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PEORIA COUNTY, ILLINOIS
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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Peoria City and County, Illinois
The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co.
1912
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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  EDWARD D. McCABE.  Since 1891 Edward D. McCabe, has been a practicing attorney at law in Peoria, Illinois, with offices at 127 North Jefferson street.  He was born in Peoria county in 1859, and is a son of a pioneer family of the county, his parents being Patrick and Catherine McCabe. The father followed agricultural pursuits.  Both parents were natives of Ireland and are now deceased.
     Edward D. McCabe received his early education in the district schools near his father's farm and afterward attended the Brimfield high school, while later he entered St. Viateur's College at Kankakee.  At the close of his studies at college, he engaged in farming until appointed, in 1887, to a position in the government service as United States store keeper at Peoria, Illinois, a position which he occupied for over two years.  In 1889, desiring to enter the legal profession, he resigned his position to enter the law department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the class of 1891, receiving the degree of LL. B.  Immediately after his graduation therefrom he came to Peoria where he has since remained in the practice of his profession.  He is vice-president and a director of the Lake View State Bank of Chicago, his brother, George W. McCabe, being president thereof.
     Mr. McCabe is an active and honored member of the Peoria and the State Bar Association.  In his political faith he is a democrat, and, in 1908, was elected democratic central committeeman, a position which he held with credit to himself and his party until 1910.  He occupies the position of public guardian in and for Peoria county.  He is a member of several fraternal and social associations and clubs.
     His practical knowledge and careful application of the law, coupled with good business judgment, and his kindly treatment of all persons, have combined to give Mr. McCabe a creditable standing among the members of his profession as well as a good, clean and abundant clientage.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page
  FRANK J. MILLER was a lifelong resident of Peoria and it will be long ere his friends cease to remember him, for he had a firm hold on the affectionate regard and respect of those with whom he came in contact.  He represented business interests of the city as a member of Joseph Miller & Sons and also of the Garside Manufacturing Company, in both of which connections he manifested a spirit of progress that found tangible expression in substantial success.  he was born March 9, 1850, in this city, and came of German ancestry, manifesting in his life many of the sterling characteristics of the people of the fatherland.  He was a son of Joseph Miller, a native of Germany, who on coming to America first settled in Cincinnati but in the latter '40s came to Peoria, where he established a lumberyard, continuing in that business for many years.  He was one of the early lumber merchants of the city and is classed with those who laid broad and deep the foundation upon which has been builded the present growth and prosperity of this section.
     His son Frank J. Miller was sent to the German schools of Peoria, in which he pursued his studies to he age of eighteen years, when he began working for his father in the lumber business.  He studied every phase of the trade, manifested unfaltering industry in performing the tasks that devolved upon him and won his promotion not through parental influence but through genuine personal worth.  Eventually he was admitted to a partnership under the firm style of Joseph Miller & Sons.  Following the death of the father he was associated with his brother Joseph Miller who is also now deceased.  They controlled and enjoyed an extensive trade, their sales reaching a large annual figure.  They handled building materials of all kinds, sought to obtain only a fair profit upon their investment and in all of their dealings were strictly reliable.  Their progressiveness was tempered by a safe conservatism that never countenanced unwarranted risks and yet they steadily forged forward along the path of success.  In addition to his connection with the lumber trade Mr. Miller was interested in the Garside Manufacturing Company and was a stockholder in the Commercial German National Bank.
     On the 5th of November, 1873, occurred the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss Franziska Streibich, a daughter of Frederick Streibich, a prominent pioneer of Peoria.  Unto Mr. and Mrs. Miller were born seven children: Frank J., who is engaged in the lumber business as a member of the firm of Joseph Miller & Sons; Joseph F.; Fred C., who is also associated with the lumber company; Charles W., who is a practicing physician of Peoria; Edward A., a jewelry manufacturer of this city; Irma, the wife of William J. Fickeson, of Peoria; and Olga, at home.
