Bloomington Illinois

Biographical Sketch of William B. Keusink

William B. Keusink is one of the younger business men of Champaign, has been a resident of the city most of his life, and since 1910 has conducted a very successful drug business. He was born at Bloomington, Illinois, September 20, 1879, a son of William and Elizabeth (Lynch) Keusink. His father was a native of Schenectady, New York, and his mother of Utica, New York. William Keusink for a number of years conducted a laundry business in Champaign County, but is now living retired. He and his wife had two children, William B. and Wilhelmina, the latter the wife … Read more

Wood, James Franklin – Obituary

James F. Wood passed away at Wallowa, Tuesday, May 03, 1938. He was born in Bloomington, Illinois, August 25, 1881, a son of George and Nancy (Bunney) Wood. Most of his younger days were spent in Nebraska. He was married to Clara Lureene Womack January 14, 1919 at Pendleton and Marjorie Ellen, Sarah La Vonne and Leland James were born to them. The family resided in Princeton, Idaho a short time, coming to Wallowa County the last time six years ago, and this has been his home since. His health had been very poor for several years, but he was … Read more

Biography of Hon. Theron E. Fell

HON. THERON E. FELL. – Mr. Fell has become especially known in Oregon as a representative to the state legislature from Morrow county. The manner of his election shows his popularity among his neighbors and the people of his own region. He was the grandson of an abolishionist Quaker, and the son of an original Republican, and himself has been true to the family record. Having received the regular nomination by the Republican party, his rival “bolted” and accepted an independent nomination. The Democrats seeing this rupture did not fail to improve the opportunity, and presented an excellent ticket. The … Read more

Biography of George R. Wendling, Jr.

George R. Wendling, Jr., of the Myers-Wendling Insurance Company of St. Louis, was born March 9, 1894, in Bloomington, Illinois. His father, George R. Wendling, was also a native of Illinois, his birth having occurred in Shelby county. He became a prominent attorney of that state and was a member of a constitutional convention of 1870 which framed the organic law of the commonwealth and had the distinction of being the youngest representative in that body, as he was only twenty-five years of age when elected. He won wide popularity as a lecturer as well as distinction in law practice. … Read more

Biography of Emmor W. Jeffers

Emmor W. Jeffers, the present circuit clerk of Douglas County, who has occupied that office since February 3, 1899, was born in Pike County, Illinois, November 19, 1861. He is a son of John C. and Elizabeth (Mc-Kinney) Jeffers, both natives of Ohio, who removed to Douglas County and settled in Camargo Township about 1864. His mother died in December, 1893, while his father resides in Bloomington, Illinois. (For further ancestry of the Jeffers family see sketch of George C. Jeffers, of Camargo). James McKinney, our subject’s maternal grandfather, was a native of Ohio. In 1889 E. W. Jeffers was … Read more

Biography of Mrs. Mary E. Burbank

MRS. MARY E. BURBANK. – The wife of Honorable A.R. Burbank was born near Milford, Delaware, January 14, 1827, and is the daughter of Jesse E. and Ellen Eckles. While but a child of sixteen months, she was bereft of her mother by death, and was intrusted to the care of her sable nurse until three years old. At this date she moved with her father and his family of three daughters and two sons to the far West, crossing the Alleghany Mountains in wagons, and settling at Clarkesburgh, Ohio, in the fall of 1830, residing there five years. As … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John W. Gaede

Gaede, John W.; manufacturer; born, Illinois, May 16, 1873; educated, common schools, Evergreen City Business College, Bloomington, Ill.; married, Cleveland, 1896, Sophia Bohn; issue, three daughters and one son, Esther, Ottillia, Lydia and David; for the past five years has been manufacturing hardware specialties, consisting of the following, saw vices, chain drills, hollow augers, saw sets, emery wheel dressers, bench vises, plane gauges, spoke pointers and spoke shaves; has recently started to make an improved iron plane, which is entirely new and the best plane ever produced; gen. mngr. Buckeye Saw Vice Co.; member Masonic Order, Woodmen of the World, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Harry Elmer Duff

Duff, Harry Elmer; manufacturer; born, Bloomington, Ill., July 23, 1873; son of Jos. G. and Mary Ellen Lowdon Duff; graduated from the University of Tennessee, in 1893, taking Bachelor of Arts degree; in 1902, graduated from the New York Law School, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws; in 1894, came to Ohio, and became identified in a manufacturing business, which a few years later was purchased by the American Sheet Tin Plate Co.; since that time, has been continuously associated with that corporation; local sales representative of the American Sheet & Tin Plate Co.; vice pres. Union Metal Mfg. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Cyrus Locher

Locher, Cyrus; lawyer; born, Bluffton, O., Mar. 8, 1878; son of Christian and Fanny Lugabihl Locher; educated, Pandora High School, Ohio Wesleyan University, A. B. and A. M.; Western Reserve University Law School, LL. B.; married, Bloomington, Ill., Beulah L. Baker; supt. of schools, Woodsfield, O., 1903-1905; asst. city solicitor, Cleveland, 1908-1909; member law firm Gott & Locher, 1910-1913; member Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and Sigma Delta Rho (honorary fraternity); member Cleveland Athletic Club and Chamber of Commerce; County Prosecuting Attorney from Jan. 6, 1913.

