to and including the
thirty-second degree in Freeport Consistory
on the 3Oth of January, 1878. Soon after
his initiation into the blue lodge he became
a zealous and ardent worker on behalf of
Freemasonry and was called to fill various
offices, including that of Worshipful Mas-
ter. In the chapter he was also equally
honored, discharging the duties of several
official positions in a most creditable man-
ner and is one of the Past High Priests.
He is one of the best-informed Masons in
this section of the state, has acquired a
most thorough knowledge of the ritual and
is an ardent admirer of the tenets of the
order, which inculcate uprightness and in-
tegrity among its members and inspire them
to nobler living.
Mr. Clark was born in Gratiot, La Fay-
ette county, Wisconsin, near the Illinois
state line, on the 3<Dth of July, 1848, and is
of Scotch ancestry. On his mother's side
he comes of good old Revolutionary stock.
His father, Lyman H. Clark, was born at
Carthage, Jefferson county. New York, and
was married there to Adamantha Coffeen, a
native of the same place and a daughter of
William Coffeen, who was born in Vermont.
In 1805 he removed to Jefferson county,
New York, becoming one of the prominent
early settlers of that part of the state. The
great-grandfather of Mr. Clark, Captain
John Coffeen, was a member of the Ver-
mont guards and a participant in the war
for independence. Soon after their mar-
riage the parents of our subject removed to
Gratiot, Wisconsin, where they made their
home until 1853, and then came to Warren,
Illinois. Here the father was a pioneer
merchant and followed that pursuit up to
the time of his death, which occurred in
October, 1876, in the fifty-fifth year of his
age. He was a citizen of the highest
worth and a valued member of the Masonic
fraternity. His brother, S. H. Clark, was
one of the earliest Masons in Warren and
aided in organizing the lodge here.
Mr. Clark, whose name introduces this
review, was the eldest of a family of six
children, of whom five are still living. He
was educated in the public schools of War-
ren and began his business career in 1866
as an errand boy in the bank at Warren.
With this institution he has since been con-
nected. He was faithful to his duties,
steady, energetic and quick to master the
business, and in consequence was promoted
from time to time until he is now one of
the owners and managers, being at the head
of the firm of Clark, Hawley & Company.
For thirty-one years Mr. Clark has devoted
his attention to banking and is an expert in
that business. He is a safe though progress-
ive, financier, and the known reliability and
honor of the partners, combined with their
excellent business policy, have secured to
them a very liberal patronage, and success
has accordingly crowned their efforts. Mr.
Clark is now known as one of Warren's
wealthiest and best citizens and his business
reputation is without a blot.
In 1870 Mr. Clark was united in mar-
riage to Miss Maude Goodfellow, of Bel-
mont, Wisconsin, and they have a delight-
ful residence, — the old Clark homestead, —
which was built by his father. Mrs. Clark
is a valued member of the Methodist church
and is a cultured lady who delights to ex-
tend the hospitalities of her home to her
many friends. Mr. Clark gives liberally to
church and benevolent work and is not slow
to aid any enterprise calculated to benefit
the community in which he lives. He sup-
ports the Republican party by his ballot
and is a man of independent views, whose
opinions are formed from observation, study
and careful reflection. His life has ever
been in harmony with the Masonic principles
and he is esteemed as a most exemplary
member of the craft.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
527
LOUIS E. IRELAND, M. D. S.,L. D. S.,
D. D. S. — Routine marks the substan-
tial progress of the present age. No longer
does biography thrill us with tales of valor
and of heroism : the record of our leading
men is a story of persevering effort, of
faithful performance of each day's duty and
of accomplishment through continued ap-
plication. Lacking the old-time elements
that furnished the theme of story and of
song, biography nevertheless to-day con-
tains many valuable lessons which serve as
incentive and encouragement to others, and
the career of Dr. Ireland is prolific in these.
Professional success is always creditable,
for in professional life advancement must
depend upon individual ability, and the
high position which our subject occupies in
dental circles well indicates his superior
ability.
Dr. Ireland, who is now superintendent
of the Boston Dental College, of Chicago,
was born in Chenango county, New York,
on the 1 6th of October, 1846. His pri-
mary education was received in the schools
of his native town and was supplemented
by study in Toronto, Canada. Early in
life he developed a taste for the science of
dentistry and determined to enter the pro-
fession as a life-work. He began his prep-
aration in Toronto and afterward entered
the American Dental College of Chicago,
at which he was graduated with the degree
of D. D. S., the degree of L. D. S. having
been previously conferred upon him by the
State Board of Dental Examiners for the
state of Illinois. He practiced in his native
state for a number of years and since 1875
has been a member of the New York State
Dental Association. In 1885 he removed
to Chicago and has since been engaged in
active practice here, winning golden opin-
ions for his skill and proficiency. A close
and earnest student, he is constantly
abreast of all real improvements and scien-
tific advancements; and this, added to his
long and comprehensive experience and
practice, has placed him in the high pro-
fessional position he occupies. He is now
an instructor in two dental colleges of the
city and is superintendent of the Boston
Dental College, one of the leading educa-
tional institutions of Chicago, whose high
standing has been maintained under his
wise guidance.
In his political preference the Doctor
has always been a Republican and has
labored earnestly for the growth and suc-
cess of the party. He was chairman of the
Republican central committee of Otsego
county, New York, has long been a member
of the Elaine Club, of Chicago, and is now
the acting president. He has never sought
or desired office, his labors in political cir-
cles being prompted by a desire to promote
the best interests of the country. He is
also a member of the Hamilton Club and
Sons of New York, and was formerly vice-
president of the latter. For a time he held
membership in the Chicago Athletic Asso-
ciation. He has attained the Knight Temp-
lar degree in Masonry, his identification
with the fraternity dating from 1868, when
he was made a Master Mason in Freedom
Lodge, No. 324, A. F. & A. M.
On the i6th of November, 1887, was
celebrated the marriage of Dr. Ireland and
Miss Frances Rose, of New York, and the
family now occupy an elegant home at No.
32 Woodland Park. Received in the best
society circles, honored in professional cir-
cles, esteemed by a large number of friends,
Dr. Ireland is well deserving of mention in
in this volume.
FRANKLIN MARLING.— Among the
enterprising and successful business
men of Chicago who are found in the Ma-
sonic ranks is the subject of this sketch,
Mr. Franklin Marling, dealer in hay, grain,
coal and wood, at the corner of Division
street and Cherry avenue. His identity
with Freemasonry had its beginning about
the time he reached his majority. He was
then a resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
and Kilburn Lodge, F. & A. M., conferred
upon him the Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason degrees. Since
coming to Chicago he has been exalted a
528
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Royal Arch Mason by Lincoln Chapter,
R. A. M., and received the commandery
degrees, Apollo Commandery performing
the work which made him a Sir Knight.
His present affiliations are with Germania
Lodge, Lincoln Park Chapter and Lincoln
Park Commandery, he being a charter
member of the last named. From the first
his interest in Masonry has been constant,
he has striven to incorporate its teachings in
his life, and as a devoted and worthy Ma-
son he is entitled to the high esteem in
which he is held by the fraternity.
Wisconsin is Mr. Marling's native state.
He was born in Mayville, January 29, 1859,
and was reared and educated there, enjoy-
ing the privilege of the public schools. His
parents were natives of Germany who came
to this country in early life and settled in
Wisconsin, his father being twenty-one at
the time of landing here; is now deceased.
In 1878 the subject of our sketch went to
Milwaukee and entered the employ of the
Phister & Vogel Leather Company, with
which he was connected four years. Next
he went to Jefferson, Wisconsin, where he
was in employ of J. B. Camberry, in a
grain business and was engaged in carrying
on the same for four years, at the end of
which time he came to Chicago. Here he
invested in the hay and grain business, and
has since carried on operations under his
own name, his location being at the corner
of Division street and Cherry avenue, where
he keeps a large stock of hay, grain and
coal and wood.
Mr. Marling was married in 1881 to
Miss Alma Andrae, of Mayville, Wisconsin.
CJ. WENTWORTH, a young man who
has proved to be a valuable acquisition
to the Masonic fraternity, was initiated in
Home Lodge, No. 508, and was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in
1893; was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Chicago Chapter, No.
127, in 1895; received the degrees of Royal
and Select Masters in Palestine Council,
No. 66; and was created a Sir Knight in
Apollo Commandery in 1896. He is an en-
ergetic brother and fully appreciates the
tenets and precepts of the order.
Mr. Wentworth was born in Hayden-
ville, Massachusetts, November 18, 1872.
He received his early education in that city
and in 1887 moved to Boston, remaining
there four years. In 1891 he came to Chi-
cago, where he has continued to reside.
He at present holds the responsible posi-
tion of bookkeeper in the employ of the
Crane Company, and as such has performed
his duties in a competent and efficient man-
ner. He is a wide-awake, progressive gen-
tleman, and possesses the regard and confi-
dence of all who know him.
NDREW S. THOMAS, a member of
f the firm of J. P. & A. S. Thomas,
dealers in dry goods, notions, etc , was in-
itiated into Freemasonry and raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason in Lake-
side Lodge, No. 739, in 1889; in 1890 the
capitular degrees were conferred upon him
in Chicago Chapter, No. 127; he received
the orders of knighthood in Chevalier Bay-
ard Commandery, No. 52, and attained to
the various grades of the Scottish Rite
from the fourth to the thirty -second degree,
upon which he was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory, his admission being obtained in
1893. He is a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order, having successfully made a pilgrim-
age across the sands of the desert, his
membership being in Medinah Temple. A
zealous and industrious member of the fra-
ternity, Mr. Thomas does everything in his
power to advance the welfare of the bodies
with which he is allied, and being a thor-
oughly informed Mason he is capable of as-
suming any duties that may be required of
him.
A native of Norway, where he was born
on the 27th of December, 1863, Mr.
Thomas remained in that country until
reaching his eighteenth year, in the mean-
time attending the excellent public schools
and acquiring a liberal education, subse-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
529
quently embarking for the United States
and locating in Chicago, where he took a
course of study at Bryant & Stratton's Busi-
ness College. Upon leaving there he be-
gan his mercantile career in the dry-goods
business, a calling he has since followed and
put into it all the energies of his nature.
In 1886 he formed a partnership with his
brother, J. P. Thomas, in the same line,
under the firm name of J. P. & A. S.
Thomas, and by industry, perseverance
and a high standard of business principles
they have built up a large trade.
/CHARLES RIEGEL, No. 40 La Salle
\/ street, Chicago, is the senior member
of the firm of Riegel & Brown, leaf-tobacco
dealers, and is one of the enterprising busi-
ness men of this city who forms a link in
the Masonic chain here.
Mr. Riegel was created a Master Mason
in 1891, that year being initiated, passed
and raised by MithVa Lodge, No. 410, F. &
A. M., of Chicago; and not long afterward
he was exalted to the Royal Arch degree in
Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177, and made
a Sir Knight by Lincoln Park Commandery,
No. 64, both of Chicago. In all three or-
ganizations he has shown an appreciative
and enthusiastic interest.
While a foreigner by birth and early as-
sociations, Mr. Riegel is thoroughly an
American at heart, having spent more than
five and twenty years of his life here. He
was born in the province of Rhine, Prussia,
July 24, 1856, and was educated in the
parochial schools of his native land. In
1871 he sailed for America, landed in due
time at New York city and from there
came direct to Chicago, reaching this city
without a dollar in his pocket and unable
to speak a word of our language. At first
he worked at whatever he could get to
do. attending to errands, etc., and sub-
sequently learned the cigar-making busi-
ness, picking it up himself. For eight or
nine years he was engaged in the manu-
facture of that article. Then he was
for fourteen years engaged as salesman,
and in February, 1895, he opened his
present business in partnership with Will-
iam F. Brown, the firm style being Riegel
& Brown. Mr. Riegel's career has been
one of signal success. At present his ex-
tensive business interests take him to various
cities and towns throughout the country,
and he has a wide acquaintance and is well
known as a genial, obliging business man.
In his political views Mr. Riegel is what
is termed an independent, and fraternally,
besides being a Mason, is associated with
the Knights of Pythias and the National
Union, having been a trustee in the latter
for several years.
He was married in 1889 to Miss Matilda
Voelkel, a native of Berlin, Germany, and
they have six children.
HARRY B. HENDERSON.— A good
Mason is always a good citizen; for
he who has learned and understands the
ritual, and who appreciates the many
beauties contained in the precepts of the
order, can never stoop to deeds of un-
worthiness or lend himself to vice and cor-
ruption. His life must ever be directed
onward and upward, striving to attain that
which will conduce to human happiness and
transform the world into an abiding place
of love and universal brotherhood.
In 1886 Mr. Henderson received the
first three degrees in Paxton Lodge, No.
416, and is the present Worshipful Master
of that body, serving his third consecutive
year; was exalted to the Royal Arch de-
grees in Paxton Chapter in 1892, of which
he is Royal Arch Captain; and was created
a Sir Knight in Mount Olive Commandery,
No. 38, in the same year, and served as its
Warder. In his fraternal relations Mr.
Henderson has always been considerate,
and has fulfilled the duties assigned to him
in a capable and most praiseworthy manner,
thereby winning the high regard of his
fellow Masons.
Mr. Henderson's birth took place Janu-
ary 30, 1 86 1, at De Graff, Logan county,
Ohio, he being one of three children born
580
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
to Charles E. and Anna B. Henderson, who
were natives of Virginia. The father was
a member of the Masonic fraternity and
attained the degree of Royal Arch. Our
subject came to Paxton at an early age and
received his primary education in the
schools of this place, which was later
supplemented by a course at the Illinois
Weselyan University at Bloomington. Upon
finishing there he was employed by the
Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company
six years as station agent, operator and
clerk in the auditor's office; later he em-
barked in a mercantile career, and at pres-
ent holds the responsible position of book-
keeper for Sen. Charles Bogardus, and 'is
secretary and one of the stockholders of the
Paxton Electric Light Plant. Mr. Hender-
son is an enterprising, progressive young
man, and by his ability, faithfulness to the
interests entrusted to his care, and his
honesty and integrity, he has acquired the
enviable position which he now holds and
which he is so well qualified to fill.
He married Miss Nellie Finley, of Pax-
ton, Illinois, in the summer of 1897.
FRANK HERSHEY.-— Upon the broad
basis of brotherly love and the ad-
vancement of those principles that will tend
most to benefit mankind and elevate hu-
manity to a higher altitude of aims and am-
bitions, is founded the organization of Free-
masonry, the teachings of which have come
down to us from time immemorial. Where-
ever it is found the light of civilization and
education has penetrated, and its powerful
rays serve to dispel the gloom of bigotry
and ignorance. One of the followers of
Masonry who have given it the assistance
of his help and energies in Chicago is the
gentleman whose name appears at the head
of this sketch. He became an Entered Ap-
prentice, took the degree of Fellow-craft,
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason in Landmark Lodge, No.
422, in 1882. He was exalted to the au-
gust degree of Royal Arch Mason in Fair-
view Chapter, No. 161, and was created a
Knight Templar in Apollo Commandery,
No. i, June ro, 1884.
Mr. Hershey was born in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, January i, 1844, where he
lived and attended school until he was sev-
enteen years old, at which time he went to
Dauphin county and resided there until
1865, then came to Illinois, where he re-
mained for nearly a year, and then, in
1866, moved to Kansas and engaged in the
shipping of stock. For the past ten years
he has been buying and fattening sheep for
the Chicago and eastern markets. His
purchases are mostly made in the state of
Oregon, from which point he trails them
across the country to Nebraska, where they
are fed until they have reached a proper
degree of fatness, when they are sent east
to supply food for the human family. In
this business Mr. Hershey has met with
more than ordinary success, and during the
last ten years has sent many thousand head
of sheep to the eastern market.
The subject of this sketch was happily
united in marriage in 1870 to Miss Sophia
Leach, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and they
have a family of charming children, two
sons and two daughters.
lUDOLPH P. BRAUN is a member of
fX Home Lodge, F. & A. M., having tak-
en the three fundamental degrees of the
craft in that organization in 1892. His
business is that of a druggist and he de-
serves much credit for the success that he
has achieved in life. He was born in Vienna,
Austria, on the 9th of January, 1866, and
was brought to America during his infancy.
Almost his entire life has been spent in
Chicago. He attended the public schools
of the city and was afterward a student in
the Metropolitan Business College. He
entered upon his business career as an em-
ployee in a drug store and determining to
make that calling his life work he pursued
a course of study in the Chicago College of
Pharmacy, in which he was graduated in
the class of 1887. The following year he
embarked in business on his own account
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
531
and has succeeded in building up a good
trade.
He is entirely a self-made man, owing
his success solely to his own enterprise,
perseverance and energy. He now has a
liberal patronage and is a popular druggist
in his section of the city.
N. WYLLYS.— The spirit of Free-
J&& masonry thrives in nearly every city,
town and village in the Union, and its pre-
cepts are upheld by all who would see the
dawn of a glorious era when all men shall
be as brothers, selfishness be consigned to
the abysmal depths of the past, and char-
ity, love and truth shall reign supreme.
Prominent among those who have been
zealous in serving the order to the greatest
extent of their abilities and who exemplify
its principles by their daily lives, is Mr.
Wyllys, a Mason of twenty-five years' stand-
ing. His initiatory degrees were received
in Kishwaukee Lodge, No. 402, A. F. & A.
M., at Kingston, Illinois, of which he was
for seven years a faithful and efficient
Secretary, and has served as Worshipful
Master with ability, circumspection, and to
the entire satisfaction of his fratrcs. He
was advanced to the grades of capitular
Masonry in Sycamore Chapter, No. 49, and
the orders of Knighthood were conferred
upon him in Sycamore Commandery, No.
15, K. T. His constancy and devotion to
his lodge and the tenets of the fraternity,
and his untiring efforts in behalf of its cause,
have won for him the highest consideration
and good will of his fellow Masons.
Born in Chateaugay, Franklin county.
New York, on February 16, 1847, Mr.
Wyllys is a son of G. W. and Laura A.
(Blackmore) Wyllys, both of them being
natives also of Chateaugay. The father
was born there in 1811, became a black-
smith by occupation and a member of the
Advent church, and his demise took place
December 18, 1871. His wife survives
him, and now, at the ripe age of eighty-
two years, is an honored citizen of Genoa,
Illinois. They were the parents of nine
30*
children, two of whom are deceased. Our
subject was the sixth child in order of birth
and was early in his youth deprived of the
usual educational advantages secured by
most boys, owing to the fact that his father
was ill several years before his death,
which necessitated the son's leaving school
at the age of fifteen to learn the black-
smith's trade under the tuition of the eldest
brother, C. W. Wyllys, and in that way as-
sisted in supporting the family. In 1868
he opened a shop of his own in South
Grove, De Kalb county, Illinois, and con-
tinued there for three years, when he came
to Kingston and established a shop here,
which he successfully conducted until 1892.
In 1888 Mr. Wyllys was elected secretary
of the Kingston Mutual County Fire Insur-
ance Company, and has since held that po-
sition. Being, as he is, a public-spirited
citizen of the most zealous type, he is ever
582
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ready and willing to do anything in his
power to advance the welfare of his town
and community and eager at all times to
devote the energies of his nature in their
behalf. The Kingston Mutual County Fire
Insurance Company now carries eleven
hundred thousand dollars in insurance,
which practically demonstrates the entire
confidence in which it is held by the agri-
culturists of De Kalb county. Mr. Wyllys
has for several years taken an active inter-
est in all things pertaining to educational
affairs, and has served as school director,
in which office he did much to promote the
standard of public institutions throughout
the county. For twenty years he has held
the office of justice of the peace.
In 1871 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. "Wyllys to Miss Emily M. Cristman, a
native of South Grove, De Kalb county,
Illinois, and a daughter of Henry and Lou-
isa (Pooler) Cristman, both of whom were
born in Herkimer county, New York.
Henry Cristman died January 4, 1883, in
his fifty-second year, his wife departing this
life October 26, 1896, at the age of fifty-
nine. They were the parents of three
daughters, of whom Emily is the wife of
our subject; Mary E. married William H.
Mason and lives in South Grove; and Ida
F. became the wife of Fred S. Goodrich
and likewise resides in South Grove. Mr.
and Mrs. Wyllys had three children: Lot-
tie A., who died at the age of four months;
Alta G., who married James Gross, a cousin
to Professor L. M. Gross, the county super-
intendent of schools, and they have one
child, Wyllys Gross, whom Mr. and Mrs.
Wyllys regard with the warmest parental
affection. Our subject's son, Hervey A.,
is a bright young man of rare abilities and
mental attainments, who, after graduating
at the high school at Kingston, followed the
vocation of teaching for a period of three
years, and then, deciding to devote his fu-
ture to the noble profession of medicine,
entered the medical department of the
Northwestern University at Chicago, and,
although but twenty-one years old at the
present writing, there is every indication of
a brilliant career before him. Our subject,
being himself deprived of his schooling at
an early age, determined that his children
should not be placed under similar disad-
vantages, and has therefore spared neither
pains nor money in obtaining for them the
best education possible, in which laudable
ambition he has been cordially encouraged
by his estimable wife.
Mr. Wyllys is a self-made man in the
strictest sense of the term, starting in life
with no capital other than a brave heart
and a strong determination to make a place
for himself in the world, and he has slowly
but none the less surely mounted upward
and has steadily risen to a condition of suc-
cess and prosperity. One of the principal
factors in his progress has been the faithful
and loving assistance given him by his wife,
a woman of more than ordinary attain-
ments, who has rendered invaluable service
in the way of many wise and sensible sug-
gestions regarding his business affairs, by
which he has on several occasions profited,
and who by her loving, hopeful and ever
cheerful disposition, has encouraged him
when the pathway of life seemed dark, and
imbued within his heart an ever-abiding
faith in the future. Mr. Wyllys is the
owner of two excellent farms, highly devel-
oped and comprising three hundred and
twenty acres, one of which is situated half
a mile from the town of Courtland, Illinois,
and the other near South Grove. He is
one of the representative citizens of Kings-
ton, and his undoubted integrity of char-
acter, the honorable methods he has ever
pursued in all his business transactions, and
his strong advocacy of temperance, give
him an exalted standing in his community
and gain for him the respect and esteem of
a large circle of friends.
JOHN WHEELER, a captain of the po-
lice force of Chicago and one of the
most efficient officers in this department
of the city's service, has through fourteen
years' connection with Masonry demon-
strated his loyalty to the order and his alle-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
533
glance to its teachings. He was made a
Mason in 1883, when he took the three
basic degrees of the craft in Thomas J.
Turner Lodge, No. 409. He was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Washington Chapter, No. 43,
in 1892, and the same year learned the
esoteric doctrines of chivalric Masonry in
Chicago Commandery, No. 19, Knights
Templar. This entitling him to admission
in the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, he joined Medinah Temple, and
with its Nobles crossed the sands of the
desert. His latest advancement has been
through the degrees of the Ancient Accept-
ed Scottish Rite, and in Oriental Consis-
tory he was proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret in the present year,
1897.
Captain Wheeler is one of Illinois' na-
tive sons, born in Du Page county, on the
8th of March, 1851. He was reared in
Rochelle, and in his youth learned the iron-
molder's trade, which he followed for some
years. In 1878 he was appointed a mem-
ber of the police force of Chicago and has
since been connected with that important
department of the public service which has
in its keeping the safety and welfare of the
city to so large a degree. In June, 1895,
he was promoted to a captaincy and now
has charge of the Maxwell street police
station. He is an efficient officer, faithful
to the interests committed to his care, and
it is to such men that the city looks for
protection. He is a genial companion and
a loyal Mason, and in his wide acquaint-
ance has many warm friends.
JAMES HERBERT WINN.— Moral up-
rightness, charity to all, the fatherhood
of God and the brotherhood of man, — •
these are the principles that govern the in-
stitution of Freemasonry and that have
marked it as one of the most powerful and
influential social organizations in existence.
Its following has grown to mighty propor-
tions,- and many are those who have taken
upon themselves the vows of crafthood, re-
ceiving its beautiful teachings within their
hearts and in consequence leading a nobler,
better and more complete life. Ten years
ago Mr. Winn was received into the blue
lodge, took his initial degrees, and soon be-
came familiar with the ritual, making every
effort to follow its tenets in his daily life
by conforming to the golden rules of the
fraternity, of which he has ever since been
an honored member.
On November 24, 1887, Mr. Winn was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in La Grange Lodge, at La Grange,
Illinois, from which he was dimitted and
became affiliated with Englewood Lodge,
No. 690, and in that body was elected to
the chair of Worshipful Master in 1894 No-
vember 27, 1 892, he was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Englewood
Chapter, No. 1 76, of which he served as
King in 1896, and as High Priest in 1897.
He was created a Sir Knight in Englewood
Commandery, No. 59, in April, 1893. He
has filled every office conferred upon him
with dignity and signal ability, and by his
manly characteristics and sterling qualities
of mind and person has won the good will
and high opinions of his fraters.
Mr. Winn was born in Newburyport,
Massachusetts, September 10, 1866, and
there obtained his fundamental education
in the public schools. In the month of
June, 1883, he came to Chicago and ob-
tained employment at his trade of manu-
facturing jeweler, in which he has continued
to the present time. He engaged in the
manufacture of ornamental jewelry in
1891 at No. 96 State street, and makes a
specialty of Masonic emblems, articles for
decorating insignia, etc., and diamond
mountings. Mr. Winn is energetic and
progressive, and is one of the successful
business men of Chicago.
The marriage of Mr. Winn and Miss
Frances A. Kelly was celebrated in 1888,
and two children have resulted from this
union, a girl, born August 18, 1889, died
August 25, of the same year; and a boy,
Chester Vernon, born August 25, 1890.
534
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
fENRY ALLEN BABCOCK, the lead-
Jffl. ing clothing merchant of the city of
Rushville, has the following Masonic record :
He was made a Master Mason in Ipava
exalted a Royal Arch Mason in Lodge,
No. 213, A. F. & A. M., in 1882; Lusk
Chapter, No. 23, R. A. M., at Vermont,
in 1889; and was created a Sir Knight
Templar in Rushville Commandery, No.
56, K. T., on the /th of May, 1897. In
his home lodge he was Secretary for five
years. Mr. Babcock is an appreciative
student and practitioner of the principles
of the ancient and noble order, and an ex-
emplary, pious member of the Presbyterian
church, in which he is an elder; is an oblig-
ing, honorable and successful business man,
and is spoken of in very high terms by the
citizens of the community in which he re-
sides.
He is a native of the state of Illinois,
born in Fulton county, on the 2/th of
March, 1861, and has been engaged in mer-
chandising for the past eighteen years,
opening his present large clothing store in
Rushville in February, 1893. He is mar-
ried and has a nice little family and a de-
lightful home.
©EORGE W. LORENZ.— Hardly a
village of Illinois does not number
among its interests a Masonic lodge. With
marvelous rapidity this society has grown,
extending its beneficent influence into all
the walks of life, uniting by the ties of brother-
hood a vast army of men and placing before
them high ideals and bringing into their
lives noble purposes. It rests upon the
broad foundation of morality and has for
its object the betterment of man. Of this
organization Mr. Lorenz is an exemplary
member. In 1893 he took the three
degrees of ancient-craft Masonry in Palace
Lodge, No. 765, and has been one of its
most active and prominent workers. He
has held the office of Senior Deacon and
Junior Warden, and in December, 1895,
was honored by his brethren by being chosen
for the high and honorable office of Wor-
shipful Master. His thorough familiarity
with the work has made him a very com-
petent official and one well worthy the
high esteem which is accorded him by the
craft. In 1895 he joined the capitular
branch of Masonry, being exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Pullman Chapter, No. 204, in which he
now holds the office of Master of the Second
Veil.
Mr. Lorenz is a native of the neighbor-
ing state of Indiana; was born on the ist
of October, 1867, in Crawfordsville, and in
his parental home spent his boyhood days,
while in the public schools he acquired his
education. His choice of a business which
he wished to make a life-work fell upon the
machinists' trade, which he learned in his
native city, after which he came to Chicago
in 1889. In the extensive industries of
Pullman he found employment and his
fidelity to duty, and his expert workman-
ship has enabled him to continue in that
place, having the confidence of the company
and the regard of those among whom he is
employed.
HUGH MASON, secretary and treasurer
of Oakland Building Association, also
secretary and treasurer of the Hercules
Coal and Mining Company, northwest cor-
ner of Madison and Clark streets, Chicago,
is of Scotch birth and ancestry and pos-
sesses to a marked degree many of the
sterling characteristics of his countrymen.
Mr. Mason was born in Edinburg, Scot-
land, September 8, 1839. In 1849 he ac-
companied his parents on their emigration
to America and settled with them in To-
ronto, Canada, where his education was
carried forward, first in the public, model
and Toronto grammar schools and later in
the Upper Canada College, where he took
a partial course. As soon as old enough he
engaged with his father in the seed and
grocery business in Toronto, and continued
there thus occupied until 1859, when he
went to Whitby, Ontario, and resided there
for four years. He then came to Chicago,
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
537
in 1863, and engaged for a short time in
the grocery business, and then entered in
the coal business, operating in the employ
of some of the leading coal firms in the city,
and, like most young men, had his ups and
downs in business before he finally secured
a foothold. He, however, has been con-
nected with the coal business all these
years. He became identified with the Oak-
land Building Association at its organiza-
tion in July, 1880, and was its second presi-
dent, a position he filled for ten consecutive
years, up to January, 1893, since which
time he has served as secretary and treas-
urer. To his efforts is largely due the pres-
ent prosperity of this organization. During
his more than thirty years of residence in
Chicago Mr. Mason has been successful in
accumulating large property interests, now
being the owner of much valuable real es-
tate on the West Side.
He was married in 1893 to Miss Carry
R. Russell, a daughter of Captain Alexan-
der Russell, late of Oswego, New York.
For over twenty years Mr. Mason has
belonged to the Masonic fraternity. The
degrees of the blue lodge were conferred
upon him in 1875 by Covenant Lodge, F. &
A. M., of which he is Past Master. Also
he has advanced through the higher degrees
of the order up to and including the thirty-
second degree in the Scottish Rite. He is Past
Thrice Illustrious Master of Chicago Coun-
cil and Past High Priest of Corinthian
Chapter, and also maintains a membership
in St. Bernard Commandery and Oriental
Consistory. During all these years he has
taken an active and enthusiastic interest in
Masonic work, and is prominent and influ-
ential in the circles of this the greatest of
civic societies.
During the Chicago municipal campaign
of the spring of 1897, it was ascertained by
the Municipal Voters' League that Mr.
Mason was one of the best men for official
position, and he was accordingly nominated
for alderman of his ward, the eighteenth,
of which he had been a resident for thirty
years. He had never sought office, and
neve'r a breath of suspicion had been ex-
hibited against his character in any respect;
but the curious turn which politics often
make resulted in the defeat of his election.
His residence is at 369 Jackson boulevard.
E
DWARD H. ELWELL.— Loyal in up-
holding the cordial virtues and sup-
porting the exalted principles of Masonry;
one whose interest in the great crafthood
has never wavered and whose personal pop-
ularity among the fraternal associates is
unmistakable, it is eminently befitting that
there be incorporated in this compilation a
brief review of the life of Edward H. El-
well, of Chicago, the resident director and
manager of the northwestern department of
the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Com-
pany, of Detroit, Michigan. The record
of his achievements in the great industrial
and business world is such as to ever reflect
honor upon him as a man of sterling integ-
rity and conspicuous ability.
Mr. Elwell's identification with the Ma-
sonic order dates back to the year 1 869,
when he became a member of Moderation
Lodge, No. 115, A. F. & A. M., at Buxton,
Maine, the town of his nativity. He still
retains his affiliation with the lodge in which
the Masonic mysteries were first revealed to
him. In 1889 he passed the capitular degrees
in York Chapter, No. 148, R. A. M., of Chi-
cago, and within the same year he was the
recipient of chivalric honors, becoming a
Sir Knight in Montjoie Commandery, No.
53. In 1886 he completed a successful pil-
grimage across the burning sands of the
desert and gained an entry to Medinah Tem-
ple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Elwell is consistent in his Masonic
membership and fraternal endeavors, and
he is held in high regard for this as well as
for his admirable characteristics as a man
among men. He is also identified with the
two kindred societies, the Sons of the
American Revolution and Sons of the Rev-
olution. His maximum rise in Masonry is
that implied in his having attained the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite,
becoming thereby a Sublime Prince of the
538
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, of the
Valley of Chicago.
The lineage of Mr. Elwell traces back
to the Colonial period of our national his-
tory, and in the connection there are many
points of interest to be detected in follow-
ing out the annals during the succeeding
years. Our subject himself is a native son
of the Pine Tree state, his birth having oc-
curred jat Buxton, Maine, on the gth of No-
vember, 1845. 'He was born on the old
parental homestead farm, which had come
into the possession of his paternal grand-
father about a century ago. The place is
still owned and occupied by the father of
our subject, the former having been born
and reared there. The identification of the
Elwell family with American history dates
back to the year 1835, and for many years
thereafter the representatives of the line
maintained their homes at Salem and Glou-
cester, Massachusetts. They were Puritans
in their religious belief, and had undoubt-
edly sought refuge in the new world in
order that they might here be able to fol-
low their Convictions in mode of worship
and general life.
Edward H. Elwell grew up under the
sturdy discipline of the farm, the while im-
bibing copiously from the cup of self-reli-
ance and ambition which nature is ever
ready to extend to those who seek to learn
her lessons. He lent his quota toward car-
rying on the farm, and secured such educa-
tional privileges as were afforded by the
district schools. The narrowed mental
horizon of the pastoral life did not satisfy
the aspiring and energetic young man, and
he determined to prepare himself for a
wider sphere of endeavor. He accordingly
fitted himself for college by devoting him-
self to most diligent study in an academy
of his native state; but over-application im-
paired his health to such an extent that he
was compelled to cease all study for a time.
Upon recovering his wonted physical vigor
he engaged in school-teaching for two
years, after which he entered Brown's Com-
mercial College, at Portland, Maine, where
he continued his studies only about two
months when the building was burned and
he had to temporarily forego his ambition
to secure a commercial education.
In 1867, at the age of twenty-two years
he became a life-insurance solicitor, in
Maine, and he was so successful in his ef-
forts that he was soon promoted to the po-
sition of general agent, removing to Detroit,
Michigan, in 1872. Here for some three
years, during his leisure hours, he devoted
his attention to the reading of law, thus
rounding out a most thorough and complete
business education. In 1882 Mr. Elwell
identified himself with the Michigan Mutual
Life Insurance Company, and in this con-
nection his thorough knowledge of life-un-
derwriting and his large experience in the
field made him a most valued official, and
he became one of the principal supporters
and confidential advisers of the administra-
tion. He was placed in charge of the
northwestern department of the company's
business, with offices in Chicago, and he
has been singularly successful in giving
prestige and precedence to his company in
the several states embraced in his depart-
ment. He has wielded an unmistakable
influence in insurance circles, is one of the
substantial men connected with the Michi-
gan Mutual Life, in which he is a stock-
holder and director. His progressive spirit,
rare tact and discrimination, and correct
methods have been potent factors in ad-
vancing the interests of the great company
which he represents, and its increase in
business in his department stands in evi-
dence of this. He has attained a due
measure of success in his operations and is
known as one of the reliable and repre-
sentative business men of the western me-
tropolis, where he is held in high regard in
both business and social circles, being a
man of genial and engaging personality. In
politics Mr. Elwell renders a stanch alle-
giance to the principles and policies ad-
vanced by the Republican party.
In the year 1882 was consummated the
marriage of Mr. Elwell to Miss Nettie L.
Tuttle, of Durham, Maine, her Puritan an-
cestors having taken up their abode in
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
589
America as early as 1636. Mr. and Mrs.
Elwell are the parents of two children,—
Russell T. and Grace E.
RTHUR L. CLIFTON.— Every true
J$L and loyal Mason must realize that it
is his high privilege to bear some humble
part in working out the exalted aims of the
fraternity of purifying and uplifting man-
kind, and there can be no doubt that each
and every one does do all in his power to
bring about such a condition of things. Mr.
Clifton is an active member of the Engle-
wood bodies, where he is regarded as a man
possessing many excellent traits of char-
acter, and valued accordingly as an acquisi-
tion to the order. He was initiated in En-
glewood Lodge, No. 690, on June 16, 1892,
passed July J, and was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason July 2 i of the
same year. The chapter degrees were re-
ceived as follows: Mark Master, July 28;
Past Master, August 25; Most Excellent
Master, August 25; and Royal Arch, No-
vember 29, 1892. He was created a Knight
Templar in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, on November 25, 1892. Mr. Clifton is
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, holding
membership in Medinah Temple, Valley of
Chicago.
Mr. Clifton is a native of Scotland. De-
ciding to try his fortunes in the new world,
he sailed for the United States in 1876, and
subsequently located in Chicago, where he
shortly afterward entered the real-estate
and insurance business, in which he is still
engaged, with that success which comes
only from prompt and faithful service.
On May 2, 1889, Mr. Clifton was united
in marriage to Miss Fannie J. Crawford, of
Dixon, Illinois. In his political principles
he is a Republican.
H
'ENRY BEST. — -Freemasonry appeals
to all that is best in a man's nature,
and develops the instinct of humanity and
charity that is latent in the soul of every
human being. Its moral laws are such as
to attract only those who believe in the
purity of a social existence and who are
earnest in their higher ideals and- nobler
aims in life. For over twelve years Mr.
Best has been an exemplary member of the
Masonic order, industrious in the local lodge
and taking a deep and abiding interest
in everything that pertains to the welfare of
the craft. He is well liked by his confreres
for his genial disposition, his sincerity, and
the many excellent qualities of his char-
acter. He was initiated and made a Master
Mason in Dearborn Lodge, No. 310, in
1885; was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in La Fayette Chapter,
No. 2, and was created a Sir Knight in Chev-
alier Bayard Commandery, No. 52. In
his fraternal relations he is ever kind and
considerate, and is a popular member of
the bodies with which he is affiliated.
Mr. Best is prominent in other societies
and orders, being a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine, in Medinah Temple; a charter
member of Court Energy, No. 19, Inde-
pendent Order of Foresters, of which he
was Financial Secretary for four years; a
member of Garfield Lodge, No. 195, An-
cient Order of United Workmen; the Vet-
eran Union League, the Veteran Club, the
Hamilton Club and is a Turner.
Mr. Best has spent his entire life in
Chicago, having been born here December
22, 1848, in the old Best homestead, at
Madison avenue and Fourteenth street. At
the age of eight years he was sent to the
public schools, and there received a liberal
education until sixteen years old, when he
entered his father's brewery and subse-
quently became manager of the entire busi-
ness. At the outbreak of the Civil war Mr.
Best enlisted as a drummer boy in the
Seventy-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
against the wishes of his parents, as he was
still a minor. He got no farther than
Cairo, however, for there his father cap-
tured him and took him home. In his
youth Mr. Best was fond of all kinds of
athletic amusements, especially excelling
in swimming, receiving several medals for
his skill and endurance in the water, and in
540
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
1866 won quite a reputation for bravery. by
saving a man from drowning.
Some time before the great fire of 1871
Mr. Best was engaged in the wholesale and
retail grocery business, but, like thousands
of other unfortunates, lost all his property
in that conflagration. His inclinations
were then directed toward politics, and he
entered the arena under the banner of the
Republican party in 1873, when he ran for
constable and received a larger majority
than any other candidate on the ticket.
He was re-elected to the same office in
1878, but resigned before the expiration of
his term to accept the position of deputy
sheriff under John Hoffman, and was re-
appointed under Sheriffs O. L. Mann and
Seth Hanchett. His career as a deputy
was most creditable, and he performed
some excellent detective work, being in-
strumental in recovering much valuable
stolen property, besides bringing the delin-
quents to justice. In November, 1884, Mr.
Best was elected clerk of the circuit court
and succeeded himself in 1888. He was
elected south town assessor in 1 893 and ran
over five thousand votes ahead of his ticket,
being the only successful candidate on the
Republican ticket. He was returned to
the same office in 1894 with a majority of
four thousand, again the only Republican
candidate elected.
In 1870 Mr. Best was united in mar-
riage to Miss Minnie Meyers, and three
children, two boys and a girl, have been
born to them. He is a kind husband, a
firm friend, and is held in high esteem by
all who know him.
WILLIAM A. WALTER has attained
to a high degree in Masonry and is
one of the leading representatives of the or-
der in Chicago. He has faithfully studied
the teachings of both the York and Scottish
Rites and has followed the principles which
embody the highest teaching that the world
has known concerning the relation of man
to his fellow men. He became a member
of the fraternity by his initiation into Lake-
side Lodge, No. 739, and learned the sym-
bolic truths of capitular Masonry in Chicago
Chapter, No. 127. He passed the circle
and was greeted a Royal and Select Master
of Palestine Council, No. 66, and was con-
stituted, created and dubbed a Sir Knight
in Chevalier Bayard Commandery, No. 52.
He received the grades and orders of the
Scottish Rite and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory, and with these different organiza-
tions he is still affiliated. For several years
he has served as Treasurer of his lodge.
He crossed the sands of the desert as a
Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, and is now resting among
the members of Medinah Temple. He has
a wide acquaintance in Masonic circles and
his worth is recognized by his brethren who
entertain for him high regard.
Mr. Walter was born on the 9th of June,
1847, in Chicago, and acquired his educa-
tion in the public schools. His father hav-
ing died in the cholera epidemic in 1854,
at an early age he removed with his mother
and older brother to a farm in Cook county
and spent his youth working in the fields
and gaining from the free outdoor life a
certain strength that is continually being
called into requisition to renew the forces
of life in the city. In 1870 he returned to
Chicago and secured employment with
Wadham, Willard & Company, ice dealers,
who were succeeded by the Washington Ice
Company, and his faithfulness and trust-
worthiness won him promotion from time
to time until he became a stockholder and
director in the company, and for several
years he has been its cashier. The Wash-
ington Ice Company is one of the foremost
in the trade in the city; its business has as-
sumed extensive proportions and its sales
yield to the stockholders a good income.
Mr. Walter is also one of the directors of
the Masonic Home Temple, and has been
president of the Thirty-first Street Building
& Loan Association ever since its organiza-
tion in 1886. With him success in life has
been reached by his sterling qualities of
mind and heart, true to every manly princi-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO'
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
543
pie. He has never deviated from what his
judgment would indicate to be right and
honorable between his fellow men and him-
self, and in his business he is discerning,
conservative and energetic.
He is a member of the Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution, his ances-
try having come to this country from
England about 1629 and first settling in
Massachusetts and afterward in Connecti-
cut. His parents were born in the village
of Goshen, Litchfield county, that state,
and his father came to Chicago in 1837, and
his mother two years later. In his political
views he is a Republican, and as a citizen
his sympathies are ever on the side of good
order, progress and improvement.
Mr. Walter was married in Chicago, in
1878, to Miss Alice Miller, daughter of John
Miller, of the well-known firm of Miller
Brothers. Mr. and Mrs. Walter have two
children — Ralph C. and Helen M.
OSCAR E. FEHN is a Royal Arch Ma-
' son, of Chicago, who for eight years
has affiliated with the order that has been
the defender of liberty and justice, charity
and benevolence, as broad as the universe
in its scope and membership and with a
foundation of truth and right that is as firm
as the everlasting hills. From that far-dis-
tant time wherein the first of the craft
established its immortal basic principles
down to the present day, you may read in
history the annals of every civilized coun-
try of the humanizing and liberalizing ten-
dencies of our great association, ever tak-
ing sides with the foremost champions of
human rights in every clime and land, and,
at the same time, lifting up its mighty po-
tentiality for law and order and peace.
Liberty and justice, guided by conservative
law, have been promoted and upheld in
every country and in every century by this
fraternity, who receives its members from
the ranks of the high and the low, the
right and the poor, considering only the
character and worth of the individual. It
is these qualities that largely appeal to the
practical business man of this matter-of-
fact world, and Mr. Fehn is among the
wide-awake, progressive business men of
Chicago, who have allied themselves with
this fraternity. As an Entered Apprentice
he was received into Germania Lodge, No.
182, passed the Fellow-craft degree, and
on the 24th of November, 1889, was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
He has served as Junior Warden in his
lodge and is deeply interested in the suc-
cess and growth of the organization. In
1891 he was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Lincoln Park Chap-
ter, No. 177, and has since affiliated there-
with.
Mr. Fehn is one of Chicago's native
sons, his birth having occurred in this city
on the iithof June, 1867. Hisfatherhad
come to the west some years before, lo-
cating in Chicago in 1854. The son was
here reared and educated and received his
business training under the guidance of his
father, who owned and conducted a res-
taurant. He became manager of the large
establishment which is located at Nos. 121
and 123 North Clark street, and is now in
business for himself, succeeding, when but
nineteen years of age, his father, who went
on a visit to Europe and left him in sole
charge. His thorough understanding of the
wants of the public in this direction has
enabled him to meet the wishes of his pa-
trons and has enabled him to secure a large
and constantly increasing business. His
success is entirely due to his own efforts,
his close application, earnest purpose and
thorough reliability winning him the confi-
dence and support of many.
JOSEPH SCHOTT, cigar manufacturer,
Lincoln, Illinois, figures as one of the
enterprising young business men of the
city. He has been a Mason ever since he
attained his majority, active and enthusi-
astic in the work of the order and well
posted in Masonic lore.
Mr. Schott was made a Master Mason
in Lincoln Lodge, No. 210, in 1881. This
544
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
lodge was subsequently consolidated with
Logan Lodge, No. 480, and became Lo-
gan Lodge, No. 210, of which Mr.
Schott has since been a member and in
which he has served as Senior Deacon and
Senior Warden. The chapter degrees
were conferred upon him by Lincoln Chap-
ter, No. 147, R. A. M., that same year,
and in 1882 he was knighted by Constan-
tine Commandery, No. 57, K. T. In the
chapter he served three years as High
Priest and in the commandery he has suc-
cessively filled the offices of Warder, Stand-
ard Bearer, Senior Warden, Generalissimo
and Eminent Commander, bringing to these
various official positions the promptness,
dignity and good judgment necessary for
the success of the order. Five years he
was a representative to the Grand Chapter
and nine years to the Grand Commandery.
Mr. Schott, as his name indicates, is of
German origin. He was born in Germany
October 4, 1860, and emigrated to America
in 1872, when a boy of twelve years, locat-
ing in Lincoln, Illinois, where he grew to
manhood and where he has since resided.
He has been engaged in the manufacture of
cigars here since 1885 and does both a
wholesale and retail business.
Mr. Schott was married September 21,
1892, to Miss M. B. Traner.
GEORGE WALTEMAR DU NAH, the
popular merchant tailor of Blooming-
ton, Illinois, is a native of Denmark, born
February 14, 1858, and has traveled ex-
tensively and seen much of the world, the
date of his arrival in America being Septem-
ber 19, 1 88 1. He learned his trade in his
native land; then he traveled through Ger-
many and Switzerland, stopping at various
points of interest, and from Switzerland
journeyed on foot across the Alps to Italy.
Next he went to Paris, the mart of fashion,
and there took a course of instructions in
the French Cutting Academy, of which he is
a graduate. From Paris he came direct to
America, landed at New York city, and
after working at his trade there for a time
went to Elmira, where he spent three years.
In 1887 he came west to Springfield, Illi-
nois, where he was in business under the
firm name of Thornberry & Du Nah for a
year and a half, at the end of that time go-
ing back to New York and shortly after-
ward accepting a position as cutter in a
large tailoring establishment at Marquette,
Michigan, where he was thus occupied two
years. In 1890 he entered the cutting com-
petition at the Tailors' Convention at Chi-
cago and won the gold medals. At this
time he accepted a position offered him by
the D. Edward Ely Company, which he
filled until the reorganization of the com-
pany in 1894, when he resigned and pur-
chased the business of Mr. Peter Grotz, of
Bloornington. Here he has since done a
successful business, and stands high as a
business man, a citizen and a Mason.
Mr. Du Nah's Masonic history covers
only three years but includes identity with
the lodge, chapter, council, consistory and
shrine. He was made a Master Mason in
Bloomington, in December, 1894, and re-
ceived the degrees of the other branches
above named the following year. The
chapter and council degrees were conferred
upon him in Bloomington; those of the con-
sistory and shrine at Peoria, the former
May 9 and the latter May 29.
Mr. Du Nah was married in Elmira,
New York, September 9, 1884, to Miss
Marie Hogg, and they have two children,
Edward Ely and George Waltemar, Jr.
SAMUEL WOODSON WADDLE.—
) Few Masons in Illinois have been more
closely identified with the fraternity and its
work, or have enjoyed greater distinction
in the way of official honors, than has Mr.
Waddle, one of the veteran brothers of the
state. His initiatory degrees were received
in Wade-Barney Lodge, No. 512; he was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Bloomington Chapter, No. 26;
was made a Royal and Select Master in
Bloomington Council, No. 43; constituted
a Sir Knight in De Molay Commandery,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
545
No. 24, and has attained the thirty-second
degree in the ineffable lodge of perfec-
tion, Oriental Consistory. Brother Wad-
dle has held most of the offices in the local
bodies, having served as Worshipful Master,
High Priest and Eminent Commander. He
is the present Treasurer of the lodge, coun-
cil and commandery. In the Grand Chap-
ter he was appointed by Past Grand High
Priest De Lancey as Grand Principal So-
journer, and subsequently advanced by suc-
cessive steps until, in 1879, he was elected
Grand High Priest. He has never held
office in the Grand Lodge or Grand Com-
mandery, his connection with those bodies
being in the capacity of representative or
committeeman. He has been a faithful,
sincere Mason, and richly merits the good
will and high esteem with which his broth-
ers regard him.
Mr. Waddle was born in Jessamine
county, Kentucky, August 22, 1834, and is
a son of Alexander and Sarah J. A. (Wood-
son) Waddle, the former of whom was the
eldest son of John Waddle, of Chillicothe,
Ohio, who was a merchant of some promi-
nence of that city about the beginning of the
present century. After his death the family
moved to Clarke county, and there, on a farm
near South Charleston, our subject spent
his boyhood days The maternal grand-
father, Samuel H. Woodson, was one of the
old-school Kentucky gentleman, who repre-
sented his district in congress, and was
Grand Master of Masons in his jurisdiction.
The death of Mr. Waddle's mother in early
infancy left him to the care of his maternal
grandmother, with whom he passed the
first ten years of his life. At this time his
father was again married and he was taken
to his home in Clarke county, Ohio, where
he lived until 1860. His youth was such
as usually fell to the lot of a farmer's boy of
fifty years ago. His education was derived
principally at a log school-house, supple-
mented by a term at a private school for
boys. In 1860 he came to Bloomington
and engaged in the mercantile business with
varied success, and later in a manufacturing
enterprise. In 1867 he was elected alder-
man for one term, and in 1878 was ap-
pointed city clerk, which office he satisfac-
torily filled until 1885, when he resigned to
accept a position in the Third National
Bank of Bloomington, of which he was
made cashier in December, 1891, and is
serving in that capacity at the present time.
On September 23, 1856, Mr. Waddle
was married in Greene county, Ohio, to
Miss Elizabeth Stevenson, and two daugh-
ters have been born to them, one of whom
died in infancy. The other is now living
with her parents and is the widow of the
late Benjamin D. Lucas, who was at one
time a leading attorney of Bloomington.
The domestic relations of Mr. and Mrs.
Waddle has been such as to afford them the
greatest earthly happiness. Their friends
are legion and are always assured of a warm
welcome at the hospitable home of our sub-
ject. Although he is not connected with
any church as a member, he comes of old
Scotch-Irish stock, and attends the Second
Presbyterian church of Bloomington. Mr.
Waddle holds a membership in the Masonic
Veterans' Association of Illinois, and is
highly thought of in his home city both as
a man and a Mason.
GEORGE JAMES BARRETT, book-
keeper for E. A. Wilson, in the real-
estate and insurance business, and secretary
for the Springfield City Savings and Loan
Association, Springfield, Illinois, is well
known in the business and fraternal circles
of this city, he being a Mason of high de-
gree. His history therefore is appropriate
in a work of this character and is as fol-
lows:
George James Barrett was ushered into
life at Springfield, Otsego county, New
York, August 13, 1850, and at the age of
fifteen left home to make his own way in
the world and went south. That was about
the close of the Civil war. A position as
paymaster's clerk in the United States
navy was tendered him and accepted, and
he was ordered to the South Pacific on
board the United States steamer Wateree.
546
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
For three years he was on the coast of
South America. While there he witnessed
the battle between the naval forces of
Spain and the batteries at Callao, Peru,
May 2, 1866. Also he witnessed the tidal
destruction of the city of Arica, Peru, and
of all the shipping at that port, August 13,
1868, the loss of life by drowning being
about eight thousand people! In that aw-
ful destruction his own vessel was stranded,
and thus ended his three-years cruise.
Leaving the navy at that point, he returned
to the United States, and at Koston, Mass-
achusetts, in 1869, accepted a position in
the office of the auditor of the New En-
gland division of the Adams Express Com-
pany, and was with this company at Boston
and Hartford until 1872. During 1873 and
a part of 1874 he was with the Union Ex-
press Company at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
and in 1875-6 he was in Chicago with
Polk's National Directory Company. In
1877 he traveled through the south, spend-
ing some time in Mississippi and St. Louis,
Missouri, and in August, 1878, came to
Springfield, Illinois, as an employee of Mr.
Wilson, the gentleman with whom he has
since been associated. In company with
Mr. Wilson, he originated the Springfield
City Savings & Loan Association, of which
he is secretary and one of the directors.
Mr. Barrett is a man of family. He was
married in 1880 to Miss Ella Lacy, a na-
tive of Indiana, and they have six children,
namely: Eleanor Lacy, Gilbert Thomas,
George J., Jr., Emily, Ruth Du Pleaux, and
Anna Louise.
Not unlike many of the most intelligent
and honorable and upright men in this and
other cities, Mr. Barrett has found instruc-
tion, recreation and pleasure in Masonic
work. The degrees of blue Masonry were
conferred upon him by Springfield Lodge,
No. 71, A. F. & A. M., in which body he is
now serving as Senior Warden. He was
exalted in Springfield Chapter, R. A. M.,
No. i ; made a Royal and Select Master in
Springfield Council, No. 2, R. & S. M. ;
and knighted by Elwood Commandery, No.
6, K. T. , in 1893. In December of the
same year he was made a Knight Templar
he was elected to the office of Recorder of
the commandery, a position he is highly
qualified to fill and one in which he has
since been retained. His religious creed is
that of the Presbyterian church.
MILLARD F. RIGGLE, who for more
than twenty years has been actively
engaged in the practice of law in Chicago
and is one of the well-known and prominent
members of the bar here, took the degrees
of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and
Master Mason in Golden Rule Lodge, No.
726, in 1882. He has since been deeply
interested in Masonry and follows closely
the teachings of the order which rests upon
the virtues and truths that have been cher-
ished through many centuries. He is in
hearty sympathy with its plans for useful-
ness and for mutual benefit, and embraces
every available opportunity to mold public
sentiment and promulgate its doctrines. In
the blue lodge he served as Treasurer for a
number of years and was also honored with
an election to the exalted position of Wor-
shipful Master. In 1883 he was exalted to
the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, and is now
Past High Priest. He became a follower
of the sable and azure banner of Knight
Templary on the i ith of December, 1883,
when he became a member of Apollo Com-
mandery, No. I ; and in 1882 he attained
the thirty-second degree of the Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory, Sublime
Princes of the Royal Secret. He is also a
Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple. In brief this is the his-
tory of his connection with the most ancient
and useful of all fraternal organizations,
but it indicates little of his faithful service
in behalf of the order. He believes most
firmly in the religion of helpfulness and is a
close and conscientious student of the
teachings and ethics of Masonry in all de-
partments, while to his work he brings a
high degree of intelligence.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
547
In the legal profession Mr. Riggle has
won a prominence that results from close
application, thorough preparation, strong
mentality and devotion to his clients' inter-
ests. A native of the Buckeye state, he
was born in Coshocton county, on the I3th
of August, 1851, and was reared on a farm
in Hardin county until eighteen years of
age. A diligent student, he eagerly availed
himself of the opportunities offered for an
education and completed a classical course
in Smithson College, of Logansport, Indi-
ana, where he was graduated with the class
of 1876. For three years he successfully
followed school-teaching and then began
preparation for the legal profession. He
was for some time a student in the law de-
partment of the University of Michigan, at
Ann Arbor, graduating in that institution in
1877, and the same year he was admitted
to the bar and established an office in Chi-
cago, where he has since remained, a wor-
thy and prominent member of the bar at
that place. In October, 1889, he was ad-
mitted to practice in the United States
Supreme Court in Washington. From the
beginning his business has steadily increased
and he now has a large clientage. He has
a comprehensive knowledge of the science
of jurisprudence, his cases are prepared
with the most painstaking care, and he
rests his cause on the evidence and the law.
His familiarity with authority and precedent
enables him to meet his opponent in the
forum with a strength which is greatly un-
assailable, and his success is the merited
reward of his own labors and talents.
J
OHN F. HESCHONG, for two decades
a resident of Peoria, and all this time
engaged in the drug business here, is a
man well known in business circles and one
who is likewise prominent in the Masonic
fraternity.
Mr. Heschong is a native of Hannibal,
Missouri, born August 2, 1856. He served
an apprenticeship to the drug business in
St. Joseph, Missouri, where he lived from
1858 to 1876, and the last named year
came to Peoria as clerk in the drug estab-
lishment of A. W. H. Keen, in whose em-
ploy he remained until 1881. That year he
engaged in business on his own account and
has since conducted a successful business,
giving it his close and careful attention.
Business cares, however, have not
wholly absorbed his time, for, as already
stated, he is a prominent factor in Masonic
circles, the lodge room being for him a
place of both entertainment and instruc-
tion and in which he takes great pleasure.
He is a member of Schiller Lodge, No. 335,
of Peoria, and has been an active and en-
thusiastic Mason. He has passed nearly all
the offices in Schiller Lodge, serving as
Worshipful Master during the years 1891,
'92 and '94; and it may truly be said of him
that he was one of the best Masters this
lodge ever had. While occupying the ex-
ecutive chair he represented his lodge in
the Grand Lodge of Illinois, and in 1895
attended the Grand Lodge as a proxy.
Mr. Heschong is a member also of Peoria
Chapter, No. 7, and served as Captain of
the Host in 1894 and again in 1895.
548
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
B
OBERT TARRANT, an honored and
zealous Mason of Chicago, has for
over thirty years been faithful and true to
the vows taken in the blue lodge, and dem-
onstrates in his daily life how fully he ap-
preciates and understands the tenets and
precepts of the order, together with all its
beautiful teachings. Initiated in Cleveland
Lodge, No. 211, at Chicago, and raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in
1864, he became a life member of that
body, and in 1868 was advanced to the de-
grees of capitular Masonry, the keystone
of the arch of the fraternity which sets forth
in its beautiful and impressive legends the
history of the past, becoming a Royal Arch
Mason in Washington Chapter, No. 35;
and finally the orders of knighthood were
conferred upon him in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35, in 1879.
Mr. Tarrant was born January 10, 1832,
in Columbia county, New York, and there
attended the district schools until seventeen
years old, when he went to Schenectady,
New York, and there learned the machin-
ist's trade, in which he continued for about
four years. Then he traveled throughout
the state, following his trade in various
cities for the ensuing five years. February
2, 1856, Mr. Tarrant came to Chicago,
where for ten years he was engaged in rail-
roading, and then began the manufacture of
engine machinery, in which he has contin-
ued up to the present time. He is now a
president of the Tarrant & Ramsay Foundry
Company, and is treasurer of the Felt &
Tarrant Company, manufacturers of mathe-
matical instruments. He is one of Chi-
cago's progressive and energetic citizens,
and well he merits his present success, which
has been acquired only by unremitting
labor, perseverance, and a strict adherence
to the highest standard of principles.
In his political faith Mr. Tarrant is a
stanch Republican and has been such ever
since the organization of the party, casting
his vote for every presidential candidate
placed on the ticket, and still gives his sup-
port to the cause with which he has been
so long affiliated.
The marriage of our subject took place
in 1854, when he was united to Miss Sarah
A. Near, of Ballston Spa, New York, and
of the children born to them two are living,
— one son and a daughter. Mr. and Mrs.
Tarrant are spending the evening of their
lives surrounded by their many friends,
and are enjoying the peace and content-
ment naturally resulting from noble, well-
spent lives.
JOSEPH M. GROUT was born near Me-
chanicsburg, Sangamon county, Illinois,
in the year 1855. His father, the Rev.
Joseph M. Grout, a pioneer minister of the
Presbyterian church in Sangamon county,
died of cholera in 1855, shortly before the
birth of his son, and when the child was
only ten weeks old the mother died. Thus
at a tender age was the subject of our
sketch deprived of parental love and care.
He was taken in his infancy, by an uncle,
to Massachusetts, and in that state passed
the first eight years of his life, then re-
turning to Illinois, where he was educated.
He is a graduate of Illinois College, Jack-
sonville, Illinois, with the class of 1876,
and immediately after his graduation en-
tered upon the study of law at Springfield,
in the office of Hey, Green & Littler, and
was admitted to the bar in 1878. In the
fall of that same year he entered into a
copartnership with Thomas Sterling, with
whom he was associated until 1882, when
by mutual agreement they dissolved part-
nership. From 1882 until 1886 he prac-
ticed alone and since the last named year
he has been associated with his present
partner, Mr. C. L. Conkling. Mr. Grout
has always taken a deep interest in politics.
In 1884 he was a candidate for the legisla-
ture, and was defeated. From 1885 to 1889
he served as city attorney of Springfield.
Mr. Grout has a wife and two children
— Annie Dickinson and William Dixon.
Of his relation to the Masonic fraternity
we would now speak. It was in 1879, at
the age of twenty-four years, that he peti-
tioned for admission to St. Paul's Lodge,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
549
No. 500, of Springfield, into which he was
duly received and in which he has been
honored time after time with official posi-
tion, the Worshipful Master's chair having
been filled by him for four terms. In the
'8os he legally penetrated the mysteries of
the chapter, council and commandery,
being knighted by Elwood Commandery,
No. 6, in 1889, in which body he served
as Warder in 1892. Also he is a member
of Oriental Consistory, of Chicago, the
degrees of which were conferred upon him
in April, 1895; and both he and his wife are
members of Flower City Chapter, No. 152,
-Order of the Eastern Star, at Springfield.
DMUND L. MANSURE, manufacturer,
Chicago. — Among those who deserve
special mention in this volume is the gen-
tleman whose name stands at the head of
this brief sketch, since he is a young man
having laudable ambitions as well as the
capacity and integrity which characterize
him as a consistent member of such an
order as the Masonic, and indeed of any
society organized on the principles of be-
nevolence and sociability. The Masonic
order, perhaps, has more of these elements
than any other, and is more permanent
and universal, although, for many of its
purposes the Odd Fellows are more numer-
ous in certain localities.
The lodge relations of Mr. Mansure
may be briefly outlined as follows: He was
initiated, passed and raised in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, his native city, in 1883, re-
ceived the capitular degrees, or exalted to
the august degree of the Holy Royal Arch,
in Fairview Chapter, No. 161, R. A. M.,
Chicago, in 1888, and the chivalric degrees
in Montjoie Commandery, No. 53, also at
Chicago. Of the two latter he is still a
member, while in 1888 he received a dimit
from the Philadelphia blue lodge and is now
a member of Oriental Lodge, No. 33, here
at Chicago. His social nature has also
led him to join and take active part in
several other organizations, as the Wash-
ington Park Club, Kenwood Club and the
Chicago Athletic Association.
Mr. Mansure was born June 10, 1860, in
Philadelphia, and reared and educated
there, learning also the business of manu-
facturing. In 1887 he came to Chicago
and established his present business.
In 1892 he was united in matrimony
with Miss Nellie G. Forsman, of Chicago,
and they have one son, who is named
Walter F.
P.ETER SCHNEIDER, No. 2222 State
street, Chicago, is one of the most
popular and successful photographers of the
city, and has an artist's keen appreciation
for the sublime truths as illustrated in Ma-
sonry. His identity with the great Masonic
order dates from the year 1891, when he
was entered, passed and raised in Waldeck
Lodge, No. 674, A. F. & A. M. , in which
shortly afterward he was elected to the
office of Junior Warden. The Scottish
Rite degrees were conferred upon him by
Oriental Consistory in April, 1893, and he
has also penetrated the mysteries of the
Mystic Shrine, its degrees having been
given him by Medinah Temple. An inter-
ested and appreciative member of all of
these bodies, his life is naturally in har-
mony with the teachings as set forth by
them, and he enjoys the confidence and
high esteem of the brotherhood.
Mr. Schneider, as his name indicates, is
of German origin. He was born in the fa-
therland, May 30, 1851, and spent the first
fourteen years of his life there, emigrating
to this country in 1865 and taking up his
abode in Chicago. Early in life he mani-
fested a taste for art and began to develop
his talent. He was a student in the Art
School of Chicago previous to the memora-
ble fire. In 1877 he turned his attention
to photography, has followed this profession
for nearly twenty years, keeping fully
abreast with the marvelous progress it has
made, and is justly entitled to the high
rank he holds among the leading photog-
raphers of this great city.
550
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONKT IN ILLINOIS.
In 1880 Mr. Schneider was married to
Miss Mary Stotzer, a native of Switzerland,
and they are the parents of three children,
— Edward, Lilly and Oscar.
DjAVID ABRAM SCHOCH.— A bio-
graphical history of the Freemasons in
Illinois would be incomplete did it not con-
tain mention of the brother whose name
appears at the head of this sketch and who
is a representative member of the fraternity
residing in Orangeville. Mr. Schoch was
initiated in Orangeville Lodge, No. 687,
and raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in 1868, while the lodge was still
under dispensation. He at once became
one of the active members, was elected to
the West, and shortly after was chosen
Worshipful Master, which important office
he filled intermittently for eight years, and
is one of the important factors in sustaining
the order in his town, being thoroughly fa-
miliar with the ritual, believing in the honor-
able tenets of the fraternity, and exempli-
fying the same by his daily life. He was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Freeport Chapter, No. 23, in
1876, received the orders of Knighthood in
Freeport Commandery, No. 7, stationed at
Freeport, and he has attained the ineffable
degrees of the Scottish Rite in Freeport
Consistory up to and including the thirty-
second, which entitles him to being pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret. He continues his membership in all
these honorable bodies, in which he retains
the warm friendship and good will of his
fellow Masons.
Born in Snyder county, Pennsylvania,
on February 18, 1835, Mr. Schoch is of
Swiss stock, his ancestors taking a promi-
nent part in the emancipation of Switzer-
land, thereby making a brilliant record for
themselves in the annals of their country's
history. The father of our subject, John
Schoch, was born in Pennsylvania and there
married Miss Lydia Houtz, who was like-
wise of Swiss descent. He was an indus-
trious, highly respected farmer, a Lutheran
in his religious faith, and he departed this
life at the age of fifty-six. His good wife
survives him and in 1897 had attained the
venerable age of four-score and four. Of
their thirteen children nine are living. The
six sons are members of the Masonic fra-
ternity. Mr. Schoch was the third child in
order of birth and remained on the home
farm alternately working and attending
school until nineteen years old, when he
journeyed westward to try his fortunes in
the new country, arriving in Orangeville in
1855, and that city has since been the scene
of his active career. He embarked in the
mercantile business and continued success-
fully until 1857, when the financial panic that
swept this part of the country numbered him
among its victims and left him five hun-
dred dollars in debt; but with the pluck and
energy that has characterized his entire life
he determined to overcome his misfortune
and once more make a place for himself in
the world; so, although without any previ-
ous experience, he took a farm on shares,
rented other lands, was soon able to buy
other lands, and became one of the suc-
cessful agriculturists in his part of the state.
He was the first to successfully conduct a
Tcreamery, which \vas supplied with cream
from the adjacent farms. He has from that
time met with the prosperity he deserves
and now has a beautiful home built by him-
self on eighty-six acres of land adjoining the
enterprising city of Orangeville, and .be-
sides owns two hundred and forty acres of
rich soil just east of the town. His resi-
dence is a commodious and attractive one,
situated on a bluff in one of the most delight-
ful localities in Illinois.
The marriage of Mr. Schoch was con-
summated in 1857, when he was united
to Miss Harriet Wagner, and of their four
children but one survives, Maud, who
resides with her parents. Mr. and Mr.
Schoch are highly esteemed residents of
their home city, and are valued members
of the Methodist church, he being one of
the builders when it was erected in 1887,
and is now a trustee, and secretary of its
official board, and has been superintendent
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
551
of the Sunday-school ever since it was
organized. In politics he is a Republican,
but is not a politician and never sought
office. As a business man, a member of
society and a Mason he stands high in the
estimation of all his numerous friends.
RCHIBALD FISHER.— Masonry is in
JfQ perfect accord with all known agen-
cies for the improvement and uplifting of
mankind, promotes benevolence, upholds
patriotism and emphasizes the truth of a
universal brotherhood. One of its most
V S\
most consistent adherents in the state of
Illinois is Brother Fisher, a thirty-second-
degree member of the fraternity residing in
Macomb, to whom was accorded the Mas-
ter Mason's degree in Kyle Lodge, No. 553,
in 1871, his connection with that body con-
si*
tinuing until it surrendered its charter,
when, on April 5, 1878, he became affiliat-
ed with Macomb Lodge, No. 17, and was
for some time its Junior Warden. Mr.
Fisher received the degrees of chivalric
Masonry in Morse Chapter, No. 19, on May
3, 1882, and filled the office of Recorder
with credit and circumspection. In 1893
he attained knightly honors in Almoner
Commandery, No. 35, K. T., at Augusta.
At the time Macomb Commandery was or-
ganized he became a charter member of it
and adequately performed the duties of
Prelate for two terms, being the present in-
cumbent of that office. In i 889 the inef-
fable degrees of the Scottish Rite were con-
ferred upon him, and he was declared a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Ori-
ental Consistory, Valley of Chicago. Mr.
Fisher retains his membership in all these
bodies, taking an especial interest and
pleasure in commandery work, and is uni-
versally regarded as a reliable and valued
acquisition to the order.
A native of the state of Virginia, Mr.
Fisher was born in Wheeling on January 24,
1848, and is of direct Scotch descent. His
grandfather and father, both of whom were
named John Fisher, were born in Glasgow,
Scotland, where the former followed the
vocation of a book publisher until 1825,
when he emigrated to the United States
with his family, located in Wheeling, Vir-
ginia, and there continued in the "art pre-
servative" until his death. At the time of
his arrival in Wheeling our subject's father
was sixteen years old and upon reaching his
majority he embarked in the
manufacture of plantation wag-
ons, carts and implements,
with which industry he was
identified up to 1868, in that
year coming to Macomb, where
his death occurred in 1876,
at the age of sixty-eight years. He was a
member of the Methodist church, and was an
honest, industrious and highly respected citi-
zen. He is survived by his life's companion,
who is now in her eighty-fourth year and
who makes her home with the subject of this
552
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
biography. Two of their four children are
living, of whom Brother Fisher received his
education in the schools of Virginia, Ohio,
and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He learned
the moulder's trade, and upon coming to
Macomb with his father in 1868 he estab-
lished a foundry, which, by arduous labor,
honest methods and close attention to the
necessities of business, he has conducted
with most successful and satisfactory re-
sults. He has erected a large brick foun-
dry and machine shop, and is at present
engaged principally in making castings for
several extensive manufacturers of school,
church and theater furniture.
Mr. Fisher celebrated his marriage in
187410 Miss Helen M. Warren, a native of
Cincinnati, and they have had eight children,
named as follows: Ford Allen, Laurence,
Mary B., Helen Edna, Jessie L. , Archibald,
Jr. , Helen and Elliot. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher
are worthy members of St. George Epis-
copal church and contributed liberally of
both their time and means to the building
of the present sacred edifice, which is one
of the ornamental structures of Macomb.
Mr. Fisher has taken a deep interest in
religious work and has filled the offices of
vestryman, clerk, superintendent of the
Sunday-school and senior warden. In
politics he is a stanch supporter of the
Democratic party, but has never sought
or even desired to hold public office. He
resides in one of the finest residences in the
city, which is charmingly situated on a hill
and surrounded by four acres of cultivated
land containing large shade trees, well kept
lawns and other triumphs of the horticul-
turist's arts.
Mr. Fisher may justly be said to be a
self-made man, who by honest toil, per-
severance and integrity, has acquired prom-
inence and affluence and the respect and
esteem of his fellow citizens.
T^HOMAS DEMPSTER is probably as
well known in fraternity circles as
any other man in Chicago and his sterling
worth and fidelity to all the principles upon
which the different orders rest have won
him the highest regard of all with whom he
has been brought in contact. The Masonic
fraternity, whose history forms the subject
of this volume, has numbered him among
its affiliates since 1893, when he took the
three fundamental degrees of the blue
lodge in Garden City Lodge, No. 141.
The same year he crossed the threshold
of capitular Masonry, being advanced a
Mark Master, installed Past Master, re-
ceived as Most Excellent Master and ex-
alted to the august degree of the Royal Arch
in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No. 126. In
1895 he passed the circle of cryptic Masonry
and was greeted a Select Master in Tyrian
Council, No. 78. It was also in 1895 that
he was created a Sir Knight in Chicago
Cornmandery, No. 19, and in Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, he also holds a membership. His
name is on the rolls of the order of the
Knights of Pythias, the Royal League,
Royal Arcanum, National Union, North
American Union, Home Circle and Fra-
ternal Alliance, and he takes a deep inter-
est in the growth, success and upbuilding
of these various lodges. He has served as
treasurer of most of these and the funds of
the societies could not be in safer hands.
Of the North American Union he is one of
the original founders, and has been hon-
ored with the highest office in the order, —
that of Supreme Chancellor.
Mr. Dempster is also well known in
business circles for his honesty and integ-
rity, and is regarded as one of the leading
real -estate dealers of the city. He comes
from that land whose sturdy stock forms
one of the best elements in our American
nationality. His birth occurred in Glas-
gow, Scotland, July 27, 1861, and in the
schools of that city he acquired his educa-
tion. He there learned the carpenter's
trade, which he followed until 1885, when,
hoping to better his financial condition, he
crossed the Atlantic to America and took
up his residence in Chicago. Here he fol-
lowed carpentering for about a year and
then turned his attention to the real-estate
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
558
business,, which he has continuously fol-
lowed since 1886. He has handled some
very valuable property and his thorough
understanding of the real-estate market
and his knowledge of values have enabled
him to effect some sales which have
brought to him handsome returns.
Mr. Dempster was married on the 3Oth
of January, 1886, to Miss Jeanie J. Devlin,
a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and they
have four children, in whose names they
have indicated their love of the land of
their birth and its people, calling their
children Elizabeth McDougal, Alexander
McDowel, Thomas Colby and William
Abraham Lincoln.
n XDREW T. PICKARD.— Great un-
It&L dertakings are slow in their fulfill-
ment. For several centuries Masons have
been making earnest endeavors to infuse a
sense of moral obligations and brotherly
love into the hearts of their fellow men,
and while a great advance has been made
since the inception of the order there is yet
much work to be done, and to each lodge
falls the duty of adding its mite to the gen-
eral contributions and give its assistance in
elevating humanity. In Chicago there are
many loyal and zealous Masons who make
every effort to live up to the principles of
the fraternity, thus individually promoting
its welfare, and among the valued brothers
none is more deserving of mention than
Andrew T. Pickard.
Brother Pickard was initiated and raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason in
Apollo Lodge, No. 642, in February, 1895,
and in the following year he attained the
ineffable degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret, in Oriental Consistory, Valley
of Chicago. He is also affiliated with the
social branch of Freemasonry, being a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine, his membership
being in Medinah Temple.
The subject of this review was born in
the province of Quebec, Canada, May 24,
1867, was reared in his native town, attend-
ing the public schools, and later learned
the blacksmith's trade, subsequently turn-
ing his attention to horseshoeing. He came,
to Chicago on January 30, 1891, and secured
employment at his trade until March, 1893,
when he established a shop on his own
account. He is an expert in his calling,
and does a large and prosperous business;
On May 7, 1889, Mr. Pickard was
united in marriage to Miss Rosina Phillips,
who was born in England, and two daugh-
ters have been born to them — Edith M.
and Laura R.
TV LBERT STONE BIXBY, jeweler,
JfaL Danville, is an eminent Mason. He
was made a Master Mason October 19,
1867, in Iowa City Lodge, No. 4, Iowa; a
Royal Arch Mason March 30, 1870, also at
Iowa City; Royal and Select Master August
1, 1870; a Knight Templar May 13, 1870;
and received the degrees of the Scottish
Rite May 23, 1870, in Palestine Lodge, No.
2, at Iowa City. His present affiliations
are: blue lodge No. 38, Illinois; Chapter
No. 82, Council No. 37; Commandery No.
45. In 1869 he was Worshipful Master of
the blue lodge in Iowa City, No. 4; High
Priest of the Chapter in Illinois in 1879;
Recorder of the council; Eminent Com-
mander in 1879. "By his works his breth-
ren know him," and the promotions they
have tendered him are their testimonial.
Mr. Bixby was born in Columbus, Ohio,
December 28, 1839, attended the public
schools and ended his educational career at
the high school. At the age of sixteen
years he began to learn the jeweler's trade
and served an apprenticeship of four years.
He followed his trade in various places
until 1860, when he offered his services to
the cause of the government under the call
for three-months men, at Greencastle, Indi-
ana, but was not accepted. However, he
afterward went to Wisconsin and enlisted,
August 13, 1862, being accepted, as a
private in Company B, Thirty-eighth Wis-
consin Regiment, Third Brigade, Seven-
teenth Army Corps, and was finally mustered
out as captain June 24, iF65
554
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Subsequently he went to Columbus,
Ohio, for a time, and after the death of his
father, in 1866, he went again to Iowa and
engaged in the stove business with his
brother, until 1872. Next he went to
Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he followed
his trade of jeweler until the next year, and
then came to Danville, where he has since
been engaged in this beautiful line of busi-
ness, in which he excels for his skill and
honesty.
In his religious connections he is a
Presbyterian, and in his politics a Demo-
crat. From 1885 to 1889 he was assistant
postmaster at Danville. He is a member
of the post of the Grand Army of the Re-
public and of the order of Knights of
Honor.
August 6, 1866, he was united in matri-
mony to Helen V. Patton. and they have
had one son and two daughters, — Stanley
P., Maggie and Alice, of whom only Alice
is living.
JAMES SLOAN, deputy sheriff of Ver-
milion county, and one of the public-
spirited citizens of Danville, is a loyal
member of the Masonic fraternity who has
been conspicuous in his lodge for the zeal and
enthusiasm displayed by him in promoting
the interests of the order. He was initiated
in Olive Branch Lodge, No. 38, and on
November i, 1882, was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason. He was ex-
alted to the capitular degrees in Vermilion
Chapter, No. 82, on December 4, 1882,
was created a Sir Knight in Athelstan Com-
mandery, No. 45, on September 25, 1883,
and at length received the ineffable degrees
in the lodge of perfection, Oriental Con-
sistory. Mr. Sloan filled the office of Junior
Warden for one term. In October, 1883,
he became a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah
Temple. He is a member of the Masonic
Widows and Orphans' Home Association,
of Chicago, the Knights of Pythias, and the
Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Sloan was born in Joliet, Illinois,
March 31, 1851, and is the son of Samuel
and Mary (Campbell) Sloan. He attended
the common schools of his native city until
seventeen years old, when he secured a po-
sition as water boy on the Chicago & Alton
Railroad. He then became storekeeper for
the Construction Company of the Peoria,
Pekin & Jacksonville road; was next with
the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western,
which has now merged into the Big Four,
as foreman at the time it was being con-
structed, and after its completion he took
charge as section foreman, holding that po-
sition until October 3, 1874, and \vas then
promoted to the position of division road-
master. On November 15, 1878, he re-
signed and became associated with the Chi-
cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad as general
roadmaster, remaining in that capacity un-
til March i, 1891, when he accepted the
roadmastership of the Lake Erie & Western
and served as such until May 15, 1893, re-
signing to take up the duties of mayor of
Danville. He is a member of the Road-
masters' Association of America and was
elected its vice-president six times.
In politics Mr. Sloan is a Republican.
He has been a member of the central com-
mittee for four years, has served as alder-
man for three terms, and in 1 886 was
elected mayor of the city, and re-elected in
1893. In December, 1894, he was ap-
pointed by W. C. Thompson as chief dep-
uty sheriff of Vermilion county, and is the
present incumbent of that office.
Mr. Sloan was married September 2 1 ,
1873, to Miss Lucinda J. Stone, of Pekin,
Tazewell county, Illinois, and they have
had the following named children: Ma-
nette G., James E., Ella, Henry, William,
Luella and Florence. Mr. and Mrs. Sloan
are worthy members of the Baptist church.
BN. TRIMINGHAM, secretary of the
Chicago Underwriters' Association,
has for forty years been identified with the
business interests of Chicago, and through-
out this long period has enjoyed the confi-
dence and high esteem of the manv business.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF II 1
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
557
men with whom he has been associated;
and in Masonic as well as business circles
he has high standing, his connection with
Freemasonry covering more than twenty-
five years and extending to the higher de-
grees of the order, wherein he has been
given marked official preference.
Mr. Trimingham received the degrees
which made him a Master Mason in Cleve-
land Lodge, No. 211, A. F. & A. M., in
October, 1871, and the following year was ex-
alted a Royal Arch Mason in Washington
Chapter, No. 43, the same body that same
year conferring upon him the degrees of
Royal and Select Master. He was knighted
by Chicago Commandery, No. 19, in 1874,
and remained a member of the same until
1888, when he was dimitted in order to
affiliate with Siloam Commandery, No. 54,
of which he is now an honored member and
Past Eminent Commander, official positions
one after another having been fittingly be-
stowed upon him until he reached the high-
est office in the commandery, where he pre-
sided with his usual earnestness and dignity
and won the admiration and esteem of his
brother Knights. During all these years of
intimate association with Masonry his work
has not been confined to the lodge-room
but has reached out through his daily life
and made him helpful to others, • ' Broth-
erly Love, Relief and Truth " ever being his
motto.
Mr. Trimingham was born at St. John's,
Newfoundland, September 2, 1838, and
remained in his native city until he was
nine years of age, then accompanying his
parents and other members of the family to
the United States and settling at Baltimore,
Maryland. In 1851 he went to the West
Indies. On the islands of St. Vincent and
Barbadoes he made his home until 1856,
when he came again to the "States, " this time
to Chicago, where he has since mantained
his residence. His early life was spent in
acquiring an education and was attended
with mercantile experience. In 1866 he
became interested in fire insurance, to
which line of business he has since devoted
his attention with signal success, now
holding the responsible position of secretary
of the Chicago Underwriters' Association,
and the success to which he has attained is
due to his own natural and acquired ability,
and his industry and faithfulness. The
confidence reposed in him has never been
misplaced, and the high esteem which is
accorded him in both the business and
fraternal circles in which he moves is what
is sure to follow in the wake of sterling
worth.
SAMUEL A. FRENCH.— As long as the
' world exists will the institution of Free-
masonry continue to thrive and spread its
beneficent influence broadcast over the
universe, rendering invaluable assistance in
elevating the standard of manhood and
advancing the cause of humanity. Its
power for good is incalculable, penetrating
as it does into all the civilized countries
and enrolling under its banner men whose
earnest purpose to better the world's condi-
tion is unswerving. It is no wonder that
such an organization should have the sup-
port and good will of all intelligent men,
who should strive to uphold its teachings
by setting the example in their own lives,
thus showing to others the beauties of the
principles on which it is founded.
One of the oldest and most prominent
Masons in Chicago is Mr. Samuel A. French,
who has done so much to advance the in-
terests of the brotherhood not only in this
city but also throughout the state of Illi-
nois. His labors have been given freely
and out of his love for the work, and he
richly deserves the warm place he holds to-
day in the heart of every Mason in the Gar-
den City. Mr. French's connection with
the fraternity dates back over forty years.
In 1855 he passed the degrees in the blue
lodge, and was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason in Nunda Lodge, No. 169,
which was conferred upon him at a meeting
held in the farm-house of Horace Burton
in McHenry county, Illinois. He is at
present affiliated with Windsor Park Lodge,
No. 836, which he organized in the spring
558
COMPENDIUM Of FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of 1893, serving as its first Master under
dispensation, and later was elected to the
same office, which he filled for eighteen
months. About 1857 he helped to organize
a lodge at Algonquin, Illinois, — No. 190,—
of which he was Master until 1 868, when
he moved to Elgin and organized Monitor
Lodge, No. 522. He served as Master of
this lodge for three or four years, during
which time he organized Bethel Command-
ery, No. 36, at Elgin, and was its first
Commander, in which capacity he remained
for three years. Mr. French was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Loyal L. Munn Chapter at Elgin, Illinois,
in 1869, and the same year was created a
Knight in Sycamore Commandery at Syca-
more, Illinois. In 1872 he came to Chica-
go and became affiliated with St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35, in which he at pres-
ent holds his membership. He is a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple,
Chicago, and was a member of the Iroquois
Club for a number of years. Mr. French
is a faithful worker in the fraternity, and,
as has been shown by his record, has ac-
complished a great deal in promoting the
prosperity of the society and helping on the
good work.
Mr. French is a native of New York
state, where he was born April 8, 1832.
His early education was received in the
public schools, and this was supplemented
by a course of study at the University in
Jackson, Michigan. After leaving school
he engaged in mercantile pursuits, which
he carried on in this state until 1875, when
he began the study of law, and after being
properly qualified was admitted to the bar.
He has continued to follow that profession,
in which he has been most successful, and
to-day he stands foremost among the law-
yers of Chicago. His long experience in
the practice of law has given him an exten-
sive knowledge of its workings in all the de-
tails, and those who seek his services do so
feeling confident that their interests will be
looked after in a conscientious and compe-
tent manner. Although well along in life,
Mr. French's brain is as active as ever, and
quick to grasp the legal aspects of a case
and to take advantage of them. He is an
enthusiastic wheelman and during the sum-
mer months uses that mode of conveyance
in preference to riding or driving, and re-
ceives considerable benefit from the exer-
cise.
Mr. French was married in 1853 to Miss
Elizabeth Skillman, and they have one son,
Garrie S. , who is in the real-estate and loan
business in Chicago, also a Past Master of
Windsor Park Lodge, No. 836, and a vet-
eran in St. Bernard Drill Corps, and a mem-
ber of Arab Patrol Mystic Shrine.
FRANK RIEDLE. — Masonry, it is said,
existed " from the time whereof the
memory of man runneth not to the con-
trary." A great many give the statement
that it originated at the building of Solo-
mon's temple full credence. Be that as it
may, there is no doubting the good that it
has worked among the enlightened nations
of the world in the past, nor the good it will
continue to accomplish in the time to come.
Men who study its teachings cannot help
but be impressed with the grand precepts
advanced by its laws. The subject of this
review became an Entered Apprentice, re-
ceived the degree of Fellow-craft, and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in Apollo Lodge, No. 642, in 1870; he
was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch
Mason in La Fayette Chapter, No. 2 ; was
made a Royal and Select Master of Pales-
tine Council, No. 66; was created a Knight
Templar in Chevalier Bayard Commandery,
No. 52, and received the ineffable degree in
the Oriental Consistory of the Scottish Rite.
He is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in
Medinah Temple. He has never sought
office in any of the bodies but has been
content to work in the ranks of the fra-
ternity.
For nearly half a century Mr. Riedle
has been a resident of Chicago. Born in
Boston, Massachusetts, December 23, 1847,
he was brought to Chicago by his parents
in 1850, at the age of three years. They
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
559
were obliged to travel by water at that time,
as there was not a railroad to the city. Mr.
Riedle received a liberal education during
his youth, attending the public schools and
later taking a business course at Eastman's
Business College in Chicago, a branch of
Poughkeepsie, New York, at which he was
graduated in 1865. While at college he
took a private course in German. Mr.
Riedle early saw the advantages that a good
education would give him and he bent all
his energies toward securing one. After
leaving college he entered into a mercantile
life, obtaining a position as clerk and book-
keeper, which he held for several years.
Desiring to begin business for himself, he
went to Schererville, Indiana, and started
a brick-yard, with which he continued for
two years. He next took up the profession
of civil engineering and returned to Chicago
once more, where he helped survey both the
South parks, the Seventy-fifth street and
Eighty-seventh street ditches, Stoney Island
avenue and State street from Sixty-third to
Ninety-second streets, and the whole town
of Cicero.
Mr. Riedle next turned his attention to
real estate, and became associated with
Enos Ayres, one of the oldest men in that
line in Chicago. He remained with him
for a few years and then engaged in the
same business for himself and has continued
in that business most successfully up to the
present time, a period of twenty-five years.
His office is located at the corner of Thirty-
first and State streets, where he does a gen-
eral real-estate and insurance business.
Socially he is a member of a number of
organizations and German orders. In 1868
he was married to Miss Caroline Gunther, a
native of Hanover, Germany, and they
have two daughters, Cora and Florence.
During the twenty-five years that Mr.
Riedle has been identified with the real-
estate business he has proven himself to be
a man of integrity, upon whose given word
thorough reliance may be placed. His
methods are open and above-board, and all
who have done business with him speak of
him in the highest terms.
T^HOMAS HAMER STOKES, Eminent
Commander of Constantine Command-
ery, No. 51, K. T. , at Lincoln, Illinois, was
initiated and passed July g, 1883, raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason
in Lincoln Lodge, No. 210, August 13,
1883; exalted to the august degree of the
Holy Royal Arch in Lincoln Chapter, No.
147, September 22, 1885, and created a
Knight Templar in Constantine Command-
ery, No. 51, stationed at Lincoln, Illinois,
April 29, 1889. His constancy and zeal
have won the recognition of his brethren of
the craft who have shown their apprecia-
tion of his services by electing him to vari-
ous official positions. In the lodge he has
served as Secretary, Junior Warden, Senior
Warden and Worshipful Master, in the
chapter as Secretary, Captain of the Host,
Scribe and King, and in the commandery
as Recorder, Warder, Junior Warden, Se-
nior Warden, Captain-General, Generalis-
simo, Eminent Commander, filling the last
named position at the time of this writing,
in 1897. He has a very thorough knowl-
edge of the ritual and his kindness of heart
is in harmony with the principles which
constitute Freemasonry.
Mr. Stokes was born near Lebanon,
Warren county, Ohio, on the 28th of March,
1848. His father, Benjamin Atkinson
Stokes, was born in New Jersey, September
3, 1812, of English and Welsh parentage,
emigrating to Ohio in 1817, where he was
married in 1840 to Miss Maria L. Mulford,
a native of his own state. For more than
half a century he has been a prominent and
influential citizen of Warren county, iden-
tified with numerous enterprises, in the de-
velopment of its resources; but agriculture
has engaged his principal attention. They
had a family of ten children, eight of whom
are still living. Mrs. Stokes passed away
December 27, 1894, at the age of seventy-
three.
The subject of this sketch obtained his
education in the district school, with a year
each at the Ohio National Normal at Leba-
non, and Antioch College at Yellow Springs.
He came to Illinois and located at Lincoln,
560
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
August 29, 1868. and taught school two
years, one of which as principal of one of
the ward schools of that city. He after-
ward engaged in clerking, and on the first
of January, 1880, purchased the Lincoln
Times and successfully continued its publi-
cation until 1896, making it one of the
leading country newspapers in central Illi-
nois, and an able exponent of Democracy,
the principles and tenets of which have
had his hearty endorsement and support.
He was enrolling and engrossing clerk in
the house of the Illinois legislature in 1885
and gained a wide acquaintance among the
most prominent members of his party
throughout the state. He has attended all
the state and national Democratic conven-
tions since 1880, and in 1892 was the presi-
dential elector from his district, casting his
vote for Grover Cleveland for president and
Adlai E. Stevenson for vice-president. He
was appointed to the position of postmas-
ter in 1894 and is now acceptably filling
that office, with great credit to himself and
satisfaction to the patrons. He has intro-
duced many radical and needed reforms
in the conduct and affairs of the office,
and is credited with having one of the best
equipped and most commodious offices in
the state. He well understands the duties
of the position and is painstaking and consci-
entious in their discharge.
Mr. Stokes is a stanch adherent of
sound-money principles, attended the first
conference of sound-money Democrats in
Illinois, and was active in the organization
of the National Democratic party. His po-
litical faith is epitomized in the Indianapo-
lis platform of 1896, and during the cam-
paign of that year his best efforts were put
forth to stay the tide of populism, socialism
and anarchy. He is unfaltering in his sup-
port of what he believes to be right, has
the courage of his convictions, and neither
fear nor favor sway him from his course.
Mr. Stokes was married in 1871 to Miss
Mary M. Larison, of Lincoln, Illinois, and
the}' had three children, but on the i8th of
July, 1888, they had the misfortune to lose
their son Carroll, a bright and promising
boy, whose death, when twelve years of
age, was occasioned by a fall from a horse.
Their surviving children are Mabel and
Walter R. They have a delightful home
in the city of Lincoln and enjoy the esteem
of a host of friends.
ST. WEBBER, an enterprising business
man of Chicago and a resident of that
city, was born at Harrisburg, Saline county,
Illinois, on the 2d day of January, 1859.
Although a busy man he has found time to
advance himself to a high degree of Masonry,
as the following brief record will show:
He is a member of Auburn Park Lodge,
No. 789, A. F. & A. M. ; Auburn Park Chap-
ter, No. 201, R. A. M. ; St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35, K. T. ; Oriental Consis-
tory, S. P. R. S., thirty-second degree,
Valley of Chicago; and Medinah Temple,
A. A. O. N. M. S. , all of which are located
in Chicago.
Besides, he is a member of Auburn Park
Lodge, No. 505, I. O. O. F. , and of Char-
ter Oak Lodge, No. 266, K. of P., of Chi-
cago.
LORIN OTIS HOWARD, Secretary of
Clarke Chapter, No. 29, R. A. M.,
at Beardstown, was initiated into the mys-
teries of the grandest fraternal body in the
world in Cass Lodge, No. 23, Beardstown,
Illinois, receiving the Master Mason's de-
gree December 17, 1894; exalted to the
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Clarke
Chapter, No. 29, on the 6th day of March,
1895; and was created a Sir Knight Tem-
plar in Rushville Commandery, No. 56, K.
T., at Rushville, Illinois, June 6, 1895. In
the blue lodge he has served as Senior Dea-
con, in the chapter as Principal Sojourner,
and is now serving his second term as its
Secretary. He is a zealous and appreci-
ative student of the rich resources of the
history of Freemasonry, and delights in con-
forming his life to the obligations imposed
upon him as a brother.
He was born in Ottawa, Illinois, Sep-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLlNOr
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tember 21, 1870, and is from an old Eng-
lish family who were colonial settlers of
New England. His great-grandfather How-
ard served as a soldier in our Revolutionary
war with Great Britain. His father,
Winslow Howard, is a native of the state
of New Jersey, and is a Master Mason.
Mr. Howard, the subject of this sketch, is
cashier of the local freight office of the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Com-
pany at Beardstown. He and Mrs. How-
ard, his wife, are valued members of the
Congregational church, have two children,
and enjoy the high esteem of the citizens
of their community.
CARL ALBERT HELMLE, of Spring-
field, had conferred upon him the in-
itiatory degrees in the blue lodge of Free-
masonry about 1876, after which time he
was closely identified with the order, be-
came well versed in its laws and usages, and
has always been a faithful adherent to its
tenets and precepts, maintaining a high
standard of moral principles and extending
a generous consideration to his fellow men.
Mr. Helmle was made a Master Mason in
Tyrian Lodge, No. 333, at Springfield, in
1877; was exalted to the Royal Arch de-
grees in Springfield Chapter, No. I ; was
constituted a Sir Knight in Elwood Com-
mandery. No. 6, and in 1883 had the hon-
orable distinction of attaining the ineffable
degrees of the Scottish Rite, Oriental Con-
sistory, in company with that hero of the
Civil war. General John A. Logan.
Mr. Helmle was a native of Germany,
born in Carlsruhe, Baden, September 10,
1827. In 1849 he came to the United
States, and on account of ill health spent
the greater part of his time traveling in the
west and studying the country. In 1854 he
located in Springfield and entered upon a
business career that was marked by honest
endeavors and a strict adherence to the best
principles in life. For a number of years
previous to his death he conducted a gen-
eral store and his integrity of character and
honorable methods gained for him the con-
fidence and respect of all with whom he
came in contact. He held a number of lo-
cal offices in the city, and gave valuable
assistance to educational and charitable in-
stitutions, and was in every way a loyal,
progressive and public-spirited citizen.
In 1853 Mr. Helmle was married to
Miss Marie Flesche, and seven children
have been born to them: Ernest H. ; Marie,
who is the wife of Herman Pierik; Albert
H., a resident of Springfield; Ida, who mar-
ried L. C. Herman, a member of the frater-
nity living in St. Louis, Missouri, and
August, Franz and Emma. Carl Albert
Helme died Januay 27, 1897.
Ernst Hubert Helmle, the eldest son of
our subject, was born November 3, 1853,
is second vice-president of the Springfield
Marine Bank, and is a zealous Mason. He
was initiated in Tyrian Lodge, No. 333, in
1882; in October of that year he was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Springfield Chapter, No. I ; in
November received the degrees of Royal
and Select Masters in Springfield Council,
No. 2; was knighted in Elmwood Com-
mandery, No. 6, in December, and was
elected Recorder in the same month; and
on October 8, 1884, attained the several
grades in Oriental Consistory of the Scot-
tish Rite, Valley of Chicago. He still re-
tains his membership in all these bodies.
In his lodge he has served as Junior and
Senior Warden; was Worshipful Master
during the years 1884-5; Treasurer of the
commandery for a number of years, and in
1896 was Eminent Commander.
EUBEN NEAL LAWRANCE, I). D.
-Eft S., Lincoln. — In spite of all the sus-
picion raised against Freemasonry by re-
jected men and other unappreciative unbe-
lievers, most men of brains seek to enter
through the gates into the celestial city
built by artistic Masons, to behold and ad-
mire, study and understand, commit to
memory and practice the principles illus-
trated by the architecture within its walls.
564
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
The expense and time required are counted
as nothing compared with the reward.
Dr. Lawrance, one of these men, en-
tered this beautiful mora] city in 1859, in
Wayne Lodge, No. 172, in Illinois. In
1864 he received the capitular degrees in
Goodbroke Chapter, No. 39, at Clinton,
this state; was greeted a Royal and Select
Master, and also created and dubbed a Sir
Knight Templar, at Holly Springs, Missis-
sippi. His present Masonic affiliations are
with Logan Lodge, No. 210, Lincoln Chap-
ter, No. 47, Lincoln Council, and Con-
stantine Commandery, No. 51. Of Holly
Springs Lodge, No. 35, he served as Wor-
shipful Master one year, was High Priest of
Holly Springs Chapter a year, Thrice Illus-
trious Master of Holly Springs Council one
year, Captain-General of Holly Springs
Commandery two years, Eminent Com-
mander of Constantine Commandery here
at Lincoln in 1883, Prelate of that com-
mandery sixteen years and Captain of the
Host of Lincoln Chapter, No. 47. Dr.
Lawrance is well known to be apt and
thorough in the work of the degrees, ap-
preciative of their importance, and his life
is a good illustration of the beneficent prin-
ciples of fraternal union taught in that pe-
culiar college.
Dr. Lawrance was born near Lincoln,
in Logan county, July 13, 1839, and early
during the last war, August 16, 1861, en-
tered the service of his country, as a pri-
vate, in Company F, Thirty-eighth Illinois
Infantry. His faithful service and un-
daunted bravery earned him promotions as
corporal, sergeant-major, first lieutenant of
his company and quartermaster of his regi-
ment. He participated in the siege of Cor-
inth, in May, 1862, in the battles at Cham-
pion Hills, the same year, Knob Gap, Ten-
nessee, in December, 1862, and Stone
River, Tennessee, the same month, in the
last of which he was severely wounded in
the face. Afterward he was engaged in the
battles at Liberty Gap, Tennessee, in June,
1863, and in September following in the
noted battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, in
which he was wounded in the thigh. After
that he was in the Atlanta campaign, in
1864, the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, in
November of that year, and in the battle of
Nashville the next month. He was not
mustered out until March 20, 1866, being
in the army four years and eight months.
Sherman's army, however, of which he was
a member, was mustered out in 1865, but
he was detained on staff duty in New Or-
leans and Texas.
The Doctor was an artist when he en-
tered the army, with his uncle, and after
his discharge from the service began the
study of dentistry, at the Ohio College in
Cincinnati, where he graduated in 1867,
and he began practice at Atlanta, Illinois.
In 1868 he moved to Holly Springs, Missis-
sippi, where he engaged in dentistry until
the outbreak of the yellow-fever panic in
1878, when he carne to Lincoln, which has
ever since been the place of his residence
and the scene of his operations. From
July i, 1886, under Governor Oglesby's ad-
ministration, to Altgeld's inauguration in
January, 1893, he was a member of the
state board of examiners in dental surgery,
of which board he was president for four
years. Also he had been United States in-
spector and supervisor of registration and
election in Mississippi at the time of the
election of R. B. Hayes as president of the
United States, when a most delicate situa-
tion existed and when but the smallest
spark might have precipitated the nation
into a fiercer war than that of the great
Rebellion.