     Mr. Miller held membership in St. Joseph's German Catholic church and his political faith was that of the republican party, his ballot always being given for the support of its men and measures.  He was interested in all the uplifting influences of life.  He greatly enjoyed German literature and was a home man, devoted to the welfare of his family.  He possessed that quality which for want of a better term has been called personal magnetism, having the happy faculty of drawing men to him by reason of his sterling character, his geniality, his kindly spirit and his hospitality.  He was, indeed, a warm-hearted and great-hearted man and there was in his life record much that is worthy of commendation and emulation.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 48
  FRANK T. MILLER.  The life record of Frank T. Miller is another indication of the fact that it is only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of necessity that the strongest and bet in man are brought out and developed.  Hampered by lack of early opportunities, Mr. Miller resolved that he would advance despite all this and the consensus of public opinion places him today among Peoria's capable and foremost lawyers.  He was born in Muchlheim, near Cologne, in the Rhine Province, Germany, Jan. 1, 1873, his parents being Theodore D. and Clara A. Miller, who were also natives of the same province.  He was  nine and a half years of age when his parents, in July, 1882, came to America bringing with them their family of six children to whom five more were added in this country.  The father was a carpenter and when he worked steadily at his trade earned about fifty dollars per month.  According to the laws of his native country he was forced to render military service in the German army and had been on active duty during the Franco-Prussian war.  When the family arrived in America they had absolutely nothing in the way of money or furniture or the barest necessities of life.  Not one of he household could speak a word of English and Frank Miller says that it has ever remained a puzzle to him how the family obtained a start.  He himself often experienced unfair treatment at the hands of he boys of the neighborhood, his inability to understand English bringing upon him many a knockdown blow from a boy who wished to try his strength, before Mr. Miller knew what was wanted.  He had had three years' training in the schools of Germany and was sent to school in this country, spending three years in the ward schools in Champaign and Bloomington, but when twelve years of age he was forced to put aside his text-books and provide for his own support.  He secured a situation in a drug store, washing windows, bottles, floors, etc., working twelve hours per day, for which a dollar and a quarter as paid into the family fund each week.  By the time he was fourteen he was earning two dollars a week in a dry-goods store.  Realizing the fact that he had been taken out of school permanently he resolved to seek education along other lines and began selling Sunday papers, having, however, an understanding with his father that the money so earned should go for violin lessons.  His Sunday task proved to be profitable one and his constant practice on the violin at all leisure hours won him such rapid advancement that at the age of sixteen years he was playing in a theater for experience.  When eighteen years of age he was in demand as a musician and at twenty had become a recognized factor in musical circles in his home city.  He had also made substantial advance in the stores in which he had been continuously employed but his violin in the evenings brought him as much or more than his regular wages in the store.
     His earlier dreams for a higher education now began to take form and, leaving the store, he entered a law school, hoping to earn enough with the violin at night to meet the expenses of his course.  He had been out of school for more than eight years and in consequence did not know how to study.  For a time it was uphill work, his earlier examinations proving his incapacity in that direction, but at the end of two years he stood second in the class in examinations covering the entire course and drew a cash prize.  The income from his music had steadily increased and enabled him to pursue a two yeas' special literary course, after which he spent a year in the law office.  He won his LL.B. degree from the Illinois Wesleyan University in 1896 and completed his two years' special literary work in 1898.  For twelve years he has been a resident of Peoria.  In May, 1899, he opened a law office with Judson Starr and on the 1st of March, 1900, entered into a partnership with Daniel R. Sheen under the firm name of Sheen & Miller.  When he located in Peoria he resolved to give up music except for the pleasure of it and concentrate his efforts upon his law practice without any side issues especially resolving not to become actively connected with politics.  During the first year of his practice he made very slow progress and was obliged to live most economically, but his determination and ability won in the end and his success has far exceeded his fondest expectations.  His partnership with Mr. Sheen continued until July 1, 1909, when he joined John S. Stevens and J. M. Elliott, in a partnership under the firm name of Stevens, Miller & Elliott, succeeding W. S. Horton, who had previously been with them in the practice of law.  The firm is today one of the strongest of the Peoria bar and has a large and distinctively representative clientage.  As Mr. Miller has prospered in his undertakings he has become interested in city business and residence properties and is a stockholder in the Illinois National Bank.  He is attorney for several Peoria banks and is local attorney for many railroad and other corporations.  He was appointed public administrator of Peoria county by Governor Yates in 1901 was reappointed by Governor Deneen in 1905 and again in 1909.  In politics he has ever been a stalwart republican and did active campaign work in 1900 and 1904.  For a considerable period after entering upon practice, however, he did not engage actively in politics but his qualities of leadership and his deep interest concerning the government of city, state and nation have naturally forced him into more intimate and active relations with political affairs.