Biography of D. W. Stevick

D. W. Stevick. The people of Champaign County appreciate the ability and the achievements of D. W. Stevick, chiefly through the medium of his newspaper, The Champaign Daily News. Progress has always been the keynote of Mr. Stevicks life. He has been inspired with “that delightful discontent which the hope of better things inspires,” and this has given meaning and potency to his efforts as a newspaper man. When he came into possession of The Champaign Daily News, he was well aware of the deplorable conditions existing relative to the strongly entrenched liquor forces, and had a thorough understanding of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Herbert B. Hayden

Herbert B. Hayden, Superintendent of City Schools of Rock Island, is a native of Massachusetts. He was educated in the graded and high schools of his native state, and at Wesleyan University. Since 1883 he has been engaged in public school work, either as high school principal or superintendent of city schools, and has been in charge of the schools of Rock Island since August, 1900.

Wood, James F. (Franklin) – Obituary

Wallowa, Wallowa County, Oregon James Franklin Wood, a resident of Wallowa for the last five years, passed away Tuesday afternoon following a lingering illness. Mr. Wood had been ill just three months and two days having been working at the mill the day he was taken sick. Funeral services are to be held this afternoon at two o’clock at the Nazarene Church, of which he had been a member for many years, with Rev. J. S. Stuart in charge. Music will be furnished by a quartette composed of Opal Lively, Verla Hawley, Glen Henry and Jesse Johnson with Geneva Schaeffer … Read more

Schreeck, Fred – Obituary

Fred Schreeck Of Baker Dies Well – Known Business Man Succumbs After Illness Fred H. Schreeck, Baker business man, died this morning at 8:30 at his home after an illness extending over a period of three years. Mr. Schreeck was born in Bloomington, Illinois February 25, 1882. He came to Baker in 1899 and engaged in mining until 1901. In 1901 he married Emma Adams and they lived in Portland until 1909 when they moved back to Baker and Mr. Schreeck established the foundation of the Schreeck Ice and Cold Storage Company. He made a start by peddling hominy and … Read more

Biography of Gilbert L. King

It is now our pleasant privilege to recount the items of the career of the prominent and capable gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, who is to-day one of the leading men in Malheur county, being not only crowned with abundant financial success as the result of his industry and wise management of the resources that came to his hands, but also a man of prominence in educational lines in younger days, and at the present time a fluent public speaker and well informed man of ability and culture. Gilbert L. was born in Jefferson County, New York, on February … Read more

Biography of Eugene B. Buck

Eugene B. Buck, editor and proprietor of the Charleston Courier. Charleston; was born in Fayette Co., Ind., Oct. 12, 1834; when he was about five years old, his father’s family removed to McLean Co., Ill.; he served his apprenticeship to the printer’s trade in Bloomington; in 1852, he went to Peoria, Ill., and, in 1855, was connected with the publication of the Pekin Plaindealer; in 1856, he was associated with four other journeymen printers in running a co-operative daily paper in Peoria; in 1857, he conducted the Washington Advertiser, in Franklin Co., Mo.; in 1859, he edited the Daily Enterprise, … Read more

Biography of John William Waldron, Rev.

Rev. John William Waldron is well known in a number of towns and cities of Kansas through his active ministerial labors in behalf of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is now living at Galena, where he is pastor of the local church of his denomination. He had spent most of his life in Kansas, and by unusual talents as a preacher and unselfish devotion to his church had become a recognized leader in Methodism in this city. Both he and his people for many generations back are English. His grandfather, John Waldron, spent his life in England and was a … Read more

Biography of Rev. Patrick Joseph Kane

Rev. Patrick Joseph Kane, who for a third of a century has been pastor of the Church of Our Holy Redeemer at Webster Groves, is a native of Ireland but during his childhood days was brought by his parents to the United States and became a pupil in the public schools of Bloomington, Illinois, where the family home was established. He afterward attended a local business college and later became a student in the Christian Brothers College at St. Louis. Having determined to enter the priesthood he subsequently pursued his theological studies in St. Mary’s Seminary at Baltimore, Maryland, and … Read more

Biography of Richard Yates Kennedy

Richard Yates Kennedy. A man of genial presence, of manifest sympathy, of resourceful brain and high educational standards, is found in Richard Yates Kennedy, principal of the Coffeyville High School. He has bad many years of experience in the educational field, some thirty-three more or less continuous, and there are few problems of a teacher’s life that he has not, at one time or another, successfully solved. Professor Kennedy has been a resident of Kansas since 1887, has valuable property investments in Montgomery County, and social, business and civic interests at Coffeyville. Richard Yates Kennedy was born in Whiteside County, … Read more

Biography of William J. Hill

William J. Hill has one of the responsible positions connected with the Santa Fe Railway at Arkansas City. He is master mechanic at that division headquarters and handles the large force of men employed in the immense yards and shops of the railroad at that point. Mr. Hill had been long in the railroad service in the mechanical department, beginning when a boy with the Chicago & Alton in Illinois. He was born at Bloomington, Illinois, August 20, 1863. His father was William Hill, a native of London, England, where he was born in 1834. He spent his early life … Read more

Biography of Allen C. Mason

ALLEN C. MASON. – The well-known fact that a city presents, as a whole, the characteristics of the individuals who compose it, finds no better illustration than in the city of Tacoma, Washington. It is wide-awake, enterprising and progressive, and is such not only because of its unrivaled location and its commanding position as the terminus of the great Northern Pacific Railroad, but because its business men are themselves possessed of a spirit of progressive enterprise, are thoroughly imbued with confidence in the great destiny of their city, and are united in their efforts to promote its welfare. Prominent among … Read more