Dr. Lawrance is a consistent member of
the Episcopal church, of which he has been
warden for sixteen years. He was married
in May, 1868, to Miss Mary Cool, in High-
land county, Ohio, and they have two
children.
CAIRO DARIUS TRIMBLE. — Thirty-
1 three years encompass the period of
Mr. Trimble's allegiance to the Masonic
order, than whom there is no more loyal or
enthusiastic member living in the state of
Illinois. Faithful to the teachings of the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
565
blue lodge, and to the principles that have
made this the grandest society ever formed
by man for the benefit of humanity, he has
watched the steady growth of a fraternal
spirit throughout the country, not in an
idle or passive manner, but by assisting its
progress and onward march in every way
possible and giving to it the best energies of
which his nature is capable.
Mr. Trimble dates his connection with
the craft from May 10, 1864, when he was
made a Master Mason in Bureau Lodge,
No. 112, at Princeton, Illinois, from which
he was advanced to the degrees of capitular
Masonry and was exalted to the Holy Royal
Arch in Princeton Chapter, No. 28, on
November 29, 1866, receiving the degrees
of Royal and Select Masters on December
15, following in Orion Council, No. 8, and
attaining the orders of Knighthood in Tem-
ple Commandery, No. 20, on January 14,
1867. Upon moving to Ottawa Mr. Trim-
ble obtained a dimit from those bodies and
placed his membership in Occidental Lodge,
No. 40, Shabbona Chapter, No. 37, Orient-
al Council, No. 63, and Ottawa Com-
mandery, No. 10. While in Princeton he
was elected Secretary of Bureau Lodge,
No. 112, and has served as Eminent Com-
mander of both Temple and Ottawa Com-
manderies, at present being Past Grand
Commander of those bodies in the Grand
Commandery of Illinois. The chairs to
which Mr. Trimble has been called have
been filled with intelligence- and fidelity,
and our brother richly deserves the high
consideration and confidence in which he is
held by his confreres.
The city of Wilmington, Ohio, marks
the place of Mr. Trimblte's birth, which
occurred there on July 18, 1829. Upon
taking up his residence in Princeton, Illi-
nois, he attended the public and high
schools of that place, supplementing the
start thus obtained by a course of study at
Eureka College. Most of his youth was
spent on a farm, and after leaving college
he took up the vocation of teacher, follow-
ing that until failing health compelled him
to return to the farm, which he did in the
year 1855. He remained on the farm until
the fall of 1860, when he was appointed
deputy clerk of the circuit court, and then
subsequently was elected clerk of the county
court of Bureau county. In his politics he
is a stanch Republican, and has held the
offices of deputy clerk of the circuit court,
clerk of the county court, clerk of the
appellate court for the second district, and
clerk of the supreme court of the northern
grand division of Illinois, discharging the
duties of those positions with ability, and
to the eminent satisfaction of his party and
the public. At the close of his term as
clerk of the supreme court, in the year
1880, he engaged in the manufacture of
glass at Ottawa, in which he continued
until the fall of 1894. In March, 1896, Mr.
Trimble became the editor and publisher of
the Ottawa Journal, one of the leading
newspapers of the state, and has continued
as such with his usual application and untir-
ing energy.
On March 27, 1856, was celebrated, at
Princeton, Illinois, the marriage of Mr.
Trimble and Miss Clara A. Dwight, of Bel-
chertown, Massachusetts. They have had
the following named children: George M.,
born November 7, 1857; Clara E., born
December 29, 1862; and Fannie M., born
September 10, 1865. Mr. Trimble is a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and both he and his wife enjoy
the warm regard of their hosts of friends.
CB. MORROW, a successful business
man of Chicago, is one of the leading
and influential members of Thomas J.
Turner Lodge, No. 409, A. F. & A. M. He
was raised to the sublime degree of a Mas-
ter Mason in 1893, since which time he has
been most zealous in preserving and pro-
tecting the ancient landmarks of the craft,
has been active in the practical working of
the order and has for three years acceptably
served as Secretary of the lodge. The de-
grees of capitular Masonry were conferred
upon him in Washington Chapter, No. 42,
and he was dubbed and created a Sir
56(5
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Knight in Apollo Commandery, No. i, K.
T. He yet continues his connection with
these organizations, and faithfully follows
the teachings of the blue lodge and chapter
and observes the vows of knighthood.
Mr. Morrow was born in Rochester,
New York, on the 5th of October, 1857,
and was reared in the Empire state. His
business training was in the line of mercan-
tile pursuits and from his youth he has been
dependent upon his own resources, so that
the success he has achieved in life is due
entirely to his own efforts. He came to
Chicago about 1883 and has been a resi-
dent of the city continuously since. For
the past three years he has been engaged
in the manufacture of display fixtures. The
importance of this business is little esti-
mated. Viewing results one scarcely stops
to think of causes that produced them, yet
a careful consideration of the subject at
once shows us that an important part of
the business of mercantile life is the attract-
ive display that can be made of the goods.
It is often this more than the persuasion of
a salesman that creates the demand, and
thoroughly understanding this, Mr. Morrow
has given his attention and energies to the
manuiacture of display fixtures. In this
line he has built up a good trade and re-
ceives patronage from some of the largest
houses of the city, also has a large business
created by the demand for his products in
smaller towns. He is a wide-awake, pro-
gressive business man, energetic and enter-
prising, and his careful management and
well-directed efforts have brought to him a
merited prosperity.
H
[ENSON ROBINSON. — The gentle-
1 man whose name introduces this bio-
graphical review is one who has long
figured prominently as a business man of
Springfield, Illinois, and who has been in-
timately associated with the Masonic fra-
ternity for about twenty-seven years. All
these years he has led an honorable and
upright life, in strict conformity to the
teaching of Masonry, and has a character
that is above reproach. His career, briefly
reviewed, is as follows:
Henson Robinson was born in Xenia,
Greene county, Ohio, March 14, 1839, and
there learned the tinner's trade in his
youth. In 1858 he came west to Illinois,
landing at Springfield, July i, and here he
has since maintained his home. His first
year in Springfield was spent in attending
school. Then he worked as a journeyman
at his trade until March 13, 1861, when he
engaged in business for himself under the
firm name of Henson Robinson Company,
beginning without means and working his
way up until he gained a footing with the
leading business men of the city. He deals
in stoves and house-furnishing goods of a
kindred character, and manufactures gal-
vanized iron cornice and fronts, for some
years past employing from twenty-five to
thirty men and doing an annual business of
sixty thousand dollars. Thus from a poor
journeyman tinner has Mr. Robinson
climbed the ladder of success until to-day
he is at the head of the largest establish-
ment of its kind in the city of Springfield.
He was married in this city. May 8,
1 86 1, to Miss Henrietta M. Keyes, daughter
of James W. Keyes, who located here as
early as 1831. Mr. Keyes was an honored
Mason, a member of Springfield Lodge, No.
4, A. F. & A. M. To Mr. and Mrs. Robin-
son three children were given, two daugh-
ters and a son, namely: Lydia M., Margaret
H. and Charles Henson. Death entered
the family circle August 1 1, 1895, and bore
away the eldest child, Lydia M. , whose
early departure cast a gloom over the home
and the social circle of which she was an
ornament. She was an accomplished and
charming young lady, loved most dearly by
those who knew her best, and was in the
prime of bright womanhood and usefulness
when she was summoned home. Her
Christian character has left its impression
wherever she went.
Mr. Robinson as a citizen has always
shown himself to be public-spirited and en-
terprising, interested in all that pertains to
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONftr IN ILLINOIS.
5(57
the welfare of his city and country and
ready to lend his support to any measure or
movement intended, in his opinion, for
their good. Frequently he has been hon-
ored with positions of local prominence and
trust. He served three terms on the
Springfield board of supervisors; several
years was a member of the board of educa-
tion, one year as its chairman; was one of
the projectors and builders of the Citizens'
Street Railroad, of which company he
served five or six years as treasurer; and in
1878 and 1879 he was treasurer of the
Sangamon County Agricultural Society. In
1 878 he was a candidate on the National
Temperance ticket for the office of mayor
in opposition to both the old political par-
ties, and was beaten by only one hundred
and twenty-one votes.
Turning now to the Masonic record of
Mr. Robinson, we find that he was made a
Master Mason in Springfield Lodge, No. 4,
A. F. & A. M., and ever since that date
has filled either an elective or appointive
office in the lodge, for the past twenty-two
years serving as its Treasurer. Also for
twenty-two years he has been Treasurer of
Springfield Chapter, No. i. He is a mem-
ber of Springfield Council, No. 2, and El-
wood Commandery, No. 6, in the latter of
which he served six years as Treasurer; and
has a membership in Oriental Consistory,
of Chicago. From the beginning of the
organization of the Masons' Orphans' Home
in Chicago he took a deep interest in the
enterprise and was elected one of its first
trustees. His name is engraved on the
tablet that adorns the hall of the Home.
Thus has his connection with these Masonic
bodies been long and intimate. He loves
the order and loves the society of Masons,
and by his true, unselfish, loyal life has
made himself worthy of the confidence and
high esteem the brotherhood has conferred
upon him.
Mr. Robinson is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church and has been
a trustee of the church organization to
which he belongs for over twenty-eight
years.
THOMAS SCOTT AND SAMUEL
YATES BALDWIN, of Quincy, have
not only been prominent in Masonic circles
of their home city but have also achieved
world-renowned fame as daring aeronauts,
and the history of their career, as well as
their Masonic record, will without doubt
prove of great interest to our readers.
Their ancestors were English who in the
mother country belonged to the nobility, a
fac-simile of the coat of arms being at the
present time in the possession of the Bald-
win family. Dr. Samuel Yates Baldwin,
the father of our subjects, was a native of
Syracuse, New York, and when a young
man came to Illinois, where he was mar-
ried, in the city of Wilmington, to Miss
Elizabeth Jane Sibathan. He was a gen-
tleman of considerable education, having
been graduated in both the professions of
law and medicine, and naturally became a
valuable acquisition to the state in which
he had taken up his abode. He was a man
of influence and ability, a leading Demo-
crat and a warm personal friend of Senator
Stephen A. Douglas and other prominent
568
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
members of his party in Illinois at that
time, and on one occasion was a candidate
for congress. He accumulated considera-
ble property, but the failure of his health
obliged him to seek a change of climate
and he went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in
a vain hope of recuperating his physical
powers, as his death occurred in that city
in 1865. His wife and four children sur-
vived him and the former made every effort
to preserve the property, but without avail.
Meeting with repeated adversity her health
and spirits were broken and in 1876 she
passed away from all earthly sorrows. The
children were left in comparatively poor
circumstances, but the two youths, both of
whom were bright and energetic, at once
sought employment and began to earn their
living by delivering the Herald to its
patrons and later lit the lamps of the city.
Subsequently, notwithstanding the fact
that so far as they were aware there had
never been any athletes among their an-
cestors, they discovered that they possessed
talent in that direction, which they quickly
developed and soon after secured an en-
gagement with a traveling show as acrobats
and trapeze performers. They became as-
sociated with the Great Eastern Circus and
followed the fascinating life of the ring for
Some time, but while in Texas the combi-
nation failed and Messrs. Baldwin were
turned adrift with but little money and less
prospect of obtaining any more.
Reduced to straightened circumstances
they finally conceived the idea of giving
street exhibitions of tight-rope walking,
taking up a collection at the conclusion of
each entertainment from those who had
witnessed their deeds of daring and feats of
strength and agility, and in this manner
added considerably to their store of worldly
goods. The great possibilities connected
with balloon ascensions next occurred to
them and they spent some time studying
the subject from a scientific standpoint,
which resulted in their inventing the para-
chute, and to them is due the credit of
making the first successful descent from a
balloon in that manner. This novel method
of dropping to the earth from an altitude of
several thousand feet attracted universal at^
tention and their fame quickly spread, not
only through' the United States, but even all
over the world. They traversed the globe
twice, giving their wonderful exhibitions in
all the principal cities and before the
crowned heads of Europe, many of whom
they met personally. While they were in
London, England, making an ascension be-
fore the Prince of Wales, T. S. Baldwin
performed the remarkable feat of rising to
the height of a mile and descending by par-
achute to the exact spot from which he had
ascended. After attaining the greatest pos-
sible renown in the countries of Europe, the
brothers returned to the United States, and,
coming to Quincy, gave an exhibition from
what is now known as Baldwin's Park, as
they have since become its owners. A vast
concourse of people assembled from all the
adjacent cities, towns and villages, and the
citizens of Quincy were so pleased with the
performance that they had made a large
gold badge, valued at four hundred and fifty
dollars, besides raising a purse of a similar
amount, which were presented with a neat
speech by Judge Carter, of the supreme
court. In connection with the monetary
success of Messrs. Baldwin, it may be in-
teresting to know that they frequently re-
ceived one thousand, one thousand five
hundred, and sometimes three thousand dol-
lars for a single ascension, as a result of
which they have accumulated a comfortable
fortune, with the added pleasure of having
seen the greater part of the world.
Deciding to locate in the city of their
nativity, the brothers purchased thirty-
three acres of land — Baldwin's Park — in
which are located a handsome, commodious
hotel and other large buildings for the ac-
commodation of school picnics and exer-
cises of every description, the league base-
ball grounds, a half-mile race-track, and a
pretty lake. One of the most unique at-
tractions is the large captive balloon, which
has a capacity of one hundred and five
thousand cubic feet, is ninety feet in height,
and has an ascension power of seven
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
569
thousand pounds. It carries twenty pas-
sengers, and when it is anchored at a great
altitude a magnificent view can be had of
Quincy and the surrounding country as far
as the eye can reach. The construction
and methods of operating the balloon can-
not be given in detail, but it is sufficient to
say that it is a scientific wonder and the re-
sult of the brothers' own genius. They
conduct a balloon and parachute man-
ufactory and are capable of producing
everything necessary in that line. They
have demonstrated their business acumen
by being the originators of balloon adver-
tising, and they have made four hundred
and fifty ascensions, and remarkable as it
may seem, have never met with an acci-
dent.
Samuel Yates Baldwin, the elder of the
two, was born in Decatur, Illinois, on Oc-
tober 14, 1855, soon after which he was
brought to Quincy by his parents and here
obtained his education in the public schools.
He was made a Mason in Bodley Lodge,
No. i, in 1892, was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Quincy
Chapter, No. 5, March 29, received the de-
grees of Royal and Select Masters in Quincy
Council, No. 15. August 8, 1896, and was
created a Sir Knight in Beauseant Com-
mandery. No. 11, November 11, 1892. He
is a member of the Grand Lodge, Knights
of Pythias and stanch supporter of the
Democratic party. He has charge of the
manufacturing department of the balloon
business with which he is connected. In
1878 he was married to Miss Elizabeth
Wheeler, of Quincy, and they have had
four children, namely: Charles, who was
accidentally drowned in his fourteenth year,
Samuel Y. , Jr., Florence, Carrie and Ein-
ogene.
Thomas Scott Baldwin was born in
Quincy on June 30, 1858, and for a while
attended the public schools of his native
city. He became an Entered Apprentice
in Strand Lodge, No. 1987, at London, En-
gland, in 1887, and took the degrees of
Fellow-craft and Master Mason in Bodley
Lodge, No. i, in 1891. He was exalted a
Royal Arch Mason in Quincy Chapter, No.
5, March 29, 1892, was created a Sir Knight
in Beauseant Commandery, No. I i , on No-
vember 17, and attained the ineffable degree
of Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in
Quincy Consistory February 24, 1891. As
a member of the fraternity Mr. Baldwin
found it most pleasant, during his travels
twice around the world, to meet wherever
he went other fratrcs, who always extended
to him their friendship and the hospitality
of their homes.
While Mr. Baldwin is the inventor of
parachutes without ribs and the originator
of parachute descensions in the world,
strange to say he has a book on balloons
published by a Thomas Baldwin in 1785.
Mr. Baldwin was married in 1887 to
Miss Carrie Pool, of Quincy, the result of
this union being one son, Thomas A , who is
now six years of age. In politics Mr. Bald-
win is a Democrat. He is one of the popu-
lar and public-spirited citizens of Quincy,
and is in charge of the entertainments at
Baldwin Park.
LT. HOY.— That the local Masonic
bodies are in a flourishing and prosper-
ous condition is largely due to the energy
and progressiveness of such brothers as he
whose name heads this review. Faithful
to every principle incorporated in the laws
of the society, he has been a worthy f rater,
and has filled many responsible offices with
credit and ability. Mr. Hoy was made a
Master Mason in St. Mark's Lodge, No. 63,
at Woodstock, Illinois, in 1888, was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Woodstock Chapter, No. 36, and was
created a Sir Knight in Calvary Command-
ery, No. 25, in the same year. He has
been honored with the chairs of Worship-
ful Master, Master of the Third Veil, Emi-
nent Commander for two years, and was
Deputy District Grand Master of the fourth
district, serving as such for two terms.
Mr. Hoy was born in McHenry county,
Illinois, October 28, 1850, and is the son
of M. D. and Catherine M. (Alberty) Hoy,
570
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS,
the former of whom is a native of New
York, coming to this county in 1844. He
has been a prominent merchant and banker
of Woodstock for many years, Mrs. Hoy
was born in New York, her death occurring
in 1862. Our subject was one of seven
children and was reared and educated in
the public and high schools of Woodstock.
When eighteen years old he entered the
employ of a drug firm, with which he re-
mained for three years and then embarked
in business for himself, and as the result of
his energy, perseverance and honorable
methods, he has become one of the most
prosperous and successful druggists in the
city. He has built up a large trade and
numbers among his patrons the best people
of Woodstock.
In his party affiliations Mr. Hoy is a
stanch Republican, and has filled several
local offices. He has been a delegate to
the congressional and state conventions,
and has served as chairman of the Repub-
lican county central committee for the past
six years, treasurer of the city council,
county supervisor for eight years, and was
one of the officers of the Agricultural Fair
Association. He has been active in all
lines of party work, and has rendered in-
valuable assistance during the campaigns.
Our subject was married in 1875 to
Miss Anna A. Vandebogert, at Palmyra,
New York, and they have two sons: Clin-
ton L., at present a student in the Chicago
University; and Eugene R., who is attend-
ing the University of Wisconsin. During
their long residence in Woodstock Mr. and
Mrs. Hoy have gained a large number of
warm personal friends, who hold them in
high esteem.
HENRY OSTERMAN, a Royal Arch
Mason of Chicago, has been identified
with the fraternity since 1890, in which
year he was initiated as an Entered Ap-
prentice in Thomas J. Turner Lodge, No.
409, A. F. & A. M. He passed the Fel-
low-craft degree and was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason. He has al-
ways been active and faithful in the work
of the order, and in 1 8g6 was honored by
the brethren by being chosen Worshipful
Master. He served most acceptably in
that position, laboring earnestly for the in-
terests of the society. He is not only well
versed in the work of the lodge-room but
also follows the humanitarian principles
which recognize the brotherhood of the race
and extend the helping hand to the needy.
In 1892 he took the degrees of Mark Mas-
ter, Past Master, Most Excellent Master
and was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Wiley M. Egan Chap-
ter, No. 126.
Mr. Osterman has spent his entire life
in the two chief cities of the nation. He
was born in New York, on the 2ist of July,
1863, but when four years of age was
brought by his parents to Chicago, where
he was reared to manhood. He obtained
his education in the public-schools and
when he laid aside his text-books entered
upon his business career to make his own
way in the world. For some time he has
been employed as agent and collector and
has been very successful in that capacity.
On the gth of March, 1884, Mr. Oster-
man was united in marriage to Miss Emma
Hoeber, who was born in Buffalo, New York.
They have two children, a son and daughter.
GEORGE BESORE, a miller at Urbana,
is an exemplary Mason who fills the
office of Treasurer in three bodies of Ma-
sonry— Urbana Lodge, No. 157, Urbana
Chapter, No. 80, and Urbana Commandery,
No. 1 6, and besides he is a member of Ur-
bana Council, No. 19, R. & S. M. He at-
tended the triennial conclave of Knights
Templar at Denver, and in many ways has
he exhibited his interest in the cause of that
order which has had a more glorious history
than any other in the world.
Mr. Besore was born in Franklin county,
Pennsylvania, December 20, 1832, educated
in the public schools and came to Urbana
in 1 866 and engaged in contracting for
building until 1876, when he entered the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
571
lumber business, which he carried on until
1895. He then bought the mill which he
now owns and runs. He is a faithful busi-
ness man and a useful citizen, interested in
the public welfare. He has been city alder-
man for several years, was a member of
the school board, is a director of the public
library, a director of the Building & Loan
Association, vice-president of both these in-
stitutions and is a member and trustee of
the Presbyterian church.
f| RTHUR G. JACKSON, a popular and
JtAi. enterprising dealer in dry goods and
shoes at Mount Carroll, Illinois, has been
identified with Masonry during the past
decade and in this time has frequently been
honored with official positions by his brother
Masons. The three degrees of blue Ma-
sonry were conferred upon him by Vienna
Lodge, No. 1 50, on the evenings of Decem-
ber 19, 1885, and January 27 and February
1 6, 1886. December 7, 1886, he was
elected Secretary of the lodge, and served
as such two years, following which he was
elected to and served in the offices of
Senior Deacon, Senior Warden and Wor-
shipful Master, in all of which he ren-
dered impressive and highly appreciated
work. He joined Vienna Chapter, No.
67, R. A. M., in 1895, receiving the
degree of Mark Master, May 21, the
Past Master and Most Excellent Master,
May 27, and the Royal Arch, June 3. Later
he changed his membership from Vienna
Lodge to Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, with which
he has been affiliated since July 3, 1894;
and his chapter membership has since Sep-
tember 20, 1895, been with Lanark Chap-
ter. Both Mr. Jackson and his wife have
threaded the labyrinth of the Eastern Star
and are acceptable members of this order
at Mount Carroll, Mrs. Jackson being one
of its officers. While a resident of Vienna
Mr. Jackson served as Worthy Patron of
the Star.
Turning now for brief mention of some
of the salient points in his life aside from
those connected with his Masonic history,
we find that Mr. Jackson was born in
Vienna, Illinois, July i, 1863, son of Samuel
and Frances P. (Bain) Jackson, both natives
of the town of Vienna, where for many
years Samuel Jackson has been engaged in
merchandising and dealing in agricultural
implements. He and his wife have reared
eight children and their family circle has
never been broken by death. Religiously,
the parents are devoted members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Arthur G. Jackson, the second born in
32*
this family, grew up in his native town, and
the education which he received in its pub-
lic schools was supplemented by a course
in the Normal School at Carbondale.
When a boy of only twelve years he began
assisting his father in the store, early be-
came familiar with the various details of
the business, has continued in this line ever
since and has proven himself a successful
merchant. He was for eight years in busi-
ness for himself at Vienna, during that
time also having the agency for the Ameri-
can and Adams express companies, and
since February, 1892, has been conducting
572
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
his present store at Mount Carroll, where
he carries a large and well assorted stock
of 'dry goods and boots and shoes.
Mr. Jackson was married in 1887 to
Miss D. May Copeland, a native of Old
Caledonia. Illinois. Their happy union has
been blessed with a son and daughter,
Arthur C. and Margaret C.
In his political views Mr. Jackson is a
staunch Republican.
vice-president and one of the directors of
the Clinton State Bank ever since its or-
ganization.
DR. J. M. WILCOX, physician and sur-
' geon at Clinton, has taken an active
interest in the Masonic fraternity ever since
he saw the inner light. His initiation was
in Cavanaugh Lodge, No. 36, and he now
affiliates with De Witt Lodge, No. 84.
The Royal Arch degrees were conferred
upon him in Goodbrake Chapter, No. 69,
with which he still affiliates; and the Knight
Templar degrees were conferred upon him
in Clinton Commandery, No. 66, to which
body he yet belongs and of which he has
been Eminent Commander. He is also a
member of the order of Knights of Pythias.
Dr. Wilcox was born at Elizabeth, Illi-
nois, October 3, 1846, and graduated at the
University of Wisconsin and at the Ger-
man-English Normal School. Afterward
he taught school four years in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, and was principal of the schools
at Elizabeth for a time. In medicine he
graduated in the medical department of the
Northwestern University, March 4, 1879.
Then he was located at Kenney for a few
months, and in 1880 came to Clinton,
where he has since been successfully en-
gaged in the practice of his favorite profes-
sion. He is a member of the De Witt
County Medical Society, the Central Illi-
nois Medical Society, the Illinois State
Medical Society and of the American Med-
ical Association. He is the district surgeon
for the Illinois Central Railroad Company.
Of the city he has been alderman and pres-
ident of the school board for a number of
years. He is intimate with the financial
standing of the community, having been
FE. HOBERG, attorney at law, Peru,
__ Illinois, is a "high" Mason, enthusias-
tic, appreciative and well posted. Among
the offices he has held in the order are
those of Worshipful Master of St. John's
Lodge, No. 13, High Priest of Peru Chapter,
No. 60, R. A. M., Thrice Illustrious Master
of Peru Council, No. 12, R. & S. M., and
Eminent Commander of St. John Command-
ery, No. 26, Knights Templar, — all of
Peru. The council degrees, however, he
received in Oriental Council, No. 63. In
the Grand Council of the state he is Grand
Captain of the Guard. He is also a member
of Amaranth Chapter, No. 296, Order of
the Eastern Star, of Peru. He is a member of
the committee on condition of the rite and
representative of the Grand Council in
Kansas.
In religion he is a Lutheran and in politics
he is a Democrat.
Mr. Hoberg is a native of the city of
which he is still a resident, born December
29, 1862, and at the age of fifteen years
began life in commercial business, in Peru,
and after seven years' experience in this
line he commenced the study of law, under
the instruction of H. M. Gallagher, Esq.,
and was admitted to the bar, September
22, 1887. Shortly afterward he opened an
office here and has ever since been suc-
cessfully engaged in the practice of his
favorite profession. He is now serving his
ninth year as city attorney and member of
the board of education. He has also held
the offices of city clerk, town clerk and
supervisor, etc.
In 1888 he was united in marriage with
Miss Anna R. Knapp and he now has five
children.
WILLIAM BOLDENWECK.— To the
German stock that has taken up its
abode in our midst is America indebted for
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
573
many of this country's enterprises, which
have been given an impetus by the Teuton's
intelligent appreciation of existing condi-
tions and his ability for directing affairs of a
material nature along secure lines of en-
deavor. Representatives of the fatherland
have found here unrivaled opportunities to
develop and bring into practical operation
their native talent for conducting extensive
enterprises and bring to a successful con-
clusion any undertaking with which they
may become allied. They are among our
most patriotic citizens, loyally uphold our
national institutions, and as the possessors
of official preferment and in many other
ways they demonstrate their unalterable
allegiance to the flag of their adopted
country. The subject of this review has
for a number of years been prominently iden-
tified with the business and political interests
of the city of Chicago, where, by his unswerv-
ing integrity and honorable methods in all
his dealings, he has gained the confidence
and respect of his fellow citizens, and it is
such men as Mr. Boldenweck that the order
of Freemasonry welcomes into her temple,
knowing that he will adhere to, and value
the principles and teachings of, the time-
honored craft.
Mr. Boldenweck was elected an En-
tered Apprentice, passed the Fellow-craft
and raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Golden Rule Lodge, No. 726, in
1896; he was exalted to the august degree
of the Holy Royal Arch in York Chapter,
No. 148, R. A. M., and is a worthy follower
of capitular Masonry, which in its symbolic
teachings illustrates the beautiful and im-
pressive legends of the past. He received
the grades and orders of the Scottish Rite
in Oriental Consistory, wherein he attained
the thirty-second degree and was proclaimed
a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret.
Upon accomplishing a successful pilgrimage
across the sands of the desert he was elected
a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple. His manifest honesty
of purpose in all the relations of life and his
earnest and zealous adherence to the pre-
cepts and tenets of the order have secured
to him a marked popularity in the local
bodies, for he has ever been true to himself
as both a man and a Mason.
The birth of Mr. Boldenweck occurred
in the German empire, on the gth of Au-
gust, 1851, and when but three years old
his parents emigrated with him to the
United States, subsequently locating in Chi-
cago, where, in the month following their
arrival, both the father and mother suc-
cumbed to the cholera, which was at that
time raging with such fatality. The in-
tellectual discipline of Mr. Boldenweck was
obtained in the public schools of Chicago,
which he attended until thirteen years old,
at that age being apprenticed to the tin-
smith trade. He was alert and ambitious,
however, and later became a bookkeeper,
eventually engaging in the cut-stone and
contracting business, which he followed
until his retirement, in 1887. Healsodealt
to some extent in real estate and mortgages
and his business career has been such as to
greatly redound to his honor as well as to
the credit of the city he has chosen as his
home and field of successful endeavor.
A man of more than ordinary executive
ability and intrinsic worth, Mr. Bolden-
weck has frequently been called upon to
occupy positions of trust and responsibility,
and he has shown the same fidelity, careful
consideration of details and integrity that
distinguished his business career and made
it the success it was. He had the distinct
honor of being the first and only mayor
ever elected in the city of Lake View; he
has been a member of the board of educa-
tion, and is serving his second term as one
of the drainage trustees; he was appointed
by Mayor Cregier as one of the organizers
of the World's Columbian Exposition. Mr.
Boldenweck brought to these offices a high
degree of intelligence and accomplished the
discharge of the duties pertaining thereto in
a most efficient and satisfactory manner.
The marriage of Mr. Boldenweck was
celebrated on the 25th of March, 1873,
when he was united to Miss Adelheid G.
Samme, a native of Chicago and a most
574
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
estimable woman, whose many excellent
qualities of mind and character have en-
deared her to a host of friends.
JOSEPH HARRISON COLLINS DILL.
-The laudable object of Freemasonry
naturally appeals to every man whose
soul is possessed of a love for his Heavenly
Father, a warm affection for his fellow men
and a sincere respect for honesty and in-
tegrity. To attain a perfect condition of
brotherhood and an ideal state of existence
is perhaps a dream that will never be real-
ized as long as sordid selfishness and the
bitter struggle for supremacy continue,
but the efforts of the fraternity are slowly
merging in that direction, and none can tell
to what heights of human happiness it may
yet soar. Certain it is that those who are
giving it the benefit of their aid merit the
gratitude of their fellow beings in their en-
deavor.") to place humanity upon the high-
est pinnacle of earthly peace and content-
ment.
Among the worthy members of the or-
der in Illinois who have given unmistakable
evidence of their great interest and faith in
the craft is Mr. Dill, who for thirty-one
years has devoted his energies to the cause
of the local bodies with which he is affil-
iated. He was initiated in Heyworth
Lodge, No. 251, on December 20, 1866,
passed February 23, 1867, and raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason on
March 30. In this lodge he was Senior
Warden during the year 1875, and was its
Worshipful Master in 1876 and 1877. He
was exalted to a Royal Arch Mason in Good-
brake Chapter, No. 59, at Clinton, Illinois,
August 25, 1 88 1; received the degrees of
Royal and Select Masters on May 4, 1882;
and was constituted a Sir Knight in De
Molay Commandery, No. 24, K. T. , on
March 12, 1883. He attained the degrees
in the Scottish Rite bodies, from the fourth
to the thirty-second, on April 13, 14 and
15, 1896, and was District Deputy Grand
Master of the fifteenth district for the years
1882-3-4-5, was Deputy Grand Lecturer
from 1881 to 1893, and is the present
Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Illi-
nois, having been elected to that office on
October 4, 1893. His adherency to the
Masonic Veteran Association dates from
October 4, 1894, and he is a member of
Sherman Post, No. 146, Grand Army of
the Republic, which he joined September
23, 1885. Mr. Dill's relations with his
fratres have been of the most pleasant na-
ture, his generous disposition and kindness
of heart endearing him to every one who
has the pleasure of his acquaintance. His
conduct is based on the theory that if one
desires friends he must first show himself
friendly, that it is better to say good things
of the living than of them when they are
gone, and that one should bring a smile to
the faces of those he loves rather than a
tear or frown. The best way to serve God
is to serve well our fellow man.
Mr. Dill was born July 24, 1836, at
Haddonfield, Camden county, New Jersey,
his parents being Jacob S. and Mary Dill.
They were a most admirable couple, and
their good example and words of admoni-
tion made a lasting impression on our sub-
ject and influenced his entire career. He
attended school at Haddonfield, where his
studies were few and his advantages very
limited. It was his early ambition to be
dependent on no one, but to make his own
way in the world, and with this object in
view he left his home in November, 1851,
and obtained a position as clerk in the store
of A. C. Clement, in Haddonfield. Subse-
quently he went to Philadelphia, and on
April 14, 1855, began clerking for the firm
of Curwen Stoddart & Brother, with which
he remained until March, 1858. On April
21 he left Philadelphia and came to Jasper
county, Illinois, and there on the wild
prairies, which were then in their pristine
condition, he commenced the life of a pio-
neer farmer.
During the war of the Rebellion Mr.
Dill performed brave and meritorious service
on the field of battle. He enlisted in Com-
pany I, Sixty-third Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, on December I, 1861, was mustered
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOr
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
577
in as second lieutenant April 10, 1862,
promoted as first lieutenant November 22,
1863, and to the rank of captain June 15,
1865. His regiment was attached to the
Fifteenth Army Corps, commanded by
General John A. Logan, and was in the
sieges of Vicksburg and Atlanta and the
battles of Missionary Ridge, Savannah,
Bentonville and a number of smaller en-
gagements. He was with Sherman's army
a greater part of the time, and was with
that famous general in his celebrated march
to the sea.
In 1866 Mr. Dill moved to Heyworth
and engaged in buying and shipping grain.
The following year he went into the hard-
ware business, to which he later added
groceries, and continued in that vocation
until 1 88 1, when he was appointed Deputy
Grand Lecturer, after which most of his
time was occupied in lecturing lodges. In
1884 he moved to Bloomington and has
made this city his home ever since. He
was township collector in 1870 and census
enumerator in 1880.
Mr. Dill was married on April 14, 1858,
at Philadelphia, to Miss Anna Massey
Kimber, and they have had three children,
of whom the following record is given: Ell-
wood Walter, born October 15, 1859, and
died in New Mexico March 13, 1893; Joseph
Harrison Collins, Jr., born October 2O,
1 86 1, died in Chicago, May 31, 1892; and
Charles Dudley Hendry, born and died
September 8, 1867.
The ideas of God and religion possessed
by our subject were largely obtained from
the example of a good mother and his early
associations with the Society of Friends.
He believes in the mercy and goodness of
the Supreme Being, who will reward the
good deeds of man in another world, the en-
trance to which is through the portals of
what we call death. He is an upright citi-
zen and a credit to the community in which
he lives.
WILLIAM BRYAN CARLOCK, of
Bloomington, is one of the promi-
nent Masons of central Illinois and one in
whose life has been exemplified the teach-
ings of this ancient and honored order. A
fit subject for biographical honors, his life
history is turned to by the writer with no
little degree of satisfaction.
William Bryan Carlock was born March
15, 1842, in White Oak Grove, Woodford
county, Illinois. His father, Abraham W.
Carlock, was born in West Virginia, in the
year 1800, and was of German parentage,
while his mother was of English and Scotch-
Irish extraction. The subject of this sketch
was reared on a farm, received his early
education in the common schools and
taught district schools with marked success.
He entered upon his collegiate course at the
age of twenty, and graduated with the high-
est honors of his class at Lombard Univer-
sity, Galesburg, Illinois, June, 1867. He
entered the law department of the Univer-
sity of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and com-
pleted the full law course of that widely
renowned institution in the spring of 1869.
In his school life he was a close and faith-
ful student, a forceful and argumentative
debater in the lyceum and generally master
of all questions and problems presented him
for inquiry. His examinations in the lec-
ture room and for admission to the bar
showed the highest attainments in the sev-
eral branches of the law. In the year
1870 he was admitted to practice, after a
course of study in the office of the then
well-known firm of Williams & Burr.
His advance in his profession has been
rapid, marked with honesty, ability and
energy, and to-day he stands in the front
ranks of the McLean county bar, with a
large clientage and a lucrative law and
loaning business. As a speaker he is en-
thusiastic, logical and convincing, and has
conducted with success the trials of many
important cases, two of which were for
murder. He is noted for accuracy and
thoroughness in his brief work and for be-
ing systematic in the arrangement and
preparation of his cases for the considera-
tion of the court or jury. He is a good
German scholar and has shown high attain-
ments as a German speaker, having ac-
.578
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
quired that language at the age of twenty-
five, and these acquirements have contrib-
uted in no small degree to his success. He
has made choice and profitable investments
in real estate and owns some fine farms in
Illinois, a large tract of land in South Da-
kota, besides valuable real estate in the
city where he resides.
Mr. Carlock is a man of family. Octo-
ber 6, 1870, was consummated his marriage
to Miss Missouri McCart, an attractive
and accomplished young lady. To them
two promising sons have been given, Leslie
Bryan and William Clifton, both now grown
to manhood. Leslie Bryan is now associ-
ated with his father in business, and, like
him, has made considerable advancement
in Masonry, having taken all the degrees in
the York Rite, except those of the Com-
mandery.
In religion Mr. Carlock is a pronounced
Unitarian and for a number of years was
one of the trustees of the Unitarian church
of Bloomington.
Politically he is a stanch Democrat,
though not a bitter partisan, and has al-
ways manifested a reasonable independence
in casting his vote. He has been a hard
political worker and is influential with the
common people.
Having thus briefly touched upon some
of the salient points in his history, we now
revert to that part of his life which has to
do with Masonry. He was created a Master
Mason on the i8th of September, 1888,
taking all of his blue-lodge degrees in Mo-
zart German Lodge, No. 656. He was
twice elected Worshipful Master of this
lodge and with credit to himself conferred
the degrees in conformity to the German
standard work, corresponding to the English
standard. It is said of Mr. Carlock that he
is one of the best posted Masons in the state
of Illinois, in the ritualism and history of
the order, in both English and German.
He has taken all the degrees in Masonry in
the York Rite, and all except the thirty-
third degree in the Scottish Rite. Twice
he has been elected High Priest of Bloom-
ington Chapter, No. 26, R. A. M.; was four
times elected Thrice Illustrious Master of
Bloomington Council, No. 43, Royal and
Select Masters, and was appointed by Grand
Master Lord, Deputy in Charge of the Fifth
Arch, and re-appointed by Grand Master
Gross to the same office. On October 27,
1897, he was appointed Grand Marshal of
the Grand Council by S. O. Spring, Grand
Master, and he has, besides holding these
offices, served on some important com-
mittees in that body. Three times he was
chosen Junior Warden of De Molay Com-
mandery, No. 24, and at present is the Sen-
ior Warden of the same. He received the
degree of the Order of High Priesthood in
the Grand Council of Illinois, on October
24, 1895. He was conducted through the
labyrinth of the Order of the Eastern Star
in Bloomington Chapter, No. 50, on Feb-
ruary 3, 1891. In the latter he held the
office of Worthy Patron for the years 1 892
and 1893. He was appointed by the Grand
Chapter, at its meeting in Chicago in 1894,
as a member of the committee to draft, re-
form and systemize the constitution and by-
laws for the government of that body.
After much careful work the committee
submitted its report, which was adopted,
and the constitution and by-laws as prepared
were published.
At the Grand Chapter meeting in Peoria,
October 15, 1896, he was elected as its As-
sociate Grand Patron, and on October 7,
1897, he was elected Worthy Grand Patron
of the Grand Chapter. He was appointed
Deputy Grand Lecturer by Grand Master
Gbddard, on November 13, 1894, and again
reappointed to the same office by Grand
Master Scott, on October 10, 1895. He
was constituted a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine May 29, 1895, in Mohammed
Temple, at Peoria. He is a faithful, cor-
rect and energetic worker in all Masonic
bodies and orders to which he belongs, and
he is a constant reader of Masonic litera-
ture. He holds Masonic principles as near
and dear to his heart as the teachings of
his church, and in contact with the world
and his fellow men he has endeavored to
adhere strictly to the tenets of the Mason's
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
579
profession, namely, "Brotherly Love, Re-
lief and Truth." He loves his fellow men,
takes pleasure in the society of Masons, and
is ever ready and willing to help a worthy
brother Mason in seeking knowledge or aid.
Mr. Carlock is wide-awake in all his under-
takings, is a cultured gentleman, honorable
in all his dealings, courteous and affable
with all, charitable in all worthy matters
and popular with all classes, and has an ex-
tensive acquaintance throughout central
Illinois.
GEORGE STUART is a brother who
understands the purpose of Freema-
sonry and the obligations it imposes upon
the brotherhood in all its bearings, and has
always endeavored to live up to the full re-
quirements. He was elected an Entered
Apprentice, passed the Fellow-craft degree,
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason in Dearborn Lodge, No. 310,
in 1895, and in the same year attained the
ineffable degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret, in Oriental Consistory, Val-
ley of Chicago. He is also a member of
the social branch of Masonry, being a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Stuart is a zealous, painstaking f rater,
genial and companionable, and is popular
n the bodies with which he is affiliated.
Mr. Stuart's native home is Canada,
where he was born April 10, 1856. He
was raised on a farm until fifteen years of
age, attending the district schools when the
opportunity presented itself, and thus ac-
quired his education. He subsequently
started out to win a place for himself in the
world and learned the milling business,
which industry he has continued to follow.
In 1879 he was appointed superintendent of
the American Cereal Company, and has
dispatched the duties devolving upon that
office in a commendable and capable man-
ner. His position in life is the result of in-
dustry, application, honesty of purpose and
a strict integrity of character, which quali-
ties have aroused the strongest feelings of
confidence and regard in those with whom
he is associated, in business as well as in
his social life.
The marriage of Mr. Stuart to Miss
Ellen Shane was celebrated October 14,
1877. Mrs. Stuart is, like her husband, a
native of Canada. Six children have been
born to them, two sons and four daughters.
CHARLES S. SEAVER.— The sum to-
tal of human happiness lies in the con-
tentment of the soul, a social unity of man-
kind, and an entire absence of all selffish
and vain ambitions and desires which cause
in their gratification a bitter struggle for
supremacy. The attainment of this men-
tal and moral condition has been the all-
absorbing object of Freemasonry, and as
the years speed by and are lost in the abyss
of the past, the goal aimed at approaches
nearer and nearer until the hands of time
shall point to its perfect consummation.
One of the worthy and industrious mem-
bers of the craft in Joliet, Illinois, is
Charles S. Seaver, who has been promi-
nently identified with the local bodies of
that city for some years past, during which
time he has been thoroughly in sympathy
with the tenets of the order, and by his
kindly consideration and manly qualities
has won the warm regard of his brothers,
who honor him for his intrinsic worth and
his many excellent traitof : 1 1 • i : : : •
Mr. Seaver was initiated and made a
Master Mason in Matteson Lodge, No. 175,
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Joliet Chapter, No. 27, re-
ceived the degrees of Royal and Select
Master in Joliet Council, No. 82, was cre-
ated a Sir Knight in Joliet Commandery,
No. 4, and attained the ineffable degree of
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in Ori-
ental Consistory at Chicago. He is also a
member of the social branch of Masonry,
being a Noble in the Mystic Shrine in Me-
dinah Temple.
The birth of Mr. Seaver occurred in
Glover, Orleans county, Vermont, August
17, 1853. His youth was spent on a farm,
performing the work incident to such a life
580
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
and attending the public schools of Glover.
When he was fourteen years old the family
removed to Coventry, Vermont, where our
subject lived until he was eighteen years of
age, when his parents died. He then se-
cured a position in a lumber mill, where he
remained for five years. Next he went to
Coaticooke, Canada, and in 1878 embarked
in the grocery business, which he carried
on for three years and a half, at the end of
that time going to Chicago, where he re-
mained for about a year. In 1882 he came
to Joliet and bought out the firm of George
Monroe & Son, retail grocers, and con-
ducted the store for four years. He then
became associated with George H. Monroe,
and they established a wholesale flour,
fruit and produce business, which they
managed until 1886, when Mr. Seaver pur-
chased the interest of his partner and con-
tinued alone until January t, 1897, w'hen
he added a wholesale grocery department
and incorporated a stock company.
Mr. Seaver is a self-made man in the
broadest sense of the word, starting out in
life with no other capital but a pair of stout
arms and firm determination to make a
place for himself in the world. His suc-
cess, although gradual, is now assured, and
is due entirely to his unaided efforts and
personal worth.
In 1874 Mr. Seaver was united in wed-
lock to Miss Ella A. Parker, a native of
Vermont, and they have one daughter,
Maud E. Mr. Seaver is a member of the
Union Club, and he and his family attend
the Episcopal church.
EDMUND BUCKINGHAM, an active
and appreciative member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity in Chicago, has from the
time of his initiation held in high regard
the principles of the order and has, to the
best of his ability, so governed his life as to
conform with its tenets and precepts. Fol-
lowing his election as an Entered Appren-
tice, Mr. Buckingham passed the Fellow-
craft and was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason in Mizpah Lodge, No.
768; was advanced to the Royal Arch de-
grees of capitular Masonry in Delta Chap-
ter, No. 191, received the degrees of Royal
and Select Masters in Temple Council, No.
65, and the orders of Knighthood were con-
ferred upon him in Englewood Command-
ery, No. 59. He is an earnest Mason, an
energetic worker in the bodies with which
he is affiliated, and enjoys the good will
and friendly consideration of his fratres.
Edmund Buckingham is a native of
England, his birth having taken place in
that country in 1859, and there he was
reared, attending the public schools until
he was seventeen years old, when, in 1876,
he decided to try his fortunes in the United
States and embarked for this country, sub-
sequently locating in Chicago. Here he
secured employment with the firm of Swift
& Company, at the Stock Yards, and has
continued with them until the present time,
giving such faithful, capable service that he
was promoted to the position of foreman,
of which he is the present incumbent.
In 1893 Mr. Buckingham was united in
marriage to Miss Lillian R. Archer, also a
native of England, and they have two chil-
dren,— Dora Gertrude and Florence Lillian.
HENRY ADAM HUEFFNER, a zeal-
ous and enthusiastic Mason living in
Virginia, where he has done much to in-
crease the prosperity of the local bodies,
was initiated initiated in Virginia Lodge,
No. 544, on November 17, 1893, passed
January 6, 1894, and was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason on Febru-
ary 3. He was exalted to the august de-
grees of the Royal Arch Mason in Clarke
Chapter, No. 29, at Beardstown, April 24,
1895, and was created a Sir Knight in Hos-
pitaler Commandery, No. 31, at Jackson-
sonville, Illinois, in the same year. In
1896, having accomplished a successful pil-
grimage across the burning sands of the
desert, he became a Noble in the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, holding
his membership in Mohammed Temple, at
Peoria. In his lodge he has served as
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
581
Junior Warden and in that capacity ren-
dered most valuable and efficient service.
A native of Germany, Mr. Hueffner was
born in Neun Kirchen, Baden, on August i,
1844, and when five years old came to the
United States and located at St. Louis,
Missouri, with his parents, Peter J. and
Christina (Kumpf) Hueffner. His father
was by vocation a whip-manufacturer, and
attained the venerable age of eighty-one
years, having been preceded to the land of
eternal rest by his wife while in her forty-
fifth year. They were both devout mem-
bers of the Evangelical church, and were
the parents o three children, two of whom
now survive. Our subject was educated in
the public schools of St. Louis, Missouri,
subsequently entering upon his business
career in a mercantile establishment, but
for the past twenty years he has been
prominently engaged in milling, and is the
proprietor of the Virginia Rolling Mills, be-
sides which he owns the mill at Petersburg,
Illinois. Mr. Hueffner possesses an active
mentality and a progressive nature, and as
a natural consequence of this combination
he has invented several improvements in
connection with milling and the manufact-
ure of the new-process flour, one of them
being called Hueffner's Wave Corrugation,
which is of great value to the trade and is
in general use throughout the country. He
is engaged in its manufacture at Columbus,
Ohio, and at Dubuque, Iowa. Mr. Hueff-
ner has a registered trademark, consisting
of three bars, one red, one white and one
blue, and the brands of flour made by him
are called "Belle of Virginia," "Perfect
Straight" and "Extra Fancy," each and
every sack turned out at his mill being guar-
anteed high-grade goods. He also manu-
factures choice white purified corn meal
and mill feed of all kinds. One of the pecu-
liar and interesting features in regard to
Mr. Hueffner's milling career is the fact
that he never had any experience in that
line before establishing the mill at Palmer,
Illinois, but naturally acquired a knowledge
of the business without any previous in-
struction; and to-day, by his own genius
and by personal application, he has become
one of the most expert and scientific mill-,
ers in the country, and has succeeded in
establishing an extensive and prosperous
trade. In addition to other talents, Mr.
Hueffner is very much of a philosopher,
and has printed on his business cards some
valuable hints in prose and verse, which
may be read to advantage by both old and
young. He is independent in politics, but
takes a deep interest in educational mat-
ters and is a valuable member of the board
of education. In his religion he adheres
to the doctrines of the Evangelical church,
and is a member of the Order of the East-
ern Star.
In 1886 he was married to Miss Mina
Faudi, of St. Louis, Missouri, and the fol-
lowing five children have come to bless
their home: Minnie, now the wife of John
Leigh; Lizzie, who married A. M. Boyd;
and Arthur, Rosie and Beulah, who are
pursuing their studies at school. Mr.
Hueffner possesses the high esteem and
kind regards of all with whom he comes in
contact.
582
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
WILLIAM JOHN JACKSON, of Chi-
cago, local freight agent for the
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Com-
pany, has been identified with the Masonic
fraternity since 1881, when he took the
initiatory degree of Entered Apprentice in
Zetland Lodge, No. 326, at Toronto, Can-
ada. He passed the Fellow-craft degree,
and on the 28th of October was raised
to the sublime degree of a Master Mason.
His association with capitular Masonry
came through his membership in Engle-
wood Chapter, in which he was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
November 28, 1894. In December of the
same year he took the degrees of chivalric
Mason in Englewood Commandery, with
which he is still affiliated. He has dimitted,
however, from the lodge and chapter to
which he first belonged and is now a mem-
ber of Normal Park Lodge, No. 797, A. F.
& A. M., while among the companions of
Normal Park Chapter, No. 210, he is
numbered. He became a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
April 26, 1895, his membership being in
Medinah Temple. Mr. Jackson is also a
valued member of the Royal League, Royal
Arcanum and Columbian Knights, and his
pleasant, genial manner, and his character
and genuine worth make him a favorite
wherever he goes.
Mr. Jackson was born in Toronto, Can-
ada, December 28, 1859, and is a son of
John and Jane (Grace}') Jackson. The
greater part of his boyhood was passed in
the public school of his native city, and in
1875 he was graduated at the Normal School
of Toronto. Since nineteen years of age
he has been engaged in railroad service.
He began as machinist's assistant in the
shops of the Grand Trunk Railroad Com-
pany at Toronto, filling that position during
1877 and until April, 1878. From May to
December of the latter year he acted as
freight handler, and from December, 1878,
until December, 1 88 1 , he was a clerk in the
freight office of the same road at Toronto.
In January, 1882, he was appointed chief
claim clerk for the Chicago & Grand Trunk
at Chicago, serving thus until August, 1885,
when he became general freight foreman.
From November, 1890, until August, 1891,
he was assistant agent for the same com-
pany, but at the latter date severed his con-
nection with that road and became assistant
local freight agent of the Chicago & Eastern
Illinois Railroad, serving until January,
1896, when he became local freight agent
to succeed E. P. Boughton, who had been
appointed general superintendent. The
history of his rise from a very humble posi-
tion to his present place of great responsi-
bility is unmistakable evidence of his ability,
his fidelity to duty, his skillful service and
his faithfulness to the trusts committed to
his care. He is a man of splendid business
and executive ability, quick in dispatch, of
sound judgment and unquestioned probity,
and his success in the affairs of life is well
merited. He was elected secretary of the
National Association of Local Freight
Agents' Association, in June, 1896.
On the 28th of August, 1885, was cele-
brated the marriage of Mr. Jackson and
Miss Eliza Jane Preston, daughter of the
late David Preston, of Montreal, Canada,
who was formerly with the Canadian Pa-
cific Railroad system at Toronto. Their
children are Anne May, born in Chicago
January 27, 1887; Edna Gracey, born Feb-
ruary 19, 1891; Emma Isabel, born Jan-
uary 28, 1894; and Robert Arnold, born
November 27, 1896.
JOHN B. CANFIELD, cashier, Chicago.
— Although the study of the elaborate
system of Freemasonry may at first ab-
sorb the thought or much of the time of the
novitiate by its entrancing nature, all the
principles inculcated by the system are con-
ducive to perfection in business habits and
to prosperity in business generally, as well
as his advancement in social qualities. The
young gentleman who constitutes the sub-
ject of this brief sketch has made a good
start in life by connecting himself with an
order so ennobling. He was received,
passed and raised in Landmark Lodge, No.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
583
422, A. F. & A. M., in 1894; exalted to
the sublime degree of the Holy Royal Arch
in Fairview Chapter, No. 161, R. A. M.,
and received the chivalric deguees in Mont-
joie Commandery, No. 53, K. T., the same
year, and in 1896 the cryptic degrees in
Palestine Council, No. 66, R. & S. M.,—
all of Chicago; and with all these bodies he
is now connected. In 1896 he was Master
of the First Veil in the Royal Arch Chap-
ter, and now holds the position of Captain
of the Host. He is also a member of the
Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, which he joined in 1895. Thus he is
making a thorough and clean "sweep"
through all the channels of this order of many
functions, to obtain therefrom all the good
that he is able to, and thus promises to be
ever a faithful and appreciative "brother of
the mystic tie."
Mr. Canfield was born in Utica, New
York, June 15, 1872, and when about one
year of age was taken east by his parents in
their emigration to Chelsea, Massachusetts,
where they resided for about eight years.
They then moved to Brooklyn, New York,
and resided there nearly ten years, when, in
1890, they came to Chicago. Young Can-
field, therefore, received his education in the
schools of Chelsea and Brooklyn, and
since his arrival in this city he has been en-
gaged in bookkeeping, for which his qualifi-
cations eminently fit him. Besides the Ma-
sonic relations already noted, Mr. Canfield
is also a member of the Society of Sons
of the American Revolution, and in his re-
ligious connections he is a member of St.
Paul's church, Universalist, of which his
father, the Rev. A. J. Canfield, D. D., has
been pastor for a number of years.
JOHN H. SANBORN.— Forty years ago
the brother whose name initiates this
review was first received into the temple
of Freemasonry, since which time he has
loyally concurred in all the obligations im-
posed by the order and has assumed the
duties of various offices, which he fulfilled
with efficiency, fidelity and circumspection,
thereby earning the eternal gratitude and
warm regard of all his brothers. Mr. San-
born had the sublime degree of a Master
Mason conferred upon him in Cleveland
Lodge, No. 211, on December 4, 1858; he
was exalted to the august degree of the
Holy Royal Arch in Freeport Chapter, No.
23, in 1862, and has been a worthy follower
of capitular Masonry, studying therein the
beautiful legends of the past; he passed the
circle of cryptic Masonry in Siloam Coun-
cil, No. 53; and the orders of Knighthood
were conferred upon him in Chicago Com-
mandery, No. 19, in 1872. In the chapter
he has rilled the office of High Priest with
intelligence and ability, and in 1877 ne
was elected Eminent Commander of his
commandery, in evidence of the apprecia-
tion of his fellow Sir Knights.
The city of Attica, New York, was the
scene of Mr. Sanborn's birth, which oc-
curred the 3<3th of July, 1834, and there he
remained until six years old, when he
moved with his parents to Illinois, locating
in McHenry county, this state. His youth
was spent on the paternal homestead,
alternating his time between working on
the farm and attending the district schools,
where his early education was obtained.
His natural inclinations having a trend
toward machinery and mechanical con-
struction, be determined to adopt some
calling that would give him an opportunity
to make the best use of his talents, and
with this object in ,view, in 1853 he went to
Chicago and there learned engineering,
since which time his life has been occupied
in filling the requirements of that vocation.
He commenced his active career as loco-
motive engineer on the old Galena & Chi-
cago Railroad, continuing with the same
until 1864, when it was absorbed by the
Northwestern, with which he remained
until 1 88 1. From that time up to 1887 he
was engaged in running stationary engines
in various large buildings in the city. In
1887 he was appointed assistant engineer in
the west-side water works. In 1895 he
was appointed chief engineer of the west-
side pumping works, and has continued to
584
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
fill that position to the present time, dis-
charging the responsible duties incumbent
upon him with a faithfulness and intelli-
gence that have won for him the highest
encomiums.
On July 1 6, 1856, Mr. Sanborn cele-
brated his marriage to Miss Mary Colford
in Dixon, Illinois, and the following four
children have been the issue of this union:
John G; Joseph W. ; Ella, who married
Em. Sir Joseph H. Macauley; and Ida M.,
a graduate of the Bennett Medical College.
SAMUEL AYERS.— The subject of this
review is identified with the several
bodies of Masonry, having advanced to the
distinguished rank implied in receiving the
crown as Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret, representing the thirty-second degree
of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. His
allegiance to the imperial institution has
been one of devotion and constant interest,
and he is honored and esteemed in the fra-
ternity, even as he is in commercial circles
as one of the successful and substantial
live-stock commissioners of the western
metropolis. Mr. Ayers became an Entered
Apprentice in Mizpah Lodge, No. 768, A.
F. & A. M., in 1884, and in due time was
made Master Mason in the same. In 1886
he was exalted to the Royal Arch in Delta
Chapter, No. 191, and within the same
year passed the cryptic degrees in Temple
Council, No. 65, in which he was greeted
Select Master. Advancing further to gain
the chivalric honors, in 1890 he received
the orders of knighthood, being created a
Sir Knight in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, Knights Templar. In 1892 he received
the grades and orders of the Scottish Rite
and attained the thirty-second degree, as
already noted, while in November of the
same year he was successful in that desert
pilgrimage which entitles him to position as
a Noble in Medinah Temple of the Mystic
Shrine. In the Scottish Rite he is a mem-
ber of Oriental Consistory, in the Valley of
Chicago.
Samuel Ayers is a native of the old Em-
pire state, having been born in Ulster
county, New York, on the i4th of Febru-
ary, 1 848, the son of Rev. Samuel B. and
Sarah (Roy) Ayers, who removed to Illinois
when our subject was ten years of age, tak-
ing up their residence in Menard county,
where Samuel was reared and educated.
Samuel B. Ayers was an early graduate of
Princeton College and preached for the
Presbyterian church for a period of nearly
fifty years. Thoroughly loyal and patriotic,
the youth gave distinctive evidence of these
exalted attributes when the nation was
threatened by armed rebellion, and though
but sixteen years of age he enlisted in Com-
pany H, of the One Hundred and Forty-
second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the
spring of 1864, and remained in the service
until the close of the war.
Mr. Ayers has been a resident of Chica-
go since 1875 and has become prominently
concerned in her industrial life, having at
once engaged in the live-stock commission
business and having continued consecutive-
ly in this line of operation until the present
time, his efforts having been attended with
gratifying success. Aside from his Masonic
affiliations he is a member of Lincoln Post,
No. 91, Grand Army of the Republic, and is
identified with the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. In politics he espouses
the cause of the Republican party, being a
stanch supporter of its principles and
policies.
In 1874, at Springfield, Illinois, Mr.
Ayers was united in marriage to Miss Emma
Hamilton, and they became the parents of
five children, of all of whom they have
been deprived by death.
LJ. HAM MEL, who occupied the hon-
j ored position of Worshipful Master of
Pleiades Lodge, No. 478, F. & A. M., of
Chicago, in 1896, is a native of this city
and was reared and educated here, the date
of his birth being February 9, 1861. To
the public schools of Chicago and to Bry-
ant and Stratton's Business College he is
indebted for his educational training, he
I
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI0
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
587
having spent one year in the last named in-
stitution. On completing his commercial
course he accepted a position as office boy
in the banking establishment of Gerhard
Foreman, and from that place worked his
way up to the position of receiving and pay-
ing teller in the bank, where he spent six
years. From banking he turned to mer-
chandising, engaging in the dry-goods busi-
ness on his own account for a few years.
For the past seven years he has devoted his
energies to the real-estate, renting and loan
business, under the firm name of Hammel
& Lang, with office in the Times building,
and in this enterprise has met with signal
success.
Mr. Hammel was married September
22, 1885, to Miss Salamea Voltz, and they
have an interesting family of five children,
whose names in order of birth are as fol-
lows: Jacob D., Freda, Erna, Selma and
George E.
Mr. Hammers father was a prominent
Mason, a charter member of Herder Lodge,
No. 669, of which he at one time served as
Master; and from his father our subject
early received favorable impressions of
Masonry. He was initiated into the mys-
teries of the blue lodge March 17, 1892, in
which he has filled several offices, including
that of Worshipful Master. He is a mem-
ber of Wiley M. Egan Chapter and Chi-
cago Commandery, No. 19, K. T. , and of-
ficial preferment in these organizations has
also been conferred upon him in recognition
of his fidelity and ability, he being now
Principal Sojourner in the chapter and
Warder in the commandery.
JAMES RALPH MAGUIRE, of Lewis-
town, is a member of the ancient and
honored fraternity and is prominent in
its work as a true craftsman, proving him-
self worthy and well qualified in every sta-
tion to which he has been called and ever
evincing that fervency and zeal which char-
acterizes the intelligent and loyal Freema-
son. In December, i 893, he was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in
Lewistown Lodge, No. 104, and the sub-
lime and beneficent principles of the order
awakening his heartiest admiration he at
once became an active worker. He filled
the office of Senior Deacon by appoint-
ment, was elected and served as Senior
Warden, and in the present year, 1897, is
the Worshipful Master of. the lodge. He
has completely mastered the ritual, takes
great delight in the work and is an able
officer who in the discharge of his duties
manifests the utmost fidelity and devotion.
He has the fullest confidence and esteem of
his brethren, and the society is meeting
with renewed prosperity under his manage-
ment.
Dr. Maguire is a native of the state of
Illinois, his birth having occurred in Ma-
comb, McDonough county, on the 28th of
November, 1 868. His father, Edward Ma-
guire, was a prominent early settler and
farmer of that county and married Miss
Ellen Harris, daughter of Dr. Ralph Harris,
a pioneer physician of Macomb as well as
one of the first and most prominent Ma-
sons of that part of the state. The Doc-
tor's parents reared a family of six children
and are still living in McDonough county,
which has been their home for more than
forty years. They are prominent and val-
ued members of the Presbyterian church
and take an active part in its work.
The Doctor acquired his literary educa-
tion in the public schools of his native
county, and determining to make the prac-
tice of dentistry his life work he went to
Chicago, where he entered the College of
Dental Surgery, graduating on the comple-
tion of the regular course with the class of
1890. Removing then to Valparaiso, In-
diana, he practiced his profession for a
year and a half in that city, after which he
came to Lewistown. Since October, 1891,
he has represented the dental fraternity in
this city and has met with marked success
in his undertaking. He has a well-ap-
pointed suite of rooms, fitted up with all
the accessories and most improved appli-
ances for the most superior workmanship,
and his ability in his profession is most
588
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
marked and widely acknowledged. He has
secured a very liberal patronage, which
yields to him a good return, and in profes-
sional circles he has won an enviable place.
In 1 892 Dr. Maguire was united in mar-
riage to Miss Lyda Diefenbaugh, a native
of Valparaiso, Indiana. They are both
members of the Presbyterian church and
are held in the highest esteem by all who
know them, their many excellencies of
character securing them friends among the
best people of their adopted city. The
Doctor is a Republican in politics and al-
ways supports the party by his ballot, but
is never an aspirant for political honors,
preferring to devote his time and attention
to his professional duties and to the enjoy-
ment of his home and social relations.
IOBERT BURNS WILSON.— Float-
-Jfjfr ing on the breezes in every village,
town and city of Illinois are the banners of
Masonry, and following these emblems of
" charity toward all and malice toward
none" are thousands of men of resolute
purpose, high character and noble resolve,
who exemplify in their lives the beneficent
teachings of the fraternity that has grown
stronger and stronger with the passing
years until its force is felt as one of the
most powerful influences for good that is
known to the world. Unrestricted by race,
locality, political belief or social caste, it
welcomes to its altars all who wish to keep
abreast with the general advancement of
the times, and lend their aid and influence
to the betterment of mankind. Numeric-
ally strong, but stronger still in its record of
good deeds, is the Masonic fraternity of Chi-
cago. Its lodges are scattered throughout
this great metropolis, each exercising for
good, and uniting in closer and kindlier
ties of interest those whom possibly politic-
al, religious or business life might tend to
drive apart. Mr. Wilson, whose name in-
troduces this article, is a worthy exemplar of
Chicago's Masons. He was received as an
Entered Apprentice of Harlem Lodge, No.
540, in 1891, passed the Fellow-craft de-
gree, and on the 3Oth of June was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
In December, 1895, he was honored by his
brethren of the craft by being chosen Wor-
shipful Master, and in that position he has
proven himself an efficient, active and pop-
ular officer. He is also connected with
capitular and chivalric Masonry through his
membership in Cicero Chapter and Siloam
Commandery.
Mr. Wilson is a native of Mifflinburg,
Pennsylvania, born on the 23d of February,
1857. The same year he was taken by his
parents to Illinois, the family locating in
Freeport, where he was reared, educated
and began his business career. Entering
the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad
Company, he continued with that corpora-
tion for one year, and in 1875 accepted a
position at Freeport with the Chicago &
Northwestern Railroad, with which he has
since been connected. In 1882 he was
transferred to Chicago and became assistant
ticket agent at the Wells street depot. He
has proved a very efficient and popular
ticket agent, for in manner he is ever court-
eous and attentive, and his gentlemanly
demeanor has. won him high favor with the
traveling public. He has the confidence of
his superior officers and well merits the high
regard in which he is uniformly held.
In 1886 Mr. Wilson was united in mar-
riage to Miss Eva Grace Hubbard, a native
of Wheaton, Illinois, and moved to Austin,
Illinois, which place has since been their
home. He and his wife are both interested
and valued members of Austin Chapter, No.
1 80, Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. Wil-
son being Worthy Matron and Mr. Wilson
Secretary at the present time, 1897.
TfOSEPH B. BURTT, who is practicing
II law at the Chicago bar, is one of the
more recent additions to the Masonic fra-
ternity, his connection herewith dating from
1894, but among the worthy and loyal
followers of the society he is numbered.
He petitioned for and was elected to mem-
bership on the loth of May, 1894, was
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
589
initiated as an Entered Apprentice of
Thomas J. Turner Lodge, No. 409, A. F. &
A. M., and having passed the Fellow-craft
degree was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason. The following year he took
the degrees of capitular Masonry in Chicago
Chapter, No. 127, R. A. M., and received
the grades and orders of chivalric Masonry
in October, 1896, being dubbed and created
a Sir Knight in Apollo Commandery, No. i.
In the same month he was also made a
Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple. Such in brief is the
history of his connection with Masonry;
but real Masonry is of the spirit, — the
exemplification of its principles in the lives
of its followers, and in this regard Mr.
Burtt stands among the most worthy repre-
sentatives of the ancient fraternity.
Mr. Burtt is a native of the neighboring
state of Indiana, his birth having occurred in
Utica, Clark county, on the 4th of Decem-
ber, 1862. The days of his boyhood were
passed there, and to the school system of
Utica he is indebted for his early education-
al privileges. He afterward pursued a
classical course in the literary department
of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor,
where he was graduated in June, 1888.
His professional course was pursued in the
law department of the same institution and
after his graduation in law, in 1889, he
came to Chicago, where he entered upon
the active practice of his chosen calling.
He was admitted to the bar before the
supreme court of Michigan in May, 1889,
and by the supreme court of Illinois in Oc-
tober of the same year. He is a man of
broad general learning as well as of special
knowledge, and this fact contributes large-
ly to his success at the bar, where informa-
tion concerning almost every subject is be-
ing continually called into requisition. He
has secured a liberal clientage and has been
connected with some important litigation.
The trusts committed to his care are as dear
to him as his own interests, and he is es-
pecially painstaking and reliable in the
preparation of cases.
In addition to his affiliation with the
Masonic fraternity, Mr. Burtt is a member
of Lakeside Lodge, No. 230, Knights of
Pythias. He married Miss Anna H. Gur-
ney, who was born in Shardon, Ohio, but
was a resident of Hart, Oceana county,
Michigan, at the time of their marriage,
which was celebrated on the 26th of March,
1890. They have one son, John Gurney
Burtt.
CHARLES ROGERS LAME, deceased,
belonged to that worthy army of Ma-
sons who are promoting all that is true and
pure and good among mankind and waging
a warfare on sin and selfishness. He un-
derstood fully the mission of the fraternity
and exemplified in his upright life its noble
principles. He studied closely its history,
learned of the beautiful and impressive
truths which have come down to us from
past ages and sought in his daily life to
live up to the ideal brotherhood which
forms the basic element of the order. His
identification with Masonry covered a long
period. He joined Pittsfield Lodge, No.
56, A. F. & A. M., and from the first was
one of its active and faithful members, fill-
ing with ability many official positions to
which he was called by his brethren who
recognized his loyalty and ability. He
served as Secretary of the blue lodge and
also filled the office of Treasurer. He was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Union Chapter, No. 10, of Pitts-
field, filled most of its offices, including
that of King, and was a valued companion
of the order. He passed the circle of cryp-
tic Masonry and was greeted a Royal and
Select Master in M. J. Noyes Council, and
was constituted, created and dubbed a Sir
Knight in Delta Commandery, of Clayton,
Illinois. He loyally upheld the beauseant
and was one of the charter members of As-
calon Commandery, No. 49, K. T. , of
Pittsfield, serving efficiently and acceptably
for many years as its Recorder. His Ma-
sonic brethren held him in the highest re-
590
COMPENDIUM OF FKEBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
gard, for his virtues as a man and a Mason
were many.
Mr. Lame was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, November 27, 1820, and was
reared and educated there. He married
Elizabeth R. Whortenbey in that city, and
in 1836 came to Alton, Illinois. Afterward,
however, he returned to the east and did
not again take up his residence in Pike
county, Illinois, until 1842. He remained
near Barry for two years, and in 1846 came
to Pittsfield, where he continued to make
his home until his death. He was an im-
portant factor in the substantial develop-
ment of the city and extensively engaged in
contracting and building. Thoroughly un-
derstanding his business in every detail and
thus capable of superintending those whom
he employed, honorable in all his dealings
and faithfully living up to all his contracts,
he secured a liberal patronage and on all
sides stand monuments to his skill and
ability in the shape of fine residence and
business blocks in Pittsfield.
Mr. Lame was long a stanch supporter
of the Republican party and was always
well informed on the questions of the day.
He was a lover of liberty and hated oppres-
sion in every form, and before the war
strongly opposed the extension of slavery
into the free territory. In his religious
views he was a Congregationalist and
assisted materially in the building of the
first house of worship of that denomination
in Pittsfield. He was public-spirited and
progressive, doing all in his power for the
advancement of the city and the promotion
of the public welfare.
In 1885 Mr. Lame was called upon to
mourn the loss of his wife, who had been a
faithful companion and helpmeet on life's
journey for many years. The}' had ten
children, seven of whom are living. Mr.
Lame departed this life on the loth of
April, 1897, and was buried with Templar
honors by the Knights of Ascalon Command-
ery, with whom he had long been asso-
ciated and by whom he was highly honored.
Over the record of his life there falls no
shadow of wrong. He was straightforward
and honorable in all business relations, true
to all the duties of public and private life
and upright at all times.
CHARLES EDGAR LAME, son of
Charles R. Lame, is a Knight Templar
Mason whose deep interest in the fraternity
is manifest by a worthy exemplification of
its principles. The period of his identifica-
tion with the order covers nearly a quarter
of a century, the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason
having been conferred upon him in Pitts-
field Lodge, No. 56, in 1873. He has
served as Junior Deacon and Steward of
the blue lodge for a number of years, and
is now Tyler of all the bodies of Masonry
in his city. He took the degrees of Mark
Master, Past Master and Most Excellent
Master, and was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Union Chap-
ter, No. 10, of Pittsfield, wherein he has
served as Master of all the Veils. He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and
was greeted a Royal and Select Master of
M. J. Noyes Council. His affiliation with
chivalric Masonry dates from 1891, when
he was constituted, created and dubbed a
Sir Knight in Ascalon Commandery, No.
49, of Pittsfield. He has served as its
Warden and is a worthy follower of the
beauseant, a faithful companion of the
chapter and a worthy representative of the
lodge. A man of broad and generous na-
ture, the Masonic teachings of brotherhood
and beneficence received from him a hearty
indorsment from the beginning of his asso-
ciation with the order, and he is accounted
one of the leading Masons of Pittsfield.
Mr. Lame is a native of Pittsfield, born
May 5, 1852. He was educated in its pub-
lic schools, and in his youth learned the car-
penter's trade, under the direction of his
father. In 1889 he was admitted to a part-
nership with his father and is now sole
owner of the business. He ranks high
among the representatives of commercial
interests in his county and is enjoying a
lucrative patronage.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
591
Mr. Lame was happily married in 1875,
the lady of his choice being Miss Sarah E.
Ward, a native of Rockport, Illinois, and a
lady of great amiability of character. For
twenty-two years they shared with each
other the joys and sorrows of life and then
were separated by the hand of death, Mrs.
Lame being called to the home beyond on
the 1 6th of February, 1897. Thus within
two months Mr. Lame was bereft of wife
and father. He and his wife were both
valued members of the Congregational
church and had the warmest esteem of all
who knew them.
Honored and respected by all, there is
no man in Pittsfield who occupies a more
enviable position in industrial circles than
Charles E. Lame, not alone on account of
the brilliant success he has achieved, but
also on account of the honorable, straight-
forward policy he has followed.
FRANK E. HILLS is a brother who is
well versed in general Masonic law and
usage and possesses a complete knowledge
of the general regulations for the govern-
ment of the craft in all its branches in Illi-
nois, tilling many offices in the past with
honor and credit. Mr. Hills was made a
Master Mason in Meteor Lodge, No. 283,
at Sandwich, Illinois, in which he held the
chair of Deacon; was elected a life mem-
ber of Sandwich Chapter, No. 106, R. A.
M. ; received the degrees of Royal and Se-
lect Masters; and was created a Sir Knight
in Sycamore Commandery, No. 15, serving
as its Eminent Commander for the three
years during which the asylum was built.
While in office Mr. Hills conferred degrees
on sixty-two members. His services in the
bodies of which he is a member have been
greatly appreciated, and he is a popular
and highly esteemed " f rater. "
The birth of Mr. Hills took place in
Middletown, Connecticut, October 24,
1842. His parents were Lorenzo R. and
Mary A. (Frary) Hills, who, when our sub-
ject was ten years old, came west and lo-
cated at Plainfielcl, Will county, Illinois,
33*
where his education was begun in the pub-
lic schools and completed in the Clark
Seminary. In 1862 he enlisted in the One
Hundredth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and
participated in every engagement in the
Army of the Cumberland during its exist-
ence. He was wounded at Chickamauga
and at Franklin and was mustered out with
his regiment in 1865. He returned to Illi-
nois and located in DeKalb county, where
he embarked in the carpenter trade for two
years and then was employed in a hard-
ware store as a bookkeeper in Sandwich.
In 1875 he was made corresponding secre-
tary of the Sandwich Enterprise Company,
which office he rilled until 1878. In that
year he came to Sycamore and became as-
sociated with the R. Ellwood Manufactur-
ing Company. After the death of Mr. Ell-
wood his son succeeded him in the business
and our subject continued with him for
seven years. Subsequently he was appoint-
ed circuit clerk of DeKalb county to fill a
vacancy made by General Daniel Dustin,
who was appointed sub-treasurer of United
States at Chicago. At the expiration of
592
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
his term Mr. Hills was enrolling and en-
grossing clerk of the state senate during the
past three general assemblies, where his ac-
commodating and practical business meth-
ods made a friend for him of every senator
in that body. In 1896 he again became as-
sociated with the Abram Ellwood Manu-
facturing Company, of which he was made
secretary, and in that capacity has since
served with ability and faithfulness.
Socially, besides the Masonic order, Mr.
Hills is a member of the Knights of Pyth-
ias, and of Potter Post, No. 1 2, Grand
Army of the Republic, of which he was
adjutant in 1896.
On January 4, 1867, our subject was
married to Miss Mantie Suddoth, a native
of Ohio, and of this union four children
were born: Hattie Belle, who died at the
age of twenty-two months; Alberta Ver-
melle, F. Robbins, and Harry Preston,
whose demise took place October 29, 1895,
when he had reached the age of about
eighteen years. Mr. Hills and his family
are consistent members of the Congrega-
tional church. Politically he is affiliated
with the Republican party.
JAMES GAVION ELWOOD.— To such
men as the brother whose name initiates
this review is in a large measure due the
prosperity and well being of the Masonic
fraternity in Illinois, and too much credit
cannot be given to those whose industry,
enthusiasm and loyalty to the order have
given it its present prestige in the state.
The name of Elwood is an historic one in
the annals of Masonic literature, and has
occupied a conspicuous place in the records
of the craft in Illinois, the father of our sub-
ject, Nelson D. Elwood, being one of the
foremost workers in the blue lodge, chapter
and commandery of Joliet, and a charter
member of those bodies, in which he held
a majority of offices. He was Worshipful
Master of the lodge. Most Excellent High
Priest of the chapter, was the first Eminent
Commander of Joliet Commandery, No. 4,
K. T. , holding that office for four years,
filled the chair of Most Excellent Grand
High Priest of the Grand Chapter of the
state, and at his death, which occurred in
1 86 1, he was Very Eminent Deputy Grand
Commander of the Grand Commandery of
Illinois.
James Gavion Elwood was made a Mas-
ter Mason in July, 1862, exalted to the
Royal Arch degrees in November, 1863,
and in December of that year he was crea-
ted a Sir Knight. His active Masonic ca-
reer began in 1871, and his affiliations have
been continuous with all of the home
bodies. He served as Junior Warden of
the commandery, was advanced to Captain-
General and in 1874 and 1875 he was Emi-
nent Commander. He was elected War-
der of the Grand Commandery of Illinois
and advanced in regular order to the posi-
tion of Grand Commander in 1884. In
1883 he was re-elected Eminent Com-
mander, and again in 1884 and 1893, mak-
ing a total of five years in that office. To
Mr. Elwood and the associate directors of
the Joliet Masonic Association is the frater-
nity of that city indebted for the splendid
and commodious Masonic Temple, and as
an evidence of gratitude it may be stated
that nine members of that board have re-
mained in office from the date of organiza-
tion down to the present time, Mr. Elwood
having the honor of serving as its presi-
dent.
Mr. Elwood was born in Lockport, Illi-
nois, on May 6, 1839, and is the only sur-
viving son of six born to Nelson D. El-
wood. He attended the public and private
schools of Joliet until fourteen years old,
when he entered Russell's Military Acad-
emy in New Haven, Connecticut, where
he attained to the captaincy of his com-
pany, and remained at the institution three
years. He then spent two years abroad
with a tutor, visiting Geneva, Switzerland,
and the Royal University at Berlin, Prussia.
Returning to the United States he volun-
teered his services when the war of the Re-
bellion was inaugurated, making a most
commendable record as captain of Com-
pany B, One Hundredth Illinois Volunteer
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASON RT IN ILLINOIS.
593
Infantry. At Louisville he was detailed as
inspector-general of Kirk's brigade, and
during the battle of Stone river he was ap-
pointed acting assistant adjutant-general of
the First Brigade, First Division, Twenty-
first Army Corps, of the Army of the
Cumberland, filling the latter position until
his retirement from service. He had no
permanent residence until 1867, when he
located in Chicago, remaining there until
1870, when he returned to Joliet and has
since made that city his home.
In local affairs of a public nature Mr.
Elwood has taken a prominent part, during
the years 1872-3 serving as alderman, and
under the new charter of 1877-9 he was the
first mayor of Joliet. Besides these he has
held the office of supervisor of the town-
ship. He has been prominent in organiz-
ing the telephone, gas and water systems
of the city, and is a director of the Will
County National Bank and of the Joliet
Electric Railway. As a representative citi-
zen, a courteous gentleman and a consist-
ent Mason, Mr. Elwood is an honor to his
home city and to the fraternity.
LESTER WATERMAN BOWEN, well
known as the leading contractor and
builder of Savanna, Illinois, is a native of
this city, having been born here November
24, 1845, son °f David L. Bowen, one of
the prominent pioneers of the state.
David L. Bowen came to Illinois in
1839, was one of the first settlers of Sa-
vanna, and as a contractor and builder did
much to advance the material interests of
the town in its early history as well as in
later years; and he has not only been iden-
tified in the building interest of the place
but also he has figured in its councils and
been honored with high official positions,
having filled many of its leading offices, in-
cluding that of mayor. He wedded Miss
Lila C. Pierce, daughter of Mr. H. Pierce,
a pioneer of Illinois. As the years passed
by Mr. and Mrs. Bowen became the parents
of five children, and both parents and all
the children except one are still living, Les-
ter W. .the subject of this review, being
the eldest.
Lester W. Bowen grew up and has
passed his whole life in his native town, re-
ceiving his education in its public schools
and early learning, under his father's in-
struction, the trade of carpenter, which,
with contracting, he has followed up to the
present time, he having been engaged in
business on his own account since 1876.
Many of the most attractive and substantial
buildings of Savanna are the products of his
enterprise and skill. In addition to the
business blocks and residences he has built
for others, he has erected a number of
houses of his own in this city, including the
handsome and commodious brick residence
which he and his family occupy.
Mr. Bowen was married in 1871 to Miss
Flora A. Westbrook, also a native of Sa-
vanna, a daughter of Mr. Luther H. West-
brook, a prominent merchant of this city
and one of its early settlers. Mr. and Mrs.
Bowen have two children, namely: Mary
Louisa and Rodney W.
Mr. Bowen is a stanch Republican, and,
like his father, has been the recipient of
municipal honors. For fifteen consecutive
years he has been elected and served as
one of the aldermen of the city, and in
1893-4 was mayor.
It is, however, of Mr. Bowen as a Ma-
son that we in this connection wish to make
special reference. Mr. Bowen was created
a Mason in 1886, in Mississippi Lodge, No.
385, F. & A. M., and for ten years has
maintained membership in the same. In
1894 he was exalted in Savanna Chapter,
No. 200, R. A. M. ; and while he has never
been an active worker in the lodge-room he
has in his life exemplified many of the vir-
tues and teachings as set forth in Ma-
sonry.
TjOSEPH W. RANDO, an enthusiastic
I member of the fraternity, is well posted
on the tenets of the order, an earnest
student of Masonic lore and thoroughly in
sympathy with all its precepts and princi-
594
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
pies. He is one of the valuable brothers
in the local lodge and is ever ready to de-
vote his time and energies to its cause. Mr.
Rando was made a Master Mason in Grove
Lodge, No. 824, at Downer's Grove, in
1894, and in April, 1895, attained the inef-
fable degree of Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory, Scottish Rite.
He has also made a successful journey
across the sands of the desert and become
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah
Temple.
Mr. Rando was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, October 25, 1854, and was
brought by his parents to Chicago when
but six years old. Here he received a com-
mon-school education and later studied
law, but did not take up the practice of
that profession. He embarked in the man-
ufacture of picture frames, in which he has
continued for the past twenty years. In
1891 he became manager for the Rhodes &
Jacobs Manufacturing Company, in which
capacity he has faithfully served in an effi-
cient and satisfactory manner.
On January 20, 1875, our subject was
united in marriage to Miss Cora E. Stewart,
of Bangor, Maine, and two daughters have
been born to them.
JULIUS H. HOELSCHER. — Masonry
stands upon a foundation that has with-
stood the ravages of time and the an-
tagonism of the ignorant and the preju-
diced, and its branches have extended to
the utmost ends of the world, spreading the
seeds of love, out of which has sprung the
universal brotherhood of mankind. As truth
is eternal, so the evolutions of the centu-
ries may not eradicate the principles upon
which the institution of Freemasonry is
erected. Within its ranks are to be found
men of moral worth, well versed in the
lessons of history, by which they have
profited, and who possess the courage of
their convictions. As the well-beaten roads
over which the ancient brethren traveled
are used to-day, it is the object of the mem-
bers to raise the standard of the order to a
still higher plane of usefulness.
The medical profession is in itself one
in which there is a large field for humani-
tarian labor, and its scope is considerably
broadened by affiliating with the Masonic
fraternity. Among those who stand high in
its ranks in Chicago is Dr. Julius H. Hoel-
scher, who has for many years been identi-
fied with the relieving of the suffering in
this city. He passed the subordinate de-
grees in the blue lodge and was made a
Master Mason in Lincoln Park Lodge, No.
6u, in 1894; was exalted a Royal Arch
Mason in Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177,
in the same year, and in 1895 was created
a Knight in Lincoln Park Commandery,
No. 64.
Dr. Hoelscher was born in Elmhurst,
Illinois, March 13, 1864, and was educated
in Chicago and New York, his instruction
in the ordinary branches being at the hands
of a private tutor. He began the study of
medicine at the unusually early age of fif-
teen years, and when eighteen years old
entered the Chicago Medical College, gradu-
ating in 1885, in which year he attained his
majority. He served two years as house
physician at the Alexian Brothers Hospital.
He is connected with the Alexian Brothers
Hospital, German Hospital, as attending
physician, and is also professor of internal
medicine and physical diagnosis in the Chi-
cago Clinical School. He is also chairman
of the advisory medical board of Hot
Springs, South Dakota. He is a member
of the Chicago Medical Society, the North
Chicago Medical Society, and of the Evo-
lution Club.
The subject of this sketch is of German
descent, both his parents having been born
in Germany; they are now deceased. Al-
though a young man in years, Dr. Hoel-
scher is old in experience and is well
versed in all matters pertaining to his pro-
fession. He is greatly attached to the
calling to which he expects to devote the
remainder of his life, and in which he has
so far met with an unusual degree of suc-
cess. He is well known in the medical as
LIBRARY
OF THE
DIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
597
well as Masonic circles, and occupies a high
position in the esteem of his many friends
both in the professional and social world.
He is a self-made man in the broadest
meaning of the word, and is gifted with a
self-reliant, energetic nature, which has
been most beneficial to him in his struggle
for a place among his fellow men. His
progress through college was materially as-
sisted by the help of his very dear friend
and father-in-law, Louis Wolff.
FRANK W. BUELL, a talented and in-
dustrious member of the fraternity re-
siding in Woodstock, who has served in
various capacities with ability and intelli-
gence, was initiated in Woodstock Lodge in
1885, was exalted to the august degrees of
a Royal Arch Mason in Woodstock Chapter,
No. 36, in 1891, and in that body attained
to the office of Third Master of the Veil,
fulfilling the duties connected therewith in
a most competent and satisfactory manner.
During the same year he was constituted a
Sir Knight in Calvary Commandery, No.
25, and in 1897 was elected to the chair of
Captain-General. He is greatly interested
in the work of the order and is one of the
highly appreciated brothers of Woodstock.
Mr. Buell was born October 15, 1850, in
North Hampton, Fulton county, New York,
and is a son of E. B. and Elizabeth (Hillman)
Buell, and a grandson of General Buell, of
Revolutionary war fame, the family being
prominently connected with public affairs
at Martha's Vineyard. Our subject was one
of six children, five sons and one daughter,
and was reared in Illinois and Wisconsin,
his educational training being received in
the schools of Ripon, Wisconsin, after
which, entering upon his business career,
he filled a clerkship for five years at Bran-
don. Wisconsin, then engaged in the gro-
cery business for two years, was messenger
for the American Express Company, and
for the following three years he embarked
in the lumber trade. Subsequently moving
to McHenry county, Brother Buel purchased
a stock farm, on which he resided for ten
years, at the end of that period coming to
Woodstock and here entering the grain,
flour and feed business, in which, as a re-
sult of honest methods in all his dealings, a
strict integrity of character, and untiring
industry, he has met with more than ordi-
nary success, and is regarded as one of the
popular and solid citizens of the town. He
was elected a member of the city council of
Woodstock in 1895, and re-elected in 1897
for a second term.
In 1876 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Buell and Miss Eva Davis, a daughter
of Dr. L. H. Davis, a well-known physician
of Woodstock. Mrs. Buell was called to
her eternal rest in September, 1893, sur-
vived by her husband and one daughter,
Bessie C. She was a loving, faithful wife
and mother, and a sincere friend, and her
loss was deeply felt by all who knew her
in life.
JOSEPH M. BAKER, bookkeeper for the
Citizens' National Bank of Decatur, is
the only man in Decatur who has passed
all the chairs in all the York rite bodies of
Masonry. His initiations, present affilia-
tions and highest offices held in the various
branches are as follows: Ionic Lodge, No.
312, Worshipful Master; Macon Chapter,
No. 21, R. A. M., High Priest; Decatur
Council, No. 16, R. & S. M., Thrice Illus-
trious Master; and Beaumanoir Command-
ery, No. 9, K. T. , Eminent Commander;
and of all these he has also been a Repre-
sentative to the Grand bodies of the state.
Mr. Baker is also a member of Decatur
Chapter, No. 1 1 1 , Order of the Eastern
Star, of which he was the first Worthy
Patron. He attended the triennial con-
claves at Baltimore in 1871, at Chicago in
1880, at St. Louis in 1886, at Washington
in 1889, and at Boston in 1895. He is also
a member of the Masonic Veteran Associa-
tion. He is one of the most active Masons
in this part of the state.
He was born in Macon county, Illinois
(of which he is still a resident). May 7, 1844,
educated in the country schools and grad-
uated at Eastman's Business College in Chi-
598
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
cago in the winter of 1866. He then entered
a shoe store at Decaturas clerk and in 1872
became a member of the firm known as
Barber & Baker. Altogether he was asso-
ciated with the business of this establish-
ment for twenty-four years. In 1891 he
became the bookkeeper for the Citizens'
National Bank, which position he has since
promptly filled. He is well known in
business and social circles, as well as in
Masonic. In politics he is a Democrat.
In 1878 he was married to Miss Ida W.
Wikoff, and they have one child living,
Miss Alice A. Baker.
JOSEPH E. DYAS, a lawyer of Paris,
Illinois, has been largely interested in
the growth of Masonry for more than a
quarter of a century. In its high purpose
and lofty aims there is something in the
fraternity which appeals to the practical
• business man, who shapes his life in har-
mony with the old-time principles of honor
and justice. Its symbolic truths appeal not
only to the aesthetic of our nature but its
practical workings at once elicit the com-
mendation and support of those whose
interests are not self-centered but reach out
to humanity with a helpful purpose. It is
these elements of Masonry which have won
to the order a membership composed of the
best citizens of Illinois. Mr. Dyas was
admitted to Paris Lodge, No. 268, in 1867,
and from his earliest connection therewith
has been a loyal supporter of ancient-craft
Masonry. For four years he served as
Worshipful Master and under his able
administration the lodge was blessed with
prosperity. In 1870 he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason and for
two years was High Priest. In 1878 he
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry and
was greeted a Royal and Select Master of
Young Council, in which he has been hon-
ored with the office of Thrice Illustrious
Master. In 1871 he took the vows of
knighthood in Palestine Commandery, No.
27, and for three years was Eminent
Commander. In 1891 he was honored
with the office of Grand Commander of the
Grand Commandery of Illinois; is the pres-
ent Grand Scribe of the General Grand
Chapter of the United States, and for
twenty years was chairman of the com-
mittee on appeals of the Grand Lodge,
during which time he decided over three
hundred cases.
Mr. Dyas was born near Dublin, Ire-
land, on the 23d of September, 1844. His
father, Dr. W. Godfrey Dyas, was a very
prominent physician and a gentleman of
high scholarly attainments. He was a
graduate of the University of Dublin, a
noted linguist and was professor of anatomy
in the Royal College of Surgeons. In 1858
he removed with his family to Chicago,
where he was killed by accident in 1895,
when he was eighty-seven years of age. In
his family were twelve children, seven sons
and five daughters, five of whom are now
living.
Joseph E. Dyas was a youth of fourteen
years when he came with his parents to
Chicago. He acquired his literary educa-
tion in an academy in Canada and pursued
his law studies in the Chicago University,
where he was graduated and given his di-
ploma in June, 1865. Locating in Paris,
he has since successfully engaged in the
practice of law.
Mr. Dyas was married on the 2Oth of
June, 1872, to Miss Laura Sandford, of
Paris, a daughter of Hiram Sandford, now
deceased, who was the first male child
born in Edgar county, his parents locating
there when the country around was wild
and unimproved. Mr. and Mrs. Dyas are
the parents of four children: Richard S. ,
who is attending the Bloomington Law
School; John F. , Eleanor and Joseph E.
I LLEN S. COOKE.— Forty years have
J&L. passed since the gentleman whose
name appears at the head of this review
first took the vows of Freemasonry and be-
came identified with the society which has
for its object the uplifting of mankind and
the perfecting of human character. His
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
599
membership dates from 1858, when he was
initiated in Mount Vernon Lodge, No. 64,
at Norwalk, Ohio. He was exalted to the
capitular degrees in Vermilion Chapter, No.
82, R. A. M., and was elected its High
Priest; received the degrees of Royal and
Select Masters when they belonged to the
chapter, and was created a Sir Knight in
Athelstan Commandery, No. 45, in which
he served as Generalissimo for three years.
He has also performed a pilgrimage across
the desert sands and became a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple. He has always been
a faithful, industrious Mason, and possesses
the good will and high regard of all his
brothers.
Mr. Cooke was born in Bellingham,
Massachusetts, September 19, 1829, his
parents being Welcome B. and Rhoda (Pick-
ering) Cooke. His education was obtained
in the public schools of his native city and
at the age of twenty-one he was employed
by the Boston & Worcester Railroad Com-
pany in various capacities. In 1853 he
moved to Norwalk, Ohio, and there became
associated with the Cleveland & Toledo
Railroad Company, with which he remained
until 1869, when he went to Kent, Ohio,
and there accepted a position with the At-
lantic & Great Western road. In 1874 he
engaged in the mercantile business near
Providence, Rhode Island, until 1877, when
he came to Danville and entered the employ
of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad
Company as master mechanic, which posi-
tion later merged into that of " superin-
tendent of motive power and machinery,"
and has since served the company in that
capacity, with the exception of the years
1890 to 1892. Mr. Cooke has invented a
locomotive bell-ringer, operated by com-
pressed air, which he now manufactures.
On November 3, 1852, our subject was
married to Miss Jane Capron, of Massachu-
setts, arid they have three sons, namely:
Elton Allen, who is a Past Commander of
Calvary Commandery, at Providence, Rhode
Island, and general manager of a wholesale
boot and shoe establishment of that city;
Elmer Bates became auditor of the Mackey
system of railroads and died in November,
1893, at the age of thirty-two years; J.
Earnest is with the Kellogg Coal Company,
of Danville, and is a Sir Knight Templar in
Athelstan Commandery. Mr. and Mrs.
Cooke are valued members of the Method-
ist Episcopal church. Politically our sub-
ject is a stanch Republican.
DR. WILLIAM M. CATTO, physician
and surgeon, Decatur, has taken every
degree in Freemasonry, even including the
thirty-third in the Scottish Rite, and corres-
pondingly has done much work in the lodge,
but his pressing duties as a physician have
never allowed him to accept those offices
which would entail upon him a consump-
tion of time. His affiliations are with Macon
Lodge, No. 8, A. F. & A. M. ; Macon Chap-
ter, No. 21, R. A. M. ; Decatur Council,
No. 1 6, R. & S. M. : Beaumanoir Com-
mandery, No. 9, K. T. ; and the Peoria
Consistory, S. R. He is also a member of
Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Chi-
cago.
Dr. Catto was born near Hamilton, On-
tario, November 28, 1858; was educated at
St. Catherines, Canada, graduating in 1876;
began the study of medicine in 1878, and
graduated therein at Detroit Medical Col-
lege in 1882. For two years he was then
house surgeon of the college hospital there;
then practiced for several years in Warrens-
burg, Illinois; and in 1888 came to Decatur,
where he has built up as fine a practice as
any in the state. He is one of the most
prominent physicians in the city. For five
years he was physician to St. Mary's Hos-
pital. As a voter he is independent.
The marriage of Dr. Catto took place in
1882, when he wedded Miss Florence Night-
ingale, a native of the " Land of the Maple
Leaf." They have two children: Bruce,
aged ten years, and Keith, aged five. The
Doctor is a member of the Presbyterian
church, and his wife belongs to the Prot-
estant Episcopal church. They are highly
esteemed by a large circle of acquaintances.
600
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
/GEORGE WHITING ROSS, physician,
\f Carrollton, has been Junior Warden
of the blue lodge at this place. High Priest
of the chapter, Deputy Illustrious Master
of the council, Eminent Commander of
Hugh de Payens Commandery, No. 29,
and a member of Moolah Temple, A. A. O.
N. M. S. He is a close and thorough stu-
dent of the history, legends, symbols and
didactics of the greatest of moral arts, Ma-
sonry, and stands high in the esteem of his
brethren.
Dr. Ross was born October 7, 1857, in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, educated in the
Boston public schools, graduated at Am-
herst College in 1877, and at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of New York, in
1880. He is a member of the American
Medical Association, of the Illinois State
Medical Association, and has been presi-
dent of the Medical and Surgical Society of
Western Illinois. Under President Harri-
son's administration he was pension exam-
iner, and has been re-appointed under the
present administration. He is surgeon to
the Litchfield, Carrollton & Western Rail-
road Company, and is vice-president of the
Greene County Savings & Loan Associa-
tion. In his politics he is a Republican.
The Doctor was married April 7, 1885,
to Miss Daisy J. Gillingham, and they have
four children. Dr. Ross moved to Greene
county in 1879, settling in Carrollton in
1883, where he has a comfortable home.
CYRUS DIXON GORDON, a prominent
' citizen and Knight Templar of Rock
Island, first saw the mystic light of Ma-
sonry in Valley Lodge, No. 547, at Coal
Valley, Illinois, in 1876, and still retains
membership in his home lodge. He was
made a Royal Arch Mason in Barrett Chap-
ter, No. 1 8, at Rock Island, receiving the
degrees on January i , 1 886. He was cre-
ated a Sir Knight in Everts Commandery,
No. 1 8, of Rock Island, on April 30, 1892.
He has also been elected to membership in
Kaaba Temple, at Davenport, Iowa, but
owing to the pressure of his business he has
not as yet been installed.
Mr. Gordon was born in V'enango coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1841, of
Scotch ancestry. His grandfather, James
Gordon, when a young man emigrated from
that county to Westmoreland county, in
the same state, where he was married and
reared his children. He was a soldier in
the war of 1812, and died at the venerable
age of eighty-nine years. He was an hon-
est, industrious farmer. His son, Alexander
Gordon, our subject's father, was born in
Westmoreland county and there married
Miss Margaret Alexander, continuing to re-
side in Pennsylvania until 1842, when he
and his family emigrated to Rock Island
county, and pre-empted a section of gov-
ernment land, whereon he developed an ex-
cellent farm and passed the remainder of
his life, dying in 1873 at the age of seventy-
three years. His career was marked by in-
dustry, honesty and fidelity to all the duties
of life. His wife passed away in her eighty-
ninth year. He was active in the early
history of Rock Island, aiding in the or-
ganization of the county and rendering val-
uable assistance in many other ways. He
and his wife are devout members of the
Presbyterian church, and were people of
integrity and thorough reliability. Of their
six children four are still living.
Cyrus D. Gordon, whose name heads
this review, obtained his education in the
public schools of Rock Island county, his
life in the meantime being spent on the
farm of his father, where he acquired an
abundance of that health and strength inci-
dent to such an existence. Soon after the
outbreak of the Civil war, when he was
about nineteen years of age, he offered his
services in the defense of the Union and
enlisted as a private November 13, 1861,
in Company H, Forty-fifth Illinois Volun-
teer Infantry, and went to the front full of
enthusiasm, confident of right's victory.
He participated in the engagements of
Forts Henry and Donelson, and in the lat-
ter received a ball in his body which he
still carries there. The next battle in which
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLIMOU
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
603
he was engaged was that of Shiloh, fol-
lowed by those of Jackson, Corinth and
Vicksburg, in the last of which he was shot
through the body and thus was laid low
the strong, brave young soldier. He had
served his country in a courageous and
praiseworthy manner for two years and
eight months and thirteen days, and was
now compelled to give up the fight and
suffer long months of excruciating pain,
during which time his wonderful constitu-
tion fought the battle for life which hung
in the balance. No tongue can tell nor
pen portray the bodily suffering of this
most patient soldier when he lay on a bed
of anguish, supposed to be but a few brief
hours from death's door; but at length his
strong vitality asserted itself and he sur-
vived, lacking, however, the same degree
of constitutional vigor he had previously
enjoyed.
In 1868, having partially recovered his
health, Mr. Gordon went to the oil regions
of Pennsylvania and soon became an able
operative at Pleasantville, and also in Arm-
strong and Clarion counties, sinking twen-
ty-two wells in all and taking out a million
dollars' worth of oil, at an expense of half
that amount. But a heavy bank failure
and a fire caused the loss of all but twenty
thousand dollars.