     On the 16th of September, 1903, in Peoria.  Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Bruce Morgan, a daughter of H. B. MorganMrs. Miller is an exceptional pianist.  She studied for four years in Chicago and Berlin, her instructors being Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler.  Leopold Godowski and Xavier Scharwenka.  Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two daughters: Jeannette M., born in 1906; and Lillian Bruce, Sept. 8, 1911.  Mr. and Mrs. Miller are very prominent in social circles, particularly where music is a leading attraction and source of interest.  Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and held all the offices in the lodge from 1901 until 1904.  Since the latter year he has been connected with the Knights of Khorassan and has always been a member of the dramatic team.  He likewise belongs to Shiller Lodge, F. & A. M., in which he is now holding office.  In more strictly social and recreative lines he is connected with the Creve Coeur Cub and the Kickapoo Golf Club.  Never fearing to venture where favoring opportunity has led the way, never faltering when determination and courage could overcome difficulties and obstacles, never hesitating to make attempt to reach high ideals and to occupy a place of prominence, Frank T. Miller has continuously advanced since starting out in life on his own account of the age of twelve years, and is today numbered among the foremost citizens of Peoria in political, social and professional lines.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 342
  HARRY S. MILLER is the junior member of the law firm of Dailey & Miller.  The copartnership is comparatively a new formation but both members are experienced lawyers, Mr. Miller having practiced for twenty-two years, or since his admission to the bar when he was twenty-one years of age.  His work in the profession has been marked by an earnestness and a thoroughness which have won him advancement.  He was born in Peoria, Aug. 8, 1869, and is a son of Henry C. and Elizabeth L. (Fisher) Miller.  The father was for a number of years engaged in the contracting and building business and is now living retired.  He came to this city about 1860 from Newport, Kentucky, and in the intervening years has done much to improve the city along building lines.
     The games of youth and the work of the public schools occupied the attention of Harry S. Miller in his boyhood, and when he looked over the field of business to determine upon a life vocation, he decided upon the practice of law and began studying in the office of Starr & Starr, with whom he remained for a year and a half.  He then continued his reading with Henry C. Fuller as his preceptor and was in his office when admitted to the bar.  He then opened an office for himself and practiced in this city for about two years, at the end of which time he removed to Creede, Colorado, which was then a mining camp.  He looked carefully over the field but saw no immediate prospect for success there and after three months returned to Peoria.  Here he entered into partnership with R. H. Radley and opened a law office, practicing in that connection in the Woolner building.  Two years later the firm dissolved and Mr. Miller then entered into partnership with Robert Scholes, the present states attorney.  Their business association was continued for three years, at the end of which time Mr. Miller formed a partnership with the Hon. John Dailey, with whom he has been associated since 1904, his partner being the present state senator from this district.  They do general trial work  entirely and are strong advocates before the courts, Mr. Miller has always realized that success depends largely upon a thorough preparation of his cases and has never feared that laborious work of the office which must precede the presentation of his case in the court room.  His reasoning is strong, his deductions logical and his points follow in a natural sequence that cannot fail to impress court and jury with the correctness of his opinion.  He never fails to command the attention of those in the court room and seldom fails to win the verdict desired.
     On the 26th of November, 1902, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Peterson, a daughter of John and Patience Peterson of Peoria.  There are now two interesting little daughters in the household, Virginia and Harriet.   The parents are well known socially and their own home is characterized by an attractive and generous hospitality.  Mr. Miller is interested in all matters of progressive citizenship to the extent of giving his cooperation wherever his aid con be of avail, but he has little time for work outside of his profession, his practice having constantly grown in volume and importance.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 624
  JAMES B. MILLER, living on his farm which is situated one and one half miles south of Hanna City, Ohio, April 12, 1830, the son of Ezra and Nancy (Weed) Miller, who, in 1845 came by water route from Cincinnati to Peoria where they settled on a farm of forty acres which the father had purchased the previous year.  In their family were ten children, of whom James B., of this review is the second in order of birth.