In 1878 our subject returned to Rock
Island county and endeavored to work his
farm, but found himself physically unable
to do so. In 1888 he moved into the city
and embarked in the hotel business, con-
tinuing in that for three years. In 1890 he
was elected sheriff of the county, a position
he satisfactorily filled for four years. He
has also become engaged in mining in Col-
orado, where he is largely interested in gold
mines, being a stockholder in and treasurer
and general manager of the following com-
panies: The Rock Island Mining & Mill-
ing Company, the Rock Island Gold Min-
ing Company, the Spring Gulch Gold
Mining Company, and the Black Lion Gold
Mining Company, all of which are situated
in Boulder, Clear Creek and Custer coun-
ties, Colorado, and all valuable mines. Mr.
Gordon is a member of the firm of Gordon
& Bowman, dealers in real estate. At
Rock Island and in the vicinity, where he
is so well known, our subject has acquired
a most excellent reputation as a thoroughly
upright and capable business man, and en-
joys the confidence and high esteem of all
who come in contact with him. He has
suffered greatly, both in body and from a
financial standpoint during his life, but he
has managed large interests and always
with absolute honesty. He has never asked
for a government pension, and does not yet
even think of such a thing.
During the last campaign Mr. Gordon
was a strong Bryan Democrat and delivered
fifteen powerful speeches in favor of free
coinage of American silver, and no truer
American than he exists to-day.
In 1864 was consummated the marriage
of our subject and Miss Zilpah Livingston,
who was born in Mercer county, Illinois,
where her parents were among the early
pioneers. The following four daughters
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon:
Frances G. , who is now Mrs. Edgar H.
Wright, a prosperous farmer of Rock Island
county; Edith, who married John Rink,
deputy county clerk ; and Suzanne and
Viola, both of whom are at home with their
parents. Mrs. Gordon and her daughters
are members of the Presbyterian church.
PROF. NATHAN CLIFFORD RICKER,
dean of the College of Engineering,
University of Illinois, at Urbana, is a mem-
ber of the Masonic Veteran Association who
deserves special mention in this volume.
The degrees of ancient-craft Masonry were
conferred upon him in Fraternal Lodge, at
Alfred, Maine, in 1866; those of Royal
Arch Masonry in Saco Chapter, at Saco,
Maine, the same year; and the Knight
Templar degrees in Biddeford Command-
ery, No. 4, at Biddeford, Maine, also the
same year. His present affiliations are
with Urbana Lodge, No. 157, Urbana
Chapter, No. 80, and Urbana Commandery,
No. 1 6. He has served as Senior Deacon
604
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of the blue lodge in Maine, King of the
chapter in Urbana, and of the commandery
he has been Generalissimo two years and
Eminent Commander one year. In 1895
he was Representative to the Grand Com-
mandery. The same year he had command
of the Urbana Commandery in their visit
to the triennial conclave at Boston, having
a special car, and they there took part in
the grand parade, for which they were the
first on the ground, as a part of the Tenth
Illinois Division. Professor Ricker is well
known in Masonic circles throughout the
state of Illinois, and is an honor to every
station he is called upon to fill in the noble
order.
Professor Ricker was born on a farm
near Acton, York county, Maine, July 24,
1843, of Scotch-English descent, though his
father's ancestors came to this country
about 1 660, settling near Dover, New Hamp-
shire. At the age of thirteen he began
work in a mill owned by his father, and
continued there for eight years, excepting
that during the winter seasons he attended
the district school. At the age of eighteen
he began to exhibit his aptitude in mechan-
ics, and at twenty-one he began to work at
the trade of making piano cases, in order
to earn the means for obtaining a better
education. He was employed at this for
two and a half years, devoting the evenings
to studies preparatory for college.
In 1867 he came to Illinois and spent
three years in the western part of the state
working at carpentry and wagon-making,
meanwhile continuing his studies, in a sys-
tematic and self-exacting manner that was
remarkable. In French and Latin, espe-
cially, he advanced himself so far that
when he entered the University of Illinois
in 1870 he was placed in advanced classes
in those studies. But architecture became
more and more his specialty, and in 1871
he was appointed foreman of the architect-
ural shops. The first six months of 1872
he spent in the office of J. W. Roberts, an
architect in Chicago. Returning to the
university the next year, he was graduated
at the end of the second term, having fin-
ished a full course in a little over three
years. During his last two terms as an
undergraduate he had temporary charge of
the architectural department.
Immediately after graduation, in 1872,
he spent six months in Europe, in study
and travel, attending also the Vienna expo-
sition, the cities of Paris, London, etc. Re-
turning home in September, 1873, he
accepted the position of instructor of archi-
tecture in the university. He introduced
the Russian system of shop practice, which
was afterward adopted by all other techno-
logical institutions in the United States.
Two years later he was elected assistant
professor of architecture, and the same
year he married Miss Mary C. Steele, who
had just graduated in the College of Litera-
ture. In 1877 he received the title of pro-
fessor of architecture, and the next year
was made dean of the College of Engineer-
ing. Every year since he took charge the
department has witnessed improvement.
In 1890 an assistant was appointed, since
which time he has had more time to devote
to the advanced classes. He designed and
built the chemical laboratory, military hall,
natural-science hall, was joint-architect of
the new library hall, etc. He has been too
busy with his university duties to write
much for publication, but he has published
a text-book on trussed roofs, which has re-
ceived flattering recognition among prom-
inent architects and is largely used in arch-
itectural offices. On August 23, he was
appointed by the governor a member of the
state board of examiners of architects for
Illinois.
Professor Ricker is a thoroughly broad-
minded man, as highly respected as any in-
structor in the university, modest, faithful,
industrious and indefatigable.
LUCAS W. FAULKNER.— The ad-
vance of Freemasonry has been more
rapid in the last few decades than ever be-
fore, and its ranks are being constant!}' sup-
plemented by those who are seeking for a
better condition of things, a brotherhood_of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
605
universal love, a charity that shall unite all
humanity in bonds of common sympathy.
The good work is going steadily on and the
great state of Illinois is adding her quota
and swelling the membership day by day.
Mr. Faulkner is a Mason of long standing,
who has been particularly active in the
chapter and well up in all its work. He
was initiated and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Belle City Lodge,
No. 92, at Racine, Wisconsin, in 1853,
served as its Worshipful Master, and was
dimitted from that body to become affiliated
with Western Star Lodge, No. 240, of
Champaign, Illinois, of which he was Wor-
shipful Master for four years. Mr. Faulk-
ner was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Champaign Chapter,
No. 50, in which he now holds the office of
High Priest, and was its representative in
the Grand Chapter for three years. He
was made a Royal and Select Master in
Urbana Council, and was created a Knight
of the Red Cross of Constantine in Saxa
Rubra Conclave, in which he holds the
chair of Junior General. Mr. Faulkner has
always been a loyal, industrious Mason,
and in filling the offices to which he was
elected, he dispatched the duties connected
with them in a manner reflecting credit on
himself and with honor to the craft.
Born in Glen, Montgomery county,
New York, February 28, 1831, Mr. Faulk-
ner attended the public schools of his na-
tive city, and subsequently moved to Ra-
cine, Wisconsin, engaging in the drug busi-
ness at that place for thirteen years. In
1863 he removed to Champaign, Illinois,
and there opened a drug store, which he
conducted very successfully until 1895,
when he decided to retire from business
and enjoy the fruits of an industrious and
well-spent life.
In political matters Mr. Faulkner is a
stanch Republican and has served his party
with considerable zeal and ability. He
was chief of the fire department eight con-
secutive years; was chosen to represent the
third ward in the city council of Cham-
paign; and in 1894 was elected justice of
the peace, which office he is at present
holding. He has attained a great deal of
prominence as a business man throughout
this part of Champaign county, and is
equally well known in social and Masonic
circles. His well-regulated life has been
spent to advantage, and he is to-day one of
Champaign's honored and highly esteemed
citizens.
JOHN W. GEIST is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity who has always been a
consistent adherent to the principles and
precepts of the order, and has so governed
his life as to have it conform to the tenets of
the craft. Initiated in Dearborn Lodge,
No. 310, he became a Master Mason in
1885, and soon made himself familiar with
the ritual. In the following year, 1886, he
attained to the ineffable degrees of the
Scottish Rite in the lodge of perfection, re-
ceived the grades and orders in Oriental
Consistory, and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret. He is also a
member of the social organization of Ma-
sons, having made a successful pilgrimage
across the sands of the desert and become
a Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, in Medinah Temple. He is
a zealous brother, takes an abiding interest
in the workings of the lodge, and possesses
the good will and warm regard of his con-
freres.
Mr. Geist has lived in Chicago all his
life, his birth having taken place in that
city on January 23, 1857. and there his
elementary education was obtained in the
public schools, supplemented by a course at
Bryant & Stratton's Business College.
Upon leaving school he entered the em-
ploy of his father, who was in the grain,
hay and feed business, and in 1873 was
taken in as a member of the firm. In 1876
he joined the Chicago Board of Trade and
at the time of his admission he was the
youngest member on the board. The firm
of Geist Brothers, composed of George F.
and John W. Geist, was established in
1878, since which time they have been
00(5
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
prominent in the commercial world, the
offices and elevators being located at the
corner of Thirty-first street and Stewart
avenue, where they do a large commission
business in the way of shipping grain, hay
and feed. This firm is the sole manufac-
turer of the Three Star Horse and Cattle
Feed, a brand that has acquired an exten-
sive reputation for its meritorious qualities
and is highly commended by the trade.
Mr. Geist is an enterprising, progressive
business man, and to these qualities of
character is due the high degree of success
to which he has attained since entering the
mercantile world, and which have gained
for him the confidence and respect of all
with whom he comes in contact.
On January 20, 1880, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Geist and Miss Minnie
Kubel, who is likewise a native of the Gar-
den City, and of this union two sons have
been born, namely, Albert L. and Arthur C.
WILLIAM H. LOEHDE, who is en-
gaged in a real-estate and insurance
business, with offices at No. 599 Sheffield
avenue, Chicago, is a gentleman well known
in Masonic circles, he having been for a
number of years a member of the time-hon-
ored organization of Freemasons, He was
initiated, passed and raised in Lake View
Lodge, No. 774, F. & A. M. ; had the de-
grees of Royal Arch Mason conferred upon
him by Lincoln Park Chapter, K. A. M. ;
was made a Royal and Select Master by
Chicago Council, No. 4, R. & S. M. ; and
was knighted bv Lincoln Park Command-
ery, K. T. , — all of Chicago and in all of
which he has manifested a deep interest.
In the lodge he has served faithfully and
acceptably as Chaplain.
Mr. Loehde's name indicates his na-
tionality. He was born in Hamburg, Ger-
many, November 5, 1855; received a com-
mon-school education in his native city, and
remained a member of the parental home
until he was seventeen years of age. Then,
in 1872, he sailed for America, landed in
due time at New York city, and during the
Cuban excitement in 1873 joined the United
States Marine Corps and served on board
the United States monitor Dictator, sta-
tioned at Key West, Florida, and was there
two and a half years, and altogether he was
in the service five years, acting as orderly
for different commodores. At the end of
the five years he came to Chicago, bringing
with him the earnings he had saved, and
engaged in the real-estate and insurance
business, on the north side, where he has
since continued and where he has met with
marked success, accumulating property of
his own and handling a large amount of
real estate for other parties.
Politically, Mr. Loehde is in accord with
the Republican party and the principles ad-
vocated by it, and fraternally, besides being
a Mason, he is associated with the Knights
of Pythias.
He was married in 1882 to Miss Emily
Gerndt, a native of the same country in
which he was born, and they are the par-
ents of seven children. He and his family
are members of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
CHARLES G. KRUEGER.— If one is to
IL^ credit tradition. Freemasonry had its
first inception at the time when the King of
Israel summoned the craftsmen of the valley
of Tyre — the hewers in the mountain, the
bearers of burden — to assist in erecting the
temple at Jerusalem, and the cardinal
points then enunciated have been observed
by the craft through the succeeding genera-
tions down to the present time. Mr.
Krueger has been a faithful follower of the
precepts of the order, and has been a loyal
brother, filling several offices in the local
bodies of Blue Island, Illinois, with credit
to himself and honor to the fraternity. He
was initiated in Calumet Lodge, No. 716,
and was made a Master Mason in February,
1891. In this lodge he held the office of
Junior Deacon for one term. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Calumet Chapter, No. 203, at
Blue Island, in 1891, and in 1896 was
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
(507
elected to the chair of Royal Arch Captain.
In 1893 Mr. Krueger was created a Sir
Knight in Englewood Commandery, No. 59,
at Chicago. He was also made a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine, Ancient Arabic Order,
in Medinah Temple, in 1894. His present
affiliations are still with these bodies, and
with Elm Chapter, No. 271, Order of the
Eastern Star, also at Blue Island.
Mr. Krueger was born at Blue Island,
Illinois, September 5, 1865, where he was
reared, receiving his education in the pub-
lic schools and graduating at the high
school in 1881. He then entered upon his
business career by securing a position in a
grocery store as clerk; where he remained
for a period of five years, at the end of
which time he entered the employ of the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
as brakeman. As he soon gave evidence
of more than ordinary ability he was taken
off the road and placed in the office of the
company, where, by his efficiency and
strict attention to the duties assigned to
him, he was gradually promoted until, in
1891, he was given his present position,
that of ticket inspector in the Union
station of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa-
cific and Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Railroads. He is a capable, thoroughly
trustworthy young man, and possesses the
confidence and esteem of his employers.
He is an enthusiastic, industrious Mason,
ever ready to perform any duty in the craft
that may be assigned to him, and his many
excellent qualities as both a man and a
brother have endeared him to all.
On June 11, 1895, Mr. Krueger was
united in marriage to Miss Florence W.
Dexter, who is a native of Providence,
Rhode Island, whence she came when quite
young with her parents to Chicago and
was here raised to womanhood.
of each succeeding and more marvelous age.
Every day's duties are made plain, devo-
tion to God and distressed humanity, faith-
fulness to the usual vocations of life, and
the blessings of rest and moral refreshment,
being its powerful lessons which it teaches
to all who wish to hear and profit by them.
Mr. Rix is one of the worthy and well qual-
ified members of the craft in Chicago, and
one who takes a deep interest in promoting
GEORGE K. RIX.— The thought must
be constantly growing in the minds of
the brethren that Masonry is comprehensive
and far-reaching in its power and influence,
and that its teachings are ever in advance
the welfare of the order in the city. In
1892 he became an Entered Apprentice,
passed the Fellow-craft degree, and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611.
He was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Lincoln Park Chapter,
No. 177, was made a Royal and Select
Master in Chicago Council, No. 4, and
608
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
was created a Sir Knight Templar in Lin-
coln Park Commandery, No. 64, of which
he was also a charter member. At pres-
ent he is affiliated with all these bodies,
and is besides a Noble of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple and of the Knights of
Honor. In his intercourse with his breth-
ren Mr. Rix is always affable, kind and con-
siderate, demonstrating by his acts how well
he has learned and understands the tenets
of the institution.
Mr. Rix is a direct descendant of Will-
iam Rix, who settled at Boston in 1645,
and some of whose descendants were of
Revolutionary distinction. His birth took
place September 20, 1846, at Newport,
New York, where his early education was
received. Later he attended the Fairfield
Seminary in New York, and the Illinois
State University; but before completing the
full course in the latter institution, in 1865,
he moved to Belvidere, Illinois, where he
held the position of principal of the public
schools for two years, and subsequently
completed the course at Illinois State Uni-
versity. Coming to Chicago and entering
the Bryant & Stratton Business College, he
was engaged as superintendent of the book-
keeping department for about eight years.
In the meantime he had given his time to
the study of law, and attended the old
Union College of Law, at which he was
graduated in 1872, with the honor of being
the valedictorian of his class. In 1878
Mr. Rix purchased the Bryant & Stratton
Business College and conducted it under
the name of George K. Rix for about
eighteen months, when he sold it back to
its original owners. He next bought out
the hand-working department of the Clin-
ton Wire Cloth Company, but shortly aft-
erward sold his interest to a Detroit com-
pany. He remained with the company
until 1884, when it failed and Mr. Rix be-
came associated with the Barbed Wire &
Iron Company as manager. In 1888 the
firm was changed into a stock company and
Mr. Rix was elected a director and ap-
pointed secretary and manager, which re-
sponsible positions he is at present filling,
to the entire satisfaction of those with
whom he is associated. He is well known
in Chicago as a business man of integrity,
and possesses the high regard of all with
whom he comes in contact.
Mr. Rix is a member of the Chicago
College of Law alumni, and is vice-presi-
dent of the Philoretorian Society of the
Fairfield Seminary, of New York, which is
one of the oldest schools in the country,
and which at one time numbered among its
students some very prominent men. He is
also a member of Marquette Club and of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Politically Mr. Rix is affiliated with the Re-
publican party, and gives it the benefit of
his support at each election. He served as
a member of the city council from the
twentieth ward under Mayor Roche's ad-
ministration in 1889.
HON. STEPHEN ALBERT, who since
1880 has had, with his wife, a mil-
linery establishment in Chicago, has all
these years figured as one of the enter-
prising business men of the city. In his
history are included many years of intimate
connection with the Masonic order; and a
resume of his life is therefore of more than
passing interest in a work of this charac-
ter, reviewing, as it does, the lives of the
leading Masons of the state.
Stephen Albert was born in Baden,
Germany, September 21, 1837, a son of
Stephen and Katharine Albert, both natives
of that place; the Alberts, however, are of
French origin. The great-grandfather Al-
bert was a soldier under Napoleon, but left
the army in Germany and married and set-
tled there. The subject of our sketch spent
his life in his native land to the year 1854,
when, at the age of sixteen years, he left
the home of his childhood and made the
voyage to America, landing at New York
city on the 2ist of August, that year. Con-
tinuing his way westward to New Albany,
Indiana, he there secured a position as
clerk in a grocery store and was thus occu-
pied at that place until January, 1859.
COMPENDIUM OP FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
609
From that time until 1861 he was employed
as a clerk at Poland, Indiana, and in Sep-
tember of the last named year he entered
Heidelberg College (now University) at
Tiffin, Ohio, and the next year he taught a
parochial school at Sandusky, that state.
In 1863 he resumed clerking, accepting a
position in a dry-goods store at Tiffin, where
he remained until February of the following
year; then he went to Bellevue, Ohio, and
engaged in the grocery business, in part-
nership with a Mr. Royer, under the firm
name of Albert & Royer, with whom he was
associated for three months. That was
during the Civil war and he was a member
of the state militia.
Near the close of the war, April 30,
1864, when the governor made a call for
these troops, Mr. Albert went out as a
member of Company A, One Hundred
and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
and was on duty till the end of hostilities,
most of the time at Fort Smith, being
honorably discharged at the end of his term
of enlistment.
Leaving the army, Mr. Albert returned
to New Albany, Indiana, where, after clerk-
ing for a short time, he and his wife en-
gaged, in August, 1865, in the millinery
business, which he conducted at that place
until 1880, a portion of the time having a
wholesale trade and manufacturing hats,
bonnets, etc. ; he spent several years in
traveling over the state in the interest of
the business. He came to Chicago in 1880
and opened a millinery establishment at
No. 2 1 3 State street, where he remained
from September 1, 1880, until February i,
1885; the next three years he was at No.
157 State street; and since May i, 1888,
has been at his present location, 183 same
street.
At different times Mr. Albert has also
been interested in other lines of business.
He was the organizer of the German Build-
ing, Loan & Savings Association, No. I,
New Albany, Indiana, and was its first
president, — a position he filled for eight
years. In 1874, in appreciation of his
services, he was presented a gold-headed
cane by the association. In 1878 he owned
and ran a dry-goods store on Fifth street,
Cincinnati, Ohio, and he had an interest in
another at Flora, Illinois. During 1883-4
he was interested in the manufacture of
butterine and oleomargarine in Chicago,
under the firm name of S. Albert & Com-
pany. In 1890 he opened a barber shop
at the corner of State and Madison streets;
in 1891 he moved it to Np. 49 East Mon-
roe street, and conducted the business un-
til the expiration of his lease, May i, 1896,
when he closed the shop.
It is, however, more especially his Ma-
sonic history we wish to chronicle here;
and to that we now turn. He was made a
Mason in Tiffin, Ohio, during his residence
at that place, Tiffin Lodge, No. 320, A. F.
& A. M. , conferring upon him its degrees
as follows: Entered Apprentice, December
22, 1862; Fellow-craft, January 12, 1863;
and Master Mason, February 2, 1863. On
his return to New Albany he transferred his
membership to New Albany Lodge, No. 39,
the date of his admission to that organiza-
tion being May 13, 1866. April 4, of the
following year, he was one of the charter
members which formed Pythagoras Lodge,
No. 355, of New Albany, and still retains
his membership therein. In this lodge he
has served as Junior and Senior Warden,
and for seven years was its Worshipful Mas-
ter. He was made a Royal Arch Mason by
New Albany Chapter, No. 17, November
12, 1866; a Royal and Select Master by
Indiana Council, No. I, November 17, 1866;
in New Albany Commandery, No. 5, he
took the degree of Knight of the Red Cross
November 21, 1866, and the Knight Temp-
lar degree November 24, same year; and
was made a Scottish Rite Mason February
13, 1867, being one of the charter members
of New Albany Consistory and co-ordinate
bodies in the Valley of New Albany. He
has filled nearly all the offices in these vari-
ous Masonic bodies up to and including that
of Commander-in-Chief of De Molay Com-
mandery. He received the orders of the
Red Cross Knights of Constantine; and,
holding his membership certificate direct
610
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
from the Imperial Council of England, he
filled the chair of Active Sovereign in 1 874.
With others, he organized the Imperial
Council of India, and was one of its active
members. Indeed, he represented all the
Masonic organizations of which he was a
member in their respective grand bodies of
the state. He has held also a membership
in the Masonic Veteran Association of Indi-
ana ever since its organization twelve years
ago.
In 1869 Mr. Albert was one of the
organizers of the Masonic Mutual Aid Asso-
ciation, of which he was a director and vice-
president, serving in the latter capacity
seven years, which was during the life of
that organization, or until it was merged
into the Indiana Division. At present he
holds membership in Oriental Consistory,
Chicago, St. John's Conclave of the Order
of the Red Cross, Knights of Rome and
Constantine, Queen Esther Chapter, of the
Order of the Eastern Star, and Bethlehem
Shrine, No. i. White Shrine of Jerusalem,
to which his wife also belongs.
Another popular fraternal society with
which Mr. Albert is connected is that of the
Odd Fellows. He was made a member of
Hope Lodge. No. 83, I. O. O. F., of New
Albany, Indiana, in December, 1858, and
still affiliates with it.
Politically he is a Democrat. In 1876
he was elected a representative to the In-
diana state legislature from Floyd county,
on the ticket with Mr. Tilden, and faith-
fully served his constituents one term; but
for the second term he refused the nomina-
tion.
July 2, 1863, Mr. Albert was married to
Miss Catharine V. Meikirk, daughter of
Daniel C. and Christine (Somers) Meikirk,
of Seneca county, Ohio, where she was
born in July, 1848.
dustrious brother, faithful and true to every
trust committed to his care. On Septem-
ber 17, 1885, Mr. Hoag was elected a
member of Englewood Lodge, No. 690, in
which he had the honor of being Senior
Warden; on June 23, 1887, he was exalted
to the Royal Arch degrees in Englewood
Chapter, No. 176; in October. 1895, he
was made a Royal and Select Master in
Imperial Council, No. 85, of which he is a
charter member; and on August 2O, 1887,
he became a charter member also of Engle-
wood Commandery, No. 59.
Mr. Hoag was born in Rural Grove,
New York, June 17, 1852, and there his
first knowledge of the rudimentary branches
of learning was received, which was later
supplemented by a course at Antioch Col-
lege, Yellow Springs, Ohio, from which he
came to Chicago in 1873, where he at once
engaged in the live-stock commission busi-
ness. He has been following that vocation
ever since and is one of the successful
and prosperous commission merchants of
Chicago.
On January 31, 1877, the subject of this
review was united in marriage to Miss Cora
E. McFarland, a native of Chicago, and
one son, Albert, has been born to them.
In his social relations Mr. Hoag is a mem-
ber of the Royal League and a charter
member of the Harvard Club, of Engle-
wood.
WILLIAM JESSE HOAG, the well-
known live-stock commission mer-
chant of Chicago, has been prominently
identified with Freemasonry for the past
twelve years as an enthusiastic, loyal, in-
DWARD ROSS MOFFAT.— The local
fraternal bodies of Chicago have among
their ranks many worthy members, to whose
active interest and unfaltering loyalty the
present nourishing condition of the lodge is
due, and none is more deserving of recogni-
tion than the brother whose name appears
at the head of this review. He is well-
known in Masonic circles and rarely misses
a meeting of his " f nitres." Mr. Moffat
was elected Entered Apprentice of Lincoln
Park Lodge, No. 611, raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason, and was its Wor-
shipful Master for one term. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
611
Mason in Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177,
in which he held the chair of Master of the
First Veil, and was a charter member of
Lincoln Park Commandery, No. 64, having
received the degree of Knighthood in St.
Bernard Commandery. He held the office
of Standard Bearer in Lincoln Park Com-
mandery, No. 64, in 1895. Mr. Moffat
was constituted a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine in Medinah Temple, and is a mem-
ber of the Royal Arcanum, the National
Union, and a bicycle club. He also held
at one time the rank of corporal in the
First Regiment of Illinois Cavalry.
Mr. Moffat was born in Hamilton, Ohio,
December i, 1857, anc' took advantage of
such educational facilities as was offered in
the public schools of that city. Eventually
he went to Cincinnati, and there engaged
in the special jobbing of wire goods until
March 3, 1873, on which date he came to
Chicago and embarked in the wall-papering
and painting business. In 1883 he started
out for himself in that vocation and has
continued to follow it ever since with more
than ordinary success. Mr. Moffat is asso-
ciated with other enterprises, being pres-
ident of the Fort Dearborn Cycle Manufac-
turing Company, which was organized in
May, 1 895. Its factory is located at 26 and
28 West Randolph street, and although the
concern is as yet in its infancy it has been
very successful, and turns out a fine, high-
grade wheel, two models of which are
known as the Dearborn and the Fort,
which are as good as the combination of
the best material and expert workmen can
produce. The company employs only
skilled mechanics and makes the cheapest
and most endurable wheel on the market,
He is the inventor and manufacturer of the
puncture cure, " Bi-gum."
Mr. Moffat is a self-made man in every
respect and has attained his present status
in life by perseverance, an intelligent use of
the means at hand, and a strict sense of in-
tegrity, which has gained him the respect
and confidence of all who know him. In
his religious affiliations he is a consistent
member of the Methodist church.
34*
QEORGE RICE HOUGH, one of the
highly respected members of the Ma-
sonic fraternity residing at Clayton, is a
brother who is thoroughly familiar with the
ritual, and governs his life according to the
tenets and precepts of the order. After
having the degrees of Entered Apprentice
and Fellow-craft conferred upon him he
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Tyrian Lodge, No. 333, at Spring-
field, and filled all the offices in that body
up to that of Worshipful Master. In the
spring of 1878 he was dimitted and became
affiliated with Clayton Lodge, No. 147, on
May 1 6, 1881, in which he held the chairs
of Junior and Senior Warden. On June
8, 1885, Mr. Hough was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Clayton Chapter, No. 104, serving as its
Most Eminent King in 1897, and on Sep-
tember 8, 1885, was constituted a Sir
Knight in Delta Commandery, No. 48. He
takes a great interest in the Commandery,
has been honored with several offices and is
at this writing its Standard Bearer.
The birth of Mr. Hough took place in
612
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
New Haven, Connecticut, March 19, 1835.
He is of English extraction, his great-grand-
father having emigrated from the old coun-
try at an early day, locating in New Eng-
land. In his religious faith he was a Con-
gregationalist. Josiah Hough, the father
of our subject, was also born in Connect-
icut, where he married Miss Laura J. Rice,
and of this union six children were born.
The mother died in her fortieth year, the
father surviving her until sixty-eight years
old. Our subject was their third child,
whose education was acquired in the
public schools of his native city. In 1854
he began firing on a locomotive engine, re-
maining in that capacity until 1857, when
he was promoted to the responsible post of
engineer, and since then he has been con-
tinually in the employ of the Wabash Rail-
road. In 1877 he met with a serious ac-
cident, after recovering from which he was
placed in charge of a passenger train and
for the past nineteen years he has served as
a conductor, his run being from Keokuk to
Clayton. His forty years' connection with
the Wabash has been marked by faithful,
competent service, and he is one of- the re-
liable and trusted employees of the road,
in whom the officials place every confi-
dence.
Mr. Hough was married in 1 860 to Miss
Georgiana Pringle, of Ohio, anti eight chil-
dren have blessed the union. They are:
Laura, the wife of Charles S. Shute, who
is a Master Mason; Sophia died in her twen-
ty-first year; John E., a Sir Knight Tem-
plar, who is in the employ of the Wabash
Railroad Company; Charles R. is in the
employ of the Rock Island Railroad Com-
pany; Nettie E. is the wife of S. S. Mar-
rett, a member of the Masonic fraternity
living at Clayton; Harry is in the employ
of the Wabash road; Maggie married J. E.
Marrett; and George P. is at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Hough are members of
the Order of the Eastern Star, the latter
being very active in its work, is Past Ma-
tron, and has been District Deputy Grand
Matron. Our subject is a charter member,
has filled all the offices, acting at present
as Secretary, and is Associate Grand Pa-
tron of the Grand Chapter. He is also a
Noble in the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine in Mohammed Temple at
Peoria.
On the questions of politics Mr. Hough
has always been a stanch Democrat, and
while living in Springfield, Illinois, was a
member of the city council for three years.
SHELLEY B. FORD.— The fraternity of
Freemasonry is always ready to extend
a welcome to the young men who evince a
desire to secure a greater knowledge of the
precepts and principles of its lodges, and
extends the hand of comradeship to all
such, confident that when they have once
had revealed to them all the beauties of the
aims and intentions of the craft, they will
have no cause for regret in having become
affiliated with the society. Mr. Ford re-
ceived the first three degrees in Lincoln
Park Lodge, No. 611, in 1894; was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177, in the
same year, and was knighted in Lincoln
Park Commandery, No. 64, Knights Tem-
plar, in 1895. He is also a member of the
Ancient Arabic Order, being a Noble of the
Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple. He is an
enthusiastic Mason, and never loses an op-
portunity of advancing the interests of the
lodges with which he is connected.
Mr. Ford was born in Chicago January
19, 1870, his education being acquired in
the public schools of this city, after leaving
which he engaged in the iron business, con-
tinuing in that for a period of six years.
He then decided to strike out for himself,
and on April 23, 1894, he opened his pres-
ent store at 123 LaSalle street, which is
one of the neatest and best appointed in the
city, and here he keeps one of the finest
stocks of all the leading brands of cigars
and tobacco in the market. He is a young
man of excellent business attainments, a
character full of energy, firmness and enter-
prise, and these have secured for him more
than a modicum of success. Starting out
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
613
in life with no other assistance than his own
determination to win his way in the world
and an unlimited confidence in his ability to
do so, industry and perseverance have
brought their own reward, and Mr. Ford is
now in a position where he can enjoy the
fruits of his labors.
Mr. Ford is well known in sporting cir-
cles and takes a great interest in yachting,
boating and other aquatic pastimes, in which
he has at times taken a conspicuous part.
Socially he is a member of the Lincoln Park
Yacht Club, the Chicago Yacht Club and
the Columbia Yacht Club, to all of which
he is a decided acquisition, his genial dispo-
sition making him a great favorite with the
other members.
O. WELDIN, whose diligence in
support of Masonry and fidelity to its
teachings makes him one of the most prom-
inent and influential members of Lawn
Lodge, No. 815, first became associated
with the fraternity December 15, 1874,
when the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft and Master Mason were con-
ferred upon him in Olive Branch Lodge,
No. 40, F. & A. M. , Frankfort, New York,
which had been chartered in June, 1812.
He dimitted from that organization and be-
came a charter member of Lawn Lodge,
No. 815, in 1892. He has since been very
active in its work, served as Junior Warden
under dispensation and after its formal or-
ganization was elected to the office of Tyler.
He was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Oneida Chapter, No.
57, of Utica, New York, and was dimitted
to Lawn Chapter, No. 205, in 1893, be-
coming a charter member of this society.
The same year he was greeted as a Royal
and Select Master of Palestine Council, No.
66, and in 1894 received the grades and
orders of chivalric Masonry, being created
and dubbed a Sir Knight of Chicago Com-
mandery, No. 19, on the i$th of October.
While Mr. Weldin is active and efficient in
the work of the lodge room, he is no less
faithful as a follower of Masonic teachings,
which call for individual charity and person-
al aid and sacrifice for the benefit of a
brother of the craft. He is a close and
conscientious student of the teachings of
Masonry in all its departments, is a most
efficient and enthusiastic worker, and, be-
ing a man of more than average ability, he
brings to the work a high degree of intelli-
gence and zeal.
Mr. Weldin was born in East Schuyler,
New York, on the i6th of October, 1853,
obtained his education in its public schools
and made his home there until 1881, when
he sought a home in Chicago. He was
reared to farm life and the work of the
fields early became familiar to him, but pre-
ferring a more active business life he learned
the carpenter's trade and since his arrival
in this city has engaged in contracting and
building. Energy and self-reliance are pre-
dominant traits in his character and have
led to his success. Scorning to depend
upon others, he started out in life for him-
self, and, improving the opportunities
which have come to him, he has steadily
worked his way upward. Whatever suc-
cess he has achieved is the legitimate
outcome of his own efforts, and his honesty
in all business transactions is above ques-
tion.
EDWARD E. REININGER, M. D.—
The requirements of the medical prac-
titioner are somewhat more rigorous than
those necessary to any other branch of
human endeavor, implying the possession
of those qualities of character and disposi-
tion that unite in constituting the highest
order of manhood. Brought into daily
contact with the sadder phases of life,
witnessing the sufferings of those afflicted
with mental as well as bodily pain, the
physician is often called upon to administer
not only to the material but also to the
spiritual being of his fellow men. Human-
itarian in all its various aspects, the art of
healing is closely allied to the philanthropic
fraternity of Freemasons, and an affiliate
of that order is more fully equipped to go
614
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
forth among his brethren, sowing the seed
of charity, love and unselfishness to all
mankind. Dr. Reininger is not only an
honored member of the medical profession,
in which he has achieved distinct success,
but he is likewise a much valued "frater"
whose earnest enthusiasm and conscientious
adherence to the precepts and tenets of the
order have gained for him the warm regard
of his fellow Masons. He was initiated and
raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Garden City Lodge, No. 141, in
1 894, and in the same year he was advanced
to the degrees of capitular Masonry and
exalted to the Holy Royal Arch in York
Chapter, No. 148; received the grades and
orders of knighthood in Columbia Com-
mandery, No. 63, and in October he at-
tained to the degrees of Scottish Rite in the
in effable lodge of perfection and was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory. He holds
membership in the social branch of Masonry,
and in 1894 became a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order in Medinah Temple. The
Doctor's prepossessing personal character-
istics and his cordial demeanor in the lodge
room make him a popular acquisition and
bring to him the enjoyment of the high
consideration of his confreres.
Dr. Edward E. Reininger is a native of
Pennsylvania, his birth having taken place
in Pottsville on the ist of May, 1854, and
while in his infancy he was taken to Bridge-
port, Connecticut, and there lived until
eleven years old, securing his preliminary
literary education in the public schools of
that city. In 1865 he came to Illinois,
first locating in Tazewell county, and later
in McLean county, where he became inured
to the life of a farmer, working on the
home place in the summer and going to
school during the winter months. Subse-
quently he attended the Northwestern Uni-
versity, at Evanston, and then, following
his natural inclinations, he began the study
of medicine and entered the Chicago
Homeopathic Medical College, at which he
was graduated on the 2ist of February,
1888, and at once took up the active prac-
tice of his profession in Chicago, where he
has since practiced; and such talent and
ability was displayed by him that he was
recalled to his altna mater and appointed
assistant professor of materia medica and
lecturer on the organon in the Chicago
Homeopathic Medical College. He is a
member of the Cook County Hospital staff,
the Illinois Homeopathic Medical Society,
the American Institute of Homeopathy, the
International Hahnnemannian Association
and the Chicago Homeopathic Medical So-
ciety.
No pomp of power nor influence of
wealth has meted out to Dr. Reininger the
success which he has gained within the last
ten years, his advancement in the calling of
his choice being the consequent result of
his personal endeavors intelligently ap-
plied, plus native ability, perseverance and
a strength of purpose that would not be
daunted by existing obstacles. The Doctor
takes a deep interest in his profession, to
which he is greatly attached, and is inde-
fatigable in his efforts to advance the
science of medicine, devoting the best en-
ergies of his nature to it in the interest of
humanity, and taking advantage of every
opportunity for further perfecting himself
and increasing his already extensive store
of knowledge.
The marriage of Dr. Reininger was
solemnized on the i2th of June, 1888, when
he was united to Miss Nettie Traver, a na-
tive of Aurora, Illinois.
CHARLES S. THORNTON.— The at-
taining of prestige in the legal profes-
sion implies the possession of certain at-
tributes of character and qualities of intel-
lectuality that will enable one to cope with
all the exigencies of strong competition
which is ever present in that calling. One
of the most able and successful practi-
tioners at the bar in Chicago is Charles S.
Thornton, who is also an affiliate of the
Masonic fraternity, in which he has had
conferred upon him the thirty-second de-
gree of the Scottish Rite. He was initi-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF I
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
617
ated, passed and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Auburn Park
Lodge, No. 789; was exalted to the august
degree of the Holy Royal Arch in Auburn
Park Chapter, No. 201 ; received the orders
of knighthood in Montjoie Commandery,
No. 53, and attained the ineffable degrees
of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory,
being proclaimed therein a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret. After a successful
pilgrimage across the desert sands, he was
elected a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Or-
der of the Mystic Shrine and retains his
membership in Medinah Temple. He is a
consistent "frater" and enjoys a distinct
popularity in the bodies of which he is a
member.
Charles S. Thornton was born in Bos-
ton, Massachusetts, in 1851, and is the pres-
ent representative of old New England an-
cestry, his parents being Solon and Cor-
delia A. (Tilden) Thornton, the former a
native of New Hampshire, and the latter
of Massachusetts, a descendant of the well-
known Tilden family of Marshfield, that
state. In his youth our subject enjoyed
excellent educational advantages, attending
the public schools of Boston, subsequently
spending six years in the noted Boston
Latin School and finally graduating at Har-
vard College. Following the predilections
of his early years, he devoted much of his
leisure time while in college to the study of
law, which he later pursued under the pre-
ceptorship of Henry Adams, a prominent
lawyer of Cambridge, and in the Harvard
Law School, attending the lectures of that
institution until 1873. In that year, bent
upon seeking his fortune in the west, he
moved to Chicago, arriving in the month of
March, and here continued his law studies
under the guidance of Lyman & Jackson
and later in the office of Isham & Lincoln.
He was admitted to practice in the courts
of the state of Illinois in September, 1873,
and immediately after opened an office in
the city of his adoption, where he has since
enjoyed a prosperous professional career.
Early in his practice he became associated
with Justice Chancellor, which partnership
still obtains, and in connection with five
other gentlemen, under the name of Thorn-
ton & Chancellor, the firm is engaged in
conducting one of the most successful legal
enterprises in the western metropolis.
While Mr. Thornton has, during all
these years, carried on a general law prac-
tice, he has made a specialty of real-es-
tate and corporaticn law, and his signal
success in these lines has gained him a
most enviable reputation. He is a polished,
scholarly gentleman, well adapted to the
high calling in which all his energies are
directed, and his dealings are character-
ized by a high standard of professional
ethics. He has served in several official
positions of prominence, among them being
corporation counsel for the city of Chicago,
and has been especially active in the ad-
vancement of educational interests.
The marriage of Mr. Thornton was sol-
emnized in 1883, when he was united to
Miss Jessie F. Benton, of Chicago, and the
family now comprises the following three
daughters: Mabel J., Pearl Esther, and
Hattie May, and one son, Chancellor B.
Thornton. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton have
their residence in Auburn Park, one of the
most attractive suburbs of Chicago, and
there enjoy the high regard of their many
friends.
E. JONES.— Masons are
builders of character, and the imple-
ments of society are rendered glorious and
sublime in their symbolism of man's duty
to man and to himself. The jagged corners
of bitter competition and selfish struggle
for supremacy are made smooth by the
gavel of the brotherhood. In Chicago,
where the rush and strife for daily exist-
ence is ever on the increase, the local
lodges have accomplished a great deal of
good in a quiet way. A brother who has
taken more than an ordinary interest in the
bodies of which he is a member is the gen-
tleman whose name heads this review.
His first degree was taken at Zanesville,
Ohio, and he passed the Fellow-craft and
618
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Auburn Park Lodge, No. 789.
He was exalted to the Royal Arch degree
in Auburn Park Chapter, No. 201, and was
created a Sir Knight in Englewood Com-
mandery, No. 59. His present affiliations
are with the Normal Park Lodge, No. 797,
Normal Park Chapter and the Englewood
Commandery. Mr. Jones is a Noble in the
Ancient Order of the Mystic Shrine, holding
his membership in Medinah Temple.
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, is the native
city of Mr. Jones, his birth having occurred
there March 6, 1859. He was educated in
the public schools, which he attended until
seventeen years old, and then went to Ohio,
and located at Zanesville, where he secured
a position as traveling salesman, following
that vocation for twelve years. In 1890
Mr. Jones came to Chicago, and with his
brother engaged in the granite business
under the firm name of Jones Brothers.
They have been quite successful and rank
as one of the leading firms in the city.
Mr. Jones is an energetic, progressive
gentleman, high-principled and possessing
honest methods, and is well liked by his
business associates as well as holding the
esteem of his personal friends.
He was happily united in marriage
September 11, 1889, to Miss Mary E.
Spencer, who was born in Philadelphia,
and they have one son, Dayton E. Jones, Jr.
CHARLES CLARK DAVIS, of Centralia,
1 dates his affiliation with Freemasonry
from 1883, when as an Entered Apprentice
he was received in Centralia Lodge, No.
201, A. F. & A. M. He passed the Fellow-
craft degree, was raised to the sublime de-
gree of a Master Mason and has since main-
tained his connection with the organization.
In the same year he was exalted to the au-
gust degree of Royal Arch Mason in Cen-
tralia Chapter, No. 93, has served as Mas-
ter of the Veils and has been the Represent-
ative in the Grand Chapter of Illinois. He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry in 1883
and was greeted a Royal and Select Master
of Centralia Council, No. 28, in which he
has since served as Second Officer. He
took the vows of knighthood and was con-
stituted, created and dubbed a Sir Knight
in Cyrene Commandery, No. 23, in 1883,
and in the present year, 1897, is serving as
its Eminent Commander. He has also been
its Representative in the Grand Command-
ery and has been a most loyal follower of
the beauseant. He received the grades and
orders of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory of Chicago in November, 1893, and
was thereby proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret. He is actively inter-
ested in the fraternity, and does all in his
power to promote its growth and to pro-
mulgate among men its principles of uni-
versality, charity and hospitality.
One of the native sons of Illinois, Mr.
Davis was born in Belleville, April 2, 1855,
a son of Thomas P. and W. C. (Beal) Davis.
To the public-school system he is indebted
for the educational privileges he enjoyed.
At the age of eighteen he began railroading
on the Illinois Ceentral Railroad, serving
as freight brakeman from Centralia to Cairo
for two years, then being promoted to the
position of freight conductor, which he held
for about four years. Then he was again
promoted to the position of passenger con-
ductor, which he held during the remaining
term of his railroad life, resigning on ac-
count of his coal business, after thirteen
years' service as a passenger conductor.
During the latter period many of the promi-
nent people of the country traveled in his
trains, chief of which was General Grant on
his return from his tour around the world.
He was a most careful, reliable and pains-
taking conductor, who won the confidence
of the company and the good will of all
with whom his duties brought him in con-
tact. In 1889 he began operating in coal
and is proprietor of some valuable mines in
this section of the state. The firm of Pit-
tenger & Davis, of which he is the junior
member, are now doing a very extensive
business in their line, the volume of their
trade amounting to shipment of more than
five hundred thousand tons of coal annually.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
619
In 1877 Mr. Davis was united in marriage
to Miss Ella E. Kell, of Centralia. He is
a man of very affable, pleasant manner and
genial nature and wins friends wherever he
goes. In politics he is a stanch Republican
and is a member of the Republican Club.
In business he has achieved a splendid suc-
cess. Although he began in humble capac-
ity he has steadily worked his way upward
and has taken his place among the substan-
tial citizens of Centralia. His executive
ability, fidelity to duty, honorable methods
and unflagging industry have been the es-
sential features of his success and have
brought to him a success that is well merited.
adopted country and aid in the preserva-
tion of the Union. Enlisting in the Illi-
nois Infantry, he remained at the front until
honorably discharged on account of dis-
ability: he is now a member of Columbia
Post, G. A. R. He was married in 1887
to Miss Mary A. Smith, a native of
England.
JM. WENKE has been a member of the
Masonic fraternity for only four years,
but his record in that time has been one
creditable alike to the craft and to himself.
His life is in accord with its teachings and
tenets and the branches of the order with
which he is connected number him among
their valued representatives. In 1893 he
took the three degrees of the blue lodge
and has since been affiliated with Thomas
J. Turner Lodge. He was advanced as
Mark Master, installed as Past Master, re-
ceived as Most Excellent Master and ex-
alted to the Royal Arch in Washington
Chapter, in 1895.
A native of Germany, Mr. Wenke was
born in 1843 and during his infancy was
brought to America by his parents, who
took up their residence in New Orleans,
where he remained for about four years.
In 1853 he came to Chicago, completed
his education in the public schools and
throughout his business career has been
connected with the industrial interests of
this city. He learned the cigar-maker's
trade in his youth and for twenty years has
engaged in business on his own account as
a tobacconist. He carries a most excellent
line of goods and has met with a well-de-
served success, his trade constantly increas-
ing as the years have passed by.
During the war he put aside all personal
consideration to enter the service of his
FRANK H. ROOVAART, a talented and
industrious afnliant of the brotherhood,
who makes his home in the city of Chicago,
has served the order in various capacities
since becoming a member and is always
ready to assume any duties in the lodge that
may be required of him. He was initiated
in Englewood Lodge, No. 690, was ad-
vanced to the degrees of capitular Masonry
and exalted to the august degrees of the
Holy Royal Arch in Normal Park Chapter,
No. 210, greeted a Royal and Select Master
in Imperial Council, No. 85, in 1896, and
received the orders of knighthood in Engle-
wood Commandery, No. 59, in 1894. In
the lodge he has served as Junior Steward
with ability and circumspection, and in the
chapter was Master of the Third Veil, bring-
ing to that office a dignity and intelligence
that gained for him the high regard and
commendation of his confreres. He and
his wife are both members of the Normal
Park Chapter, No. 211, Order of the East-
ern Star.
Mr. Roovaart was born in Chicago on
the 26th of July, 1864, and here he was
reared, obtaining his education in the public
schools, attending the same until thirteen
years of age, when he was apprenticed to
the jewelry-manufacturing business. After
serving in that capacity for five years he
was given another position, which he re-
tained for two or three years, and in 1886
he and his brother, Henry J., engaged in
business for themselves, and, bringing to
their work such qualifications as industry,
natural talents, perseverance and the high-
est integrity of character, they have as a
result met with a high degree of success
620
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
and are among the progressive and praise-
worthy citizens of Chicago.
Mr. Roovaart solemnized his marriage
on the first of January, 1887, Avhen he was
united to Miss Florence B. Reckard, who,
although born in Marietta, Ohio, was reared
in the Garden City. Two children have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Roovaart,
namely, Helen and Margaret.
to the welfare of the great city in which he
lives.
Mr. Rieke was married in 1879 to Miss
Minnie Fischer, a native of Cook county,
Illinois.
UGUST RIEKE, who is successfully
J&L engaged in a fire-insurance business,
with office at No. 162 La Salle street, Chi-
cago, is a gentleman well known in he
business and political circles of this city and
also is he well known in the Masonic frater-
nity. He received the three degrees of
blue Masonry in Lincoln Park Lodge, F. &
A. M., was exalted a Royal Arch Mason by
Lincoln Park Chapter, R. A. M., and was
made a Sir Knight by Lincoln Park Com-
mandery, K. T. , in all of which he is a mem-
ber in good standing. Also he is a member of
Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine, and of the
Order of the Eastern Star.
Mr. Rieke's name is suggestive of his
nationality. He was born in Germany,
December 22, 1856, and there passed the
first nine years of his life, receiving his pri-
mary education in the schools of his native
land. At the age of nine he emigrated to
America with his parents, landing in New
York city and coming from there direct to
Chicago, where he has since lived. Here
he completed his education in the public
schools. He was deputy internal revenue
collector under J. D. Harvey for about
three years, when he resigned and went into
the brokerage business. Later he was
appointed cashier of the county clerk's
office, and served in this capacity for eight
years under Henry Wolff, now state treas-
urer. On retiring from this position he
turned his attention to insurance, in which
he has since been engaged, making fire in-
surance a specialty. He is a member of
the Royal League. Is an ardent Repub-
lican and is interested in all that pertains
E.RNEST JOSEPH CROSS, a well-
/ known Mason of Chicago, became a
member of the order by joining Oriental
Lodge, No. 33, F. & A. M. He now holds
membership in LaFayette Chapter, No. 2,
R. A. M., and was made a Knight Templar
in Apollo Commandery, NO. I, in 1896.
Mr. Cross is a native of England, his
birth having occurred in Coventry on the
2 1st of July, 1871. During his infancy he
was brought by his parents to America, the
family locating in St. Paul, Minnesota,
whence they afterward went to New York.
Later they returned to England, where they
spent two years, when they again crossed
the Atlantic, taking up their abode in St.
John's, New Brunswick, whence they later
went to Musqueau, New Jersey. The sub-
ject of this review had accompanied the
family on their various removals and while
a resident of New Jersey filled the office of
deputy postmaster. His next place of resi-
dence was in New York, where he entered
the employ of the well-known firm of Cook
& Son, whose excursions have become
world-famed. In 1893 ne was sent by the
company to Chicago, where he holds the
responsible position of cashier, transacting
the greater part of their financial business
for the entire western territory. It is an
important position, but one which he has
ably filled; and his genial, ever-courteous
manner has made him a favorite with the
public as well as with many warm personal
friends.
JAMES B. TALLMAN, who is engaged
in a fire-insurance business at No. 162
La Salle street, Chicago, is one of the
representative young business men of this
city and one who is deeply interested in
Freemasonry, at this writing, 1896, being
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
621
Worshipful Master of Myrtle Lodge, No.
795. He was created a Master Mason by
this organization November 7, 1891, and
was exalted a Royal Arch Mason by Irving
Park Chapter, No. 195, R. A. M. His in-
terest in both organizations from the time
of his entrance thereto has been unabated,
and it is his intention in the near future to
advance still higher in the grand work of
Masonry.
Mr. Tallman was born in Ogdensburg,
New York, November 23, 1869, and in his
native town was reared and educated. He
was engaged in business for a time in Og-
densburg and from there in 1 890 came to
Chicago, where he was employed as ticket
agent for the Northwestern Railroad two
years. After severing his connection with
the railroad company he turned his atten-
tion to the fire-insurance business, in which
he is now successfully engaged. He is a
member of the Irving Club at Irving Park,
is president of the Republican Precinct
Club, and has taken considerable interest
in politics since his residence here.
Mr. Tallman was married in 1890 to
Miss Clara G. Tilton, of Monticello, Indi-
ana, and they have a son and a daughter.
Mrs. Tallman is a member of the Presby-
terian church.
•'ILLIAM BENJAMIN WYNE.—
JfiE Just how long Freemasonry has
been in existence is difficult of determina-
tion, but its power and mutual benefits to
humanity have steadily increased until to-
day it stands at the head of all institutions
organized for the welfare and happiness of
the world in general and the promotion of
morality of the inhabitants thereof. In
Illinois alone its precepts and tenets are
followed and faithfully adhered to by over
fifty thousand members, and one of these
who has been most enthusiastic in the work
of his lodge is Mr. William B. Wyne, who
for over a quarter of a century has proved
himself to be a loyal and conscientious
Mason.
Mr. Wyne was initiated as far back as
1870, in Melody Lodge, No. 2, at Platte-
ville, Wisconsin, of which he served as Sec-
retary for several years. In 1871 he was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Washington Chapter, No. 2, of
the same place; was in 1883 made a Royal
and Select Master in Peoria Council, at
Peoria, Illinois, and received the degree of
Knighthood in Mineral Point (Wisconsin)
Commandery, from which he obtained a
dimit in 1895 and became affiliated with
Columbia Commandery, No. 63, of Chicago.
In 1883 Mr. Wyne attained the thirty-
second degree of the Scottish Rite, and was
made a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret
in the ineffable lodge of perfection known as
Peoria Consistory, at Peoria, Illinois. His
prepossessing manners and kindly considera-
tion have made him a popular member of
the bodies with which he has been affiliated,
and have gained for him a number of warm
friends among the craft.
The birth of Mr. Wyne took place in
Rushville, Illinois, on April 15, 1848. He
is the son of Benjamin F. and Cynthia
Floria (Pattie) Wyne, the former of whom
622
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
was for twenty years postmaster of Platte-
ville, Wisconsin, whither he had moved
when the subject of this sketch was but a
year old. At Platteville Mr. Wyne re-
ceived his education in the common schools
and began his business career as a clerk in
a mercantile establishment, continuing in
that vocation until 1 876, when he engaged
with the American Express Company as a
messenger, remaining as such until 1891,
and then coming to Chicago. During his
term of service as an express employee Mr.
Wyne arose from the position of messenger
to be extra agent and route agent, in the
latter capacity having charge of all the
American Express offices in Illinois, and
was located on the line of the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad as traveling
auditor. In the meanwhile Mr. Wyne had
become financially interested in Brink's
Chicago City Express as one of its stock-
holders and a member of the board of di-
rectors. On his coming to Chicago in 1891
he. became superintendent of the company,
which office he has continued to hold since
that time. He is conscientious, energetic,
always has the interest of the company at
heart, and has fulfilled the duties of his re-
sponsible position with credit to himself
and to the eminent satisfaction of those
with whom he is associated.
In political affairs Mr. Wyne is a Re-
publican, faithfully adhering to the prin-
ciples of that party, but without any desire
to hold office. Socially he is a member of
the Review Club. He is a man of un-
doubted ability, possesses a genial disposi-
tion and the happy faculty of making many
warm, personal friends, whom he numbers
by the score.
JOSIAH B. LAMKIN, dealer in hides,
furs and wool, Champaign, is a repre-
sentative Mason whose character en-
titles him to a mention in a work of this
nature. He was inducted into the order in
Cleveland Lodge at Chicago, and is now
affiliated with Western Star Lodge, No.
240, at Champaign. He is also a member
of Champaign Chapter, No. 40, in which he
has been Master of the Veils; and in Ur-
bana Commandery, No. 16, K. T., he has
been Standard Bearer. He was with this
commandery at the great triennial conclave
in Chicago in 1880. He is also a member
of Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine, of
Chicago.
Mr. Lamkin was born in Mariposa,
Canada, March 8, 1843, trained in the pub-
lic schools of that country and at Earlville,
Illinois, to which latter place the family
moved when he was about sixteen years of
age. For several years after he quit school
he was a traveling salesman for a Chicago
house. In July, 1869, he came to Cham-
paign, ever since which time he has been
an honorable and successful business man
and citizen of this place. Building a resi-
dence on his arrival here, he has made this
his permanent home, and now he is well
known throughout a large area of the coun-
try in this part of the state. Taking an
active interest in public affairs, a Democrat
in politics, he is at present the chairman of
the Democratic Club of Champaign.
^ILLIAM TINSLEY is one of the
zealous members of the Masonic
fraternity. He took the degrees of En-
tered Apprentice in Thomas J. Turner
Lodge, No. 409, in 1896, passed the Fel-
low-craft degree and was raised to the sub-
lime degree of Master Mason, after which
he received the capitular degrees in Chi-
cago Chapter, No. 27, and in 1897 he was
created a Sir Knight in Apollo Com-
mandery. He is now serving as Junior
Deacon in the blue lodge and is worthily
following the teachings of the society which
fosters a chivalrous devotion to the right,
emphasizes the truth of universal brother-
hood, upholds patriotism and promotes
benevolence. Although his connection with
Masonry covers a period of little more than
a year he is deeply interested in the organi-
zation and exemplifies its honorable teach-
ings in his upright career.
Mr. Tinsley is also a valued and active
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
623
member in other fraternities. He has the
warm regard of the brotherhood in the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows and his
name is found also on the roll of member-
ship of Lakeside Lodge, No. 230, Knights
of Pythias, in which he is now serving as
Chancellor Commander. He is a member
of the Dramatic Order of the Knights of
Khorapan, and his fidelity to the obligation
which these various societies impose on
their members has won him the esteem of
all with whom he has thus been brought in
contact.
In business circles Mr. Tinsley also has
a wide acquaintance and his success is the
result of his own well-directed efforts. A
native of England, he was born on the 1st
of July, 1868, and when a youth of twenty
years crossed the Atlantic to America. In
February, 1892, he arrived in Chicago and
the same year embarked in the restaurant
business, which he has since followed with
marked success. Catering to the public
wishes he has thoroughly learned what is
demanded by the patrons, and meeting
these demands he has secured a large and
lucrative patronage. In manner he is
social, cordial and genial, and his courte-
ous accommodation of his customers se-
cures a continuance of their trade. He has
a well-appointed hotel and restaurant, with
good service, and in his business is ener-
getic and enterprising.
JS. INGRAM, whose connection with Ma-
sonry dates from 1875, was initiated in
Harlem Lodge, No. 540, A. F. & A. M.,
and is now one of its life members. Having
passed the degrees of Mark Master, Past Mas-
ter and Most Excellent Master, he was ex-
alted to the degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Cicero Chapter, No. 190, in 1880. He was
created a Knight Templar in St. Bernard
Commandery in the same year, and after-
ward dimitted to assist in the organiza-
tion of Siloam Commandery, No. 54, in
1 88 1, of which he was one of the original
promoters. In the latter he has served as
Eminent Commander and his observance of
the vows of knighthood and his active ad-
vocacy of its teachings make him one of
the most valued and acceptable members of
the commandery. His virtues as a man
and a Mason are of the highest order and
worthy of imitation. His knowledge of the
workings and principles of the craft is wide
and accurate, and he is ever ready and
willing to instruct others therein. His zeal
for Masonry, his acumen, his diligence, his
untiring efforts and the vigilance with which
he guards the ancient landmarks make him
an important factor in the Masonic world
with which he is connected.
Chicago's population is largely formed
of residents who have come from the east,
and, identifying their interests with those
of the western metropolis, have become
imbued with the spirit of progress and en-
terprise so typical of this section, so that
they join in the onward movement which
has made the western metropolis the feared
rival of the Knickerbocker city. Mr. In-
gram belongs to this class. He was born
in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on
the 3Oth of September, 1837, and resided
there until about fourteen years of age,
when he went to Ohio. Soon afterward he
began earning his own livelihood and has
since been dependent upon his own re-
sources, so that whatever success he has
achieved is the reward of his own labors.
He secured a position as salesman in a gen-
eral mercantile establishment and was thus
employed until 1856, when he left the
Buckeye state and removed to Abingdon,
Knox county, Illinois. After a short time,
however, he went to Iowa, where he re-
sided until 1867. In that year he came to
Chicago and has since been connected with
the mercantile interests of this city. Dur-
ing the greater part of the time his services
have been in connection with the shoe
trade and he is now one of the most effi-
cient and popular salesmen in the well-
known shoe house of C. M. Henderson &
Company. His pleasant, genial manner
and his courteous treatment has won him
many friends who not only give him their
(524
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
patronage but also entertain for him the
highest personal regard.
In September, 1860, Mr. Ingram was
united in marriage to Miss Mary C. Peddi-
cord, of Decatur, Illinois, and they have
a pleasant home in Oak Park, where they
have continued their residence for twenty-
three years.
SAMUEL YOUNG WEISEK, Washing-
/ ton, Illinois, was born in Sunbury,
Pennsylvania, January 17, 1831, and came
to Illinois in 1853, settling in Washington,
where he has since resided. His study of
esoteric Masonry began April 30, 1858,
when, in Washington, he was initiated in
Taylor Lodge, No. 98, of which he after-
ward served as Worshipful Master for six
years. He took the chapter degrees in
1866, and the council degrees about the
same time. For four years he served Taze-
well Chapter as High Priest, and he holds
that high office at present.
Mr. Weiser is a good citizen and a zeal-
ous and intelligent Mason.
TA. STEVENS, the vice-president of
the firm of Chas. A. Stevens & Broth-
ers, proprietors of one of the most ex-
tensive mercantile houses of Chicago, is a
worthy member of the Masonic fraternity,
with which he has been identified since
1890. In the blue lodge of Colchester,
Illinois, he was received as an Entered Ap-
prentice, passed the Fellow-craft degree
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason ; after his removal to Chicago
he was dimitted to Kenwood Lodge, No.
800, with w-hich he is still affiliated: he is
now serving as its Junior Warden. It was
also in 1890 that he was exalted to the au-
gust degree of Royal Arch Mason, in Morse
Chapter, No. 19, at Macomb, Illinois; and
has since affiliated with La Fayette Chap-
ter, No. 2, of Chicago. In 1891 he re-
ceived the grades and orders of chivalric
Masonry, in Almoner Commandery, No. 32,
of Augusta, Illinois, and is now a Sir
Knight of Chevalier Bayard Commandery,
of Chicago. In 1895 he began the study
of the esoteric doctrines of the Scottish
Rite and attained to the thirty-second de-
gree in Oriental Consistory, wherein he
was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret. He crossed the sands of the
desert as a Noble of Medinah Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine;
and in all departments of Masonry is he in-
terested, doing all in his power to promote
its growth and spread its beneficent princi-
ples.
Mr. Stevens is a native of Colchester,
Illinois, born on the 2d of September,
1868. His education was obtained in the
schools of that place and at Knox College,
Galesburg, Illinois, while his business train-
ing was received in the store of Stevens
Brothers in his native town. After he had
mastered business methods and practices,
he was admitted to a partnership in the
business, and as a member of the firm of
Chas. A. Stevens & Brothers came to Chi-
cago in 1891. The partners are Chas. A.,
John H. and Thomas Albert Stevens.
Their establishment is the only exclusive
silk house in America, and to-day they are
conducting a mammoth business. The
phenomenal growth of their enterprise is
almost unparalleled in the history of Chi-
cago, for from small beginnings they have
extended their operations and increased
their facilities until to-day they control one
of the extensive commercial enterprises of
the western metropolis, and have the larg-
est silk trade in the country. The pro-
gressiveness of the Chicago business man
must not only reach the bounds that others
have gained but also must pass beyond into
new and broader, untried fields of opera-
tion; but an unerring foresight and sagacity
must make no mistake by venturing upon
uncertain ground. In this manner the
Stevens Brothers have gone beyond the
previously defined lines of commerce and
have built up a branch of merchandising
which at once shows them to be men of
sound judgment and keen discrimination.
Not a little of the success of this firm is
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI?
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
627
due to the youngest partner, whose long
identification with mercantile interests has
well fitted him for his present labors.
On the 24th of December, 1891, was
celebrated the marriage of Mr. Stevens and
Miss Mary Edgerton, of Colchester, and
they now have two children, — a son and a
daughter.
Mr. Stevens' record is that of a man
who has risen to a commanding position in
business circles by personal merit and
honorable business dealings. In manner
he is always courteous and pleasant, of
even temperament and social disposition,
and in business, social and Masonic circles
he is popular.
H(
WON. URBIN S. ELLSWORTH, a
farmer residing at Deer Park, La
Salle county, is an intelligent and consist-
ent member of that ancient craft which has
the most fascinating ritual and lodge work
of all in the world, the Masonic order. Ap-
preciating this work as he does, he deserves
more than a passing mention in this vol-
ume, which is devoted to the Masonry of
Illinois. He is affiliated with Tonica Lodge,
A. F. & A. M., in which he was initiated
May 24, 1892; is a member of Peru Chap-
ter, No. 60, R. A. M., in which he was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason June 25 following; and of St. John's
Commandery, No. 26, at Peru, where he
was knighted October 3, same year. Thus
advancing, he gives his testimony to the
value of Masonic emblems and work; and
besides his Masonic affiliations he is also a
member of Deer Park Grange, Patrons of
Husbandry, of which he has been Master,
and he is Venerable Consul of the local
lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Ellsworth was born April 19, 1851,
in South Ottawa, La Salle county, Illinois,
a descendant of the Connecticut Ellsworths
of whom Oliver was chief justice of the
United States under President Washington,
and his son William was governor of Con-
necticut. Mr. Ellsworth completed a clas-
sical course of education at Jennings Semi-
nary, in Aurora, this state. His occupation
is that of combined farmer and stock-raiser,
in which his intelligence has won him suc-
cess.
In his political principles Mr. Ellsworth
is a Republican, and in religion a member
of the Congregational church. In his com-
munity he is held in high esteem as a citi-
zen by his neighbors, who have honored
him with a number of offices, is town clerk,
assessor, supervisor, etc. , and for six years
he has represented his district in the state
general assembly. In that body he has al-
ways been placed on important committees,
and has had much to do with the legisla-
tion affecting the Chicago drainage channel,
always working for the interest of the Illi-
nois valley.
December 18, 1876, is the date of Mr.
Ellsworth's marriage at Aurora, Illinois, to
Miss Victoria Gibbs, whose father is a
Methodist class-leader, now aged eighty-
four years. Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth's
children are William, Ada and Dorothv.
FRANK E. LEARNED, chief clerk in
the office of the Elgin, Joliet & East-
ern Railroad Company at Chicago, was
made a Mason in Trio Lodge, No. 57, of
Rock Island, Illinois, in 1883. In 1894 the
degrees of capitular Masonry were conferred
upon him in La Fayette Chapter, No. 2, R.
A. M., of Chicago, and the same year he
was created a Knight Templar of Lincoln
Park Commandery, No. 64. He became
identified with the Scottish Rite in April,
1897, and received the various grades and
orders until he attained the thirty-second
degree in Oriental Consistory. He is also
a member of Medinah Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
and in the social and working branches of
the craft is esteemed as a valuable member.
Mr. Learned was born in Boston, Massa-
chusetts, on the 28th of April, 1856, and
spent his youth in his native city acquiring
an educEtion in its public schools and ob-
taining a business training in a manufactur-
ing establishment. In 1882 he removed to
628
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Rock Island, where he was engaged in the
railroad business, with the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy Railroad, and in 1884 he
came to Chicago, where for two years he
was clerk in the office of the pool commis-
sion. When this was done away with he
entered the service of the Wabash Railroad
Company, and in 1889 accepted apposition
with the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad
Company, serving first as traveling auditor,
then as traveling freight agent, and now as
chief clerk of the traffic department at the
Chicago headquarters. His advancement
has been in recognition of his ability and
fidelity to duty, which are most marked.
He is faithful to the smallest detail of his
work and has the confidence of his superi-
iors and the respect of all with whom he is
associated in his business relations.
Mr. Learned was married on the I2th
of May, 1882, the lady of his choice being
Miss Ella P. Milliken, a native of Boston,
Massachusetts.
CLARENCE E. MOORE, whose con-
\J) nection with one of the leading mercan-
tile houses of Chicago well indicates his
superior business ability, is a worthy
Mason, whose identification with the lodge
dates from 1887, in which year he was
initiated as an Entered Apprentice in Col-
chester Lodge, No. 781, of Colchester,
Illinois. He passed the Fellow-craft and
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason, and further advanced through the
bodies of Masonry in chapter, consistory
and commandery. In 1888 he took the
capitular degrees in Morse Chapter, of
Macomb, Illinois, and was knighted in Al-
moner Commandery, No. 32, of Augusta,
Illinois. Since coming to Chicago he has
attained the thirty-second degree of the
Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory and has crossed the sands of the
desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Though this latter part of the nineteenth
century may be termed the materialistic
age, the Masonic fraternity, with its large
membership, still shows that there are
thousands whose appreciation of the true
and good and beautiful in life is manifest by
their relation to this order, and whose
hearts are responsive to the cry of human-
ity. The noble purposes of the order are
being carried forward steadily by such men
as Mr. Moore, who though caring for ex-
tensive business interests put these aside to
give their time and aid to the weary and
distressed of earth's children.
Mr. Moore is a native of Colchester,
Illinois, where he was born on the 27th of
October, 1 866. There he was reared and
educated and during his boyhood he entered
the store of Stevens Brothers, general mer-
chants, of Colchester. His association with
his first employers has never been discon-
tinued, and surely no higher testimonial of
his faithfulness, his ability and his fidelity
to every trust could be given. When the
Stevens Brothers came to Chicago and the
extensive silk house of C. A. Stevens &
Brothers was established, he also removed
to the city and continued with the firm in
the important position of credit man. The
delicate and peculiar duties of this position
he performs with masterly skill and has
thereby contributed in no small degree to
the success of the house. Mr. Moore is a
typical representative of the progressive
business age, a genial, courteous gentleman
whose moral worth commends him to the
confidence of all, and is a true and loyal
Mason.
On the I2th of August, 1891, Mr. Moore
was united in marriage to Miss Florence
Curnow, who was born in Colchester, and
they now have a son and daughter, — Her-
bert J. and Mildred.
iICHARD TUNK is an upright, indus-
EL_ trious Mason who has always lived up
to the teachings of the order, and has
evinced by his daily life how well he under-
stands its tenets and principles. He re-
ceived his initiatory degrees in Accordia
Lodge, No. 277, and was raised to Master
Mason June i, 1894. On December 8,
1 896, he was elected Secretary for the year
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
629
1897, and fulfilled the duties of that office
in an efficient and praiseworthy manner.
Mr. Tunk is a native of Germany,
where he was born February 2, 1868, and
was reared and attended the public schools
of that country until sixteen years of age.
In 1884 he came to the United States and
located in Chicago, where he followed the
trade of designer and wood finisher for some
four years, and then embarked in the bam-
boo-manufacturing business, in which he
has met with unqualified success. Mr.
Tunk is a capable, energetic business man,
of strict integrity and honesty of purpose,
and commands the respect of all with whom
he comes in contact. As a man Mr. Tunk
has ever endeavored to do his duty by his
fellow men. As a Mason his many excel-
lent qualities of mind and character have
endeared him to his brothers.
On February 11, 1888, was celebrated
the marriage of our subject and Miss Liz-
zie Decker, who was born in Rock Falls,
Illinois, and two children have been born
to them — Robert and Frank.
FRANK B. BORT is at the head of one
of the extensive manufacturing con-
cerns in his line in America; nor are his
operations limited by the boundaries of this
country, for his field of labor extends to
Paris and to London. The day of small
undertakings, especially in cities, seems to
have passed and the era of gigantic enter-
prises is upon us. In control of extensive
concerns are men of master minds, of
almost limitless ability to guide, of sound
judgment and keen discrimination. Their
progressiveness must not only reach the
bounds that others have gained, but must
even pass beyond into new and broader
fields, and must make no mistake by ventur-
ing upon uncertain ground. Such Mr.
Bort has done, and he to-day occupies a
conspicuous place among the manufacturers
of Chicago.
He was born in Madison county, New
York, on the 23d of January, 1853, and in
his youth came to Chicago, where he soon
entered upon his business career as an em-
ployee in a brokerage house, where he re-
mained for about a year. Subsequently he
was employed as a traveling salesman by
J. H. Dunham & Company, wholesale gro-
cers, then on State street, and for some
years thereafter was in the same line of
business, being connected with a number of
the leading business houses of the city. He
was with the Royal Baking Powder Com-
pany for three years, traveling in Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Michigan, and for two years
was a traveling representative of the house
of Barker & Benedict; then for eight years
he was with their successors, the firm of
E. B. Millar & Company, dealers in teas,
coffees and spices; becoming a partner in
the business, he traveled in Wisconsin and
Minnesota, representing that house. Sub-
sequently he traveled for the shoe house of
Phelps, Dodge & Palmer as their represent-
ative in Wisconsin for four years. He was
one of the most successful traveling sales-
men on the road, for his genial manner, his
known reliability, his enterprise and his
manly bearing made him very popular and
won him a host of warm friends who de-
lighted to give him their patronage. All
these qualities brought to him a success
which enabled him to become the owner of
extensive real-estate interests. As his finan-
cial resources increased he made judicious
investments in realty, becoming the owner
of valuable property in Chicago. He erected
here the Bort building, at No. 21 Quincy
street, the first modern building erected in
that section of the city; and after selling
that property he embarked in his present
business, establishing the hook and eye
manufactory, which he still conducts as the
senior member of the firm of Bort & Black.
They manufacture this very useful article
after their own patent, and have taken out
their patent in six different countries. Their
Chicago factory is located at Nos. 437 and
439 Wabash avenue. As time passed their
sales grew very extensive, and they found a
market for their product not only in this
country but also in Europe. In order to
facilitate the trade abroad they established
630
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
a factory at No. 208 Faubourg St. Denis,
Paris, and at No. 25 Argyll street, London.
This enables them to meet their orders
promptly and without the annoyance often
caused by long shipments. The splendid
success that has attended this industry is
due to the superior business and executive
ability of Mr. Bort, his capable management
and tireless purpose, and in this manner he
has worked his way upward from an humble
to a commanding position in the world of
trade.
Mr. Bort has been married twice and
has two children. He belongs to the Iro-
quis Club and in politics is a stanch Demo-
crat. He has for twelve years been iden-
tified with the Masonic fraternity and it is
the endorsement of such men that has
given the order its high standing. Their
allegiance to the society is a sufficient guar-
anty of its worth and excellence, for a man
of Mr. Bort's well-known integrity of char-
acter never allies himself with a question-
able cause. He became a Mason in 1884,
taking the three degrees of the blue lodge
on the night which witnessed his initiation
into Kilwinning Lodge. He received the
degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most
Excellent Master and Royal Arch Mason
all on the same night, becoming a member
of Corinthian Chapter, and a month after
entering the blue lodge he was created a
Sir Knight in St. Bernard Commandery,
No. 35. In March, 1885, he attained the
thirty-second degree of Oriental Consistory,
Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, and
with all of these organizations he is still
affiliated, being a valued and active mem-
ber of the craft. He is especially active in
the commandery, served as Senior Warden
for one year, in 1895 was elected Captain-
General and since 1884 has been a member
of the Drill Corps.
elementary education; and his more ad-
vanced education he obtained at Lombard
University at Galesburg, Illinois, and at
Jubilee College, near Peoria. He studied
law at Petersburg and was admitted to the
bar May 3, 1871, in the supreme court. In
1865 he was elected constable in Peters-
burg, and in 1882 county judge, in which
office he has now served continuously ever
since, so great satisfaction does he render
the public in the discharge of his official
duties. In his politics he is a Democrat.
In 1887 the blue-lodge degrees were
conferred upon him, and in that lodge he
has held nearly all the offices, was Worship-
ful Master in 1893, and was a member of
the advisory committee when the by-laws
of Clinton Lodge, No. 19, were formulated.
He received the chapter degrees in DeWitt
Chapter, No. 119, R. A. M., in 1887, and
he has been Secretary of the chapter ever
since December 2, that year. Was admit-
ted into St. Aldemar Commandery, No. 47,
K. T. , in 1888; was Recorder of the com-
mandery from January, 1894, to January,
1895; and January 4 of the latter year he
was elected Generalissimo. He has filled
nearly all the offices in the various bodies
of Masonry.
April 24, 1 860, he was united in mat-
rimony with Miss Mary Jane Ballard, of
Petersburg, and has three children: Ida
B. , Minnie L. and Thompson Whitney.
M'
WENRY HARRISON HOAGLAND,
county judge of Menard county, was
born in Morgan county, this state, Septem-
ber 15, 1839, and at thirteen years of age
moved to Petersburg, where he obtained his
ELMER SAMUEL GOOD, the Secre-
tary of two bodies of Masonry in Ke-
wanee, and also a prominent business man
of that city, engaged as furniture dealer,
was made a Master Mason in Kewanee
Lodge, No. 159, in 1894, receiving the re-
spective degrees as follows: Entered Ap-
prentice, May 1 5 ; Fellow-craft, June 7; and
Master Mason, September 24. He was ex-
alted a Royal Arch Mason in Kewanee
Chapter, No. 47, receiving the various de-
grees on the following dates: Mark Master,
November 23, 1894; Past Master, February
4, 1895; Most Excellent Master and Royal
Arch, February 25, same year. In the fol-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
681
lowing December he was elected Secretary
of both the blue lodge and chapter, to
which offices he has been re-elected, and he
is an accomplished and reliable keeper of
records. In 1895 ne was created a Sir
Knight Templar in Templar Commandery,
No. 20, at Princeton, Illinois, where he still
retains his membership.
Mr. Good is a " native son" of this city,
born May 14, 1863, the son of Samuel
W. Good, who was a native of Ohio and
came to Illinois with his family during the
early settlement of the northern portion of
this state, locating on land two and a half
miles southeast of Kewanee, where he re-
sided and brought up his children. He died
in 1885, and the old homestead is still in
the possession of the remaining members
of the family. He was a good citizen, held
various local offices, and was highly es-
teemed by the community generally. His
wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann
Northrop, died in February, 1897, at the
age of fifty-eight years. They had seve
children, of whom Mr. Good, of this sketch,
was the third.
Mr. Good was educated at Kewanee and
at Burlington, taught school three years,
after which he was employed by O. H.
Loomis in the implement business one year;
for four years was bookkeeper for the
Western Tube Company at Kewanee; and
in 1895 ne purchased a half interest in the
furniture stock of the firm now known as
Palmer & Good, dealers in all kinds of fur-
niture and upholsterers. They are also the
leading funeral directors, the duties in this
line being in charge of Mr. Palmer. They
are doing a very successful business, and
Mr. Good is one of the most popular busi-
ness men of Kewanee.
RTHUK J. KEATING. -Among those
JfQ. who follow the teachings of the blue
lodge and chapter, and who faithfully ob-
serve the vows of Knighthood, is Arthur J.
Keating, whose name heads this sketch.
He was initiated, in 1892, in Garfield
Lodge, No. 686, of Chicago, was in the
35*
same year exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in York Chapter, No.
148, in 1893 was created a Sir Knight in
Columbus Commandery, No. 63, and in
Oriental Consistory he has received the
thirty-second degree. Mr. Keating is one
of the most prominent and active followers
of the beauseant in the commandery, and
in his intercourse with his brethren is al-
ways affable and considerate, demonstrat-
ing by his acts how well he has learned and
understands the tenets of the institution.
Brother Keating is also identified with the
Knights of Pythias, the Royal League, Co-
lumbian Knights, the Menoken Club, and
that branch of Masonry which has for its
object the social intercourse of its members,
the Mystic Shrine, having become a Noble
in Medinah Temple in 1895.
Mr. Keating was born in the city of
Chicago, January i, 1869, and is the son
of Henry and Mary (McCormick) Keating.
He received his education in the public
schools of his native city, which he left in
1880 to accept a clerkship with the North-
western Railway Company, where he re-
632
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
mained nine years, afterward spending one
year in the offices of the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & St. Paul Company. The following
four years, from 1 890 to 1 894, he was en-
gaged in the installment business, under the
firm name of Verhoeff, Keating & Brad-
shaw, which was conducted in a most suc-
cessful manner. Mr. Keating retired from
this partnership and formed the brokerage
firm of A. J. Keating & Company, which
has since had a very prosperous career. He
is an energetic, progressive young man of
undoubted integrity, and possesses the con-
fidence and good will of all his business
associates.
In 1891 Mr. Keating was united in mar-
riage to Miss Ella E. Welch, who was also
born in Chicago, and this union has been
blessed with a daughter — Helen Marie. In
all his Masonic relations Mr. Keating has
ever been the strongest believer and sup-
porter of the principles and teachings of
the order, and, being a gentleman of a
genial and companionable nature, possesses
a host of friends, who recognize his genuine
worth and manly character.
C.OLONEL ALLEN LEWIS FAHNE-
STOCK, merchant at Glassford, has
been a faithful member of the Masonic or-
der ever since 1851, in which year, Febru-
ary 10, he was initiated as an Entered Ap-
prentice, April 14 as Fellow-craftsman,
and May 12 as Master Mason. Next year,
May 4, he received the degrees of Mark
Master and Past Master, and Royal Arch
January 6, 1853, at Peoria, in the days
when that noted Mason, editor and lecturer,
Thomas J. Pickett, was Master of the lodge
in that city. At present Mr. Fahnestock
holds his membership in Lancaster Lodge,
No. 1 06, and in the Peoria Chapter. He
was Worshipful Master of the blue lodge
from 1853 to 1862 inclusive, in 1865, and
again in 1896 is the present Master; and
he has been a member of the Grand Lodge
of the state all the time he has been Master
of the local lodge.
When the lodge at Lancaster was first
established Mr. Fahnestock furnished the
money to purchase the equipments, besides
large suppers for all the visitors, and he
has ever been the guiding and ruling star
of this lodge. In Glassford he still owns
the hall used by this lodge.
Mr. Fahnestock was born in Abbotts-
town, Adams county, Pennsylvania, Feb-
ruary 9, 1828, and came west in the
autumn of 1837, locating at Lancaster, a
mile and a half from Glassford. Ever since
1856 he has been engaged in merchandis-
ing. August 27, 1862, he was mustered in
as captain of Company I, Eighty-sixth Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry, of which regiment
he was appointed major February 5, 1864;
April 14 following he was promoted as
lieutenant-colonel, and was finally com-
missioned colonel, but too late for muster.
He served in the department of the Cum-
berland, and engaged in the battles of Per-
ryville, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge,
Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Rome, Kenesaw
Mountain, Peach Tree creek, Atlanta,
Jonesboro, Savannah, Averysboro, Benton-
ville, etc., — all of which were important
and hotly contested engagements. Mr.
Fahnestock is a member of Timber Post,
No. 432, G. A. R., of which he has been
commander.
In civil offices Mr. Fahnestock has
served as town clerk, school treasurer, su-
pervisor, and in 1866-7 was county treas-
urer.
CiARL MUELLER, a young man of more
than ordinary business acumen and a
dealer in real estate, forms an important
factor in the business circles of Chicago,
and also in circles fraternal he is well-
known and popular. As a Freemason he
has made rapid advancement, having in two
years taken all the degrees up to and in-
cluding the thirty-second. The Entered
Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Master Ma-
son degrees were conferred upon him by
Lincoln Park Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 611,
in 1 894. The same year he was exalted a
Royal Arch Mason by Lincoln Park Chap-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
633
ter, No. 177, R. A. M. ; and knighted by
Lincoln Park Commandery, No. 64, K. T. ;
and the following year he was made a Royal
and Select Master by Chicago Council, No.
4, R. & S. M., and penetrated the mys-
teries of the Scottish Rite, Oriental Con-
sistory performing the work which made
him a thirty-second-degree Mason. Also
he is identified with the Mystic Shrine,
maintaining a membership in Medinah
Temple. In the workings of all these
branches of Masonry he manifests an ap-
preciative interest, and in the lodge he has
filled all the chairs up to that of Senior
Warden, which office he now fills.
The place and time of Mr. Mueller's
birth are recorded as Portage, Wisconsin,
February 17, 1862. His early associations
were the city of Madison, that state, where
his school days were passed, graduating at
the high school. As early as 1876 he
became interested in the insurance business
in that city, and although then only a boy
showed that he possessed more than ordi-
nary business ability. He remained in
Madison until June, 1883, when he came to
Chicago, to continue here in the same line.
From 1886 to 1889 he was traveling special
agent and adjuster of the Hamburg-Bremen
Fire Insurance Company of Germany,
severing his connection with that company
in 1889, and at that time turning his atten-
tion to the real-estate business, in which
he has ever since been engaged, and in
which he has met with marked success.
He has an office at No. 86 La Salle street
and also one at Lake View, both of which he
conducts personally, and he does a general
business in his line. Such has been his
success, that he is to-day one of the best
known real-estate young men in this city.
In addition to being a Mason Mr.
Mueller is also identified with a number of
fraternal organizations other than the
Masonic. He is a member of the Royal
League, National Union, Druids and Chi-
cago Turngemeinde. His political views
are in harmony with the principles set forth
by the Republican party, he is an active
and efficient party worker, and at this
writing occupies the position of president of
the Eighteenth Precinct Republican Club.
For the past five years he has done the city
real-estate expert work.
Mr. Mueller has a beautiful home in
Lake View, where he and his family reside.
He was married in 1 889 to Miss Anna Schaab,
of Kansas City, and they are the parents of
five children.
CHARLES FISHER, contractor and
builder, Springfield, is one of the most
zealous and faithful Masons of his city, as
well as one of the most advanced, having
served in most of the important offices in all
the branches of Masonry.
He was born in Quincy, Franklin coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, December 24, 1822, and
arrived in Springfield, Illinois, November
13, 1840, where in 1848 he became a mem-
ber of the " mystic tie." March 29 he re-
ceived the degree of Master Mason, in
Springfield Lodge, No. 4. January 12,
1849, in Chapter No. i, he received the
Royal Arch degree, and the same year
joined Council No. 2. January 29, 1859,
in Elwood Commandery, No. 6, at Spring-
field, he was knighted, and in 1866-7 he
received Scottish Rite degrees, in Carson
Consistory, also at Springfield. At pres-
ent he is a member of Central Lodge, No.
71, of Springfield Chapter, No. i, Spring-
field Council, No. 2, and of Elwood Com-
mandery, No. 6. Of the blue lodge he
was Worshipful Master in 1853 and 1859
to 1862 continuously; was Treasurer of his
lodge from 1863 to 1871; and was Master
again in 1872 and in 1878-9. Of the chap-
ter he was High Priest in 1864, 1868,
1872-4 and 1876-7. Of the council he
was Thrice Illustrious Master two years;
and for twenty-three years he was Grand
Treasurer of the Grand Council. As a
Knight Templar he has been Past Com-
mander, and in the Scottish Rite he has
been M. E. Z. Prince, and Grand Master
of the Council of Princes of Jerusalem.
Also he has been Deputy Grand Master of
the Grand Lodge, Grand Captain of the
634
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT TN ILLINOIS.
Host, Grand Master of the council and
Senior Grand Warden of the commandery.
From November, 1859, to November, 1865,
he was Grand Lecturer for the Grand
Lodge. The degree of Royal and Select
Master was conferred upon him under the
authority of the General Grand Chapter of
the United States, before any local council
was established in Springfield. He was
also Grand Lecturer for the Grand Chapter
three or four years during the time he was
in the lodge. Mr. Fisher is probably the
best posted in the work of the order of all
Masons in Springfield, having a fine Masonic
library, perhaps the best in the city.
In his religious predilections he is a
Presbyterian. He has been alderman in
the Springfield city council four years, and
he was captain of a company of militia of
Illinois.
Mr. Fisher in his youth learned the car-
penter's trade, which he has followed the most
of his life, and for a long time he has been
a contractor and superintendent of con-
struction of buildings. Among the build-
ings whose erection he has superintended are
the Southern Illinois Penitentiary at Ches-
ter, the Soldiers' Home at Quincy, the Ma-
rine Hospital at Cincinnati and Marine Hos-
pitals at Chicago. In the latter city he was
foreman of construction. He did the wood-
work on the post-office building in Spring-
field, also built the First Presbyterian
church in Springfield, and Senator Cullom's,
David T. Littler's and DeWitt Smith's resi-
dences in Springfield, and many other large
structures, both residences and business
houses.
JOHN M. ADAMS, of Chicago, is entitled
to due recognition as a worthy man and
Mason. History and biography for the
most part record the lives of only those
who have attained military, political or lit-
erary distinction, or who in any other
career have passed through extraordinary
vicissitudes of fortune. But the names of
men who have distinguished themselves in
their day and generation for the possession
of those qualities of character which mainly
contribute to the success of private life and
public stability, — of men who have been
exemplary in all their personal and social
relations, and enjoyed the respect, esteem
and confidence of those around them,—
ought not to be allowed to perish. To this
latter class belongs Mr. Adams, and the
history of Masonry in Illinois gladly ac-
cords him a place among the loyal repre-
sentatives of the order.
Mr. Adams is a Mason of long standing,
whose connection with the fraternity is
antedated by few. In 1853 he joined the
order, in New Paris, Preble county, Ohio,
and after coming to Illinois took a dimit
from that lodge and joined Hesperia Lodge,
of Chicago, of which he has been an affili-
ate since the 26th of September, 1877. In
1 890 he was made acquainted with the
esoteric doctrines of the Scottish Rite and
took the ineffable degrees of the lodge of
perfection, becoming a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory.
He is faithful to the teachings of this an-
cient society and exemplifies the spirit of
its principles in his daily life.
Mr. Adams is one of the worthy and
progressive citizens that the Buckeye state
has furnished to the Garden city. He was
born in New Paris, Ohio, on the 2/th of
August, 1824, and spent his youth there in
play, work and study. His education was
acquired in the common schools and he
entered upon his business career as an em-
ployee in a mercantile establishment. He
removed to Chicago on the 9th of April,
1855, and for several years engaged in the
grocery business, meeting with fair success.
He was wise in his choice of Chicago for a
location, for he came to the city as it was
entering upon an era of rapid development,
and with the increased population his busi-
ness grew and brought to him good returns.
In 1870 he turned his attention to the un-
dertaking business and has since continued
in that enterprise. He is progressive in his
work, careful in his attention to all details
and does all in his power to meet the wishes
and promote the comfort of his patrons.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI0
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
637
His patronage is now quite extensive, and
he ranks among the leaders in his line in
west Chicago. His trade brings to him a
good income and his success is well de-
served.
Mr. Adams has been very prominent in
all parades in Chicago, and has one of the
finest black horses in the city. His part
was the most showy in such parades as that
attending the unveiling of the Grant monu-
ment in Lincoln park, on Colonel Burge's
staff, the dedication of the great World's
Columbian Exposition in the fall of 1892,
when he was chief of staff, the escort on
Chicago day and on Illinois day at Canton
during the campaign of 1896, with thirty-
two black horses. Indeed, many remarked
that without that parade the occasion would
not have been a success. Many enthusi-
astic encomiums were showered upon him
for his splendid display of the black-horse
cavalcade in the escort of notables on that
exciting occasion.
Mr. Adams has been twice married. In
1843 'he was joined in wedlock to Miss Eliza
Z. Ireland, a native of New Paris, Preble
county, Ohio, who died in 1882, leaving one
daughter, Clara, now the wife of Charles
C. Sackett, of LaGrange, Illinois. His
second marriage occurred June 26, 1884,
when Flora H. Mullment, a native of Ber-
lin, Germany, became his wife, who died
June 12, 1897. He is a man of pleasant,
social nature and genial disposition, true to
his friends and is very popular among a
large circle of acquaintances.
WILLIAM R. MORGAN, the Eminent
Commander of Siloam Commandery
whose observance of the vows of knight-
hood makes him a worthy follower of the
standard of sable and argent, and whose
life is in harmony with its principles and
beliefs, first became connected with Ma-
sonry at the time of his initiation into Har-
lem Lodge, No. 540, about 1885. He took
the degree of Entered Apprentice and soon
afterward those of Fellow-craft and Master
Mason. His identification with the Chap-
ter dates from 1887, when he was exalted
to the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Cicero Chapter, No. 180, of Austin, Illi-
nois, He has been honored with distinctive
preferment in that department of Masonry,
has served as Scribe, and is now filling the
office of King. In 1889 the order of knight-
hood was conferred upon him by Siloam
Commandery, No. 54, K. T. , and with all
of these lodges he has continuously affiliated,
while in the last named he occupies the
highest position in the gift of the Sir
Knights, that of Eminent Commander. He
is also a valued member of, and has a wide
acquaintance in, Medinah Temple of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. No other fraternity has
performed such a service for humanity; no
other society has been so useful in aiding
the poor, the distressed or the weak as this
ancient organization which had its origin so
many centuries ago, and Mr. Morgan does
all in his power to promote its work and
advance its teachings among men.
Mr. Morgan has spent his entire life in
Chicago, his birth occurring in this city on
the gth of July, 1847. He spent his boy-
hood days under the parental roof and ac-
quired his education in the public schools.
He entered upon his business career in con-
nection with the railroad service and for
thirty years has been in the employ of the
Chicago & Northwestern road, serving for
the past ten years as assistant depot mas-
ter, and on the ist of June, 1897, was ap-
pointed master at Wells street passenger
station, Chicago. No corporation de-
mands more faithful service on the part of
its employees than the railroad companies,
and the long years of Mr. Morgan's connec-
tion with the Chicago & Northwestern well
attests his fidelity to duty and his loyalty to
the interests entrusted to his care. His
vigilance and fidelity also won him a de-
served promotion, and from a humble posi-
tion he worked his way steadily upward.
His life has been one of industry and per-
severance, of enterprise and honorable
dealing. He has the respect of his subor-
dinates in the office, and the warm regard
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of all with whom he is brought in con-
tact.
Mr. Morgan has been twice married.
On the 1 2th of January, 1871, he wedded
Miss Elizabeth C. Hayward, who died Sep-
tember 9, 1894, and for his second wife he
chose Miss Alma N. Erfert, of Freeport,
Illinois, a daughter of John Erfert, a prom-
inent Mason of Freeport. In this city Mr.
and Mrs. Morgan have many warm friends
and their home is justly noted for its hospi-
tality.
JOHN FISKE NASH, whose name is
indelibly inscribed on the rolls of Ma-
sonic history in Illinois, has been a rep-
resentative of the fraternity since 1851.
He is one of the most widely known fol-
lowers of the order in the state, for his
active and effective services in its behalf
have brought him to the attention of his
Masonic brethren throughout the common-
wealth and have won him their admiration,
respect and gratitude. The universality
and humanitarianism upon which the society
rests finds exemplification in him, and he is
a worthy follower of the brief but all-em-
bracing creed of the Fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of man. In 1851 he
took the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft and Master Mason, in Oc-
cidental Lodge, No. 40, A. F. & A. M.,
and has served as its Worshipful Master.
Having passed the degrees of Mark Master,
Past Master and Most Excellent Master, he
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Shabbona Chapter, No. 37,
and has been honored by his companions of
the order with the office of High Priest.
He was constituted, created and dubbed a
Sir Knight in Ottawa Commandery, No.
10; was its Eminent Commander for eight
successive years, and has been Right Em-
inent Grand Commander of the Grand Com-
mandery of Illinois, — an honor which was
justly bestowed upon him and worthily worn.
He has filled with marked ability nearly all
the offices of these various bodies and his zeal
in Masonic work is still unabated. The
order which had its origin in the era of our
early civilization, which shed its light
abroad through the dark ages when bigotry,
cruelty and superstition reigned and which
in our later progress has been one of the
most potential elements for the ameliora-
tion of the difficulties and trials which beset
mankind, awakens his earnest admiration
and most unswerving loyalty, and his fidel-
ity to its principles numbers him among the
foremost representatives of the society in
Illinois.
Mr. Nash is no less prominent in busi-
ness circles and for many years has been
connected with the banking interests of Ot-
tawa. He was born in Massachusetts, on
the 24th of December, 1824, and in 1840
accompanied his parents on their removal
to Putnam county, Illinois, where he com-
pleted a common-school education, and at
the age of eighteen engaged in teaching. In
1847 he came to Ottawa and entered the
law office of Dickey & Leland as a student,
therein acquainting himself with the text-
books of the profession and continuing his
studies with unremitting ardor until 1849,
when he passed the required examination
and was admitted to the bar. He was
elected clerk of the circuit court and re-
corder of deeds, filling that position from
1855 until 1 86 1. In the latter year he be-
came secretary of the senate of Illinois,
filled the same office in 1865 and in the
same year turned his attention to the bank-
ing business. He assisted in organizing the
First National Bank of Ottawa, from the
beginning has held the responsible position
of cashier and is regarded as one of the
most accurate, reliable and trustworthy
financiers in the state. Largely through
his honorable efforts the bank has attained
the high reputation which it now enjoys
and has won the success which has attended
its progress. He has been prominent in
many public interests of his adopted city, is
deeply interested in all that pertains to the
general welfare and never withholds his
support from any measure calculated to
prove of benefit to the educational, material,
social or moral interest of the community.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
639
He is a man of strong intellectual endow-
ments and broad mental culture. He is
not only literary but also aestheti cin his
tastes and habits, and has displayed rare
judgment in the selection of his library and
the works of art which adorn the walls of
his residence. His home is a gem of beauty,
and the neatness and art displayed on the
grounds surrounding it make them a model
of landscape gardening. He devotes much
of his leisure time to the practical study of
floriculture and horticulture, and flowers
and fruit respond to his touch in the rich-
est profusion, as if by magic. The social
element of his nature is known to most of
his Masonic friends, but nowhere does it
show more happily than in his own family
circle or when entertaining company in his
bright and happy home.
Mr. Nash was married in 1849 to Miss
Lura Pennell, and they have three children.
CHARLES A. BESORE, a coal, grain
and lumber merchant, of Urbana, is a
prominent factor in the commercial life of
this city, and Masonry is glad to number
him among her followers. He is true and
faithful to her teachings and is therefore
well worthy of mention among her honored
representatives. He was made a Mason in
Urbana Lodge, No. 157, and his Zealand
diligence in support of the order led to his
selection for the office of Worshipful Mas-
ter. He is identified with capitular Masonry
as a member of Urbana Chapter, No. 80,
R. A. M., in which he has served as High
Priest. He passed the circle of cryptic
Masonry in Urbana Council and was
greeted a Royal Master. Therein he has
served as Principal Sojourner, and in Ur-
bana Commandery, wherein he was created
and dubbed a Sir Knight, he has filled the
high office of Eminent Commander. With
the commandery he attended the conclaves
in Chicago and St. Louis. He is a Past
Worthy Patron of the chapter of the East-
ern Star in Urbana, and is a most active
worker in all these branches of Masonry.
His zeal for and devotion to the cause is
one of the strong characteristics of his pur-
poseful life and its principles have gov-
erned his conduct toward his fellow men.
Mr. Besore is a native of Clear Spring,
Maryland, born on the 25th of April, 1850.
In 1853 he was brought by his parents to
Illinois and obtained his education in the
schools of this state. Entering upon his
business career, he learned the carpenter's
trade, and afterward followed that occupa-
tion for some years in Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1867 he came to Urbana, where he has
since made his home. He continued car-
pentering with good success for a time,
until his energy, economy and enterprise
had brought to him a sufficient capital to
engage in other pursuits, when, in 1874, he
embarked in his present business. He deals
in coal, grain and lumber, and has built up
an excellent trade, which returns to him a
good income. His dealings are conducted
along the line of the strictest commercial
ethics and the confidence of the public is
uniformly accorded him. His political sup-
port is given the Republican part}' and on
that ticket he was elected to the mayoralty.
He handled the reins of city government
with consummate skill, and his administra-
tion promoted many interests of Urbana.
He is prominent both in business and social
circles, and is a man of pleasant, courteous
manner, enjoying the esteem of a large
circle of friends.
SIDNEY S. MOORE, a painter of Galva,
was born in Sharon, Mercer county,
Pennsylvania, April 15, 1841; was initiated
as Entered Apprentice in Galva Lodge, No.
243, August 6, Fellow-craftsman August 20,
and Master Mason September 3, — all in the
year 1871, and he is still a member of that
lodge. In 1876 he was Master of Advance
Lodge, and from 1880 to 1883 of Galva
Lodge, and again in 1892. He dimitted
and formed Advance Lodge, No. 609, and
after the surrender of the charter of that
lodge he rejoined Galva Lodge.
In his religious convictions Mr. Moore is
a Methodist.
640
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
EORGH DILLWYN COOK.— Among
the earliest followers of the Masonic
fraternity in Chicago there is none who has
given to the order a more faithful allegiance
than the brother whose name appears at
the head of this brief notice. His identifi-
cation with the craft began two-score years
ago, when he became an Entered Appren-
tice, on the 24th of April, 1877, passed the
Fellow-craft degree on the 3oth of May;
and on the 2ist of June was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason in Ottum-
wa Lodge, No. 16, at Ottumwa, Iowa. He
was advanced to the capitular degrees of
Masonry in Clinton Chapter, No. 9, and
exalted to the august degree of the Holy
Royal Arch on the 28th of June, 1878. He
received the orders of knighthood in Malta
Commandery, No. 31, Ottumwa, on the 9th
of October, 1878, and in 1881 he became a
charter member of Montjoie Commandery,
No. 53, Chicago, of which he has held the
office of Treasurer for nine years, being
the present incumbent of that position.
Mr. Cook was born in Richmond, Jeffer-
son county, Ohio, on the 27th of February,
1845, and after a preliminary course in the
public schools he attended Earlham Col-
lege, at Richmond, Indiana. He began
his business career at the age of fourteen,
when he entered a general store as a clerk,
subsequently going to Pittsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1863, and there became actively
engaged in business until 1867, in which
year he moved to Chicago, and for the past
thirty years has been identified with the
mercantile interests of the Garden City, be-
ing now the president of the George D.
Cook Company, engaged in investment se-
curities.
On June 10, 1873, Mr. Cook was united
in marriage at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to
Miss Dora A. Shaw, and one child, Laura
Wever, was born to them. Mrs. Cook de-
parted this life on the I4th of July, 1882,
and on the ist of January, 1890, Mr. Cook
married Miss Stella Virginia Sturges, at
Chicago, and two children have been born
of this union, namely: Sturges Dillwyn
and Elizabeth Allen. Mr. Cook is one of
Chicago's enterprising citizens, and as a
man and a Mason his sterling qualities
recommend him to all who make his
acquaintance.
QEORGE McCRACKEN.— In all the
numerous societies organized for so-
cial, mutual or mental improvement, there
is none that has become so widespread in
its membership, or whose beneficial influ-
ence has been more extensively and sys-
tematically diffused throughout the world
than the fraternity of Freemasonry. To
the layman it is inconceivable how much
good has been accomplished by this order,
and an insight into the facts can only be
obtained by an affiliation with the blue
lodge. Mr. McCracken has been a con-
sistent member of the craft for the past
two years, during which time he has faith-
fully followed its tenets and precepts. He
was initiated in Covenant Lodge, No. 526,
in 1895, and proved his interest by the apt-
ness with which he acquired the ritual. In
the following year he received the Royal
Arch degrees in Corinthian Chapter, No.
69, and was created a Sir Knight in St.
Bernard Commandery, No. 35.
Mr. McCracken is a native of St. John,
New Brunswick, where he was born Feb-
ruary 25, 1849. He was reared and edu-
cated in the city of his nativity until sixteen
years of age, and in 1865 came to the
United States, locating in Boston until 1874,
in which year he came to Chicago. In
August, 1876, Mr. McCracken accepted a
position with the wholesale grocery house
of Durand & Company, and has remained
in that firm's employ ever since, covering a
period of over twenty-one years. His rec-
ord is that of a man who has attained his
present status in life by his personal merit,
acquired ability, fidelity to a high standard
of principles, and faithfulness in discharg-
ing the duties assigned to him by his em-
ployers, which qualities have secured for
him the confidence and respect of every
one with whom he has had business inter-
course.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
641
In 1875 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. McCracken and Mrs. Annie S. Dew,
who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
GKIFFEN HAMPTON DEEVES, a pro-
gressive citizen of Chicago engaged in
the lumber business, has been an earnest
follower of the craft for a period of ten
years, giving to it in that time his loyal
support and endeavoring, in every way in
his power, to advance its interests and
maintain its high moral standard. The
sublime degree of Master Mason was con-
ferred upon him in Lakeside Lodge, No.
739, in September, 1888; was exalted to
the degree of the Holy Royal Arch in
Washington Chapter, No. 43, in 1890, in
the same year receiving the orders of
Knighthood in Chicago Commandery, No.
19, and on April 20, 1891, he attained to
the ineffable lodge of perfection, Scottish
Rite, and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret. Having accomplished
a successful pilgrimage across the. burning
sands of the desert in the month of Novem-
ber, 1891, he was elected a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
his membership being in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Deeves is a native of Buffalo, New
York, his birth having taken place in that
city on the igth of September, 1866, and
when four years of age he was brought to
Chicago, where his literary education was
subsequently obtained in the public schools.
Upon leaving those educational institutions
he entered the lumber business and for
fourteen years has been continuously asso-
ciated with the firm of Perley Lowe & Com-
pany. His services have been deeply ap-
preciated, and he retains the confidence
and high regard 'of those with whom he is
connected.
The marriage of Mr. Deeves was con-
summated in 1894, when he was united to
Miss Jeanne Pollock, a native of Indiana.
>OLLIN ROBERT STRICKLER, rail-
J[X road conductor, residing at Galesburg,
was initiated as an Entered Apprentice in
Masonry September 18, 1889, Fellow-crafts-
man December 13, 1890, and Master Ma-
son March 12, 1891. He was elected Senior
Warden in 1893 and Worshipful Master in
1895-6—7, now serving in that office; was
a member of the Grand Lodge in 1895-6,
and was Senior Warden of the same in
1894. He was appointed Deputy Grand
Lecturer October 10, 1895, and performed
the functions of that office at Quincy and
Camp Point. He has been very active in
Masonry in Galesburg, and is one of the
best posted Masons in Illinois in blue-lodge
work. He and his wife are also members
of the Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter
No. 235, of which Mrs. Strickler was
Worthy Matron during the first three years
after its organization.
Mr. Strickler was born in Quincy, June
21, 1857, and at the age of seventeen he
started out as a brakeman on the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and has
been in the train service ever since except-
ing the two years he was yardmaster at
Quincy during the strike there.
C42
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
WILLIAM HENRY MILLER, pro-
prietor of a meat market. Farming-
ton, was made a Mason in Farmington
Lodge in 1892, received the Royal Arch
degrees in Yates City Chapter, No. 98, the
degrees of Royal and Select Master at Can-
ton, and the Knight Templar degrees at
Peoria, — of all of which he is still a mem-
ber. Of the blue lodge he has been Junior
Deacon one year, Junior Warden a year.
Senior Warden two years, and Worshipful
Master two years, 1894-5. In the chapter
he was Scribe in 1896. He is also a mem-
ber of the Order of the Eastern Star, of
which he was Worthy Patron in 1 885 ; and his
wife, Mattie, is the present Assistant Ma-
tron; and she has formerly been Treasurer
of this chapter. In his religious connec-
tions Mr. Miller is a Congregationalist.
Mr. Miller was born in Lewisburg, Union
county, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1849, and
is a thoroughly educated butcher and meat
vender, having served an apprenticeship in
the business for five years. In 1894-5 ne
was mayor of Farmington, and he has also
served two years as alderman of this city.
He is well known as an honorable gentle-
man and useful citizen by the community
in which he resides.
)OBERT L. McGUIRE, an attorney
J3t at law, resident in Springfield, took
the blue-lodge degrees in Masonry in Cen-
tral Lodge, No. 71, Springfield, the chap-
ter degrees in Springfield Chapter, No. i,
and was knighted in Elwood Commandery,
No. 6, also of this city. He took the con-
sistory degrees in 1866, also in this city,
but is now a member of the Chicago Con-
sistory. In the blue lodge he has held all
the offices excepting that of Master, in the
commandery he has held all the positions
and was Eminent Commander four years.
Mr. McGuire is a native of Columbia,
Missouri, born September 10, 1832; became
a student in Missouri State University, and
upon the completion of his course of study
there in 1862 he came to Springfield,
where, in 1863, he was admitted to the
bar. In the practice of his profession he
became a partner of Judge James H. Ma-
theny, and this relation continued for about
nine years. Thereafter Mr. McGuire had
various partners from time to time, and for
the last fourteen years he has been a mem-
ber of the firm of McGuire & Salzenstein.
On the bench of the Sangamon county
court he succeeded Judge Matheny and
served out the term in that responsible posi-
tion. He was elected mayor of Springfield
in 1869, and served two years.
In his legal practice he does a general
business, and during his professional career
of thirty-four years in Springfield he has
been retained in a large number of cases
involving issues of great moment to the
litigants.
/pHAUNCEY SHORM AN.— There is an
\^) old adage which asserts that ' ' where
there is a will, there is a way;" and a more
appropriate illustration of this trite saying
cannot be found than in the career of the
gentleman whose name initiates this review,
a brief resume of which is herewith pre-
sented.
Born in the township of Waukegan,
Lake county, Illinois, on the i6th of Au-
gust, 1860, Mr. Shorman passed the first
sixteen years of his life on his father's farm;
but his desire to see and know the world
could not be satisfied under the parental
roof; so on the 3d of March, A. D. 1876,
he shipped as a sailor before the mast on a
lumber schooner (the Daniel Sickles) at
Kenosha, Wisconsin, and in June of the
same year engaged as a stoker in the fire-
hole of the Old Ironsides, where he re-
ceived his first instructions in engineering.
Tiring of a seafaring life, he accepted a
position in the engineering department of
the Kankakee Insane Asylum, after which
he was employed in the same capacity in
the Cook County Hospital, Home for the
Friendless, F. P. Owings building, and at
this writing he is chief engineer of the Al-
bert Munger buildings. He is also secre-
tary and treasurer of the R. W. Huss
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
643
Chemical Manufacturing Company, vice-
president of the Home Builders' Land As-
sociation, and a director in the Jenner
Medical College.
Mr. Shorman takes a deep interest in
the science of medicine and is preparing
himself for the active practice of that pro-
fession by studying during his leisure hours
and at nights, and such has been his dili-
gence and earnest effort that he has already
taken two courses of lectures and will grad-
uate with the class of '99. Mr. Shorman
has all but reached the culmination of his
desires by perseverance and a strength of
purpose well worthy of emulation, and his
success will be the cause of greater satis-
faction from the knowledge that it comes
from personal effort and not from the in-
fluence of wealth or position.
To such a man as Mr. Shorman the
fraternity of Freemasons is ever ready to
extend the hand of fellowship and welcome
him into the councils of its Temple. In
May, 1889, it conferred upon him the first
three degrees of the blue lodge, and he
became a Master Mason in Hesperia Lodge,
No. 411. In 1894 he received the grades
and orders of the Scottish Rite and was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory, Valley of
Chicago. Since that time he has taken an
abiding interest in the craft, using every
endeavor to advance its interests, and has
thereby gained and now retains the respect
and confidence of his " fratres. "
WILLIAM J. BLACK, a conscientious,
enthusiastic Mason residing in Chi-
cago, has been a faithful observer of the
precepts and tenets of the order, and has
endeavored to so conduct his life as to fully
conform with the spirit of the ritual as ac-
quired in the blue lodge. Mr. Black was
initiated in Normal Park Lodge, No. 797,
in 1895, and has continued his affiliation
with that body, laboring earnestly to ad-
vance its interests and promote its welfare.
His many excellent qualities and kindly dis-
position have gained for him the deep re-
spect and esteem of his fellow Masons.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Black was born
in Cook county, in 1861, and was reared
here, acquiring his education in the public
schools and subsequently adding to his
knowledge by university work, qualifying
himself for the vocation of teacher. In
1 88 1 he began the active labors of that
profession and has continued as an educa-
tor since that time.
In August, 1885, Mr. Black was united
in marriage to Miss Harriet Archer, of St.
Joseph, Michigan, and of the three children
born of this union, one survives, namely:
Stanley McDonald. In his religious faith
Mr. Black is an adherent of the Congrega-
tional church.
FREDERICK G. COLLEY has passed
through the various degrees of the
York and Scottish Rites and is a leading
Mason of Chicago. In 1896 he was raised
to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in
Covenant Lodge, No. 526; also took the
degrees of Mark Master, Past Master and
Most Excellent Master and was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Normal Park, No. 210, in the same year.
He was created a Select Master in Imperial
Council, No. 85, also a Sir Knight in Apollo
Commandery, and in August, 1 896, passed
the grades and orders of the Scottish Rite,
attaining the thirty-second degree in Ori-
ental Consistory. He is also connected
with the social organization whose member-
ship is limited to Knights Templar and
thirty-second-degree Masons, being a mem-
ber of Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine. His advance
in Masonry has been rapid and his interest
in the craft is deep and sincere. He ren-
ders a firm allegiance to its principles and
loyally upholds its purposes.
Mr. Colley was born in Crewe, Chesh-
ire, England, March 7, 1872, and was
reared and received his early education in
the place of his birth. He also perfected
his education at Dr. Hurst's Academy,
644
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Nantwich. After four years in business in
London he came to the United States and
for two years traveled in the interests of an
English financial syndicate. For nearly
three years he has been connected with the
Chicago Carpet Company as office manager
and expert accountant, and is ably qualified
for the responsible duties which rest upon
him in that capacity. He is possessed of
superior ability as a mathematician, and his
business powers are such as will bring to
him still greater successes in the future.
He is a young man of sterling worth who
commands the confidence and respect of
all with whom he has been brought in con-
tact, and his friends in Masonic and busi-
ness circles are many.
ROBERT CHARLES HARPER.— The
Jfjl. grandeur of Freemasonry has been
sustained and held inviolate through the
essential nobility of its exponents and dev-
otees. Its ancient and lofty principles
have never appealed to the debased or the
vicious, and thus has its fair name remained
untarnished through all the centuries that
have passed since its inception. Masonry-
treads with equal footsteps the palace of
the king and the cottage of the laborer
— a permeating influence as a conserva-
tor of peace and safety. Its power for
good increases day by day and its member-
ship in Illinois is large and influential. The
Scotch type of manhood has found many
representatives in the United States and is
one of those that have ever been foremost
in giving an impetus to the march of prog-
ress in retaining a clear mental grasp and
in directing affairs along safe and conserva-
tive lines. America owes much to the
Scotch stock, and Masonry has honored
and been honored by noble men of that ex-
traction.
Among the foremost members of the
fraternity in Illinois is Robert Charles
Harper, of Chicago. He was initiated in
Lemont Lodge, No. 708, from which he
was dimitted and became affiliated with
Garden City Lodge, No. 141. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in York Chapter, No. 148, almost
twenty years- ago, and was at the same
time made a Royal and Select Master in
York Council. He was created a Sir
Knight in Columbia Commandery, No. 63,
On April 18, 1888, Mr. HarpeV attained
the thirty-second degree of the Scottish
Rite in the ineffable lodge of perfection
known as Oriental Consistory, and became
a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. He
is also connected with that social branch of
Masons known as the Ancient Arabic Order,
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, having his
membership in Medinah Temple, at Chi-
cago. He is one of the most popular of
men, demonstrating in his intercourse with
the brethren a gentlemanly demeanor,
kindness, and consideration, and showing
by his acts that he well understands the
tenets of the Masonic institution.
Born in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire,
Scotland, October 12, 1844, he is the son
of Charles and Jane (Ingram) Harper, the
former of whom was a cut-stone contractor
in moderate circumstances. The son re-
ceived his education in the public schools
of Kirkconnel and Kilmarnock, and at the
age of fifteen started as an apprentice in
the cut-stone trade, serving for a little more
than three years. In 1862 he went to
London, where he followed his vocation
for two years, after which he removed to
Rochdale, where he became foreman for
Ellis & Hinchleff, of Manchester, and later
he went to Yorkshire. In 1868 Mr. Harper
determined to seek those advantages that
the old world denies her children, and set
sail for the United States, arriving in New
York in May. After a short stay in that
city he came to Chicago, where he labored
as a journeyman stonecutter, and was so
engaged at the time of the great fire in
1871. After the destruction of the busi-
ness part of the city, he was employed to
straighten the walls of the Palmer House.
Subsequently he took charge of the stone
yards of Price & Grant, with whom he re-
mained for fifteen months. In 1872 he
founded the cut-stone firm of Harper,
; v
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
647
Stuart & Monroe, later known under the
name of R. C. Harper, a most successful
company, which succumbed, however, to
the panic of 1873. In that same year he
superintended the cutting of the stone for
the erection of the county court-house,
getting his material from the quarries at
Lemont, Illinois, where he remained for
five years and four months.
In 1879 Mr. Harper became the general
manager of the Young & Faviel Diamond
Stone Sawing Company, with which con-
cern he has since been connected, and is
financially interested, holding, besides the
office of manager, that of treasurer also.
In addition to this he is acting-treasurer
and vice-president of the Joliet Limestone
Company, president and treasurer of the
Girard Coal Company, treasurer of the
Eureka Mercantile Company, at Girard,
Illinois, and president of the Inland White
Lead Company, of Chicago.
With regard to his political affiliations
Mr. Harper is an independent Republican,
desiring and working for the good of his
country above all else. Socially he is a
member of the Builders and Traders' Club
and Exchange.
Mr. Harper has been twice married, the
first time, in 1874, to Miss Agnes M.Thomp-
son, of Gibson City, Illinois, who died in
1886, survived by four children, namely:
Maud, now Mrs. Fred Scofield, of Chicago;
Alice, Charles and Agnes. In 1887 Mr.
Harper was married to Miss Maggie Brown-
ing, of Chicago, and they have two chil-
dren,— Bessie and Margery.
WILLIAM M. LEITER has been con-
nected with Masonry since 1892, in
which year he was raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Dearborn Lodge,
No. 310, A. F. & A. M., on the 26th of
May. His fidelity to the teachings and his
observance of its principles won recogni-
tion at the hands of the " fratres, " who in
1896 elected him to the office of Worship-
ful Master, and so ably did he discharge his
duties and perform the service of the lodge
room that he was presented with a hand-
some Past Master's jewel on his retirement.
He is a conscientious, valued and popular
Mason, whose friends in the fraternity are
many.
Mr. Leiter is a native of the \Volverine
state, his birth having occurred in Char-
lotte, Michigan, on the 28th of August,
1859. His boyhood days passed quietly,
unmarked by any event of special impor-
tance. He obtained his education in the
public schools and assisted his father, who
for twenty-four years filled the office of
postmaster at that place. In 1881 he de-
termined to try his fortune in Chicago and
soon after his arrival in the city accepted a
position in the auditor's department of the
Pullman Palace Car Company. In 1883 he
became connected with the house of Lapp
& Flershem, wholesale jewelers, and has
been employed there for fourteen years as
head bookkeeper. He is an expert account-
ant, particularly well qualified for the office,
and has the full confidence and the high re-
gard of the members of the firm. Mr. Lei-
ter was married September 12, 1888, to
Miss Henrietta Fisher, a native of Peru,
Illinois, and they have one son, named
Harry M.
MEIL STRANG, of Chicago, is a Knight
Templar and thirty-second-degree Ma-
son. He has been associated in ties of
brotherhood with this fraternity for seven-
teen years, having been made a Mason in
Genesee Lodge, No. 172, of Flint, Michi-
gan. He advanced through the various
bodies, becoming a Royal Arch Mason in
Valparaiso Chapter, No. 49, of Valparaiso,
Indiana, and Knight Templar in Valparaiso
Commandery, No. 28, and a thirty-second-
degree Mason in Oriental Consistory, in
which he received the grades and orders of
the Scottish Rite. He is also a member of
Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine, and both he and his wife
hold membership in the Order of the East-
ern Star.
Mr. Strang was born in Bruce, Ontario,
648
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
on the 7th of June, 1856, and spent his
boyhood there, obtaining his education in
the public schools. He learned the black-
smith's trade, and in 1875 removed to Flint,
Michigan, where for three years he was
foreman of the blacksmith shops of the Chi-
cago, Flint & Grand Rapids Railroad. In
1885 he came to Chicago and has since oc-
cupied the responsible position of foreman
of the blacksmith shops of the Erie Rail-
road. A large force of men are under his
supervision, but his thorough knowledge of
the work well enables him to supervise the
interests entrusted to his care. The work
turned out from his department is always
first-class, and his management is creditable
to himself and profitable to the company.
Mr. Strang was united in marriage, in
1895, to Mrs. Jessie (Howard) Chaffe, a na-
tive of Lima, Ohio, and like her husband
she takes an active and commendable in-
terest in the work of that branch of Masonry
to which women are admitted.
FRANK GODLEY.— The sacred move-
ment inaugurated by the Ancient Order
of Freemasons so many centuries ago has
been marching irresistibly onward, uphold-
ing the sublime principles of the craft and
carrying its banner of hope and faith into
every portion of the civilized world, dis-
persing the gloom of sin and human strife,
making way for the sunshine of brotherly
love, unselfishness and justice for all men,
and ever steadily advancing to the cherished
goal, to win which is the highest aim of the
fraternity. Fifty thousand loyal brothers
support this progression in Illinois, and
none is more earnest and energetic in its
behalf than Mr. Godley, a worthy "frater"
and resident of Springfield, who dates his
connection with the fraternity from 1877,
when he became affiliated with Tyrian
Lodge, No. 333, in which he was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason; and
subsequently he received the exalted de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason, in Springfield
Chapter, No. i, and was constituted a Sir
Knight in Elwood Commandery, No. 6.
He attained to the ineffable degrees of the
Scottish Rite and was proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental
Consistory, Valley of Chicago, in 1891, in
the fall of the year following associating
himself with the social branch of Masonry
by becoming a Noble in the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine. Brother God-
ley has always endeavored to conduct his
life in a manner consistent with the pre-
cepts and principles of the brotherhood, has
ever lived up to his knightly vows by doing
the greatest amount of good possible to the
greatest number of his fellow citizens, and
has been a zealous, conscientious member
of the local lodge, in which he retains the
respect and high consideration of his
confreres.
Mr. Godley is a native of England, his
birth having taken place in Ossett, York-
shire, on November 14, 1841, and he is a
son of William and Sarah (Heaton) God-
ley, both of whom were likewise born in
Ossett. His early education was obtained
under somewhat disadvantageous circum-
stances, as he was allowed only half a
day for study and half a day for work until
reaching the age of thirteen, when he was
obliged to give up his schooling and work
the entire day. About this time his
mother died and our subject followed the
vocation of a sailor for two years, but
at the end of that time he came to the
conclusion that he was not adapted to
seafaring life, so returned home and en-
gaged in the manufacture of woolen goods
until 1864, when he left Liverpool, on the
1 8th of September, and set sail for the
United States, landing at Philadelphia on
October 29. He subsequently moved to
Duquoin, Perry county, Illinois, there
learned the mining business, which he later
followed at Springfield from 1865 till 1868,
during that time sinking the first coal mine
in Sangamon county, and then embarked
in the coal and wood business, in which he
continued for the succeeding eight years.
Mr. Godley then organized the Co-opera-
tive Coal Mining Company, of Springfield,
Illinois, which is still in existence, and fol-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
649
lowing this came the establishment of a
manufactory for making shoddy, this con-
stituting his present occupation, besides
which enterprises he assisted in the organi-
zation of the Springfield Electric Light
Company, and possesses shares and stocks
in the Springfield Canning Company and
the Odd Fellows building, now one of the
finest public edifices in this city. Mr. God-
ley has been an extensive traveler, having
crossed the Atlantic ocean six times,
while his travels in this country in the dis-
posing of his wares will in all probability
amount to ten thousand miles yearly.
Mr. Godley is a self-made man, having
worked his way up from a position of ob-
scurity and poverty to that which he occu-
pies to-day, one of affluence and prosperity,
in the attainment of which he has had only
the natural advantages accorded to him,
combined with energy, perseverance, a
strict integrity of character and a strong
determination to overcome all obstacles
that might obstruct his pathway to success.
Mr. Godley was married on December
20, 1862, to Miss Elizabeth Lister, and
they had the following four children:
Sarah Ann, who died at the age of ten
months and was buried at Dewsbury, York-
shire, England; Ada, Annie and Elsworth.
Mrs. Godley died while she and her hus-
band were visiting their old home, on June
26, 1895, and was laid to rest by the side
of her parents. She had just reached her
fiftieth year, the anniversary of her birth-
day having occurred six days before her
demise.
Politically Mr. Godley is a Republican,
and has been occasionally a member of the
board of supervisors since 1880, holding
that office at the present writing. He is
one of Springfield's representative citizens,
and is a credit to the country of his adop-
tion as well as to the Masonic fraternity.
WILLIAM ARTHUR ALEXANDER,
who has been engaged in an insur-
ance business in Chicago for the past twelve
years, has since his residence in this city
identified himself with the Masonic fra-
ternity and sought to incorporate in his life
its time-honored principles. He was initi-
ated, passed and raised by Blaney Lodge,
A. F. & A. M., in 1887, and not long after-
ward was made a Sir Knight and a member
of the Mystic Shrine, Apollo Commandery
conferring upon him the Knight Templar
degrees, Medinah Temple those of the
Shrine.
Mr. Alexander is a southerner by birth
and education. He was born in Mississip-
pi, May 2, 1857, son of James Madison
Alexander and Elizabeth King nee McCord,
both members of prominent early-settled
families in this country. The Alexanders
are of Scotch-Irish origin. Three brothers
of that name emigrated to this country
about two hundred years ago and located
in New England. A few years later one of
them removed to Virginia and another to
North Carolina, and to-day their descend-
ants are scattered over various portions of
the Union. From the Virginia branch is
our subject descended. In his father's
family, as also in his mother's, were men
who fought valiantly for independence in
the Revolutionary days, and one of his
maternal ancestors, Colonel John King,
fell in the battle of King's Mountain.
Young Alexander grew to manhood in his
native state, and spent the first twenty-
seven years of his life on a farm. His edu-
cation was received at Tuscaloosa College.
In 1885 he came to Chicago and engaged
in the insurance business, as special agent
for Travelers', of Hartford, and in June of
the following year he took the manage-
ment for the western department, including
Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Min-
nesota, and the railroad department of the
business for the western states, — Fidelity
and Casualty Company, of New York. At
first he had his office at No. 181 La Salle
street, moved from there to the Home In-
surance building, and for the past five
years has occupied quarters in the Rookery
building. In connection with his insur-
ance business, he has for some time dealt
privately in real estate. He is politically a
650
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
stanch Republican, and during President
Arthur's term served two years as census
commissioner of southern Illinois. He
maintains fraternal relation with other or-
ganizations besides the Masonic, the Knights
of Pythias included, and is a regular at-
tendant at divine service at the Second
Presbyterian church, of Chicago.
December 22, 1895, was consummated
the marriage of Mr. Alexander and Miss
Maud Julia Greene, daughter of Mosier T.
Greene, of No. 1912 Prairie avenue, this
city.
^LETCHER N. BARNEY, a Mason for
JT ; a quarter of a century, took the three
basic degrees of the craft in Englewood
Lodge, No. 690, and is one of its life mem-
bers. He advanced beyond the portals of
capitular Masonry as a Mark Master of En-
glewood Chapter, No. 176, was installed as
Past Master, received as Most Excellent
Master and exalted a Royal Arch. In 1879
he was created a Sir Knight in Apollo Com-
mandery. No. i, Chicago, and is now affil-
iated with Englewood Commandery, No.
59, of which he is a charter member.
Mr. Barney comes from the Empire
state, his birth having occurred in Jefferson
county, New York, in July, 1846. Reared
in that locality he obtained his education
in Union Academy, of Belleville, New York,
and during the Civil war, although not yet
twenty years of age, enlisted in April, 1865,
as a member of the One Hundred and
Ninety-third New York Infantry, in which
he served for about a year, when he was
honorably discharged. His duties of citi-
zenship have ever been discharged with the
same loyalty that marked his service as a
defender of the country.
In 1869 Mr. Barney came to the west
and for two years engaged in farming in the
southern part of Illinois. In 1871 he came
to Chicago, where for thirteen years he en-
gaged in the grocery business, meeting with
a high degree of success. He then turned
his attention to the furniture business, in
which he prospered, building up an excel-
lent trade that brought to him rich returns.
He made judicious investments of his capi-
tal in real estate and thus became interested
in the handling of property for himself and
others. He has a good knowledge of realty
values, keeps thoroughly posted on the
market, and his sagacity and foresight have
made him one of the leading and successful
real-estate dealers of the city. He is highly
respected in business circles and greatly
esteemed not only in the Masonic fraternity
but also in the Royal Arcanum, Ancient
Order United Workman and the Royal
League, in which he holds membership. He
is also a member of long standing in the
First Baptist church, of Englewood, Chi-
cago.
Mr. Barney was married, in 1870, to
Miss Abigail Dike, a native of England, and
by this union have been born three children
— Norman W. , Clara A. and Agnes May.
JAMES M. HUTCHINSON, M. D.. of
Chicago, became a member of the Ma-
sonic order in 1885, joining Hesperia
Lodge, No. 411, and five years later he
was inducted into the esoteric doctrines of
the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, receiv-
ing the grades and orders in Oriental Con-
sistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret. He also belongs to the Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
his membership being in Medinah Tonple.
Dr. Hutchinson is a native of KenTucky.
his birth having occurred in Lafayette,
Christian county, on the i6th of August,
1843. In 1847 he removed to Blooming-
ton, Illinois, and after eight years passed in
that city matriculated in the Chicago Med-
ical College, in 1865, and was graduated
with the class of 1867. For eighteen
months he served as interne in the Cook
county hospital and at the termination of
his services he was complimented with the
usual diploma of the medical board of
Cook county hospital. A few years sub-
sequently he was appointed on the surgical
staff, where he served for five years. Since
his retirement from that position he has
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
651
been engaged in general practice and has a
large and lucrative patronage. He is a
member of the City Medical Society, the
State Medical Association and the American
Medical Association.
On the 24th of December, 1867, Dr.
Hutchinson was united in marriage to Miss
Meda J. Chase, who was born in Texas. They
have one daughter, Eva A., now the wife
of Edward E. Webb, and have lost one
son.
His present success is the result of his per-
sonal efforts: a judicious use of his abilities
and a strength of purpose have triumphed
over all obstacles.
CHARLES REICH ARDT.— Take it the
world over, in all climes and countries,
the noble purpose of Freemasonry is ever
the same, — the cultivation of a spirit of
good will, peace and brotherly kindness,
and a charity to all mankind. It is not
then to be wondered at that it receives the
support of intelligent men in every country
and that its precepts are faithfully followed
wherever civilization exists. A brother who
ranks high in the lodge of Illinois is Mr.
Reichardt, who received the degree of Master
Mason in Landmark Lodge, No. 422, in
1895, was exalted to the Royal Arch degree
in Fairview Chapter, 'No. 161, and was
created a Sir Knight in Apollo Command-
ery, No. i, all in the same year. His as-
sociation with the brethren has been of the
most friendly nature, and his conduct has
been such as to highly commend him to his
fellow craftsmen.
Mr. Reichardt is a native of Germany,
having been born in that country October
12, 1862. When ten years of age he was
brought to the United States by his parents,
who settled in Chicago, where Mr. Reich-
ardt attended the public schools and grew
to manhood. He subsequently entered into
the employ of Marshall Field & Company,
where he remained for eleven years, and
then, in 1895, accepted a position with
Schlesinger & Mayer, which he is at pres-
ent filling in an efficient and satisfactory
manner. Mr. Reichardt is a young man
whose native enterprise and energy have
enabled him to overcome all difficulties and
acquire a place for himself in the world.
36*
CHARLES AUGUSTUS JOHNSON,
iL^ Worshipful Master of Peoria Lodge,
No. 15, F. & A. M., is a native of Andover,
Henry county, Illinois, and first saw the
light of day June 12, 1862. He was reared
at Andover and remained there until 1888,
with the exception of a brief time he spent
at Cambridge, where he learned the milling
business and ran a planing-mill. Since
1888 he has been a resident of Peoria, en-
gaged in general contracting and doing a
prosperous and lively business.
Mr. Johnson's connection with Masonry
began in 1889, in Peoria Lodge, No. 15.
He was elected to receive its degrees Sep-
tember 30, 1889, initiated October 7,
passed December 23, and raised March 24,
1890, and from the very first took a deep
interest in the work of the order. He has
served as Senior Deacon and Senior War-
652
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
den, and at this writing is Worshipful Master
of the lodge, giving this office his prompt
and earnest attention and ably filling the
chair. Also he has advanced to the higher
degrees of this ancient order. The con-
sistory degrees were conferred upon him in
Peoria, November 10, 1890, and December
11, 1894, the mysteries of the Shrine were
opened to him in Mohammed Temple, in
the same city. In the Shrine he takes some
part officially, but his interest is centered
chiefly in the lodge, which, during his in-
cumbency of the executive chair, has large-
ly increased in numbers, he and his staff of
officers having already conferred no less
than one hundred degrees the present year.
I^ILLIAM HANDLIN.— In every ham-
let, village, town, and city of this
country the Masonic lodge throws a guiding
light upon the upward path of life, to fol-
low which means an existence purified by
elevating thoughts of unselfishness, charity
and a love for one's fellow men. The
brother whose name heads this review has
been closely identified with the best inter-
ests of Masonry for the past twenty years,
and in that time has filled many offices with
credit to himself and honor to the fraternity.
Mr. Handlin is a life member of Covenant
Lodge, No. 526, in which he was raised to
the degree of Master Mason in 1871. He
was elected to the office of Past Master in
1879, since which he has held the chair of
Marshal. He has had the honor of repre-
senting this body in the Grand Lodge. In
1876 he was exalted to the Royal Arch de-
gree in Corinthian Chapter, and has filled
all the offices up to that of King. He was
made a Royal and Select Master in Chicago
Council, and was created a Sir Knight in
St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, in which
he has been Standard Bearer, and is a vet-
eran of the drill corps, being now on the
retired list.
Mr. Handlin was born in Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, March 17, 1839, and received
his education in the public schools of his
native city, after which he learned the
painter's trade. In 1868 he came to Chi-
cago and engaged in business for himself
as a sign and house painter and has been
quite successful in that vocation.
Mr. Handlin was married to Miss Minnie
Scharenberg, of this city, and this union
has been blessed by five children, all of
whom have attained to years of maturity.
He is a member of the Waunita Ridge Gun
and Pleasure Club, of which he is vice-pres-
ident and one of the directors, and was at
one time a member of Company I, First
Regiment, Illinois National Guards.
Brother Handlin is active in all public
matters and is a Republican in his political
faith. He has been judge of election in
his ward, and held the office of harbor
police in Chicago for three and a half years.
In both the lodge and in business circles he
is highly esteemed for his personal worth
and integrity of character.
NOBLE KREIDER, M. D.,
of Springfield, Illinois, is a gentleman
in the prime of life and usefulness and one
to whom success has come as the result of
honest, earnest endeavor. Amid the cares
of a busy professional life he has thought it
worth his while to turn aside for the in-
struction, recreation and pleasure to be
found in the Masonic lodge-room. Dr.
Kreider comes of Masonic stock. His hon-
ored grandfather, Michael Zimmerman Krei-
der, M. D., was a prominent Mason and
was in 1843 elected Grand Commander of
the Knights Templar of Ohio, he being the
first to hold that office in the state. His
father, Edmund Cicero Kreider, was Emi-
nent Commander of Hospitaller Command-
ery, stationed at Jacksonville, in 1878, and
has been Prelate of that commandery for
a number of years. Dr. George N. Kreider
has passed through the degrees of the blue
lodge, chapter, council and commandery,
and affiliates with Tyrian Lodge, No. 333,
F. & A. M. ; Springfield Chapter, No. i,
R. A. M. ; Springfield Council, No. 4, R.
& S. M. ; and Elwood Commandery, No. 6,
K. T. In the commandery he has served
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
653
officially and been honored with the posi-
tion of Eminent Commander three times,
1891-1892 and 1897, an honor fittingly be-
stowed.
Like many of the prominent men
throughout this country, Dr. Kreider looks
back to Ohio as the place of his birth and
early associations. It was in Lancaster,
Ohio, Octoberio, 1856, that he was ushered
into life, his parents being Edmund Cicero
and Mary (Gates) Kreider. His Grandfa-
ther Kreider, above referred to, was a
prominent physician as well as Mason.
He was engaged in the practice of medicine
in Lancaster from 1830 to 1855, the year
of his death, and was secretary of the first
medical convention held in Ohio, in 1832.
In the year 1 870 the subject of our sketch
removed with his parents to Jacksonville,
Illinois, where for a time he was a student
in the Washington high school. Later he
returned to Ohio, and in 1877 graduated at
the Ohio Wesleyan University, of Dela-
ware, with the degree of A. B. This course
at Delaware had been preparatory to the
study of medicine, and in the preparation
for his life work he was fortunate in having
the best advantages. He attended one
course of lectures at the Miami Medical
College, Cincinnati, Ohio, and two courses
at the medical department of the Univer-
sity of the City of New York, taking his
degree from the last-named institution in
1880, and immediately thereafter entered
upon the practice of his profession at
Springfield, Illinois. The years 1885-6
he spent in medical study abroad, — in
Vienna, Paris, London and Berlin, — where
he listened to the teachings of some of the
most eminent medical professors. Again,
in 1890, he crossed the Atlantic and took a
special course at the University of Jena,
Germany; in 1894 another special course
at Berlin, and in 1897 at the University of
Gattingen. His superior qualifications
have been recognized by the medical fra-
ternity in this country and he has been
honored with high official positions in vari-
ous medical associations. He was presi-
dent of the Capitol District Medical So-
ciety, in 1894; president of the District
Medical Society of Central Illinois, in
1895-6; of the American Academy of
Medicine; of the Illinois State Medical So-
ciety, treasurer since 1891 ;. of the American
Medical Association; of the Illinois state
board of health, in 1884-7, when he re-
signed; and of the city board of health
since 1890. He attended the ninth Inter-
national Medical Congress at Washington,
the tenth at Berlin, the eleventh at Rome,
and the twelfth at Moscow. He has been
surgeon at St. John's Hospital, Springfield,
since 1892; consulting surgeon to the Wa-
bash Railway system hospitals since 1891.
Early in his practice he served as special
inspector for the state board of health dur-
ing the epidemic of small-pox in 1882-3.
Through his practice he has given special
attention to surgery, has performed many
difficult surgical operations, and has met
with a high degree of success.
An honor recently conferred upon Dr.
Kreider was his appointment to the posi-
tion of lieutenant-colonel and assistant sur-
geon-general of the Second Brigade, Illi-
nois National Guard, June 24, 1897.
Dr. Kreider has also given no little at-
tention to literary work. He has written
numerous articles which have appeared in
some of the leading medical journals of the
land and have received high commenda-
tion.
February 18, 1894, was consummated
the marriage of Dr. Kreider and Miss
Emma Pasfield, daughter of Dr. George
and Hathaway (Pickerel) Pasfield, of
Springfield, Illinois. Two children have
been born of this union: George Pasfield,
born April 10, 1895; and Mary, born April
28, 1896.
ISAAC LANNING.— The principles incul-
_ cated in the fraternity of Freemasons
and forming the basis upon which that
noble organization is founded, appeal
strongly to all that is good in man and tend
to uplift his spiritual being and invest the
material mind with a truer and more Chris-
654
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
tianlike appreciation of human existence.
It naturally follows that he who takes up
the standard of Freemasonry and conscien-
tiously adheres to the teachings connected
therewith will lead a better, fuller life, and
seldom fail in his duty to his fellow men.
Although the state of perfection aimed at
by the craft has not as yet been completely
attained, the brave army of men are steadily
progressing, and as the clouds that ob-
scured the pathway in the past have been
swept away, so does the future open up
bright and promising, bringing courage and
good cheer to those who would despair and
fall by the wayside. There is no more loyal
and zealous brother in the state than Isaac
Lanning, whose association of five years
have been marked by unremitting labor and
a faithful allegiance to the precepts and
tenets of the order, fulfilling many offices
in the bodies of which he is a member and
bringing thereto a high order of intelligence
and executive ability.
Mr. Lanning's initiative degrees were
received in Landmark Lodge, No. 422, in
1892, when he was raised to the sublime
degree of a Master Mason, advanced to the
grades of capitulative Masonry and exalted
to the Holy Royal Arch in Fairview Chap-
ter, No. 161, and received the orders of
knighthood in Montjoie Commandery, No.
53. In the lodge he holds the office of
Senior Warden, is the present Master of
the Third Veil in the chapter, and in the
commandery he occupies the chair of Prel-
ate, and discharges the duties of those po-
sitions in a manner fully compatible with
their importance and to the entire satisfac-
tion of his " fratres. " Mr. Lanning is also
affiliated with the social branch of Masonry
and is a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order
of the Mystic Shrine, his membership being
in Medinah Temple, where his many excel-
lent qualities of character have won for him
ahigh degree of popularity.
The birth of Mr. Lanning occurred in
the city of New York, on the i6th of April,
1855, where he was reared and received
his literary education in the public schools.
Upon leaving the latter he began his busi-
ness experience in a mercantile establish-
ment, continuing the same until 1879, when
he removed to Muscatine, Iowa, continuing
there for six years, and removing thence in
1885 to Chicago, where he has since con-
tinued to reside. Here he engaged in the
cigar business and has built up a thriving
trade, gaining success by the practice of
strict integrity, perseverance and honorable
methods in all his dealings.
On the 2d of November, 1889, occurred
the marriage of Mr. Lanning to Miss Clara
Parks, who was born in Sparta, Randolph
county, Illinois. Mr. Lanning is a pro-
gressive citizen of the western metropolis,
and well merits the high esteem in which
he is held by all his friends.
^DWARD EAMES HOLMAN, M. D.,
who enjoys a high rank in the medical
profession of the city of Chicago, is an
honored member of the Masonic fraternity.
The primary degrees were conferred upon
him by Jo Daviess Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
in 1882, and his exaltation to the august
degree of the Holy Royal Arch took place
in Jo Daviess Chapter, R. A. M., but di-
mitting from those organizations the same
year he became a member of the Engle-
wood Lodge and Chapter. He was made
a Sir Knight in Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, K. T. , received the degrees of the
Scottish Rite up to and including the
thirty-second in Oriental Consistory; and
was initiated into the mysteries of the
Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple. In all
of these organizations he still maintains a
membership. From time to time he has
filled various positions, is Past Eminent
Commander of Englewood Commandery
and chairman of the Triennial Conclave
Committee for his commandery.
Some of the salient points in Dr. Hoi-
man's career are of interest in this connec-
tion. He was born at Millville, Worcester
county, Massachusetts, December 25, 1854,
and at an early age removed with his par-
ents to a farm near Spring Valley, Minne-
sota. WThen fourteen years of age he left
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
657
the farm and began work in a printing
office in Spring Valley, where he served an
apprenticeship of three years, learning the
printer's trade. In the meantime he also
continued his education and was graduated
at the high school. At the age of eighteen
he began teaching school and studying
medicine, which course he pursued for
three years, then entered Hahnemann
Medical College, of Chicago, at which insti-
tution he graduated with honors in 1878.
In May of that year Dr. Holman began
the practice of medicine in Warren, Jo
Daviess county, Illinois, where he remained
until 1882, removing to Chicago to accept
the chair of medical jurisprudence in Hahn-
emann Medical College, which position he
held for three terms. He has resided in
Chicago, in the suburb of Englewood, since
1882. He is general surgeon of the Engle-
wood Union Hospital; surgeon for the Chi-
cago and Erie, and the Western Indiana
Railroads; professor of renal anatomy and
pathology and practice in Harvey Medical
College, of Chicago; member of the Inter-
national Medical Association of Railway
Surgeons, Erie Association of Railway Sur-
geons and a member of several medical so-
cieties. He is also a member of the Chica-
go Athletic Association and the Harvard
Club. He has traveled extensively in this
country and in old Mexico and is perfectly
familiar with the "rough" side of life as
learned through hard horseback-riding and
in the camp. He is a great lover of hunt-
ing and fishing, and the fact that he is the
possessor of a large and well-stocked farm
in Ogle county, Illinois, shows that some of
his early education enters into his very busy
life. And yet the Doctor finds time to read
his numerous medical journals and books,
also to write humorous articles and to
make "after-dinner speeches," in which
particular he is an adept and has won for
himself an enviable reputation. At one
time he was a contributor of humorous
articles for Nasby's paper, the Toledo
Blade. Socially he is very genial and has
a host of friends. He enjoyed the personal
friendship of Generals Grant and Logan
and of Senator Windom, who was an inti-
mate friend of his parents. He can relate
many interesting incidents of life on the
farm, in the printing-office, in the school-
room and in connection with his early
struggles to obtain an education. In his
life he has exemplified the principles as set
forth in Masonry, and clearly shows the
spirit of "Brotherly Love, Relief and
Truth."
The Doctor was married to Emma S.
Felt, at Kewanee, Illinois, March n, 1880.
They have one daughter, Ethel A. Holman,
a lovely young lady, who is the sunshine of
their beautiful and happy home at 6314
Harvard avenue, Chicago.
The Doctor's parents were Benjamin F.
and Susan C. (Eames) Holman. The father
was born at Warwick, Massachusetts, and
at the age of twelve was apprenticed to
learn the edged-tool trade; at seventeen he
was foreman of large works; at twenty -one
he was in partnership with his brother,
Ansel Holman, manufacturer of axes and
scythes, at Slatersville, Rhode Island; suc-
ceeded in business, amassed a comfortable
competence, and- in 1-857 moved to Minne-
sota, took up a large tract of land, engaged
in general farming; was justice of the peace
and county commissioner some fifteen years,
and was a man of sterling integrity and
uaiversally beloved. His sons say of him,
"We never knew him to tell a falsehood."
He died at the age of seventy, from a rup-
tured blood vessel, the result of violent
exertion. One brother, Sewell Holman,
was a literary genius, and printed with his
pen the first paper ever published at Janes-
villa, Wisconsin. Another brother, Russell
Holman, was also a man of letters, a Bap-
tist clergyman, who founded the first Bap-
tist church in New Orleans, Louisi ma.
Still another brother, Harvey Holman, was
a merchant in St. Louis, Missouri, next in
Chillicothe, Illinois, from which latter place
early in the '503 he journeyed to California
to regain his health, leaving his business
interests in the care of his partner, who in
two years robbed him of all he had and left
him badly in debt. He returned in a few
658
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
years, paid dollar for dollar, engaged in
mercantile business again, was successful,
and died a few years ago, aged seventy-
five, leaving a fortune of two hundred thou-
sand dollars.
Susan C. Holman, the Doctor's mother,
was born in Unadilla, New York. Her fa-
ther died when she was a child, and she
and her mother removed to Providence,
Rhode Island, making their home with
Rhodes Chapman, their mother's brother,
who gave her a liberal education at War-
ren Seminary, Rhode Island. She was a
beautiful woman, a lovely character and
very talented. On her mother's side she
was a direct descendant of Roger Williams.
She died of pneumonia, at the age of sixty-
nine years.
The Doctor has a brother, five years
his senior, A. R. Holman, of Spring Valley,
Minnesota, who is well known throughout
the northwest as an attorney for the Chi-
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad and
as a politician. The Doctor also has two
sisters, both married and living in Faribault,
Minnesota.
CARL TRICK, a loyal and industrious
member of the fraternity, whose zeal
has won for him the warm regard and high
appreciation of his " fratres, " has been
affiliated with Freemasonry since 1894,
when he was elected an Entered Appren-
tice, passed the Fellow-craft and was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason in
Lessing Lodge, No. 557. He is faithful in
adhering to the precepts of the order and
governs his daily life in accordance with its
precepts and tenets.
Mr. Trick is a native of Germany, his
birth taking place in that country on the
nth of July, 1853, and there his youth was
passed, his literary education being obtained
in the excellent public schools of the father-
land. In 1873 he decided to seek a wider
field for his endeavors, than which none
presented more tempting inducements than
the United States, to which he emigrated
in that year, locating in Chicago, where the
first ten years of his residence were spent
as an accountant in a large mercantile
establishment. In 1884 Mr. Trick entered
the employ of the J. L. Hoerber Brewing
Company, with which he served in the
capacity of a bookkeeper and agent until
1891, when he became connected with the
Wacker & Birk Brewing and Malting Com-
pany, filling a similar position up to 1895,
in that year being appointed secretary of
the company, and has since officiated as
such, gaining by his energy, his strict in-
tegrity of character and his executive ability
the confidence and respect of those with
whom he is associated. He is a competent,
reliable business man, a consistent, .faithful
member of the craft, and he enjoys the
high consideration of the fraternity as well
as of the mercantile world.
The marriage of Mr. Trick was solem-
nized on November 27, 1875, when he was
united to Miss Wilhelmina Maier, who is
likewise a native of Germany.
J FRANK HUBERT, a successful phy-
sician and surgeon of Chicago, is a
Knight Templar Mason, who though not
active as an office-holder in the lodge room
is yet a worthy exemplar of Masonry's mis-
sion. He closely follows its teaching and
has ample opportunity to put into practice,
through the avenue of his profession, its
prevailing spirit of charity and benevolence.
God, Liberty and the Brotherhood of Man
are the inspiring words on its banners, and
these indicate all man's duty to his Creator
and his fellow man. Masonry has ever
been the reverent assistant and hand-
maiden of religion pure and undefiled. In
the humble "Bau-hatitten," or lodges, of
the Ancient Freemasons of Germany were
formulated the plans and specifications
which were later on, through their labor,
genius and industry, transformed into the
architectural marvels of grandeur and
beauty which we see at this day uplifting
toward heaven, through the centuries, the
all-conquering cross of Christ. In all lands
Masons have carried forward the work of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY JN ILLINOIS.
659
Christianity, especially in its practical
teachings, and at the same time have been
the advocates of civic justice and the pro-
moters of good fellowship and benevolence
among their fellow men.
This fraternity therefore elicits the sup-
port and advocacy of every high-minded
man, who once inquires into its doctrines
and its practices; and among its faithful
followers in Englewood is Dr. Hubert, of
this review. He was made a Mason in Clif-
ton Lodge, of Clifton, Illinois, in which
organization his father also held member-
ship, while his brother, Edward Hubert,
Jr., likewise affiliates with the order. The
Doctor served as Senior Deacon of Clifton
Lodge, and in April, 1892, was dimitted to
Normal Park Lodge, No. 797. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Englewood Chapter, No. 176,
March 30, 1893, and on the i2th of June,
of the same year, became a Knight Templar
of Englewood Commandery, No. 59. In
Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of
the Mystic Shrine, he was made a Noble
February 20, 1895, and both he and his
wife hold membership in Normal Park
Chapter, Order of the .Eastern Star. The
Doctor also belongs to the American Pro-
tective Association and to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and his wife belongs
to the Order of Daughters of Rebekah, and is
now Past Grand of the Golden Link Lodge,
No. 3.
A native of Massachusetts, the Doctor
was born in Stoneham, on the 3ist of May,
1858, and when ten years of age came with
his father's family to Chicago. His early
education, acquired in the public schools of
this city, was supplemented by private in-
struction, and having determined to make
the practice of medicine his life work he
matriculated in 1879 in the Bennett Medical
College, where he was graduated on the
23d of March, 1883. He practiced for one
year in this city, and then, on account of
failing health, went to Montana, where he
prosecuted his profession for a year. On
the expiration of that period he located in
Ashkum, Illinois, and for seven years was
numbered among the successful physicians
of that place, building up a very large and
lucrative patronage. In 1891 he returned
to Chicago and opened an office at the cor-
ner of Halsted and Sixty-ninth streets, in
Englewood, where he was soon established
in a good business, which has constantly
increased. In 1893 he was appointed as-
sistant to one of the chairs in his alma mater,
but owing to his constantly growing prac-
tice he was obliged to resign that position
and now devotes his time and energies en-
tirely to his professional duties. Success
in the practice of medicine and surgery is
an unmistakable evidence of skill and abil-
ity. Mediocrity, incompetence and inex-
perience cannot be disguised, and the fact
that Dr. Hubert now has a large business is
proof of his power as a practitioner, and
his high standing in the profession. He is a
valued member of the Chicago Eclectic
Medical and Surgical Association, the Illi-
nois State Eclectic Medical and Surgical
Association and the National Eclectic Medi-
cal and Surgical Association.
Dr. Hubert was married December 27,
1887, to Miss Carrie F. Warfel, of Ashkum,
Illinois, and to them were born four chil-
dren, two of whom are still living, namely:
Roland Elwood and Gertrude Edith.
SAMUEL JAMES WILLETT, merchant
tailor, was made a Mason in John D.
Willard Lodge, No. 250, in New York city,
in 1859; came to Springfield in 1863; re-
ceived the Royal Arch degrees in Spring-
field Chapter, No. i ; the council degrees
in Springfield Council, No. 2; was knighted
in Elwood Commandery, No. 6, in 1873;
was Eminent Commander in 1878, and is
now Prelate of the commandery and has
served as Prelate for twenty years.
Mr. Willett is a native of England, born
in Cheshire, January 9, 1829, learned the
tailoringtrade in the old country. Emigrated
to America in 1852, landing at New York
city, where he was engaged as cutter until
1863. Coming to Springfield at that time,
he continued as cutter until 1880, since
660
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
which time he has been a merchant tailor,
doing a large and prosperous business. For
many years he served as trustee and school
director, in West Springfield.
He was married in Brooklyn, New York,
October 18, 1860, to Miss Emma S. Turse,
and they have five living children: Samuel
J., Jr., Harry Turse, Mary Augusta, Carrie
Hamilton and Emma Eugenie.
LBERT SNOOTS.— Upon becoming
j&L impregnated with the elemental pre-
cepts, the divine laws and the exalted prin-
ciples inculcated in the Masonic fraternity,
human existence becomes more attractive,
life wears a more inviting aspect, and the
ragged edges of tumultous competition are
made smooth by the exemplification of Ma-
sonic law. He who has taken the vows of
the blue lodge, who has sought light on the
beautiful legends of the past from the
fountain head in the chapter and who has
attained to the chivalric order of knight-
hood, cannot but realize that his career has
received ennobling influences which will
guide it along the highway of life until at
last it reaches the harbor wherein dwell
peace and joy eternal.
The fraternity is strongly fortified in
Chicago, where the numerous lodges are
warmly supported by several thousand affil-
iates, and of these none is more enthusias-
tic in his adherency than Mr. Snoots, whose
identification with the order covers a period
of twenty-two years. His initiatory degrees
were received in Hubbard Lodge, No. 220,
at Adamsville, Ohio, in 1875, subsequently
dimitting from that body and becoming af-
filiated with Blair Lodge, No. 393, in 1892.
While a member of Hubbard he held the
office of Junior Warden for two terms. He
was advanced in capitular Masonry and was
exalted to the august degree of the Holy
Royal Arch in Washington Chapter, No.
43, in 1893; was greeted a Royal and Select
Master in Siloam Council, No. 53; was cre-
ated, constituted and dubbed a Sir Knight
in Chicago Commandery, No. 19; and at-
tained the ineffable degrees of the Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory, wherein he was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret. Mr. Snoots is a zealous " f rater, "
always seeking to sustain and advance the
best interests of the order, conducting his
life according to the exalted principles
thereof, and there is no one more regular
in attending the meetings, ever ready and
willing to devote his energies and talents to
any duties or labor that may be required of
him, thus gaining the gratitude and warm
regard of his confreres. He is a Noble of
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership formerly being in
Medinah Temple, but he subsequently trans-
ferred the same to Aleppo Temple, in Bos-
ton, Massachusetts.
Mr. Snoots was born in Adamsville,
Ohio, on the 28th of May, 1854, and there
his youth was spent, acquiring his educa-
tion in the public schools of that city. His
father was a blacksmith by trade and in
that our subject also served an apprentice-
ship. In 1880 he went to Texas, residing
in that state one year, thence going to
Boston, Massachusetts, where he embarked
in the granite business, retaining his con-
nection therewith for a period of fifteen
years, and at present is the representative
in Chicago of the Charles Clements Com-
pany, dealers and manufacturers of granite
and statuary, having been for five years a
member of the same firm. He is a pro-
gressive, energetic business man, thorough-
ly familiar with all the branches of his call-
ing, and by his integrity, fidelity and hon-
orable methods he has gained and retains
the confidence and respect of all with whom
he comes in contact in both business and
social circles.
CHARLES S. RANKIN.— Civilization
owes to Freemasonry a debt which is
incalculable; it has exerted its beneficent
and ennobling influence upon mankind
while centuries have rolled on in their course
to eternity, and its potentiality is immeasur-
able. The Masonic creed is brief and all-
embracing, — the fatherhood of God, the
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREBMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
663
brotherhood of man, — and yet therein is
contained all that has lifted man from
paganism to true religion, from barbarity to
civilization. It is then but fitting that the
history of Masonry be written, else the
annals of the world's progress would be
incomplete. Chicago numbers many fol-
lowers of this ancient craft, men who have
done much for the upbuilding and perfection
of human character and who feel them-
selves better citizens and stronger men by
reason of their identification with the
Masonic fraternity. They have closely
followed the teachings of the blue lodge,
council and chapter, have faithfully ob-
served the vows of knighthood, and manifest
in their lives the true royalty of the sublime
princes.
Among those who aid in upholding the
standard of this ancient and honored soci-
ety is Charles S. Rankin, who has received
the distinct privilege of having conferred
upon him the thirty-third degree, attaining
the same before the Supreme Council in
Boston on the 2ist of September, 1897.
Mr. Rankin was made a Master Mason in
William B. Warren Lodge, No. 209, and
was elected to the office of Worshipful
Master of that body for 1887, and re-elected
his own successor for 1888. He became a
companion of the chapter, being exalted to
the august degree of the Holy Royal Arch
in La Fayette Chapter, No. 2, in which he
served as Captain of the Host; he was
greeted a Royal and Select Master in Pales-
tine Council, No. 66, of which he is Past
Thrice Illustrious Master; received the or-
ders of knighthood in Apollo Commandery,
No. i ; and subsequently attained, in con-
secutive order, the degrees of the Scottish
Rite, being proclaimed a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, in
which he is at present (1897) fulfilling the
duties of T. P. G. M. In his official capac-
ity in the various bodies of which he is a
member. Mr. Rankin has ever given the ut-
most satisfaction, and by his intelligence,
efficiency and executive ability, he has met
with the highest approval of his "fratres, "
as well as gaining and retaining their warm-
est regard for his affable, generous and con-
siderate disposition.
Charles S. Rankin is a native of Herki-
mer county, New York, where his birth oc-
curred on the 1 4th of January, 1850, and there
were passed the first five years of his life.
After that period his parents moved to Chi-
cago, and Mr. Rankin grew to manhood in
the western • metropolis, receiving his edu-
cational discipline in the public schools, at-
tending the same until about seventeen
years old, when he inaugurated his busi-
ness career by obtaining a position in the
office of the American Express Company,
where his industry, strict attention to busi-
ness, fidelity and integrity of character soon
brought him to the notice of his superiors,
and he was marked for promotion to higher
responsibilities, which he eventually re-
ceived, and he has continued to attain the
various grades in the office until to-day,
after thirty years of faithful, conscientious
services, and is still with the company in a
responsible position. Mr. Rankin is a self-
made man in the broadest sense of the
term, acquiring his present status in life by
personal endeavor and native talent.
In 1885 he married Miss Barbara Beck-
er, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
They have one son, Charles S.
WILLIAM J. AIKIN.— Inconsequen-
tial and aimless as it may appear to
an exoteric public, Freemasonry neverthe-
less exerts an undercurrent of beneficial in-
fluence which the advent of time but in-
creases, and its potentiality for good has
long since become an acknowledged fact.
Consecrated to the advancement of human-
itarian projects, inured to the difficulties
that for centuries have congregated in its
pathway and obstructed its onward march,
it has emerged triumphant and lives to-day
a vigorous exponent of the principles incor-
porated in its ritual and an exemplification
of the victory good ever achieves over evil.
Faithful followers have been instrumental
in bringing about this much desired result,
— men whose intelligence, discretion and
664
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
good judgment have placed beyond a
doubt the authenticity of the fraternity and
established its intrinsic worth to the univer-
sal satisfaction of all interested. Of those
who have conscientiously supported the
standard of the craft in Illinois and ren-
dered to its interests a stanch allegiance,
none merits in a greater degree the consid-
eration of his " fratres " than does William
J. Aikin, whose name initiates this review.
After having the primary degrees conferred
upon him in Garfield Lodge, No. 686, and
being raised therein to the sublime degree
of Master Mason, he was advanced to the
grades of capitular Masonry and was ex-
alted to the august degree of the Holy
Royal Arch in York Chapter, No. 148.
Mr. Aikin subsequently sought admission in
the Scottish Rite, attaining to the ineffable
lodge of perfection, and in 1892 he re-
ceived the thirty-second degree in Oriental
Consistory, being therein proclaimed a Sub-
lime Prince of the Royal Secret. He has
also successfully accomplished a pilgrimage
across the burning sands of the desert and
was elected a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, with member-
ship in Medinah Temple. Consistency has
been Mr. Aikin's endeavor since becoming
affiliated with the fraternity, and his daily
life is an adequate exemplification of the
high degree of intelligence with which he
interprets the Masonic ritual.
Born in Fayetteville, Tennessee, on the
ad of June, 1848, Mr. Aikin resided in his
southern home until the outbreak of the Re-
bellion, when, on account of his father's sym-
pathies, which were strongly in favor of the
continuation of the Union, thus making him
exceedingly unpopular in his home state, the
family moved north and took up their abode
in Illinois. Here the subject of this review
attended the public schools until sixteen
years old, when his patriotic spirit overcame
the opposition of his parents and in Febru-
ary, 1864, he enlisted in Company G,
Twenty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
and rendered faithful service in defending
the Union until receiving his honorable dis-
charge, on the 3 ist of December, 1865.
After the conclusion of hostilities between
the north and south Mr. Aikin returned to
his native state and there remained until
1869, when he removed to Chicago and ac-
cepted a position with the American Ex-
press Company, retaining his connection
with the same for a period of two-score
years, the last two of which he acted as
superintendent for the state of Wisconsin.
He severed his associations with the express
company to take the position of general
manager of the Preferred Accident Insur-
ance Company, and is the present incum-
bent of that office, devoting all the energies
of his nature to fulfilling the duties incum-
bent upon him and thereby gaining the dis-
tinct confidence and high respect of the
company's officials. That Mr. Aikin pos-
sesses all the requisite qualifications that go
to make a successful man in whatever walk
of life he may direct his endeavors — those
of fidelity, competence, ability and integrity
of purpose — is satisfactorily evidenced by
his long term of service with the business
enterprises with which he has been con-
nected, and it is to those same qualifica-
tions that he is indebted for his present
success in the line of work he has chosen
as his vocation in life.
In his other social relations Mr. Aikin
is an energetic member of Columbia Post,
Grand Army of the Republic, being a char-
ter member, and takes an active part in all
the workings of that organization.
fPVHARLES E. WINSLOW, of Chicago,
\J) has been a faithful exponent of the
principles inculcated in the tenets of the
Masonic fraternity, and has given ample at-
testation of his sincere belief in all its aims
and objects, and by unflagging zeal he has
contributed to advancing the interests of the
order in Chicago. Mr. Winslow was made
a Master Mason in Evergreen Lodge, at
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in 1883, and was
exalted to the august degree of the Holy
Royal Arch in Forest Chapter, No. 34.
He received the degrees of Royal and Se-
lect Masters in \Vausau Council, No. 51,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
665
at Wausau, Wisconsin, and in the same
city he was constituted a Sir Knight in St.
Omar Commandery. He was dimitted
from the foregoing bodies, and is at present
affiliated with Normal Park Lodge, No.
797, and with Englewood Commandery,
No. 597. In the blue lodge he has been
honored with several offices, including those
of Senior Deacon and Junior Warden, and
has fulfilled the duties appertaining thereto
with distinctive executive ability and cir-
cumspection.
The birth of Mr. Winslow occurred at
Stockton, Wisconsin, on the 7th of Septem-
ber, 1860, and while yet a child he was
taken by his parents to Stevens Point,
Wisconsin, where his early education was
received in the public schools, supple-
mented by a course of study in the Man-
ning Business College, at Omro, Wisconsin,
eventually graduating at that institution.
His first business experience was acquired
in a general store, where he was employed
as a clerk, and such was his diligence,
economy and ability that he was in time
enabled to purchase the business, conduct-
ing the same for the following two years.
Disposing of his interests in the store, Mr.
Winslow came to Chicago in 1891 and en-
gaged in the lumber business, which he has
since followed, and is to-day one of the
successful and progressive merchants in
that line in Chicago, his probity and hon-
orable methods gaining him the confidence
of all with whom he comes in contact.
In 1883 Brother Winslow celebrated his
marriage to Miss Lizzie Boehn, of La
Crosse, Wisconsin, and of this union one
child. Carl, has been born. Mr. and Mrs.
Winslow are consistent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and he is
superintendent of the Sunday-school. He
is an enthusiastic musician and is a member
of the Illinois Male Quartette.
FRANK HOWE WHITNEY.— The fra-
ternal spirit of Masonry has been freely
imbibed by Whitney and his relatives; and
seldom can such family Masonic connec-
tions be exhibited as that shown by him — a
fact that will be clearly demonstrated by
the following brief record. His father,
Alonzo Whitney, was made a member of
the order in Clinton Lodge, No. 19, at Pe-
tersburg, Illinois, from which he was after-
ward dimitted in order to become a charter
member of Greenview Lodge. Our sub-
ject's grandfather was a Mason, as were
also his two brothers, three brothers-in-law,
two nephews, and his father-in-law, the
latter taking the initiatory degrees in Clin-
ton Lodge, at Petersburg, from which he
obtained a dimit for the purpose of assist-
ing in the organization of Greenview Lodge.
Mr. Whitney was initiated in Clinton
Lodge on April 17, 1893, passed May 20,
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason on June 24 of the same year.
In 1895 he was elected Junior Warden, and
served in that capacity with fidelity, energy
and signal ability. He was exalted to the
august degrees of capitular Masonry in De-
witt Chapter, No. 119, at Petersburg, as
follows: Past Master, December 14, 1893;
Most Excellent Master, January 8, 1894;
Royal Arch, May 17, 1894; and he was
constituted a Sir Knight in St. Aldemar
Commandery, at Petersburg, having the
degree of the Red Cross conferred upon
him November 26, 1894, and that of the
Black Cross January 22, 1895. He was
elected Junior Warden of the Commandery
in 1895, and re-elected in 1896 and 1897,
performing the duties of that office in an
efficient and eminently satisfactory manner.
Having successfully made a pilgrimage
across the burning sands of the desert, he
was declared a Noble of the Ancient Ara-
bic Order of the Mystic Shrine, and was
received as a member of Mohammed Tem-
ple, at Peoria, Illinois, on May 29, 1895.
Mr. Whitney has been loyal to the princi-
ples of the fraternity, laboring in an effect-
ive manner for its welfare and advance-
ment, and is regarded as a valuable mem-
ber of the local lodge with which he is
affiliated.
Mr. Whitney was born December 28,
1860, on a farm in Menard county, where
666
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
his father had located ou his arrival in Illi-
nois and where the latter died October 9,
1871. Our subject was reared to country
life, receiving his education in the district
schools; and so well has he made use of his
abilities and opportunities that he is to-day
regarded as one of the prominent and pro-
gressive agriculturists and stock-raisers of
Menard county. The farm on which he
lives is in an excellent state of cultivation
and supplied with all the latest improve-
ments in the way of machinery, being situ-
ated three miles north of Athens.
On January 27, 1886, Mr. Whitney was
united in marriage to Miss Cora Johnson,
and both of them are highly respected resi-
dents of the community.
WILLIAM M. GATE.— There is a
certain consistency of principle ex-
isting between the medical profession and
the fraternity of Freemasons, an affinity of
organism that expands and develops into
a high standard of charity, benevolence
and active philanthropy, having for a foun-
dation the alleviation of human suffering,
mental as well as physical, and exalting to
a higher sphere all mankind. The Mason
stands ready with outstretched hands to
render assistance at any and all times to
a needy brother, irrespective of creed, na-
tionality or social distinction. In a like
manner the physician gives the benefit of
his knowledge and skill to those who require
them, often without remuneration, in this
way demonstrating a practical philanthropy,
of which the exoteric public forever re-
mains in ignorance, and not infrequently
sacrifices his life in the pursuance of what
he considers to be his duty.
The medical profession in Chicago pos-
sesses among its members some of the
brightest and most powerful intellects in
the world, her colleges and hospitals afford-
ing opportunity for study and practice
which are- unsurpassed anywhere on the
globe; and among the foremost in rank of
the medical practitioners here stands the
brother whose name initiates this review,
Dr. William M. Gate. He has been affili-
ated with the order for over twenty years,
during which time he has been an active
worker, giving a large portion of his time
and talents to the advancement of the
cause and contributing not a little to the
prosperity and welfare of the bodies with
which he is associated. His initiatory de-
grees were conferred upon him in Star King
Lodge, at Salem, Massachusetts, where he
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason, in 1877, and one year later at-
tained the ineffable Scottish Rite degrees
of Sutton Lodge of perfection, in Massa-
chusetts. Upon moving to Chicago he
transferred his membership to William B.
Warren Lodge, No. 209. In 1897 the
Doctor was exalted to the Holy Royal Arch
in La Fayette Chapter, No. 2 ; was consti-
tuted a Sir Knight in Apollo Commandery,
No. I, in the same year, and in 1896 at-
tained to the Scottish Rite degree in Ori-
ental Consistory, and was proclaimed a
SublimePrince of the Royal Secret. He is
connected with the social branch of Mason-
ry, having accomplished a successful pil-
grimage across the sands of the desert, and
become a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Or-
der of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Tem-
ple, in 1896. Dr. Gate is deeply interested
in the fraternity, the fundamental princi-
ples of which constitute the basis of all re-
ligion, of all ethical relations, and of the
advancement of civilization, and his kindly
disposition, genial nature and brotherly
consideration have strongly endeared him to
his " f raters. "
Dr. William M. Gate was born in Au-
gusta, Maine, on the 26th of June, 1852,
his early mental discipline being received
in the public schools of Salem, Massachu-
setts, whence he was, in the course of time,
sent to Harvard University, at which insti-
tution he was graduated in 1869. Follow-
ing his youthful predilection, he then pur-
sued the study of medicine, subsequently
entering a homeopathic medical college,
where his diligence and perseverance result-
ed in his securing the degree of Doctor of
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIf
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Medicine two years later. He moved to
New York and there opened an office, in
which he remained for a time, coming to
Chicago in 1891, immediately after which
he entered upon the active practice of his
profession, in which he has met with a high
degree of success, being regarded to-day
as one of that city's most talented phy-
sicians.
During Dr. Gate's medical career of
nearly a quarter of a century, he has had
many opportunities for study and research,
of which he has taken advantage, and he
has given to the world the results through
the medium of various professional journals
and periodicals. He was the editor of the
Medical Examiner and is an authority on
sanitary science, on the subject of which he
has written extensively, many of his articles
having attracted widespread attention. He
was deeply interested in the Home for
Crippled Children, and he was surgeon of
the Home during the first few years of its
existence. There he secured material for
the writing of several monographs on or-
thopedic surgery, which contain a great
deal of valuable matter, very beneficial to
the profession. The Doctor was professor
of chemistry and toxicology in the Homeo-
pathic Medical College of Missouri, and is
the author of numerous sociological and
medical articles which have been published
in American and foreign medical and scien-
tific journals.
Although reared in the homeopathic
school, Dr. Cate does not confine his treat-
ment to the principles involved therein;
but, being broad-minded and progressive, he
adopts those methods which he is convinced
will produce the best effects irrespective of
school or class. The outcome of this
course of action has brought about the
most satisfactory results, as is evidenced by
the Doctor's large and ever-increasing prac-
tice. He is a man of unimpeachable char-
acter, possessing unusual intellectual en-
dowments, which permit him to grasp in a
masterly way every problem which presents
itself for solution, and having a thorough
understanding of his calling, which he uses
to the greatest advantage of humanity, he
is an honor and a credit to the profession
which he has adopted as his life-work.
ERNEST C. TAYLOR, a thirty-second-
; degree Mason, is an affiliate of Lake-
side Lodge, No. 739, F. & A. M., in which
he was raised to the sublime degree of a
Master Mason in 1893. He has taken the
degrees of the lodge of perfection, those of
the Councils of the Princes of Jerusalem
and Rose Croix Chapter, and received the
grades and orders of Oriental Consistory
in 1894. In the same year he was received
into the membership of Medinah Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, and likewise holds membership in
the Order of the Eastern Star. His fidel-
ity to Masonic principles makes him an es-
teemed member of the craft and he has
many warm friends among his brethren of
the order.
Mr. Taylor came from "bonnie" Scot-
land, his birth having occurred in Stranraer
on the 26th of December, 1870. He ac-
quired his primary education in the schools
of his native town and subsequently pur-
sued a course of study in Edinburg Uni-
versity. When a young man of twenty
years he emigrated to America and took up
his residence in Chicago. He has since
made his home in this metropolis of the
west, where he filled various positions until
1894, when he became assistant superin-
tendent of the Washington Park Club. His
uniform courtesy, genial manner and busi-
ness ability well fit him for this position,
and he has discharged his duties in a man-
ner alike creditable to himself and satis-
factory to the club.
On the i6th of April, 1896, he was
united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth A.
Reid, a native of Park Hill, Canada.
EONARDW. CAMPBELL.— Pregnant
with the highest aims and most exalted
ambitions of which human intellectuality is
capable, — sublime unselfishness, a Chris-
670
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tian-like charity to all mankind, a universal
brotherhood and a dissolution of soul-de-
stroying strife and bitter competition, — the
ancient and honorable fraternity of Free-
masonry has attained in the world a posi-
tion unexcelled by any other society, and
to-day stands pre-eminent as the medium
by which inspiring lessons and glorious
truths are spread broadcast throughout the
universe. Its supporters are numberless
and embrace residents of every civilized
country on the face of the globe. Illinois
alone claims a membership of over fifty
thousand " fratres " who have remained
faithful to the vows taken in the blue lodge,
and among these Leonard W. Campbell
holds a conspicuous place as an honored
Mason who has ever evinced a lively inter-
est in the progress and prosperity of the or-
der, and who ranks as one of the most val-
ued brothers in the local bodies with which
he is connected.
Mr. Campbell's association with the
craft dates back to 1880, in which year he
was made a Master Mason in Pleiades
Lodge, No. 478; in the following year he
was advanced to the grades of capitular Ma-
sonry and exalted to the degree of the Holy
Royal Arch in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No.
126, and received the orders of knighthood
in Apollo Commandery, No. i, in which he
was created a Sir Knight on the i8th of
October, 1881. Subsequently he was di-
mitted from that body and became affiliated
with St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35.
He is an ardent follower of chivalric Ma-
sonry, taking a deep interest in all its work-
ings, has held the office of Standard Bearer,
and is one of the active members of the
drill corps. In addition to his connection
with St. Bernard, Mr. Campbell is an hon-
orary member of De Molay Commandery,
at Louisville, Kentucky; Detroit Command-
ery, at Detroit, Michigan; and Grand Rapids
Commandery, at Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In 1882 he attained the ineffable degrees in
the lodge of perfection, Scottish Rite, and
was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret, in Oriental Consistory. He
is also an honorary member of De Witt
Clinton Consistory, at Grand Rapids, Michi-
gan. Accomplishing a successful pilgrimage
across the desert's sands, he became a No-
ble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mys-
tic Shrine, in Moslem Temple, Detroit. In
his other social relations he is a charter
member of Chicago Lodge, No. 4, Benevo-
lent Protective Order of Elks, Chicago, in
which he has held the office of treasurer
for the past ten years. Mr. Campbell's
labors in behalf of the Masonic fraternity
have been unremitting, and that his fidelity
and faithfulness to the principles and teach-
ings of the order have been appreciated is
evidenced by the warm regard and fraternal
spirit of kindly consideration in which he is
held by his confreres.
Leonard W. Campbell was born in Og-
densburg, New York, on the I2th of June,
1844, and on September i, 1846, at the age
of two years, he was brought to Chicago
and has ever since been a resident of this
city. On the 1st of October, 1861, he en-
listed in the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, and upon
being mustered out he returned to Chicago,
and has subsequently been identified with
either the business or commercial interests
of the western metropolis. He eventually
entered the employ of the Chicago, Mil-
waukee & St. Paul Railroad as traveling
freight agent, and was the first ever sent
out of Chicago in that capacity by any rail-
road company. His connection with the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad
included eighteen years of service, and he
was subsequently appointed local freight
agent of that road in Chicago, and remained
in that capacity until he transferred his as-
sociations to the great Northern Railroad,
where he has remained for the past ten
years, fulfilling the duties of general agent.
By virtue of his marked ability, his indus-
trial perseverance and his strict integrity of
character, he has attained his present posi-
tion; and his recognized qualifications have
gained and retains for him the entire con-
fidence of the officials of the corporation.
For a time Mr. Campbell was president
of the Chicago Grenadiers, a military or-
ganization; and during his official term of
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
671
incumbency he was one of the five men who
organized Columbia Post, No. 706, of Chi-
cago, Grand Army of the Republic, which
has long been known as one of the finest
appearing and best equipped posts in that
organization, and the fame of which has
penetrated every state in the Union. In
this Mr. Campbell is an energetic and highly-
respected member and actively participates
in all the affairs with which it is concerned.
/CHARLES A. MOSES, of Chicago, is
\^/ well and favorably known in Masonic
circles, his identification with the time-hon-
ored order covering a period of nearly
twenty years. He was made a Master Ma-
son of Covenant Lodge, No. 526, F. & A.
M., in 1878, was advanced to the grades of
capitular Masonry and exalted to the august
degrees of the Holy Royal Arch in Corinth-
ian Chapter, R. A. M. ; and was constituted
and created a Sir Knight in St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35. Like most of the
Knights Templar Masons, he has penetrated
the mysteries of the Mystic Shrine, his
membership in that organization being in
Medinah Temple.
Mr. Moses has been an enthusiastic
brother during his affiliation with the fra-
ternity, giving to it the benefit of his intel-
lect and executive ability. He has served
in the cornmandery as Warder and Standard
Bearer, and he has also accomplished a
great deal of active work as a member of
the St. Bernard Drill Corps, taking part in
the competitive drills.
JAMES E. BURTON, one of Chicago's
substantial citizens and a well-known
and zealous member of the Masonic fra-
ternity, received his initial degrees in Miz-
pah Lodge, No. 761, in 1891, and was
elected its Senior Deacon; he was exalted
to the Royal Arch degree in Delta Chap-
ter, No. 191, in 1892, and held the chair
of High Priest in 1896; was made a Royal
and Select Master in Temple Council, No.
65, in the same year, and was its Conductor
for one term; and was constituted a Sir
Knight in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, in 1895. His interest in the order has
remained unabated, and he is ever ready
to perform any duty that may be assigned
to him with cheerfulness and to the best of
his ability. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burton are
members of Columbia Chapter, Order of
the Eastern Star, of which he is Past Pa-
tron, and she has held the office of Ada.
Mr. Burton was born in Paris, Monroe
county, Missouri, March 4, 1861, the day
on which President Lincoln was inaugu-
rated. He was reared on a farm in his
native county until eighteen years old, tak-
ing advantage of the educational facilities
afforded by the district schools during his
spare moments. In the spring of 1880 he
came to Chicago and assisted his father,
who was the proprietor of a hotel at the
stock-yards, for three years. In 1885 Mr.
Burton embarked in the live-stock commis-
sion business, locating at the yards, which
vocation he has continued to follow ever
since, with more than ordinary success.
He is a bright, energetic man, possesses ex-
cellent business qualities, and is held in
respect by all with whom he comes in con-
tact.
In 1887 Mr. Burton was united in mar-
riage to Miss Alice Gounea, a native of
Chicago, and this union has been blessed
with two children — Clarence and Clyde.
Mr. Burton is a member of the Christian
church.
GEORGE B. MILNE, a blacksmith at
No. 548 Sheffield avenue, Chicago, is
a man whose business ability and substan-
tial character have won him a place of prom-
inence and influence among the representa-
tive men of this city. ' ' Brotherly love, re-
lief and truth " are prominent factors in
his make-up; and as a member of the an-
cient and honored order of Freemasons,
which incorporates these factors in its teach-
ings, he is entitled to personal mention
herein.
Mr. Milne received the first three de-
672
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
grees of Masonry at Langton, Canada, in
1882, and subsequently at Chicago was ex-
alted to the high degree of Royal Arch Ma-
son by Lincoln Park Chapter, and by Lin-
coln Park Commandery was made a Sir
Knight. With the last two organizations
he still affiliates. His blue-lodge member-
ship he transferred to Lake View Lodge,
No. 774, A. F. & A. M., in which he has
passed all the chairs up to and including
that of Worshipful Master, and in which,
as a well-posted and enthusiastic worker,
he has done much to promote the good of
the order.
Mr. Milne is by birth and early associ-
ations a Canadian. He was born at Rowan
Mills, Canada, December 24, 1857; was ed-
ucated in the public schools of his native
place and learned the trade of blacksmith. He
came to Chicago in 1880, but later returned
to Canada and was residing there at the
time he was made a Mason, as above stated.
For several years he worked at his trade as
an employee at different places, soon, how-
ever, coming again from Canada to Chicago.
Later he was in the grocery business for a
time oh Lincoln avenue, and now he is do-
ing a successful business as a blacksmith on
Sheffield avenue.
During his residence in Chicago Mr.
Milne has shown a laudable interest in pub-
lic affairs, and in recognition of his sterling
worth and executive ability he has been
honored with official preferment. In April,
1895, he was elected to the city council
from the twenty-fifth ward, which he rep-
resented in a most efficient manner. While
a member of the council he was a member
of the finance committee and of the com-
mittee on streets and alleys north, and
chairman of the committee on the city hall
and public buildings. Previous to the an-
nexation of Lake View to Chicago he was
a member of the Lake View Board of Ed-
ucation. In his political views he has al-
ways been a strong Republican. He is a
member of the Twenty-fifth Ward Repub-
lican Club, and is congressional commit-
teeman from the sixth district. Religiously
both he and his wife are identified with the
Presbyterian church and are consistent
members of the same; and fraternally, in
addition to being a Mason, he is a worthy
member of the order of Knights of Pythias.
A business enterprise with which he is con-
nected is the Fidelity Loan Association, of
which he has the honor to be president.
Mr. Milne was married March 22, 1887,
to Miss Clara Sawford, a native of England,
and they have one daughter, Gladys Mil-
dred.
GEORGE ELLIOTT REDFIELD, one
of the veteran Masons of Illinois, whose
membership dates back to thirty years ago,
is one of the honored and greatly appreci-
ated brothers of the local bodies located at
Evanston. He was initiated in Dodge
County Lodge, No. 72, in Wisconsin, on
November 25, 1868; was advanced and ex-
alted to the august degrees of Royal Arch
Mason in Beaver Dam Chapter, No. 26, on
March 5, 1869, at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin,
and was constituted a Sir Knight in Fort
Winnebago Commandery, No. 4, at Port-
age, Wisconsin. Upon moving to Illinois
he obtained a dimit and became affiliated
with Evans Lodge, No. 524, and later with
Berwyn Lodge, No. 839, Evanston Chapter,
and Evanston Commandery, No. 58. Dur-
ing his long connection with the order our
brother has endeavored to conduct his life
according to the principles and tenets
which serve as its foundation, and has un-
ostentatiously done all in his power to ad-
vance the welfare and interests of the
bodies of which he is a member.
Born in Saratoga county, New York, on
December 9, 1832, Mr. Redfield received
his early mental discipline in the district
schools, subsequently entering the academy
at Delhi, New York, pursuing his studies
in that institution until 1848, when he
entered upon his business career by ob-
taining a clerkship in the hardware store
of his uncles at Phelps, Ontario county,
filling that position until the fall of 1850,
coming west in that year and becom-
ing associated with another uncle in the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
673
hardware business at Beloit, Wisconsin,
with whom he remained three years. He
then returned to New York city and was
there employed in a wholesale hardware
house, which he left in 1854, and, mov-
ing to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, he entered
into partnership with his brother-in-law un-
der the firm name of Redfield & Clark,
which continued about four years. Our
subject then took a position as buyer for a
wholesale house in Milwaukee and after
working in that capacity for two years he
returned to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, re-
opened a store there and conducted the
same until 1868, in that year accepting the
post of state agent for the Home Insurance
Company of New York, since which time
he has been either state or general agent
for various of the leading fire insurance
companies, and for about eight years was
general agent for several companies at Chi-
cago. He is now employed as independ-
ent adjuster, with offices at No. 177 La-
Salle street.
The marriage of Mr. Redfield took place
in 1855, when he was united to Miss Har-
riet A. Clark, of Beloit, Wisconsin, and
they have six children living, five daughters
and one son, the latter being special agent
for the Rockford Fire Insurance Company,
his territory comprising the states of Iowa
and Nebraska. He resides in Rock Island,
Illinois. The subject of the review was at
one time a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
WILLIAM NARCISSE JULIEN, one
of the most loyal and energetic
members of the Masonic fraternity in Chi-
cago, was initiated in Providence Lodge,
No. 711, on February 21, passed March 6,
and was raised to the sublime degree of
a Master Mason on April 3, — all in the year
1884. He was dimitted from that body for
the purpose of assisting in the organization
of Myrtle Lodge, No. 795, of which he be-
came a charter member on October 8, 1890.
He was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Irving Park Chapter, No. 195, on
37*
February 12, 1887, and received the orders
of Knighthood in Siloam Commandery, No.
54, in November, 1890, at Oak Park, di-
mitting from the same to become affiliated
with St. Elmo Commandery, No. 65, it be-
ing largely through the efforts of C. J. De
Berard, Wareham H. Gray and William N.
Julien that this commandery was instituted.
While a member of Providence Mr. Julien
held the office of Steward; in the chapter
his services were brought into requisition
as Excellent High Priest, and in the com-
mandery he officiated as Captain-General,
all of these offices being filled in an intelli-
gent and able manner that reflected credit
upon our brother and redounded to the
honor of the craft. Having successfully
accomplished a pilgrimage across the sands
of the desert Mr. Julien became a Noble in
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership being in Medinah
Temple at Chicago; and he belongs to
Irving Park Lodge, No. 190, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and to Court Irving,
No. 45, Independent Order of Foresters, in
which he is popular to a high degree.
Mr. Julien is a native of New York city,
where he was born February 25, 1859, but
shortly after was brought to Chicago by his
parents, where he attended school until
about fourteen years old, and then entered
the law firm of Mattocks & Mason as an
office boy. In 1873 he was employed as
galley boy in the office of the Chicago Legal
News, from which he was promoted to the
position of copy-holder, and it was while
acting in that capacity that he acquired a
liking for the law, and would remark while
reading briefs and law books, " I hope some
day to be a lawyer." He remained in the
employ of the Legal News for a period of
twelve years, during which time he became
the most expert stereotyper in Chicago, and
upon leaving that place he was appointed
foreman of the stereotyping department of
the Chicago Evening Journal. Subsequently
Mr. Julien followed the dictates of his heart
and took up the study of law, for two years
pursuing his readings under the preceptor-
age of Hon. Stephen A. Reynolds, and as
(>74
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
a result of his application and industry he
passed a successful examination for admis-
sion to the bar in August, 1887, before the
appellate court at Mount Vernon, Illinois.
In 1886, at the time of the anarchist troub-
les in Chicago, Justice of the Peace Fred
Englehardt, of the town of Jefferson, mar-
ried Miss Nina Van Zandt to August Spies
by proxy and the county board declared
Englehardt's office vacant, he no longer be-
ing a resident of the town in which he was
elected to preside, and Mr. Julien was ap-
pointed in his place for the unexpired term
and afterward regularly elected, serving un-
til the annexation of the suburbs surround-
ing Chicago, when he was recommended
by the judges of Cook county, appointed
by the governor, and confirmed by the;
senate. In April, 1891, Mr. Julien was a
candidate for alderman from the twenty-
seventh ward on the Democratic ticket, but
was defeated by M. J. Conway by seven
votes, that election being the closest ever
held in the ward. Our subject is a man of
keen discrimination, a strict sense of just-
ice, and, possessing the courage of his con-
victions, performs his duty as he sees it, let
the consequences be what they may.
CHARLES SIDNEY CUTTING, of Chi-
cago, is a Knight Templar and thirty-
second-degree Mason. His connection with
this ancient and honored society is much
more than an endorsement of the principles
of Masonry; it is the assimilation of its
teaching into his every-day life. He lives
up to its full requirements, meets every
obligation which it imposes and exemplifies
the spirit of its beneficence and brotherly
aid. He was initiated in Palatine (Illinois)
Lodge, February 6, 1886, passed March 6,
following, and raised, on the 2Oth of the
same month, to the degree of Master Mason.
His membership is still in Palatine Lodge,
of which he has served as Worshipful Mas-
ter, and in Palatine Chapter, of which he is
Principal Sojourner. He was made a Royal
Arch Mason at Elgin, Illinois. He became
a Companion of the Illustrious Order of
the Red Cross on the 2ist of November,
1887; and on the 3<3th of November of the
same year was knighted in Bethel Com-
mandery, No. 36, of Elgin, Illinois. He
was afterward dimitted and is now affiliated
with St. Elmo Commandery, No. 65, K. T.,
of Irving Park, in which he has served as
Generalissimo. He received the ineffable
degrees of the Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory, S. P. R. S. , and through the
long years of his connection with the frater-
nity has always been recognized as a worthy
member thereof.
Charles S. Cutting is not only a worthy
member of the Masonic society, but is also
one of Chicago's able lawyers and has been
prominently identified with a number of in-
terests that have materially promoted the
welfare of the city. He was born in High-
gate, Vermont, March i, 1854, and during
his early boyhood went to the Pacific coast.
He obtained his education in the high school
and Willamette University, of Salem, Ore-
gon, and later was engaged in journalistic
work as assistant editor of the Cedar Rapids
Times, published at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Subsequently he turned his attention to the
profession of teaching and for six years was
principal of the high school of Palatine,
Illinois. In 1874 he came to Chicago,
studied law and has engaged in active prac-
tice at the bar since 1880. His practice
has been mostly civil, and he handles in a
masterful way the intricate and complex
problems involved in civil law, which indi-
cates thorough preparation of his cases and
a broad and comprehensive knowledge of
the law applicable to his cause. He care-
fully sifts all evidence and marshals his
facts with the precision of a military com-
mander. His high standing at the bar is
indicated by the fact that in 1887 he was
appointed to the position of master in chan-
cery of the circuit court, holding that office
until 1890, when he resumed the private
practice of law.
On the 27th of June, 1876, in Palatine,
Illinois, was celebrated the marriage of Mr.
Cutting and Miss Annie E. Lytle, a native
of that place. Their union has been
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
675
blessed with one son, Robert M., and their
home is now in Austin, one of Chicago's
beautiful suburbs. Mr. Cutting is deeply
interested in the cause of education and
while residing in Palatine served as presi-
dent of its school board. He has also been
a member of the school board of Cook
county for nine years, and during his in-
cumbency as its president materially ad-
vanced the educational welfare of the
county. He is a member of the Bar Asso-
ciation and the Law Club. In his political
principles he is a Republican. His strong
mind, his keen powers of analysis, his love
of his profession, — all argue well for future
success at the bar, where he is already
numbered among the eminent members.
JOHN S. BOYD.— The corner-stone of
Freemasonry is founded on the Holy
Bible, and the truths drawn from that
inspired work are applied to every-day life,
forming in part the precepts and tenets of
the order and inculcating in the hearts of
every brother the divine power of love,
charity and fraternity. One of the enthusi-
astic and zealous members of the craft who
has given to it his earnest support for the
past seventeen years is the gentleman whose
name initiates this review. He received
the first three degrees of Masonry in Doric
Lodge, No. 316, at Toronto, Canada, in
1880; was in the same year advanced to
the degrees of capitular Masonry and ex-
alted to the Holy Royal Arch in St. Andrew's
and St. John's Chapter, No. 4, R. A. M. ,
at Toronto; received the council degrees
and was greeted a Royal and Select Master
in Adoniram Council, No. I, in 1892; was
constituted, created and dubbed a Sir
Knight in Godfrey de St. Aldemar Com-
mandery, No. 2, in 1880; and in 1895 he
attained the ineffable degrees in the Scot-
tish Rite and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory. In 1888 Mr. Boyd became a Noble
of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine in Rameses Temple, and he was
elected an honorary member of the Masonic
Veteran Association of the Pacific Coast in
January, 1894. He takes a strong interest
in the workings of the fraternity, and
stands ready at all times to do everything
in his power to advance its welfare.
The birth of Mr. Boyd occurred in Erie,
Pennsylvania, on the i$th of May, 1855,
and was reared in the city of his nativity,
receiving his mental discipline in the public
schools. He commenced his business ca-
reer in the employ of R. G. Dun & Com-
pany's mercantile agency, subsequently em-
barking in the hotel business, continuing to
follow that vocation until 1890, when he
moved to Detroit and there became con-
nected with the newspapers, since which
time he has been a traveling correspondent.
He is a bright, energetic gentleman, well
equipped mentally and physically for his
arduous duties, and well merits the success
that has attended his efforts in that line of
endeavor.
WON. LORIN CONE COLLINS, JR.
—This name stands conspicuously
high on the roll of Chicago's lawyers and
the legislators of Illinois, but not alone in
professional and legislative circles is he well
known. He is numbered among the mem-
bers of the Masonic fraternity whose zeal
for and devotion to Masonry in its various
branches has made him a valued represent-
ative of the craft. He became an Entered
Apprentice in Providence Lodge, No. 711,
of Jefferson Park, Illinois, on the igth of
October, 1882; Fellow-craft on the 7th of
February, 1884, and Master Mason on the
2oth of March following. He has since di-
mitted from Providence Lodge and belongs
to Beacon Light Lodge, No. 784, of Nor-
wood Park. He was exalted to the sub-
lime degree of Royal Arch Mason in Austin
Chapter, but is now affiliated with Irving
Park Chapter, of which he is a charter
member. He is also a charter member of
St. Elmo Commandery, K. T. , of Irving
Park. Masonry and the worthy principles
on which it rests receive his earnest sup-
port, as exemplified in his relation with his
676
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
fellow men, whether in public or private
life.
Lorin C. Collins is a native of Connect-
icut, his birth having occurred in Windsor,
that state, on the first of August, 1848.
His parents, Lorin Cone and Mary (Bemis)
Collins, were also natives of New England,
and the ancestry of the family can be traced
back to Governor Bradford, of Massachu-
setts, who came to the rock-bound coasts
of New England with other exiled Pilgrims
in the Mayflower. When a child of five
years, Mr. Collins, of this review, accom-
panied his parents on their removal to Min-
nesota, where he soon became familiar with
all the duties and labors that fall to the lot
of the agriculturist. His elementary edu-
cation was acquired in the public schools of
St. Paul, and at the age of nineteen he
went to Delaware, Ohio, where he was
fitted for college by a thorough preparatory
training. In 1868 he became a freshman
at the Northwestern University, at Evans-
ton, where he completed the classical course
and was graduated in the class of 1872.
For some time previous he had determined
to study law and make its practice his life
work. Accordingly, on the 6th of July,
1872, he became a student in the law of-
fice of Clarkson & Van Schaack, able at-
torneys of Chicago, and diligently contin-
ued his research in the fields of legal science
until close application and his keen analyti-
cal mind had given him a mastery over the
most important points and facts in the law,
and he was admitted to the bar in Septem-
ber, 1874, after an examination before the
supreme court at Ottawa. He at once be-
gan practice and from the beginning has
met with success. He soon gained and has
since retained a large and distinctively rep-
resentative clientage and to-day ranks
among the able members of the profession
in Chicago. His high standing is largely
due to his thorough preparation of cases.
He studies all facts connected with his
cause in a most complete and exhaustive
way; he views his case from every possible
standpoint; he is familiar with the law that
bears upon it and is ever ready to meet any
argument or point that may be brought up
by the opposing counsel.
In 1878 Mr. Collins was called to public
life by his election to the state legislature
and for three successive terms he served as
a member of the general assembly. During
the first session he opposed the election of
General Logan to the United States senate,
supporting Senator Oglesby, but afterward
became one of the General's warmest per-
sonal friends. In 1883 he was elected
speaker of the house. He is recognized as
one of the ablest parliamentarians of the
country, and his just rulings and freedom
from everything of a partisan nature not
only won him the commendation of the fair-
minded men of both parties but also added
dignity and honor to the position wherewith
he was honored. Mr. Collins has always
given his support to the Republican party
and is one of its leading members in Illinois.
He has studied closely the questions and
issues of the day in relation to the wel-
fare and prosperity of the nation and from
the lecture platform as well as in the legis-
lative halls of Illinois he has done effective
service for his party.
In 1884 he was appointed judge of the
circuit court and was twice re-elected to
that position, continuing on the bench until
1893, when he resigned. He then resumed
the private practice of law, and on the I5th
of November, 1895, the well-known firm of
Collins & Fletcher was organized. They
new have a large clientage and Mr. Collins
has met in forensic combat many of the
ablest lawyers of Chicago, who have found
in him an antagonist worthy of their steel.
He is a fluent and attractive public speaker
and possesses in an eminent degree that
quality which is known as personal mag-
netism. He is a lawyer of rare ability and
unflinching adherence to principle. He is
forcible in argument, eloquent in his pres-
entation of a cause before judge, jury or
the people. In manner he is courteous and
genial, truly American in thought and inter-
ests, and though he has won high honors
at the hands of his fellow citizens he is still
one with them.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
677
GEORGE B. HOPPER was raised to the
sublime degree of a Master Mason in
Mizpah Lodge, No. 768, A. F. & A. M., on
the 3d of October, 1892, and continued his
connection therewith until the 2ist of Feb-
ruary, 1895, when he was dimitted to
Englewood Lodge, No. 690, of which he is
still an affiliate. On the 23d of February,
1893, he took the degrees of capitular Ma-
sonry in Englewood Chapter, No. 176, and
is identified with cryptic Masonry as a char-
ter member of Imperial Council, No. 85,
R. & S. M. On the 3d of June, 1893, he
was created a Knight Templar in Engle-
wood Commandery, No. 59, and in Medinah
Temple he is also numbered among the
Nobles of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine. He and his wife belong to
Maple Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star,
and he is also a valued representative of the
Royal League and the Royal Arcanum,
having been one of the organizers of Dexter
Council.
Mr. Hopper entered upon earth's pil-
grimage August 7, 1858, in Newark, New
Jersey, and with his parents came to Chi-
cago in 1863, then a child of five years.
Here he was reared to manhood, spending
his youth in the usual manner of boys of the
period. The public schools afforded him
his educational privileges, and when his
school life was ended he turned his atten-
tion to the packing business, entering the
employ of Libby & Company, with which
firm he remained until 1880. In that year
he formed a connection with the Nelson
Morris Company, and has since been one of
its representatives. His long continued
service well indicates his fidelity to duty
and the confidence reposed in him by his
employers.
He was married on the 3d of December,
1878, to Miss Jessie F. Robins, a native of
Chicago, and they have three children —
George, Walter and LaRoy.
WILLIAM HENRY GORMAN.— To
become affiliated with the order of
Freemasonry is to demonstrate a desire to
follow higher aims in life and to devote
one's abilities to the uplifting of our fellow
men. This most laudable ambition could
not be better supported than by associating
with that institution which has been instru-
mental in succoring mankind from the
depths of vice and raising them to an ex-
alted altitude of morality and unselfishness.
Mr. Gorman has been working in the inter-
est of humanity for the past twenty years,
having, in 1876, become a Master Mason in
Dramalic Lodge, No. 541, at Glasgow,
Scotland, from which he was dimitted upon
coming to the United States, and in 1890
was received into Garden City Lodge, No.
141. He was exalted a Royal Arch Mason
in Corinthian Chapter, created a Knight
Templar in St. Bernard Commandery, No.
35, in 1892, and attained the ineffable de-
gree of Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret
in Oriental Consistory, Scottish Rite. He
is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine,
Ancient Arabic Order, holding his member-
ship in Medinah Temple.
The subject of this brief sketch is a native
of London, England, born January 20, 1852,
where he was reared, receiving his educa-
tion in the public schools. For several
years he devoted considerable time to the
study of music, and, meeting with encour-
agement as an amateur, decided to follow
this finest of all arts as a profession. Thus
he participated in several operatic produc-
tions of note, in his native country, under
the management of Mr. D'Oyley Carte, the
producer of all the Gilbert and Sullivan
operas, and the late Sir Augustus Harris.
While engaged in this profession Mr. Gor-
man came to the United States and took
part in the original production of the cele-
brated opera of '• Mikado," in Philadelphia,
under the management of Colonel John Mc-
Caull and under the personal direction of
Sir Arthur Sullivan, and made a tour of the
principal cities of the United States, travel-
ing in this capacity for two years.
Meditating, then, upon the comforts of
a home, and a reunion with his children,
who were still in England, he came to Chi-
cago, in 1889, and accepted an offer of a
678
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
commercial appointment, and about four
years later drifted into the real-estate busi-
ness, taking also an active part in the build-
ing of the Calumet Electric Railway and in
the promotion of the Englewood Electric
Street Railroad Company, whose track is
now operated by the Storage Battery Com-
pany, of Philadelphia.
In 1876 Mr. Gorman was married to
Miss Sarah A. Fyson, a native of Brighton,
England, but educated and resided in
France for several years previous to her
marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Gorman are ad-
herents of the Protestant Episcopal church.
Mr. Gorman is also a member of the Doug-
las Club. They have two sons and two
daughters, viz: William H., Blanche De
Lisle, Florence E. and George G. Miss
Blanche is developing considerable mu-
sical talent, both vocal and instrumental,
excelling at the piano, especially consider-
ing her youth. Politically he is a stanch
Republican and is a strong advocate of
the principles promulgated by that party.
He is one of Chicago's progressive citizens
and merits the high esteem in which he is
held by all who know him.
CONSTANT BROWN, the Worshipful
Master of Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A.
F. & A. M., Geneseo, was made a Master
Mason in that lodge in 1887; was elected
and served one year as Junior Warden, then
Senior Warden two years, and then Wor-
shipful Master, which office he is now hold-
ing for his seventh term. He has made a
thorough study of the ritual and has secured
the high esteem of the brethren because of
the able manner in which he has so long
discharged the duties of his office.
Mr. Brown is a native of the state of
New York, born on the 2Oth of March,
1845. His father, Charles H. Brown, was
also a Master Mason and was one of the
organizers of the lodge in Canajoharie, New
York; is in his religious views a Presby-
terian and is now seventy-eight years of
age. Our subject was educated in Rome,
New York, learned telegraphy, and has
been one of the trusted and faithful em-
ployees of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa-
cific Railroad Company for the past thirty
years. For the past thirteen years he has
been ticket and freight agent at Geneseo.
He has a pleasant family and enjoys the
esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens.
CORNELIUS C. CHANDLER, widely
\^l known as a representative of the build-
ing interests of Chicago, claims a connec-
tion with the Masonic fraternity of twenty-
five years' standing, having taken the three
fundamental degrees of Entered Appren-
tice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason in
Home Lodge, No. 508, in 1868. The de-
grees of Mark Master, Past Master, Most
Excellent Master and Royal Arch were con-
ferred upon him in Chicago Chapter, No.
127, in 1883; and in Chevalier Bayard
Commandery, No. 52, he was made a
Knight Templar and has since been a
worthy follower of the beauseant.
Mr. Chandler comes from the old Gran-
ite state. He was born in New Hampshire,
on the 1 3th of July, 1837, but during early
childhood accompanied his parents on their
removal to Massachusetts, the family locat-
ing near Boston, where he grew to man-
hood, acquiring his education in the public
schools. Early in life he learned the car-
penter's trade and for a number of years
was engaged on the building of churches in
various sections in the east. When nine-
teen years of age he removed to Syracuse,
New York, and while residing there joined
the Union army as one of the "boys in
blue" of the One Hundred and Eighty-fifth
New York Infantry. He went to the front
and valiantly served his country until the
stars and stripes floated over the capital of
the southern Confederacy and the preser-
vation of the Union was an assured fact.
Mr. Chandler then returned to the
north and on the 5th of September, 1865,
removed to Chicago, where in the pursuit
of his chosen profession he has gained an
enviable reputation as a reliable and effi-
cient contractor and builder. His business
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
679
has grown with the increase of the city and
he has been engaged on the construction of
many important buildings.
Mr. Chandler was married in Syracuse,
New York, in January, 1856, the lady of
his choice being Miss Anna Eliza Denick,
and to them have been born seven children,
four sons and three daughters.
JOHN HENRY ESALEY, a brother who
has a high appreciation of the Masonic
fraternity, who understands its tenets
and precepts and governs his life and actions
according to the ritual of the craft, was made
a Master Mason in Avon Harmony Lodge,
No. 253, in 1876, and served as its Junior
Warden for one term. He obtained a
dimit and became affiliated with Buda
Lodge, No. 399, in which he likewise held
the chair of Junior Warden. He was
again dimitted and on January 24 joined
Rushyille Lodge, No. 9, having, in 1884,
been exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Temple Chapter at Princeton,
Illinois, from which he eventually severed
his connections, and on September 9, 1885,
was received as a member of Rushville
Chapter, No. 184. In 1884 the degree of
Sir Knight was conferred upon him in
Temple Commandery, at Princeton, Illinois,
from which he was dimitted and became
associated with Rushville Commandery, No.
56, and at the present time is a member of
all the local bodies of the city.
Mr. Esaley is a native of Switzerland,
where he was born July 25, 1841, and when
eleven years old came to the United States
with his parents, who located in Pennsyl-
vania. From that time on he has made his
own way in the world, and may justly be
considered a self-made man in the truest
sense of the term. His early career was
not one of flowery ease, for as a boy he
worked at tilling the soil for farmers who
took no particular interest in him or his
future, and such education as he was able
to obtain was received in the district
schools, which he attended at intervals dur-
ing the winter months, the greater part of
his knowledge being secured in the prac-
tical school of experience. When eight-
een years old Mr. Esaley began to learn the
milling trade, being paid the "munificent"
salary of thirty dollars a year, besides which
he was allowed his board and washing, and
during the first three years of his appren-
ticeship he was given permission to add to
his finances by working in the fields at
harvest time. In 1863 our subject came
to Illinois and has been constantly identi-
fied with the milling business in various
cites throughout the state, having at one
time been associated with J. B. Stewart at
Buda, whence he moved to Rushville and
erected the mill of which he has since been
the sole owner. It has a capacity of one
hundred and forty barrels a day, is modern
in every particular and supplied with all
the latest improvements and inventions
pertaining to milling; and as Mr. Esaley is
an expert in his line and thoroughly well
informed in all its details, he produces the
highest grade of flour, that gives perfect
satisfaction to all who consume it. By ad-
hering strictly to honorable methods he has
succeeded in building up a large and lucra-
tive business, and has secured the possession
of some valuable property.
The marriage of Brother Esaley to Miss
Elida Mclntosh, of New York, was cele-
brated in 1869, the issue of this union
being two children — Delia A. and Ralph B.
Mr. and Mrs. Esaley are consistent mem-
bers of the Baptist church, while in poli-
tics our subject is a stanch Republican and
has served his party and community in the
capacity of city trustee.
WILLIAM A. McCUNE.— The busi-
ness interests of Sterling, Illinois,
has an able representative in the subject of
this sketch, who is the president of the firm
of William A. McCune & Company, pro-
prietors of the Sterling Pump Works; and
in this gentleman the Masonic fraternity
also has a most worthy exponent. Of his
identity with this order we will first speak.
The son of a Mason and with early im-
680
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
pressions favorable to this ancient institu-
tion, Mr. McCune, shortly after reaching
his majority, sought admission to Rock
River Lodge, No. 612, A. F. & A. M., was
duly elected to receive its degrees, and on
May 29 was created a Master Mason. In
the blue lodge he has ever been active and
enthusiastic. He has filled its offices from
Senior Deacon up to and including Wor-
shipful Master, and in the last named chair
served two terms. Nor has his interest in
Masonry ceased with the three degrees of
the blue lodge: he was exalted a Royal
Arch Mason by Sterling Chapter, No. 57,
R. A. M., July 14, 1875, and was soon
given a working place therein. He served
several terms as Captain of the Host, after
which he was elected High Priest two suc-
cessive years, and following that was again
made Captain of the Host. He was
knighted by Dixon Commandery. In Oc-
tober, 1884, when Sterling Commandery
was instituted, his name was on the list of
charter members, and he was elected
Senior Warden, in which position he served
while it was under dispensation. After-
ward he was re-elected and again served,
and has filled every office from the one
mentioned to that of Eminent Commander.
Mr. McCune was born at Camden, New
York, February 11, 1852, and is of Scotch
ancestry. His grandfather, John McCune,
was born in Paisley, Scotland, and in 1802
emigrated from that country to America,
settling in Brattleboro, Vermont, where
our subject's father, William McCune, was
born. In early life William McCune was
a sailor, on the oceans and lakes. In 1855
he came to Illinois and at Sterling opened
the Wallace Hotel, which he conducted for
ten years, following which he was in the
real-estate business up to 1871. That year
he founded the pump factory, of which his
son, our subject, is now the head, and with
which he was connected until his death.
He was a Knight Templar Mason and a
most highly respected citizen. His wife,
nee Almira Hazen, was a native of Oneida
county, New York. They were the parents
of three children. Their son, William A.,
was a small boy at the time of their re-
moval to Sterling, and here he was reared,
receiving his education in the public schools,
and on leaving school became engaged in
the manufacture of pumps, in company with
his father. Upon the death of his father
he succeeded to the business, which is now
an extensive one, shipments from William
McCune & Company being made to num-
erous points throughout the northwest.
Mr. McCune is also interested in other
enterprises. For a number of years he has
been president and secretary of the Ster-
ling Hydraulic Company, which has im-
proved the water power of the river that
has been of such benefit to both Sterling
and Rock Falls. In his political predilec-
tions he is Democratic. He has served as
city alderman, and under President Cleve-
land's first administration was postmaster
of Sterling. Also he has served as a mem-
ber of the Sterling school board. Indeed,
he has in many ways been prominently
identified with the city and its best inter-
ests. He has erected a number of build-
ings here, including his own elegant home.
In 1877 he was married to Miss Annie
E. Crawford, a native of Sterling and a
daughter of J. L. Crawford, who was an
early citizen and prominent merchant of
this place and one of its worthy Masons.
Mr. and Mrs. McCune have three children
— Fred L. , Helen A. and Gretchen H.
Mrs. McCune is the Worthy Matron of the
Eastern Star Chapter, which was recently
organized at Sterling, being the first to fill
this honored position.
J. HILLINGER, who is identified
EL_ with the ancient-craft, capitular and
chivalric Masonry through his connection
with T. J. Turner Lodge, No. 409, A. F. &
A. M., Washington Chapter, No. 43, R. A.
M. , and Apollo Commandery, No. i, K. T. ,
was made a Mason in 1893. He was ini-
tiated as an Entered Apprentice, passed the
Fellow-craft and was raised to the sublime
degree of the Master Mason. When wish-
ing to learn more of the truths and teach-
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIf
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
683
ings of this ancient and benevolent frater-
nity, he took the four degrees of the
chapter, in 1894. He was dubbed and
created a Sir Knight in 1896, and is a
worthy follower of all these organizations.
He has the high regard of his brethren and
in his association with them evidences a
full understanding of the duties and obliga-
tions which rest upon him as a representa-
tive of the society.
Mr. Hillinger is one of Chicago's native
sons, his birth having occurred in this city
on the 8th of January, 1870. Under the
parental roof his boyhood days were passed,
and in the public schools his education was
acquired. He was married on the 26th of
November, 1896, to Miss Cora Putnam, a
native of Cook county.
He is now employed as a silk salesman
in the dry-goods house of H. L. Stanton &
Company, manufacturers of silk watch
guards and eye-glass cords, Chicago. Mr.
Hillinger has been in the silk business for
the last sixteen years, and commands the
confidence of his employers and the respect
of his patrons. He is always affable and
courteous and is therefore especially fitted
for the duties that devolve upon him. In
social circles he is a popular young man,
whose genial nature has won him many
friends.
DANIEL G. MOORE, M. D., is a mem-
ber of the Masonic fraternity who has
rendered faithful allegiance to this benefi-
cent order in Chicago, and is therefore
worthy of a place in this compilation. He
was initiated in D. C. Cregier Lodge, No.
643, was advanced to the degrees of capit-
ular Masonry and exalted to the august
degree of the Holy Royal Arch in Washing-
ton Chapter, No. 43, received the orders of
knighthood in Chicago Commandery, No.
19, and attained to the ineffable grades and
orders of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory, wherein he had conferred upon him
the thirty-second degree and was proclaimed
a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. He
is associated with the social branch of Ma-
sonry and has been elected a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
with his membership in Medinah Temple.
He is an enthusiastic Mason, does all in his
power to advance the cause of the craft,
and is held in the highest esteem by his
"f raters."
Dr. Moore was born in Illinois City,
Rock Island county, Illinois, on the igth of
January, 1844, his parents having moved
from Ohio to this state in 1837. The Doc-
tor was reared on a farm, attending the dis-
trict schools, where he acquired such a lit-
erary education as could be obtained from
existing circumstances, until 1862, when,
at the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the
One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry, Company B, and rendered
gallant and courageous service until August,
1865, when he was honorably discharged.
He then returned to Illinois, where he en-
gaged in teaching school, and, having an
early predilection for the medical profes-
sion, he occupied his leisure time in study-
ing that science and subsequently matricu-
lated at Rush Medical College, where he
was graduated with the class of 1879. He
at once entered upon the practice of his pro-
fession in the western metropolis, where he
has brought to his calling a high order of
intelligence, and by his distinct ability in
his chosen calling he has met with continued
success and occupies an honorable place in
the front rank of the medical fraternity in
Chicago.
Dr. Moore was honored by the official
preferment of city physician, appointed by
Mayor Harrison; he was on the staff of
Governor Altgeld during the latter's admin-
istration; and he is a member of the Chi-
cago Medical Society and the American
Medical Association. The Doctor is a gen-
tleman of the old school in taste and man-
ners, and his presence in the sick room is
often as beneficial as medicine, his sympa-
thetic nature and kindly disposition gaining
the entire confidence of the patient.
Dr. Moore has taken an active part in
politics for thirty-five years. He has al-
ways been a Democrat, and is such because
684
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
he believes it to be the party of the people
and for the people. He is one of the leaders
of his party in Illinois. He was made a
member of Mayor Harrison's cabinet and
confirmed during the ceremonies attending
the inaugural of that executive officer.
The marriage of Dr. Moore was solem-
nized on the 8th of October, 1884, when
he was united to Miss Mary E. Radell, of
Wisconsin, and their children are three in
number, namely: Leah Catherine, Oliver
Frederick and Daniel G. , Jr.
WENRY WINK.— The wisdom of those
who originated the order of Freema-
sonry challenges the admiration of all the
wise and good who have succeeded them.
The cardinal points which were enunciated
at the time when the fraternity was first
.conceived have been observed by the craft
through succeeding generations down to and
inclusive of the present, and has kept pace
with the development of humanity, the ad-
vancement of moral intelligence and the
march of the world in science and art. Ma-
sonry is not a religion, nor is it even a
substitute for a religion, but it recognizes a
supreme Divinity, faith in God, hope in
immortality and charity to all mankind as
the principles on which it is founded. It
declares that all the brothers are on a level,
opens wide its doors to all nations, admits
of no rank except priority of merit, and its
only aristocracy is the nobility of virtue.
" Her towers and monuments fade not away;
Her truth and social love do not decay;
Her actions, tending all to one great plan,
Have taught mankind what man should be to man."
Mr. Wink, the subject of this review,
passed the subordinate degrees and was
made a Master Mason in Waldeck Lodge,
No. 674, in 1871, and served as Junior War-
den in the body. He became a charter mem-
ber in Constantine Lodge, No. 783, of which
he was the first Senior Warden and in which
he at present holds the office of Worshipful
Master. He is deeply interested in the
workings of Masonry and loses no opportu-
nity to advance its cause in the world. As
a member of the local bodies he is greatly
esteemed by his brothers, who deeply ap-
preciate the efforts made on his behalf in
favor of the organization.
Mr. Wink is a native of Germany, his
birth having taken place at Elberfield,
August 6, 1836. In 1864 he came to the
United States and settled in Philadelphia,
where he remained engaged in business un-
til 1868, when he moved to Chicago, and
has since made this city his home. In his
youth he learned the trade of dyer, and he
has thus far in life followed that trade.
After coming to this city he worked at vari-
ous places until January, 1872, when he
started in business for himself. He has
built up a prosperous trade by his natural
ability, industry and determination to ad-
vance to the front.
In 1 86 1 he was married to Miss Rosalie
Tillman, who also is a native of Germany,
and they have had one son, named Henry L.
Besides the Masonic relations already
referred to, Mr. Wink has also business re-
lations in other associations, as he is a
member of the Masonic Orphans' Home
Association, and has for six years been
president of the German Masonic Aid As-
sociation, which in 1894 presented him with
a magnificent diamond star as a token of
their high regard and appreciation of his
services.
WILLIAM J. McALPINE, a promi-
nent contractor and builder of north-
western Illinois, residing in Dixon, has been
a representative of Masonry for fifteen years,
his identification with the order dating from
1 88 1. In that year he rose from Entered
Apprentice to Knight Templar and is a
valued member of the different branches of
the fraternity. He became an Entered Ap-
prentice in Sycamore Lodge, No. 134, A.
F. & A. M., passed the Fellow-craft, and
was soon after raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason. He then took the Royal
Arch degrees in Sycamore Chapter, No. 49,
and was created a Sir Knight in Sycamore
Commandery, No. 15, K. T. He is a val-
COMPENDIUM OF FRBEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
685
ued member of the society, worthy of the
confidence and esteem of his brethren of
the craft, for he is faithful to all the obli-
gations which it imposes, to the vows of
knighthood and the teachings of the blue
lodge. His rank in business circles is alike
high, and his career worthy of emulation.
He is the architect of his own fortunes as
well as many of the principal buildings of
northwestern Illinois, and has builded a
character which commands the admiration
and respect of all.
Mr. McAlpine is descended from an old
Connecticut family which was long identified
with the history of the Nutmeg state. His
father, Lemuel McAlpine, was born there,
and after arriving at years of maturity mar-
ried Miss Sarah Price, a native of New
York. They moved to Ohio, and in Ash-
tabula, on the 1 5th of August, 1852, the
subject of this review was born. In 1853
the parents removed with their family to
Illinois, locating on a farm in De Kalb
county, where they lived and reared their
children. They were people of the highest
respectability, and their genuine worth won
for them the regard of all with whom they
came in contact. The father departed this
life in 1894, at the age of eighty-four years,
and the mother passed away in her sixty-
seventh year.
William J. McAlpine, their second child,
was educated in Aurora Seminary, and in
his youth learned the trade of carpentering,
which he has since followed, steadily work-
ing his way upward from the position of an
humble employee to a place among the
most prominent contractors in northwestern
Illinois. His business has assumed exten-
sive proportions, and the secret of his suc-
cess lies in his steady application, his fidel-
ity to the terms of a contract, his un-
bounded enterprise and sound judgment.
He has taken contracts for the erection of
many fine structures, not only in Illinois
but also in Iowa and Wisconsin, and is now
engaged in the construction of the State
Normal School in De Kalb, this state, also
the fine Masonic block in Dixon. He has
over one hundred and fifty skilled work-
men in his employ, and his patronage has
brought to him much of the leading busi-
ness in his line in this section of the state.
The plans and methods he has followed in
his business career, his keen perception
and great sagacity are important factors in
his success, but his prosperity is also due in
no small measure to that quality which en-
ables him to successfully control men and
affairs. Since 1887 he has been identified
with the building interests of Dixon and
many of the finest homes, business blocks
and public edifices of the city stand as
monuments to his skill and enterprise.
In 1876 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. McAlpine and Miss Mattie L. Manning,
but after six years of happy married life
she was called to the home beyond, in
1883. Four years later our subject was
married to Miss Bertha German, whose
death occurred in 1891. His present wife
was formerly Miss Jennie L. Norris, and
their marriage was solemnized in 1895. In
society circles in Dixon they occupy an en-
viable position, and their hospitable home
is a favorite resort for their many friends.
Mrs. McAlpine belongs to the Episcopal
church and is a lady of high culture and re-
finement. Mr. McAlpine gives his political
support to the Republican party. He is of
a genial and generous disposition, kindly
and courteous in manner, and his life
record is one which should serve as a source
of encouragement and inspiration to others,
demonstrating what can be accomplished
by him who will make the most of present
opportunities and perseveringly press for-
ward to the goal of his hopes.
SAMUEL JEFFREY AVERY. — The
tendency of the age is to concentrate
one's energies upon a certain line of action
to the exclusion of almost every other in-
terest, and it is therefore seldom that a
man who attains prominence in business is
active in social or other lines. But Dr.
Avery, whose name introduces this review,
has become one of the leading physicians of
the city and at the same time is known in
686
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Masonry as one of its worthy representa-
tives, active in support of its principles and
in the advancement of all that tends to
promote its growth. He is well known in
Chicago in the ranks of this noble and
benevolent order and can boast a line of
ancestry long and honorably identified with
the fraternity. He was made a Mason in
Rising Sun Lodge, in Lake county, Illinois,
and took the Royal Arch degrees in
York Chapter. He was knighted in Apollo
Commandery in 1877, and thus for twenty
years has been connected with this most
ancient of the fraternal organizations.
Dr. Avery was born in Brandon, Ver-
mont, on the 1 5th of May, 1828, and is a
son of Ebenezer W. and Tryphena (Davis)
Avery, both natives of the Green Mountain
state. He was reared in Vermont until
fifteen years of age. and then came with his
parents to Illinois in 1843, the family lo-
cating in Lake county in the town of Avon.
He was reared on a farm and in his youth
assisted in the labors of field and meadow.
Later he determined to devote his life to
the practice of medicine and thus aid his
fellow men. To fit himself for this calling
he matriculated in Rush Medical College,
of Chicago, and on the completion of his
course established an office here and has
since devoted his energies to practice. His
success is well attested by the high esteem
in which he is held by his many patrons.
He possesses the requisite qualifications of
the able physician and has that keen love
of the profession and true sympathy for his
fellow men without which no physician can
hope to attain to the greatest heights in his
chosen calling. His efforts therefore are
something more than an attempt to gain
wealth; he feels a personal interest in each
case and makes it his earnest effort to re-
lieve the suffering of his fellow men and re-
store to them that most cherished posses-
sion, health.
Dr. Avery has been twice married. In
1850 he wedded Miss Wealthy A. Hall, who
died in 1861, and in 1863 he married Mrs.
Olive L. Boardman. He has one daughter,
Eliza W., now the wife of H. Woodward.
He was reared in the orthodox faith but as
his views have changed with advancing
years he finds his opinions are more in
harmony with the doctrines of the Univer-
salist church, and his thorough and con-
scientious belief in the holiness of helpful-
ness as a rule of action is strongly manifest
in his own upright life. His genial man-
ner, his ready appreciation of humor and
his own social disposition have made him a
favorite in a chosen circle of acquaintances,
and he has a large number of warm friends
who esteem him most highly.
SA. WALTHER, attorney at law, Chi-
) cago, received his initial degrees in D.
C. Cregier Lodge, No. 643, and was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason in
1894. In 1897 he was elected to the chair
of Junior Warden in that body.
Mr. Walther was born in Chicago on
September 8, 1860, and here grew to man-
hood's estate. His primary education was
obtained in the public and high schools of
this city, receiving his diploma from the
latter with the class of '80. He subsequently
pursued his studies in the Normal School,
and later, having formed a taste for the
legal profession, he matriculated in the
Union College of Law, at which he was
graduated in 1886, and the following year
he entered into the active practice of his
profession.
In 1891 Mr. Walther was united in mar-
riage to Miss Julia S. Gunderson, a native
of Norway, who early in life came to the
United States and located in Chicago, where
she was reared and educated, and where for
some years she was employed as a compe-
tent and successful teacher in the public
schools.
MENRY M. BRAUMOELLER, of Chi-
cago, has advanced through almost
every department of Masonry, since becom-
ing a member of the order in 1888. In
March, of that year, he was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason in Thomas
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
687
J. Turner Lodge, No. 409, and in the same
year the esoteric doctrines of capitular
Masonry were revealed to him by the Com-
panions of Washington Chapter, No. 43,
R. A. M. He was greeted a Select Master
in Siloam Council, No. 53, and knighted in
Chicago Commandery, No. 19. He has
taken the degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry
up to and including the thirty-second, be-
ing proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, on the
23d of April, 1891. With all these bodies
he is still affiliated save Turner Lodge, hav-
ing been dimitted from that to become a
member of Covenant Lodge, No. 526. He
is also a member of Medinah Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine.
Mr. Braumoeller has spent his entire
life in Chicago, entering upon the stage of
life's activities here July 4, 1864. His ed-
ucation was obtained in the excellent pub-
lic schools of the city and he entered upon
his business career as an employee in the
Architectural Iron Works, of which his
father was owner. The son was carefully
instructed in the business in all its depart-
ments and soon gained the mastery of the
industry, becoming a proficient workman.
He became a member of the firm in 1895,
and his enterprise, zeal and sound business
judgment have contributed not a little to
the success which has attended this impor-
tant industrial concern.
On the 29th of March, 1893, Mr. Brau-
moeller was joined in wedlock to Miss Ada
Metger, a native of Chicago, and they now
have two children, — Ada and William
Henry, — the latter born on the thirty-sec-
ond anniversary of his father's birth, July
4, 1896.
JOHN E. RICHARDSON, both in his
business and fraternal associations, is
connected with Masonry. He became
a member of the order in 1874, when he
joined Pythagoras Lodge, No. 180, A. F.
& A. M., of Lancaster, Iowa. He was
afterward dimitted toHennepin Lodge, No.
4, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, of which he
is now a life member. Twenty years after
the time when he was first made acquainted
with the esoteric doctrines of the society he
began the study of the principles of capitular
Masonry in St. John's Chapter, R. A. M.,
of Minneapolis, and in 1895 he was con-
stituted, created and dubbed a Sir Knight
in Apollo Commandery, No. i, of Chicago.
He is very true and loyal to the order and
his influence and labors are exerted in
behalf of its progress.
Mr. Richardson was born in Keokuk
county, Iowa, on the 2Oth of July, 1853,
and there spent the days of his youth,
obtaining his education in the common
schools. He afterward entered the Iowa
State University and completed an irregular
course in 1878. He followed journalism
fora time, and in 1880 removed to Califor-
nia, where the same year he was admitted
to the bar and practiced law in that state
until 1886, in which year he removed to
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through the
next four years he continued his residence
in that city, and in 1890 came to Chicago,
where he has since made his home. In
1891 he organized the Masonic Mutual
Savings and Loan Association and has since
been secretary and manager. His control
of its affairs has been very wise, and owing
to his enterprise, perseverance and good
management he has made the enterprise a
success.
On the 1 9th of May, 1880, Mr. Richard-
son was united in marriage to Miss Pauline
Stevens, a native of Steubenville, Ohio,
and they now have one daughter, Verna by
name.
D
AVID DUNBAR DUNKLE, the well-
known insurance agent and newspaper
correspondent of Monmouth, who has been
permitted to behold the glories of the Ma-
sonic sky, adorned with emblems like stars
in the firmament, was initiated into that
mystic world in Monmouth Lodge, No. 37,
on the 7th of May, 1868, passed June 2,
and was raised to the sublime degree of a
688
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
Master Mason on July 7, of the same year.
In Warren Chapter, No. 30, he was marked
on February 12, received as Most Excellent
Master on March 19, and attained to the
august degree of the Holy Royal Arch the
next day, — all in 1869; he received the coun-
cil degrees in Monmouth Council, No. 14,
March 24, 1869 (the Monmouth Council
has since been removed to Galesburg); the
degrees of Scottish Rite in Monmouth Con-
sistory, No. 4; but these bodies at Mon-
mouth later surrendered their charter, many
of the members uniting with Oriental Con-
sistory, of Chicago. Mr. Dunkle was among
this number, and on the igih of April, 1894,
he was honored by being elected to life
membership in this consistory. At present
he is affiliated with Monmouth Lodge, No.
37, Warren Chapter, No. 30, Galesburg
Council (formerly Monmouth Council), No.
14, and in October, 1896, he was appointed
by Grand Master Owen Scott as District
Deputy Grand Master of the Thirteenth
District, — a position he occupies at this
writing (1897). He is a life member of
Galesburg Council. His other official pre-
ferments have been as follows: In the blue
lodge, Senior Deacon, 1869; Junior War-
den, 1870; Senior Warden, 1871; Wor-
shipful Master, 1872, 1874, 1876, 1878,
1879, 1880 and 1887; Senior Steward,
1888; Secretary, 1882-86, and from 1889
to 1897. In the council, Thrice Illustrious
Master; and in the chapter, Captain of the
Host, 1870; High Priest, 1871-74, 1876-
77-78-79, and from 1881 to 1897, inclusive,
a period of twenty-three years, and King,
1872. He is a charter member of Mon-
mouth Chapter, No. 277, Order of the
Eastern Star, instituted in August, 1894,
and he served as its first Worthy Patron,
to which position he was re-elected in 1894.
Besides the foregoing Masonic bodies,
Mr. Dunkle is a member of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, being initiated
therein in 1878, in Monmouth Lodge, No.
577, and later he united by card with War-
ren Lodge, No. 1 60, of which he is now a
member and trustee. He also belongs to
McClanahan Post, No. 330, Grand Army of
the Republic, of which he was Senior Vice-
Commander in 1883, Post Commander in
1885, and in 1886 he was aide-de-camp to
the national Commander-in-Chief, S. S.
Burdette.
David Dunbar Dunkle was born in
Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, on the iith
of November, 1840, and was reared as a
farmer until eighteen years of age, when he
learned the molder's trade at Everett, that
state. On the 27th of August, 1861, in
response to his country's call for aid to quell
the Rebellion, he enlisted as a private at
Newcastle, Pennsylvania, in the One Hun-
dredth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,
Company F, of which J. H. Cline was cap-
tain, Daniel Leasure commanding the regi-
ment, and participated in the engagement
at James Island, South Carolina, in June,
1862, in the battles of Bull Run, Chantilly,
South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericks-
burg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania and others,
and was mustered out at Pittsburg, Penn-
sylvania, on the 27th of August, 1864, — just
three years to a day from the time he was
sworn into service.
In 1866 Mr. Dunkle came to Monmouth
and engaged in his trade as a molder for
twenty-one years in the employ of the Pat-
tee Plow Company, fifteen years of which
he served the company as foundry foreman.
In 1896 he retired from that vocation and
is now connected with J. P. Higgins in the
insurance and real-estate business, under
the firm name of Dunkle & Higgins. In
1885 he embarked in the grocery business
as a member of the firm of Dunkle & Bris-
tol. In 1895 he was elected a director of
the Monmouth Homestead & Loan Associ-
ation, and in 1896 he was re-elected for a
term of three years. Politically he is affil-
iated with the Democratic party, and in
1883-4 ne was elected to represent his ward
in the Monmouth city council.
In 1883 Mr. Dunkle was secured by the
Chicago Herald as special correspondent
for Warren county, a position he still re-
tains. He is also at present, and has been
for many years, a representative of the
United Press Association, and he has repre-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
sented the Chicago Tribune, Record, Inter
Ocean, the Peoria Transcript, Burlington
Hawkeye, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Demo-
crat and Republican, and the Monmouth
Gazette and Review.
Referring to his religious faith it may be
stated that Mr. Dunkle is a consistent ad-
herent of the Presbyterian church.
E
W. JULIAN, a dealer in boots and
J shoes at Urbana, is an advanced and
active Knight Templar, who has been Emi-
nent Commander of Urbana Commandery,
No. 1 6, and a representative of the same to
the Grand Commandery in 1896, and was
with it at the great triennial conclave at
Chicago in 1880. He has with marked abil-
ity filled every office, from Warder to Emi-
nent Commander, in Urbana Commandery;
was Eminent Commander in 1896, and re-
fused re-election on account of ill health.
He has also been Principal Conductor of
Urbana Council, No. 19, R. & S. M., and
Captain of the Host of Urbana Chapter,
No. 80. In his religious relations, he, with
his estimable wife, is a sincere member of
the Baptist church. (If there is anything
bad in Freemasonry, sincere, intelligent
and consistent church members generally
would see it and condemn it in spite of all
the "pledges " they are said to make; and
the example of such men as the subject of
this sketch is a sufficient guarantee to the
public that Freemasonry is what its vo-
taries pretend that it is. Besides, we know
a tree by its fruits. )
Mr. Julian is a native of Indiana, born
in New Castle, that state, January 8, 1844;
was educated in the public schools and
learned the shoemaker's trade in his native
county, and for one year was " on the
road " in the interest of the Candee rubber
goods. The advantages gained by learning
the trade gives him a more thorough knowl-
edge of the shoe business in all its depart-
ments. Coming to Urbana in 1874, he has
since been successfully engaged in the boot
and shoe trade, except two years he spent
in Salt Lake City, Utah, in this business.
Being in poor health he has traveled a
great deal, making tours over a considerable
portion of the United States.
In December, 1870, he was united in
marriage with Miss Mary L. Carr, of Ver-
milion county, Illinois.
WILLIAM HERBERT HIGBY. -
Through centuries, when relief and
aid societies, benevolent institutions, hos-
pitals and charities were unknown, the Ma-
sonic fraternity was extending a helping
hand to the poor, the needy and distressed.
When many were the persecutions inflicted
in the name of religion, it taught the lesson
of universal brotherhood and endeavored to
replace the cruelties of unenlightened na-
tions with the benevolence of civilization,
and with the passing of time it has not only
kept abreast with all advancement in this
direction, but has been a leader in the good
work of teaching mankind his duty to his
fellow man. Such an organization has
naturally elicited the sympathy and support
of the best men everywhere and throughout
Illinois her leading citizens have flocked
to its standard and promoted its noble
mission. Among the number who in
Streator follow its banner is Mr. Higby,
and he stands foremost in Masonic ranks in
this section of the state. He became a
member of the order August 9, 1886, hav-
ing been raised to the sublime degree of a
Master Mason in Waltham Lodge, No. 384,
of Utica, from which he afterward dimitted
to Streator Lodge, No. 607, A. F. & A. M.
He has since served as Junior Warden. He
was exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Shabbona Chapter, No. 37,
of Ottawa, April 18, 1888, and dimitted to
Streator Chapter, No. 168, in which he has
filled the office of King, while in the pres-
ent year, 1897, he is serving as Captain of
the Host. He passed the circle in Oriental
Council, No. 63, of Ottawa, and was
greeted a Royal and Select Master, May 28,
1888, His membership is now in Streator
Council, No. 73, of which he has served as
Thrice Illustrious Master, holding the office
690
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
in 1896 and 1897. He was also Deputy
Third Arch in the same year. He was
knighted on the 5th of August, 1889, in St.
John's Commandery, No. 26, of Peru, Illi-
nois, but has since dimitted to Ottawa
Commandery, No. 10.
Mr. Higby comes of a family that has
long been connected with Masonry. The
lineage of the Higbys can be traced back to
Edward Higby, who in 1647 emigrated to
this country, presumably from England.
The great-grandfather of our subject, Asahel
Higby, a native of Connecticut, was a mem-
ber of Horeb R. A. C., No. 7, of New
Hartford, New York, which organization,
however, has lapsed, and was the possessor
of a solid-silver emblematic mark, which is
now the property of William H. Higby.
The last named is a son of William M. and
Margaret E. (Wright) Higby, natives of
Ohio and Scotland respectively. The for-
mer came to LaSalle county, Illinois, with
his father in 1836, and died in 1867. He
was a very prominent man and a member
of the Masonic fraternity.
William H. Higby is a native of Utica,
La Salle county, his birth having occurred
on the 1 3th of September, 1864. He was
liberally educated, completing his literary
course by his graduation at the State Nor-
mal University, of Normal, Illinois, in 1883.
Four years later he was graduated at the
Illinois College of Pharmacy, of Chicago,
and from 1883 until 1890 was connected
with the drug trade of Utica. In the latter
year he came to Streator, established a
drug store here and has since carried on a
large and constantly increasing business.
His success in life may be attributed to his
own indomitable energy and the close and
assiduous attention he has paid to the
minute portions of his affairs as well as to
the seemingly more important interests.
His courteous manner and reliability have
secured him a liberal patronage and his
prosperity is well deserved.
On the 4th of June, 1890, was celebrated
the marriage :>f Mr. Higby and Miss Phebe
Annetta Finley, of Grand Ridge, Illinois,
and they now have a little daughter, Mary
Margaret, born April 24, 1892. In his po-
litical connections Mr. Higby is a stanch
Republican and in his religious views is a
Presbyterian.
FREDERICK W. JOESTING.— Though
the grasp of vice be strong upon the
soul of mortal .man, there is a still more
powerful friend at hand to rescue and guard
it against its most potent enemies — selfish-
ness, immorality, and the bitter struggle
for supremacy that ingulfs mankind within
its capacious maw. Masonry ever has been
and ever will be a foe to such depraving in-
fluences, and will seek to elevate man to a
condition more consistent with the original
intention of the Supreme Being.
The brother whose name heads this
sketch was initiated and made a Master Ma-
son in Ervin Lodge, No. 315, of which he
was honored with the chair of Worshipful
Master for four terms; was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Al-
ton Chapter, No. 8; received the degrees of
Royal and Select Master in Alton Council,
No. 3 ; and was created a Sir Knight in Bel-
videre Commandery, No. 2, in which he
served as Senior Warden. He accompan-
ied the commandery to Chicago on the oc-
casion of the triennial conclave held in that
city in 1880.
Mr. Joesting is a native of Germany,
having been born in Hanover, June 9, 1843,
and there he acquired his education in the
public schools. When fifteen years old he
came to this country and located at Alton,
Illinois, where he was engaged as a clerk in
a clothing store. In 1864 he was made a
partner in the business, which association
lasted until 1867, and was then dissolved.
He next formed a partnership with William
Sachtleben, which continued until 1895,
when the firm of Joesting & Son was formed,
which carries a complete and unexcelled
line of clothing and gentlemen's furnishings.
In public life Mr. Joesting has served as
a member of the common council, and was
mayor of Alton for a term of two years.
He is president of the Germania Loan As-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
691
sociation, has passed all the chairs in the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
was for some time president of the Odd
Fellows Temple Association and is now its
secretary.
In 1865 Mr. Joesting was united in mar-
riage to Miss W. A. Neinhaus, and of this
union four children have been born. Mr.
Joesting is an energetic, progressive citi-
zen of Alton, and with his wife is a promi-
dent member of society in his home city.
RTHUR CLIFTON ATHERTON,
as a member of the ancient and
honorable fraternity, has proved himself a
worthy and true craftsman, ever evincing
that fervency and zeal which characterizes
the intelligent and loyal Mason. For
twenty-five years his labors on behalf of
the order have been unremitting, his time
has been unselfishly devoted to the work,
and he retains the grateful acknowledg-
ment of those "fratres" with whom he has
so long been associated. Receiving the
Master Mason degree in 1873, he was ex-
alted to the Holy Royal Arch in Corinthian
Chapter at Des Moines, Iowa, and the
council, commandery and consistory de-
grees were conferred upon him in quick
succession, he attaining to the thirty-second
and being proclaimed a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret on July 22, 1874. In
1895 he became a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine in Mohammed Temple, at Peoria,
Illinois. In his early Masonic connections
Mr. Atherton was very active in advancing
the interests of the order and was one of
the organizers and charter members of the
commandery at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and
also of the commandery at Marshalltown,
Iowa, some time after which he returned to
his parent commandery at Des Moines,
where he still retains his membership and
enjoys the high regard of his brothers. He
is a representative Mason, a man of high
principles, noble, generous impulses, and
possesses hosts of friends, both in and out
of the fraternity.
Born in Anderson, Madison county,
38»
Indiana, on August 3, 1850, Mr. Atherton
was educated in the public schools of his
native state, and early in life engaged in
railroading, which he has made his life
work. In 1880 he came to Lewistown to
take charge of the Fulton County Railway,
which extends from Galesburg to Havana,
and of which he is general superintendent
and general freight and passenger agent,
besides being one of the stockholders. He
is also engaged in handling lumber and rail-
road material.
Mr. Atherton was married in Des
Moines, Iowa, in 1873, to a daughter of
Hon. C. C. Cole, ex-chief justice of Iowa,
and this union has been blessed with three
children. Our subject and his wife have
one of the pleasant homes of Lewistown,
where they reside in domestic peace and
contentment, giving their earnest support
to the Presbyterian church, of which they
are regular attendants. Politically re-
garded, Mr. Atherton is a stanch Republic-
an and a firm believer in the principles of
that party.
GEORGE E. MILNER.— Great, indeed,
and most worthy of emulation must be
that organization which has for its object
the uplifting of the human race and placing
it upon a plane that shall elevate it high
above the petty evils of the world and eradi-
cate the misery attending the selfishness
and immorality of the people. Such are
the principles upon which Freemasonry are
founded, and under these circumstances it
is not to be wondered at that it has estab-
lished a foundation so firm that the enemies
of the past have been unable to shake it,
and which time, in its unalterable march,
will only strengthen. Rising to a state bor-
dering on perfection, it has withstood the
onslaught of those whom, either from wan-
ton wickedness or from intense ignorance,
would overturn the grand structure, and its
teachings have to-day firmly imbedded
themselves in the hearts of all who seek for
a better and purer life.
Among those who are working in the in-
692
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
terest of this organization is Mr. Milner.
He was born in Washington county, Rhode
Island, in 1848, where he received his early
education in the district schools. After ob-
taining a fair knowledge of the ordinary
branches of learning, he began his business
career in a shoe factory, in which he was
apprenticed for several years. He contin-
ued to work in factories in Rhode Island for
a number of years and in 1867 he came to
Chicago and for two years was employed
with the firm of C. H. Fargo & Company.
In 1876 Mr. Milner started in business
for himself, taking up the line with which
he had been so long connected, and began
the manufacture of shoes. This he followed
for a while and in 1886 accepted the agency
for the Goodyear Shoe Machine Company,
and has continued in its service since that
time. He has proved a most capable man,
filling the position with credit to himself
and to the entire satisfaction of his employ-
ers. Energetic, with a thorough knowledge
of all the details of the business, he is the
right man in the right place, and richly de-
serves the confidence and respect reposed
in him by those with whom he comes in
contact.
Mr. Milner was first married in 1878 to
Miss Carry E. Long, who departed this life
in November, 1889. For his second wife
he married Miss Margaret Connell, in Sep-
tember, 1890, and this union has been
blessed with one child, — George E., Jr.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Milner
stands high in the bodies of which he is a
member. He was made a Master Mason in
Blair Lodge, No. 393, in 1890, was exalted
to the degree of Royal Arch Mason in Wash-
ington Chapter, No. 43, in 1891, was created
a Knight in Chicago Commandery, No. 19,
in 1892, and has held the office of Sword
Bearer in that body.
FRANKLIN W. GOODWIN.— The fol-
lowers of the "mystic tie," strong in
number and in influence, include many of
the active, energetic business men of Chi-
cago, whose industry and progress have
been important factors in securing to the
city its reputation for advancement and its
power as the controller of western com-
merce. The same activity has been the
means of making Masonry the most stable
fraternal institution of the country, for the
endorsement of the best citizens insures its
continued growth and prosperity. The gen-
eral tendency of this busy age is toward or-
ganizations that display compensation as an
inducement to fraternization. These are
well enough in their spheres of operations,
but they cannot take the place of an insti-
tution that rests its claims to attention upon
the charitable side of the human heart.
This has been the force which has perpetu-
ated the institution through centuries. As
truth and right are eternal, so the muta-
tions of the years may not eradicate the
principles upon which the fair structure is
resting. To-day it is more potent than
ever and civilization acknowledges its
indebtedness for advancement thereto.
Among the worthy representatives of the
order in Chicago whose long connection
therewith and fidelity to its teachings en-
title them to honorable mention in its his-
tory is Franklin W. Goodwin, who was ini-
tiated in Hinsdale Lodge, of Hinsdale,
Illinois, in the winter 1871-2. In 1875 ne
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Wiley M. Egan Chapter,
No. 126, has been Master of the three Veils
of the society and is still connected with
that branch of the craft. He is also a
Knight Templar Mason, joining Chicago
Commandery, No. 19, in 1880, when the
national conclave was assembled in Chi-
cago.
Mr. Goodwin is a native of the city which
is still his home, although the greater part
of his childhood and youth was passed in
the east. He was born on the rothof Sep-
tember, 1848, a son of Hiram and Hannah
(Jordan) Goodwin, who came from Maine
to Chicago about 1845. The father died
when our subject was five years of age, and
the mother closed her eyes in death a year
later. Thus left an orphan he was taken
to Maine, where he was reared by relatives
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
until twenty years of age. His school priv-
ileges were those afforded in the neighbor-
hood of his home, and his other advantages
were somewhat meager. His success in
life has been achieved independently of
friends or influence, and is the legitimate
outcome of his own honest endeavor. When
twenty years of age he returned to his na-
tive city, where for some time he was en-
gaged in various enterprises. In 1883 he
embarked in the insurance business, which
he has now followed for fourteen years. He
is an excellent judge of human nature, is
quick to see and take advantage of an oppor-
tunity and his judgment is seldom at fault;
these qualities have been important attri-
butes in his business career and have
brought to him the success which has
crowned his efforts. He is widely known
in insurance circles, where his sterling worth
has won him high regard.
In June, 1881, was celebrated the mar-
riage which united the destinies of Mr.
Goodwin and Miss Louise McNett, a native
of Ohio. They have five children, — Hiram,
Edna, Robert, Dorothea and Henry.
r
S. YOUNG is a valued member of the
JT' order of Freemasonry who has always
endeavored to the best of his ability to con-
form to the laws, usages and customs of the
craft, and in doing so has gained the good
will of his fellow Masons. Brother Young
was initiated in Cleveland Lodge, No. 211,
on November 19, passed December 3, and
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason December 10, 1885; was exalted as
a Royal Arch Mason in Washington Chap-
ter, No. 43, on October 28, 1886; received
the degrees of Royal and Select Master; was
knighted August 13, 1888, in Chicago Com-
mandery, No. 19; and attained the degrees
in the ineffable lodge of perfection, Oriental
Consistory, April 24, 1890. He is a mem-
ber of the Ancient Arabic Order, being a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah
Temple. In his lodge Mr. Young has ever
displayed a considerate kindness and an ap-
preciation of the ritual.
Mr. Young was born in the city of Bur-
lington, Illinois, in 1848, his parents being
John and Mary (Woodworth) Young. He
attended the common schools of Burlington
and completed his education in the Univer-
sity of Chicago. He then entered upon his
mercantile career and was placed in charge
of the city business for the firm of Sprague,
Warner & Company, wholesale and retail
grocers, which position he held for five
years. He then became associated in the
same capacity with Franklin McVeagh &
Company, having an interest in the busi-
ness, and remained with that firm four
years. In 1893 he accepted the position of
manager for the J. S. Sawin Manufacturing
Company, and has continued to perform
the duties of that office in a comprehensive
and intelligent manner.
In 1863, Mr. Young, although but fif-
teen years old, gave his services in the de-
fense of the Union and enlisted in Company
F, One Hundred and Thirty-second Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, and remained through-
out the continuance of the conflict. He
then entered the regular army in Company
G, Eighteenth Regiment, Third Battalion,
and at the age of seventeen held the rank
of first sergeant of his company. He is a
member of Columbia Post, Grand Army of
the Republic, and of the Knights of Pythias.
Politically he is a loyal member of the Re-
publican party.
Mr. Young was married in 1869 to Miss
Lou Cummings, of Chicago, and four chil-
dren have been born to them: Charles P.,
Bertrand M. , Foy and Shedd. Mrs. Young
is a consistent member of the Episcopal
church.
JAMES EVERETT BARBER.— Among
the loyal and enthusiastic Masons of
Rochelle, there is none better or more
favorably known than the brother whose
name heads this review. Mr. Barber was
made a Master Mason in Horicon Lodge,
No. 244, October 18, 1887, of which he was
elected Senior Warden; received the Royal
Arch degrees in Rochelle Chapter, No. 158,
694
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
March 21, 1890, and served as its High
Priest during the years 1896 and 1897; and
attained the degrees of chivalric Masonry
in Sycamore Commandery, No. 15, in the
same year. Brother Barber is well informed
on Masonic history, is a faithful adherent to
the precepts of the order, and as both an
officer and a member has always evinced
more than an ordinary interest in the work
of the society.
Mr. Barber is a native of Rutland
county, Vermont, where he was born Octo-
ber 17, 1858. His parents, B. M. and
Caroline (Linsley) Barber, moved to
Grundy county, Illinois, when our subject
was ten years old, and there he was reared
on a farm until attaining his majority, in
the meantime obtaining such education as
could be had in the district schools in the
vicinity. In 1884 Mr. Barber came to
Rochelle and purchased a hotel, which he
conducted in connection with a bakery and
grocery store. In 1889 he took charge of
what is now the De Los House, which is the
only first-class hostelry in the city. Our
subject is an ideal host, his table contains
all the delicacies of the season, and those
who have once enjoyed the hospitality of
his house never fail to pay him a second
Visit.
Politically, Mr. Barber is a stanch sup-
porter of the Republican party, and has
served on the school board for several
years. He is a member of the Knights of
Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America
and the Knights of the Globe.
Mr. Barber was united in marriage to
Miss Sarah Shelley, of Paris Point, Illinois,
on June i, 1882, and of this union one child
has been born — Carrie E. Mrs. Barber is
a consistent member of the Methodist Epis-
copal church.
RTHUR JAMES DRIVER, of Syca-
jP^. more, whose zeal in Masonry is most
commendable, has been affiliated with the
order for a third of a century. It upholds
loyal citizenship and patriotism, promotes
the spirit of brotherly love, teaches for-
bearance, gentleness and charity and enno-
bles all of its followers by its high purposes.
Such an order at once appeals to the man
whose aims in life are high and who, with-
out pretentious display, endeavor to follow
all the precepts which tend to make the
world better and brighter. Belonging to
this class of citizens, Mr. Driver has natur-
ally therefore been earnest in his support of
the fraternity, and is numbered among the
exemplary Masons of DeKalb county. In
November, 1864, the degrees of ancient-
craft .Masonry were conferred upon him by
Cortland Lodge, No. 301, of Cortland, Illi-
nois, and later he was elected Worshipful
Master of the organization. He afterward
wasdimitted to Sycamore Lodge, No. 134,
with which he is now affiliated. In DeKalb
Chapter he took the degrees of capitular
Masonry, but is now a companion of Syca-
more Chapter, No. 49, R. A. M., in which
he has served as King. In December, 1875,
he passed the circle of Sycamore Council
and was greeted a Royal and Select Master.
He is identified with chivalric Masonry as a
member of Sycamore Commandery, No. 15,
taking the Order of the Red Cross March
21, 1878, and the Knight. Templar degree
on the ist of April following. He is a loyal
follower of the beauseant and in 1893
served as Eminent Commander.
Mr. Driver was born in London, Eng-
land, on the 22d of September, 1839, a son
of Charles and Mary Ann (Craney) Driver.
His education was obtained in the public
schools of his native land and at the age of
twenty years he started out to make his
own way in the world. Believing that
America furnished a better field of oppor-
tunity he sailed for the United States and
took up his residence in Oconto, Wisconsin,
in the pineries, where he remained until
July, 1860. He then removed to Malta,
DeKalb county, and worked on a farm un-
til the breaking out of the Civil war, when
he entered the service of his country. The
Monday following the fall of Fort Sumter
he enlisted in Company A, Thirteenth Illi-
nois Infantry, which was assigned to the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
695
Army of the Tennessee, and with that
command he participated in the engage-
ments at Vicksburg, Arkansas Post, Jack-
son, Tennessee, Nashville, Spanish Fort
and Fort Blakely. On the i8th of June,
1865, the war having been brought to a
successful close, he was mustered out.
Mr. Driver at once returned to DeKalb
county and for some years thereafter car-
ried on agricultural pursuits. In 1871 he
came to Sycamore and in connection with
farming conducted a hardware store until
1890. He was then appointed postmaster
by President Harrison and held that office
for five years or until September, 1895.
He has been prominent in promoting vari-
ous enterprises of the city and is now sec-
retary and treasurer of the Electric Light
and Steam Heat Company and is also act-
ing as manager of the business. He is also
secretary and treasurer of the Alida Young
Temple Company and is a man of resource-
ful business ability, whose enterprise o'er-
leaps the many obstacles in the path to suc-
cess and with resolute purpose presses for-
ward to the goal of prosperity. His well
directed efforts have brought to him a hand-
some property and have demonstrated the
wisdom of his boyhood's determination to
make a home in the land of the free.
In 1866 Mr. Driver was united in mar-
riage to Miss Fannie R. Tindall, of Syca-
more, who died April 7, 1886, and their
three children died in early life. On the
24th of August, 1887, Mr. Driver was
united in marriage to Mrs. Nancy J. (Hunt-
ington) Carley, a native of West Randolph,
Vermont. She is a member of the Uni-
versalist church and a most estimable lady.
Mr. Driver gives his political support to
the Republican party and is unfaltering in
support of its tenets. He has served as a
member of the school board for fifteen
years and has labored earnestly to advance
the cause of education and to promote
other interests looking to the social, moral
and material welfare of the community.
He belongs to the Potter Post, No. 12, G.
A. R., of which he has three times
served as Commander and in fraternity and
business circles has made many lasting
friendships, while his sterling worth every-
where commands for him high regard.
WILLIAM HENRY GRAHAM, one of
the faithful, enthusiastic and ener-
getic members of the Masonic fraternity in
Illinois, received his initiatory degrees of
the order in Van Meter Lodge, No. 672, at
Cantrall, Illinois, on January 10, passed
January 21, and was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason on February i,
1890. In this body he served as Junior
Warden in 1894 and 1895, and held the
chair of Senior Warden during the year of
1896. He was exalted to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in De Witt Chapter,
No. 119, at Petersburg, in 1890, of which
he was elected Principal Sojourner in 1891,
and was constituted a Sir Knight in St.
Aldemar Commandery, No. 47, at Peters-
burg, becoming a Knight of the Red Cross
on January r, and a Knight of the Black
Cross on January 20, 1890. In 1892
he held the chair of Junior Warden, and
proved himself a most capable officer. He
has attained the degrees of the Scottish
Rite in Peoria Consistory, and in 1894 was
declared a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret. On May 30, 1895, Mr. Graham
' ' performed a successful pilgrimage across
the sands of the desert " and became a
Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Mohammed Temple, at Peoria.
The birth of Mr. Graham occurred near
Athens, Menard county, on August 1 1, 1862;
his mental training was acquired in the
common schools and in the college at Val-
paraiso, Indiana, where he took a business
course and partially mastered the studies of
the scientific department, but was obliged
to relinquish his studies on account of his
father's illness, and take charge of the lat-
ter's business affairs. That he has been
most successful in his endeavors is evi-
denced by the fact that he is the most ex-
tensive breeder and shipper of Poland
Chinas in Menard county, making a spe-
696
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
cialty of this breed, to which a large por-
tion of his farm, located three and a half
miles northeast of Athens, is devoted. His
facilities are of the best, his farm is con-
ducted on scientific principles and is sup-
plied with all the latest improvements.
Mr. Graham has been twice married,
his first wife being Miss Annie Clark, who
died, survived by her husband and one
child, Edith. On the occasion of his sec-
ond marriage he was united to Miss Phebe
Hardman, and they have one child, named
Harold.
H
WUGH DOBIE HUNTER.— There
never was a time in the history of Free-
masonry when the consummation of its ob-
ject was so near completion as in the pres-
ent day. The intellectual faculties of the
people are being directed to the existing evil
in the world, and a general crusade against
crime has been the result. Investigating
committees have been appointed in the
larger cities to look into corruption preva-
lent in their municipal government, and
who shall say that the entering wedge was
not inserted, or at least instigated, by the
adherents of Freemasonry? The fraternity
has a large and influential following in Chi-
cago, and one of its most enthusiastic and
energetic members is H. D. Hunter, who
has given much of his time to the work in
the blue lodge. He was made a Master
Mason in Kilwinning Lodge, No. 31, in
1890, in which he has held the chairs of
Junior Steward, Senior Warden, and in
1894-5 was elected Worshipful Master.
In this year he represented the body
in the Grand Lodge. In 1891 Mr. Hunter
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Corinthian Chapter, No.
69, attained the Knighthood degree in
St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, and re-
ceived the ineffable degree of Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory, Scottish Rite, April, 1893. He is
a member of the Ancient Arabic Order,
being a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Me-
dinah Temple, Valley of Chicago.
Mr. Hunter was born in St. Mary's,
Ontario, October 18, 1856, at an early
age coining to Chicago, where he at-
tended the public schools, subsequently
returning to Canada and entering the Up-
per Canada College at Toronto, remain-
ing there from 1870 to 1873, in which
year he went to Heidelberg, Germany,
and spent two years in the university of
that place. He returned to America and
began preparations for adopting the legal
profession by attending the Union College
of Law at Chicago. He did not carry out
his original intentions, however, but entered
a business career, and since 1878 he has
been successfully engaged as a commission
merchant, his operations being on the board
of trade. He is one of the firm of W. E.
Webbe & Company, with offices at 807
Royal Insurance building.
Politically Mr. Hunter is a stanch Re-
publican and a firm believer in the princi-
ples of that party. In religious affairs he
is an earnest adherent of the Presbyterian
church.
WALTER DAVIS HALL.— The in-
stitution of Freemasonry is not
merely an organization for the cultivation of
the social side of man, although that is one
of the features that enters into its workings,.
It is practical in its methods, and the actual
benefits derived from it are many. One of
its most laudable undertakings is the erec-
tion all over the country of numerous Ma-
sonic widows' and orphans' homes, where
the wives and children of Masons are shel-
tered and cared for if unable to support
themselves. These homes are located in
nearly every state in the Union, and this
is only one of several ways in which the
fraternity demonstrates its sincerity. Illi-
nois is rich in its membership of loyal Ma-
sons who are ever ready to give their aid
to all worthy movements, and of these none
is more active in his support than Walter
D. Hall, who has been honorably affiliated
with the order for twenty-one years. He
became an Entered Apprentice, passed the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
697
Fellow-craft and raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in Elliott Lodge,
Jamaica Plains, at Boston, Massachusetts,
was created a Sir Knight in St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35, and attained the in-
effable degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, Valley
of Chicago. Mr. Hall is also a member of
the Boston Masonic Aid Association, and of
the Royal League.
The birth of Brother Hall took place in
Boston, Massachusetts, December^, 1855,
and it was there he obtained his education
in the public schools. In 1881 he came to
Chicago and embarked in the commission
business, and is to-day recpgnized as one of
the progressive and enterprising merchants
of this city.
Mr. Hall was united in marriage to Miss
Allie L. George, of Chicago. They are
both adherents of the Baptist church, and
are liberal contributors to its support. Po-
litically Mr. Hall is a stanch Republican,
believing firmly in the principles as set
forth in the platform adopted at the na-
tional convention held in St. Louis in June,
1896.
WILLIAM H. CORNELL, a Master
Mason of Belvidere, is prominently
connected with the industrial interests of
the city and his labors have not only
brought to him a handsome competence but
have also materially added to the prosperity
of the community. He is a representative
of one of the pioneer families of Boone
county and was born on the family home-
stead on the 3ist of July, 1853. His an-
cestors were natives of New York, and his
grandfather, Nathaniel Cornell, located in
Onondaga county, New York, ten miles
northwest of Syracuse, when the country
was an undeveloped wilderness. In the
midst of the forest he improved a farm, on
which he resided for fifty years, bearing
his part in the work of development and
progress which changed his country from a
wild region to one of high civilization. His
son, Lyman P. Cornell, was born on the
old home farm in 1819, and in 1840, when
a young man, emigrated westward, taking
up his residence in Boone county, Illinois,
where he took up a claim of one hundred
and sixty acres of government land. For
fifty-six years he has resided in the county
and now at the advanced age of seventy-
seven makes his home here among friends
and old-time acquaintances who esteem
him highly for his sterling worth and his
well-spent life.
William Harvey Cornell, whose name
introduces this review, completed his edu-
cation in the high school of Belvidere, and
then, not wishing to devote his energies
to agricultural pursuits, learned the trade
of carpentering, beginning his apprentice-
ship in the spring of 1872. For the past
nineteen years he has followed this pursuit
continously in Belvidere and is recognized
as one of its leadingcontractors>and builders.
Many of the public buildings and fine resi-
dences stand as monuments to his thrift and
enterprise, and are evidences of his handi-
work. Time tests the merits of all things
and stamps its approval or disapproval
thereon. The work of Mr. Cornell has met
the severest test of this character and has
won commendation. He is now engaged
in the erection of one of the finest resi-
dences in the city, and among other fine
structures which he has erected is the South
Side high-school building in 1882. Honor-
able and straight-forward in his dealings
and faithful to the trusts confided to his
care, he is able to command a liberal share
of the public patronage and is now en joying
a good trade.
Mr. Cornell was happily married, in
the spring of 1882, to Miss Ella Lanning, a
native of Boone county and a daughter of
James L. Lanning, a well and favorably
known citizen of the county. They have
one son, James Millard.
Mr. Cornell is a valued and active mem-
ber of several civic societies. He was
raised to the sublime degree of a Master
Mason in Belvidere Lodge, No. 60, A. F.
& A. M., in March, 1896. He has been an
active member of the Independent Order
698
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
of Odd Fellows, has passed all the chairs
in the subordinate lodge and the encamp-
ment, and has also been representative of
his lodge in the Grand Lodge. He has
been a prominent and active worker in the
Ancient Order of United Workmen, filling
every position in it most creditably, and is
also a member of the Knights and Ladies
of Security. He is a Republican in politics
and is a reliable and worthy citizen, who
occupies a high position in commercial and
social circles.
WESLEY J. CLIZBE.— The work
of Freemasonry, as accomplished
through the aggregate labors of its individual
devotees, has been a most potent element
in placing more exalted standards of man-
hood before the race, in advancing humani-
tarianism and in inculcating benevolence
and helpfulness among all peoples. Its de-
fenses are impregnable, because it is
founded on eternal truth; its strength is
immeasurable, because it embraces all hu-
man potentiality for good. Identification
with the great crafthood indicates the culti-
vation of all cordial virtues, of honor and
of charity, and consequently in the lives of
its followers there is naturally found a moral
strength which can not fail to command
respect and admiration. A good man is a
better man from adding to his other attri-
butes that of being a true Freemason. Chi-
cago, where practically every human inter-
est finds representation, may well look with
pride and satisfaction upon those Masonic
bodies, numerous in membership, where
is held high the unblemished escutcheon
of the craft, and where the most substan-
tial business and professional men, as well
as those in more humble walks of life,
meet upon a general level, upon which
rises the plumb-line of rectitude, while the
square of duty registers character. One
of the stanch and representative adherents
of the great Masonic brotherhood is Mr.
Wesley J. Clizbe, who holds the responsible
and important preferment as manager of
the Chicago branch of the great vehicle-
manufacturing enterprise of the Studebaker
Brothers, recognized as one of the most ex-
tensive concerns of the sort in the world.
Mr. Clizbe's initiation into the myster-
ies of the ancient-craft Masonry occurred
in Toledo, Ohio, where he received the
three symbolic degrees and was raised Mas-
ter Mason in Collingwood Lodge, A. F. &
A. M. He was later exalted to the august
degree of the Royal Arch in Wauseon Chap-
ter, at Wauseon, Ohio, and was eventually
dimitted from this organization and placed
his affiliation with Fairview Chapter, No.
161, R. A. M., of Chicago. Mr. Clizbe
also attained the cryptic and chivalric de-
grees in the Buckeye state, having been
greeted a Select Master and having re-
ceived the grades and orders of knighthood
in Toledo Commandery of the Knights
Templar, at Toledo. He has been espe-
cially zealous and devoted as a follower of
the beauseant, and is at the present time
an honored and most popular Sir Knight of
Montjoie Commandery, No. 53, of Chicago,
in which body he has passed the several
offices as Standard Bearer, Senior Warden
and Generalissimo, while at the last annual
election of the commander}" (December,
1 896) he was granted the distinguished
honor of being elected Eminent Command-
er for the year 1897, — a preferment to
which his sterling attributes and constant
and discriminating interest clearly entitle
him. Passing forward in the ineffable
grades of the Ancient and Accepted Scot-
tish Rite, Mr. Clizbe was proclaimed a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret, thirty-
second degree, in Cincinnati Consistory, in
the Valley of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 25th
of January, 1884. Upon taking up his resi-
dence in Chicago he identified himself with
Oriental Consistory, and after successfully
traversing the burning Arabian desert, he
gained title as a Noble of Medinah Temple
of the Mystic Shrine. After thus noting
the precedence of our subject in Masonry,
it is apropos that we incorporate a brief re-
view of his life aside from this considera-
tion.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI?
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
701
Wesley J. Clizbe is a native of Quincy,
Branch county, Michigan, where he was
born on the 23d of June, 1851. His parents
were representatives of pioneer families of
that beautiful section of the Wolverine state.
He received his educational discipline in
the public schools and early turned his at-
tention to the practical duties of life. While
the story of his career is in a sense brief
and simple, yet it has clearly demonstrated
the possibilities of success which may be at-
tained by one who labors with definite ends
in view, who is industrious, faithful and
self-reliant, whose integrity is beyond ques-
tion, and whose courage has enabled him
to triumph over adverse circumstances. At
the age of twenty years Mr. Clizbe entered
the service of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad Company, in whose em-
ploy he continued for a period of seven
years. His practical discipline and discrim-
ination,— the one received and the other
developed in this connection, — rendered
him eligible for positions of higher trust and
responsibility. He accordingly became an
employee of the Milburn Wagon Company,
and during an association with this concern
covering eighteen years he was enabled to
prove his value and to become recognized
as one of the most capable attaches of
the same. In 1896 he accepted his pres-
ent responsible position as manager of the
important Chicago house of the Studebaker
Brothers Manufacturing Company, of South
Bend, Indiana. His administration of the
affairs of the house has been signally effect-
ive, and the interests of the great corpora-
tion have been forwarded in a pronounced
degree by his capable management and cor-
rect methods.
In September, 1877, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Clizbe and Miss Dencie R.
Odell, of Delta, Ohio, and they are the
parents of three children, — Roscoe J., Floyd
I. and Harry J. Mr. Clizbe is a member
of the Douglas Club, one* of the leading so-
cial organizations of the city, and he already
enjoys a distinctive popularity in business
and social circles as well as in those of the
great Masonic fraternity.
MONROE STONE is an active,
influential and prominent representa-
tive of the Masonic society in Chicago. As
truth is eternal, so the mutations of the cen-
turies may not eradicate the principles upon
which the fair fabric of Masonry is erected.
It has been said that Masonry is grand be-
cause it is old; but Masonry is old because
it is grand. It has withstood the ravages
of time, the revolutions of ages, the unre-
lenting crusades directed against it, because
it is founded upon a philosophic basis. It
is that imperial institution which carries
lessons of true manhood, devotion to
women, loyalty to truth; it is that perma-
nent institution whose example has actually
called into being almost every other benev-
olent order extant; it is that noble institu-
tion which in the silent watches, unobserved,
carries joy and gladness to the lonely and
desolate of heart and extends the helping
hand to the unfortunate; it is that immov-
able institution which, by its tenets and
cordial virtues, draws unbidden to her sanc-
tum sanctorum the high, the low, the rich,
the poor, and numbers them all alike, its
own plighted sons and workmen; it is that
imperious institution which, by its sublime
principles, unswerving faith and noble
deeds, challenges the admiration of the
world.
Of this institution Mr. Stone has been a
member for more than a quarter of a cen-
tury, having taken the initiatory degrees in
Grand Haven, Michigan, in 1871. Having
passed the three degrees of the blue lodge
and comprehended in its fullest extent the
deep truth of universality as symbolized by
the "blue," typical of the immeasurable
dome of the blue heavens, he took the
Royal Arch degrees and became a com-
panion of the chapter in Grand Haven in
1873. After his removal to Chicago he was
dimitted to Lawn Lodge, No. 815, F. &
A. M., of Chicago Lawn, and also placed
his membership in Lawn Chapter, No. 205,
R. A. M., of Chicago Lawn. He was made
a Royal and Select Master in Siloam
Council, No. 53, of Chicago, in 1893, and
was dimitted therefrom to Palestine Coun-
702
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
cil, No. 66. In 1892 he was created a
Knight Templar and with Chicago Com-
mandery, No. 19, faithfully follows the
beauseant. As a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, he is
now serving as electrical director of the
Medinah Temple, his membership being in
that branch of the Shrine which gives its
name to one of the leading office buildings
of Chicago. Mr. Stone has been honored
with a number of offices in connection with
the various branches of the order. Having
passed other chairs he occupied that of
Worshipful Master in Lawn Lodge, and has
filled the position of High Priest in the
chapter. He has also been Standard Bear-
er in the commandery and his strict ob-
servance of the rules and methods of the-
societies and his unswerving loyalty to their
principles has made him a most valued and
welcome member. He was honored by the
blue lodge by being made its representative to
the Grand Lodge, and also represented Lawn
Chapter in the Grand Chapter. Such in
brief is the history of Mr. Stone's connec-
tion with Masonry, but the history of a true
Mason is not one of words but of deeds, in
which he exemplifies the spirit of the fra-
ternity and intermingles its truths with the
duties of this work-a-day life.
Aside from his connection with the
Masonic fraternity Mr. Stone is also a val-
ued member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, the National Union, the
Royal League and the American Legion of
Honor. In his political affiliations he has
long been a Republican and served as post-
master under President Lincoln. In his re-
ligious views he is an Episcopalian. His
honor in business, his integrity in private
life and his loyalty in Masonry all command
the respect and confidence of those with
whom he has been brought in contact.
Mr. Stone claims Michigan as the state
of his nativity, his birth having occurred in
Argentine, on the 2/th of October, 1850.
His preliminary education was obtained in
the common schools of his native town,
continued in the high school and later he
entered Bryant & Stratton's Commercial
College, where a practical business course
fitted him for life's responsible duties in the
active business world. For thirty-three
years he has been in the electrical business,
and is most proficient in that line, having
given to the subject that close and earnest
attention which has enabled him to master
many of the laws of the electrical world.
Steadily he has advanced in his chosen
calling and has won the success which has
followed tireless purpose, close application
and well directed energy. His children are
George Hollis, Oscar Monroe, Jr., Edgar
and Ada.
JOHN KNAPP LINBARGER, general
agent for the Inter-state Building and
Loan Association, of Bloomington, Illi-
nois, is a resident of Delavan, this state.
He is a gentleman of marked business abil-
ity and one who has long been interested
in Masonry, his identity with this order
dating back to 1873, when he was initiated,
passed and raised in San Jose Lodge, No.
645, at San Jose, Illinois. He went to the
Worshipful Master's chair in 1875 by dis-
pensation from the Grand Lodge of Illi-
nois, and filled that office successively up to
and including the year 1880, and each year
was a representative from his lodge to the
Grand Lodge. He still retains his mem-
bership in the blue lodge at San Jose. In
1878, in Delavan Chapter, No. 156, R. A.
M., he was a candidate for the degrees and
was made a Royal Arch Mason, and of this
body he is still a worthy member. He was
knighted in St. Aldemar Commandery, No.
47, K. T., of Petersburg, Illinois, August i,
1889, and May 29, 1895, had the Mystic
Shrine degrees conferred upon him by Mo-
hammed Temple of Peoria, in both of
which he is a member in good standing.
" Brotherly love, relief and truth " has long
been his motto, and he has earnestly
striven to show forth in his life the princi-
ples of Masonry.
Mr. Linbarger is a native of Illinois.
He was born in Jerseyville, Jersey county.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
708
March 18, 1852, but was reared on a farm
near San Jose, Mason county, early becom-
ing familiar with agricultural pursuits and
giving his attention to farming and stock-
raising until 1886. That year he moved to
San Jose and engaged in the hotel business,
with which he was connected for two
years. In 1888 he was employed by the
Inter-state Building and Loan Association,
of Bloomington, as their first organizer,
and has since been associated with this
company, now occupying the position of
general agent.
January 10, 1877, Mr. Linbarger was
united in marriage to Miss Julia Warne, of
Delavan, and they have three children, —
Mabel, Jessie and Harry.
Mrs. Linbarger is an enthusiastic mem-
ber of the Order of the Eastern Star, that
popular auxiliary of Masonry which is made
up of the wives, daughters, mothers, wid-
ows and sisters of Master Masons. Mr. and
Mrs. Linbarger were both conducted
through the labyrinth of the Star in the
San Jose Chapter, and since 1884 have
been members of the chapter at Delavan,
in which Mrs. Linbarger is at this writing,
1896, filling the chair of Associate Matron
and proving herself an indefatigable worker.
In 1895 she attended the Grand Lodge, O.
E. S. , as proxy.
JAMES POLLOCK, one of the enterpris-
ing and successful citizens of Cambridge,
is a Sir Knight Templar. He was made a
Mason in Cambridge Lodge, No. 49, in
which he has held the offices of Junior and
Senior Warden, Secretary and Past Master,
sustaining the present relation at the pres-
ent time, he having served as its Worship-
ful Master two terms. He is a thoroughly
well informed member of the order and a
man who has taken great interest and pleas-
ure in Masonic work. In the higher branches
he is a member of Kewanee Chapter, No.
47, of Everts Commandery, No. 18, at Rock
Island, of Kaaba Temple, Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, at Davenport, Iowa, and,
with his wife, is a member of Mystic Chap-
ter, No. 1 60, order of the Eastern Star, at
Cambridge; and they are highly appreciated
both by members of the Masonic order and
by the citizens of Cambridge and vicinity
generally.
Mr. Pollock is still a resident of his na-
tive county. He was born within three
miles of Cambridge, June 7, 1861, of Scotch-
Irish ancestry. His father, David Pollock,
was born at Waterside within half a mile of
the famous city of Londonderry, county
Donegal, Ireland, was educated in his na-
tive county, and when a young man emi-
grated to this country to make a permanent
home in this land of free men, free institu-
tions and fertile resources. After remain-
ing some time at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
he came, in 1855, to Henry county, Illinois,
purchased land and developed one of the
fine farms of this splendid section of the
state. He married Miss Catharine Ander-
son, a native of Sweden, and they had two
children whom they brought up, namely,
the subject of this sketch and a daughter.
David Pollock departed this life in 1883,
aged eighty-two years. His good wife sur-
vives, and is now (1897) seventy-eight years
of age.
Mr. James Pollock was educated in the
public schools and reared on his father's
farm, but he is now engaged in the plumb-
ing business in Cambridge. He is presi-
dent of the Henry County Mutual Fire In-
surance Company, and for a number of
years has been the secretary of the Henry
County Fire Association, taking a praise-
worthy and active part in the affairs of the
town and county. He does all in his power
to promote the welfare of the city and
county in which he had his birth and in
which he has always been a respected citi-
zen. In his political principles he is a
Democrat, and on all questions he is an in-
dependent thinker.
In 1886 he was united in matrimony
with Miss Lizzie Rhodes, a native of Buda,
this state, and they have three children,—
Albert David, James and Almira. Mr.
Pollock has built a nice residence in Cam-
704
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
bridge, where cordial hospitality prevails,
and he and his family enjoy the esteem of
the community.
JOHN W. MAXWELL, who has been
quite prominent in Masonic circles in
Chicago for a number of years past, and
who is one of the city's most progressive
business men, is a native of New York city,
where he was born March 25, 1859. Early
in life he was taken to Perth, Canada, and
was sent to the public schools of that place,
which he finally left in order to learn iron-
molding at New Castle, which occupation
he followed for four years. In 1876 he
came back to the United States and en-
listed in Company G, Seventh Regiment,
United States Cavalry, which was under
the command of Colonel O. Terry. The
troop of which Mr. Maxwell was a member
was stationed out west and his experiences
as a soldier were most eventful. About
that time the Indians were making consid-
erable trouble for the authorities, and many
were the exciting skirmishes that took place
between the "redskins" and the troops.
Mr. Maxwell was one of those who went to
the rescue of General Custer's brave band
of heroes, and during an encounter with
the Indians he received a gunshot wound
and was removed from the field to the Fort
D. A. Russell hospital in a delirious condi-
tion. The hospital was situated near Chey-
enne, Wyoming, and Mr. Maxwell was con-
fined there for over twenty-one weeks.
He was a non-commissioned sergeant and
was discharged after leaving the hospital,
on account of disability. He came east
again and followed his trade for a few years,
until 1878, when he located in Chicago,
and in 1884 engaged in the coal and feed
business, which he has followed ever since
most successfully.
Mr. Maxwell is an active member of the
Masonic fraternity and has always endeav-
ored to live up to its full requirements and
the obligations it imposes upon the broth-
erhood. He became a Master Mason in
Home Lodge, No. 508, in 1884, was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Chicago Chapter, No. 127, in which he
held the office of Principal Sojourner, was
created a Sir Knight in Chevalier Bayard
Commandery, No. 52, in which he was
Standard Bearer for one term, and received
the ineffable degrees of the Scottish Rite in
Oriental Consistory in 1891. He has taken
especial interest in the commandery, and
attended the triennial conclaves in both
Denver and Boston. Mr. Maxwell is also
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah
Temple.
Mr. Maxwell's father, Samuel P. Max-
well, was a native of Scotland, who came
to the United States and located at Boston,
where he started the first locomotive works
in that city. Later he moved to Canada,
where he died.
The subject of this review was married
November 4, 1880, to Miss Mary J. White,
who was born in Kansas, and they have two
children.
T'HOMAS J. BENT, esteemed as one
of the leading business men and
prominent citizens of Chicago, has almost
rounded the circle of Masonry, being a
thirty-second-degree and Knight Templar
Mason. He is a loyal advocate of the
principles of the craft which have been
handed down through many centuries to
become a most important factor in the civ-
ilization of the nineteenth century. Even
when the darkness of paganism enshrouded
the greater part of the world light gleamed
from Masonic altars and illumined the good
deeds of those who recognized the brother-
hood of man and practiced mutual forbear-
ance, mutual helpfulness and benevolence.
To-day the followers of Masonry pursue
the same practices, their mission being to
counteract the effect of those things which
tend to drive men further and further apart
and to unite in the indissoluble ties of
brotherhood the whole human race. More
than a third of a century has passed since
Mr. Bent first became a member of the so-
ciety. He joined Perfect Ashlar Lodge,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
705
No. 600, F. & A. M. , of New York city, in
1857, and on coming to Chicago was dimit-
ted to Garden City Lodge, with which he has
now affiliated for twenty-two years, being
one of its life members. In 1880 he was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in York Chapter, and in 1882 was
knighted in St. Bernard Commandery, No.
35, K. T. He attained the thirty-second
degree of the Scottish Rite in 1876, joining
the ineffable lodge of perfection known as
Oriental Consistory. For three years he
served as Standard Bearer therein and for
a similar period was Standard Guard. He
is also a member of the Masonic Veteran
Association, belongs to the order of the
Eastern Star and is one of the oldest and
most honored representatives of Masonry
in Chicago.
Thomas J. Bent was long connected
with the industrial interests of this city,
but is now living retired, enjoying the fruits
of his former toil after a useful and benefi-
cent career. He has won a prominent
place by his superior ingenuity, mechanical
skill, business ability and unbounded enter-
prise, and is a self-made man of recognition
of opportune moments, and his utilization
of the same, supplemented by sound judg-
ment and tireless purpose, has won him a
handsome competence.
He was born in Liverpool, England, on
the 2ist of December, 1835, and when a
young man of twenty years crossed the
Atlantic to America, hoping to find better
opportunities for business in the new world.
Nor was he disappointed in this hope. He
first located in New York city, where he
was connected with the calcium-light busi-
ness for twelve years, and in 1867 he came
to Chicago, where he was the pioneer in
that enterprise, which is now an important
addition to the industrial interests of the
city. He was the first to furnish calcium
light for the lodge rooms in Chicago and
built up a very extensive trade. He also
established a calcium-light business in Bos-
ton, which was conducted under the man-
agement of his son, Samuel L. Bent, until
the latter's death. He has invented and
made several fine stereopticons, and is
thoroughly familiar with the most im-
proved methods in that line. Mr. Bent
also conducted extensive brass works for
some time and met with a well-merited
success along that line. A few years since
he retired from active connection with
commercial pursuits, and is now living in
an honored retirement, surrounded by the
comforts that earnest labor has brought to
him.
For many years Mr. Bent has made his
home on the west side of the city and takes
a deep interest in the improvement and
advancement of that district. Public-spir-
ited and progressive he lends substantial
support to those measures calculated to
prove of public benefit and is a valued resi-
dent of the community. His political sup-
port is given the Republican party.
He was married in New York city and
has reared ten children.
WILLIAM LEONARD ROACH, who
resides in Chicago Lawn, is one who
though not taking an active part in the
workings of the lodge is yet a worthy ex-
emplar of the spirit and teachings of the
fraternity which through centuries has ex-
erted upon mankind a most ennobling in-
fluence. Business interests, political affilia-
tions and even religious beliefs tend to sep-
arate men by placing the barriers of opinion
between them; but Masonry rises above all
these and in an indissoluble tie of brother-
hood unites the individual members of the
human race into one great family. Many
years have passed since Mr. Roach first be-
came a member of the order. He petitioned
for and was elected to membership in Strict
Observance Lodge, A. F. &A. M., of Ham-
ilton, Canada, after which he was initiated
as Entered Apprentice, passed the Fellow-
craft degree and was raised to the sublime
degree of a Master Mason. He afterward
learned the lessons of capitular Masonry in
St. John's Chapter, of Hamilton, wherein
he was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason. He received the grades
706
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
and orders of chivalric Masonry in the same
place, being dubbed aud created a Knight
Templar in Godfrey de Bouillon Command-
ery. He also holds membership in Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine, of Chicago.
Mr. Roach was born in the province of
Ontario, July i, 1849, and spent his early
youth in his native city of Hamilton,
where he remained untill 1866. He then
went abroad to be educated, and pursued a
collegiate course in the mother country.
On its completion he returned to Canada,
and entered upon his business career in con-
nection with mercantile pursuits. In 1881
he came to Chicago, where he has since re-
sided, his home being now in Chicago Lawn.
He is a man of energy and enterprise in
business, is well informed on all matters of
general interest and is a pleasant, genial
gentleman, whose courtesy and high per-
sonal worth have won him many friends.
C-HARLES W. KING, of Chicago, is not
a Mason of long standing, but in the
four years of his connection with the order
has made rapid advancement through its
various bodies and has gained a thorough
understanding of its principles and purposes
as shown by his exemplification of them in
the practical affairs of life. He was made
a Mason in Waubansia Lodge, No. 160, in
1893, was advanced as Mark Master, in-
stalled as Past Master, received as Most Ex-
cellent Master and exalted as Royal Arch
in York Chapter in the same year, and about
the same time took the cryptic degrees in
Palestine Council, No. 66, and was greeted
a Select Master. In St. Bernard Command-
ery, he was constituted, created and dubbed
a Sir Knight, and in Oriental Consistory he
attained the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite. He is also a Noble of Me-
dinah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine. His Masonic record is a
credit to the fraternity, for it is the lives of
the members that determine the standing
of the order and enables it to maintain the
prestige which it gained centuries ago as
the oldest and most beneficial of all the
civic societies.
Mr. King is one of Chicago's native sons
and possesses the true western spirit of en-
terprise and progress which has dominated
this section and made the little swampy
town of fifty years since the metropolis of
the west and the close second to the old
Knickerbocker city of the east. He was
born May 24, 1864, and obtained his edu-
cation in the city schools. In 1885 he em-
barked in the restaurant business and has
since been connected with that important
line of trade. Chicago business interests
concentrated in one section of the city and
calling thousands of her inhabitants daily to
this small portion of her area far from their
homes and rendering it impossible for them
to return for the noontide meal, make it
very essential that the restaurant business
take a foremost place in the line of impor-
tant enterprise, and in this line Mr. King is
a leader. He receives from the public a
liberal patronage and his success is justly
deserved.
LBERT J. ANDERSEN. --Every
-/*3t. lodge belonging to the great frater-
nity of Freemasonry contributes its mite,
moral as well as material, for the elevation
of the race, teaching the principles of that
brotherly affection that drives from the
heart all base passions and brings mankind
into sweeter fellowship. In Chicago the
lodges have accomplished a great amount of
good, and the members stand ever ready to
assist with the work in any way in their
power. One of the earnest adherents of
the precepts and tenets of the order is Al-
bert J. Andersen, who was initiated in Gar-
field Lodge, No. 686, in 1896; received the
degrees of capitular Masonry in York Chap-
ter; was constituted a Sir Knight in St.
Bernard Commandery, and attained the
ineffable degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, all in
the same year. He is a Noble of the An-
cient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
his membership being in Medinah Temple.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
707
Mr. Andersen is loyal and enthusiastic, and
is a popular brother in the bodies with
which he is affiliated.
Our subject was born in Whitewater,
Wisconsin, December 28, 1865, and grew
to manhood in the city of his nativity, re-
ceiving his education in the public schools.
He made his start in life by securing a
clerkship in a clothing store, but wishing
to extend his field of labor he came to Chi-
cago in 1890, and established the wholesale
woolen house of Andersen & Company,
which has become one of the best known
firms in the city, and has taken a position
in the front rank among clothing merchants.
Mr. Andersen is an enterprising young man,
possesses inherent business qualifications,
and is one of the substantial and prosper-
ous citizens of Chicago.
The subject of this review was united in
marriage to Miss Mellie S. Wright on April
17, 1887. Mrs. Andersen is a native of St.
Augustine, Florida. They have one son,
whose name is Sidney L.
LBERT L. BENTLEY.— Members of
JML the Masonic fraternity are familiar
with the name appearing at the head of this
sketch, as this gentleman has been very
prominent in lodge work throughout the
states of Illinois and New York, where his
labors have won for him the respect and
esteem of the brethren. Mr. Bentley be-
came an Entered Apprentice, received the
Fellow-craft degree, and was raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason in Nor-
wich Lodge, of Norwich, New York, in
1868, and served as its Senior Deacon.
Upon moving to Chicago he was dimitted
and became a member of Lincoln Park
Lodge, No. 611. In 1887 he was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177, of which
he became Royal Arch Captain, and was
created a Sir Knight in Apollo Commandery,
No. i, at present being affiliated with Lin-
coln Park Commandery, No. 64, of which
he has been Treasurer since its organization,
and was one of the seven Masons who or-
ganized this commandery. He also assisted
in establishing the blue lodge at Pierce,
Nebraska, and Golden Rod Chapter, No.
205, Order of the Eastern Star, holding in
latter body the office of Past Patron. Mr.
Bentley is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, in
Medinah Temple, and a member of the
Royal Legion, Stark Council, No. 31, and
Lincoln Park Council, No. 353, National
Union. Mr. Bentley has been a Mason
from the time he was twenty-one years old
and has ever since been deeply interested in
all its workings. The principles of the
craft have been instilled deep within his
heart, and he always stands ready to per-
form any duties that may be required of
him.
The birth of Mr. Bentley took place in
Norwich, New York, May 18, 1847, and
there his early education was obtained in
the public schools, which was later supple-
mented by a course at a business college,
at which he was graduated. He then be-
came engaged in the making of tombstones,
in which business he continued for a few
years, and then, in 1872, he moved to the
southwestern part of Iowa, located on a
farm and remained there for about six
years. In 1886 Mr. Bentley came to Chi-
cago and engaged in the undertaking busi-
ness, which, with the exception of a few
months, he has followed at his present lo-
cation ever since. He is a man of excel-
lent qualities, has acquired a comfortable
competency, and owns the property which
he now occupies.
In 1869 Mr. Bentley was united in mar-
riage to Miss Maria B. Ashcraft, of Nor-
wich, New York, and two children have
been born to them: Leon A., who is a
member of Lincoln Park Lodge; and Hat-
tie M.
Politically Mr. Bentley believes in the
principles of the Republican party.
fpEORGE W. McLESTER.— When all
\^ has been said for and against Masonry,
it must be acknowledged that its influence
has been felt more or less throughout the
708
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
world, and the fact that its membership has
been and is being constantly honored by
some of the most intelligent and progress-
ive men in the world, should be a guaran-
tee of its authenticity and disperse all
doubts that may assail those who have not
entire confidence in its genuineness. Mr.
McLester is a recent acquisition to the or-
der in Chicago, having received the Master
Mason degree in Lincoln Park Lodge, No.
611, in October, 1894. He was raised to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Lincoln Park Chapter, No. 177, was cre-
ated a Sir Knight in Lincoln Park Com-
mandery, No. 64, in February, 1895, and
was constituted a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory in
April, 1895. He has been an earnest and
conscientious brother and his presence is
always cordially welcomed in the lodge
rooms. He has successfully journeyed
across the desert and has become a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple.
Mr. McLester is a native of Ireland, his
birth occurring in Belfast on December 14,
1864, and there his education was received
in the public and high schools, graduating
at the latter at an early age. When but
seventeen years old he possessed an ambi-
tion to try his luck in foreign lands and con-
sequently sailed for the United States,
landing in New York city. From there he
went to Canada, stopping for a short time
at Toronto, and then proceeding direct to
Chicago, where he arrived in February,
1882. He secured employment with the
dry-goods firm of Carson, Pirie, Scott &
Company, with whom he remained for nine
years, during which time he occupied
various positions of trust, among them be-
ing that of bookkeeper, which he held
when he resigned, in July, 1891. In that
year he embarked in his present business,
that of real estate and insurance, and opened
an office at No. 88 Washington street,
where he has met with deserved success.
The record of Mr. McLester demonstrates
in a most conclusive manner what natural
ability and energy, backed by a firm de-
termination to succeed, will accomplish.
Coming to this country with no other capi-
tal but a stout heart and willing hands, Mr.
McLester has in a comparatively short
time. accumulated a comfortable competen-
cy and acquired an independent position in
life. Although a young man he has excel-
lent business qualifications and owns con-
siderable property in Chicago, both im-
proved and unimproved. He is a public-
spirited, progressive gentleman, and is well-
known in real-estate and business circles.
In 1885 Mr. McLester was united in
marriage to Miss Pauline Rohrbach, who
was born in Chicago, and they have one
child, Violet. Socially our subject is a
member of the Knights of Pythias and of
the Iroquois Club.
RTHUR G. MOREY.— The Masonic
K._ fraternity of Chicago is to be con-
gratulated upon having as a member of its
local bodies such an enthusiastic and ener-
getic young man as Mr. Morey has proven
himself to be. He was made a Mason in
Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611, and held the
office of Junior Warden, was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Lin-
coln Park Chapter, No. 177, and was cre-
ated a Sir Knight in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35, in which he was elected
to the chair of Senior Warden, and for two
years was a member of its drill corps. He
dimitted to assist in the organization of
Lincoln Park Commandery, with which he
is now affiliated. He has taken a great
deal of interest in the commandery and
helped to establish the Junior Standard
Team, of which he is very proud. In his
other social relations Mr. Morey is a mem-
ber of the Ancient Arabic Order, being a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah
Temple, of the Marquette Club, the Chi-
cago Yacht Club, and the Lincoln Park
Yacht Club. He is a bright, companiona-
ble young man, with many prepossessing
qualities, which have won for .him a large
number of friends both in and out of the
fraternity.
Mr. Morey has always lived in Chicago,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
709
where he was born September 8, 1860, and
received his education in the public and pri-
vate schools of that city. During his youth
his natural bent was toward architecture,
and all his leisure time was spent in the
study of that fascinating science. After be-
coming qualified, he secured the position of
county architect, which he held for three
terms, and during his incumbency he gave
universal satisfaction in the high quality of
work accomplished. Upon the expiration
of his term in the county office Mr. Morey
started in for himself and is at present doing
a general business. He has had some of
the largest contracts in the city, among
them being the North End Masonic Temple,
one of the finest halls in the United States,
and the Joliet Masonic Temple. He is now
designing the temple at Butte, Montana,
and also the county jail temple, his work
in general being the constructing of halls,
temples, etc. Mr. Morey is a young man
of keen intellect, well adapted to his pro-
fession, of which he possesses a thorough
knowledge in all the details. His ideas are
original and he has given to the public many
crystallized forms of them in the way of
charming buildings, whose grace and beauty
attract and please the eye. Mr. Morey is
a man of strict integrity, and he is regarded
with as much esteem by his business asso-
ciates as he is by his friends and members
of the fraternity.
He was united in marriage February 4,
1896, to Miss Bessie Hall, of Chicago.
JOHN WYCOFF WHITE.— As a mem-
ber of the brotherhood has most elo-
quently said: "The Masonic fraternity
was old when the soldiers of Caesar landed
on the shores of Britain; old when Alexan-
der carried the civilization of Asia to
Europe. It antedated the years of Confu-
cius, Buddha, David and Solomon; and who
can know but the Grand Master of long ago
may have tested with plumb and level
the foundation stones of the pyramids?"
Through the long years since those days
this order has continued its steady march
30*
onward, overcoming impediments in its path
and issuing triumphant into the light of in-
telligence, prosperity and peace. "America
is the child and heir of all the ages." In
our colonial days an invaluable inheritance
from our English-speaking ancestors across
the sea was the institution of Freemasonry.
Many of Chicago's most prominent and
representative citizens are enrolled under
its banner, and one of the most enthusiastic
members is Mr. White. He was made a
Master Mason in Golden Rule Lodge, No.
726, in which he held the chair of Worship-
ful Master, was exalted in Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, No. 126; was made a Royal and
Select Master in Chicago Council, No. 4, in
which he held the office of Thrice Illustrious
Master; and was created a Sir Knight in
St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, Knights
Templar, and is at present affiliated with
Lincoln Park Commandery, No. 64. He
is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Me-
dinah Temple, and has filled the position
of First Ceremonial Master in that body
for four years. He is well known in Ma-
sonic circles, has filled every office to which
he has been called with signal ability, and
has given thereto the best energies of his
nature.
Mr. White was born in Warrenton,
Virginia, June 14, 1846, and his early edu-
cation was received at the hands of a
private tutor in his father's family, which
was supplemented by a course at the Uni-
versity of Virginia. Just as he completed
his schooling the Civil war broke out and
Mr. White enlisted in the Confederate army
in May, 1861, serving in the army of North-
ern Virginia, the Seventh Georgia Infant-
ry, the First Virginia Cavalry, and with
Mosby's rangers. He was commissioned
first lieutenant of the Seventh Infantry on
the day he was sixteen years old and had
command of a company for one year. It
is claimed that he was the youngest com-
missioned officer in the Confederate army.
Mr. White participated in all the principal
engagements of his regiments, from Black-
burn's Ford toChancellorsville, was wound-
ed five times and was captured at Fort
710
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Stevens, near Washington, and placed in
the old capitol prison in that city, where
he was kept nearly three months and then
exchanged.
After the cessation of hostilities Mr.
White went to Washington and remained
there until the summer of 1866, when he
came to Chicago and engaged in the steam-
boat transportation business, in which he
continued for five years, leaving that to
take up the grocery trade, with which he
has been connected ever since, at present
holding a responsible position with the well-
known firm of C. Jevne & Company. He
is a self-made man in the strictest meaning
of the word, and owes his present position
to his energetic nature and the natural
abilities with which he is abundantly en-
dowed.
In 1872 Mr. White was united in mar-
riage to Miss Julia E. Blodgett, a native of
Wisconsin.
CHARLES CATLIN.— Chicago may well
be proud of her native citizens, — those
who have gone hand-rin-hand with her
through the years of prosperity, of despair
and of renewed hopes, who have watched
the present magnificent metropolis spring
from a village on the banks of a small
stream and steadily work its way up to one
of the foremost cities of the country. And
the native is equally proud of the city to
which he has given the best years of his life
and where all his interests are centered.
The gentleman whose name heads this
biography is among those who have seen the
wonderful development of Chicago, he hav-
ing been born here November 17, 1844,
when the town was beginning its struggle
for recognition.
Mr. Catlin first attended the public
schools, and his learning was further supple-
mented by a course at Snow & Hathaway's
Academy, at which he was graduated. After
leaving the academy he entered into a busi-
ness career and became associated with his
father, Seth Catlin, who was the first secre-
tary of the Board of Trade. He continued
as his father's assistant for a number of
years and then accepted a position with the
Western Union Telegraph Company as
cashier, where he remained for eighteen
years. Mr. Catlin next became interested
in politics and was placed in charge of the
water office, being appointed to that posi-
tion under Mayor Roche. Subsequently he
was appointed by Postmaster Sexton super-
intendent of the finance division in the
postoffice, which position he filled for about
five years. In 1882 Governor Shelby M.
Cullom secured for him the office of Lincoln
Park commissioner, and he served a full
term of four years. Mr. Catlin was ap-
pointed to his present office of secretary of
the gas inspector's department by Mayor
George B. Swift. He has been an active
participant in local politics and has served
on several important executive committees
for both the city and county, and at this
writing is the alternate for the national
convention.
As an authority on sporting matters of
all kinds Mr. Catlin has attained a wide-
spread reputation. Boating, however, is
the particular branch to which he has given
most of his attention, and he is a well of in-
formation when it comes to aquatic amuse-
ments. He is president of the National
Association of Amateur Oarsmen, the larg-
est organization of its kind in the world,
and was its vice-president for five years.
In 1880 he organized the Catlin Boat Club,
of Chicago, of which he was made presi-
dent. The club has achieved quite a rep-
utation in the city for its social qualities
as well as its feats in the aquatic line.
Mr. Catlin is a Mason of considerable
prominence and has done much to further
the interests of the bodies to which he be-
longs. He is a firm believer in the princi-
ples of the order and endeavors to follow
the divine teachings in his daily life. In
1878 he took the degree of Master Mason
in Oriental Lodge, No. 33, and a year later
became its Secretary, which office he has
held continuously ever since. He was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in LaFayette Chapter, No. 2, in
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
711
1879; was made a Royal and Select Master
in Lincoln Park Council during the same
year, and was created a Knight Templar in
St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, in 1880.
Mr. Catlin has taken more than an ordinary
interest in the Oriental Lodge and is a
faithful worker in that body, which has a
membership of about four hundred.
Mr. Catlin is a member of the Royal
Arcanum, and is well known in all political,
social and business circles. Politically he
has always been an active Republican, and
his labors to advance the interests of his
party have been untiring.
Upon the outbreak of the Civil war Mr.
Catlin enlisted for the hundred-day service
in Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-
fourth Illinois Volunteers, and was on duty
in Kentucky and Missouri for about eight
months.
In 1869 Mr. Catlin was'united in mar-
riage with Miss Mary Edith Woods, a
daughter of the late W. M. Woods, a
prominent Board of Trade man. They
have one son, Franklin S., who is a gradu-
ate of the Northwestern University, of
Evanston, where he took a course of law
with the class of '96.
HENRY WILLIAM TOENNIGS, who
occupies the position of bookkeeper
for the Pekin Plow Company, Pekin, Illi-
nois, is one of the representative Masons of
this state and takes great pleasure in his
lodge and chapter associations. He was
made a Master Mason in 1885, in Empire
Lodge, No. 126, of Pekin, the Entered Ap-
prentice degree being conferred upon him
May 2 1 , the Fellow-craft June 4, and the
Master Mason June 18. Soon he was
chosen to fill official positions in the lodge,
passed nearly all the chairs, and in 1895
was elected Worshipful Master, which prom-
inent office he has since filled, his adminis-
tration being characterized by earnestness
and becoming dignity. In 1895 and '96 he
represented his lodg"e in the Grand Lodge
of the state. The year following his en-
trance into the lodge he sought admission
to the chapter and was duly elected to re-
ceive the degrees in Pekin Chapter, No. 25,
which were given him February 8, 1886.
Here also has he filled various chairs, and
at this writing he occupies that of Captain
of the Host.
Mr. Toennigs is a native of Pekin. He
was born August 30, 1859, and has passed
his whole life in this town. For the last
ten or twelve years he has been occupied as
bookkeeper, and as above stated is now
with the Pekin Plow Company. He served
six years as deputy postmaster under the
Garfield, Arthur and Harrison administra-
tions.
Mr. Toennigs was ushered into life too
late to make a war record during the civil
strife which marked the '6os, but neverthe-
less he has a military record. He served
for some time as a member of Company G,
afterward Company I, of the Seventh Regi-
ment, Illinois state militia.
>\MERSON CLARK.— This gentleman
has been a resident of Farmington,
Illinois, for thirty years, and for nearly that
length of time has been associated with the
Masonic fraternity, his identification with
this order dating from 1868, when, on
Christmas evening, he received the first de-
gree of Farmington Lodge, No. 192. Janu-
ary i, 1869, the Fellow-craft degree was
conferred upon him, and on the I9th of the
following month he was raised to a Master
Mason. From the first he manifested a
deep interest in the work of the order, was
from time to time chosen to fill official po--
sition, and December 3, 1880, was elected
Worshipful Master, and took the chair in
the east, which he filled for five successive
years, each year representing his lodge in
the Grand Lodge of the state; and every
year since his retirement from the executive
chair he has been an attendant at Grand
Lodge, once serving as proxy. Since 1889
he has filled the office of Deputy Grand
Lecturer. The chapter degrees he took in
1870 and 1871 at Yates City, in Eureka
Chapter, No. 98, R. A. M., in which he
712
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
still retains membership. He was made a
Knight Templar at Galesburg, Illinois, in
1880, but subsequently took a dimit from
the Galesburg Commandery and has since
affiliated with Peoria Commandery, No. 3.
Mr. Clark is of New England birth. He
was born in Randolph, Massachusetts, June
8, 1847, and remained in the east until
1866, when he came out to Illinois and set-
tled at Farmington, where his home has
been maintained ever since. Here he is
engaged in carrying on extensive operations
as a shipper of poultry, eggs, meat, ice, etc.
In his political views and affiliations Mr.
Clark is Democratic, and while he is not a
politician he has always taken a commend-
able and lively interest in local affairs. For
years he has served as city clerk of Farm-
ington. He was first elected to this office
in 1875 and has been its incumbent about
half of the time intervening between that
date and the present.
he has conducted for six years, he has one
at Rockford, Illinois, two at Elgin, Illinois,
and one at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, all of
which he is now operating successfully.
As a citizen, a business man and a Ma-
son, Mr. Burkhart enjoys high standing.
CHARLES BURKHART, the popular
restaurant man of Galesburg, Illinois,
has resided here since 1890 and has in this
time identified himself with the various Ma-
sonic bodies of this city. He was made a
Master Mason in Alpha Lodge, No. 155; a
Royal Arch Mason in Galesburg Chapter,
No. 46; a Royal and Select Master in Gales-
burg Council, No. 15; and was knighted in
Galesburg Commandery, No. 8, in all of
which he is now a member in good stand-
ing, and in the council is filling the office of
Thrice Illustrious, to which position he was
elected in 1896. Also he is a member of
the Shrine, having received its degrees in
Peoria, in Mohammed Temple.
Mr. Burkhart is a native of Illinois. He
was born at Springfield, August 9, 1850,
and was reared on a farm and in the Luth-
eran faith. His first business venture was
in the manufacture of spring wagons and
carriages, and from that he turned to the
restaurant business, in which he has been
engaged for a period of thirteen years and
in which he has met with marked success.
Besides his restaurant in Galesburg, which
WILLIAM HENRY GLEASON, born
in Wardsboro, Windham county,
Vermont, November 15, A. D. 1843. His
father was Josiah Gleason, and his mother's
maiden name Susan R. Morse. Mr. Glea-
son received his education principally at
the district school in his native place, at-
tending the Springfield Wesleyan Seminary
later on at Springfield, Vermont.
In 1866 he went to Baltimore, Mary-
land, to engage in business, remaining there
until the fall of 1868; in April, 1869, he
came to Chicago, and soon after his arrival
here he became connected with the office
of the sheriff of Cook county, during the ad-
ministration of T. M. Bradley, where he
remained a greater portion of the time
until 1891, during which he was honored
with the position, for eight years in succes-
sion, of chief clerk and deputy. From
1877 to 1882 he was chief clerk in the pro-
bate court, filling that position from the
time of Hon. Joshua C. Knickerbock-
er's election and the organization of that
court. In 1885 he was elected collector
of taxes of the town of South Chicago by
a larger majority than any of his associates
either on the city or town ticket, and was
the first Republican who had held the office
for a number of years prior to this time.
Since 1 880 he has been a member of the firm
of C. H. Knights & Company, prominently
engaged in the business of wholesale jew-
elry and importation of diamonds, located
at present in beautiful and spacious quar-
ters in the Columbus Memorial Building,
corner of State and Washington streets.
Mr. Gleason has been a prominent
member of the Masonic fraternity since
1874, at that time having been made a Ma-
son in Oriental Lodge, No. 33, A. F. & A. M.
He contented himself by active work in blue-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
713
lodge Masonry until the fall of 1885, when
he advanced to the Royal Arch degree in
Washington Chapter, No. 43, R. A. M.
He had the honor at that time to be ac-
companied in the team by General John
Alexander Logan. He soon advanced to
Knight Templarism and was knighted in
Chevalier Bayard Commandery, No. 52,
K. T., in February, 1886. He filled nearly
all of the chairs in that body, and four years
from the time he was made Red Cross
Knight he was elected Commander of the
body. He is also a member of Oriental
Consistory.
Mr. Gleason was married in 1883 to
Jennie W. Grow. His brother, James M.
Gleason, is treasurer of the John Hancock
Life Insurance Company, of Boston, Mas-
sachusetts, Past Commander and present
Treasurer of Boston Commandery, Knights
Templar, and a thirty-third-degree Mason,
residing at Copely Square Hotel, Boston.
ELMER E. BILLOW. - Somewhere,
back in the years that have buried
themselves amid the decay of time, a
thought received birth in the mind of man
which has thrived and flourished and grown
to such proportions as was surely never
dreamed of by its originators. This thought
resulted in the banding together of a num-
ber of fellow beings for their mutual benefit
and for social intercourse, who called them-
selves Freemasons, and thus that noble fra-
ternity was inaugurated and has come down
to us through centuries of struggles and
discouragement, often borne to the ground
by the fierce onslaughts of ignorance and
bigotry, only to rise again, Phoenix-like,
from its ashes and spread its triumphant
wings over all the universe.
One of the members of the craft who
has made himself familiar with the ritual in
the local lodges of Chicago and in which he
has acquired a high degree of popularity, is
the brother whose name initiates this
sketch. Mr. Billow attained the three pri-
mary degrees of the order in Home Lodge,
No. 508, in 1895; he was advanced to the
grades of capitular Masonry and exalted to
the Holy Royal Arch in La Fayette Chapter,
No. 2, the same year; and in 1896 he re-
ceived the orders of knighthood in Apollo
Commandery, No. i. After successfully
accomplishing a pilgrimage across the sands
of the desert Mr. Billow was elected a No-
ble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, his membership being in
Medinah Temple. He has ever evinced
the true spirit of Freemasonry in his daily
life, and by his kindly consideration in the
lodge he has won the good will and regard
of his fellow Masons.
The birth of Mr. Billow occurred on the
nth of May, 1862, in Shelby, Richland
county, Ohio, and it was there he passed
his youth, receiving his educational disci-
pline in the public schools of his native
city. Upon completing his studies he went
to Springfield, Ohio, and there began his
mercantile experience, engaging in the oil
business, continuing in that line of enter-
prise at Springfield until 1888, when he
came to Chicago. In 1891 he assisted in
organizing the National Supply Company,
of which he now holds the responsible po-
sition of president and manager. This
company designed and installed the fuel oil
equipment and maintained the same during
the World's Fair, for which Mr. Billow re-
ceived special mention from the board of
lady managers as an expert in that line.
The plant was utilized to demonstrate the
advantages of oil for fuel.
Mr. Billow was deputized to go to South
America in the interests of the Standard
Oil Company, and there obtained some
valuable franchises and grants in the Ar-
gentine Republic for the use of fuel oil on
the railroads. He is one of the North
American representatives of the Review of
the River Plate, a weekly journal devoted
to general news of railways, banking, ship-
ping, insurance, financial items and cereal
statistics, the home office of which is locat-
ed in Buenos Ayres, Argentine Republic.
Mr. Billow is a man of intelligence and dis-
tinct business acumen, well up in all the
details of his vocation and his recognized
714
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ability and strict integrity of character com-
mands the respect of his business associates
as well as the esteem and high regard of
his many friends.
By his first wife he had three children,
— Glenn Malcomb, deceased, Vera and
Susan.
The second marriage of Mr. Billow was
solemnized in 1891, when he was united to
Miss Jessie McKee, who is a native of Har-
risburg, Pennsylvania, and they have one
child, Marjorie.
FERDINAND WALTHER.— The Ma-
sonic fraternity appeals to a high order
of intelligence, humanitarian instincts and
the better side of man's nature in general,
and its membership, therefore, is comprised
only of those who possess the above named
qualifications. Mr. Walther was initiated
in Mithra Lodge, No. 410, raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason in 1884,
and in 1891, owing to his zeal, industry and
personal merits, he was honored with the
official preferment of Worshipful Master,
and in 1892 he was elected his own suc-
cessor. Upon the termination of his sec-
ond official term Mr. Walther was pre-
sented with a handsome gold testimonial as
a token of the high esteem and appreciation
of his fellow Masons. At the first meeting
in Masonic Temple he attained the grades
and orders of the Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory, wherein he had conferred upon
him the thirty-second degree and was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret. He is also allied with the social
branch of Masonry and has been elected a
Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, with membership in Medi-
nah Temple. He is a worthy and accepta-
ble member of the brotherhood, the honor-
able teachings of which he exemplifies in
his daily life and conduct.
A native of Germany, Mr. Walther was
born on the nth. of November, 1850, and
was there reared in the fatherland, acquir-
ing his literary education in the excellent
public schools of his birthplace, subse-
quently being apprenticed to the carpenter's
trade. During the Franco-Prussian war he
rendered his country faithful and efficient
service upon the field of battle. In Octo-
ber, 1876, he emigrated to the United
States, eventually locating in Chicago,
where he continued to follow his trade as a
journeyman until 1881, when he com-
menced business on his own responsibility
as a contractor, and in that line of enter-
prise he has met with distinct success. In
addition to his business interests in the
western metropolis Mr. Walther is proprie-
tor of the historical spot known as Starved
Rock, including three hundred and sixty-
five acres of land surrounding it, and al-
most at the base of the famous rock he has
recently erected "Starved Rock Hotel."
The hostelry is three stories high, contains
fifty guest rooms, and is constructed with
all the modern improvements that con-
tribute to the safety and comfort of its
patrons.
The prestige to which Mr. Walther has
attained in his chosen calling is the logical
result of well-applied industry, a strict in-
tegrity of character and an honesty of pur-
pose that has carried him over all obstacles.
The personal qualities of our subject are
thoughtfulness, earnestness and self-reli-
ance, and as a citizen he is public-spirited,
truthful and in all things just, and for all
that others have done for him he has re-
paid his fellow man with full measure.
The marriage of Mr. Walther was cele-
brated in December, 1873, when he was
united to Miss Antonia Garsky, who also is
a native of Germany, and the following six
children have been born to them: Marga-
ret, Arthur, Gertrude, Ella, Werner and
Hattie.
JACOB D. WOOD.— The order of Free-
masons is represented in Chicago by
many earnest, enthusiastic members,
among whom may appropriately be in-
cluded the gentleman whose name appears
at the head of this paragraph and who has
faithfully and conscientiously observed the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
715
vows taken in the blue lodge and proved
himself worthy of the confidence and high
regard of his "fratres. " Initiated in Kil-
winning Lodge, No. 134, he was raised to
the sublime degree of Master Mason in 1 89 1 ,
and in the same year was advanced to the
degrees of capitular Masonry and exalted to
the august degree of the Holy Royal Arch
in Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, received the
orders of Knighthood in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35, and on October 4, 1894,
he attained to the grades of the Scottish
Rite, including the thirty-third degree, and
was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory, Valley
of Chicago. He also crossed the desert
sands and became a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine in Me-
dinah Temple. He is a zealous worker in
the local bodies of which he is a member
and does all in his power to advance the
welfare of the craft.
Mr. Wood was born in Elizabethport,
New Jersey, on the 4th of August, 1866,
and passed there the first seven years of his
life, his parents moving in 1873 to Peek-
skill, New York, where his preliminary edu-
cational discipline was acquired in the pub-
lic schools. After a residence of six years
in Peekskill Mr. Wood came to Chicago,
whence he went to Quincy, Illinois, making
that his home for two years and then re-
turning to Chicago, where he has since con-
tinued to live. He secured employment
with the firm of A. H. Blackwell & Com-
pany, dealers in coffee, tea and spices,
where he performed faithful service for a
period of fourteen years, during which time
he secured the good will and entire confi-
dence of his employers. For the past two
years he has been in the produce commis-
sion business, owning a half interest and
traveling most of the time. For this busi-
ness his previous experience has well quali-
fied him.
JOHN B. NEWTON, of Chicago, be-
came a member of the Masonic frater-
nity February 6, 1884, in Meridian
Lodge, of Natick, Massachusetts. He took
the degrees of capitular Masonry in a Parker
Chapter, R. A. M., of Natick, and served
his companions as Captain. He was also
knighted in the commandery in Natick and
served as Warden of that body for five
years. His affiliation with Chicago Masonic
bodies has made him a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret and a Noble of the An-
cient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine.
He received the grades and orders of the
Scottish Rite in Oriental Consistory in 1 896,
and later joined Medinah Temple.
John B. Newton was born in Oswego,
New York, on the 2/th of June, 1850, and
was reared and educated there. His busi-
ness training was received in a mercantile
establishment and in 1877 he removed to
Cochituate, Massachusetts, where he re-
mained for fourteen years, removing to
Chicago in 1891. Soon after his arrival in
this city he was appointed to the position
of chief janitor of the Ashland Block, and
has since served in that capacity, meeting
fully every obligation that rests upon him
and faithfully discharging every duty.
In 1872 Mr. Newton was united in mar-
riage to Miss Josie Faber, also a native of
Oswego, New York. Three sons have been
born of their union: John J., George W.
and Charles A.
JOSEPH H. OWENS.— The institution of
Freemasonry is not a religion nor a sub-
stitute for a religion, but it sympathizes
with the Christian when he points to Pales-
tine and joyfully recognizes it as the hal-
lowed land, where God gave to man a reve-
lation of His holy will, where the Savior
was born, preached and died, and from the
summit of the mountain ascended into
glory. The fraternity teaches morality,
charity and a common plane of brotherly
love throughout the world, it has made an
enviable reputation in every nation, and is
to-day in a most flourishing condition.
Mr. Owens was made a Master Mason
in Evansville Lodge, No. 64, at Evansville,
Indiana, about 1880, from which he was
dimitted upon his removal to Chicago, and
710
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
is at present affiliated with Home Lodge,
No. 508. He was exalted to the Royal
Arch degree in Chicago Chapter, No. 127,
and was created a Sir Knight in Apollo
Commandery, No. i, in 1896. He has al-
ways endeavored to follow the precepts of
the order, and is an honored member of his
lodge.
Mr. Owens was born in Cincinnati,
Ohio, April 14, 1849, where he was reared
and received his education in the public
schools. He subsequently accepted a po-
sition as clerk in an insurance office under
his brother, the late Owen Owens, who was
general agent in Cincinnati. In the early
'703 he entered the express business as mes-
senger, and he has since filled the positions
of messenger, clerk, route agent, and trav-
eling auditor in 1886. He was made chief
clerk to Manager W. H. Snyder, of the
Erie Express, and in 1890 was appointed
chief clerk to T. H. Walker, general super-
intendent of the United States Express
Company at Cincinnati, Ohio. March i,
1894, the United States Express Company
acquired control of the express business of
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail-
way, and Mr. Walker came to Chicago, and
Mr. Owens came with him, as chief clerk,
which position he still holds; and by the
capable manner in which he has always dis-
charged his duties he has won the sincere
regard of his employer.
FARTIN VAN BUREN SMITH, lor
KM many years the agent of the Chicago
& Northwestern Railroad Company at Mor-
rison, Illinois, and at present the postmas-
ter of the town, is a thirty-second-degree
member of the Masonic fraternity. His life's
career, both as a Mason and as a citizen, is
worthy of record in this volume; and it is
with pleasure that we present the following
facts which have been gleaned for publica-
tion herein.
Mr. Smith was made a Master Mason
at Blackbury, now Elburn, Kane county,
Illinois; was for some time Senior Deacon
of that lodge; and in 1864, having been di-
mitted from it, he affiliated with Dunlap
Lodge, No. 321, of Morrison, Illinois, of
which he is still a member in good stand-
ing. He was exalted a Royal Arch Mason
in 1863, in Fox River Chapter, now Geneva
Chapter; and in 1866 was knighted at
Dixon, Illinois, where he maintained his
commandery membership until the institu-
tion of Sterling Commandery, No. 57, of
which he was a charter member and with
which he still affiliates. In 1 867 he took
the Scottish Rite degrees up to and includ-
ing the thirty-second in Freeport Valley
Consistory, and is still a member of the
same. The cryptic degrees he received at
Dixon. Also he is a " Shriner, " a member
of Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine, at Chi-
cago. Thus it is seen that Mr. Smith has
made as much progress in the order as it is
possible for most Masons to make, and
moreover his record as a Mason is all that
the fraternity could desire.
Mr. Smith is a native of Illinois, born at
Turner (now West Chicago), Du Page
county, April 3, 1841, and is of English de-
scent. His father, Job Andrus Smith, was
born in Massachusetts and was the founder
and publisher of the Elmira Gazette, the
first paper published at Elmira, New York.
In 1834 he came to Illinois and located on
the land where our subject was born. This
property he improved and on it he made
his home for many years, until his death,
which occurred at the old homestead, when
he was seventy-five years of age. His wife
died at the age of forty-five. They had
four sons and two daughters, Martin Van-
Buren, our subject, being the youngest son.
This gentleman was reared on his
father's farm, his educational advantages
being limited to the public schools, and
when a youth had some business experience
as clerk in a store. At the age of nineteen
he began railroading, — a business he has
followed ever since, — and for the last thirty-
four years has been railroad agent at Mor-
rison, his long continuance with the same
company and his fidelity to it and to the
interests of the people being ample evidence
of his efficiency and popularity.
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
719
In 1869 he was married to Miss Jessie
J. Furlong, a native of New York, and they
have two sons and a daughter, viz: William
A. M., Robert T. F. and Mary H. The
first named is state manager of the Equitable
Life Assurance Company and resides at
Milwaukee, and the other two are at home,
the son being deputy postmaster. They
have one of the delightful homes of Mor-
rison, and both Mr. Smith and his family
enjoy the high esteem of the people of this
city and community.
Religiously, they are Presbyterians, and
in his political views Mr. Smith has always
harmonized with the Democratic party. He
was appointed postmaster under Cleveland's
first administration and again under his
second, and he is still filling the office.
MJGENE F. MCLAUGHLIN.— The at-
tainment of prominence is the logical
result of merit in both business and social
circles; leadership may occasionally be
gained by the unworthy but cannot be per-
manently maintained. Success is not the
result of a combination of fortuitous cir-
cumstances, not the outcome of genius, but
is the legitimate sequence of earnest, per-
sistent effort, guided by sound judgment,
the utilization of surrounding opportunities
and the exercise of that very important fac-
tor,— common sense. Equipped with these
qualities the rise from obscurity to leader-
ship in any walk of life is assured, and it is
in this manner that E. F. McLaughlin
has become one of the successful men of
the west.
The loyal Mason possesses the same
qualities that are necessary to the success-
ful and honorable business man. Masonry
ever encourages the exercise of our best
talents and promotes the most worthy
characteristics of one's nature; it has been
a potent element in the civilization of the
race for centuries and has ever maintained
its supremacy for usefulness above all other
social and benevolent societies. E. F.
McLaughlin became a member of the order
in 1887, when he was elected an Entered
Apprentice, passed the Fellow-craft and
was raised to the sublime degree of a Mas-
ter Mason in Fort Recovery Lodge, No.
510, of Ohio, from which he subsequently
dimitted and became affiliated with Dear-
born Lodge, No. 310, of Chicago. He
was exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in LaFayette Chapter, No. 2,
and has since been a worthy follower of
capitular Masonry, which in its symbolic
teachings illustrates the beautiful and im-
pressive legends of the past. He passed
the circle of cryptic Masonry in Palestine
Council, No. 66, and was greeted a Royal
and Select Master. In 1897 he was con-
stituted, created and dubbed a Sir Knight
of Apollo Commandery, No. i. He is
thoroughly familiar wth the esoteric doc-
trines of the York Rite, and in the various
branches with which he is connected he is
accounted one of the zealous and valued
members of the craft. Since February,
1897, he has been a member of Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mys-
tic Shrine.
While Dr. McLaughlin has a wide cir-
cle of friends in the order, he is still more
widely known in professional life. A na-
tive of Indiana, he was born in Jay county,
on the 24th of September, 1860, and in the
public schools acquired his elementary ed-
ucational discipline. Selecting the practice
of medicine as his work, he began the study
of that science under private instruction
and after due preparation he matriculated
in the Bellevue Hospital Medical College,
of New York city, New York, at which he
was graduated with the class of 1885. He
began the active practice of his calling at
once, and in 1893 came to Chicago, where
he has since practiced his profession.
LLAN R. TOMLIN.— The principles
.^flL of benevolence and mutual helpful-
ness and the esoteric doctrines of Masonry
exert an influence upon those who are with-
in the pale of the order that is recognized
even by those who have never become
identified with it. The order cultivates a
720
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
higher manhood, a nobler purpose and
worthier aims, and those who follow the
Masonic banner are numbered among the
best citizens of the commonwealth. Mr.
Tomlin belongs to this fraternity, with which
he has been affiliated since 1891, when he
took the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft and Master Mason in Garden
City Lodge, No. 141. He attained the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in
Oriental Consistory in 1891, and was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret. By reason of this affiliation he was
eligible to membership in Medinah Temple,
and is now a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Tomlin was born in Galena, Illi-
nois, on the 1 1 th of November, 1855, and
was reared and educated at his birthplace.
His business experience was begun with the
Adams Express Company and for nine
years he was connected therewith as a most
faithful and competent employee. On the
expiration of that period he resigned his
position to accept the position of assistant
superintendent of the wagon service of the
American Express Company, and in 1892
he was appointed superintendent of this de-
partment. His record is that of a man who
has risen to his present place by personal
merit and he has won the approval of his
superior and the respect of those who serve
under him.
HERBERT A. ROGERS, an active
Mason who is well informed on all the
laws and usages of that order which has for
its object the unification of the human race
as brothers, and who is an active, enthusi-
astic member of the local bodies in Chicago,
was initiated in Garden City Lodge, No.
141, and raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason on the 3d of September,
1890; he was exalted to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in York Chapter, No.
148, in 1892; and attained to the ineffable
degrees of the Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory, wherein he was proclaimed a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in No-
vember, 1891. Mr. Rogers has been hon-
ored with official preferment in the order,
being elected Master of Garden City Lodge,
in 1895, ar>d serving as Master of Cere-
monies in the lodge of perfection, and he
is a well informed brother and occupies a
high place in the estimation of his fellow
Masons.
Mr. Rogers was born in Strykersville,
New York, on the 2ist of July, 1857, at-
tending school in the city of his nativity
until twelve years old, when he went to
Buffalo, New York, and there first engaged
in the hotel business, conducting the same
with marked success in that city until 1878,
in which year he took up his residence in
Chicago. He accepted a position with the
firm of Knight & Leonard, in the employ of
which he remained until 1895, when, the
old firm of Knight, Leonard & Company
having been sold at a receiver's sale, Mr.
Rogers decided to branch out on his own
responsibility and organized the firm of
Rogers & Smith Company. In this line of
enterprise signal success has attended the •
efforts of Mr. Rogers, and through the in-
strumentalities of his native energy and
ability, combined with his acquired experi-
ence and business acumen, he has built up
a large, prosperous trade, gaining and re-
taining the entire confidence and highest
esteem of all who have dealings with him,
or with whom he comes in contact, both in
the mercantile world and in social circles.
The marriage of Mr. Rogers was solem-
nized in May, 1888, when he became united
to Miss Mabel B. Wright, of Chicago, an'd
two daughters have been born to them,
namely: Ruby M. and Florence A., the
latter only of whom survives.
/PVRANDALLA. ROSECRANS, secretary
i^' of the Allerton-Clarke Company, of
Chicago, is a Knight Templar and a thirty-
second-degree Mason, deeply interested in
that ancient and benevolent fraternity and
doing all in his power to inculcate its
honorable principles among men. Since
1880 he has been a follower of the ensign
Of FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
721
of the institution, upon which are embla-
zoned charity, mutual helpfulness and
brotherly kindness.
He was made a Mason in Rural Lodge,
No. 305, A. F. & A. M. , in Ladora, Iowa,
in 1880, and the same year was exalted to
the august decree of Royal Arch Mason in
Jerusalem Chapter, No. 72, of Marengo,
Iowa. About the same time he was made
a Royal and Select Master. Since he
removed to Chicago he was dimitted from
Rural Lodge to W. B. Warren Lodge, No.
209, with which he is now affiliated. He
belongs to York Chapter, No. 148, R. A. M.,
and to Oriental Consistory, R. & S. M.
In 1895 he took the degrees of knighthood
in Apollo Commandery, No. i, and is
also a Scottish Rite Mason through his con-
nection with the fraternity; but the public
account of a Masonic lodge and its mem-
bers is necessarily brief, for their history
is one of deeds, not of words. Mr. Rose-
crans is esteemed an acceptable member
of the craft, for he does all in his power to
promote its interests, and molds his life in
harmony with its principles.
Mr. Rosecrans was born in Ogle county,
Illinois, September 13, 1857, but was
reared in Iowa; and his business training
was in the line of mercantile experiences.
He has since been in active commercial
circles, and his advancement on the high-
way of success has been sure and steadfast.
In 1 88 1 he came to Chicago, where he has
since made his home, and is now occupy-
ing a responsible position as secretary of
the Allerton-Clarke Company, doing busi-
ness at No. 1 17 Lake street.
In 1887 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Rosecrans and Miss Olive E. Haney, a
native of Ogle county, Illinois.
Mr. Rosecrans' record is that of a man
who has steadily worked his way upward to
his present position of importance. The
honorable business methods he has fol-
lowed have won for him the confidence and
support of those with whom he has been
brought in contact, and his native talent
and acquired ability are the sources of his
success.
BRAHAM L. THOMAS, M. D., of
j Chicago, is a member of Lakeside
Lodge, No. 739, F. & A. M., and is a Royal
Arch Mason of Chicago Chapter, No. 127.
He was constituted, created and dubbed a
Sir Knight in Chevalier Bayard Command-
ery, No. 52, and passed the grades and or-
ders of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite
in Oriental Consistory, whereupon he was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret. He is also a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, his
membership being in Medinah Temple.
He has been honored with official prefer-
ment in most of these organizations and has
proved a very capable and zealous officer.
He served as Worshipful Master of Lake-
side Lodge in 1893, was Captain of the
Host in Chicago Chapter in 1892, and was
Junior Warden in Chevalier Bayard Com-
mandery in 1894.
Dr. Thomas came from the land of the
midnight sun, his birth having occurred in
Norway on the 26th of January, 1850. He
there spent the first eighteen years of his
life, pursuing his education in the public
schools. It was in 1868 that he crossed
the broad Atlantic to America and became
a resident of Rochester, Minnesota, where
he continued his education in the high
school. His course in that institution com-
pleted his literary training, which was sup-
plemented by a thorough course in medi-
cine. He began his medical studies in the
office and under the direction of Dr. W.
Mayo, and in 1 876 came to Chicago, where
he matriculated in the Chicago Medical
College, now the medical department of the
Northwestern University, where he was
graduated in the class of 1879. Since that
time he has been engaged in active practice
and has attained a prominent place in pro-
fessional circles. He has left no labor un-
performed when it would advance him in
his chosen calling and further fit him for
successful practice. Realizing the impor-
tance of the care of human life, he is most
conscientious in his work, and by his skill
and ability has secured a very liberal pat-
ronage. He is a valued member of the
722
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Chicago Medical Society, the State Medical
Society and the American Medical Associ-
ation, and is a close student of all theories
and discoveries relating to the medical sci-
ence, gleaning from these the best and
most practical suggestions and applying
them successfully to his extensive practice.
He is a man of genial manner and his pres-
ence in a sick chamber is always inspiring.
HB. POWELL, M. D.— There is a
certain affinity existing between the
medical profession and the Masonic fra-
ternity, as both have for their fundamental
principles the divine art of healing, one ad-
ministering to the ills of the body and the
other to the afflictions of the soul, and each
has for its basis the humane mission of giv-
ing relief to the suffering. As twin stars
gleam with an effulgent light from out the
dusky firmament of night, so these two
bodies go hand in hand, bringing joy to
hearts that are overburdened with sorrow
and succoring those whom grief has en-
veloped in the shroud of despair. The
noble calling of medicine will ever com-
mand the deep and everlasting gratitude of
millions of human beings who have reaped
golden benefits from the all-powerful light
of its knowledge. Many are the unher-
alded heroes in the ranks of the medical
profession who have sacrificed their lives in
fulfilling the sublime duty of trying to save
their fellow creatures, — a sacrifice that is
all the greater in that it is attended with no
loud trumpeting, no public demonstration,
nothing but the inward consciousness of
having accomplished a duty in all its en-
tirety.
Dr. Powell has been a member of the
craft for many years and has always taken
a personal interest in the workings of the
lodges with which he has been affiliated.
After being initiated and passing the de-
grees of Entered Apprentice and Fellow-
craft he was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason in King Solomon Lodge,
No. 1 6, in 1886, at Toronto, Ontario, and
in 1892 dimitted to Lawn Lodge, No. 815.
In 1893 he was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Lawn Chap-
ter, No. 205, and in the following year was
elected to the office of High Priest, and was
the youngest to hold the position at that
time. In the same year Dr. Powell became
a member of the Order of High Priests.
The subject of this review was born in
Whitby, Canada, July 12, 1864, and ob-
tained his early education in the public
schools of his home city, which was supple-
mented by a course in Whitby Institute and
Pickering College. After passing through
these places of learning the Doctor decided
to follow the profession of medicine, and
by way of preparation he secured a position
in a drug store, where he remained three
years, during which time he pursued his
studies in medicine and pharmacy and then
entered the Toronto University, at which
he was graduated. After receiving his
degree of M. D. he lived for a while in
Michigan and Washington, and then re-
turned to Toronto, where he took the
degree of Master of Surgery from the Uni-
versity of Victoria College. In 1892 he
moved to Chicago, where he follows his
profession and makes a specialty of diseases
of women in his office practice.
Dr. Powell was united in marriage to
Mrs. Emma A. Rudd, ncc Phillips, in De-
cember, 1893. She is a native of Eau
Claire, Wisconsin. Dr. Powell is a young
man of brilliant mental powers, a strong
personality, pleasant, engaging manners,
marked ability, and enthusiasm in his
chosen vocation. He is a close student of
human nature and is destined to fill an im-
portant place in his profession.
EDGAR S. PATTEN.— When a man
, passes from the scenes of this life to
the great beyond, only the good he has
done is remembered and the story repeated
to others. A similar fate awaits all things
of this world; it is only the good that is
imperishable, only the best continues on
through the ages, while the defective suc-
cumbs to the ravages of time. Lost in the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
723
remote ages of antiquity is the origin of
Freemasonry, but through the centuries its
principles have come down to us, their
brightness unclouded by the shadow of the
years, and in this day of organized, concen-
trated and united effort in all departments
of life, the society has received a new im-
petus which has added to its numbers many
thousands of members and made it the
most powerful and useful of all fraternities.
Among those of Chicago's leading citi-
zens and representative business men who
are identified with Masonry is Mr. Patten,
who was made a Mason in Landmark
Lodge, No. 422, A. F. & A. M., in 1882.
The same year he was exalted to the sub-
lime degree of Royal Arch Mason in Fair-
view Chapter, No. 161, and the order of
knighthood was conferred upon him in
Apollo Commandery, No. I, since which
time he has been a worthy follower of the
beauseant of Knight Templary. He re-
ceived the ineffable degrees of the Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory and was made a
Noble of the Mystic Shrine in 1883, his
membership being in Medinah Temple. To
the fundamental truths and principles of
Masonry he conforms his conduct, lending a
hand to the poor and needy, supporting the
weak against the strong, and recognizing
the brotherhood of the race, while ac-
knowledging one Supreme Being as the
ruler of the world.
In his business life Mr. Patten manifests
the progressive and enterprising spirit so
typical of the west, for he is a western man
by birth and training. He was born in
Lowell, Wisconsin, on the i8th of Septem-
ber, 1848, and in early life became inter-
ested in telegraphy. He entered the serv-
ice of the Western Union Telegraph Com-
pany, where his natural adaptability for the
profession enabled him to attain a high de-
gree of efficiency within a short time, and
made rapid advancement. In 1870, after
three years' experience, he was made man-
ager of the Northwestern Telegraph Com-
pany, with headquarters in La Crosse,
Wisconsin, also of the Mississippi Valley
Telegraph Company, which was later con-
solidated with the Western Union. After
faithful service in various positions of re-
sponsibility he was made manager of the
Postal Telegraph Company in 1884, and
later served as manager and assistant super-
intendent, having the supervision of one
hundred and seventy offices. His next pro-
motion made him superintendent of the
western division of the Postal Telegraph
and Cable Company, in which capacity he
remained until 1893, when he became gen-
eral manager of the Franco-American Tel-
egraph Company, a position which he yet
occupies. His supervision of the affairs of
this company in all their intricate workings
and complex movements has been most
satisfactory to those whom he serves. His
long experience in connection with teleg-
raphy and his comprehensive knowledge of
the scope of the business and the demands
of the people enable him to please the pub-
lic and at the same time make the business
one of profit to the company. He is sys-
tematic in his methods, prompt in execu-
tion, reliable in all things and his dealings
are characterized by the utmost fairness.
Mr. Patten was married in Niles, Mich-
igan, to Miss Permelia V. Allen. His his-
tory is that of a man who has attained to
an eminent degree of success as the direct
and legitimate results of his own efforts,
who has had the mentality to direct his en-
deavors toward the desired ends and the
singleness and steadfastness of purpose
which have given due value to each consec-
utive detail of effort. He is a distinct type
of the self-made man, as well as one of
the most faithful representatives of the Ma
sonic fraternity in Chicago.
WILLIAM WILEY, one of the faith-
ful and appreciative members of the
Masonic fraternity in Chicago, was, on the
29th of February, 1892, made a Master
Mason in Apollo Lodge, No. 642 ; in May of
the same year he passed the grades of
capitular Masonry and was exalted to the
august degree of the Holy Royal Arch in
Fairview Chapter, No. 161; and in the fol-
724
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
lowing June the orders of Knighthood were
conferred upon him in Apollo Commandery,
No. i, — this comrnandery being one of the
most prominent in the United States.
Mr. Wiley is a native of Massachusetts,
his birth having occurred in Boston on the
28th of October, 1849, and there the first
seven years of his life were passed, after
which he moved to the west with his
parents, who located on a farm in Henry
county, Illinois. Here Mr. Wiley grew to
manhood, acquiring his educational disci-
pline in the public schools, which he
attended during the winter, the remainder
of the year being occupied in laboring upon
the farm.
In 1877 the subject of this review came
to Chicago, and has ever since made the
western metropolis his home and the scene
of his active life. He was employed in
various ways until 1883, and then estab-
lished his present enterprise as a retail
dealer in stationery, periodicals and con-
fectionery, the factors of his success being
well applied industry, careful and correct
business methods and a strict integrity of
character.
In the Centennial year, 1876, was con-
summated the marriage of Mr. Wiley to
Miss C. J. Swartz, who is a native of New
Jersey and is prominently identified with
Forestville Chapter, No. 177, Order of the
Eastern Star, of which she served as Matron
during the year 1894.
ELLINGTON E. CUDNEY.— The
truths and precepts promulgated by
the institution of Freemasonry are as last-
ing as the pyramids of Egypt, and will re-
main bright and guiding stars, lighting the
pathway of duty as long as the world shall
last. Its tenets, which point to one great
object, have taught mankind what man
should be to man, and have ever held up a
high standard of morality, charity and
brotherly love.
Mr. Cudney is a well-known member of
the order in Chicago, where he has at-
tained the ineffable degrees in the Scottish
Rite. He was initiated in Wawarsing
Lodge at Ellenville, New York, in 1882,
from which he was dimitted upon his re-
moval to Chicago, and became affiliated
with Waubansia Lodge, No. 160, in 1894.
He was exalted to the degree of Royal
Arch Mason in York Chapter, in the same
year; was made a Royal and Select Master
in Siloam Council in 1896; was knighted in
St. Bernard Commandery in 1895, and re-
ceived the degree of Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in Oriental Consistory in
1894. He is likewise a Noble in the Mystic
Shrine of the Ancient Arabic Order, holding
his membership in Medinah Temple.
The subject of this review was born in
Homowack, Sullivan county, New York,
January 17, 1861, and there spent his
youth on a farm, where he worked during
the summer and attended the district
schools in the winter. In 1883 he came to
Chicago and embarked in the provision
business. Being of an enterprising nature,
full of courage and ambition, he soon ac-
quired a thorough knowledge of his chosen
vocation, and eventually organized the firm
of Cudney & Co. , of which he was elected
president and still retains that office. The
company is one of the best known in Chi-
cago, doing a wholesale and retail provi-
sion business, with offices at No. 441 Lake
street, and possesses a wide reputation for
integrity and honest methods in all its deal-
ings. It has an extensive trade, both in
and outside of Chicago, and is a most success-
ful and prosperous concern. Mr. Cudney
is a progressive man of business, possesses
sterling qualities of mind and character,
and is greatly respected by his many
friends and fellow-craftsmen.
In 1886 Mr. Cudney was united in mar-
riage to Miss Etta Nichols, who is a native
of Ohio, and three children have been born
to them, Ruth, Harold and Florance.
BERNARD TIMMERMAN, who twenty
years ago was working for a salary of
six dollars per week, but is now in control
of some of the most important and extensive
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
725
industrial interests of Chicago, stands
among the loyal followers of Masonry,
whose championship of the beneficent
movement has caused others to identify
themselves with this oldest and most help-
ful of all the fraternities. In 1888, he took
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason in Englewood
Lodge, No. 690, the last degree in June,
and in the same month was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Englewood Chapter, No. 176. On the 4th
of August of the same year he was created
a Knight Templar in Englewood Command-
ery, No. 59, and to the teachings and
practices of the order he has been true and
faithful. His relationship with his fellow
craftsmen is very pleasant, and he is num-
bered among the valued members of other
fraternal and society organizations, having
become a charter member of every club or-
ganized in Englewood.
Mr. Timmerman's history differs from
that of the majority of Americans in that
he was born in the west and emigrated
eastward, while most of the residents of
this country, on leaving home, turn their
faces toward the setting sun and follow
Horace Greeley's advice to young men.
Our subject was born in La Porte, Sierra
county, California, on the 7th of April,
1858, and is a son of Charles H. and Ida Tim-
merman, the former a native of Germany,
the latter of the state of New York. Com-
ing to the United States in 1829, the father,
after a short interval in New York, removed
to Michigan City, Indiana, and in 1850
went to California, attracted by the discov-
ery of gold on the Pacific slope. It was
during his stay there that the birth of our
subject occurred. In 1867 he returned
with his family to New York and the fol-
lowing year came to Chicago, establishing a
home in Englewood in 1869.
Bernard Timmerman completed his lit-
erary education by his graduation at the
Englewood high school in 1876, and en-
tered upon his business career as a cash and
bill clerk in the wholesale grocery house of
Zebulon M. Hall, at six dollars per week.
In the meantime he studied stenography at
night and completed a course, including
bookkeeping and commercial law, in Bry-
ant & Stratton's Commercial College. In
1877 he secured a position in the house of
D. M. Osborn & Co., at ten dollars per
week, and was employed in different de-
partments of their houses in Chicago and
Minneapolis until January, 1883, when he
was made manager of the Chicago office,
holding that position until December, 1891.
In the meantime he had largely extended
his field of operations and provided for a
more rapid accumulation of wealth by his
real-estate investments. In 1877, in asso-
ciation with the treasurer of the company
at Albany, New York, Gorton W. Allen,
and Messrs. Stork, Stevens and Smith, of
Auburn, New York, he purchased the
eighty acres now known as Stork's subdi-
vision of Auburn Park. At that time the
property was used for farming purposes,
but water and sewer pipes were at once
laid, streets were macadamized, stone curb-
ing was put in, sidewalks were built, elec-
tric lights and sodded parkways were intro-
duced and four hundred and eighty thou-
sand dollars were expended in improving
the district outside of buildings. Mr. Tim-
merman, in 1888, erected the large brick
block on the northwest corner of Seventy-
ninth and Sherman streets, the first brick
building on the former street. In 1889 he
erected the New Julian Hotel, and the
Timmerman Opera House of Englewood,—
the latter now known as the Marlow The-
ater,— and has in other ways been prom-
inently identified with the development of
Englewood, which within his recollection
contained a few shanties and a population
of one hundred, while now it is one of the
most beautiful portions of the city and has
a population of one hundred thousand.
He has been an important part in produc-
ing this desirable change.
This is but one of the many enterprises
with which he is connected. He is a man
of resourceful business ability, of unlimited
enterprise and energy, and his successful
management of his affairs has not only
726
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
brought prosperity to him, but has also
been of material benefit to the community
in which his industries are located. On
the 6th of July, 1889, he was elected presi-
dent of the Inter-State Loan and Invest-
ment Association, and has since filled that
position. For a year from December, 1890,
he was the representative of the National
Cordage Company in the sale of its binder
twine. On the 3ist of December, 1891,
he became manager of the Chicago office of
A. W. Stevens & Son, of Auburn, New York,
manufacturers of threshers, engines and
other agricultural machinery. Since July,
1890, he has been president of the Belt
Line Transfer & Storage Company, which
receives stores and reships merchandise at
Chicago. He is now engaged in subdivid-
ing one hundred acres in the best part of
Hinsdale, with the expectation of making
of the same strictly modern high-class resi-
dence property.
On the loth of December, 1893, Mr.
Timmerman was united in marriage to Miss
Idah M. Canfield, of San Francisco. He
is a gentleman of very pleasant, courteous
manner, easily approachable, and his thor-
ough reliability and genuine worth have
gained him the respect of all with whom he
has come in contact.
JOHN B. JENKINS, one of the pro-
gressive and energetic manufacturers
of the Garden City, has been an
affiliate of the craft for sixteen years,
the initial degrees being conferred upon
him in Englewood Lodge, No. 690, on
May 9, 1 88 1. In the following year he
advanced to capitular Masonry and was ex-
alted to the august degree of the Holy Royal
Arch in Englewood Chapter, No. 176, on
March 30; was made a Royal and Select
Master in Englewood Council, and is a
charter member of Imperial Council. He
was constituted, created and dubbed a Sir
Knight in Englewood Commandery, No.
59, on October 27, 1886; and in April,
1893, he attained the Scottish Rite degrees
in the ineffable lodge of perfection and was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory, Valley of
Chicago. He is connected with the social
branch of Freemasonry, being a Noble of
the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine in Medinah Temple, and he and his
daughter, Sarah M., are members of
Normal Park Chapter, Order of the East-
ern Star. Mr. Jenkins is an enthusiastic
Mason who takes an abiding interest in all
the workings of the fraternity, and who is
ever ready to do anything in his power to
advance its welfare. He is also a member
of Normal Lodge, No. 509, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
John B. Jenkins was born in Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, on the 22d of September,
1848, and there his boyhood was passed,
working in a rolling-mill and obtaining
what education he could in the public
schools of his native city. In 1867, he
came to Chicago and secured a position in
the rolling-mills of this city, remaining
here until 1876. For seven years he was
connected with the city water works and
then embarked in the manufacture of fire-
brick and fire-clay, in which he has since
continued, gaining a success that is the
direct result of his individual efforts, un-
aided by the power of wealth or the in-
fluence of friends.
In November, 1872, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Jenkins to Miss Hannah
Roberts, the issue of this union being the
following named children: Sarah M.,
Reuben, John, Lincoln, Elizabeth and
Hannah.
EDWIN F. JONES. — An encouraging
feature noticeable in the Masonic bod-
ies of Chicago is the enthusiasm and zeal
displayed by the younger members of the
order, who demonstate their loyalty by their
unflagging efforts to maintain the high
standard of principles that forms the foun-
dation of the fraternity. One of the most
exemplary brothers is Edwin P. Jones, a
rising young business man of this city. He
was made a Master Mason in Mizpah Lodge,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
727
No. 768, on January 27, 1889; was exalted
to the degree of Royal Arch Mason in Delta
Chapter, No. 191, March 11, 1892; received
the degrees of Royal and Select Masters in
Temple Council, No. 65, April 20, 1892;
constituted a Knight Templar in Englewood
Commandery, No. 59, December i, 1894;
and attained the Scottish Rite degrees in
Oriental Consistory on February 20, 1896.
In the chapter he has held the office of
Master of the Second Veil. On April 26,
1895, he became a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine, and in February, 1 894, was admitted
to Columbia Chapter, Order of the Eastern
Star, No. 210, of which his wife is also a
member.
Mr. Jones was born in Knoxville, Iowa,
August 1 6, 1867, and attended the public
schools of that city until fifteen years of age.
In June, 1882, he moved to Chicago and se-
cured a position at the stock-yards, where
he remained two years, and then became
engaged in railroading for the same length
of time, after which he returned to the
stock-yards, where he has since been em-
ployed as bookkeeper, fulfilling the duties
of that post in a capable and conscientious
manner.
In January, 1 894, Mr. Jones was mar-
ried to Miss R. Dora Whyte, a native of
Ireland, who came to this country when a
child.
EMILE DANNE, a well-known grain
commission merchant of Chicago, has
been affiliated with the Masonic fraternity
for the past ten years, during which time
he has shown a due appreciation of the pre-
cepts and tenets of the society, and a thor-
ough comprehension of the ritual as learned
in the blue lodge. His relations with the
bodies of which he is a member have been
of the most agreeable nature, and his pres-
ence is always a source of pleasure to his
' ' fraters. " Mr. Danne received the degrees
of ancient Masonry in Englewood Lodge, No.
690, and was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason April 10, 1888; he was ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
40*
Mason in Englewood Chapter, No. 176, and
was created a Sir Knight in Englewood
Commandery, No. 59, in the same year,,
and on September 29, 1892, attained the
ineffable degrees in the lodge of perfection,
Oriental Consistory. He also holds mem-
bership in the Knights of St. John.
The birth of Mr. Danne took place at
Mobile, Alabama, November 24, 1859, and
there acquired his early education in the
public schools, remaining in the city of his
nativity until eighteen years old, when he
started out to engage in the battle of life on
his own account. Subsequently arriving in
Chicago he embarked in the insurance busi-
ness, which he followed until 1885, when
he became connected with the Board of
Trade as a commission merchant and has
continued to devote his energies to that call-
ing up to the present time. He has passed
triumphantly through three failures of the
board, and is at present doing a large and
profitable business.
In 1882 Mr. Danne was married to Miss
Gertrude Fraiser, of Aurora, Illinois, and
two children have been born to them, J. W.
and Gertrude Louise. They are members
of the Episcopal church.
WILLIAM L. NOBLE, M. D., an en-
terprising and successful physician
in the Garden City, has attained to the
thirty-second degree in Masonry and takes
a keen interest in all the workings and cer-
emonies of that order, which is so closely
allied to the aims and objects of the med-
ical profession. Dr. Noble was initiated
at Canton, New York, and raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason in 1887,
from which he was dimitted to become
affiliated with Providence Lodge, No. 711,
at Jefferson Park, and in 1 890 he had con-
ferred upon him the grades and orders of
the Scottish Rite, in Oriental Consistory,
and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of
the Royal Secret. He is an active and
zealous Mason and occupies a warm place
in the hearts of his "fratres. "
Dr. William L. Noble was born in Rus-
728
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
sell, St. Lawrence county, New York, on
the 23d of December, 1860, receiving his
preliminary mental discipline in the public
schools of his native town, supplementing
the knowledge gained therein by a course
at St. Lawrence University, being graduated
at that institution with the class of 1885. In
the same year, as a result of his decision to
make the study of medicine his life work,
he came to Chicago and matriculated in
Rush Medical College, which is now the
medical department of Lake Forest Uni-
versity, and, in 1888, after three years of
industry and close application, he had the
satisfaction of receiving his diploma, which
accorded to him the privilege of placing
M. D. after his name. He at once assumed
the duties and responsibilities of his calling
and entered upon the active practice of his
profession in Chicago, since which time he
has met with a high degree of success that is
not only extremely edifying to himself but
also conclusively demonstrates his ability
and proficiency in the healing art, which is
further attested to by the fact that he holds
the position of professor of ophthalmology
in the Ophthalmological Clinical School of
Chicago; is surgeon of the Illinois Charitable
Eye and Ear Infirmary; oculist and aurist
of the St. Joseph Provident Orphan Asylum;
ex-oculist and aurist for the county hos-
pital; ex-superintendent of the Cook County
Insane Asylum; for two years he was county
physician; and was superintendent of the
Detention Hospital. In the various capaci-
ties herewith given Dr. Noble has evidenced
a knowledge of the various branches of his
profession that places him in the foremost
rank among his fellow practitioners in the
state, and which has gained for him a
recognized distinction in the fraternity. He
is a highly appreciated member of the State
Medical Association and of the Chicago
Medical Association.
The Doctor does not follow his calling
from a mere sense of duty only, but also
takes a personal interest in every case sub-
mitted to his care, which, combined with
his skillful treatment and natural qualifica-
tions, have resulted to a great extent in his
large and ever-increasing practice. His
intrinsic worth as a man, his knowledge
and ability as a physician and his faithful
adherence to the craft as a Mason have
endeared him alike to his friends, his fellow
practitioners and to his brother Masons.
WILLIAM A. BIRK is an acceptable
member of the Masonic fraternity,
now affiliating with Lincoln Park Lodge,
No. 611, A. F. & A. M., in which he took
the three fundamental degrees in 1894. He
is a native son of Chicago, his birth having
occurred here on the iith of November,
1 86 1. He obtained his education in the
public schools and commenced his business
life in the employ of a grain firm, members of
the board of trade. In 1882 he entered the
employ of the Wacker & Birk Brewing Com-
pany, of which his father was one of the
organizers and stockholders. He mastered
the business while connected with that
firm and in 1892 became one of the organ-
izers of the Birk Brothers Brewing Com-
pany, of which he has been president from
the beginning.
He is a man of good business and ex-
ecutive ability, progressive and enterpris-
ing as well as successful, and has one of the
best equipped breweries in the country,
supplied with the most modern machinery
and every facility for turning out an excel-
lent product.
WC. BROWN, a Knight Templar,
joined the order in 1884, being
raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Palace Lodge, No. 765, A. F. &
A. M. He has served therein as Worship-
ful Master and has zealously guarded the
interests of the craft. He took the degrees
of capitular Masonry in Sinai Chapter, No.
185, and those of chivalric Masonry in Apol-
lo Commandery, No. i, Knights Templar,
and is a worthy follower of the beauseant
and a faithful companion of the chapter.
In business circles Mr. Brown is widely
known and his success is well merited, fol-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
729
lowing, as it does, painstaking effort,
earnest application and careful manage-
ment. He was born in New York, on the
1 2th of July, 1857, and is indebted to
its public schools for his educational priv-
ileges. He entered upon his business ca-
reer as a railroad employee and in 1880
came to Chicago, since which time he has
been a resident of this city. He followed
railroading until 1892, and then turned his
attention to merchandising, also engaging
in the insurance and collecting business.
On the ist of July, 1897, he was elected
secretary of the Banner Brewing Company
and is now thus connected with the industry.
He was married in February, 1892, to Miss
Nettie E. Brown, who was born in Penn-
sylvania and was reared in Portsmouth,
Ohio.
LOUIS F. SHANE, one of the most
efficient and capable members of the
Chicago police force, was raised to the
sublime degree of a Master Mason in Siloam
Lodge, No. 780, and in 1887 was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Wiley M. Egan Chapter, No. 1 24. He
has also taken the degrees of chivalric
Masonry in Chicago Commandery, No. 19,
Knights Templar, and by reason of his
affiliation therewith was received into the
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
his membership being in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Shane is a native of the Empire
state, his birth occurring in Rochester, on
the 3 ist of August, 1855. His grandparents
were among the first settlers of that city,
and our subject was born in the ancestral
home, where also occurred the birth of his
father. The family has always been noted
for its patriotism and has been represented
in the wars of the country, the grandfather
having served in the war of 1812, while the
father participated in the struggle which
preserved the Union.
Louis F. Shane learned the carpenter's
trade in early life and for some time fol-
lowed contracting. In 1871 he removed to
Chicago, where he has since made his home.
In 1884 he became connected with the
police force, where his service has since
been continuous, and this fact speaks more
forcibly than any words can do of his fidel-
lity and capability. Mr. Shane is a broad-
minded, progressive American citizen who
keeps thoroughly abreast with the times
and is well informed on the leading topics
and questions of the day. He delights in
antiquities and among his treasured posses-
sions of this character are the firearms which
were carried by his father and grandfather
in the respective wars in which they served.
On the 4th of February, 1880, Mr.
Shane was united in marriage to Miss
Louise Oswaldt, a native of Lyons, New
York, who was born in the same house
where her father first opened his eyes to
the light of day. Their family now num-
bers three daughters, Mabel, Myrtle and
Gertrude. Mr. Shane is a pleasant, affable
and courtous gentleman, well qualified by
nature for the duties of his present position,
and realizing fully the trust reposed in him
he meets every obligation in a most com-
mendable manner.
LBERT G. DUTTON.— The prosper-
L._ ous and flourishing condition of Free-
masonry to-day is a consequent result of
the energy, faithfulness, fidelity and en-
thusiasm of its adherents, whose devotion
to its interests have placed it in a position
of independence, broadened its scope of
action, and increased its possibilities for
doing the greatest good to the greatest
number. In Chicago the lodges are weekly
receiving fresh recruits and the already
large membership is ever being reinforced
by those who desire to become affiliated
with the order. An energetic brother who
for the past seven years has been devoted
to the best interests of the fraternity and
an enthusiastic devotee of its workings, is
Albert G. Dutton, a lieutenant of the Chi-
cago police. He became a member of
Pleiades Lodge, No. 478, A. F. & A. M., in
1890; is a member of Wiley M. Egan Chap-
ter; of Chicago Commandery, No. 19, and
780
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
of the Oriental Consistory, Scottish Rite.
He is also connected with the social branch
of the craft, and is a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, his
membership being in Medinah Temple.
Lieutenant Dutton was born in Candice,
New Hampshire, on the 5th of April, 1858,
and passed his youth in the city of his
nativity, acquiring his literary education in
the public schools, which he left at the
age of seventeen and went to Providence,
Rhode Island, there engaging in mercantile
pursuits. In 1877 he moved to Chicago
and was variously employed until 1879,
when he received an appointment on the
police force, and for nearly twenty years
has been a guardian of the peace, faithfully
serving the public and proving himself to
be a competent, efficient officer. His ex-
cellent conduct and the good work per-
formed by him gained for him the atten-
tion of his superiors, and he was gradually
promoted through the different grades until
attaining the position of captain in June,
1895, but with the advent of Carter H.
Harrison's administration in 1897, owing to
political complications, he was reduced to
the rank of lieutenant. Capable and con-
scientious in the discharge of his duties,
faithful to every trust reposed in him and
bringing to his office a high order of intelli-
gence, Lieutenant Dutton is an exemplifica-
tion of the material chosen to represent
law and order and which has gained for
Chicago the reputation of being one of the
most thoroughly equipped cities, as regards
its police, in the world.
The marriage of Lieutenant Dutton
was solemnized on the loth of September,
1884, when he was united to Miss Ida
Eberle, a daughter of W. H. Eberle.
FRED D. PARKER is a member of
Wright's Grove Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
in which he was raised to the sublime de-
gree of Master Mason in 1892. His loyalty
to Masonic principles has won him the es-
teem of his brethren and gained him a 'place
among the representative members of the
fraternity. He is also a member of the
Knights of Pythias society.
A native of the Green Mountain state,
Mr. Parker was born in Brandon, on the
25th of November, 1854, and lived there
until ten years of age, when he accompa-
nied his parents on their removal to Chica-
go, where he was reared to manhood and
acquired his education in the public schools.
After laying aside his textbooks he became
a locomotive engineer and for some years
was connected with the Michigan Central
and the Wabash Railroads in that capacity.
In 1886 he obtained the appointment of
chief engineer of the Lake View pumping
station and has since served in that place,
his long continued term well indicating his
efficiency and the competent manner in
which he meets every duty devolving upon
him. He thoroughly understands his busi-
ness and has the confidence of those who
employ him and respect of those who work
under him.
On the 8th of December, 1 88 1, occurred
the marriage of Mr. Parker and Miss Cath-
arine Lynch, who was born in Michigan
City. They now have a daughter and son,
— Madaline and Nathan.
JAMES BEAUMONT, who is now serving
as Worshipful Master of Wright's Grove
Lodge, was made a member of the fra-
ternity in 1893, when he took the three
fundamental degrees of the order in that or-
ganization. He is a conscientious Mason,
who earnestly desires to live up to the prin-
ciples of the order and does all in his power
to promote the cause. His fidelity to its
interest won him recognition at the hands
of his fellow craftsmen, who in December,
1896, elected him to the office which he is
now acceptably and creditably filling.
Mr. Beaumont was born in Scotland, on
the 5th of January, 1851, and attended the
public schools of that country until eighteen
years of age, when he went to England and
studied engineering. In 1871 he resolved
to try his fortune in America, and crossing
the Atlantic took up his residence in Massa-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
731
chusetts, but after a short time went to Cal-
ifornia, where he remained until going to
the Black Hills of Dakota. There he lived
for two years, from which time until 1886
he was on the plains of the west and became
an expert hunter. He followed that pur-
suit in chase of buffalo and other wild game
and was an almost unerring marksman. At
length he abandoned that life and came to
Chicago, in 1886. The following year he
secured the position of assistant engineer of
the Lakeview pumping station and has since
served in that capacity. He is a competent
engineer, reliable and faithful in the dis-
charge of every duty, and in his ten years'
service there has given most excellent satis-
faction.
In 1886 Mr. Beaumont was united in
marriage to Miss Jane Middleton, a native
of England, and they now have two sons,
James and George.
LBERT MOHR, whose advancement
in Masonry has brought him to the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite,
became identified with the order in Harbor
Lodge, No. 731, A. F. & A. M., with which
he is still affiliated. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Sinai Chapter, No. 185, and in St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 19, was constituted, cre-
ated and dubbed a Sir Knight. In 1896 he
received the grades and orders of the Scot-
tish Rite and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory. He maintains social relations with
his brethren of the craft through his mem-
bership in Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, and in all these
bodies has won many friends by his fidelity
to Masonic principles and his faithfulness
to manly virtues.
Mr. Mohr was born in Chicago August
25, 1860, and spent his boyhood after the
manner of most lads of the period. He
pursued his studies in the public schools
and later learned the boiler-maker's trade,
under the careful instruction of his father,
who was an expert in that line and was for
many years vice-president of the Excelsior
Iron Works, but severed that connection in
1885 in order to establish the boiler works
conducted under the firm name of John
Mohr & Sons. In 1893 our subject was
appointed manager of the South Chicago
branch of the works, and in the discharge
of his duties has shown himself the right
man in the right place. He is very capa-
ble, with good business qualifications and
is popular with the trade.
Mr. Mohr was united in marriage June
3, 1896, to Miss Emily A. Sutton, who was
born in England but was reared in Chicago.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Mohr were members of
Windsor Chapter, Order of the Eastern
Star, of which she is Worthy Matron.
TrOSEPH MOHR has advanced through
I] the various degrees of Masonry until he
has reached the Knight Templar degree of
the York Rite and the thirty-second degree of
the Scottish Rite. In Covenant Lodge, No.
526, he first was made acquainted with
the esoteric doctrines of the fraternity, and
having taken the three degrees in that or-
ganization, he crossed the threshold into
capitular Masonry, where are revealed the
beautiful and historic legends of the past,
being exalted to the august degree of a
Royal Arch Mason in Corinthian Chapter,
No. 69. In St. Bernard Commandery, No.
19, he was knighted, and in Oriental Con-
sistory he took the ineffable degrees of the
Scottish Rite. He also belongs to Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mys-
tic Shrine, and is loyal and true in his Ma-
sonic affiliations, faithfully upholding the
standards as a worthy exemplar of its
teachings.
Mr. Mohr, as one of Chicago's native
sons and early settlers, has long been iden-
tified with the interests of the city and has a
wide acquaintance here. His parents estab-
lished a home here when the metropolis
was an embryo city, and he was born April
3, 1855. His childhood days were un-
marked by any event of special importance,
being occupied with study, work and youth-
732
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
ful pleasures. He entered upon his busi-
ness career by learning the boiler-maker's
trade and subsequently became foreman in
the Excelsior Iron Works, of which his
father was vice-president. In 1882 the
firm of John Mohr & Son was formed and
has since done a successful business, with
a constantly increasing trade, which has
brought to them a good income. Mr. Mohr,
of this review, is virtually the manager
of the enterprise, and is a very competent
business man, of excellent executive ability
and undaunted perseverance. He is popu-
lar among the employees of the foundry and
with all he meets in business circles, and
well merits his success by reason of his
straightforward dealing, his well-directed
efforts and his unflagging industry.
|pi-.HARLES R. HORRIE.— A man's suc-
\Jj cessful career is the consequent result of
either fortuitous circumstances or of per-
sonal endeavor guided by intelligence, integ-
rity and an honorable purpose in attaining
his aim in life. If the former be the case
then no credit attaches itself to his success;
but if the latter obtains, he is deserving of
the praise and consideration of his fellow
men and merits the warm approbation he
receives and which is his just due. The
brother whose name initiates this review
may most appropriately be included in the
last named class and is enjoying the pros-
perity which has attended his early efforts.
He is also a valued member of the Masonic
fraternity, the primary degrees being con-
ferred upon him in Blair Lodge, No. 393,
in 1893. He is a worthy follower of capit-
ular Masonry, having been exalted to the
august degree of Holy Royal Arch in Wash-
ington Chapter, No. 43, in 1896, and he re-
ceived the grades and orders of the Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory, wherein he at-
tained the thirty-second degree and was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in 1894. He has accomplished a
successful pilgrimage across the sands of
the desert and elected a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple. His other social affil-
iation is with the Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Horrie was born in Morris, Illinois,
on the 5th of January, 1870, and was there
reared, receiving his elementary educational
discipline in the public schools until fifteen
years old, when, in 1885, he moved to Chi-
cago and inaugurated his business career by
becoming a correspondence clerk, relinquish-
ing that position to engage as a traveling
salesman, and continued as such until 1894,
when he settled permanently in Chicago
and embarked in the general merchandise
business, which he has ever since continued
to follow.
The marriage of Mr. Horrie was cele-
brated on the nth of October, 1896, on
which occasion he was united to Miss Mar-
garet Driver, a native of the Dominion of
Canada.
WILLIAM LEWIS TALLMAN, M.D.,
of Chicago, first became acquainted
with the esoteric doctrines of the Masonic
fraternity in Mineral Point Lodge, No. i,
A. F. & A. M., of Mineral Point, Wiscon-
sin, and in Mineral Point Chapter, No. 12,
he took the Royal Arch degrees. He has
also been created a Knight of the Temple
in Mineral Point Commandery, and his
affiliations in Chicago connected him with
Oriental Consistory and the Mystic Shrine.
In 1894 he attained the thirty-second de-
gree of the Scottish Rite, and in Medinah
Temple he crossed the sands of the desert
and became a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine.
Dr. Tallman was born in Tully, Onon-
daga county, New York, and spent his
early life there, acquiring his elementary
education in the public schools. Later he
entered the University of the state of New
York and was graduated with the class of
1878. Having developed a taste of the
science of medicine he determined to pre-
pare for its practice as a life work and to
this end matriculated in the Bellevue Hos-
pital Medical College, where he was gradu-
ated with the class of 1881. He received
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
733
the appointment of surgeon for the Chi-
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad in the
northwest, with headquarters in Milwau-
kee, and remained in that position for ten
years. In 1890 he visited Europe, where
he further perfected himself in his chosen
calling by pursuing special courses of study
in London, Paris and Berlin. Upon his
return to his native land he located in Chi-
cago in 1891 and has since been success-
fully engaged in the active practice of his
profession. His office is in the Saratoga
Hotel, of which he is the house physician,
and he numbers among his patrons many
of the guests from sixteen hotels of the
city, his services being in great demand.
CHRISTIAN MUTH.— The German ele-
ment in America has contributed not a
little to the mercantile interests of this
country, the well-known personal qualities
of the native of that empire — dilligence,
perseverance, frugality and conservative
methods in whatever line of business he
may follow, inspiring the greatest confi-
dence in those with whom he has dealings
in commercial circles. Hereditary indus-
try is the birthright of every male child
born in the fatherland, and, whether he
pursues his career in the land of his birth
or seeks his fortune upon the soil of for-
eign shores, he still retains that character-
istic. Born in Germany on the 2d of Oc-
tober, 1850, Mr. Muth was reared and edu-
cated in the public schools of his native
place, until 1864, when he came to the
United States and located in Chicago, and
here became an apprentice in architectural-
iron manufacturing, serving in that capac-
ity for seven years, when, in 1871, he en-
gaged in business upon his own responsi-
bility. This was the year of the great fire
in the Garden City, when thousands of
homes and millions of dollars were ruth-
lessly destroyed by the all-devouring flames,
and among those who lost everything he
possessed was Mr. Muth. Nothing daunted,
however, by this experience, he arose,
Phoenix-like, and labored hard, until 1874,
when, in company with a partner, he once
more embarked in business, but through
the mismanagement of his partner he once
more lost the hard-earned savings of years.
Nevertheless, true to his nature, Mr. Muth
pluckily entered the arena of human en-
deavor for the third time, and in 1879 he
established the business with which he is
connected at the present time, meeting'
finally with the merited success so long
denied him, and is now enjoying the pros-
perity that is the logical result of perse-
verance, applied industry and honesty of
purpose.
In 1888 Mr. Muth took upon himself the
vows of the blue lodge and became warmly
interested in the precepts contained therein,
having conferred on him the degrees of En-
tered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Master
Mason in William B. Warren Lodge, No.
209. In the Scottish Rite he attained to
the ineffable lodge of perfection and in
1893 received the thirty-second degree in
Oriental Consistory, wherein he was pro-
claimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal Se-
cret. After accomplishing a successful pil-
grimage across the sands of the desert he
was elected a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, his membership
being in Medinah Temple. Although of a
retiring disposition, Mr. Muth is a liberal
"frater" in his lodge, never letting his left
hand know what his right hand is doing,
and is ever ready to contribute of both his
time and means to facilitate the advance-
ment of the fraternity. Our subject is a
representative citizen of the western me-
tropolis,— a man who has surmounted diffi-
culties that would have disheartened thou-
sands of others, whose name is a synonym
of honor, probity and integrity, and whose
daily life exemplifies the teachings and prin-
ciples of Freemasonry.
The marriage of Mr. Muth was cele-
brated on the 1 2th of May, 1872, when he
was united to Miss Minnie Siegmund, who
was born in Germany, but, coming to this
country when quite young, was here reared
and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Muth have
two children, Henry J. A. and Minnie E.
784
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
JACOB H. ZEIS.— The field of Masonry
is the world: its objects touch all man-
kind. Although it has lived through
ages of dim uncertainty, during which time
empires have been crushed, thrones have
crumbled and dynasties have fallen, gone
through vicissitudes, wars and revolutions,
and has witnessed the rise and growth of
all the civilized institutions now on the face
of the earth, yet its eye is not dim nor its
strength failing. It has no known alpha and
its omega will be only when is sounded the
dirge of time. Is it then strange that the
imperial and imperishable institution con-
tinues ever to maintain as its own the sup-
port and faithful devotion of those who have
cognizance of the deeper humanitarian prin-
ciples of life and who have a distinct appre-
ciation of the cordial virtues and exalted ad-
monitions to which it grants apotheosis?
Among those citizens of the western me-
tropolis who have been constant and faith-
ful and earnest in their allegiance to the
great and time-honored fraternity and to
its teachings, the subject of this review
must assuredly be classed, and for this rea-
son it is eminently fitting that at least a
brief record of his life and Masonic career
be incorporated in this connection.
Mr. Zeis, who is principal of the Ker-
shaw school, on Union avenue, near West
Sixty-fourth street, in the Englewood dis-
trict of Chicago, on the i3th of March,
1885, became an Entered Apprentice in
Triluminar Lodge, No. 767, A. F. & A. M.,
in which he was raised to the degree of
Master Mason on the 5th of February, 1 886.
He passed to the capitular degrees in 1891,
being exalted to the Royal Arch in Engle-
wood Chapter, No. 176, January 24; and
within the same year he received the grades
of knighthood in Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, Knights Templar, attaining the Red
Cross degree on October loth of that year.
He was dimitted from his original lodge
and chapter, and is now affiliated with Nor-
mal Park Lodge, No. 797, and Normal Park
Chapter, No. 210, his commandery mem-
bership remaining unchanged. He is Past
Master of his lodge, to which office he was
exalted in 1893, and he served for two
years as Prelate of his commandery, of
which he is at present Junior Warden (1897).
There are certain points of peculiar interest
in connection with Mr. Zeis' Masonic career,
and it is appropriate that mention be made
of one or more of the most salient. In
June, 1893, as Master of Normal Park
Lodge, it was his privilege to confer the
Master Mason's degree upon his younger
brother, Oliver M., and on this occasion
their father, Lewis Zeis, was present as an
honored guest and a patriarch of the order.
In passing it may be said that the death of
the venerable father occurred on the 25th
of November, 1894, while he was visiting
his sons in Chicago. On his last night of
service as Master of Normal Park Lodge,
that body, in token of their esteem and ap-
preciation of his fidelity, presented Mr.
Zeis with a beautiful Masonic emblem, — a
Past Master's jewel, — elaborately set with
precious stones. He has not only main-
tained an abiding interest in the order itself,
but has been zealous in supporting is collat-
eral charities and benevolences, a worthy
exemplar of Masonic teachings in thought,
word and deed.
Mr. Zeis claims the Buckeye state as
the place of his nativity, his birth having
occurred at Fort Seneca, Ohio, on the 24th
of January, 1 860. He was but one year of
age at the time of his parents' removal to
Allen county, Indiana, and his preliminary
educational discipline was received in the
public schools of Valparaiso, that state,
where he completed the high-school course
and graduated as a member of the class of
1879. He had determined to adopt the
legal profession as a vocation, and with this
end in view completed the prescribed course
of study in the Chicago College of Law,
where he graduated in June, 1893, securing
his degree and being admitted to the bar
one year later. He had taken up his resi-
dence in Chicago in 1883 and had devoted
his attention consecutively to educational
work, pursuing his course of study at the
law college in the evenings. His eminent
success in pedagogic work has been such
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
735
that he has found it expedient to continue
in the same instead of practicing his pro-
fession, and his high scholarship and
marked executive powers could not but con-
serve his precedence in either field of en-
deavor.
His religious faith is indicated by his
membership in the Pilgrim Congregational
church in Englewood.
On Christmas day, 1880, Mr. Zeis was
united in marriage to Miss Etta M. Blake,
a native of Alcona county, Michigan, and
her death occurred on the I2th of the fol-
lowing April, 1 88 1. In April, 1884, Mr.
Zeis consummated a second marriage, being
then united to Miss Elizabeth Gunn, of
Paris, Illinois. They are well known and
enjoy a distinguished popularity in the rep-
resentative social circles of Englewood.
JOHN G. McLAREN, a zealous and in-
dustrious brother whose ready hand and
willing heart are ever at the service of
the fraternity, and who has always evinced
a strong interest in the bodies of which he
is a member, was made a Master Mason in
Mystic Star Lodge, No. 758, in 1889; was
exalted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in Delta Chapter, No. 141, in 1891;
received the degrees of Royal and Select
Masters in Temple Council, No. 59, in the
same year; and in 1892 was constituted and
created a Sir Knight in Englewood Com-
mandery, No. 59. He is a Past Master of
his lodge, having been elected to that hon-
orable office in 1895, and has served as
Royal Arch Captain in the chapter, filling
those positions with a high degree of intelli-
gence, ability and circumspection that won
for him the highest respect and brotherly
love of his fellow Masons. He is a Noble
in the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic
Shrine, and both he and his wife are mem-
bers of Olive Chapter, Order of the Eastern
Star.
Mr. McLaren is a native of Canada, his
birth having occurred in Toronto Septem-
ber 10, 1857, and there he was reared and
educated, attending the public schools for
a while, subsequently learning the machin-
ist's trade in shops of the Great Western
Railroad. In 1882 he went to Toledo,
Ohio, where he remained for a while, and
in 1885 he came to Chicago and entered
the shops of the Lake Erie & Western
railroad, his natural ability and close atten-
tion to his work winning for him promotion
to the position of foreman of the round-
house, which position he at present holds.
He is an expert mechanic, thoroughly versed
in the details of his trade, and is held in
high esteem by his superiors as well as his
subordinates.
On October 15, 1894, Mr. McLaren was
united in marriage to Mrs. Mary Cranston
Gravell, who was born in New York.
LEWIS G. CRAWFORD, whose activity
; in Masonic work indicates his fidelity
to the principles of the order, was made a
Mason in Kilwinning Lodge, No. 311, A.
F. & A. M. He took the degrees of
capitular Masonry in Corinthian Chapter,
No. 69, R. A. M., and in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35, was constituted, created
and dubbed a Sir Knight. In Oriental
Consistory he took the ineffable degrees of
the Scottish Rite and became a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret. In Medinah
Temple he became associated with the
Nobles of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine. He has many friends in
Masonic circles and is well worthy of the
esteem of his brethren of the craft.
His life record cannot fail to prove of in-
terest to our readers as one which typifies the
principles of faithfulness to duty and honor
in all the relations of life, which form the
basis of much of Masonry. He was born in
Franklin, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of March,
1864, and was reared and educated there.
He entered upon his business career as an
employee of an oil company and removed
from Franklin to Emlenton, Pennsylvania,
where he remained until coming to Chica-
go in 1889. The same year he turned his
attention to the electrical business and per-
fected himself in the work of electrical en-
786
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
gineering until he was able to command an
excellent position in that line. He is now
superintendent of repairs for the General
Electric Company, and has served in that
capacity for the past five years, his capa-
bility and fidelity winning the unqualified
confidence of the house and making his
services particularly valuable to his em-
ployers. He has studied closely in the
line of his business and has gained therein
an efficiency that has made him a recog-
nized leader in his line.
On the 5th of May, 1888, was celebrated
the marriage which united the destinies of
Mr. Crawford and Miss Ella Maitland, a
native of Pennsylvania. During their resi-
dence in Chicago they have made many
warm friends who regard them highly.
GEORGE WASHINGTON AMSDEN is
well known in Masonic circles, having
been quite prominent in the work of the
fraternity, which in its splendid develop-
ment has kept pace with civilization. It
has shed light in many of the dark places
of the earth, dispelled the gloom in many
a home and the bitterness in many a heart.
On its banners are the enobling and inspir-
ing words of God, Liberty and the Broth-
erhood of Man. The oppressors of the
race, either spiritually, physically or men-
tally, have trembled before the force of
that little ensign, and the great army of
Masons in every land and clime have
marched forward, constantly adding new
recruits to their numbers, strengthening
their power and winning glorious victories
over oppression, bigotry, superstition and
sin.
Mr. Amsden, of Litchfield, belongs to
the mighty host in Illinois that, bound to-
gether in the ties of brotherhood, is advanc-
ing the work begun many centuries ago in
Jerusalem. He holds membership in Char-
ter Oak Lodge, No. 236, A. F. & A. M., in
which body the three primary degrees of
Masonry were conferred upon him. He
still affiliates therewith and was honored
• by his fellow members of the craft by an
election to the office of Worshipful Master.
He took the degrees of Mark Master, Past
Master and Excellent Master in Elliott
Chapter, No. 1 20, and was exalted to the
sublime degree of a Royal Arch Mason
there. In the work of capitular Masonry
he has also been earnest and has served as
High Priest. He was constituted, created
and dubbed a Sir Knight in St. Omar Com-
mandery, No. 30, and has been especially
active in this body. He has served as
Eminent Commander and has attended the
conclaves in Chicago, Baltimore, Washing-
ton, Boston and two in St. Louis.
Mr. Amsden is a native of New York,
his birth having occurred in Gowanda, on
the 1 3th of May, 1842. The public schools
afforded him his educational privileges, and
in 1857 when fifteen years of age, he came
to Litchfield, Illinois, where he has since
made his home. In his youth he learned
the machinist's trade and became an expert
in that line, thoroughly mastering the busi-
ness in every detail. At the time of the
organization of the Litchfield Car & Ma-
chine Company he became one of its prin-
cipal stockholders, was elected one of its
directors and has since been active in the
management of what has proved a very
profitable enterprise, controlling a con-
stantly-increasing business. His well-con-
ducted business interests have brought him
a handsome competence, and as his finan-
cial resources have increased he has in-
vested in mineral lands near Emporia,
Kansas, and now has considerable realty of
that description. He also owns a fine resi-
dence property in Litchfield.
During the Civil war Mr. Amsden re-
sponded to the first call for troops to aid in
the preservation of the Union. Hardly had
the smoke from Fort Sumter's guns cleared
away when he loyally offered his services
to the government and joined the "boys in
blue " of Company D, Seventh Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry, in which he served three
months. He then re-enlisted in the United
States navy, remaining in the service until
November 12, 1865, when, the war having
ended, he was honorably discharged. He
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
737
was then with the Mississippi squadron and
held the position of first engineer on a num-
ber of vessels.
Mr. Amsden has led a busy and useful
life and by his own well-directed efforts,
perseverance and enterprise has won a com-
fortable competence. For the past six
years he has lived retired, enjoying the
fruits of his former toil. He is highly es-
teemed as a man and a Mason, and is well
worthy of mention in the record of the fra-
ternity in Illinois.
WILLIAM G. BARNES, a prominent
citizen of Lena, Illinois, and the
present Worshipful Master of Lena Lodge,
has been a zealous and greatly appreciated
brother in his home lodge and is one of the
enthusiastic, indefatigable Masons who have
so liberally contributed of their time and
talent to the growth and prosperity of the
fraternity throughout the state. He re-
ceived the primary degrees and was raised
to that of a Master Mason in Lena Lodge,
No. 174, in 1884, and in the same year he
was exalted to the august degree of the
Holy Royal Arch in Lena Chapter, No. 105.
He would have advanced still further in the
order, but it was not possible, as the two
bodies above mentioned constitute the only
•ones in Lena. In the blue lodge Mr. Barnes
has served as Junior Warden one year,
Senior Warden two years, and in 1897 he
was elected Worshipful Master. In the
chapter he has been Master of the Third
Veil, Master of the Second Veil, and is at
present holding the office of Royal Arch
Captain. He is a devoted, energetic "fra-
ter, " who not only confines his work to the
home lodge, but also accompanies the floor
team to adjacent towns, exemplifying the
labors there and in this manner rendering
valuable assistance to neighboring bodies,
thereby winning the gratitude and esteem
of his confreres for the generous, fraternal
spirit evinced in all his actions.
Born in Winchester, Scott county, Illi-
nois, on October 14, 1841, Mr. Barnes is of
Prussian ancestry, his father, Charles C.
Barnes, having been a native of that coun-
try. The latter left his home at the age of
fourteen years, and, having a predilection
for a sailor's life, spent five years on the
sea, subsequently coming to the United
States and settling in Illinois, where he was
married to Miss Minerva Gaither, and then
for several years followed the trade of cab-
inet-maker, but later in life took up the vo-
cation of farming, and now, at the age of
seventy-nine years, he has retired and is en-
joying the reward of his early labors and a
life well spent. Mrs. Barnes was called to
her eternal rest in 1857. Five children
were born to this couple, of whom our
brother was the eldest and was reared at
Galena, attending the public schools until
attaining his thirteenth year, when his par-
ents moved to a farm near Lena, and the
rest of his life may be said to have been
practically spent in that town.
In answer to President Lincoln's call
for three-months volunteers to assist in
quelling the Rebellion, Mr. Barnes enlisted
in April, 1861, in Company G, Fifteenth
Illinois Infantry, which, on May 24 follow-
ing, was enrolled in the three-years service,
and at the expiration of that period our sub-
ject re-enlisted, serving throughout the
whole of the Grant and Sherman campaigns
in the west and participating in all the bat-
tles with his regiment. Mr. Barnes' mili-
tary record is somewhat out of the ordinary
in that he experienced a great deal of hard
fighting and long tedious marching, but was
never off duty one day on account of sick-
riess, never received a wound of any kind,
and was never promoted. While guarding
the railroad near Atlanta he was captured
and spent six weeks among the horrors of
Andersonville prison, from which he es-
caped by giving his watch to a Confederate
sergeant for the privilege of assuming the
name of a fellow prisoner who had ob-
tained a parole but who had died before re-
ceiving it. By taking his dead comrade's
name and parole he was allowed outside
and shortly after gained his liberty, return-
ing to his regiment at Raleigh and march-
ing with it to Washington, where it took part •
738
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
in the grand review, which by a singular
co-incidence, occurred on May 24, just four
years after his company had enlisted in the
three-years service. Later the regiment
was sent to St. Louis, Missouri, and then
to the frontier, to look after the Indians.
Mr. Barnes was mustered out in September,
1865, having served continuously for four
years and five months, in which time he
had enlisted on three separate occasions.
He prefers to say little about his gallant
war record, although his many narrow es-
capes and thrilling adventures would fur-
nish the material for a very interesting his-
tory. All honor is due him as a citizen, a
soldier, and a Mason, and too much praise
cannot be bestowed upon those who thus
faithfully perform their duty in every walk
in life.
For the past thirty years Mr. Barnes
has been successfully engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits, which he has lately com-
bined with the stock business, and is the
owner of two hundred and eleven acres of
finely improved land near Lena, besides a
commodious residence in town. In his
political faith he is a Republican and takes
an active interest in public affairs; has
served as a member of the Lena board of
trustees, the school board, and at this writ-
ing is deputy sheriff of Stephenson county,
in which positions he has served in an able,
intelligent manner.
On July 3, 1866, Mr. Barnes was mar-
ried to Miss Minerva Ann Feruson, the
issue of this union being the following three
children: Charles Myron, Ina Mable and
Fred. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes are both mem-
bers of the Order of the Eastern Star, in
which she holds an office. She is an adher-
ent of the Methodist church, and with her
husband has earned the high esteem in
which they are held by all who know
them.
JAMES CARR. — There is perhaps no bet-
ter or more favorably known Mason in
the state of Illinois than the brother
whose name initiates this review, and who
for over twenty-five years has been an
ardent believer in the principles of the or-
der, accepting its tenets, squaring his 'life
by the twenty-four-inch gauge, and proving
himself an excellent exemplification of a
generous, honorable, upright "frater. "
He was made a Master Mason in Apple
River Lodge, No. 548, in 1869, and at
once became an active and useful member
of that body, serving as its Junior Warden,
Senior Warden, and for five years as Wor-
shipful Master. He was exalted to the
Holy Royal Arch on December 9, 1873, in
Galena Chapter, No. 51, R. A. M. ; received
the degrees of Royal and Select Masters,
February 19, 1874, and was constituted a
Sir Knight in Galena Commandery, No. 40,
on February 24, 1874. Such has been his
enthusiasm that he has not hesitated to at-
tend the meetings regularly, although to do
so he has been obliged to journey from his
home at Scales Mound to Galena; and such
is his loyalty to the cause that he has won
the high consideration and fraternal regard
of all the members in the bodies with which
he is affiliated.
Mr. Carr is a native of county Antrim,
Ireland, where his birth occurred on Octo-
ber 26, 1846, his parents being John and
Martha (McFaddin) Carr, both of whom
were born in the north of Ireland. When
our subject was one year old his father and
mother emigrated to the United States and
located in New York city, where his pri-
mary education was attained until 1859,
when he went with his parents to Jo Daviess
county and there continued his mental dis-
cipline in the public schools, occupying his
spare time by assisting his father with the
farm work. In the spring of 1864, Mr. Carr
determined to seek his fortunes farther west
and went to Virginia City, Montana, later
removing to Last Chance, now the thriving
city of Helena, and finally to Carpenter's
Bar, at each of which he engaged in placer
mining, meeting with the success that is
sure to follow perseverance, industry and
the practice of strict integrity. All of these
qualities of character were possessed by Mr.
Carr, and after two and a half years spent
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
739
in the then new country he returned to Jo
Daviess county, bringing with him enough
gold to launch him upon the successful
business career which he has since continued
to follow. His first transaction was the
purchase of three hundred acres of his pres-
ent farm, to which he subsequently added
two hundred acres, and now has one of the
finest places in the county, comprising five
hundred acres of well cultivated land, on
which he raises a choice lot of stock, dis-
posing of the same to the eastern markets.
In 1867 Mr. Carr was united in mar-
riage to Miss Matilda Mullen, and the fol-
lowing seven children have been born to
them: Matilda, James R. , Henry, Harvey,
Wilber, Edgar and M. Brown. Mr. Carr
and his family are highly esteemed by the
residents of the county in which they have
so long resided and our brother is spoken
of in the neighborhood as a man possessing
a generous disposition and a kind heart,
always ready to render assistance in cases
of sickness and death, and ever ready to
extend a helping hand to those in distress.
Politically considered Mr. Carr has been
an active Democrat for many years, and
was chairman of the board of supervisors
of his county for five years, was nominated
and elected a member of the thirty-fifth
assembly of the state, and during the presi-
dential campaign of 1896 he was chairman
of the sound-money Democratic committee
of his county.. Mr. Carr is a man of
marked intelligence and ability, and has
met with well-merited success. As both a
citizen and a Mason he enjoys the good will
and regard of all who know him.
WW. LOW. — The events of one day
become the history of the next and
in the flight of years only the record remains
of those things which have influenced man-
kind either for good or evil. The forces
which have impelled mankind to the per-
formance of deeds that have exercised a
controlling influence upon nations or races
are those which find a -place upon the
annals of the world. Such a force is
Masonry. For centuries time has continued
on its course to eternity while this benev-
olent and noble organization has won to
it thousands of adherents who incited by
its honorable principles have lived better
truer lives. A good man is a better man
for being a Mason, and though some may
enter the fraternity who are unworthy to
wear the noble name of Mason the major-
ity of the followers of this order are of
that class that make the best citizens, the
most progressive business men and the most
earnest workers in behalf of the measures
tending to the betterment of mankind.
Since 1890 Mr. Low has been identified
with the society, having been made a Mason
in Landmark Lodge, No. 422, A. F. & A.
M. He further learned of the symbolic
teachings by his association with Fairview
Chapter, No. 161, in which he was exalted
to the august degree of a Royal Arch Mason
in 1890. He took the vows of Knighthood
and became a faithful follower of the beau-
seant in Apollo Commandery, No. I, in
1894. and in the growth and progress of all
these societies is deeply and loyally interest-
ed. He is esteemed as a worthy and accept-
able member of the craft and has the warm
regard of his brethren.
Mr. Low is a native of Michigan, his
birth having occurred in Flint, October 24,
1858. He was reared and educated there
and when he put aside his textbooks to
learn the more difficult lessons in the school
of experience, the tasks assigned him were
those of an employee in a carriage manu-
facturing establishment. He thoroughly
applied himself to the work and soon mas-
tered the business in all its details. Sub-
sequently he became deeply interested in
electrical work and sought employment in
that line, with which he has been connected
since 1883. He came to Chicago in 1886
and has steadily worked his way upward in
business circles until he is now president of
the Electrical Appliances Company, which
owing to his methods of business has a
most enviable reputation for reliability as
well as efficient workmanship. The his-
tory of Mr. Low is indicative of the oppor-
740
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
tunities open to young men who will but
take advantage of all these, and by energy,
perseverance and good management steadily
rise above lowly beginnings to positions of
prominence in the world of trade. The
company of which he is now the head is en-
joying a liberal and constantly increasing
patronage and he has the respect and con-
fidence of the trade in an unusual degree.
LONZO M. EAGER is accounted one
J&L of Chicago's worthy Masons and the
vigilance with which he guards the ancient
landmarks, upholds the tenets of faith in
the chapter, observes the vows of knight-
hood, advances the objects of the Scottish
Rite and above all adheres to the principles
of benevolence and fraternity which form
the basic elements of this grand old frater-
nity, make him indeed one of the valued
members of the craft in this city. He was
first initiated into the esoteric doctrines of
Masonry in August, 1884, as an Entered Ap-
prentice of Dearborn Lodge, No. 310, and
having passed the Fellow-craft degree he
was raised to the sublime degree of a Mas-
ter Mason in the month of August. His
advancement through the various degrees
and different bodies of the society has been
very rapid for within eighteen months after
joining the organization he had completed
the York Rite and attained the thirty-second
degree in the Scottish Rite. He was ex-
alted to the sublime degree of a Royal Arch
Mason in LaFayette Chapter, No. 2, in
1884, in the same year took the Royal and
Select Master degrees in Palestine Council,
No. 66, and was knighted in Apollo Com-
mandery, No. I, and received the ineffable
degree of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal Se-
cret. The organization formed to promote
social relations between the brethren of
the craft also won his support and in 1885
he joined Medinah Temple, of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. In 1894 ne served as Worshipful
Master of the blue lodge. Of the teachings
and ethics of Masonry in all departments he
is a close student and his life and good works
are in accord with the sublime principles of
this magnanimous order.
Mr. Eager was born in Janesville, Wis-
consin, on the 6th of July, 1853, and ob-
tained his education in the public schools of
his native state. He learned the trade of
horseshoeing under the direction of his fa-
ther and became an expert workman in
that line. Coming to Chicago he here es-
tablished a smithy and has built up a good
trade which is steadily increasing.
Mr. Eager was united in marriage on
the 3d of July, 1881, to Miss Hattie B.
Cowen. Both he and his wife are members
of the Order of the Eastern Star, their
membership being in Miriam Chapter, No.
i, of which Mrs. Eager has been Worthy
Matron and Mr. Eager Worthy Patron.
JOHN PETRIE, contractor and builder
of Chicago, Illinois, is a man of large
means and extensive operations, and has
for over three decades been closely con-
nected with the business interests of this
city; and while he has devoted his attention
closely to the demands of his business, he
has during the past ten years found time to
turn aside from business cares and seek that
recreation and profit which is obtained only
in the Masonic lodge-room. The particu-
lar line of occupation which he has followed
through life renders him capable of keenly
appreciating the beauties of Masonry, and
from the time of his reception into the or-
der he has been an enthusiastic and active
member.
Mr. Petrie was made a Mason in Wai-
deck Lodge, No. 674, A. F. & A. M., of
Chicago, in 1886, and at the next meeting
which followed the conferring of his third
degree he was honored • by election to the
office of Junior Steward. At each succeed-
ing election he was given a promotion until
in December, 1893, he was elected Wor-
shipful Master, and in 1894 and 1895 ne
was elected his own successor. His deep
interest in the order and his knowledge of
the work have led to the office seeking the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
741
man rather than the man the office, and
"brotherly love, relief and truth" have
been manifested in his every-day life and
action as well as taught within the walls of
the lodge-room. And thus he is justly en-
titled to the high esteem in which he is
held by the members of the craft.
While he is thoroughly identified with
America and her institutions, Mr. Petrie is
a German by birth and early associations.
He was ushered into life in Germany, July
7, 1842, and was there reared and educated,
spending his first twenty-three years on his
native soil. Both his father and grand-
father were carpenters by occupation, and
the subject of our sketch may be said to
have been reared to this trade. In 1865 he
left the home of his childhood to seek his
fortune in America, landed here in due
time and February 14, 1866, took up his
abode in Chicago, then a city not to be
compared to the Chicago of to-day, which
has within its limits many monuments to
his skill and enterprise as a contractor and
builder. Mr. Petrie came to this country a
poor young man. Without capital and
without influential friends he has worked
his way up step by step to the position he
now occupies among the leading business
men of this city, and to his native talent
and acquired ability, his industry and per-
severance, and, above all, his honorable
business methods may be traced the sources
of his success.
Mr. Petrie was married in September,
1865, to Miss Christina Kobbser, a native
of Germany, and they have one son,
John P.
'AMES W. ATWELL, of Chicago, to
whom are delegated the duties of man-
ager of the business interests of the
wholesale house of E. V. Roddin & Com-
pany, silversmiths, has for more than thirty
years worn the emblems and followed the
teachings of Masonry. He has aided in
the work which has secured to this frater-
nity the reputation of being the most useful
as well as the most ancient of the benevo-
lent societies and strictly regards the ethics
of the society. Those qualities which give
distinctive character to Masonry finds ex-
emplification in his life and he occupies a
high place in the regard of his fellow crafts-
men. In 1865 he took the degrees of
Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Mas-
ter Mason in Lawton Lodge, No. 216, F. &
A. M., of Lawton, Michigan, continuing his
affiliation therewith until after his removal
to Chicago, when he dimitted to Hesperian
Lodge, No. 411, in 1875. He served as
Senior Deacon in Lawton Lodge,, but has
never cared for official preferment, content
to meet fully the obligations which Masonry
imposes upon its members. He guards
most carefully the ancient landmarks and is
equally loyal to the different branches of
the craft. He became a member of Corin-
thian Chapter, No. 69, R. A. M., on the
1st of December, 1875, and the same year
was made a Royal and Select Master in
Chicago Council. In 1880 he was knighted
in St. Bernard Commandery, No. 35, K. T. ,
and is now a member of its Drill Corps.
Mr. Atwell is a native of the Empire
state, born in Schenectady on the 5th of
April, 1842. He came to Chicago in 1860,
and for some years was in the employ of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the
Illinois Central railroads. He followed
telegraphy for some years, being stationed
at various places, and was an expert oper-
ator. During the Civil war he rendered
his country valuable service in the line of
his profession, enlisting in January, 1862,
in the United States Military Telegraph
Corps. He served with the army in west-
ern Tennessee until 1864, and his duties of
receiving and sending messages on which
frequently depended the movements of the
troops, were of a very important nature.
In 1864 Mr. Atwell returned to his work
in the north and followed telegraphy until
1 88 1, when he entered the employ of E. V.
Roddin & Company, wholesale dealers in
silverware. His fidelity to duty, his capa-
bility and sound judgment have continually
won him promotion and he now occupies
the responsible position of manager. He
742
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
now devotes his entire time and concen-
trates all his energies to the supervision of
the business and has the heart to resolve,
the understanding to direct and the hand to
execute all of the various transactions which
come within his province as manager. In
politics Mr. Atwell is a stanch Republican,
and while residing in Lawton, Michigan,
served as recorder.
GEORGE CHAMBERS.— In the great
city of Chicago a majority of the in-
habitants are of foreign birth. Those who,
attracted by the superior advantages offered
in business lines, have come here to engage
in trade and establish homes, — these valua-
ble additions to the native population have
by their industry, economy and honest meth-
ods become essential factors in the growth
of the city. They have furnished repre-
sentatives to almost every line of industrial,
commercial and professional activity and
many of the most prominent, influential
and substantial citizens of Chicago are
those who have left the old world to try
their fortunes in the new.
To this class belongs George Chambers,
for many years one of the leading contract-
ors and builders of the western metropolis.
His identification with the interests of the
city have not only resulted in benefit to
himself but has been of material benefit to
the community. His skill has adorned its
streets and many of the fine edifices now
stand as monuments to his enterprise and
progressiveness. He was born in England
on the 28th of October, 1824, and when
twenty-eight years of age sailed for Amer-
ica. About 1854 he came to Chicago and
about a year later began contracting and
building. He has kept fully abreast with
the improvement that has been made in
architecture and not only builded the frame
structures and unsubstantial buildings which
largely composed the city prior to the fire
of 1871, but has also been an important
factor in the construction of the highly
ornate and massive structures which make
Chicago the place of beautiful residences
and fine business blocks. He took the
contract for the construction of the Lasalle
street tunnel, erected the Michael Reese
hospital, the Unity church, which he also
rebuilded, and many important business
blocks in the down-town district. His suc-
cess has been achieved along the lines of
honorable methods, straightforward deal-
ing, tireless purpose and resolute energy,
and the prosperity which has come to him
now enables him to live retired.
Mr. Chambers is married and has a fam-
ily of seven children. He lives in a beauti-
ful home in Riverside, where he is now en-
joying the fruits of his former toil. He
attends the Presbyterian church and in pol-
itics is a Republican, warmly advocating
the principles of that party. He has for
almost thirty years been a member of the
Masonic fraternity, his identification there-
with dating from 1869, when the degrees
of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and
Master Mason were conferred upon him in
Blaney Lodge, of Chicago. About 1870 he
was exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Washington Chapter, and is
a chapter member of St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35. As one looks back
through the vista of years and sees what
the Masonic fraternity has done for man-
kind they must accord it full recognition for
its usefulness. When religious ceremonies
were largely formed of persecution Masonry
was teaching its followers those principles
of charity, helpfulness and brotherly kind-
ness which form the basis of all moral
worth; it has been a distinctive and potent
element in our modern civilization and its
power is immeasurable on account of its
far-reaching influences. Mr. Chambers has
ever been true to its teaching and ethics
and is a worthy man and Mason well deserv-
ing of mention in the history of the frater-
nity in Illinois.
) EINHOLD EICHENBERG. - - The
JTjfr sound principles upon which the soci-
ety of Freemasonry is founded have been
the cause of its enduring for so many hun-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
743
dreds of years, despite the many efforts of
its enemies to overthrow it and consign it
and its objects to the fate of oblivion.
Rising from the ages of struggle to the
majesty of its present altitude, it has every
reason to glory in the triumph which has
taken so long a time to attain. In these
enlightened days its beauties shine forth in
effulgent splendor and shed their bright-
ness upon thousands of zealous members,
among whom is the brother whose name
heads this sketch.
Mr. Eichenberg had the degree of Mas-
ter Mason conferred upon him in Corin-
thian Lodge, No. 526, in 1890, was ex-
alted to the degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, in the same
year, was created a Sir Knight in St. Ber-
nard Commandery, No. 35, in 1893, and
attained the ineffable degree of Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory in 1894. He
was constituted a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine, Ancient Arabic Order, in Medinah
Temple. He has ever held the order in
profound respect and has taken every op-
portunity to advance its interests.
Germany is the native country of Mr.
Eichenberg, his birth having taken place
there February 25, 1869. When only three
years old he was brought to the United
States by his parents and eventually lo-
cated in Chicago, where he secured employ-
ment with the firm of Lyon & Healy, man-
ufacturers of and dealers in musical instru-
ments. He remained with them until
1895, when he entered into business for
himself as a commission merchant, and as
such has been quite successful.
In his political affiliation Mr. Eichen-
berg is a stanch advocate of the Repub-
lican party, and is a firm believer in a pro-
tective tariff and a monetary system having
for its basis a single standard of gold. Re-
ligiously he is a devout member of the Lu-
theran church.
rFILLIAM H. HUFFMAN, a retired
M'lt agriculturist now residing in Nunda,
has been affiliated with the Masonic frater-
41*
nity for nearly half a century, and is one of-
the worthy brothers who has watched the
growth of the order in Illinois with unabated
interest. He received the initiatory de-
grees in the blue lodge at Crystal Lake,
Illinois, in which he has served as Senior
Warden. He has given all his time and at-
tention to the workings of that body since
1850 and holds a place of honor among its
members.
Mr. Huffman was born in Livingston
county, New York, June 20, 1827, his par-
ents being W. M. and Lavilla (Sears) Huff-
man, the former having been born in Ca-
yuga county, New York, and the latter in
Onondaga, in the same state. Mr. Huff-
man and a brother were soldiers in the war
of 1812. He and his wife came to Illinois
in 1838 and reared a family of ten children,
five boys and five girls. He departed this
life at the age of sixty-three, his wife sur-
viving him until attaining four-score and
four years. Our subject was eleven years
old when he came to this state, and was at
once put to work on the farm, attending
school during the winter months. During
the war he enlisted in Company D, Ninety-
fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served
for three years as first lieutenant. He was
a brave and gallant officer and took an act-
ive part in a great number of battles. After
the conflict had come to a close Mr. Huff-
man returned to Illinois and engaged in
farming until he retired from active life and
is now reaping the benefit of his early la-
bors. Besides his farm of three hundred
and seventy-eight acres he is the owner of
a fine town residence.
In 1851 Mr. Huffman was married to
Miss Mary Starkweather, at Nunda, New
York. She is a daughter of Thomas Stark-
weather, who comes of English ancestry.
Four children have been born to our sub-
ject and his wife: Anna, Jennie, Tyler,
and Lydia, the latter of whom is deceased.
Mr. Huffman is a member of Nunda Post,
No. 232, Grand Army of the Republic, of
which he has been Commander. In politics
he is a stanch Republican and held the of-
fice of justice of the peace for several years.
744
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
t \DWARD A. GARDNER, of Paxton,
"• ° Mason of prominence, whose
is
a Mason ol prominence, wnose con-
nection with the order has been a period of
active service in its interest. In 1887 he
was raised to the sublime degree of a Mas-
ter Mason in Paxton Lodge, No. 416, and
the following year was advanced as Mark
Master, installed as Past Master, received
as Most Excellent Master and exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Ford Chapter, No. 113. He took the de-
gree of cryptic Masonry and was greeted a
Royal and Select Master in Gibson Council
in 1890, and in 1889 was constituted, cre-
ated and dubbed a Sir Knight in Mount
Olivet Commandery. In 1895 he took the
Scottish Rite degrees in Oriental Consistory
of Chicago and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret. His brethren
of the fraternity have shown their appreci-
ation of his valuable services in its behalf by
electing him to various offices. He has
served as Worshipful Master of the lodge,
was King of the chapter and is now, 1 897,
serving as Eminent Commander of the com-
mandery. He is a zealous and ardent ad-
herent of the society and the influence of
its principles shine through his acts. He
who practices the mutual helpfulness, mu-
tual forbearance, magnanimity and integrity
which forms the foundation of the ancient
craft is a Mason worthy of the name and
such a one is the gentleman whose name
introduces this review.
Professor Gardner was born in North
Washington, Pennsylvania, on the 29th of
December, 1861, and is a son of Samuel
and Jane E. (Hill) Gardner. His maternal
grandfather, Hon. Samuel Hill, served in
both the state legislature and senate, and
was in the government service until 1859.
Very prominent and influential, he wielded
a marked influence over public opinion and
left the impress of his strong individuality
upon the community in which he made his
home. The parents of our subject were
both natives of the Keystone state and were
Presbyterians in religious belief. They had
a family of four sons and a daughter.
Professor Gardner was reared in his na-
tive state and acquired a good education in.
Markle Academy, of Markle, Pennsylvauia.
At the age of seventeen he began teach-
ing and has given his entire life to educa-
tional work, in which he has been very suc-
cessful. He came to Paxton in 1880, but
later spent four years in Kansas. He was
principal of the Paxton schools for four
years, was elected superintendent of the
schools in 1890 for a term of four years, and
in 1 894 was elected county superintendent
of the schools of Ford county. He is now
serving in that capacity and in the discharge
of his duties manifests a fidelity and displays
an ability that has won him high commenda-
tion. He was elected to this office on the
Republican ticket and is numbered among
the most prominent members of that party
in the county. Believing firmly in its
principles and that the welfare of the na-
tion will be best promoted through the
adoption of its tenets, he labors earnestly
for its support and is an effective worker in
its behalf. In October, 1891, was cele-
brated the marriage of Professor Gardner
and Miss Alice E. Ross, a lady of culture
and intelligence, who was born, reared and
educated in the Keystone state. The mar-
riage took place in Braeburn, Pennsylvania,
and has been blessed with one son, Edward
Ross. The family attend the Methodist
Episcopal church and Professor Gardner is
a member of the choir. He is deeply inter-
ested in all that pertains to the welfare of
his adopted city and state and withholds
his support from no measure calculated to
prove of public benefit.
MICHOLAS AUGUST SIEVERS, Wor-
shipful Master of Cleveland Lodge,
No. 21 1, A. F. & A. M. , Chicago, Illinois,
is one of the valued and honored members
of this great order. He was created a Ma-
son in the above named lodge in 1891, and
in 1 892 received the Royal Arch degrees in
Washington Chapter, No. 43 ; was knighted
in Chicago Commandery, No. 19; and be-
came a member of Oriental Consistory.
Also he is a Noble in the Ancient Arabic
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
745
Order of the Mystic Shrine, his membership
being in Medinah Temple. In the lodge
he has filled successively every chair, is fa-
miliar with every line of the ritual, and his
deep and earnest interest in the work of
the order, together with his correct knowl-
edge of the same make him one of the most
popular and efficient officers who has ever
filled the executive chair in Cleveland
Lodge. And not only in the lodge-room
does he strive to show forth the principles
of Masonry, but also in his every-day life is
found prevalent the spirit of the fraternity,
— "Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth."
Mr. Sievers is a native of the great city
in which he lives. He was ushered into
life here on the 8th of December, 1862, and
was reared and educated in Chicago, his
early training being in the mercantile line,
a business which he still follows. His rec-
ord is that of a man who by his own merit
has attained to a position where he com-
mands the respect of all with whom he has
business intercourse. Industry and perse-
verance, systematic and honorable business
methods, and his native talent and acquired
ability are the sources of his success and
have given him a character which is above
reproach.
Mr. Sievers is a man of family. He
was married April 27, 1887, to Miss Antonie
Rohn, a native of Chicago, and they have
two sons, Lewis and August.
JAMES RALSTON, of the firm of Ralston
& Company, cut-stone contractors, has
for many years been an important factor
in carrying forward the work which has
made Chicago the great city it is to-day,
and is recognized as one of its substantial
business man; and in fraternal circles, as
well as those of a business nature, he en-
joys high standing, his identity with the
Masonic order covering about twelve years.
It was in 1 884 and in Lakeside Lodge, No.
739, that Mr. Ralston was entered, passed
and raised to a Master Mason. He was ex-
alted a Royal Arch Mason in Chicago Chap-
ter, No. 127, in 1887 and the same year
was knighted in Chevalier Bayard Com-
mandery, No. 52. The Scottish Rite de-
grees were conferred upon him by Oriental
Consistory, and also he is a member of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
maintaining his membership in Medina
Temple. Thus has he climbed the Ma-
sonic ladder up to the higher rounds, find-
ing with each ascent a broader vision and a
deeper interest in the principles as so
beautifully exemplified. And during the
years he has been connected with Masonry
he has not only admired its teachings and
work, but also in his life has he shown the
true spirit of Masonry and reflected many
of its principles in his every-day action.
Mr. Ralston is a Scotchman. He was
born in the "land of hills and heather"
January 7, 1836, and in his native land
spent the first sixteen years of his life, emi-
grating at sixteen to America and locating
in New York, where he served an apprentice-
ship to the trade of stone-cutter. In March,
1872, he came to Chicago and the same
year commenced business as a member of
the firm of Tait & Ralston, cut-stone con-
tractors. The present firm of Ralston &
Company was formed in 1890, with John
H. Cowen as partner, both gentlemen be-
ing practical and thoroughly familiar with
all the details of the business. Mr. Rals-
ton's record is that of an industrious, hon-
est young man who, without means or in-
fluential friends, worked his way up to a
proud position among the leading business
men of a great city.
He was married in 1875 to Miss Eliz-
abeth Henderson, a native of Edinburg,
Scotland.
PAUL ZIEMSEN.— As our fathers in the
past ages served their Heavenly Father
in the noble fraternity by mighty works for
man's use and by the cultivation of the
spirit of charity and love, so through the
centuries the golden chain which binds man
to man has been continued and preserved.
The institution of Freemasonry has always
been a co-worker with the school-house and
746
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the church in the wonderful achievements
that constitute the foundation of civiliza-
tion, and it gladly joins hands with the edu-
cational forces of the nations. Through its
system of symbolic and allegoric instruction
it has erected an altar at whose feet have
sat the wisest and best of earth and for
centuries it has been per.'ecting a system of
moral education for the upbuilding and per-
fection of human character. Its adherents
shall walk side by side with the progress of
freedom, which shall have no backward
step, and march onward with the stately
tread of an army not bent on carnage and
pillage, but one to war on ignorance and
vice and destroy the sting of idleness and
venom of malice.
For nearly half a century has the sub-
ject of this review been a resident of Chica-
go, and for over twenty-five years has he
been an honored member of the fraternity,
ever evincing that fervency and zeal which
characterizes the intelligent and loyal Free-
mason, He stands high in the ranks and is
esteemed a worthy member of the order.
Mr. Ziemsen was made a Mason in Ger-
mania Lodge, No. 182 in 1860,, from which
he was afterward dimitted in order to be-
come affiliated with Herden Lodge, No.
669, of which he at the present time is the
Worshipful Master. In 1874 he was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Washington Chapter. He takes a more
than ordinary interest in Masonry and does
all in his power to advance its cause, mani-
festing in his daily life the spirit of the
fraternity and exemplifying its honorable
teachings in his upright career. He is a
worthy and acceptable member of the craft,
ardently concerned in the workings of the
lodge, in which he renders most efficient
assistance, and is a stanch advocate of the
quality rather than the quantity of numbers.
Mr. Ziemsen was born in Germany, De-
cember 28, 1840, and lived in his native land
until ten years of age, when he came with
his parents to the United States and settled
in Chicago, where he has since continued
to reside. After receiving a common-school
education he started in life in the grocery
business, being employed by several houses
until 1 864, when he opened a store of his
own, and has continued to march with the
progress of time, until to-day, after thirty-
three years of practical experience in the
mercantile world, he is numbered among
the most successful business men of Chi-
cago. His record is that of a man who
by his own unaided efforts has risen to his
present position in life and is considered
one of the solid and reliable men in his
line. His career has been one of industry,
perseverance and integrity, and the honora-
ble business methods he has followed have
won for him the high regard of all those
who come in contact with him. Few men
in the branch of commerce with which Mr.
Ziemsen is connected have secured a more
firm standing, or who command a larger
share of public patronage, and his present
success is due entirely to his natural talent
and acquired ability.
In 1862 Mr. Ziemsen was united in mar-
riage to Miss Mary Porkorney, a native of
Bohemia, and they have three children:
Frank, Pauline, who is the wife of Louis
Richar, and Emily.
WILLIAM T. RUEDY, who for six-
teen years has held the position of
foreman in one of the departments of the
Pullman Palace Car Shops, is a prominent
Mason, whose union with the order dates
from 1888. In that year he was initiated
as an Entered Apprentice of Palace Lodge,
No. 765, passed the Fellow-craft degree
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason. Three years passed and he
then advanced in the order to the highest
degree of capitular Masonry, being exalted
a Royal Arch Mason in Sinai Chapter. He
became a charter member of Pullman
Chapter, and has been an important factor
in its upbuilding and is now serving in the
high position of King. He was dubbed
and created a Sir Knight in Apollo Com-
mandery. No. I; in 1890, and is a worthy
follower of the beauseant, ever true to the
vows of knighthood. Familiar with the
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
747
work of these various organizations and
thoroughly in sympathy with its beneficent
principles, he exemplifies in his life its hon-
orable teachings.
Mr. Ruedy claims Ohio as the state of
his nativity, and Cleveland as his natal
city. He was born on the i6th of Septem-
ber, 1862, and spent his youth in Ohio,
coming to Chicago in 1881. Since that
time he has been connected with the Pull-
man Palace Car Company, occupying the
responsible position of foreman of one of
the departments of that extensive enter-
prise. His thorough understanding of the
business enables him to successfully direct
the efforts of those who work under him
and his fairness and courtesy to the work-
men has won their respect and sincere re-
gard. His fidelity to the trusts committed
to his care is indicated by his sixteen years'
continuous service with the corporation
which tolerates no unfaithfulness. In man-
ner he is pleasant and genial and he is very
popular with a large circle of friends.
HERBERT L. WHITAKER.— However
harsh and inconsiderate the every-day
work of men may be, whatever are the
cross purposes and rivalries incident to
competition in trade, or for ambitious pre-
ferment, because of personal characteristics
or geographical locations; however calloused
to the seeming hardness of heart or selfish-
ness by the busy, bustling turmoil of daily
contact with the stern realities of a not too
sympathetic world man may become, occa-
sion warranting it, the magic wand of sym-
pathy makes the whole world kin in sacri-
ficing kindness. The Masonic fraternity is
based upon this truth, and for centuries it
has been cultivating in the human heart
that compassion which results in efforts for
the alleviation of the unfortunate. We are
stirred and thrilled when a vast organiza-
tion goes forth on some noble mission, but
no deeds are performed by them more
praiseworthy than the quiet and often un-
noted charities and kindnesses of the Ma-
sonic brothers who, without other hope of
reward than the approval of their own con-
sciences, continue their grand work of help-
fulness to the less fortunate on the ofttimes
wearisome journey of life. Every town,
village and city almost in this great state
has its little band of Masons who are unit-
ed in a worthy effort to do away with the
wrongs of life and uphold the true and the
good.
One of the most exemplary members of
Lawn Lodge, No. 815, A. F. & A. M., of
Chicago, is Herbert L. Whitaker, who be-
came connected with this organization in
1892. He was initiated as an Entered Ap-
prentice, passed the Fellow-craft degree
and was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason and in December, 1895, was
elected to the office of Worshipful Master,
in which he served most capably a'nd ac-
ceptably. He was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Lawn Chap-
ter, No. 205, on the ist of March, 1894,
and is now serving as its Secretary. His
zeal and ardor for Masonry has made him
one of the most valued members of these
organizations and he well deserves mention
in this volume.
Mr. Whitaker is a native of the Empire
state, his birth having occurred in Troy,
New York, October, 18, 1857, and when
only two years of age was brought by his
parents to Chicago, where he was reared to
manhood. He acquired his education in
the public schools and after learned the car-
penter's trade, and still later that of the tin-
smith. In 1890 he began business on his
own account and is now conducting a good
hardware store in Chicago Lawn; also takes
contracts for metal work. He has a good
trade, his reputation for honorable dealing
winning him favor with the public.
Mr. Whitaker was married in 1885, the
lady of his choice being Miss Ida L. Hewitt,
a native of Warren county, New York, and
they have two children, a son and a daugh-
ter. In connection with his other social
relations Mr. Whitaker is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He
is a man of good business habits, thoroughly
748
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
reliable, energetic and progressive and the
success which has crowned his efforts is
well merited.
GEORGE H. BEEBE.— The implements
of Masonry are as stimulants to noble
thoughts and high ambitions. The truths
incorporated in its laws are drawn from the
word of God, and stand out in bold relief
against insincerity and dishonesty. The doc-
trine of brotherly love is spread throughout
the universe by its votaries, whose aim it is
to supplant vice with virtue and to weed
out all that is untrue to manhood. Char-
acter building is one of the objects of Free-
masonry— the construction of a beautiful
soul within the edifice of clay. That it de-
serves the recognition, the assistance, the
encouragement of every man who has the
happiness of his family at heart there is not
the shadow of a doubt, and once he has en-
tered into the sacred precincts of the fra-
ternity, his support of its principles are for-
ever given.
George H. Beebe, the gentleman whose
name appears at the head of this review,
and who for over a quarter of a century has
been identified with the building interests
of Chicago as one of the reliable contractors,
also ranks high in the Masonic fraternity
and is one of its valued members. Mr.
Beebe was made a Mason in Oriental Lodge,
No. 33, in 1886, and exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in LaFayette
Chapter, No. 2, in 1888. He was knighted
in Apollo Commandery, No. i, in 1890.
Mr. Beebe is deeply interested in Masonry
and does all in his power to promote its in-
terests. He manifests in his daily walks in
life the spirit of the fraternity and exempli-
fies its honorable teachings in his upright
career as a worthy and justly esteemed
member of the craft.
The subject of this sketch was born in
Albany, New York, August 15, 1850. He
was reared in his native town until ten years
of age, when the family moved to Illinois
and settled at Kankakee. Mr. Beebe learned
the trade of a carpenter in his youth, in all
that the term "learned" implies, and
became thoroughly familiar with all the
details of the business. For twenty-six
years he has been a resident of Chicago, in
the active pursuit of the duties of his chosen
calling. His record is that of a man, who,
by his own unaided efforts, has worked his
way up to his present position, and his
thorough familiarity with all its details and
the honorable business methods he has pur-
sued have won for him the confidence of
those with whom he has had dealings and
secured for him a liberal patronage, which,
combined with his native talents and abili-
ties, have been the source of his success.
In 1872 Mr. Beebe was united in mar-
riage with Miss Ida F. Vaughn, a native of
Vermont. Their family consists of two
daughters — Nellie and Florence.
JAMES JOHNSTON BELL.— The object
and purpose of the Masonic fraternity
is the same everywhere, and every mem-
ber, however much he may differ in language
or nationality, sectarian attachment or
political preference, has the same rights
and duties, and is in thorough unity with
every Freemason throughout the world.
Among the members of the lodges in
Chicago no one holds the tenets and pre-
cepts of the order in greater veneration
than does Dr. James J. Bell, who was
initiated in Lake View Lodge, No. 774, and
in 1888 was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason. In 1890 he was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in Lincoln Chapter No. 177, and was
created a Sir Knight in Apollo Commandery,
No. I, in 1892. He has been a faithful
worker in the local bodies, as far as has
been consistent with his other duties, and
has won the esteem and high regard of his
fellow craftsmen.
Dr. Bell is a native of Chicago, having
been born in this city July 24, 1861, and re-
ceived his early education in the public
and high schools. Upon leaving these
institutions of learning he decided to devote
his life work to the practice of medicine.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
749
and with this object in view he attended
Rush Medical College, at which he was
graduated in 1886. Heat once began to
follow his profession, and in the last ten
years has succeeded in building up a large
and lucrative practice. He is a close stu-
dent, keeps well abreast of the time, and is
thoroughly posted on all the details of his
calling and the latest methods in dealing
with difficult cases. He is bright, energetic
and progressive, and his ability and quick-
ness in seeing and appreciating all the
salient points of a case inspires the greatest
confidence in those who seek his assist-
ance.
In 1888 Dr. Bell was happily married to
Miss Caroline Belle Myers, a native of
Mazon, Illinois, and they have three sons.
THOMAS W. JOHNSTONE. —The
Masonic creed is brief and all-embrac-
ing,— the fatherhood of God and the brother-
hood of man. But its far-reaching in-
fluences are immeasurable. It began at a
period when tradition had not been super-
seded by history, and it will end only with
time itself, for its basic elements are truth,
and truth is eternal. The blue lodge teaches
universality, its color being symbolic of the
never-ending blue dome of the heavens; the
"red" of the chapter signifies zeal and
ardor, and these qualities have induced a
faithfulness in its members that has made
this the strongest of the fraternal organiza-
tions. Mr. Johnstone became a member
of the Masonic order in 1871, being initiated
into the esoteric doctrines of the order in
Home Lodge, No. 508, F. & A. M. He is
now a member of Triluminar Lodge, and
has served as Senior Warden. He took
the Royal Arch degrees in La Fayette Chap-
ter, No. 2, in 1888, and the same year was
made a Royal and Select Master in Pales-
tine Council. He was created a Knight
Templar in Apollo Lodge, No. i, and on
the 4th of October, 1882, he became a
thirty-second-degree Mason of Oriental Con-
sistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal Se-
cret. He is also a member of the Masonic
Veteran Association, — a practical out-
growth of Masonic principles, mutual help-
fulness, mutual forbearances and mutual
benefit. More than a quarter of a century
has passed since as an Entered Apprentice
he became familiar with the teachings of
the order. He has almost rounded the
circle of Masonry and has shaped his course
in harmony with the doctrines and precepts
which have been promulgated by the organ-
ization through so many centuries.
Mr. Johnstone is an American citizen
by adoption, but has spent almost his en-
tire life in the land of the free. He was
born in Prince Edward Island, on the 2Oth
of April, 1846, and at the age of three and
a half years was brought to the United
States. He was reared in Boston until
eighteen years of age, when he came to
Chicago, having since made his home in
this city. His first business venture here
was as a sailor on the lakes, and he was
thus employed until 1861, when he entered
the employ of General Torrence, and for
twenty-seven years was superintendent of
the real-estate interests of that gentleman.
He is still engaged in the same line of busi-
ness, and few men are better informed con-
cerning Chicago real estate, its values and
its possibilities.
Mr. Johnstone was married in 1872,
the lady of his choice being Miss Kate S.
Swan, who was born in Peterboro, Eng-
land, and during her childhood was brought
to Racine, Wisconsin, where she was
reared. They now have one son.
JH. BLASS.— It is a strange but interest-
ing fact that the little country of Pales-
tine, now of minor importance in com-
parison with the countries of Europe and
America, gave to the world the Christian
religion and the Masonic fraternity. When
deeds of cruelty were perpetrated by the
followers of false gods; and even when
great persecutions were inflicted in the
name of religion there gleamed light from
Masonic altars. The teachings of the fra-
ternity included lessons of tolerance, for-
750
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
bearance, charity and brotherhood, and
with the passing years the truth has made
its way into all civilized lands, becoming a
strong element in the betterment of hu-
manity. The strength of the order is to-
day greater than ever and many are its
faithful followers in Chicago. Among this
number is included the gentleman whose
name introduces this review. Mr. Blass
first became familiar with the esoteric doc-
trines of Masonry in Dearborn Lodge, in
1883, as an Entered Apprentice. Having
passed the Fellow-craft degree he was
•raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
,son, and then took the four degrees of ca-
pitular Masonry, becoming a companion in
La Fayette Chapter. No. 2, R. A. M., in
1883. He is also a Knight Templar, hav-
ing been admitted to membership in Apollo
•Commandery, No. i, in 1896.
Mr. Blass is of German birth. The
fatherland has furnished to Chicago many
of its most reliable citizens whose stability
and energy have aided in the substantial
improvement of the western metropolis.
He was born on the 3d of January, 1862,
and in 1871 crossed the broad Atlantic to
America, then a lad of nine years. He was
reared and educated in Chicago, and at the
age of sixteen embarked in the dairy busi-
ness, which he has since successfully fol-
lowed. He is a self-made man, energetic
and progressive, and has been the architect
of his own fortunes.
JOHN GUTGESELL, JR.— As one pro-
gresses step by step into the inner circle
of Freemasonry, he realizes that he is
acquiring a symbolism intended to promote
individual and social happiness, not only in
his own country but also throughout the
world, an object which other associations
have in vain endeavored to achieve. In
-Illinois there are fifty thousand seekers for
the light that sheds its rays for all mankind,
and Chicago has her full quota of Masons,
who faithfully follow the precepts of the
order, none of whom are more loyal and
zealous than the brother whose name heads
this review.
Mr. Gutgesell was initiated in Wauban-
sia Lodge, No. 160, and in 1892 was raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason, ex-
alted to the august degree of Royal Arch
Mason in La Fayette Chapter, No. 2, and
made a Royal and Select Master in Pales-
tine Council, No. 2, in the same year, and
in 1895 was created a Sir Knight in Apollo
Commandery, No. i. Mr. Gutgesell's gen-
eral nature and his many manly qualities
make him a popular member among his fel-
low Masons.
Born in Chicago, December 24, 1.8.55,
Mr. Gutgesell has spent all his life here,
receiving his education in the public schools,
after which he entered the mercantile busi-
ness and for twenty years has been associ-
ated with the firm of Horner & Company,
wholesale grocers. During that time he
has acquired an enviable reputation as a
man of integrity and honest business meth-
ods, arid is one of the best known grocers
in Chicago.
In 1893 Mr. Gutgesell was united in
marriage to Miss Tillie Radman, a native
of Indiana, and one child, Arthur John, has
been born to them.
*1J|J-ILSON H. DAVIS.
-The medical
profession stands pre-eminent as an
advocate of humanitarian principles, and
there is, as a natural sequence, a particular
appropriateness in its members affiliating
with the Masonic fraternity, the logical re-
sult of which is an added appreciation of
the precepts of the order and a mentality
more thoroughly equipped for the perform-
ance of the duties pertaining to the healing
art. Dr. Davis is an earnest, consistent
brother, and dates his connection with the
craft from 1890, when he became initiated
in Home Lodge, No. 508. In 1891 he at-
tained the ineffable degrees of the Scottish
Rite in Oriental Consistory, wherein the
thirty-second degree was conferred upon
him and he was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret. Upon accom-
LIBRARY
OF THE
VWERS1TY OF ILLINOIS
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
753
plishing a successful pilgrimage across the
sands of the desert, the Doctor was elected
a Noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of the
Mystic Shrine, since which time he has
maintained his membership in Medinah
Temple. At the age of twenty-one he be-
came a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, was an active worker in
that order for several years, held the posi-
tion of presiding officer of Excelsior Lodge
for a number of terms, and rendered valu-
able service in promoting its interests. He
is also associated with the Order of United
Workmen.
The Doctor is a native of Indiana, his
birth having occurred in Richmond, on the
25th of November, 1843, and there he re-
sided until fifteen years of age, when he
moved to Marion, that state, where he
pursued his educational course, at the Ma-
rion Academy, for two years, completing it
at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana.
Possessing a strong desire to adopt the
medical profession as his life work, he went
to Cincinnati, Ohio, and there matriculated
in the Eclectic Medical Institute and fol-
lowed a complete course of study in every
department of medicine and surgery, grad-
uating in February, 1865. Ambitious of
gaining a practical knowledge of his pro-
fession, Dr. Davis at once entered the city
hospital of Cincinnati, where for two years
he served in the medical, surgical and
gynaecological wards, and then, in 1867,
removed to Chicago, where his ability soon
gained fpr him a distinct prestige in medical
circles, and a large and lucrative practice
was built up, which he has continued to en-
joy to the present time with unabated suc-
cess. For over a quarter of a century has
he led a busy life in the western metropolis
and has been one of the most progressive
and hard-working physicians in the city.
He assisted in establishing the Bennett
Medical College in 1869, in which, from
1873 to 1888, he occupied the chair of
materia medica and therapeutics, his high
qualifications as a teacher being promptly
recognized. In 1875 he took charge of the
Chicago Medical Times as its editor, and
under his skillful management the journal
flourished for several years; but in 1888 he
resigned both his college and editorial posi-
tions, since which time he has confined
himself entirely to office practice and con-
sultations.
Dr. Davis has attained an extensive rep-
utation as a lecturer, and is frequently
called upon to deliver discourses before
societies upon scientific and popular sub-
jects. He possesses a remarkable memory,
which materially assists him in his long
course of study, investigation and experi-
mental research into the philosophy of the
action of medicines; and his courses of lect-
ures for twenty-five years, embracing the
"philosophy of therapeutics," has placed
him among the foremost teachers in that
department and caused him to be sought
after by eminent practitioners in consulta-
tions requiring skill and exactness in severe
and complicated cases. These accomplish-
ments, so readily appreciated by college
faculties, were very appropriately and beau-
tifully recognized by the officers and faculty
of the Rush Medical College in May, 1895,
by conferring upon him the ad-eundem
(honorary) degree, — an honor theretofore
conferred only upon distinguished medical
men of European countries.
The marriage of Dr. Davis was solem-
nized on the 6th of December, 1882, when
he was united to Miss Hattie L. George, of
Waukegan, Illinois, a lady who enjoys the
possession of many accomplishments and
social qualities.
BENJAMIN A. HALEY. —In a com-
_' parison of the relative value to man-
kind of the various fraternities, it is not
difficult to see that Masonry holds first
rank. No other organization has accom-
plished so much for civilization or done as
much for humanity, and its power is con-
tinually growing, new members being con-
stantly added to its ranks. Among those
who have recently taken the vows to ad-
vance its principles and follow its teach-
ings is Mr. Hale}7, who in 1 896 was received
754
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
as an Entered Apprentice in Thomas J.
Turner Lodge, No. 409, A. F. & A. M. ;
passed the Fellow-craft degree and was
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son in 1896.
Mr. Haley is a native of Louisville,
Kentucky, his birth having occurred in that
city on the 25th of May, 1850. He spent
the first twelve years of his life there and
then removed to Missouri, living in Monroe
county during the greater part of his mi-
nority. He, however, learned his trade in
his native city, and on the I2th of Decem-
ber, 1890, came to Chicago, where he has
since followed the barber's trade. For a
few months he was employed by others,
but in 1891 embarked in business on his
own account and has since conducted well-
appointed tonsorial parlors. He employs
only expert workmen and from the public
receives a liberal patronage, having many
regular patrons who attest the high qual-
ity of his workmanship.
On the 2 ist of October, 1883, Mr.
Haley was united in marriage to Miss Mol-
lie Davidson, who was born in Omaha,
Nebraska. They have one son, Guy C.
Mr. Haley is a gentleman of very court-
eous and genial manner and has won a
host of friends.
FRANCIS J. HILL.— Among those
whose membership in the Masonic fra-
ternity covers but a short period, but whose
zeal and ardor in the work of the lodge is
as efficient as that of the older members, is
Mr. Hill, who, in 1893, petitioned for mem-
bership in Home Lodge, No. 508, A. F. &
A. M. He was elected thereto and initiated
as an Entered Apprentice. Through the
progressive stages he then advanced and
after having been raised to the degrees of
Master Mason he familiarized himself with
the principles of Chicago Chapter, No.
127, R. A. M., of which he has been a
worthy companion since 1895. In the
same year he joined the followers of the
beauseant and is numbered among the
Sir Knights of Apollo Commandery, No. I.
Possessed of an acute sense of honor and
a due regard for the feelings of others, he
has never allowed maneuvering ambition
to hamper him in carrying to its fullest
extent that divine principle which underlies
true Templarism, "recognizing the suffer-
ing man as thy neighbor, though he live at
the farthest pole." The Scottish Rite also
claims him among its followers, for in Octo-
ber, 1894, he received the grades and orders
of the ineffable lodge of perfection, and was
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret in Oriental Consistory. In the blue
lodge he has served as Junior Warden and
has also filled the office of Warden in the
commandery. He belongs to Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the No-
bles of the Mystic Shrine, and is a very
active and interested worker in the various
organizations with which he is connected.
Mr. Hill was born in Brooklyn, New
York, on the 2d of February, 1866, and was
reared and educated there. After leaving
the school-room he learned the art of deco-
rating glass, and removed from Brooklyn to
Boston, Massachusetts, where for some
years he followed his chosen vocation, dur-.
ing which time he has thoroughly mastered
the business in all its details and became an
expert workman. In 1892 he came to Chi-
cago, where he has since made his home,
and is now treasurer of the Hill Art Glass
Decorative Company, which furnishes all
kinds of glass decorations for houses. He
is an artist in his calling and the work
which he produces is exquisite enough to
please the most fastidious taste. The com-
pany of which he is now treasurer is doing a
good business and gradually building up a
large and lucrative trade.
fPVHARLES E. CASTLEM AN.— Charity
1L^ and kindliness, fidelity and benevolence
are some of the things which Masonry
teaches to its followers, as before them it
places high ideals of pure life and noble ac-
tion. Its worth to mankind cannot be over-
estimated. It surmounts the barriers of
selfishness and ill will, and brings man into
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
755
closer relations with his fellow man and
prompts him to extend the hand of assist-
ance to his less fortunate fellow traveler on
the journey of life. Of this worthy fra-
ternity Mr. Castleman is a member, having
taken the three degrees of the blue lodge
in Thomas J. Turner Lodge, No. 409, A.F.
& A. M., in 1876. He is now serving as
Senior Steward and is regarded as one of
the prominent members of the organiza-
tion. In the same year he was exalted to
the august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Chicago Chapter, No. 127, and in January
of the present year — 1897 — was created
a Knight Templar. He is also a member
of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, his
membership being in Lakeside Lodge, of
which he is now Chancellor Commander.
Mr. Castle was born in Utica, New
York, on the 9th of May, 1850, and in his
native city spent the first eight years of his
life, after which he came with his parents
to Chicago, where he has since made his
home. With a natural predilection for
mechanics he entered upon an apprentice-
ship in the shops of the Michigan Central
Railroad, where he remained for seven
years, thoroughly mastering the business
in every detail. He then went upon the
road as a locomotive engineer and con-
tinued with that company for fourteen years
altogether. Later he accepted a position
as foreman in the shops of the Illinois
Central Railroad Company and subsequently
served in a similar capacity for the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. On
leaving that company he became engineer
in the county buildings at Dunning, Illinois,
and in 1894 he was appointed to his pres-
ent position as engineer of the Fourteenth
street pumping station. No more capable
engineer could have been chosen, and with a
fidelity that is above question he is dis-
charging the responsible duties that devolve
upon him. He is most careful and pains-
taking, and his accurate knowledge of ma-
chinery make him especially expert in
his chosen calling. Advancement has come
to Mr. Castleman through fidelity to duty
and capability. He has worked his way
steadily upward and the success which has
come to him is the reward of his own
efforts.
rcCURDY C. NEWKIRK. -A man
JPOl who is engaged in business, profes-
sional or public life becomes known to the
world through that which has given him
prominence in his chosen calling. Mr.
Newkirk needs no introduction to the read-
ers of this work, as the many friends and
acquaintances that he has made during his
career in Chicago are familiar with his mer-
its and capabilities as a business man, a
friend, and a worthy member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, in which he is an enthusi-
astic worker.
Mr. Newkirk was made a Mason in South
Park Lodge, No. 62, in 1894, and in the
following year was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Corinthian
Chapter, No. 6. In 1896 he was created a
Sir Knight Templar in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35. He is deeply interested
in the workings of the order and does all in
his power to promote its interests, mani-
festing in his life the spirit of the fraternity
and exemplifying its honorable teachings in
his upright career, thus becoming an es-
teemed and acceptable member of the craft.
Mr. Newkirk is a native of Bedford, In-
diana, where he was born July 24, 1863.
He spent his early youth in his birthplace,
pursuing his studies in the public schools
until eleven years old, when he went to
Vincennes, Indiana, and commenced to
learn telegraphy. For many years he was
employed in the capacity of telegrapher on
the lines of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Company, and the Ohio & Mississippi Rail-
road. In 1887 Mr. Newkirk came to Chi-
cago and engaged in the cigar and tobacco
business, which he has conducted in a finan-
cially satisfactory manner ever since.
The record of Mr. Newkirk is that of a
man who has worked his way upward, in
the face of many difficulties, to his
present position, by his unaided efforts,
perseverance, and a determination to win
756
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
success. The honorable business methods
he has pursued, combined with the excel-
lent quality of the goods carried in his
stock and the natural adaptability to his
calling, have secured to him a large and
profitable trade.
In 1884 the subject of this review was
united in marriage to Miss Emma Robinson,
who is a native of Batavia, Illinois.
P,HILIP PETRIE.—In the responsible
position which he holds as chief engin-
eer at the pumping station. No. 206, West
Harrison street, Chicago, Mr. Petrie has
become well-known to many of the public
men of the city as well as to a large circle
of friends, by all of whom he is held in high
esteem. His ability and thorough knowl-
edge of his profession in all its details, com-
bined with his honorable business methods,
have been the chief elements in his success;
and as he is still a young man there are yet
higher possibilities for him in the future.
Mr. Petrie is a valued member of the
Masonic fraternity and is deeply interested
in the welfare of the order, doing all in his
power to promote its interests and carrying
out in his life the excellent principles which
it inculcates. He took the degree of Mas-
ter Mason in 1895 in D. C. Cregier Lodge,
No. 643, was exalted a Royal Arch Mason
in Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, in 1896, and
was created a Knight Templar in St. Ber-
nard Commandery, No. 35, in the same
year.
Mr. Petrie was born in Chicago Novem-
ber 1 6, 1862, and is the son of Charles S.
Petrie, also a native of Chicago, born in
1840. The latter is at the present writing
secretary of the city fire department. Philip
Petrie was reared and educated in his na-
tive city and learned the trade of a machin-
ist. He steadily worked his way up, study-
ing the various branches of his calling and
perfecting himself in all the details of his
work until he attained the proficiency which
secured for him the position he now occu-
pies. His record in this has been eminently
satisfactory, as is attested by his length of
service, he having been in the employ of
the city since June 7, 1892.
The marriage of our subject took place
in 1887, when he was united to Miss Sarah
E. Large, who was born in Chicago, and
they have one daughter, named Gertrude
Marion.
JAMES EDWARD EVANS is numbered
among the active and zealous members
of Thomas J. Turner Lodge, No. 409,
A. F. & A. M. He petitioned for member-
ship in 1891, was elected to membership,
initiated as an Entered Apprentice, passed
the Fellow-craft degree and was raised to
the sublime degree of a Master Mason.
He is now — 1 897 — serving as Junior Warden
and, uniting his efforts with the other offi-
cers of the lodge, does all in his power to
promote its growth and advance fidelity to
its principles among its members. He is
well versed in its teachings and the practical
work of the society is well exemplified by
his charitable efforts in behalf of the breth-
ren of th& craft.
Mr. Evans is a native of England, born
on the iith of October, 1863. The first
eight years of his life were there passed
and in 1872 he bade adieu to the home of
his early childhood, preparatory to sailing
for America. Arrived in this country he
located in Troy, New York, where he made
his home until 1887, when he came to Chi-
cago. Having learned the moulder's trade,
in 1895 he entered the employ of the S.
Obermayer Company, manufacturers of
founders' supplies. Thoroughly familiar
with his business in all its details, he is. a
competent moulder and his work is most
faithfully performed. He is a favorite in
the trade and has served several times as
president of the local moulders' union.
In 1895 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Evans and Miss Rose Pfester, a native
of Wood county, Ohio. He is a man of
good business qualifications, excellent habits,
of sterling worth and is a worthy represent-
ative of the time-honored fraternity in
which he holds membership.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
757
EORGE W. DIXON.— If a history was
written of Chicago's native sons who
have attained prominence or distinction in
the honorable walks of life, mention would
undoubtedly be made of Mr. Dixon, who in
the thirty-one years of his life has won an
enviable place in business circles. He is
now secretary and treasurer of the Dixon
Transfer Company, which controls a large
share of the business in their line. He is
a man of sound judgment, of unquestioned
probity, of enterprise and energy, and these
qualities have brought to him a due measure
of success in his undertakings. He was
well equipped by a broad and liberal edu-
cation for the duties that come to him, and
his force of character has enabled him to
conquer many of the obstacles which are
continually found upon the road of success.
Mr. Dixon was born in Chicago on the
i6th of September, 1866, and belongs to
one of the old and prominent families of the
city. He acquired his elementary education
in the common schools and won the rnedal
prize for a scholarship. He was graduated
at the West Division high school with the
class of 1885, and then entered the North-
western University, of Evanston, where he
was graduated in 1889. He also completed
the course in the law department of the
same institution in the class of 1892, and
was elected president of the class which he
represented before the supreme court ere he
had obtained license to practice. He is a man
of strong intellectual endowments and the
same thoroughness that characterized his
school work he has carried into his business
life. His policy and methods in all trade
transactions commend him to the confidence
and the good will of all, and his success is
justly merited.
In the rush and hurry of business life
Mr. Dixon does not neglect the duties of
society and citizenship, which serves to de-
velop a well-rounded character. On the
other hand he is deeply interested in the
welfare of the city and has done much for
its substantial progress. He is very active
in church work, holding a membership in
the Methodist church, and in the Sunday-
school he is now serving as superintendent.
His political support is given the Repub-
lican party. He belongs to the Union
League Club and the Hamilton Club, also
the Chicago Athletic Association and the
Chicago Tennis Club, of which he is now
president. He is very fond of athletics,
and has attained superior skill with the
racket. Mr. Dixon is also a representative
of the time-honored fraternity which had
its origin before the Christian era and
which has come down to us through the
ages making better and brighter the lives of
all who have become connected therewith.
In 1895 he took the three primary degrees
of Masonry in Garden City Lodge, No. 141 ;
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Washington Chapter, No.
43, in 1896; attained the thirty-second de-
gree of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory in the same year, and in 1897 was
created a Sir Knight in Apollo Command-
ery.
JM. DAVIDSON.— The possibility of the
ideal in life is scorned by the pessimist,
and indeed it would seem beyond the
power of mortal man to bring about such a
condition of existence. Most laudable, then,
and greatly deserving of the support of
mankind, are the efforts put forth by the
Freemasons to attain, if not perfection, at
least a state more worthy of man, whom
God hath fashioned in his own image.
Streator has her share of the brethren,
prominent among whom is the gentleman
whose name appears at the head of this
sketch.
Mr. Davidson received the Master Mason
degree in Streator Lodge, No. 607, of which
he was Worshipful Master for two years;
was exalted to the august degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Streator Chapter, No. 168,
and was Principal Sojourner in that body;
took the degrees of Royal and Select Mas-
ters in Streator Council, No. 73, in which
he held the chair of Conductor, and was
created a Knight Templar in Ottawa Com-
mandery, No. 10. Mr. Davidson has been
758
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
very active in the bodies of which he is a
member, and was representative to the
Grand Lodge for three years.
The native city of Mr. Davidson is Guys-
boro, Nova Scotia, where he was born
January 20, 1844. He was sent to acquire
his early education in the public schools of
Canada, and later to Webster Academy, in
the state of New York, after leaving which
he began to learn the carpenter's trade in
Polo, Ogle county, Illinois, in 1866, where
he served a full apprenticeship. In 1873
he came to Streator and here followed car-
pentering until 1876, when he extended his
business and engaged in contracting. He
has put up a great number of buildings
throughout the city and had the largest con-
tract ever let in Streator, — that of the Gar-
field school building, — and among others he
secured the contract for erecting the high-
school building.
Politically, Mr. Davidson has represented
the third ward in the common council of
Streator. He is quite prominent in local
politics, and has accomplished a great deal
of good in the interest of his party. Per-
sonally, he has many prepossessing attri-
butes of character, and is popular with all
who have the pleasure of his acquaintance.
Mr. Davidson was married December
13, 1870, to Miss Jennie Bingman, and they
have three children.
HERMAN F. BORNEMAN was made a
Mason in Mithra Lodge, F. & A. M.,
and took the Royal Arch degrees in Lin-
coln Park Chapter. In 1889 he was knight-
ed in Apollo Commandery, and is one of
the prominent and active members of that
organization, in which he served as Standard
Bearer for several years. The principles
of Masonry find in him a stanch advocate,
and in the advancement of the order he is
deeply interested. He is also a worthy
member of the order of Knights of Pythias,
and is prominent in a German musical so-
ciety and a keen lover of that art which has
inspired his nation through many centuries,
and made it largely the musical center of
the world.
Mr. Borneman is a native of Brunswick,
Germany, born on the ist of June, 1851.
When a lad of nine summers he left the
fatherland and with his parents crossed the
broad Atlantic to America, locating first in
New York, where he landed. He was
reared and educated in that city and en-
tered upon his business career in the tobac-
co trade, with which he was connected for
three years. On the expiration of that
period he became interested in the grocery
business, and in 1880 he came to Chicago
and secured a position in the wholesale
grocery house of Steele, Weedles & Com-
pany, with which he has now been associ-
ated for almost seventeen years, one of
the most trusted and efficient salesmen in
the establishment.
In 1879 Mr. Borneman was united in
marriage to Miss Emily C. Nagle, a native
of Chicago, and they have five children, —
Hermine, Matilda, Walter, Harry and El-
eanor.
JAMES SIMPSON BAUME.— The gen-
tleman whose name initiates this review
stands as one of the honored and valued
members of the fraternity in Galena and is
the Eminent Commander of Galena Com-
mandery, No. 40, K. T. He was made a
Mason in Miners' Lodge, No. 273, in 1886,
and having received the Master Mason de-
gree he was elected Senior Warden of the
lodge, and in 1889 was elected Worshipful
Master. In 1890 he was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason and
was soon after elected Captain of the Host.
In 1892 he was chosen to fill the office of
High Priest, in which capacity he served
for one year, and in 1895 he was elected
Principal Sojourner. In 1891 he received
the Knight Templar degrees in Galena
Commandery, and in 1893 he was elected
Eminent Commander and by re-election
has since continued in that position.
Mr. Baume is a native of Chicago, where
he was born on the i3th of April, 1857.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
759
He is of English descent, his father. Rev.
James Baume, having been born in York-
shire, England, whence he came to Illinois
when a young man. He joined the Rock
River Conference of the Methodist Episco-
pal church in 1852, and in 1859 volun-
teered his services as missionary to India,
where he labored until 1866, when he was
obliged to return to America on account of
the serious illness of his wife. He served
many important charges in Rock River
Conference, including Clark Street church,
Chicago, and First church, Evanston. In
1883 he again went to India, where he re-
mained doing successful work in Naini Tal,
Poona and Bombay until 1892, when, hav-
ing suffered from sunstroke, inducing pa-
ralysis, he returned to Rockford, Illinois.
Here he lived in retirement until June 18,
1 897, when he was called to his great re-
ward. In Rockford, Ottawa, Galena,
Evanston, Sterling, Princeton, Chicago and
other charges served by him his memory is
blessed. He joined Evans Lodge, A. F. &
A. M., at Evanston, in 1871. He was mar-
ried in Aurora, Illinois, in 1852, to Miss
Marie Antoinette Hawkins, a native of
Pennsylvania, who removed to Aurora with
her father at an early day. They had five
children, of whom three are living. The
health of Mrs. Baume became undermined
by service in India, and she departed this
life in 1867. She was a most amiable lady
and a devoted Christian, whose memory
remains as a blessed benediction to all who
knew her.
James Simpson Baume was educated in
the Northwestern University of Evanston,
Illinois, and read law in Galena, after
which he was admitted to the bar in 1878.
For the past eighteen years prior to June,
1897, he has been a successful practitioner
at this place, retaining a large and influen-
tial clientage. In June, 1897, he was
elected one of the judges of the fifteenth
judicial circuit, comprising the counties of
Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Ogle and
Lee, in which capacity he has proved emi-
nently satisfactory. Up to the time of his
election to his present office he filled the
position of master in chancery for sixteen
years. Politically he is an active and use-
ful member of the Republican party.
In 1883 Mr. Baume was united in mar-
riage to Miss Lizzie Bergh, but after five
years of happy married life she was called
to the home beyond, leaving two children,
Marie A. and Henry Bergh. In 1892 Mr.
Baum was again married, his second union
being with Miss Fanny Estey, youngest
daughter of Augustus Estey, one of the
pioneer settlers of Galena. They have one
daughter, Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Baume are
active members of the Methodist church, in
which he has served as trustee for a num-
ber of years. In all his relations of life
Mr. Baume's career has been one of honor
and his conduct entirely in harmony with
the ennobling principles of Masonry.
T^HOMAS J. DIXON. —Three years
covers the period of this gentleman's
connection with the Masonic fraternity, but
within that time he has attained the Knight
Templar degree and the thirty-second de-
gree of the Scottish Rite. The growth and
development of the order is a source of
deep interest to him, and he does all in his
power to inculcate its honored principles
among men. In the social functions of the
order he is also a valued factor, for Mr.
Dixon has many warm friends in Masonic
circles. In December, 1894, he took the
Entered Apprentice degree of Masonry in
Garden City Lodge, No. 141, therein passed
the Fellow-craft degree and was raised to
the sublime degree of a Master Mason.
He took the degrees of capitular Masonry
in Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, in 1895,
and the following year was greeted a Royal
and Select Master in Palestine Council.
The following year he was knighted in
Apollo Commandery, No. i, and has since
been a zealous adherent of the chivalric or-
der. He took the degree of the lodge of
perfection, councils of the Princes of
Jerusalem, chapters of Rose Croix, and in
Oriental Consistory attained the thirty-sec-
ond degree of the Scottish Rite and was
760
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret. He is also a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, his
membership being in Medinah Temple,
with which he has affiliated since 1896. In
that year he also dimitted from Garden City
Lodge and is now an affiliate of Home
Lodge, No. 508.
Mr. Dixon is well known in Chicago, not
only among his Masonic brethren, but also
in social and business circles. His entire
life has here been passed, and he is a
worthy representative of the enterprise and
progress which distinguishes his native city.
He was born September 9, 1869, and on
attaining the usual age entered the public
schools. He completed the regular high-
school course and the work of the junior
year in the Northwestern University at
Evanston, after which he laid aside his text-
books to enter upon a business career. He
entered the employ of his father, and as
he showed himself capable of meeting great-
er responsibilities larger interests were en-
trusted to his care until he is now superin-
tendent of the A. Dixon Transfer Company.
The volume of business done by this com-
pany makes his position no sinecure, but
his energy, enterprise and capable manage-
ment are fully equal to his duties, and the
success of the company has been advanced
through his administration of its affairs in
the capacity of superintendent.
In 1894 Mr. Dixon was united in mar-
riage to Miss Dora Alice Moon, a native
of Michigan, and they have two children,
—Arthur and John Wesley. In his politic-
al adherence he is a Republican, and in
his religious preference a Methodist. He
is an esteemed member of several of the
leading clubs of the city, including the Union
League, Chicago Athletic Association and
the Hamilton Club.
JAMES PADON HARRIS, assistant cash-
ier of the First National Bank of Beards-
town, is a popular and well-known
Mason in the local lodge of his home city,
his initiatory degrees having been received
in Cass Lodge, No. 23, on the 19th of June,
1894, from which he was advanced to the
grades of capitular Masonry and was ex-
alted to the august degree of a Royal Arch
Mason in Clarke Chapter, No. 29, on the
6th of March, 1895, and in the same year
was constituted a Sir Knight in Rushville
Commandery, No. 56, at Rushville, Illi-
nois, and on December 10, 1895, after ac-
complishing a successful pilgrimage across
the sands of the desert, he became a Noble
of Mohammed Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of
Peoria, Illinois. He is an energetic, loyal
brother and rightfully occupies a high place
in the confidence and regard of the frater-
nity.
Born in Beardstown, on April 3, 1864,
Mr. Harris is the eldest son of John H.
Harris, a native of Manchester, England,
who came to America when a child, lo-
cating in Louisville, Kentucky, whence he
came to Beardstown, and was here reared
to maturity, graduating at McKendree Col-
lege, of Lebanon, Illinois. In his early
career the father held the position of land
agent for John Grigg, of Philadelphia, who
owned thousands of acres in the then very
sparsely settled state of Illinois, and Mr.
Harris traveled on horseback over this ter-
ritory in every direction, sometimes going
for miles without seeing a habitation of any
kind, as there were but few people in Cass
county at that time. He erected the first
sawmill at Beardstown and became a very
important factor in the growth and progress
of the town and in its future prosperity.
Mr. Harris was one of the organizers of
the People's Bank in 1877, of which he was
made president, and in 1 887 it was merged
into a national bank, with a capital of fifty
thousand dollars; and so popular did it be
come and so many prominent citizens wished
to purchase stock that the capital was in-
creased to eighty thousand dollars. It has
declared dividends of twelve per cent per
annum, with a surplus of fifty thousand
dollars, and is one of the best managed and
most successful institutions of its kind in
the county. Mr. Harris has been its presi-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
761
dent ever since its organization, and to his
sterling worth, his unfaltering labors on its
behalf, and his financial ability is largely
due its present flourishing condition. Not
only in this, but in other public affairs has
Mr. Harris been interested, and he takes a
pride and pleasure in promoting every en-
terprise that has for its object the welfare
and advancement of his city. He is a
valued member and officer of the Methodist
church.
James P. Harris, the immediate subject
of this review, was educated in the public
schools of Beardstovvn and subsequently at
a business college in Jackson, upon leaving
which he entered the employ of the First
National Bank and for the past ten years
has been its efficient and faithful assistant
cashier, discharging the duties of that re-,
sponsible position in a careful and intelli-
gent manner. In politics Mr. Harris is a
stanch Democrat. He is a member of the
Knights of Pythias and has passed all the
chairs, and on November 12, 1896, he be-
came a member of Ilderim Temple, No.
62, Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan,
of Jacksonville, Illinois. His many sterling
qualities recommend him to his fellow men,
and in all the walks of life his friends are
numbered by the score.
MENRY J. MARTIN.— The industrial
interests of Chicago are a most im-
portant element in the prosperity, progress
and upbuilding which has marked this city's
growth, and those who are connected with
its industries and manufactories in an im-
portant capacity are therefore deserving of
mention among the leading business men of
the metropolis. Mr. Martin is now occupy-
ing the responsible position of superintend-
ent of the Whitman & Barnes Manufact-
uring Company. The factories are located
at West Pullman and there are made all kinds
of agricultural implements and supplies.
One who can therefore plan the work and
superintend the labors of others must be
thoroughly conversant with the needs of the
business, the methods of conducting the
42*
same and must know how to arrange all mat-
ters so that the most can be accomplished
at the slightest expenditure. During his
three years' connection with the Whitman
& Barnes Manufacturing Company as its
superintendent Mr. Martin has given emi-
nent satisfaction, and his control of affairs
has won the approval of the company, while
his management and consideration to those
under him has won their loyal regard.
Mr. Martin was born in Otsego county,
New York, on the iith of March, 1854.
and was there reared on a farm, his boy-
hood being in strong contrast to the active
city life of the present. On leaving home
he went to Southington, Connecticut, where
he entered a manufacturing establishment,
and on leaving that place he removed to
Cleveland, where he followed the same
pursuit for a time. His next home was in
Akron, Ohio, and there he was with the
firm in whose employ he is at present.
Coming to Chicago he has since acted as
the superintendent of their extensive works
in West Pullman, and his promotion to this
position is undeniable evidence of the trust
reposed in him by the company and his
fidelity to their confidence.
His claim to representation in this vol-
ume arises from his faithfulness to the Ma-
sonic fraternity as a member of Fides
Lodge, No. 842; of Calumet Chapter, No.
203; of Imperial Council, No. 85; of Bar-
nard Commandery, No. 35, and of Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the No-
bles of the Mystic Shrine.
In 1876 Mr. Martin was united in mar-
riage to Miss Carrie L. Miller, a native of
Connecticut.
0,RVILLE G. BROWN, in the year
1896, as an Entered Apprentice, joined
the hosts of Masons, and advanced steadily
through the various bodies until he became
a Knight Templar. He took the three basic
degrees in Oriental Lodge, No. 33, and be-
came identified with capitular Masonry in
LaFayette Chapter, No. 2, R. A. M. " He
passed the circle of cryptic Masonry in Pal-
762
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
estine Council, No. 66, and in Apollo Com-
mandery, No. i , was created a Knight
Templar. He is also a member of Medinah
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Mys-
tic Shrine, and thus, within a year, he
passed through all the bodies of the York
Rite and is now a worthy follower of their
teachings.
Mr. Brown is a young man, yet has
achieved a fair degree of success in business.
He was born in Toledo, Ohio, on the 4th of
November, 1871, and there spent his boy-
hood days, while in the public schools he
familiarized himself with the common En-
glish branches of learning. He afterward
supplemented this knowledge by a course in
Devaux Military Institute at Niagara Falls,
New York, and was thus fitted for the prac-
tical and responsible duties of life. In
1893 he came to Chicago and embarked in
the merchant tailoring business, in which he
has since been satisfactorily successful.
His stock not only embraces the most de-
sirable fabrics of home manufacture, but
also fine imported goods from the best
looms of England and the continent. His
honorable business methods, combined with
the artistic and satisfactory manner in
which he fills his orders, have secured to
him a liberal patronage and the respect and
confidence of all with whom he has busi-
ness relations. He was married on the 8th
of September, 1895, to Miss Sophronia N.
Votney, who is a native of New York.
JACOB A. HENRY.— The time-honored
principles of Freemasonry requires of a
member, in his actions, to dignify hu-
manity, exemplify a living faith, and to en-
velope toil and trouble with a bright reflec-
tion of brotherly love, relief and truth. The
order practices a charity that vaunteth not
itself, tells not to the left hand what the
right hand doeth, is rich in the treasures of
pardon, instructs the ignorant, and preaches
good tidings to the poor and benighted. It
performs all these ministrations in silent
effectiveness and declares in decisive terms
that all within the tabernacle who desire to
be honored and useful must cherish and
illustrate the generous feeling and ennobling
sentiments therein made known. Mr.
Henry is a brother who has always lived up
to the vows first taken in the blue lodge,
and has conducted his life in a manner so
as to conform to the precepts and tenets of
the craft, in doing which he has gained the
golden opinions of his confreres. He re-
ceived the degree of Master Mason in Porter
Lodge, No. 137, at Valparaiso, Indiana,
from which he was dimitted to become affil-
iated with Matteson Lodge, No. 175, of
Joliet. He was exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Valparaiso
Chapter, No. 28, was made a Royal and
Select Master in JolietvCouncil, No. 82, was
created a Sir Knight in Valparaiso Com-
jnandery, at present being affiliated with
Joliet Commandery, No. 4, and received the
ineffable degrees of Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory, of Chicago. He is also a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, in Medinah Temple,
and is a member of the Order of the Eastern
Star, Chapter No. 127. He is greatly in-
terested in all the functions of the fraternity,
and was present at the St. Louis conclave.
He has never sought office in any of the
bodies, being content to perform his duties
simply as a brother.
Mr. Henry is a native of Wellington,
Ohio, where he was born January 7, 1851,
receiving his education in the public schools
of his native home city and later attending
the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor.
He subsequently learned telegraphy and
secured a position as operator in the offices
of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, being the
first one to handle the keyboard in Braid-
wood, Illinois. After filling a similar posi-
tion in Joliet for about a year, Mr. Henry
entered the train service and has since been
employed on different railroads. He was
passenger conductor for about five years on
the Alton, Chicago & Grand Trunk road,
and worked in a like capacity for the To-
ledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railway.
He is a most capable trainman and is well
known in railroad circles. Mr. Henry is in
every respect a self-made man and has had
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
70S
a most successful career, due to his integ-
rity of character, unfaltering industry and a
high standard of principles. Socially he is
a member of the Order of Railway Con-
ductors, Chicago Division, No. i, and of
the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks,
Joliet Lodge, No. 296. He is the son of
William E. Henry, who had the honor of
being mayor of Joliet for one term.
WILLIAM JENKINS, who enjoys
high rank as one of the leading edu-
cators of the state of Illinois and who now
occupies the position of principal of the
Dixon city schools, is identified with the
great brotherhood of Masons and is one of
the most valued members of the order.
Professor Jenkins was created a Master
Mason in the state of New York in Philan-
thropic Lodge, No. 634, in which he was
soon afterward honored with official posi-
tion, being elected to the chair of Senior
Deacon. He was dimitted from Philan-
thropic Lodge and became one of the or-
ganizers and charter members of Rising
Light Lodge, at Millville, New York, and
was made its first Worshipful Master. On
account of removal he was dimitted from
Rising Light and about 1875 joined Men-
dota Lodge, No. 176, at Mendota, Illinois,
in which he filled the executive chair and
for fifteen years was Secretary, all of this
time performing faithful and efficient work
and doing much to promote interest in the
order. He took the degrees of capitular
Masonry in Mendota Chapter, No. 79, and
in it has held nearly every office, including
that of High Priest; was made a Sir Knight
in Bethany Commandery, No. 28, and in
that body also he has passed the chairs, be-
ing at the present time Past Eminent Com-
mander, and in the Grand Commandery,
too, he has been honored with official pre-
ferment, having served as Grand Captain
General and at this writing holds the office
of Grand Generalissimo. In addition to the
degrees above mentioned, Professor Jenk-
ins has received those of the High Priest-
hood. In all of these Masonic bodies he
has shown an enthusiastic interest in the
lodge room, rendering impressive work, and
in his life exemplifying the principles of the
fraternity, " brotherly love, relief and
truth " being his watchwords.
Turning for other salient points in the
life of Professor Jenkins, we find that he
was born in the state of New York, Novem-
ber 24, 1844, and is of Welsh and Scotch
descent, his father's people being of Welsh
origin and his mother of Scotch extraction.
His parents, Thomas and Mary (Davis) Jenk-
ins, lived to ripe old age, three-score and
ten years being allotted to each. By occu-
pation Thomas Jenkins was a civil engineer
and architect. He and his wife had five
children, the subject of our sketch being
the youngest and one of the three who sur-
vive.
After a preliminary course in the com-
mon schools of his native place, young Jenk-
ins entered Hamilton College, where he
graduated with high honors as a member of
the class of 1867. Since that date he has
been engaged in teaching. For seven years
he was principal of the Ottawa high school,
eighteen years superintendent of the schools
of Mendota, and in 1892 had the honor of
being appointed superintendent of the edu-
cational exhibit for the state of Illinois at
the World's Fair, this last named position
receiving his most earnest and careful at-
tention. His work in connection with the
Columbian Exposition won him many high
commendations and did much to advance
the educational interests of this state. The
next position he accepted was that of prin-
cipal of the Dixon schools, in which capac-
ity he is now serving and where he is ren-
dering a high degree of satisfaction. Pro-
fessor Jenkins has held the very honorable
position of president of the Society of Su-
perintendents and Principals of the State of
Illinois and at this writing is president of
the Illinois State Teachers' Association.
He was happily married in 1870 to Miss
Camelia A. Thayer, a native of Princeton,
Illinois, and they have two children, Madge
Thayer and William Donald.
Of his political views, we state that the
764
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Professor is in thorough harmony with the
Republican party and is one of its stanch
supporters.
JULIUS L. LINS, an enterprising and
progressive business man of Wilming-
ton, Illinois, is a thirty-second-degree
Mason and one of the worthy members of
the order in this section of the state. In
prominence and prestige this society is sec-
ond to none, as it antedates all others in
age and equals them in usefulness. It is
practically universal, embracing in its mem-
bership men of almost every rank, faith
and tongue. It treads with equal footsteps
the cottage of the poor and the palace of
the rich, the home of the humble subject or
of the mighty sovereign. Such an order,
binding all men together in the tie of uni-
versal brotherhood, is worthy of careful
consideration, for it has been an important
factor in molding the lives of thousands.
Among its worthy followers in Illinois is
Dr. Lins, of Wilmington, who is a member
of Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, and of
Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, R. A. M.
Having taken the three degrees of the blue
lodge, — those of Mark Master, Past Master,
Most Excellent Master and Royal Arch
Mason — the fourth, fifth, sixth and sev-
enth degrees of the York Rite — were con-
ferred upon him, and he thus became
familiar with the teachings of capitular
Masonry. He received the ineffable de-
gree of the Scottish Rite in Oriental Con-
sistory, of Chicago, and is now numbered
among the Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret. He also belongs to the Medinah
Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and though
never an office-holder in these various
branches of the fraternity he is an active
Mason, true to the teachings of the order
and faithful to its principles.
Mr. Lins is a native of Germany, his
birth having occurred in Hanan, in the
province of Hessen, on the i6th of August,
1 842. He was educated in his native town,
and in 1869 bade adieu to the fatherland and
sailed for America. He landed at New
York city and remained there for some
time, attending the Bellevue Hospital Med-
ical College for two terms. Coming to the
west he settled in Mendota, Illinois, where
he remained for a short time, and then re-
turned to New York to complete his medi-
cal education. Before coming to America
he had attended medical lectures and was
well fitted for his chosen calling. For two
years he practiced medicine in Ottawa, Illi-
nois, for one year in Morris, Illinois, and
then removed to Manhattan, where he was
an active and successful member of the
medical fraternity until 1880.
In that year Dr. Lins purchased an in-
terest in the Markert & Company Brewery,
at Wilmington, and has since managed the
business, which under his able administra-
tion has been a profitable and growing one.
He has built up an excellent trade and his
patronage comes from a wide territory.
The excellent products of the drinks he
manufactures secures a good business and
brings to the company a fair profit. All
that Mr. Lins has acquired in life has been
through his own efforts, and his life dem-
onstrates what can be accomplished through
determined purpose.
The Doctor is identified with various
social and benevolent organizations, and
now holds membership in the. Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of
Pythias and the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. He belongs to the S-fngerbund
of Joliet, the Germania Club, the Sharp-
shooters' Club and the Elks Lodge, all of
that city, and of the last named is a charter
member. He is a school director in the
town of Wilton and highway commissioner
of the town of Wilmington, and takes a
deep interest in all measures calculated to
advance the general welfare.
He was married in 1878 to Miss Emma
Markert, a native of Illinois, and they have
two children, George and Joliet.
CHARLES H. STARKEL, a prominent
physician and surgeon of Belleville, is
a Sir Knight and therefore a "high Ma-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
765
son." He was initiated into the shining
mysteries in St. Clair Lodge, No. 24, of
which he is still a member and of which he
has been Worshipful Master. The Royal
Arch degrees were conferred upon him in
Belleville Chapter, No. 106, R. A. M. ; the
cryptic in Belleville Council, R. & S. M.,
and the chivalric in Tancred Commandery,
No. 50, K. T., of which he has been Emi-
nent Commander. Of the Grand Lodge of
the state he has been Senior Steward, and
he is also a member of Moolah Temple,
A. A. O. N. M. S., at St. Louis, Missouri.
In the blue lodge and in the commandery
he has been especially active.
Dr. Starkel was born at St. Libory, St.
Clair county, Illinois, July 18, 1862, was
educated in the Belleville public schools,
Morgan Park Military Academy, near Chi-
cago, and at Irving Military Academy, at
Ravenswood, Illinois, also a suburb of Chi-
cago. He began the study of medicine in
St. Louis, in 1881-2, and continued in
1882-3 at Chicago, graduating at old Rush
Medical College, in that city, in February,
1884, and since October, of that year, he
has been a successful practitioner at Belle-
ville. Here he has been health commis-
sioner for six years; has also been a mem-
ber of the state board of health, appointed
by Governor Altgeld; has been a member
of the medical staff of Elizabeth hospital,
and is a member of the St. Clair County
Medical Society and of the Southern Illi-
nois Medical Association, and in social rela-
tions he is also a member of the Commer-
cial Club. In his political views he is a
Democrat.
In 1887 he married Miss Joanna A. Ru-
bach, and they have a daughter, named
Gladys.
HENRY H. MONTGOMERY, attorney
at law at Carrollton, is one of the
most eminent Masons in the state. To give
a brief outline of his Masonic history in
chronological order we may mention that
he was initiated in the mysteries of the pri-
mary degrees in Mount Nebo Lodge at
Carlinville, Illinois; of the capitular degrees
in Carrollton Chapter, R. A. M., No. 77; of
the cryptic degrees in Carrollton Council,
R. & S. M. ; and the chvialric in Hugh de.
Payens Commandery, No. 29, K. T. Of
the chapter he was High Priest five years
successively; of the council he has been
Principal Conductor; and of the command-
ery he has been Eminent Commander four
or five terms. In 1895 ne was Grand Com-
mander of the Grand Commandery of the
state, and having been made a Knight
Templar February 18, 1882, he was per-
haps the youngest Grand Commander at
the Triennial Conclave at Boston, Massa-
chusetts. He is the Chief of the Tenth Di-
vision of Illinois.
Mr. Montgomery was born in Macou-
pin county, Illinois, and educated at Lom-
bard University at Galesburg, this state,
and at Blackburn University at Carlinville.
He is a practicing lawyer, standing high in
his profession, and in business relations he
is secretary of the Litchfield, Carrollton &
Western Railroad.
HENRY P. WEYRICH, merchant, Pe-
kin, was initiated as an Entered
Apprentice in Masonry April 4, 1879, Fel-
low-craftsman April 1 8, and Master Mason
May 2, the same spring, — all in Empire
Lodge, No. 126, at Pekin. The degrees of
Royal Arch Masonry were conferred upon
him June 22, 1891, in Chapter No. 25, at
Pekin, and he is still a member of these
lodges. Of the blue lodge he was Junior
Warden in 1873-4 and Senior Warden for
the years 1875—7; was Treasurer from 1877
to January i, 1892, since which time he has
been Secretary. One year he was Repre-
sentative to the Grand Lodge. Of the
chapter he was elected Secretary Decem-
ber 28, 1891, and has been Secretary of
the same ever since excepting one year.
Mr. Weyrich was born in Pekin, Illi-
nois, October 3, 1850; was engaged in
manufacturing from 1879 to 1891, since
which time he has been a merchant in
Pekin.
766
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
|PVHARLES KNOX LADD, a prominent
\Jj member of the legal profession and a
worthy brother of the Masonic fraternity,
was initiated into that order in 1868, when
he took the degrees in Wethersfield Lodge,
No. i 59, in which, as far as was consistent
with his large law practice, he has been an
active member ever since. He was its Sen-
ior Deacon a number of times, has often
filled the other chairs in the lodge, and has
always been faithful to every trust commit-
ted to his care. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in Ke-
wanee Chapter, No. 47, in which he has
taken an active interest, occupying the
chairs of Royal Arch Captain, Captain of
the Host, and various others, his thorough
knowledge of the ritual enabling him to
fill any office whenever occasion required.
He was created a Sir Knight in Temple
Commandery, at Princeton, and received
the ineffable degree of the Scottish Rite in
Oriental Consistory, Valley of Chicago, in
1880, and taking all the degrees up to and
including the thirty-second.
New Hampshire is the native state of
Mr. Ladd, he having been born in Wilmot,
Merrimac county, February 26, 1839. The
ancestors of Mr. Ladd were French, some
of the male members of whom were stanch
adherents of William the Conqueror, and
one of them was knighted and given estates
in Essex, the name at that time being De
Lade. The progenitor of the American
branch came from old England in 1633 in
the good ship William and Mary, and set-
tled in Boston. His name was John Ladd,
and he became quite prominent in the early
history of the country. Members on both
sides of the family participated in the Revo-
lutionary struggle for independence, and
the women of the family melted the pewter
dishes of the household, transformed them
into musket balls and forwarded them to
the husbands and sons during the battle of
Bennington. Brother Ladd's father, John
Taylor Ladd, was born in Belknap county,
New Hampshire, in 1812. He married Miss
Lydia Ann Perviet, her ancestors being
Huguenots who settled in Massachusetts
in 1680. Mr. Ladd came to Illinois in
1855, with his wife and four children, bought
a tract of land and proceeded to follow the
life of a farmer, becoming an honorable
and reliable citizen. He departed this life
in his sixty-eighth year, his wife having
passed away when forty-nine years of age.
She was a strong believer in the law of
right, the principles of which she taught
her children by both precept and example.
The immediate subject of this sketch
was the eldest of the family, and was raised
on the farm, receiving his education, as he
says, "between the rows of corn. " Later
he took a law course in the Michigan State
University and was graduated at that insti-
tution with honors in 1866. Two years
later he began the practice of his profession
in Kewanee, on the same corner where he
now has his office and where for the past
twenty years he has remained, his ability
and integrity securing for him the reputa-
tion of being one of the most efficient mem-
bers of the bar in this part of the state.
In politics Mr. Ladd is a simon pure
Jeffersonian Democrat, and, while he has
been active in the councils and campaigns
of his party, he has always declined to run
for office. He was a prominent participant
in the Chicago convention of 1896, and as-
sisted in the nomination of the Honorable
William Jennings Bryan, of whom he is a
warm personal friend, and in whose in-
terest he took the "stump" during Mr.
Bryan's plucky fight, making many effective
speeches in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Penn-
sylvania and New York, and being a man
of firm convictions and a high order of
talent, he did much to turn the battle
against the single-standard party. Al-
though defeated at the polls, the Demo-
crats made a magnificent fight for the in-
terests they considered the best for the
whole country.
Mr. Ladd was married in 1872 to Miss
Isabella Shelton, who is a Canadian by
birth. Their union has been blessed with
two children, Grace Lillian and Ernest
Charles, the latter of whom is now his
father's law partner. Miss Grace is a most
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
767
charming and interesting young lady and
assists her father and brother in the office.
Mr. and Mrs. Ladd have a delightful home
in Kewanee and enjoy the high regard of
a host of friends.
and exemplary Mason. His trade he learned
of his father, and it has been his life busi-
In partnership with his brother, he
ness.
CORNELIUS BYE, a prominent mer-
\^l chant of Tuscola, is prominent also in
all the Masonic bodies. Initiated in Free-
dom Lodge, No. 194, A. F. & A. M., he is
now affiliated with Tuscola Lodge, No.
332, and has been Worshipful Master. He
is also connected with Tuscola Chapter,
No. 66, R. A. M., Tuscola Council, R. &
S. M., and Melita Commandery, No. 37,
Knights Templar. Of the chapter he has
been High Priest; of the council, Thrice Il-
lustrious'Master; and of the commandery
Eminent Commander for several terms; and
all of these bodies he has represented at
their state councils. He had charge of the
Tuscola Commandery at the great triennial
conclave at Chicago in 1880. He is also a
member of the Tuscola Chapter, Order of
the Eastern Star.
Mr. Bye is a native of New York city,
born January 19, 1829, was brought to
Leavenworth, Indiana, when a small boy,
and came to Tuscola in 1861, when he en-
gaged in the sale of boots and shoes for
several years. For several years he was
school treasurer. Politically he is a Repub-
lican. As a citizen Mr. Bye is held in the
highest esteem.
JOHN J. DALLENBACH, proprietor of
a meat market at Champaign, is an
active Mason who is especially efficient
in chapter work. He is the Junior Warden
of Western Star Lodge, No. 240, and
Treasurer of Champaign Chapter, No. 50.
Mr. Dallenbach was born in Ripley,
Ohio, June 7, 1844, educated in the public
schools, and came to Champaign in 1856,
since which time he has been a resident
here, where he has now so long been well
known as an honorable and useful citizen
enjoys a fine and permanent trade, which
they well deserve, as they are clever and
pleasant men, standing in high popular
esteem.
DR. M. S. CARR, a practitioner of med-
icine and surgery at East St. Louis,
Illinois, is an active Mason who has attend-
ed a number of triennial conclaves of the
Knights Templar, has held a number of
high positions in the order and has ad-
vanced himself to a high round in the ladder
of Masonic literature.
Dr. Carr received the primary degrees in
St. Clair Lodge, No. 24, F. & A. M. ; the
Royal Arch in Belleville Chapter, No. 106,
R. A. M. ; the cryptic in Belleville Council,
R. & S. M. ; and the Knight Templar in
Belvidere Commandery, No. 2. He now
affiliates with East St. Louis Lodge, No.
504, East St. Louis Chapter, No. 1 56, the
Belleville Council and Tancred Command-
ery, No. 50, K. T. He has held the offices
of Worshipful Master, Master of the Veil
and Eminent Commander, besides a large
number of minor positions. He is also a
member of Rob Morris Chapter, No. 28, O.
E. S. Of the Tancred Commandery he was
one of the charter members.
Dr. Carr was born in St. Clair county,
Illinois, October 2, 1840, educated at the
public schools of his native village and at
McKendree College, at Lebanon, same
county. After reaching mature years he re-
moved to Oregon, where he was Worship-
ful Master of Thurston Lodge, No. 28, at
Harrisburg, Linn county. Subsequently he
attended the medical department of Willam-
ette University, but he graduated in med-
icine in Missouri Medical College, at St.
Louis, his diploma being one of the last
that were signed by that eminent college
president, Dr. McDowell. Subsequently
Dr. Carr practiced at Freeburg, Illinois, for
twenty-three years, and in 1890 he came to
East St. Louis, where he has since been
768
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
engaged in the practice of his profession.
He is camp physician for the Modern Wood-
men, physician for the United States Ma-
sonic Benevolent Association, Continental
Masonic Mutual Benefit Association, the
Prudential Insurance Company of America,
the Endowment Rank of the Knights of
Pythias and the Continental Life Insurance
Company. The Doctor is also a member of
the K. of P., and is Past Noble Grand of
Pride of the Valley Lodge, I. O. O. F.
March 13, 1862, Dr. Carr was married
to Miss Lavina Tate, who died in 1892, and
they had five children.
Politically the Doctor is a Democrat.
was mayor of the city. Politically he is a
Republican, and he is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic.
WILLIAM H. LAMB, cashier of the
First National Bank, of Tuscola, is
one of the old-time Masons of this city,
prominent and favorably known, and is
therefore entitled to particular mention in
this volume.
Mr. Lamb joined Tuscola Lodge, No.
332, A. F. &. A. M., which he has served
as Worshipful Master and of which he is
yet a member. He has been its Repre-
sentative to the Grand Lodge of the state.
He received the Royal Arch degrees in Tus-
cola Chapter, No. 66, and of this body he
has served as Captain of the Host and
King. He is also a member of Tuscola
Council, R. & S. M., No. 21, and of Me-
lita Commandery, No. 37, of which he was
the first Eminent Commander.
The subject of this brief sketch was
born in Vermilion county, Illinois, Janu-
ary 19, 1834. In 1862 he enlisted in the
service of the United States, was adjutant
of the Seventy-ninth Illinois Infantry, and
served till the close of the war, partici-
pating in a number of engagements. In
June, 1865, immediately after being mus-
tered out, he located in Tuscola, and the
same year was elected clerk of the county
court for four years. In 1870 he was elect-
ed cashier of the First National Bank of
Tuscola, and he has now been faithfully
serving in this capacity for the long period
of twenty-seven years. For two years he
DR. A. M. LINDLEY, a practicing phy-
sician and surgeon at Urbana, is a zeal-
ous, well-posted Mason, well advanced in
the various degrees. He was initiated in
Urbana Lodge, No. 157, which he has since
served as Senior Deacon and Junior War-
den; received the capitular degrees in
Urbana Chapter, No. 80, R. A. M. ; the
cryptic in Urbana Council, No. 19, R. &
S. M. ; the chivalric in Urbana Command-
ery, No. 1 6, K. T. ; and he has just been
elected to promotion in the consistory,
Scottish Rite. Of the commandery he has
been Eminent Commander two years, and
has attended the triennial conclave at
Denver.
Dr. Lindley was born at Gnodhutton,
Ohio, September 10, 1856, educated at the
Illinois State University, and graduated in
medicine at the Cincinnati Medical College
in 1880. He began practice with his father
and has since continued a resident here and
a successful practitioner. He has been
surgeon for the " Big Four " Railroad Com-
pany for sixteen years, and also city physi-
cian for several years. The Doctor is one
of the best and favorably known physicians
of Champaign county.
In 1886 he was united in marriage with
Miss Minnie- W. Hubbard.
LEWIS R. HAACK, Past Eminent
j Commander of Damascus Command-
ery, No. 42, K. T. , stationed at Havana,
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Havana Lodge, No. 88, A. F. &
A. M., in 1868; exalted to the august de-
gree of Royal Arch Mason in Havana
Chapter, No. 86, R. A. M., on the 1 4th day
of November, 1875; and was constituted,
created and dubbed a Sir Knight Templar
in Damascus Commandery, No. 42, K. T. ,
on the 26th of November, same year. In
the blue lodge he has been Junior Deacon,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
769
Senior Deacon, Junior Warden and Wor-
shipful Master eight terms. In the chap-
ter he has served as Master of the Second
Veil three terms, Master of the Third Veil
one term; and in the commandery he has
been Generalissimo two terms, Captain
General one term, Recorder one term and
Eminent Commander in 1881. He has
also been a Representative to the Grand
Lodge.
Mr. Haack was born in York, Pennsyl-
vania, October i, 1841; enlisted in the
Union army as a private in Company K,
Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer In-
fantry, August 24, 1 86 1, and served in all
the battles of the Army of the Potomac un-
til October, 1864, never missing a meal or
failing to respond to the roll call! For
meritorious service he was promoted to the
position of brevet first lieutenant.
Ever since March, 1867, Mr. Haack has
been an honored resident of Havana, where
he has been a dealer in wall paper, and en-
gaged in painting and decorating. In his
political views he is a Republican; was
alderman of this city in 1874-5, mayor in
1879-80, and has made a good record as a
soldier, as a citizen and as a Mason.
/"VHARLES A. MONK, dealer in agricult-
IL^; ural implements at Belleville, is an
exemplary Mason who deserves mention in
this volume. He was initiated into the
mysteries of the order in Du Quoin Lodge,
No. 234. He is now a member of St. Clair
Lodge, No. 24, and he has served as Wor-
shipful Master. Lebanon Chapter, No. 62,
conferred upon him the Royal Arch de-
grees, and he subsequently became a char-
ter member of Belleville Chapter, No. 106.
Of the chapter he has served as High
Priest. The cryptic degrees were con-
ferred upon him in Springfield Council, but
he now affiliates with Belleville Council, R.
& S. M. He has served as Thrice Illustri-
ous Master. He is also a member of Tan-
cred Commandery, No. 50, K. T. , and he
has filled therein the chair of Eminent
Commander. He is also a member of
Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine at St.
Louis. Mr. Monk is an active and thor-
ough Mason. As a Knight Templar he has
attended the triennial conclaves at Chicago,
St. Louis, Denver and Boston. In his po-
litical views he is a Republican.
Mr. Monk was born in Greene, Chenan-
go county, New York, April 3, 1842, and
came to Belleville in 1864, since which
time he has been a prominent business man
here, a substantial and reliable citizen and
a useful member of society.
FRANCIS MARION JENKS, a prom-
inent business man of Savanna and one
of the oldest Masons of that city, has ad-
vanced to the thirty-second degree of the
Scottish Rite and stands high among the
brethren throughout the jurisdiction of his
consistory.
He was made a Mason in Mount Car-
roll, in Cyrus Lodge, No. 188, and has long
been affiliated with Mississippi Lodge, No.
385, of Savanna, being one of its earliest
members and all along one of its most re-
liable supporters. He is now Past Master
of the lodge, and is a member of Freeport
Chapter, No. 23, at Freeport, and also a
member of Freeport Commandery, being
made a Sir Knight in that city, when he
joined the Freeport Valley Consistory.
The last degrees of the Scottish Rite pre-
ceding the final one were conferred upon
him about twenty years ago.
Mr. Jenks is a native of the state of
Virginia, born July ir, 1829. His father,
Brown Jenks, was a native of Rhode Island,
while his mother, whose maiden name was
Laura Virginia Hill, is a native of Massa-
chusetts. The family came to Illinois in
1836, and young Francis was educated in
the public schools of this state. He began
his business career as a clerk in a store, and
now for forty-five long years has he been a
successful business man. He is now a sen-
ior member of the firm of F. M. Jenks &
Son, dealers in dry goods and boots and
shoes. He is also a director in the Savanna
Bank. Mr. Jenks is looked upon as one of
770
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the most solid men of his town. In politics
he is a Republican, has been a trustee of his
township and has served many terms as one
of the supervisors.
In 1855 he married Miss Louisa T. Arm-
strong, a native of Illinois, and they have
two sons and two daughters. The oldest
son, Frank Hill, is also a thirty-second-de-
gree Mason and is his father's partner in
business; Charles M. has just arrived home
from college; he is a Master Mason. Minnie
is the wife of John Brown Rhodes, and
Jessie is the wife of Oliver Greenleaf, and
is a member of the Order of the Eastern
Star. Mrs. Jenks and Mrs. Rhodes are
members of the Episcopal church. The
whole family are highly esteemed in Sa-
vanna, where they have so long resided.
F
RANK M. COPPEL, M. D., is a prom-
JT1 inent physician of Havana, and an
intelligent and consistent member of the
Masonic order, well posted, enthusiastic and
zealous. He was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason in Elsinore Lodge,
No. 289, A. F. & A. M., in Elsinore Cali-
fornia, September 24, 1888, having been
previously initiated August 27 and passed
September 10, that year. He was exalted
a Royal Arch Mason in Havana Chapter,
No. 86, R. A. M., May 10, 1889, and was
constituted, created and dubbed a Sir Knight
Templar in Damascus Commandery, No. 42,
K. T. , stationed at Havana, June 12, same
year. He was admitted to membership in
Havana Lodge, No. 88, November 4, 1889,
and is now a member of all the bodies of
Freemasonry at Havana. In the blue lodge
the Doctor has served as Senior Deacon,
Senior Warden and Worshipful Master. In
the charter he is Past High Priest, and is
now King; and in the commandery he has
served as Recorder for several terms, and
he is credited by the brethren with being
the best informed Mason in Havana, both
in the ritual and Masonic law; and he is
also a very proficient worker.
The Doctor is a native of this city, born
on the 2 Jth of January, 1864, and is the
son of J. F. Coppel, now deceased, who
was a valued member of the Masonic order
in Havana, a charter member of the chapter
and of the commandery here. He was
created a Sir Knight Templar in Peoria
Commandery, No. 3, in 1871, and departed
this life April 2, 1882, one of the order's
most acceptable members. Dr. Coppel
graduated at Jefferson Medical College,
Philadelphia, in 1891, and has since been
actively engaged in the practice of his pro-
fession, in which he has great enthusiasm
and enjoys the success that merit wins.
CHARLES TROWBRIDGE, one of the
' oldest members of the Masonic fra-
ternity in the United States, resides at Ke-
wanee. He was made a Mason in Putnam
Lodge at Pomfret, Windham county, Con-
necticut, as early as 1825.
He was born at Pomfret, February 14,
1800, and is therefore now in the ninety-
seventh year of his age, and was in his
twenty-fifth year when he was first initiated
into Masonry. The primary degrees were
conferred upon him by Worshipful Master
Andrew A. Williams, who was then a mer-
chant at Woodstock, Connecticut. In 1833
he removed to Camden, Oneida county.
New York, where he affiliated with Philan-
thropy Lodge, and was elected and served
two terms as its Worshipful Master. Re-
moving next to Painesville, Ohio, he affil-
iated with Temple Lodge in that town and
served as its Senior Warden for three or
four years, often doing the Master's work.
While living there, in 1853, he received the
appointment of Grand Master's Deputy,
Lucian B. Bears, then being Grand Master
of the state of Ohio; and this office Mr.
Trowbridge ably and faithfully filled while
he remained a resident of that state. In
April, 1859, he came to Kewanee and
affiliated with Wethersfield Lodge, No. i 59,
which has since been Kewanee Lodge, No.
1 59. In Kewanee he at once became an
active worker. He was elected to, and
filled, the office of Worshipful Master for
about ten years, and he was Deputy
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
771
Lecturer for about eighteen years. He
was also Captain of the Host in the chap-
ter, was elected High Priest and filled that
exalted position about eighteen years, do-
ing a great deal of work, and all in an
accomplished and most satisfactory man-
ner. During that time he conferred in one
evening all the chapter degrees. Indeed,
his life has been largely devoted to the or-
der, and he has richly earned the high
esteem in which he is held by his brethren
in Kewanee and vicinity.
His ancestry are English. Thomas
Trowbridge emigrated from the old country
to New England in 1636, settling at Taun-
ton, where he was a deacon of the Con-
gregational church, and from him are the
American Trowbridges. In the early his-
tory of this country members of this family
were active and prominent, participating
in the Revolution, etc., held high offices
and were eminent in the professions.
Mr. Trowbridge was married January
1 8, 1837, to Miss Esther H. Peck, a native
of Paris, Oneida county, New York, the
daughter of Silas Peck and of English an-
cestry who were early settlers of Bristol,
Connecticut. They have two children:
Helen J., now the wife of Moses Wilson,
of Blue Hill, Nebraska; and Charles W. , a
prominent architect in Louisville, Kentucky.
Mrs. Trowbridge is now in her eighty-first
year, and intellectually is as active as ever.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Trowbridge are mem-
bers of the Order of the Eastern Star, in
which she has filled the office of Ruth.
They have a nice little home of their own
in Kewanee. Mr. Trowbridge still retains
a great degree of intellectual ability, but is
failing in bodily strength, and he has a
bright anticipation that ere long he will
be vouched for by the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah and thus be admitted to an everlast-
ing seat in the Grand Lodge on high.
was but twenty-one years of age, he having
been born in Saundersfield, Berkshire
county, Massachusetts, October 8, 1804,
and is a direct descendant of John Dem-
ming, who emigrated from England to
Massachusetts in 1635. He received the
chapter degrees in Mansfield, Ohio, and
was made a Knight Templar at Mount
Vernon, that state. In the chapter he
served as Captain of the Guard and High
Priest.
In early life he was a merchant and
wool dealer, in the east, but in 1864 he
came to Geneseo and became a prominent
farmer, following agricultural pursuits with
good success. July 28, 1830, is the date
of his marriage to Miss Eliza Pitkin Alden,
daughter of Dr. Howard Alden, who was a
lineal descendant of John Alden, who
landed at Plymouth Rock from the May-
flower. He has had six children, three of
whom are living.
In politics Mr. Demming was a Demo-
crat up to the time of the election of James
Buchanan as president of the United States,
since which time he has been a strong Union
man and Republican. For a number of
years he has been justice of the peace, and
he has served three terms in the Ohio legis-
lature. He is now in the ninety-seventh
year of his age, and is spending the evening
of his life with his son in one of the beau-
tiful homes which they have built in
Geneseo.
fPVHARLES R. DEMMING, a very ven-
\J) erable Knight Templar, residing at
Geneseo, was made a Mason in Medina
Lodge, at Medina, Ohio, in 1825, when he
LINUS SERENO TURNER, the Emi-
nent Commander of Damascus Corn-
mandery, No. 42, K. T., stationed at Ha-
vana, is another intelligent gentleman who
appreciates the principles, legends and his-
tory of that ancient and noble craft, Free-
masonry. He was first made a Master Ma-
son in Havana Lodge, No. 88, A. F. & A.
M., November, 26, 1894; exalted a Royal
Arch Mason in Havana Chapter, No. 86,
R. A. M., on the 24th of January, 1895;
and was constituted, created and dubbed a
Sir Knight Templar in Damascus Command-
ery, No. 42, K. T., on the 28th of March,
772
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
following. He first served in the blue lodge"
as Senior Deacon, and is now Junior War-
den. In his commandery he first served as
Generalissimo, and in December, 1896, was
elected Eminent Commander..
Mr. Turner was born in Wolcott, New
York, on the 9th of June, 1 866, and is now
engaged in the grain business at Havana.
As a young man he has made rapid progress
in the order to which this volume is devoted,
and he enjoys the high esteem of his breth-
ren.
JOSEPH EDWIN NAYLOR, Past Emi-
nent Commander and one of the best
posted Masons in the city of Havana,
has the following outline as his Masonic
record: Raised a Master Mason in Ha-
vana Lodge, No. 88, A. F. & A. M., on
the 1 8th of June, 1889; exalted a Royal
Arch Mason in Havana Chapter, No. 86,
R. A. M., on the I3th of January, 1880;
and created and dubbed a Sir Knight Temp-
lar in Damascus Commandery, No. 42, K.
T., stationed at Havana, on the 29th of
April, 1890.
Mr. Naylor appreciates the glorious his-
tory and illustrious legends of the esoteric
order, and his consistent life is an illustra-
tion of the beneficent principles inculcated
by the craft. In the blue lodge he has
filled the office of Senior Deacon, Junior
Warden, Senior Warden and Master two
terms; in the chapter he has been Captain
of the Host and Scribe; and in the com-
mandery he has been Warder, Junior
Warden, Prelate and Eminent Commander.
Mr. Naylor is conceded by his brethren to
be one of the best posted workers in the
order, if not indeed the very best. He has
made a splendid Masonic record and enjoys
the very highest esteem of his brethren.
WILLIAM J. WAYNE.— From the
time of its first inception Masonry
has kept pace with the advancement of
moral intelligence, the development of hu-
manity, and the march of the world in
science and art. It is not- a religion, but it
recognizes a supreme Divinity, and its
principal pillars are faith in God, hope in
immortality, and charity toward all man-
kind.
William J. Wayne, the gentleman whose
name heads this review, is a brother who
has attained considerable prominence in all
the workings of the fraternity. After re-
ceiving the first two degrees in the blue
lodge he was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason in Macon Lodge, No. 8, was
exalted to a Royal Arch Mason in Macon
Chapter, No. 2 1 , made a Royal and Select
Master in Decatur Council, No. 16, created
a Sir Knight in Beaumanoir Commandery,
No. 9, in which he has been honored with
the office of Eminent Commander, and is a
Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in
Quincy Consistory, Scottish Rite. He is
also affiliated with those organizations
which have for their object the promoting
of the social side of life, being a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine in Medinah Temple, and
a member of the Masonic Veteran Associa-
tion. He is a loyal, earnest brother, ever
active in advancing the interests of his
lodge, and possesses the good will and high
regard of his fellow Masons.
Mr. Wayne was born in Greensburg,
Pennsylvania, October 12, 1845, and sub-
sequently moved to Quincy, Illinois, where
he received his education in the public
schools. In 1872 he came to Decatur and
here embarked in the carriage manufactur-
ing business, with no other capital than an
honest heart, a strong will and a firm de-
termination to make a place for himself in
the world, and good credit. He began on
a small scale and by perseverance and
steady application he has succeeded in
building up a trade that has developed into
one of the largest in the west. In 1882
Mr. Wayne organized and had incorporated
the Wayne Company, which manufactures
all kinds of fire apparatus, pony carts, car-
riages, etc. Their goods are all of the
highest grade in quality, and they find a
market in all parts of the United States.
Mr. Wayne is what may be called a self-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
773
made man, and has risen to his present
prosperous condition in life solely by his
own efforts, backed by strict integrity, hon-
est business methods, and an earnest desire
to succeed.
In political matters Mr. Wayne is a
stanch Republican, and a firm supporter of
the principles of that party. As both a
man and a Mason his sterling qualities
highly recommend him to his fellow cit-
izens, and obtain the respect and admira-
tion of his many friends.
JL/JK consistent member of the Masonic
order and one of the prominent merchants
and leading citizens of Peoria, Illinois, ranks
high in Masonic circles as well as in the
business circles of his town. His identifi-
cation with the great body of Masons has
formed a bright link in the Masonic chain—
a link that has never been weakened by a
wavering doubt or an unworthy act. His
history, therefore, is highly deserving of a
place in the work now under consideration.
Mr. Wallace is a native of the Keystone
state and claims Allegheny as the place of
his birth, the date of that event being April
6, 1839. During the Rebellion he showed
his devotion to the Union by enlisting with
the boys in blue and serving from the be-
ginning to the end of the war. As hospital
steward he performed faithful and prompt
service and at the close of the war in 1865
returned to his home with a creditable rec-
ord and an honorable discharge.
PjETER HAMMOND, who departed this
life at Geneseo, Illinois, April 19, 1878,
at the remarkable age of one hundred and
two years, was at the time the oldest Ma-
son in the United States. He was born in
Newton, Massachusetts, April 9, 1776, and
was therefore older "than the United States
by three months! He lived two years past
the centennial of his country. His father,
Samuel Hammond, of English descent,
was one of the patriots who attended the
Boston "Tea Party."
Mr. Hammond was made a Master Ma-
son in 1799, in Wardsboro, Vermont, and
during his life was Worshipful Master many
years, and in his one hundredth year was
able to attend lodge and take a part in the
proceedings. His one hundredth birthday
was celebrated by his Masonic brethren in
Geneseo, who on that occasion presented
him with a handsome gold-headed cane.
In his personal habits Mr. Hammond was
an exemplary man, never using whisky or
tobacco, and in all respects his mode of
life and treatment of his fellow citizens
was a model, being strictly in accordance
with the principles of the noble order whom
he adorned by his affiliations.
His son, Joseph Hammond, and his
grandson, John Converse Hammond, have
long been respected residents of Geneseo.
Both take great pleasure in keeping as me-
mentoes the lambskin, jewels and cane which
the venerable Peter Hammond possessed,
and both these gentlemen are worthy mem-
bers of the fraternity, at Geneseo. A con-
siderable number of Masons in this city and
vicinity congratulate themselves on account
of having been initiated into the mysteries
of Masonry by that venerable Worshipful
Master, Peter Hammond.
JOHN W. TRIMBLE, a Sir Knight Tem-
plar of Rushville, is an active and val-
ued member of the order which has had
the most brilliant philanthropic record of
all organizations in the world. He was ad-
vanced to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in Rushville Lodge, No. 9, A. F. &
A. M., on the i8th of April, 1893; exalted
to a Royal Arch Mason in Rushville Chap-
ter, No. 184, R. A. M., on the 2Oth of Jan-
uary, 1894, and was created and dubbed a
Sir Knight Templar in Rushville Com-
mandery, No. 56, K. T. , on the I7th of
March, same year. From the time of his
initiation into the mysteries of the order he
has been a faithful and capable member,
filling various offices in the different bodies.
774
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
He is now Warden in the blue lodge. He
is an upright Mason and a good citizen.
Mr. Trimble is a native of Ohio, of
Scottish ancestry, and was born November
19, 1850; came to Rushville when a boy
and was educated here. He has led an
active and successful business life and is
now retired.
/>EORGE E. STICKNEY, Secretary of
vT the chapter at Warren, Illinois, wa3
made a Master Mason in Jo Daviess Lodge,
No. 278, A. F. & A. M., having been en-
tered December i, 1883, passed February
2, 1884, and raised February 16, following.
He was exalted a Royal Arch Mason in
Olive Chapter, No. 167, R. A. M., at War-
ren, on the i6th of October, 1884. In the
blue lodge he has ably rilled the offices of
Junior and Senior Deacon; in the chapter
he has been Master of the First Veil, and
is now serving his fifth year as Secretary of
the chapter. Being a good and efficient
officer the brethren keep him where he can
do the most good.
Mr. Stickney is a native of Belleville,
Ontario, born August 13, 1860, and he has
resided at Warren, Illinois, since 1881.
His occupation is that of plumber. As a
citizen and as a Mason Mr. Stickney stands
high. His brother, Walter Stickney, is a
Consistory Mason who has reached the
thirty-second degree.
EORGE W. DAVIS, president of the
Carrollton Bank, at Carrollton, since
1883, is a native of Greene county and is
therefore one of the best known citizens in
this section of the state. He is almost
equally well known as a Freemason, in
high standing. He first joined the order in
Carrollton Lodge, No. 50, of which he has
been Worshipful Master; of Carrollton
Chapter, R. A. M. , No. 77, he has been
High Priest; of Carrollton Council, R. & S.
M. , he has been the Principal Conductor;
and of Hugh de Payens Commandery, No.
29, he has been Prelate and Eminent Com-
mander. Also he has been District Deputy
of the Grand Lodge, and is a member of
the Temple Chapter, No. 325, O. E. S., in
which he has held the office of Worthy Pa-
tron. He attended the triennial conclave
of Knights Templar at St. Louis.
Politically, Mr. Davis is a Democrat,
and for a number of years he was chairman
of the Democratic committee.
Mr. Davis was born in Greene county,
Illinois, August 9, 1839, educated at the
public shools, and on arriving a,t manhood
he began to take considerable interest in
public affairs. He has served as county
clerk two terms of two years each, giving
satisfaction in the fulfillment of the duties
of that office. After the expiration of his
last term of office as county clerk he en-
gaged in the grocery business for a number
of years, and since 1883, as already stated,
he has been president of the Carrollton
Bank.
THOMAS D. REBER is a most faithful
representative of the Masonic order,
the keynote of which is mutual helpfulness,
and the plans and purposes of this honored
organization are exemplified in his every-
day life as well as in his earnest devotion
to the societies with which he is connected.
He was made a Mason in Rockford Lodge,
No. 1 02, after which he progressed rapidly
in the order, taking the chapter, command-
ery and consistory degrees, and also be-
coming a member of the Mystic Shrine.
He has therefore almost rounded the circle
of Masonry and is numbered among its
most enthusiastic and devoted members in
Rockford. He is actively interested in the
working of the order and is now serving
his third term as Worshipful Master of
Rockford Lodge. This lodge has honored
two of its members by retaining them in
the highest office for a term of seven suc-
cessive years, and it seems probable that
the same honor will be conferred upon
the brother whose name introduces this
review. He holds the office of King in the
chapter, and is Past Eminent Commander
of Crusader Commandery, No. 17, of Rock-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
775
ford, also Chief Roban of Tebala Temple
of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Among
the brethren of the fraternity he is held in
the highest regard and is always spoken of
in terms of the warmest esteem. He is a
commendable worker in the fraternity and
very enthusiastic in promoting the growth
and prosperity of the lodge.
In the business circles of Rockford Mr.
Reber has also attained to a position of
eminence and is now connected with one
of the leading industrial concerns of the
city, the Rockford Lumber & Fuel Com-
pany. He possesses the true western
spirit of enterprise, although he is not a
western man by birth. He was born in
Reading, Pennsylvania, on the i ith of De-
cember, 1863, and is of German and French
ancestry. His maternal grandfather, Dan-
iel Deckhart, served in the Revolution, aid-
ing the colonies in their struggle for inde-
pendence. His father, Benneville Reber,
was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and
married Miss Helen Deckhart, by whom he
had seven children, Thomas D. being the
youngest. The parents were Lutherans in
religious faith. The father died in the
fiftieth year of his age, and the mother,
surviving him, departed this life in 1895,
at the age of sixty-eight years.
Thomas D. Reber was educated in the
public schools of Reading, Pennsylvania
and in the Millersville State Normal School,
of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He came to
Rockford in April, 1883, then a young man
of twenty years, and for a time was in the
employ of the Central Union Telegraph
Company. Subsequently he became book-
keeper and assistant clerk for the W. F. &
John Barnes Company, and on severing his
connection with that house purchased the
interest of Mr. Larkins in the Perry & Lar-
kins Lumber and Building Material Com-
pany. The name was changed to Perry &
Reber, and business was conducted under
that style for six years, when their business
was consolidated with that of Lawler &
Keeler, under the name of the Rockford
Lumber and Fuel Company. They are do-
ing a large wholesale and retail business,
handling all kinds of lumber, building ma-
terials and coal. Their Rockford offices and
yards are located at No. 201 East State
street, and in addition they have established
branch houses at Beloit and Whitewater,
Wisconsin, to facilitate the trade and ship-
ments in that state. Their sales have now
reached extensive proportions, and the rep-
utation of the company is most enviable.
Its members are all men of known reliabil-
ity, energetic and progressive, and their
success results from systematic, conserva-
tive and energetic efforts. In addition to
the interest which he owns in the business
of the Rockford Lumber & Fuel Ccmpany,
Mr. Reber is also a director in the First
National Bank. His advancement in busi-
ness has, like that in Masonry, been rapid
and commendatory, and although he came
to Rockford with no capital his steady pro-
motion has placed him in the front rank
among the representatives of commercial
interests here.
• On the 20th of May, 1886, Mr. Reber
was united in marriage to Miss LydiaLogue,
a native of Rockford and a daughter of
William Logue, of that city. They now
have two interesting children — Helen Jane
and Edwin Perry. Mr. and Mrs. Reber are
members of the Christian Union church.
Their home, erected by our subject, is one
of the fine residences of the city and is a
favorite resort with their many friends. In
his political views Mr. Reber is a Democrat.
)OBERT A. SHEPERD, the capable
JrJl Secretary of Rockford Lodge, No. 102,
F. & A. M., was made a Mason in this
lodge in 1 876, and for twenty years has
been one of its most faithful members and
active workers. He was elected to the
office of Senior Deacon in 1883, serving for
two years, and afterward became the Sec-
retary of the organization. He was raised
to the sublime degree of Royal Arch Mason
in 1888, and in the fraternity circles in this
city he is widely and favorably known as a
worthy exponent of the teachings of the
order, following closely the basic principles
776
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
upon which the society has rested for many
centuries.
Mr. Sheperd is a native of England,
born August 16, 1852. His parents, Will-
iam and Janette (Robertson) Sheperd, were
both born in Scotland, and after their mar-
riage emigrated to America, locating in
Rockford, Illinois, in 1853. They brought
with them the subject of this sketch, then
a year old, and a little daughter; and after
their arrival in this country three other
children were added to the family. The
father was a contractor and builder and did
much of that kind of work in this city for a
number of years. Both he and his wife
were charter members of the First Presby-
terian church of this city, and Mr. Sheperd
was one of its trustees and most efficient
members. His death occurred in 1873, at
the age of fifty-two years, and his wife sur-
vived him until 1894, passing away at the
age of seventy-three. Their children are
all living.
Mr. Shepherd, of this review, is the sec-
ond. He was educated in the Rockford
schools and learned the trade of machinist.
Since reaching man's estate he has followed
various business pursuits, including manu-
facturing and dealing in realty interests.
He is now representing the first ward of
Rockford in the city council, having twice
before served in that capacity, and is one
of the valued representatives of that organi-
zation which has in charge the city's
affairs.
THOMAS W. McFALL, of Quincy, is
is a Past Master of Bodley Lodge,
No. i, A. F. & A. M., and has been prom-
inently connected with the educational of-
fices of the city for the past thirty years.
For the first three years he was a member
of the board of education; then he was
elected superintendent of the city schools,
which he has now for the past twenty-six
years filled with entire satisfaction to the
public. The duties have often been ar-
duous and embarrassing, but he bravely
worked his way through.
Long before identifying himself with the
Masonic order he had the matter under con-
sideration, but hesitated on account of the
opposition that sundry politicians might
have to it. When it became evident to
him, through the good offices of a brother,
that his fears were groundless, he at once
sent in an application for initiation and in
1884 was made a Master Mason, in Bodley
Lodge. He immediately became interested
in the esoteric work and was soon appointed
Senior Warden; at the end of his term in
that office he was elected Junior Warden
and afterward Senior Warden, and at
length Worshipful Master, an office which
he very ably filled for five consecutive
terms, during which he thoroughly acquired
the Illinois work, and by both precept and
example he has brought the brethren up to
a high state of perfection in the work of
the lodge, and is entitled to great credit for
his patience and thoroughness.
Mr. McFall is a native of the state of
Pennsylvania, born on the 24th of June,
1824. He came to Illinois in 1840 and for
seven years was prominently engaged in
teaching. In 1854 he came to Quincy,
and in 1856 was elected clerk of the circuit
court. In the spring of 1861 he enlisted in
the service of the United States and raised
Company F, of the Third Illinois Cavalry,
of which he was elected captain. He went
to the front with a company of ninety-six
men. Soon he was commissioned major,
and he served in the southwest, being en-
gaged in the battle of Pea Ridge and nu-
merous skirmishes until his health failed by
reason of the hard service on horseback,
and he was compelled to resign his com-
mission and return to Ouincy, where he has
since devoted the most of his time to the
city schools.
In 1846 he was happily married to Miss
Katharine Myers, and they had six children,
three of whom are living, — Esther, Rose
and Katharine. They have a pleasant
home and are citizens of culture and refine-
ment, enjoying the high esteem of their
fellow citizens in the city in which they
have so long been identified.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Ill
WP. SHERMAN, M. D., has been a
member of the Masonic fraternity
since 1891, in which year he became affili-
ated with the lodge in Leland, Illinois.
For a year previous there had been no new
member taken into that organization, but
after the accession of Dr. Sherman to its
membership it seemed to become imbued
with new life and entered upon a prosper-
ous era in its history. The Doctor contin-
ued to work with that lodge until 1895,
when he was dimitted and became a mem-
ber of Fides Lodge, No. 842, in which he
is now serving as Senior Warden. In 1893
he was exalted to the sublime degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Sandwich Chapter,
No. 107, of Sandwich, Illinois. Although
the duties of his profession make it impos-
sible for him to devote much time to the
work of Masonry, he is nevertheless devoted
to its principles and much interested in its
success and growth, and in the blue lodge
and chapter with which he is connected he
has the warm regard of the entire member-
ship.
Dr. Sherman is a native of Wisconsin,
his birth having occurred in Newark on the
22d of July, 1862. He was reared in New
York until nine years of age, and in 1871
was brought to Illinois by his parents, the
family locating in Piano, Kendall county,
where he was reared and acquired his edu-
cation. When his school days were over
and it came time to decide upon a profes-
sion or business which he wished to make
his life work, he determined to engage in
the practice of medicine. He prepared for
this calling in Rush Medical College, of
Chicago, where he was graduated with the
class of 1889. He then began practice in
Leland, Illinois, where he remained until
1893, when he came to Chicago and estab-
lished an office. He has since been con-
nected with the medical fraternity of this
city and has won a liberal and lucrative
patronage. He is a close student of his
profession and does all in his power to per-
fect himself in the science of medicine.
His devotion to the interests of his patients,
arising from a true love of his profession
43«
and an earnest desire to relieve human suf-
fering has won him a success and gained
him a reputation that are indeed enviable.
On the I4th of February, 1883, occurred
the marriage of Dr. Sherman and Miss
Belle V. Misner, a native of Kendall
county, Illinois. They have two children,
R. D. and J. Howard.
JOHN D. MARTIN, of Chicago, has for
eight years been affiliated with the most
ancient and honored of all fraternities,
— the Masonic. He was made a Mason in
Golden Rule Lodge in 1888, and still re-
tains his membership therein. The follow-
ing year he was exalted to the rank of a
Royal Arch Mason in Wiley M. Egan
Chapter, and in 1890 was knighted in
Chicago Commandery. He is also a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, Medinah Temple, and
of these various organizations is a consist-
ent, earnest member, his belief in its prin-
ciples being unswerving. He is steadfast
and true, and his worth is recognized by
his fellow members of the craft who have
elected him to office. In 1895 ne was
chosen Worshipful Master of the blue lodge,
and has been High Priest of the chapter.
It will be of interest to his brethren to
know something of the life of Mr. Martin
outside of his connection with the fraternity,
and we herewith present a brief review of
his career. He is a native of the neighbor-
ing state of Indiana, his birth having oc-
curred in Wrest Lebanon, Warren county, on
the 1 2th of November, 1856. There he
was reared on a farm, spending his time in
work in the fields and in attendance on the
common schools near his home, where he
acquired a good practical education. The
quiet pursuit of farming, however, was not
exactly to his taste, and when sixteen years,
of age he began running an engine, a
pursuit that he has followed for the long
period of twenty-three years. He came
to Chicago in 1877 and for fifteen years
has served as engineer for the firm of
Shufelt & Company. He is most careful
and painstaking in his work, accurate and
778
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT JN ILLINOIS.
methodical, and his long connection with
one house shows his absolute fidelity to duty
at all times.
In 1882 Mr. Martin was united in
marriage to Miss Nellie Grady, who is a
native of the town of Rosefield, Illinois.
Three children have been born of this
union, Frank R., Jennie and John D.
PAUL E. HAKNEY.— Devotion to God
and a distressed brother, faithfulness
to one's usual vocation and the blessing of
mental rest and refreshment, are some of
the lessons taught in the Masonic lodges
and spread broadcast throughout the world
by the brethren. A member of the frater-
nity who has been a zealous worker in the
bodies with which he has been affiliated is
Mr. Harney. He has been active in all
their workings and was on the obituary
committee with LeRoy A. Goddard in the
Grand Lodge. He received the degree of
Master Mason in Franklin Lodge, No. 25,
at Upper Alton, and was elected its Junior
Deacon; was exalted to the degree of Royal
Arch Mason in Franklin Chapter, No. 15,
in which he was Master of the Second Veil;
and was created a Sir Knight in Belvidere
Commandery, No. 2, serving in that body
as Junior Warden and Generalissimo. In
his connection with the order Mr. Harney
has evinced an earnest desire to carry out
its precepts, and has so conducted himself
as to win the entire good will of his brother
Masons.
Mr. Harney comes originally from
Louisiana, his birth having taken place at
New Orleans October 21, 1850. His father
was a Romanist, while his mother was a
member of the Society of Friends, other-
wise termed Ouakers. It was the intention
of our subject's parents to educate him for
the priesthood, but as this was against his
personal inclination it was not fulfilled.
He was placed in a German school at St.
Louis, Missouri, where he became thor-
oughly familiar with the German language,
and was eventually graduated at the insti-
tution. As his natural tastes were artistic,
he secured a private tutor, under whom he
studied art until 1874, when he went to
Bavaria, Germany, and spent two years in
the Royal Academy, of which he is still a
member. Returning to this country in the
latter part of 1876 he located in St. Louis
and taught art in the Washington Art In-
stitute until 1885, when he moved to Upper
Alton, and has since been a resident of this
city. He has a studio in Shurtleff College,
where he pursues his vocation, making a
specialty of portraying monks and scenes of
American farm life. Some very fine pic-
tures have emanated from Mr. Harney's
prolific brush, which have elicited very
favorable criticism in art circles, where he
is well known. He is an honorary member
of the Chicago Art Institute.
GEORGE DAWSON, of Chicago, is iden-
tified with various Masonic bodies in
this city and is a zealous advocate of the
principles of the fraternity. His member-
ship is in Kilwinning Lodge, No. 31 1, A. F.
& A. M. ; Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, R.
A. M. ; St. Bernard Commander)', No. 35,
K. T. , and Oriental Consistory, in which
he was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret in 1896. He is loyal to the
principles of the blue lodge, a faithful com-
panion in capitular Masonry and a worthy
follower of the beauseant. He is also con-
nected with the social order which admits
to its membership only those who are
allied with Masonry, having crossed the
sands of the desert with the Nobles of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine
in Medinah Temple.
Mr. Dawson was born in the distant
country of New South Wales, Australia, on
the 7th of October, 1869. His boyhood
days were there passed and his education
was acquired in the public school. In early
life he learned the brick-maker's trade,
which he followed for some years. In
1890 he came to Chicago and four years
ago accepted a position as associate in-
structor in boxing in the Chicago Athletic
Club, one of the finest clubs in the conn-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
779
try. Having studied this profession in the
most scientific manner, he is thoroughly
qualified for the duties of his position. He
is pleasant, genial, courteous, gentle, a fa-
vorite with the members of the club, and
has made many friends during his connec-
tion therewith.
|PV\HARLES L. ROMBERGER. — The
\JJ mysteries of the Masonic order, its
symbolic rites and the antiquity of its ori-
gin, all have a peculiar fascination for men
who study and think deeply, particularly
those of a legal turn of mind. We conse-
quently find among its most illustrious and
devoted adherents members of the legal
profession who find in its teachings much
to assist them in the study of mankind.
The gentleman whose name heads this
sketch became identified with the Masonic
fraternity in 1884, and has since given his
best thoughts and efforts to its interests.
He was made a Master Mason in Dwight
Livingston Lodge, No. 371, in which he
has held the offices of Junior Warden and
Worshipful Master. He received the de-
gree of R. A. M., in Morris Chapter, hold-
ing the office of High Priest, and that of
Knight Templar in Blaney Commandery,
No. 5. He is a member of Oriental Con-
sistory, as well as of the Order of the
Eastern Star, Dwight Chapter, No. 166, in
which he has held the offices of Past Patron
and High Priest. He is also a member of
Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine, Chicago,
of Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, and
Joliet Commandery, No. 4. His affilia-
tions with these several branches of Ma-
sonry have always been of the most pleas-
ant character and have made him many
warm personal friends as well as given him
a wide influence and high standing among
his associates.
Mr. Romberger, who is a prominent at-
torney at law, residing in Dwight, Illinois,
and the senior member of the well-known
law firm of Romberger & Smith, was born
at Wyanet, Illinois, June 12, 1862. His
education was obtained in the public
schools of Princeton, Illinois, and aftef
completing the course in the high school or
that place he entered the law department
of the University of Michigan, at Ann
Arbor. He was graduated at this institu-
tion in 1882, when only nineteen years of
age, and was admitted to the bar in Ottawa
the same year, but his certificate was with-
held until he reached his majority. He
continued the study of law in Ottawa until
January, 1884, when he located in Dwight,
where he has since made his home.
Mr. Romberger is a man of fine mental
ability, a close student, and gives his un-
divided attention to his professional duties.
He has built up a large practice and has
the confidence and esteem of every one
who has ever been brought into business
relations with him. His office is one of the
handsomest in the city and is an evidence
of the success which has attended his
career. In addition to legal work the firm
carries on a fire-insurance and loan busi-
ness, probably the most extensive in
Dwight.
As president of the village board of
Dwight for one term, Mr. Romberger did
much to advance the interests of the town
and gave proof of his executive ability. He
now holds the responsible positions of
attorney for the Chicago & Alton Railroad
Company and for the Keeley Company.
Mr. Romberger was married in 1885 to
Miss Nellie M. Ensign, of Connecticut, and
they have two daughters, Louise Ensign
and Emma Theresa. The family is popular
in social circles and their hospitable home
is always open to their friends.
MALCOLM D. MAcNAB, whose rapid
adv mcement in Masonry has placed
him among the Knights Templar and thirty-
second-degree Masons, first became iden-
tified with the order in 1896, having been
made a Master Mason in Normal Park
Lodge( No. 797, F. & A. M., on the i4th
of March of that year. He took the degrees
of capitular Masonry in Normal Park Chap-
ter, No. 2 10, being exalted to the august de-
780
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
gree of the Royal Arch on the 27th of June,
1896, and on the 3Oth of June was greeted
a Royal and Select Master in Imperial Coun-
cil, No. 85. He was created a Sir Knight
in Apollo Commandery, No. i, in 1897, and
in the present year attained the thirty-sec-
ond degree of the Scottish Rite in Oriental
Consistory and was proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret. He is a thor-
ough Mason, living up to the principles of
the order and has the warm regard of his
brethren of the craft.
Dr. MacNab has spent his entire life in
Illinois. He was born in P'airbury, this
state, on the 1 8th of September, 1871, and
there remained until eighteen years of age,
•when he came to Chicago, in 1890. He ac-
quired his education in the schools of Fair-
bury, in the high school of Englewood and
-was a member of the class of 1 894 in West-
minster College, of Pennsylvania. Choos-
ing the medical profession as that which he
wishes to devote his energies, he prepared
for practice in Rush Medical College, of
Chicago, and was graduated in the class of
1895. He then began practice in Normal
Park and has met with a good degree of
success for a young physician. Deeply in-
terested in the science of medicine he studies
closely all that tends to advancement along
that line and has a comprehensive and ac-
curate knowledge of the principles govern-
ing his chosen profession.
\UGENE RANDALL, whose talents, ac-
EL/> quirements and habits all eminently fit
him for a successful career at the bar, has
been a legal practitioner of Sandwich for
about twenty years, and is not only num-
bered among the leading citizens of this
place but is also accounted one of the
prominent representatives of the Masonic
society here. His identification with the
fraternity dates from December, 1875,
when as Entered Apprentice he was initi-
ated into Orient Lodge, No. 323, A. F. &
A. M., of Lisbon, Illinois. He further be-
came familiar with the esoteric doctrines by
passing the Fellow-craft degree and being
raised to the sublime degree of Master Ma-
son. After his removal to Sandwich he
was dimitted to Meteor Lodge, No. 283,
and in the present year, 1897, is serving as
Junior Warden. He was exalted to the
august degree of Royal Arch Mason in
Sandwich Chapter, No. 107, and in the ad-
vancement of its interests displays the zeal
and ardor which is symbolized by its pre-
vailing tincture of scarlet. Honored by his
companions of capitular Masonry, he was
elected Captain of the Host, and in 1896
and 1897 served as Principal Sojourner.
He received the order and grades of chiv-
alric Masonry in Aurora Commandery, No.
22, and is now a Sir Knight. He is fully
in sympathy with the beneficent misson of
this great fraternity, which incites in its
members a feeling of kinship that draws
man into closer and kindlier relations to his
fellow man, and fully understands and meets
the obligation which rests upon those who
are followers of the banners of Masonry.
He is also a member of the Modern Wood-
men of America and of the Home Forum.
Mr. Randall is a native of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, and his natal day was August 12,
1852. His parents were Allen and Harriet
(Long) Randall. He acquired his early
education in the common schools, after-
ward attended the Fowler Institute, and
was graduated at the University of Michi-
gan. From the days of his infancy he has
been a resident of Illinois, the family lo-
cating in Kendall. When nineteen years
of age he began the study of law and con-
tinued his reading alone until his entrance
into the University of Michigan. After his
graduation he was admitted to the bar by
the supreme court of Michigan, and shortly
afterward by the supreme court of Illinois.
He began practice in Morris, where he re-
mained for three years, since which time he
has been a member of the bar of Sand-
wich. He has a broad and accurate under-
standing of the science of jurisprudence
and in the court-room is a forcible, logical
and convincing speaker. His career is
characterized by energy, indomitable, un-
tiring but curbed and well regulated ener-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
781
gy, which sustains him in all trials and
bears him steadily toward the coveted goal
of success.
Mr. Randall was married in 1887 to
Miss Mary F. Haywood, of Sandwich. He
votes with the Democracy, but has neither
timen or inclination for public office, devot-
ing his attention to his professional duties.
His fidelity to his clients' interests is pro-
verbial and he is an able lawyer, a valued
citizen and a worthy Mason.
WOBERT SAYLE FARAGHER.-Free-
masonry is an ancient institution, em-
bracing among its members men of all
ranks and conditions of life, of every na-
tion and clime, and of every religion that
acknowledges a Supreme Being and the im-
mortality of the soul. It stands pre-emi-
ment among organizations established for
the purpose of improving mankind. Every
human institution is subject to great and
numerous variations. The different aspects
under which they appear, and the princi-
ples by which they are governed, de-
pend upon the advance of civilization, the
nature of the protecting government and
the habits and opinions of the members
themselves. Freemasonry was doubtless
at first simply a mutual improvement asso-
ciation. The arts and sciences were culti-
vated in Egypt and the adjacent countries
in Asia when all the other nations were in-
volved in ignorance. Of these sciences as-
tronomy, geometry and architecture took
the first place. The priesthood, anxious to
acquire knowledge that would give them a
further hold on a superstitious people,
sought to participate in the learning of the
architects, and, once admitted to the fra-
ternity, they produced the combination of
science and theology which forms such a
conspicuous part of the principles of Free-
masonry. The fraternity and priestcraft
soon became one and imparted their knowl-
edge in symbolic and hieroglyphic instruc-
tion, accompanied by particular rites arid
ceremonies, which have descended to the
modern brotherhood, but devoid of the
original significance and superstition. The
craft has a large following in Chicago, and
one of its members who takes a deep inter-
est in all its affairs is Mr. Faragher.
In July, 1892, Mr. Faragher became a
charter member of Lawn Lodge, No. 815,
from which he was dimitted to become affil-
iated with Landmark Lodge, No. 422. In
1893 he was exalted to the august degree
of Royal Arch Mason in Fairview Chapter,
No. 161; was made a Royal and Select
Master in Palestine Council, No. 66; and
was created a Sir Knight in Montjoie Com-
mandery, No. 53, in November, 1893. Mr.
Faragher was elected to the office of Prin-
cipal Sojournerin Fairview Chapter, which
he filled with credit to the craft and honor
to himself. His other social affiliations
are with the Mystic Shrine, Medinah Tem-
ple, of which he became a member in April,
1895, and the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows.
Mr. Faragher is a native of the Isle of
Man, having been born in Douglas, Sep-
tember 27, 1868, and was there reared and
received his education in the public schools.
When seventeen years of age he possessed
a desire to see the wonders of the new
world, and took passage for the United
States. He subsequently located in Chi-
cago, and now holds a clerkship with the
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.
He is a bright young man, with an
abundance of natural energy, which, in
conjunction with an upright character, a
strict integrity, and an honesty of purpose,
have secured for him the esteem and confi-
dence of those with whom he is associated.
T «OMAS C. ROGERS.— Freemasonry
has ever been a foe to vice, im-
morality and selfishness, to which, unfor-
tunately, the world has always in a more or
less degree been addicted, and which re-
ceived a strong check when the precepts
and tenets which form the foundation of
the fraternity were first promulgated in the
blue lodge of long ago. The struggle has
been going on for centuries, but like all
782
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
great movements its progress has been slow,
as it has had to contend with ignorance,
bigotry and prejudice. It has stretched
its hands across the seas to every known
country that has any claims to intelligence,
and its banner has been implanted in the
soil of every enlightened nation. In the
United States it has grown to immense
proportions, and its lodge fires burn in
every city, town and village throughout the
republic.
In Illinois the order has received the
unlimited encouragement of many of her
most prominent and intelligent citizens,
who have enrolled their names upon the
banner of Freemasonry, among them being
Thomas C. Rogers, who was made a
Master Mason in Blair Lodge, No. 393, in
1895, exalted to the august degree of a
Royal Arch Mason in York Chapter, No.
148, and created a Sir Knight in St. Ber-
nard Commandery, No. 35, in the same
year. He was a member of the St. Ber-
nard Drill Corps, and was presented by his
"fratres, " on the occasion of his marriage,
with a handsome silver service as a token
of their high esteem.
Mr. Rogers was a native of England,
having been born in London on the gth of
October, 1859, his early education being
acquired in the public schools of that city,
supplemented by a course in the Royal En-
gineers' College, at Chatham. In 1877 he
embarked for the United States and landed
in New York, where he became connected
with the Mercantile Express Company, con-
tinuing with the same until 1889, when he
moved west and located in Chicago, and
here, in 1893, he embarked in the insur-
ance business, meeting with a high degree
of success in that line of enterprise. He
was energetic and progressive, possessed
the strictest integrity of character, which,
combined with his genial disposition, made
him a favorite of all who knew him.
Death terminated his busy career on the
29th of July, 1897, and his loss was sin-
cerely mourned by his many friends. He
is survived by his widow, who was formerly
Miss Agnes McCracken, a native of Man-
chester, England, and to whom he was
united in marriage in 1 896. He also leaves
an infant daughter.
HOWARD.— Faithfully have
the ideas promulgated by the origi-
nators of Freemasonry been preserved and
the object and aims of the fraternity
closely guarded by those who have under-
taken the task of continuing the good work
inaugurated so many years ago. Among
the faithful and energetic "fratres" who
render allegiance to the order in Chicago is
Daniel Howard, who was raised to the
sublime degree of a Master Mason in Mis-
sion Lodge, No. 92, at Osage Mission, Kan-
sas, in 1875, subsequently obtaining a dimit
from the same in order to become affiliated
with Pleiades Lodge, No. 478, at Chicago.
In 1876 he was advanced to the grades of
capitular Masonry and exalted to the Holy
Royal Arch in J. D. Rush Chapter, No. 2 1 ,
at Osage Mission, Kansas; he passed the
circle of cryptic Masonry in Chicago Coun-
cil, No. 4, and was greeted a Royal and
Select Master therein ; he received the orders
of knighthood in Oswego Commandery, No.
6, at Oswego, Kansas; and he attained the
ineffable degrees of the Scottish Rite in
Oriental Consistory, wherein he had con-
ferred upon him the thirty-second degree
and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince of the
Royal Secret. He is also a Noble of the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine,
his membership being in Medinah Temple.
He takes a deep interest in the craft, to
which he brings a high order of intelligence,
and is held in the greatest esteem by his
companions.
Daniel Howard is a native of Ireland,
his birth taking place there on the igth of
November, 1848. In 1851 his parents em-
igrated to the United States and located in
New York, where they resided until 1857,
removing in that year to Illinois, and here
the subject of this review was reared to
manhood, acquiring his literary education in
the public schools. He then took up the
study of telegraphy and eventually secured
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
783
a position as operator on the Illinois Central
Railroad, retaining the same until 1867,
when he became connected with the Adams
Express Company for some time. In 1893
he was tendered the position of local freight
agent for the Illinois Central, which he ac-
cepted, and as such he has since been con-
nected with that road, rendering efficient,
faithful service, and thus gaining the con-
fidence and respect of the officials as well
as the public.
The marriage of Mr. Howard was solem-
nized in 1870, when he was united to Miss
Harriet Frederick, a native of Ohio, and
their children consist of two in number,—
Frederick and Mildred.
Frederick Howard was born on the i gth
of November, 1871, and is, like his father,
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. He
was initiated in Blaney Lodge, No. 271,
was exalted to the august degree of a Royal
Arch Mason in Chicago Chapter, was created
a Sir Knight in Apollo Commandery, No. i ,
and attained the grades and orders in the
Scottish Rite, being proclaimed a Sublime
Prince of the Royal Secret in Oriental Con-
sistory. Also he is a member of Medinah
Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.
In April, 1897, Mr. Howard was united
in marriage to Miss Mary Hawkins, of
Neosho, Missouri.
C.HARLES C. THOMPSON, M. D.;
although a recent acquisition to the
Masonic fraternity, has already evinced a
great deal of interest in the order, and there
is every indication that he will prove a val-
uable accession to the craft. His initiatory
degrees were conferred upon him in Alpha
Lodge, No. 155, at Galesburg, in which he
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in 1896, and in the same year he was
exalted to the Holy Royal Arch in Gales-
burg Chapter, No. 46; received the degrees
of Royal and Select Masters in Galesburg
Council, No. 14; and was constituted,
dubbed and created a Sir Knight in Gales-
burg Commandery, No. 8. He is an en-
thusiastic brother, and stands high in the
estimation of his fellow Masons.
Dr. Thompson was born in the city of
Cambridge, Dorchester county, Maryland,
on September 27, 1849, and early in life
moved with his parents to Indiana, where
his preliminary mental discipline was re-
ceived in the public schools, supplemented
by a course of study at the Tippecanoe
Battle Ground Academy and Asbury Uni-
versity, now known as De Pauw University.
His youthful predilection being for the medi-
cal profession, he determined to make that
his life work, and with this end in view he
matriculated in the Kentucky School of
Medicine, from which he received his di-
ploma in 1872. Desiring to perfect himself
in the various branches of his calling, he
went to Europe and there pursued his stud-
ies, eventually entering the University of
Edinburg, at which he was graduated in
1875. Returning to the United States he
took a post-graduate course in the Baltimore
Medical College, after which he entered upon
the active practice of his profession at East
St. Louis, Illinois, remaining there for three
years, at the end of that period moving to
Knoxville, Tennessee, and thence returning
to Baltimore, Maryland. In 1892 the Doc-
tor came to Chicago, where he has since
been successfully engaged, his natural adapt-
ability, his extensive research, his close
study of medicine in its practical applica-
tion, and his comprehensive knowledge of
its fundamental principles, all tend to make
him a physician of more than ordinary abil-
ity; and his genial nature and social disposi-
tion are instrumental in making him many
friends and gain the confidence of all those
with whom he comes in contact. He en-
joys a large and remunerative practice, and
is quite popular both among his fellow prac-
titioners and from a social standpoint, and
as a man and a Mason is a credit to the
fraternity.
The marriage of Dr. Thompson was
solemnized on April 10, 1890, when he was
united to Miss Teresa H. Gore, of Balti-
more, Maryland; by this marriage he has
a son and daughter, Fisher and Emily, and
7S4
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
by a former marriage two sons, Charles and
Leland, to whom he is devoted, giving them
the best advantages of a liberal education.
EUGENE \V. MONTGOMERY, junior
/ member of the firm of William Hos-
kins & Company, lumber merchants of Ga-
lena, Illinois, is a gentleman who figures
prominently in the business circles of this
city, and whose name and influence as a
business man extend far beyond the limits
of Galena. Also he is a member of this,
the most prominent and popular of all civic
organizations, the Masonic fraternity, his
identity with the same covering a period of
nearly a quarter of a century.
Mr. Montgomery was made a Master
Mason in 1874, in Carey Lodge, No. 420,
A. F. & A. M., at Carey, Ohio, in which
for several years he held the office of Treas-
urer and also at different times filled other
positions of importance. In 1874, in Mc-
Cutchen Chapter, No. 96, at Upper San-
dusky, Ohio, he was exalted to the august
degree of a Royal Arch Mason, and in 1886
he received the orders of Knighthood in
Galena Commandery, No. 40, K. T. At
Galena he has been honored with various
official positions in the chapter and com-
mandery, all of which have been filled by
him with the most signal ability and in a
manner which has reflected credit both
upon himself and upon the order. He has
attained to the ineffable degrees of Scottish
Rite in Freeport Consistory, wherein he
had conferred upon him the thirty-second
degree and was proclaimed a Sublime Prince
of the Royal Secret, thus acquiring all the
degrees of the ancient York and Scottish
Rite up to and including the thirty-second.
He is also a Noble of the Ancient Arabic
Order of the Mystic Shrine, and as such
has membership in Tebala Temple at Rock-
ford.
Ohio is the native state of Mr. Mont-
gomery, his birth having occurred in Mc-
Cutchensville, Wyandot county, Ohio, on
the 24th of October, 1853, and he is de-
scended from Irish ancestors who landed
in America previous to the Revolutionary
war and who were prominently identified
with the early history of this country.
General Richard Montgomery, a major-
general in the Revolutionary war, who,
after capturing St. Johns and Montreal, was
killed at Quebec on the 3ist of December,
1775, was a representative of the family.
Our subject's father. Dr. John Montgomery,
was a native of Morrow county, Ohio, his
parents having settled in the Western Re-
serve at an early day. For many years he
was a practicing physician, was well known
throughout that portion of the state in
which he lived, and possessed the high es-
teem of all who knew him. He died at the
age of sixty-three years, and his wife, whose
maiden name was Harriet Newell Willard,
was born in Oneida county, New York, and
is a descendant of Major Willard, who
came from England to America in 1634. She
passed away at the age of fifty-eight years.
In their family were eight children, of
whom five are now living.
Eugene W. Montgomery was educated
in the common schools at Adrian, Ohio, and
Apple River, Illinois, after leaving which
he learned telegraphy and engaged in rail-
roading, in Ohio, following the same for ten
years, during which time he was employed
as station agent and operator for the Hock-
ing Valley and the Sandusky, Dayton &
Cincinnati railroads. He came to Galena
in January, 1880, and soon after his loca-
tion here he became a member of the
lumber firm with which he is now connected
and in which he is a most enterprising and
potent factor. This firm has established a
large business at Galena, Cuba City, Wis-
consin, and Elizabeth, Illinois. He is also
president of The Kipp-Montgomery Lum-
ber Company, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and
besides his interest in lumber, Mr. Mont-
gomery has been for some years and is at
the present time associated with several
other enterprises. He was one of the or-
ganizers of the Windsor Heating Company,
and was its president; he was a stockholder
and secretary of the Keatley Hosiery Com-
pany; and at this writing (1897) he is a
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
785
stockholder in the Globe National Bank
and the Masonic Temple, of Chicago; the
First National Bank, of O'Neal, Nebraska;
and the Merchants' National Bank, of his
home city. He served on the Board of
Education of the city of Galva for seven
years, three years as president. When
the matter of establishing a park and monu-
ment at Galena in memory of General Grant
was being discussed, Mr. Montgomery took
a deep interest in the project and did all
in his power to bring about the comple-
tion of the undertaking. He owned one-
half interest in two valuable lots, corner
Park avenue and Johnson street, on the site
selected for the park, which he freely do-
nated July 4, 1890, the consideration of the
deed being "one dollar and the high esteem
in which he held the name of General
Grant."
Politically, Mr. Montgomery has ever
been a stanch Republican. He has at-
tended all the national conventions for
many years. He presented the celebrated
"Grant" gavel to the national convention
in Chicago in June, 1888. He has by his
personal work, his influence and his vote,
given to this party his hearty support, and
in recognition of his loyalty to the same he
was honored in 1896 by being elected, by
acclamation, presidential elector of the
ninth district of Illinois, which is composed
of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago,
Ogle, Carroll, Lee and Boone counties, and
had the pleasure of casting an electoral
vote for William McKinley for president
and Garrett A. Hobart for vice-president of
the United States.
Mr. Montgomery has a beautiful home
on the east side of the river, on Park avenue,
in Galena. He was united in marriage on
the 1 5th of February, 1877, to Miss Kate
C. Hoskins, and their union has been blessed
with four children, two of whom are de-
ceased, namely: Maud Eugenia and Fan-
nie Victoria, both having been taken away
in childhood, the former at the age of eight
and the latter at seven years. The surviv-
ing children, a son and a daughter, are
Shelley Hoskins and Hattie Eliza.
The Montgomery family are regular at-
tendants upon worship at the Methodist
Episcopal church, and Mr. Montgomery,
besides his identity with the Masonic order,
is a member of the Lumber " Hoo Hoo "
Society; also the Grant and Marquette
Clubs, of Chicago, and the Ohio Society, of
the same city.
C, H. SIMMONS. — Upon investigating the
elements which have been instrumental
in securing to Freemasonry its present dis-
tinct prestige, its prosperity and undoubted
progress, we find that, in glancing from ef-
fect to cause, the order's present flourishing
condition is the logical result of the high
standard of principles underlying all de-
partments of the fraternity — charity, benev-
olence and the unity of all mankind in a
universal brotherhood. In order to main-
tain this high state of excellence it is neces-
sary to admit only the best material to
membership, and consequent upon this
fact the lodges of Chicago not only repre-
sent power in regard to numbers but they
are also adequately represented in quality.
One of the loyal and valuable "fratres"
who takes a deep interest in all the work-
ings of the local bodies, is C. H. Simmons,
who was initiated in William B. Warren
Lodge, No. 209, in 1890; was advanced to
the degrees of capitular Masonry and ex-
alted to the Holy Royal Arch in La Fayette
Chapter, No. 2, in 1895; and in the same
year was created a Sir Knight in Apollo
Commandery, No. I. He is a faithful, con-
sistent brother, thoroughly informed upon
the ritual and has gained and retains the
warm regard of his co-workers.
Mr. Simmons was born in the city of
New York on the 9th of January, 1856, and
there he was reared, receiving his educa-
tional discipline in the public schools. His
early predilection for mechanical construc-
tion caused him to take up the study of en-
gineering, in which he has since perfected
himself and has held several responsible
positions, at present being in command of
the steam heating in the Pontiac building.
786
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
The marriage of Mr. Simmons was con-
summated in 1891, when he became united
to Miss Corinne Knapp, who was born in
Derby, Iowa, a daughter of H. G. Knapp.
Her grandmother was a Dickenson, and a
granddaughter of Captain Reuben Dicken-
son, whose father, Ebenezer, was a son of
Nehemiah Dickenson, the latter being the
fourth son of Nathaniel Dickenson. Na-
thaniel Dickenson was the progenitor of the
family in America and emigrated from Eng-
land at an early day. His record is traced
back to the year 900, when one of his an-
cestors married the daughter of the king of
France.
FRANK C. LINDEN, M. D., is connect-
ed with various Chicago bodies of
Masonry, having advanced through the
most of the departments of the fraternity
since his initiation into the lodge in 1892,
at which time he was raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason in Arcana Lodge,
No. 717. The following year he took the
degrees of capitular Masonry in Wiley M.
Egan Chapter, No. 126, R. A. M. , and was
constituted, created and dubbed a Sir
Knight in Chicago Commandery, No. 19.
In 1894 he received the grades and orders
of the Scottish rite and attained the thirty-
second degree in Oriental Consistory, S. P.
R. S. He also belongs to Medinah Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. His father, who for ten
years has been chief of police in Philadel-
phia and is one of the leading citizens there,
is a prominent thirty-third-degree Mason.
Dr. Linden is a native of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, born on the igth of Septem-
ber, 1 860. He was reared there and obtain-
ed his literary education in the public
schools. Early in life he made choice of
the medical profession as one to which he
wished to devote his energies, and accord-
ingly matriculated in the College of Physi-
cian & Surgeons of Chicago, where he
pursued a thorough course of study and was
graduated with the class of 1889, being
vice-president of the class. He began
practice in Chicago, where he has since
remained, and has secured a large and
lucrative patronage. He is a member of
the Chicago Medical Society and the
American Medical Association, and his deep
interest in the profession leads him to keep
thoroughly abreast with the improvements
that are continually being made.
The Doctor was married on the 23d of
April, 1884, Miss Jessie D. Vosburgh,
becoming his wife. She is a native of
Janesville, Wisconsin, and now has one
son, Robert F.
\DWARD A. YOUNG, one of Chicago's
enterprising and successful business
men, stands well in the Masonic fraternity
and is regarded as one of the valued mem-
bers of the order. His connection with
the society covers a period of twenty-eight
years, he having been made a Mason in
Vineland Lodge, of Vineland, Cumberland
county, New Jersey, in 1868. He was di-
mitted from that lodge and in 1876 affiliated
with Neenah Lodge, of Neenah, Wisconsin,
until he transferred his membership to St.
Lawrence Lodge, of St. Lawrence, South
Dakota. On his removal to Chicago he
became a charter member of Woodlawn
Lodge, No. 841, and is now serving in a
most acceptable manner as its Treasurer.
He takes a deep interest in the order and
does all in his power for its promotion and
manifests in his life the spirit of the fra-
ternity, exemplifying its honorable teach-
ing in his upright career. He is therefore
esteemed as a worthy and influential mem-
ber of the craft and is well worthy of men-
tion in the Masonic history of Illinois.
Mr. Young is numbered among the sons
of the Keystone state. He was born in
Warren county, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of
October, 1841, and resided on a farm until
eighteen years of age, working in the fields
through the summer months and attending
the public schools of the neighborhood in
the winter. He then left home and began
following the carpenter's trade. During
the late war his patriotic spirit was aroused.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
787
and he offered his services to the govern-
ment as a defender of the Union, enlisting
among the boys in blue of Company B, One
Hundred and Eleventh Pennsylvania In-
fantry. He was wounded at the battle of
Cedar Mountain, Virginia, on the gth of
August, 1862, and was soon afterward dis-
charged on account of the injuries sustained,
which unfitted him for further service. He
afterward re-enlisted in the same company
and regiment and served until the close of
the war, faithfully defending the old flag
which now floats so proudly over the united
nation.
After his return from the war. Mr. Young
remained in Pennsylvania for about a year,
and on the 24th of June, 1866, was united
in marriage to Miss Maria D. Kellogg, a
native of the Keystone state. They have
one daughter, Allie M. In the same year
of his marriage Mr. Young removed to
Vineland, New Jersey, and engaged in con-
tracting and building until 1874, when he
sought a home in the west, locating in
Neenah, Wisconsin. There he engaged in
merchandising for some years, when he
went to Chautauqua county. New York,
spending four years there. His next home
was in Ree Heights, South Dakota, and in
1891 he came to Chicago, where he estab-
lished his present business. He is now
conducting a hardware store at No. 344
Sixty-third street, and carries a large and
carefully selected stock, and meeting all
the requirements of a first-class city trade.
He has won an enviable reputation for fair
dealing that enables him to command a
large share of the public patronage, and
his record is that of one who by his own
unaided efforts has worked his way upward
to a comfortable position in life. He has
always been industrious and persevering,
and his systematic and honorable methods
have won him the support and confidence
of many.
HENRY GOETZ, the popular druggist
of the Tacoma building, Chicago, is a
gentleman who has climbed high on the
Masonic ladder and fully appreciates the
beauties of this ancient order. His connec-
tion with Masonry had its beginning in the
year 1878, in Chicago, when he was initi-
ated, passed and raised by Germania Lodge,
No. 182, F. & A. M. Not long afterward
he was exalted by Lincoln Park Chapter,
R. A. M., No. 177, and later he was
knighted by St. Bernard Commandery, No.
35, K. T. Also he is a " Shriner, " a mem-
ber of Medinah Temple, Mystic Shrine.
He has filled some positions in the blue
lodge.
Mr. Goetz dates his birth in the city of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 29, 1856,
and comes of German parentage. He is
indebted to the public and high schools of
Milwaukee for his educational advantages,
being a graduate of the high school. In
1871 he entered a drug store in Milwaukee,
as an apprentice to the business, and re-
mained there until 1873, when, in May of
that year, he came to Chicago and accepted
a position as a drug clerk, being thus occu-
pied for eighteen months. In 1875 he pur-
chased a drug store at the corner of Lincoln
and Webster avenues. Subsequently he
started a drug store in the Chicago Opera
House building. This stock he later moved
to Plaza Hotel on the North Side and soon
afterward came to his present location in
the Tacoma building, that being in 1889,
immediately after the completion of the
building. Among the attractions of his
store — and which adds largely to his patron-
age— is a fine soda fountain. His success-
ful career is not unlike that of many other
prosperous men of his city. He started out
a poor boy, without means but with plenty
of pluck and a determination to succeed,
and to-day we find him the proprietor of
two finely-equipped drug establishments.
Other fraternities with which he is con-
nected besides the Masonic order are
the Royal Arcanum and North American
Union. In his political views he is some-
what independent, voting for men and
measures rather than adhering closely to
party lines.
Mr. Goetz was married in 1881 to Miss
Emma Wagner.
788
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
J
»OHN F. WOLFF.— There is an unusual
interest attaching to Mr. Wolff's identi-
fication with the Masonic order, for not
only has he attained distinguished pre-
cedence in the same, but has also made a
particular study of its history, in which
connection he has had exceptional privi-
leges by reason of his pilgrimages through
the Orient and other sections of the old
world, where he duly profited by the op-
portunities afforded him for learning of this
ancient and noble organization, whose flag
waves in every clime and whose followers
are found in every civilized portion of the
globe. He is a man of high intellectuality
and has gained pronounced recognition in
local Masonic circles.
Mr. Wolff first became familiar with the
teaching and esoteric doctrines of the order
through his initiation into William B. War-
ren Lodge, where the appropriate tincture
of blue, symbolizing universality, is a con-
stant reminder that friendship, morality and
brotherly love should be as extensive as
the blue vault of the heavens. Having re-
ceived the degree of Entered Apprentice,
passed the Fellow-craft, and raised to the
sublime degree of Master Mason, on the
iithof February, 1888, he proceeded to
obtain a knowledge of capitular Masonry
in Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, for in the
same year he was exalted to the august de-
gree of a Royal Arch Mason in that organi-
zation. He was created and dubbed a Sir
Knight in Apollo Commandery, No. i , and
has been a faithful follower of the beause-
ant. That his advance was rapid in the
order is manifest in the fact that on the
2Oth of November, 1888, he attained the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite
and has since been numbered among the
Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret in
Oriental Consistory, this degree being taken
on his birthday anniversary. On the suc-
ceeding day Mr. Wolff metaphorically made
himself familiar with the sands of the des-
ert through his initiation into the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine and is a
Noble of Medinah Temple. The various
offices of the blue lodge he has acceptably
filled, including that of Worshipful Master.
He is Grand Orator in the Lodge of Per-
fection and Master of Ceremonies in the
Rose Croix Lodge. He is also viceroy of
St. John's Conclave, No. i , Knights of
the Red Cross of Constantine and Knights
of the Holy Sepulchre. He has assisted in
the official duties in each of the several
Masonic bodies with which he is connected
and is one of the best known members of
the consistory, from the fact that he is rec-
ognized as one of its most zealous workers.
Mr. Wolff's zeal for Masonry, his wide
and accurate knowledge of the craft, his
acumen, his diligence, his untiring efforts
and the vigilance with which he guards the
ancient landmarks, observes the vows of
knighthood and cherishes the teachings of
the Scottish Rite, make him one of the
most prominent, honored and valued mem-
bers of the society in Illinois. His interest
in Masonry is still further evidenced by his
membership in that worthy philanthropic
association, maintaining the Masonic Or-
phans' Home, in the city of Chicago. In
the year 1889 Mr. Wolff made an extended
sojourn in the Orient, visiting all the places
of ancient Masonic interest and thus ac-
quiring an intimate and valuable knowledge
pertinent thereto. On this journey he also
visited many other quarters of the eastern
continent, becoming a thorough cosmopolite
and gaining that broad information which
only travel-can impart. In the line of more
purely social relations he is a member of
the Union League and Menoken Clubs, of
Chicago, and was a member also of the
late Acacia Club.
John F. Wolff is one of the native resi-
dents of Chicago, his birth having occurred
on the 2Oth of November, 18.58. His pre-
liminary education was received in the pub-
lic schools, after which he continued his
studies at Racine College, of Racine. Wis-
consin, which institution he left to go to
the land of his ancestors, Germany, where
he completed a course in that most excel-
lent school, the Royal Polytechnic Insti-
tute, in Hanover, where he was graduated
in 1880. Returning to the United States
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
789
he entered the employ of his father, a man-
ufacturer and wholesale dealer in plumbers'
supplies, and in the extensive establish-
ment of the Wolff Manufacturing Company
he passed through all the minor positions,
thoroughly familiarizing himself with every
detail of the industry and honestly winning
the high preferment which came to him in
his election to the vice-presidency of the
company, in 1887. In addition to this con-
spicuous association he was elected, in 1 894,
president of the Central Supply Association,
which is probably the most extensive or-
ganization of the kind in the Union. He
occupies a most conspicuous place in com-
mercial circles and his rise has come not
through family influence, but as the result
of merit and superior ability. He is a typ-
ical Chicago business man, with the abun-
dant energy and enterprise of the class that
has laid the solid foundation of what is to
become the greatest city on the continent.
His life has been one of great activity, di-
rected by an ambition to succeed on the
lines of usefulness and an unconquerable
spirit of determination.
Mr. Wolff, however, is not alone a leader
in business circles. His is a well-rounded
character, symmetrically developed, with a
cultivated taste that finds great pleasure in
the arts, especially in music and literature.
Having received the most excellent educa-
tional advantages, both at home and
abroad, Mr. Wolff has duly profited
thereby and his high scholarship is unmis-
takable, as effectively supplemented by ex-
tensive travel. He is a fine linguist, being
thoroughly familiar with both the German
and French languages, as well as that of
his native land. The cause of education
has been advanced through his efforts and
for many years he has been active in educa-
tional affairs. With a full comprehension
of its incalculable benefit to man in the
affairs of life, he has put forth an effort to
place its advantages within easy reach of
all, and on the 8th of February, 1897, was
appointed by Mayor Swift a member of the
board of education of Chicago, to which he
will prove a valued addition.
In his home life' Mr. Wolff's love of
music finds scope, for his family are espe-
cially gifted in that art. He was married
in the ancient and picturesque little
city of Rostock, situated on the War-
now river, which nine miles below
flows into the Baltic sea, the lady of
his choice being Alwine Witte, a na-
tive of that place. They are the parents
of three interesting children, — Franklyn,
Harold and Carla, — and all the members of
this household share the fatherland love of
music and the talent which so largely
marks that nationality. The parents and
children are all accomplished performers
on various musical instruments and the
"Wolff family entertainments" have on
several occasions delighted their auditors at
evening functions, while in their home it is
a source of much pleasure to their acquaint-
ances. At their attractive residence is dis-
pensed a gracious hospitality to a large
circle of friends, and Mr. and Mrs. Wolff
enjoy a distinctive popularity in representa-
tive social circles of the city.
JB. McFATRICH, M. D. , M. S., is one
of the active Masons of Chicago and is
warmly devoted to the order in which
the highest degrees and many distinguished
honors have been conferred upon him. He
is a distinguished member of the medical
fraternity in Chicago and is most highly
esteemed in both social and professional
circles. He was born in Lena, Illinois, on
the 4th of April, 1862, and attended the
common and high schools of his native
town, also the Upper Iowa University,
where he received the degree of M. S. He
began the study of medicine in 1879 at
Hahnemann Medical College, at which he
was graduated in 1885, and he also attended
the Bennett College of Eclectic Medicine
and Surgery, and had a diploma conferred
upon him by that institution in 1884. His
recognized ability has gained for him the
positions of surgeon-in-chief for Illinois of
the Employers' Liability Assurance Cor-
poration, of London, England; surgeon in
790
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
chief of the Fidelity & Casualty Company,
of New York; professor of ophthalmology,
otology and clinical surgery in Bennett
Medical College.
He has won a prestige that comes only
from superior skill and unquestioned merit.
His knowledge of the science of medicine
is most profound and accurate, his investi-
gations have been varied and far-reaching
in their scope and thus has he gained an
honorable place among the foremost repre-
sentatives of his profession in the second
city of the western continent.
Dr. McFatrich was united in marriage
in October, 1885, to Miss Vesta R. Put-
nam, of Chicago, and they have two daugh-
ters, Vesta and Florence. In Dr. Mc-
Fatrich's case a splendid physical develop-
ment supports an unusual force of charac-
ter. In every position of his eventful life
he has been successful in the best sense.
He is loyal to truth, honor and right; justly
valuing his own self-respect and the esteem
of his fellow-men as infinitely more valua-
ble than wealth, fame or position. Few
men have more devoted friends than he.
None excel him in unselfish devotion and
unwavering fidelity to the worthy recipients
of his confidence and friendship.
THOMAS B. BENT is one of the wide-
awake young attorneys of Chicago,
whose years, however, seem to be no limit
to his ability, for he already takes ranks
among many able lawyers many years his
senior.
He was born in Chicago in 1870, was
reared in the atmosphere of progress and
advancement which characterizes the city
and is a typical product of Chicago, possess-
ing that energy and determination which
conquers all obstacles and presses forward
to the goal of its hopes. His education was
obtained in the public schools of the city
and his boyhood was unmarked by any
event of special importance, being passed
midst play and study in the manner of most
youths of the period. When his literary
education was completed he determined to
enter upon the practice of law as a life
work and to that end became a student in
the Chicago College of Law, where he pre-
pared for the profession, pursuing a thorough
course. Thus with a broad and compre-
hensive knowledge of the science of juris-
prudence to serve as a foundation for future
successes he entered upon his life work, and
his abilities have already won him recog-
nition in a fair clientage which is constantly
increasing. He is a young man of strong
mentality, of unbounded energy and lauda-
ble ambition, and will no doubt gain a lead-
ing place at the Chicago bar.
In his political views Mr. Bent is a Re-
publican and stanchly advocates the prin-
ciples of the party. In the ranks of Ma-
sonry in this city he is found, having been a
member of Garden City Lodge since 1893,
when he took the degrees of Entered Ap-
prentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason.
He has served as Junior Deacon of the
lodge and is popular with its members as
well as with a large circle of friends outside
the fraternity.
JAMES T. HILL.— One of Chicago's well-
known business men, who has attained
a high position in the mercantile world
early in life, and who is an honored mem-
ber of the order of Freemasonry, is James
T. Hill, president of the firm of Willoughby, '
Hill & Company. In 1894 Mr. Hill took
the degrees of Entered Apprentice and Fel-
low-craft in Blaney Lodge, No. 271, and
was raised to the sublime degree of Master
Mason in the same year. He was exalted
to the august degree of Royal Arch Mason
in La Fayette Chapter, and was created a
Sir Knight in St. Bernard Commandery,
No. 35, and is still affiliated with these*
bodies, to which he renders all the assist-
ance in his power and endeavors to advance
their interests at every opportunity. He is
also a member of the Ancient Arabic Order,
being a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in Me-
dinah Temple.
Mr. Hill was born in Buffalo, New York,
October 16, 1868, and was brought to Chi-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
791
cago by his parents in 1870. Here he at-
tended the public schools, and after leaving
them he was sent to Yale University, at
which he was graduated in 1891. Being
compelled to relinquish all further thoughts
of continuing his studies owing to an afflic-
tion of the eyes, Mr. Hill spent some time
in traveling through the countries of Europe,
visiting many of the resorts and cities that
have achieved a world-wide reputation.
Upon his return to the United, States he en-
tered his father's firm as an employee and
through his earnest efforts and quick ap-
prehension soon mastered the details of the
business. In 1893, when C. L. Hill retired
from the business, he became even more
closely identified with his father in the act-
ive management of the house and showed
such rare executive ability and appreciation
of the work that in 1 894 he was admitted
to an interest in the business. In 1895 the
firm was incorporated and Mr. Hill was
elected president, which responsible posi-
tion he has since continued to fill in a most
capable and trustworthy manner. The firm
of Willoughby, Hill & Company, manufact-
urers of clothing and furnishings, is one of
the largest of its kind in the west. Mr.
Hill is a young man of great intellectual
powers, firm in character, and possessing a
strict sense of integrity that inspires unlim-
ited confidence among his business associ-
ates. He is enterprising and progressive,
and there is every indication that his future
will be one of success and prosperity.
In his social relations Mr. Hill is a mem-
ber of the Chicago Athletic Club, the Forty
Club, the Sons of the American Revolution,
Delta Psi, and a director in the Calumet
Club. Politically he is a firm believer in
the principles of the Republican party. Mr.
Hill was united in marriage to Miss Grace
E. Bliss, of Connecticut, in 1892, and one
daughter, Leslie, has been born to them.
numbered among those who travel in the
beaten paths of Masonry and lift the stand-
ard of the order to a still higher plane of
usefulness. Century after century has been
added to the never-returning past since this
order saw its beginning and with the swift-
flying years an enlightened membership
must keep pace with advancing civilization.
To-day the various industrial callings and
different professions are furnishing to the
society men of moral worth who understand
the lessons of history, who imbibe the
spirit of the lessons taught and who have
the courage of manly convictions. These
are men who prove themselves Masons by
their acts, not by their words, whom the
world recognizes as Masons not by the
emblems they wear but by the deeds which
they perform.
Such a representative of Masonry is Dr.
Garretson, who in 1883 became a member
of Mason Lodge, No. 17, F. & A. M., of
Macomb, Illinois. Having passed the
degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-
craft and Master Mason, he was exalted to
the august degree of a Royal Arch Mason,
becoming a companion in Morris Chapter,
No. 39, of Macomb, in 1886. He took the
commandery degrees in Augusta, Illinois, in
1887, but on removing to Peoria in 1891 he
dimitted from that to Peoria Commandery,
with which he is now affiliated. He is also
a charter member of Mohammed Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, which was organized in
PETER H. GARRETSON, M. D., of
Peoria, who for more than a quarter
of a century has been an active member of
the medical profession of Illinois, is also
In perfect accord with the cardinal prin-
ciples of Masonry is the profession which
Dr. Garretson has chosen as a life work.
The alleviation of human suffering, which
is the basis of his daily care and labor, is
also a fundamental element in the frater-
nity, and in performing his professional du-
ties he often also exercises those principles
which lie within the province of the esoteric
order. The Doctor was born in Jersey-
ville, Jersey county, Illinois, on the 2Oth of
October, 1847, and completed his literary
education in Shurtleff College, of Upper
Alton, Illinois. Determining on the prac-
792
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tice of medicine as a life work, he pursued
a course of study in the St. Louis Medical
College, where he was graduated with the
class of 1 869. He began practice in Ma-
comb, Illinois, where he remained for twen-
ty-one years. He was one of the most
prominent and successful physicians of that
city and enjoyed a large and lucrative prac-
tice of a general character. In 1890 he
went abroad and took a special course of
study in Guy's Hospital, of London.
After his return to his native land he
located in Peoria, on the 1st of January,
1891, and has since engaged in general prac-
tice, also making a specialty of the treatment
of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat.
His knowledge of the science of medicine
is accurate and comprehensive and he has
always been a close and thorough reader of
medical literature, thus keeping abreast
with improvement and progress. He is of
kindly, courteous and genial manner, an
attribute especially necessary to the suc-
cessful physician. His skill ranks him
among the leading members of the profes-
sion in this city and his merit has won him
a liberal patronage.
The Doctor was married on the ist of
June, 1889, in Jerseyville, Illinois, to Miss
Elizabeth Van Pelt, of that city.
FILLIAM WALLACE CLARK.—
JLJL Freemasonry is a practical religion.
It does not uphold any particular creed, nor
ally itself to any one sect, but is universal
in itg conception of what is best and most
beneficial for mankind. Its doctrines, while
of the highest order, are all embracing and
conform to all that is pure and noble in the
human soul. Mr. Clark has been united
with the brotherhood for twenty years,
during which time he has faithfully carried
out in the spirit as well as in actual deeds,
the precepts and tenets of the order. He
was initiated in Garfield Lodge and raised
to the sublime degree of Master Mason in
1 876, was exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in York Chapter,
and was created a Sir Knight in St. Bernard
Commandery, No. 35. His considerate
manner and kindly disposition have made
him popular in the lodge, and his daily acts
demonstrate how well he has learned the
ritual of the fraternity.
Mr. Clark was born in Middletown, Con-
necticut, November 18, 1852, and there he
passed his youth, obtaining his mental
training in the public schools of his native
city. He subsequently moved to New York,
where he remained until 1872, when he
came to Chicago and at once engaged in
the manufacture of paper boxes. His fac-
tory is located at Nos. 51-53 South May
street, and he has succeeded in building up
a large and nourishing business. Possessing
an energetic nature and a keen sense of
honor, his rise in the mercantile world has
been rapid, and he is now recognized as one
of Chicago's respected and progressive busi-
ness men. In his religious affiliations he is
an earnest adherent of the Baptist church.
WILLIAM AUGUSTUS WORK is a
brother of much usefulness in the
Masonic circles of the state, a loyal Sir
Knight, and an energetic worker in the lo-
cal bodies at Beardstown, whose member-
ship was acquired in Rio Lodge, No. 685,
at Rio, Illinois, in 1885, from which he was
dimitted and became affiliated with Cass
Lodge, No. 23, at Beardstown. In 1892
he was exalted to the degree of capitular
Masonry in Clarke Chapter, No. 29, and
received the orders of knighthood in Rush-
ville Commandery, No. 56, K. T. , at Rush-
ville, in 1893. In the blue lodge he has
filled the office of Junior Deacon for two
years, and that of Junior \Varden for a
similar period, while in the chapter he has
efficiently occupied the position of Royal
Arch Captain for two years, giving to all of
these positions the best energies of his na-
ture, and demonstrating an unusual amount
of circumspection, executive ability and
knowledge of Masonic laws and usages.
He takes a great deal of pleasure and in-
terest in the order and his labors have met
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
793
with the most sincere appreciation at the
•hands of his "fratres."
Mr. Work was born in Delavan, Illi-
nois, August 16, 1863, and is descended
from German-English ancestry. His par-
ents were Hugh A. and Harriet E. (Hill)
Work, their marriage taking place in Pekin,
Illinois, June 15, 1852. His mother was a
native of Orange, Ohio, and his father's
birth occurred in Chambersburg, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1827. At the beginning of the
war of the Rebellion the latter enlisted in
Company H, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, which
was organized at Ottawa, in September,
1 86 1, and commanded by Colonel T. L.
Dickey and Lieutenant-Colonel William
McCullough. On the 4th of November the
regiment left for the field, arriving at Spring-
field, Illinois, on the I7th, and remaining
in camp there until the ist of December,
when they marched to Cairo. On the I2th
of January, 1862, they marched into Ken-
tucky, previous to the evacuation of Co-
lumbus, and spent fourteen days in recon-
noitering to Mayfield and other points, re-
turning to Cairo on the 26th of January,
1862. On the 2d of February they started
for Fort Henry, participating in the battle
there on the 6th, and on the I2th marched
to Fort Donelson, participating in the en-
gagement there from the I3th to the I7th
inclusive, the enemy surrendering on the
last day. On the 2Oth of March they ar-
rived at Pittsburg Landing, and on the 6th
and 7th of April took part in the battle of
Shiloh, followed the next day by a skirmish
at Shiloh church; on the I2th at Bear Creek
Bridge, Alabama; on the I3th and isth
near Purdy, Tennessee, from which date
until the loth of June they skirmished with
the enemy till the evacuation of Corinth,
when they marched to La Grange, Tennes-
see; on the 1 8th of June, they marched to
Chewalla, Tennessee; June 29 to Moscow;
July I to Holly Springs, Mississippi; July 5
to LaFayette, Tennessee: July 20 to Mem-
phis; August 24, to Trenton, Tennessee;
October 12, scouting to the Tennessee
river; October 23 marched from Trenton
to Humboldt, Tennessee; November 10 and
44*
12 marched from Humboldt to Durham-
ville, Tennessee; November 24-28 marched
from Humboldt, Tennessee, to Waterford,
Mississippi; November 30 skirmished at Tal-
lahatchie river; December 2-6 marched
from Kelloughs to near Coffeyville and back
to the Tockanapatampha river, fighting at
Oxford, Water Valley and Coffeyville; De-
cember 12 marched to Water valley; De-
cember 14 and 1 6 to Coffeyville; December
20-29 marched to Bolivar, Tennessee, then
back to Holly Springs, Mississippi.
On the ist of January, 1863, the regi-
ment marched to Moscow; on the 2d to
Sotnerville; on the 3d to the vicinity of
Wolfe river, Tennessee; on the 4th to
Moscow; the 6th and 7th to Germantown;
the 8th to Collinsville; i ith and I2th
scouted to Fisherville and then engaged in
scouting in that region for some days. On
the loth of March, went in pursuit of
Richardson to Lousa Hatchee river, and on
the 1 6th pursued Mitchell to Mt. Pleasant,
Mississippi; on the 2d of April scouted near
Macon, Tennessee; April 4 near Mt. Pleas-
ant, Mississippi; May 6 returned from
Okalona, Mississippi; May 19 scouted to
Coldwater: May 21 to Panola; June 1-2 to
vicinity of Wolfe river; June 4-7 to Cold
Water and Lafayette; June 16-20 to
Panola; June 24-29 to Cold Water and
Byhalia; July 3 to Cold \Vater and Lafay-
ette; July 11-14 and July 21-23 to Cold
Water and Lafayette; July 24-25 to Cold
Water and Hernando, Mississippi; July
28-30 to Cold Water and Point Pleasant;
August 7-10 to Cold Water; August 13-22
to Grenada; August 28-31 to Cold Water;
September 10 to Holly Springs; September
14 to mouth of Wolfe creek; September
17 moved camp from Colliersville to
Memphis; September 19 embarked on a
steamboat for Vicksburg; September 22
moved camp to Big Black river; September
27 scouted toward Canton, Mississippi, and
returned October i ; October 4 scouted
near Oak Ridge, Mississippi; October 15-19
scouted near Livingston; October 28 to
Messenger Ford and moved camp to Black
River Bridge; October 30 changed camp to
794
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
Hebron's plantation, Mississippi; Novem-
ber 4 scouted to Messenger Ford; Novem-
ber 13 to Oak Ridge; November 26-27 anc^
December 3 toward Yazoo City; December
11-12 changed station to Natchez; Decem-
ber 13 scouted toward Church Hill; De-
cember 14 to Washington; December i6to
Church Hill; December 18 to Washington;
December 21-23 to Rodney and Fayette;
December 24-25 to Church Hill; Decem-
ber 28 toward Fayette; January 1-2, 1864,
scouted in East Louisiana and had a fight
with the enemy; January 6-7 scouted to
Meadville and had another fight; January
10-1 1 scouted to Fayette and Church Hill;
January 21 to east of Church Hill; January
23 east of Washington; January 25 east
of Washington, where another fight oc-
curred; January 28 scouted to Washing-
ton; February 1-8 to Meadville, Kings-
ton and Fayette, accompanied by an-
other battle; February 12-15 scouted to
Woodville and Kingston; February 16-20
to Kingston and Selsertown and had a
fight; March 2 scouted to near Kingston;
March 5 toward Meadville; March 9 toward
Kingston; March 11, 13 and 14 to Church
Hill; March 15 to . Washington ; March 17-
25 to Church Hill; March 29 toward Fayette
and Washington, and again met the enemy in
an encounter; April i scouted to Church
Hill; April6, 11 and 18 toward Kingston;
April 20 to Church Hill; April 27 to Liberty;
May i to Church Hill and Washington;
May 4-5 to Liberty and Woodville; May 9
into Louisiana; May 16-17 toward Fayette,
Mississippi; May 24 into Louisiana; May 25
to Church Hill; May 30 toward Woodville;
June 2 toward Kingston; June 6 toward
Liberty and back to Washington; June 7
to Church Hill; June 11-12 to Kingston;
June 14-15 to Louisiana to bring in refugee
families, with a skirmish at Black River,
where they captured some prisoners; June
1 8 scouted toward Fayette; June 25 toward
Meadville; July 1-2 toward Meadville, meet-
ing the enemy in an engagement; July 4
scouted to Cross Bayou, Louisiana, where a
fight occurred; July 12 toward Kingston;
July 22 scouted into Louisiana, having a
running fight; August 4 and 6 scout in
Louisiana and a fight at Cross Bayou;
August 9-10 scout to Washington; August 18
scout with the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-
ninth Illinois Infantry, Fifty-eighth United
States Colored Infantry and Eighth Missis-
sippi Artillery, all under command! of Colonel
Kent, of the Twenty-ninth Illinois, went
to Kingston and Woodville, Mississippi,
found the enemy in force but repulsed them,
capturing forty-five prisoners. August 24-
2 5 they scouted to Bullard Bayou, Louisiana,
where a fight occurred; August 28 scouted
toward Woodville; September 4 into Louis-
iana, where they had a fight; September 1 1-
12 toward Kingston; September 19-21 to
Woodville; September 22 to Homechitte
river, Mississippi; September ,25-30 to
Sicily Island; October 3-8 to Woodville,
Mississippi, where they routed 'the enemy.
On the 2Oth of October the portion of
the regiment that was to be mustered out
started homeward and at Camp Butler, Illi-
nois, November 3, 1864, after three and one-
one-eighth years' service, were mustered out.
They participated in forty-two battles and
skirmished and traveled eight thousand and
three miles. Mr. Work afterward re-en-
listed and served until the close of the war.
Peace having been established he lo-
cated in Delavan, Illinois, and in 1879 re-
moved to North Henderson, where he be-
came a prominent merchant and a highly
respected citizen. He died therein 1886,
his years numbering fifty-nine. He was a
worthy member of the Methodist church,
and contributed liberally to its support.
William A. Work received his early
mental training in the Delavan public and
high schools, which he attended until attain-
ing the age of fourteen years, when he took
up the study of telegraphy and subsequently
secured the position of station agent at
North Henderson in 1880, remaining there
for six and a half years. He next became
cashier for the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad, at Rock Island, Illinois,
serving in that capacity for one year, at the
end of that time being promoted to the
position of train dispatcher, and has dis-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
795
charged the responsible duties of that office
for the past ten years with efficiency and
fidelity and to the eminent gratification of
the road officials.
The marriage of Mr. Work was consum-
mated in 1884, when he was united to Miss
Minnie Holmes, of North Henderson, Illi-
nois, and to them have been born two
daughters: Myrta and Cora, the latter
dying when seventeen months old. Mr.
and Mrs. Work are active members of the
Methodist church, she being a teacher in
the Sunday-school, of which he is superin-
tendent, and is also one of the board of
stewards. Politically he is a stanch Re-
publican. Both he and his wife are popu-
lar members of society and enjoy the friend-
ship of the best citizens of Beardstown.
F
RANCIS ELGIN GILBERT, Worship-
JT1 ful Master of Belvidere Lodge, No. 60,
F. & A. M. , is a Mason of high degree and
one of whom we take pleasure in making
personal mention in this compendium of
Freemasonry. He was made a Master Ma-
son in 1889 by the lodge of which he is
now the executive head. In 1894 he was
elected Junior Warden and in 1895 was
honored by a seat in the East, where he
now presides with his usual dignity and im-
pressive manner. To be exact, we state
that the Entered Apprentice degree was
conferred upon him December 16, 1889;
the Fellow-craft, February 22, 1890; and
Master Mason, March 17, same year. Also
in that year he sought admission to Kish-
waukee Chapter, No. 90, was favorably re-
ceived,and January 3 had conferred upon him
the degrees of Mark Master, Past Master, and
Most Excellent Master, his exaltation to the
Royal Arch degree being January 1 8. Also he
is a member of Crusaders' Commandery, No.
17, at Rockford, which he joined in 1894;
and since 1895 has been a member of the
Mystic Shrine. He is well posted in the
ritualistic work of these various branches,
is enthusiastic in the same, and strives to
live up to its teachings.
Mr. Gilbert is a native of Illinois. He
was born at Sterling November 24, 1855,
and traces his ancestry back to England,
some of his grandsires being among the early
settlers of New England. Both his pater-
nal and maternal grandfathers, Jabez Gil-
bert and John Anderton, came west as far
as Illinois some time in the '403 and made
a settlement in Lee county, where they re-
sided until the California gold "fever"
broke out in 1849, when they went to the
Pacific coast. Abner Gilbert, the father of
our subject, was a native of Massachusetts,
and came west to Illinois with his parents.
Here he wedded Miss Clarissa Anderton, a
native of New York city. For some time
he was agent for Frank & Walker's stage
line, that being before the days of railroads.
He died in the thirtieth year of his age,
leaving a widow and only child, Francis
E. , the subject of this review, then a child
of three years. Mrs. Gilbert survived her
husband a number of years, her age at
death being fifty-five. Young Gilbert was
brought up in his native town, received a
fair education in the public schools, and
when he started out to make his own way
in the world it was as an employee of the
Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Com-
pany. He began as a brakeman, worked
his way up to the position of conductor,
and for the past nine years has been one of
the popular and competent conductors of
the road. He owns and occupies one of the
pleasant homes of Belvidere, is happily
married and has an interesting family. In
1884 was consummated his marriage to Miss
Ella Sprague, and they have three sons,
Frank, Harry and Edward, all natives of
Belvidere.
Mr. Gilbert is identified with the Order
of Railroad Conductors, and, politically, he
harmonizes with the Republican party.
J. CHRISTIE, M. D., JR.,
JOt junior member of the firm of Robert
J. Christie & Son, practicing physicians
of Quincy, is a zealous follower of the pre-
cepts of Freemasonry, who has attained to
the degree of Knights Templar. The Doc-
796
COMPENDIUM OF FREEiVIASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
tor was initiated and raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason in Bodley Lodge,
No. i, in 1891; was exalted to the august
degree of Royal Arch Mason in Quincy
Chapter, No. 5, on May 19, 1892; received
the degrees of cryptic Masonry in Quincy
Council, No. 15, R. & S. M., on August 8,
1890; and was constituted a Sir Knight in
Beauseant Commandery, No. 1 1 , on Octo-
ber 7, 1893. In the commandery Mr.
Christie has served as Junior Warden, and
in 1897 was elected its Senior Warden.
He is a talented and able worker in the or-
der and is highly spoken of by the brethren.
Dr. Christie is a native of Loudoun
county, Virginia, where he was born Feb-
ruary 22, 1864. He is the son of Dr. Rob-
ert J. Christie, who also is a Sir Knight and
a member of an old Scottish family who
were among the early settlers of Virginia.
He was a surgeon in the Confederate army
during the war of the Rebellion, after which
he located in Missouri, and there practiced
his profession until 1885, when he moved
to Quincy. Here he established a practice,
later becoming associated with his son, and
the firm is now one of the best known in
the city. Dr. Christie married Miss Sarah
Nixon, of Virginia, and six children have
been born to them. In their religious
faith they are adherents of the Methodist
church.
The subject of this review is the young-
est son. After passing through the com-
mon schools he attended the University of
Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, and the Uni-
versity of Missouri at Columbia, taking a
special course of medicine at each of those
institutions. In 1890 he joined his father,
and by his talent and thorough knowledge
of his profession he has already acquired a
high reputation as a physician and a sur-
geon. The Doctor is a member of the
United States board of pension examiners.
In their political faith both he and his
father are affiliated with the Democratic
party. They are progressive and enter-
prising citizens of Quincy, and in profes-
sional, social and fraternal circles are held
in high esteem.
WA. CRISTY, dealer in grain, feed
and coal at McHenry, is well ad-
vanced in Masonry and does honor to the
order. This order is the outgrowth of an
immense amount of thought by many minds
from age to age, as is the locomotive en-
gine, for example, among modern mechan-
ical inventions. This thought has not been
that of ignorant fanatics, superstitious
prophets or pompous hierarchs, but simply
the result of the ingenuities of a social dis-
position and a benevolent heart. The
leading votaries of the cause, being zealous
for the honor as well as for the effectiveness
of the Masonic institution, have carefully
felt their way along with each new feature
until they have evolved a complex but sym-
metrical social organism which challenges
the admiration of the world. The fraternal
obligations assumed therein are not com-
parable with the slavery of a great ecclesi-
astical or political organization, but merely
the necessary cement in the social structure,
not burdensome but always helpful.
Mr. Cristy, appreciating these facts, has
been a faithful member of the ancient craft.
He was initiated in McHenry Lodge, No.
158, in the year 1885, and, proceeding in
the study and practice of the principles of
Masonry, he attained the Royal Arch de-
grees in McHenry Chapter, No. 36, R. A.
M., in 1891, and the chivalric degrees the
same year in the commandery at Wood-
stock, and his present affiliations are still
with all these bodies. He is the present
Worshipful Master of the blue lodge. Be-
sides his connection with Freemasonry al-
ready mentioned, he is also a member of
the order of Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Cristy was born at Johnson, La-
moille county, Vermont, June 6, 1858, a
son of J. W. Cristy, who also was a native
of New England and a descendant of Scotch
ancestry, and who married Sarah Lucinda
Whiting, of an old New England family
prominent both in peace and war. This
worthy couple had three children, all sons.
Mr. W. A. Cristy, one of these sons, was
brought to Iroquois county, Illinois, in 1866,
and to McHenry county three years later.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
797
To his common-school education he added
a course of study in a business college at
Valparaiso, Indiana. After that he was for
a time engaged in the pickle and vinegar
business, and finally entered his present
lines of trade, already mentioned. In all
these lines he has been a shrewd and care-
ful manager and has en joyed the consequent
success; and his dealings are always such
as to command the respect of all.
Politically he is a Republican, and he
now holds the office of justice of the peace.
For four years he has been supervisor.
In 1 88 1 he was united in marriage with
Miss Nina G. Walker, a daughter of Sam-
uel H. Walker, deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Cristy have two children, — Harold E. and
Lynn Walker. Mrs. Cristy is an active
worker in the Universalist church and is a
member of the Woman's Christian Temper-
ance Union of the state.
F<RED L. BRYANT, secretary of the
Ames & Frost Company, of Chicago,
one of the most extensive bicycle manu-
facturing concerns in the city, has attained
the Knight Templar degree in Masonry.
This fraternity antedating all others in the
length of its continued existence and sur-
passing all others in the beneficent work it
has performed for mankind, has ever num-
bered among its members the best citizens
of every country in which it has taken root.
Although there is no class distinction, the
humblest and the highest being alike wel-
comed to its ranks, its followers are uni-
formly men of sterling character, and it is
this which has given Masonry a power and
standing unequaled by any other social and
charitable organization. Cosmopolitan Chi-
cago has furnished representatives of al-
most every land to the branches of Masonry
here, but this number includes many of her
best and most prominent citizens, men who
are leaders in all the walks of honorable
business life and whose enterprise and prog-
ress have made the city one of the wonders
of the age. Among this number is Mr.
Bryant, who, in Union Park Lodge, No.
610, took the degrees of Entered Apprentice,
Fellow-craft and Master. He was subse-
quently advanced a Mark Master, installed
a Past Master, received as Most Excellent
Master, and exalted to the august degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Lincoln Park Chapter
and was constituted, created and dubbed a
Knight Templar in Lincoln Park Command-
ery. He is also a Noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine, belong-
ing to Medinah Temple, and is an active
working member of the craft, while in Ma-
sonic circles he is very widely and favorably
known.
Mr. Bryant is a native of Herman,
Maine, born June 23, 1855. He obtained
his education in the public schools of his
native state, and learned the carriage-mak-
ing trade in Herman. He followed that
pursuit and worked on a farm until Novem-
ber, 1876, when he came to Chicago and
entered upon his business career here in the
humble capacity of teamster, in the employ
of the Ames & Frost Company. Before
starting for the west he had borrowed one
hundred dollars, giving his note for the
same. He arrived in this city with only
three dollars and a half in his pocket, but
he resolutely set to work to conquer an
adverse fate, and in this has succeeded,
winning a notable triumph. He lived fru-
gally and economically until he had paid off
his indebtedness, and in his business con-
tinued to display a fidelity to the duties
entrusted to his care that won for him rapid
promotion. Steadily he worked his way
upward, demonstrating his fitness for all
work, and at length was enabled to pur-
chase an interest in the business. Since
1890 he has been a stockholder and director
in the company, and in December, 1893,
was chosen for the office of secretary, in
which capacity he is still serving. Thus
has he become a leading partner in one of
the largest bicycle manufactories in the
country, with a business that is steadily
increasing. Each year the sale of wheels
has increased, and as experience suggests
improved methods the grade of wheel which
is turned out is each year superior to that of
7<J3
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
the year before, and therefore commands a
ready market. The products of the Ames
& Frost manufactory are known throughout
the country. Wherever the wheel is known
— and where is it not? — the "Imperial " is
found, and their house ranks now among
the leading industrial interests of Chicago.
In 1896 Mr. Bryant was united in mar-
riage to Miss Helen A. Kellogg, a native of
Chicago, and their circle of friends in the
city is extensive. Mr. Bryant is well known
in Republican circles and is an ardent advo-
cate of the principles of the party. His
social relations are not confined alone to
the Masonic fraternity, for during twenty-
two years he has affiliated with the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and he has
passed all the chairs. His life demonstrates
the possibilities that are open to young men
and is a worthy object lesson.
LBERT WARREN McLAUGHLIN, a
JftSL prominent physician of South Chicago,
has been connected with the Masonic order
since 1878, when he joined the blue lodge
in New Lexington, Perry county, Ohio.
Some time afterward he was dimitted from
that organization and affiliated with Somer-
set Lodge, No. 76, of the same county, in
which he retained his membership until
Triluminar Lodge, No. 767, was granted a
dispensation, largely through his efforts,
when he became one of its charter mem-
bers. He served as its Senior Warden dur-
ing the year of dispensation and became
the first Worshipful Master under the char-
ter, holding the latter office for three years.
His service therein reflected credit upon
himself and the organization. Loyally de-
voted to Masonry, he has labored untiringly
for its interests and advancement, and its
principles are well exemplified in his life.
He was raised to the sublime degree of
Royal Arch Mason in Somerset Chapter, of
New Lexington, Ohio, in 1881, but the
same year was dimitted and became a
member of Sinai Chapter, No. 185, of Chi-
cago, in which he has been honored with
the exalted position of High Priest. He
joined the Royal and Select Masters of
Calumet Council and was Knighted in Calu-
met Commandery, No. 62.
Dr. McLaughlin was born in Somerset,
Ohio, on the 2ist of August, 1856, and
there spent his youthful days, acquiring his
education in its public schools. He after-
ward engaged in teaching school and was
also connected with mercantile pursuits in
the dry-goods line until taking up the study
of medicine. He was graduated at the
Medical College of Ohio, in Cincinnati, in
1880, and at once entered upon the prac-
tice of his chosen profession in Somerset,
Ohio, where he continued for two years. In
1882 he came to Chicago and has since
been a valued and leading member of the
medical fraternity in this city. He is a man
of superior merit and of real eminence in
his profession, and is now enjoying a large
and lucrative practice. He has studied
closely into the methods of medical prac-
tice and his exhaustive research into the
science has given him a mastery in its use
that has placed him high among Chicago's
eminent practitioners.
In 1879 was celebrated the marriage of
Dr. McLaughlin and Miss Margaret Bastian,
a native of Perry county, Ohio, and they
have one child, a son, now ten years of age.
HUDSON HIRAM KELLOGG.— The
time-honored institution of Masonry
has commanded the respect and admiration
of the best class of people throughout the
world. Its advocacy of all that is noble and
true cannot fail to awaken the heartiest
commendation. Century after century has
dropped into the gulf of time as a leaf falls
in the forest since the principles of Masonry
first became a factor in the world's ad-
vancement and benevolence. Its influence
is just as noiseless as the passing of the
years, but leaves its impress on that which
it touches just as surely as age sets its
stamp upon all things material. Hundreds
in Chicago are now following its standard,
pledged to beneficence, charity and frater-
ity, and hundreds of homes have enjoyed
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
799
the blessings which have come in times of
trouble and distress from brethren of this
noble craft.
Mr. Kellogg is one of the most enthusi-
astic and influential members of the frater-
nity in Chicago, and is untiring in his labors
for the advancement of Masonry, embracing
every opportunity for molding Masonic senti-
ment and promulgating its teachings. In
1885 he joined the order, taking the degrees
of Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and
Master Mason in \V. B. Warren Lodge, No.
200. In 1886 he was exalted to the sub-
lime degree of a Royal Arch Mason in La-
Fayette Chapter, No. 2 ; the same year was
made a Royal and Select Master in Pales-
tine Council, No. 66; and on the 9th of
July, 1889, the order of knighthood was
conferred upon him in Apollo Commandery,
No. I, K. T. , in which he is now serving
as Junior Warden. He took the Scottish
Rite degrees of the ineffable lodge of per-
fection in Oriental Consistory, S. P. R. S.,
and in 1895 became a Noble of the Mystic
Shrine, his membership being in Medinah
Temple. Mr. Kellogg is one of the most
loyal members of the fraternity in Chicago.
He is seldom absent from the meetings of
the different organizations and is one of the
most capable and efficient workers. His
enthusiasm amounts to an inspiration and
causes others to enter into the work with
the same devotion and zeal which charac-
terizes his connection therewith.
Mr. Kellogg is a native of Toledo, Ohio,
born November 15, 1843. His father,
Hudson Kellogg, was a native of Connecti-
cut, and his mother, whose maiden name
was Jane Davis, was a native of St. Cath-
arines, Canada. At an early day Hudson
Kellogg removed from the Nutmeg state to
Toledo, Ohio, for the purpose of engaging
in the lumber business, but that region was
then so infected with malaria that he re-
turned with his family to the state of his
nativity. In the latter state the subject of
this review passed the days of his boyhood
and youth, and in the public schools ac-
quired his education. During the war he
entered a rifles company and valiantly de-
fended the Union until the return of peace.
On again locating in Connecticut, he turned
his attention to the wool trade, which he
afterward carried on for one year in Boston
and for three years in Philadelphia. In
1884 he came to Chicago, where he has
since dealt in wool, building up an exten-
sive and profitable business. He is an en-
ergetic and progressive business man who-
controls his undertakings in a most system-
atic manner, exercising great energy and
sound judgment in the management of his
interests.
LEN WOOD PREBLE. —Probably there
is no business that so conspicuously
contributes to the improvement of a munic-
ipality as that of the dealer in real estate.
Of all men who are interested in the en-
hancement of the values of all species of
property the real-estate agent is chief, and
therefore the most active. In this line has
Mr. Preble been remarkably successful, ever
since he came to Chicago ten years ago.
Mr. Preble's prominent connection with
that most remarkable of all secret organiza-
tions, the Masonic, entitles him to mention
on the pages of this work. His initiation
into the order took place in Englewood
Lodge, No. 690, A. F. & A. M., in which
he received the degree of Entered Appren-
tice February 6, 1890, that of Fellow-craft
March 5, 1891, and that of Master Mason
April 2 following. Appreciating the grand
peculiarities of the order he proceeded in
their study, receiving the capitular degrees
in Englewood Chapter, No. 176; the more
military degrees in Englewood Commandery,
No. 59, March 15, 1892; the degrees clus-
tering around the legend of the sacred vault
in Temple Council, No. 65, January 12,
1895; and he has also had conferred upon
him the degrees of the Scottish Rite in
Oriental Consistory — all of Chicago. In all
these bodies mentioned Mr. Preble still
maintains his membership, excepting that in
the cryptic branch he has transferred his
membership from Temple Council, No. 65,
to Imperial Council. In this branch he has
S(X)
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
been honored with the office of Deputy Il-
lustrious Master; and in the commandery
he is now Generalissimo. By appointment
he served one year as Sword Bearer, and
then was elected Junior Warden, passing
through all the offices to his present posi-
tion. The business and social standing of
Mr. Preble is such that his identification
with any society adds only luster to its
prestige. Accordingly he has been gladly
received by that illustrious host assembled
around the Mystic Shrine, where he is a
member of Medinah Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Mr. Preble was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,
August 16, 1858, a son of John G. Preble.
When he was yet but a child his parents
moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he
was reared, and educated in the public
schools. H Engaging in business for himself
he was first employed as a common team-
ster, until 1887, when, as before mentioned,
he came to Chicago and engaged in the
real-estate business, in which he has en-
joyed marked success. Since he has made
his residence here he has also taken an
active part in musical societies; he is now
director of the choir in the Englewood
Presbyterian church, where the best musical
cal talent of that fine suburb is employed,
and where the worshipers are especially in-
terested in artistic music. Religiously, he
is a member of that body, while in political
matters he co-operates with the Republican
party.
DWARD M. ASHLEY, superintendent
of the Counsel man system of elevators,
in Chicago, is a gentleman who appreciates
the peculiarities of the Masonic institution,
as illustrated by his zealous study of its
legends, symbols, history and principles.
He first saw the light of Masonic day in
1876, in Lumbermen's Lodge, the name of
which body was subsequently changed to
Arcana Lodge, and with this body he is still
connected. Reverential and religiously in-
clined, he proceeded on to the Holy Royal
Arch, becoming a member of Wiley M.
Egan Chapter, No. 126, which body also
conferred upon him the cryptic degrees be-
fore the Royal and Select Masters formed
their council here as a separate organiza-
tion. Mr. Ashley is also a member of
Chicago Commandery, No. 19, Knights
Templar, and Oriental Consistory, Sublime
Princes of the Royal Secret. For extended
social enjoyment he also "crossed the
sands of the great Arabian desert," figura-
tively, to reach the Mystic Shrine, where
hundreds of Nobles are congregated for
mutual sympathy and aid.
Mr. Ashley was born in Nunda, New
York, November 17, 1848, and when twelve
years of age he was brought west, the fam-
ily removing to Wisconsin. The great war
of the Rebellion soon afterward broke out,
and with such fury that at times during
1862-3-4 it seemed that the Union would
be permanently dissolved. Loyally did
Mr. Ashley enlist, joining the Forty-sixth
Iowa Infantry for the one-hundred-days
service. After this term had expired he re-
enlisted, this time attaching himself to the
Forty-fifth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry,
and served until the close of the war, win-
ning honor as a valiant veteran.
From the close of that deathly struggle
until the year 1871, Mr. Ashley was en-
gaged in teaching school in Iowa and Illi-
nois, and then came to Chicago, since
which time this bustling city has been the
scene of his business operations and the
place of his residence. For twelve years
now he has been engaged in the grain trade,
for eleven years of which period he has
been superintendent of the Counselman
system of elevators. His record is that of
a man who has risen to s6 high a station
by personal merit; for the honorable busi-
ness methods he has uniformly pursued,
combined with his knowledge of his calling
and his fidelity to all duties entrusted to
him, are the only sources of his success.
January 8, 1879, is the date of Mr.
Ashley's matrimonial union with Miss May
E. Winchester, a native of Eastport, Maine.
Their two children are named Kendall and
Frances H.
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
801
JOHN LINGO was born in West Liberty,
Logan county, Ohio, December 25,
1835, and was a resident of the Buckeye
state until July 12, 1866, when he removed
to Peoria, Illinois, where he has since main-
tained his home. In Sandusky, Ohio, he
learned the trade of machinist and also that
of locomotive engineer, and on coming to
Illinois accepted a position as machinist for
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail-
road Company, in whose employ he re-
mained twelve years, or up to 1878, since
which time he has been division master me-
chanic for the Peoria, Decatur& Evansville
line. For a period of nearly forty years,
from May, 1857, to the present time, he
has been in the employ of only three differ-
ent companies, his long continuance with
each being ample evidence of his efficiency
and trustworthiness.
Mr. Lingo's connection with the Masonic
fraternity reaches back more than a dozen
years to June, 1883, when he was conducted
through the beautiful ceremonies of the or-
der in Peoria Lodge, No. 15. The follow-
ing year he was elected and served as Stew-
ard. In 1886-7 he was Senior Warden,
in 1888-9 was Worshipful Master, and
again in 1891, '92, '93 and '94 filled the
executive chair of the lodge. For the past
eight years he has attended the Grand Lodge
of the state >of Illinois, taking a lively and
appreciative interest in the same, and being
honored therein with official position. In
1894 he was Deputy Grand Master, and in
1896 was the Fourteenth District Senior
Grand Steward. Nor has Mr. Lingo's in-
terest in Masonry been confined to the
lodge. He has advanced to the degrees in
both the chapter and council, taking these
in 1895.
lAYMOND LOCKWOOD LEONARD,
M. D. — A period of over twenty years
marks the identification of Dr. Leonard
with the Masonic fraternity, during which
time his energy and zeal in the order have
been recognized and fully appreciated by
his fellow-members, who accord him their
highest esteem and consideration.
Initiated in Covenant Lodge, No. 526,
in 1876, his activity in that body soon
gained him a distinct prestige and he was
appointed to the office of Chaplain. Such
was the ability displayed in conducting the
affairs of that position that he was chosen
Junior Warden in 1882, Senior Warden in
1883 and Worshipful Master in 1884. He
was advanced to the grades of capitular
Masonry in 1878 and exalted to the august
degree of the Holy Royal Arch in Corin-
thian Chapter, No. 69, in 1878. In 1879
the degrees of Royal and Select Master
were conferred upon him in the council, and
in 1897 he was elected to the office of Prin-
cipal Conductor of Work in Chicago Coun-
cil, No. 4, R. & S. M. He received the
orders of Knighthood in St. Bernard Com-
mandery, No. 35, in 1879, becoming a
faithful and energetic follower of the beau-
seant, and in this body he was elected
Junior Warden in 1894, Senior Warden in
1895, Captain-General in 1896 and Gen-
eralissimo in 1897, and he is favorably
considered for the office of Eminent Com-
mander for the year 1898. He is a mem-
ber of the famous St. Bernard Drill Corps,
dating his connection therewith from 1879.
He wears a veteran medal and has accom-
panied the Commandery on all its pilgrim-
ages as a member of the Drill Corps since
that year. On these occasions the Doctor
is always chief of the medical staff, and his
work has been so well accomplished that in
1892 the commandery presented him with
a life membership.
Dr. Leonard has become generally
known among his Masonic brethren as a
director of entertainments, and is well
versed in the methods of organizing and
conducting all social functions for his lodge,
chapter and commandery, and is an acknowl-
edged leader in all such matters. A reception,
party, ball, literary or musical affair, a
picnic, Easter or Ascension day service,
with or without a street parade, by the
bodies with which the Doctor is affiliated is
always assured of success under his able
802
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
management. As a climax to his enter-
tainment work he hopes to take his ' 'fratres"
around the world in the near future.
Several years ago he took up the work of
entertainments for the Illinois Woman's
Soldiers' Home and has assisted the ladies
to make many hundreds of dollars a year
for their charity by helping to organize
all their entertainments, his rule being,
' -Always give the people a good time and
save half the gross receipts for the Home."
Dr. Raymond Lockwood Leonard is a
son of the late Rev. Joseph Helmer Leonard,
who, for twenty-three years prior to his
death (1877), was chaplain to the seamen
at Chicago, and Susannah (Lockwood)
Leonard, their marriage having been
solemnized at Kingston, Canada, in 1830.
During the year 1852, the Doctor's parents
moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and thence to
Chicago, in August, 1854. His early edu-
cation was obtained in the public schools
of the western metropolis, supplemented
by a classical course at the Illinois School
of Trade, completing the same after
entering upon his medical studies. His
progress was rapid, owing to the fortunate
ability of grasping and comprehending
subjects of a scope beyond his years.
During his childhood Dr. Leonard
studied vocal and instrumental music and
at the age of twelve he became the regular
organist of the Bethel (Sailors') church.
His life from that time forward was a busy
one, assisting his father in the latter's mis-
sionary work among the sailors at the
church, on shipboard and in the marine
hospital, and among the sick and wounded
soldiers at the latter institution during the
war of the Rebellion. Raymond was con-
verted at the age of fourteen years and
united with the First Methodist Epis-
copal church, two years later being elected
to the superintendency of the Bethel Sun-
day-school, which office he held for twelve
years, conducting the entire work of the
mission for two years after his father's
death, largely at his own expense. In
1872 his membership was transferred to
Centenary Methodist Episcopal church, in
which he was a member of the large chorus
choir, becoming leader of the latter in 1 88 i .
At the age of fifteen years Dr. Leonard
began reading medicine with Dr. John Tean,
the family physician, and soon after entered
Rush Medical College and passed his exam-
inations for the degree of Doctor of Med-
icine on the 3d of February, 1869, at the
age of eighteen years. The certificate given
him by the faculty says, • • and is entitled to
the diploma when he shall have attained
the age of twenty-one years, as specified in
the requirements for graduation." He was
the youngest student ever passed by the
college, and the coveted diploma was granted
January 17, 1872, with what has become
historically known as the "fire class of old
Rush." After passing his examinations he
continued his medical studies voluntarily,
took up hospital work, and in December,
1870, was appointed superintendent of the
North Chicago Charity Dispensary, and
clinical assistant to the chair of diseases of
the chest in Rush College. At the time of
the great fire he saved the records, and with
the assistance of the city health department
re-opened the dispensary three days after
in the Newberry school building, continuing
his services as visiting physician during the
winter of 1871-2, in the employ of the Chi-
cago Relief and Aid Society. In August,
1869, he opened an office in the Bethel
church building, where he was burned out
by the great fire in 1871, rebuilding on the
ashes of his former office during the winter,
and has since continued in active practice.
Dr. Leonard is a scholarly gentleman, of
broad experience, enjoying a lucrative prac-
tice among the best families of the city. He
says he is not a specialist and has no fad,
but aims to be a skillful and expert physi-
cian in strictly private practice — promising
to give some valuable results of experience
and study to his professional brethren in
the near future which will show that he has
continued his scientific and practical studies.
His office and residence are at No. 312 La
Salle avenue.
In 1889 Dr. Leonard joined the Sons of
Veterans, became captain of Camp No. 166,
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
808
holding the office in 1890 and 1891, and
again in 1893. In July, 1893, he was
elected colonel of the First Infantry, Sons
of Veteran Guards, and served in that
capacity until the guards were disbanded by
changes in the management of the order
in 1894.
CAPTAIN JOHN A. CRAWFORD is
connected with the Masonic fraternity
through social, benevolent and business
relations, and is well deserving of represent-
ation in a volume whose province is the
recording of the Masonic history of Illinois,
and the perpetuating, by written record,
the lives of those who have been prominent
in the society in the state. Mr. Crawford
is the vice-president of the Knight Templar
Masons' Life Indemnity Company and is a
charter member of the Masonic Orphans'
Home. He is one of the older Masons of
the state in years of connection with the
order, having become a member of Mt.
Zion Lodge, No. 311, of Troy, New York,
in 1860. After his removal to the west he
became a charter member of Covenant
Lodge, No. 526, with which he still holds
membership. He took the Royal Arch
degrees in Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, and
joined the Royal & Select Masters of
Chicago Council, No. 4, and with both of
these is now affiliated. He was made a
Knight Templar in Chicago Commandery,
No. 19, but on the organization of St.
Bernard Commandery, No. 35, transferred
his membership to it. He is a member of
the Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine
and has ever been a zealous and active
worker in the order, especially in the com-
mandery. The various organizations have
honored him with office, and in Covenant
Lodge he has served as Worshipful Master,
in the chapter as High Priest and in the
commandery as Eminent Commander. He
exemplifies the practical working of the
fraternity through his relation with the
Masons' Orphans' Home, of which he is a
charter member, and by various beneficent
acts, which he however does not osten-
tatiously make known. His brethren have
for him the highest regard, and he has a
wide acquaintance in Masonic circles.
Captain Crawford was born in Cohoes,
Albany county, New York, in 1830, and is a
son of James Crawford, who was killed at
Lockport, that state, while engaged in wid-
ening a canal. After his father's death,
which occurred about 1840, our subject
went with his mother to West Troy, New
York, where he lived for two years, and at
the age of twelve entered the employ of a
farmer in Watervliet, New York, working
for two years for his board and clothes. He
then returned to West Troy, where he spent
six months as an employee in Roy's butt
factory. On the expiration of that period
he shipped as cook on the sloop Clinton,
receiving four dollars per month for his
services. From one position to another he
was advanced until he became commander
of that vessel. During the winter of 1845
he entered the service of the government,
making ammunition at the arsenal at Water-
vliet, and in the spring of 1847 was seri-
ously injured by an explosion which there
occurred. On sufficiently recovering from
his injuries, Captain Crawford shipped on
the sloop Mechanic and afterward on the
John Silliman, which was commanded by
Captain Ross, whose wife and sister-in-law
were with him on the vessel. It was there
that our subject obtained his modicum of a
book education and it was through the kind-
ness of these ladies that he had the oppor-
tunity, they manifesting a deep interest in
the progress made by their student.
In 1852 Captain Crawford began steam-
boating on the Hudson river as pilot on
board the Washington Hunt, the following
year was pilot on the John S. Ide and the
following year on the steamer Annie, one
of the Swift Shore line, while in 1855 he
became mate on the tug-boat Commerce,
belonging to the same line. Sailing until
the following winter he then went to Phila-
delphia at the request of friends and super-
intended the building of a tug, preparatory
to coming to Chicago. His uncle made
him one-third owner of this, and on the
new tug, called Andrew Foster, he sailed
804
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS
for Chicago in April, reaching his destina-
tion June 10, 1856. Here he commenced
towing vessels for a livelihood and the first
year was one of prosperity, for twenty-five
cents per bushel was paid for carrying
wheat to Buffalo or New York. In 1856
he went to Two Rivers, Wisconsin, for the
purpose of towing down two canal boats,
but soon after starting on the return trip
the wind arose from the southeast and he
was obliged to put in at the harbor at
Manitowoc, where he arrived in safety by
the assistance of the captain of the Ger-
trude. This was said to be the first steam-
boat ever inside the harbor at that time.
From 1856 until 1863 Captain Craw-
ford was continuously engaged in the tug
service on the lakes, and at the close of the
season of 1862 gave up his position on the
Foster to take charge of a large wrecking
tug, the George W. Wood. For many
years he was part owner in a tng line and
in 1863 he built the tug Crawford, the
boiler of which exploded about two weeks
afterward in Chicago harbor, killing all the
hands but one. Captain Crawford has been
an officer in the Knight Templars' &
Masons' Life Indemnity Company since its
organization in 1884, and in 1891, on the
death of Dr. Allen, he was made vice-pres-
ident of the company, since which time he
has given his entire attention to the
business. He is a man of excellent busi-
ness ability, with a capacity for much work,
and his unabating energy, his resolute pur-
pose and his well-directed efforts have
brought to him prosperity.
The Captain was married to Mrs. Kate
Vance, a widow, daughter of Captain John
McFadden. Three children are living:
Samuel A., Jane Belle, and the youngest,
who through her own persistence was
christened John Ellen, and who is regularly
called by that name.
and who has given to the fraternity a large
share of his time and talent in promoting its
interests in his home city.
Mr. Parker received the first three de-
grees of ancient-craft Masonry in Union
Park Lodge, No. 610, being exalted to the
sublime degree of Master Mason December
4, 1893; February 22, 1894, the Holy Royal
Arch degree was conferred upon him in
York Chapter, No. 148; in June following
he was knighted in St. Bernard Command-
ery, No. 35; the circle of cryptic Masonry
he passed in Tyrian Council, No. 78, in
September, 1896. In the consignment of
official preferment in the chapter for the
year 1897, Mr. Parker was honored at the
hands of his fellow Masons by the position
of Principal Sojourner, the duties of which
he fulfilled to the eminent satisfaction of
the "fratres" and with infinite credit to
himself.
The birth of Mr. Parker occurred in the
city of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 22d of Oc-
tober, 1872, and there he continued his res-
idence until arriving at his fifteenth year,
when he moved to Chicago and inaugurated
his business experience in the paper trade,
subsequently becoming associated with the
J. W. Butler Paper Company, with which
he has remained for the past eight years,
acquiring a competent knowledge of the
business and gaining the confidence and
good will of his employers by his ability,
integrity of character and strict attention to
his duties.
BAYMOND E. PARKER.— Closely iden-
tified with the ancient and honorable
order of Freemasons in Chicago is the gen-
tleman whose name initiates this paragraph,
A. DEVORE stands among the fore-
Jf&L most representatives of commercial
interests and is a recognized leader in the
line of fine tailoring. Such is his superi-
ority in the line of his chosen calling that
the house of which he is at the head has a
reputation that extends throughout the
northwest, and its reliability is never ques-
tioned. The life record of Mr. Devore is
rich in the practical lessons of industry,
enterprise, close application and honorable
purpose, and fully demonstrates the brilliant
success that may be achieved by the exer-
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS.
805
else of these qualities in a land where work
and worth are the acknowledged attributes
of wealth, honor and fame.
A native of the Keystone state, Mr. De-
vore was born in Washington county, on
the I Qth of June, 1831, and when only
thirteen years of age entered upon his busi-
ness career as a tailor's apprentice. Dur-
ing this time he obtained, by the exercise
of great diligence and perseverance, a good
common-school education, notwithstanding
he was obliged to work under great disad-
vantages. He afterward removed to Pitts-
burg, Pennsylvania, opening a tailoring
establishment on his own account and built
up a very extensive business; but, believing
the rapidly developing city of Chicago
would furnish a still better field for his
operations, he came to this city in July,
1878. Here he opened a merchant-tailor-
ing establishment, at the northeast corner
of State and Adams streets, and was joined
by his sons, as partners, under the firm
name of A. A. Devore & Sons. Several
changes in location have, since then oc-
curred, but for some years past they have
been in their present quarters in the Pull-
man building, where they have one of the
most finely appointed suites of rooms for
the conduct of a business of that character
in the city or in the northwest. Every con-
venience and improvement known to the
trade has been secured in fitting out their
rooms, and the stock which they carry is
very superior to that of the average tailor-
ing establishment. Their patronage comes
from Chicago's best citizens and they are
fully capable of satisfying the most fastid-
ious taste.
Mr. Devore has always been a faithful
citizen, and gave strong evidence of his
loyal devotion to his country at the time of
the Civil war. In 1861, only seven days
after Fort Sumter was fired upon, he en-
listed in the Union service and assisted in
raising a company of volunteers, being at
once chosen first lieutenant of the company,
which was called "McKennan's Infantry,1'
named in honor of Judge McKennan, of the
circuit court. This company first tendered
their services to Governor Curtin, of Penn-
sylvania, but the quota of that state being
full they tendered their services to and were
accepted by Governor Pierpont, of West
Virginia. They then marched to Wheel-
ing, West Virginia, and were mustered into
the three-years service by Major Oaks, of
the regular army, at Camp Carlisle, West
Virginia, and assigned to the Second Regi-
ment of West Virginia Infantry Volunteers
as Company I. They were immediately
sent to the front, at Camp Elkwater, under
command of General J. J. Reynolds. Mr.
Devore's special duty was scouting in the
Alleghany mountains between the two
Virginias, intercepting the mail-carriers and
bushwhackers through the bridle paths of
the mountains. His work was of a very
important and often dangerous and arduous
character, and in evidence of appreciation
of his services the West Virginia legisla-
ture voted him a medal. At the close of
the first year he tendered his resignation on
account of ill health brought on by expos-
ure in these mountains. He then returned
to the north and resumed his active busi-
ness life, as stated in the foregoing.
In the town of Greenfield, Pennsyl-
vania, now called Cold Center, Mr. Devore
was united in marriage to Miss Rachel J.
Long. For thirty-six years he has been
an active and consistent member of the
Christian church, and served as elder in the
church in the town of California, Pennsyl-
vania. For eight years he has held mem-
bership in the Central Church of Christ, of
Chicago, corner of Indiana avenue and
Thirty-seventh street, and is now filling the
office of elder therein. In his political con-
nections, he has long been a stalwart Re-
publican, and was a candidate on that
ticket for the Pennsylvania legislature in
Fayette county in 1872. He made a strong
canvass and succeeded in reducing the usual
Democratic majority from fourteen hundred
to five hundred, — a vote which was certainly
a compliment, indicating his personal popu-
larity and the confidence and regard enter-
tained for him by his fellow-citizens. In
the November election of that year, so
806
COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRT IN ILLINOIS.
strong had become the Republican influence.
General Grant carried the county by two
thousand votes.
While the record of his business career
is a matter of the commercial history of
Chicago, — and Mr. Devore has a wide ac-
quaintance in trade circles, — the Masonic
fraternity knows a different side of his na-
ture in the courteous, genial brother of the
craft, who shares with his " fratres " in the
work and social features of the order. Mr.
Devore has been a member of the lodge
since 1 864, when he took the degree of Mas-
ter Mason in Brownsville, Fayette county,
Pennsylvania, and from the lodge at that
point he now holds a dimit. He was created
a Knight Templar in St. Omar Command-
ery, of Brownsville, and served for several
years in the second highest office, that of
Captain-General. Injury, 1880, he became
an affiliate of Apollo Commandery, No. i,
K. T., with which he has since been con-
nected as a worthy and loyal follower of
the beauseant. An exemplary Knight, a
faithful citizen, an honorable business man,
he well merits the uniform regard in which
he is held by those with whom he has been
brought in contact.
&
M/
ILLINOIS HISTORICAL 8URVSST
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
A COMPENDIUM OF FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11