     James B. Miller, being fifteen years of age when he removed with his parents to Peoria county, grew to manhood there and remained at home helping his father on the farm until 1855.  At that date he, together with his father, purchased a tract of eighty acres of land in Logan township, and soon afterward he bought an adjoining eighty acres, and later purchased his father's share in the first eighty.  He became very successful in his financial affairs and in time owned five hundred and forty acres of land in Peoria county, and at the same time a general merchandise store at Smithville which store he operated for fourteen years.  Later he engaged in the mercantile business at Hanna City, and his merchandise was the fist hauled over the Iowa Central Railroad out of Peoria.  He was widely known throughout the entire county, and for thirty years in a grove on his farm known as Miller's Grove, he held a Fourth of July celebration, furnishing political speakers, band music, fireworks and refreshments to all the farmers for miles around.  Mr. Miller now owns one hundred and forty acres in the farm on which he resides.
     On the 21st of November, 1855, Mr. Miller wedded Miss Nancy A. Smith, and they have become the parents of seven children:  William Fulton, born May 24, 1857, who, for the past twenty-two years has been a mail clerk on the Iowa Central Railroad; Martha Isadora, who was born Jan. 27, 1859, and died Aug. 17, 1860; James Smith, who was born Apr. 20, 1860, and is engaged in farming in Logan township; Thomas Porter, who was born July 12, 1862 and died Sept. 25, 1885; Anna Belle, who was born Dec. 8, 1864, and is the widow of Mr. Walters who was a farmer in Limestone township; John Gordon who was born Oct. 14, 1870, and is engaged in farming in Logan township; and Ralph Marion who was born, Apr. 13, 1873, and is a farmer near Shedds, Oregon.  Mrs. Nancy A. Smith Miller passed away Feb. 8, 1910 at the age of seventy-six years nine months and four days.  She was a member of the United Presbyterian church, and was greatly loved by all who knew her. 
     In politics Mr. Miller is a stanch republican and he is a faithful member of the United Presbyterian church.  He has now resided in Peoria county for more than sixty-six years and he has witnessed the entire growth and development of this section of the country.  He has always shown great interest in all that pertains to the general welfare, and has been known as a public-spirited man who has always found time and inclination to cooperate in the movements for the public good.  In all the relations of life he had been honorable and straightforward, and his example is well worthy of emulation.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 655
  JOSEPH MILLER, now deceased, figured prominently in industrial and financial circles of Peoria, and owed his success to hard work and honest methods.  In all his undertakings he put forth earnest, persistent effort, realizing that the source of power is within he individual, and that not upon environment or circumstances does progress depend.  He became well known in connection with the lumber trade of the city, also with its manufacturing, insurance and banking interests, and in every relation commanded the trust and admiration of his associates.  He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mar. 25, 1848, a son of Joseph Miller, who was a native of Germany and became one of the early residents of Peoria after living for a few years in Cincinnati subsequent to his immigration to the new world.  It was in the early 50's that he arrived in Illinois, where he entered the lumber business now conducted under the name of Joseph Miller & Sons.  he built his success upon a broad and stable basis, and the reliability of his methods commended him to the public patronage.
     Joseph Miller, whose name introduces this review, was but three years of age when brought by his parents to Peoria, and in the German schools of this city he pursued his studies.  His business training came to him under the direction of his father whom he joined after putting aside his text-books, thoroughly acquainting himself with every department of the trade.  The business prospered year after year, for, to the broad experience and sound judgment of the father were added the enterprise and progressiveness of the two sons, for both Joseph Miller and his brother Frank were admitted to the partnership in the business under the  style of Joseph Miller & Sons.  Following the father's death the brothers continued the business with Joseph Miller as the senior partner, and thus the subject of this review was closely associated with the lumber business of this city up to the time of his death.  The business of the house constantly grew in volume and importance for they carried an extensive line of lumber and all kinds of building material, and their business methods measured up to the highest standard of commercial ethics.  Joseph Miller was well known also in other connections, becoming treasurer of the Garside Manufacturing Company, vice president of the German Fire Insurance Company and a director of the Commercial German National Bank.  He found ready solution for intricate business problems, and seemed to recognize almost intuitively the possibilities and opportunities of a situation.  He was also prominently identified with the Board of Trade and enjoyed an enviable reputation for his sound, conservative and reliable business methods and his straightforward dealing.
     On the 10th of April, 1871, occurred the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss Mary DeFries, a daughter of Charles DeFries.  They became the parents of four children:  Joseph, who is identified with the firm of Joseph Miller & Sons; Mary M., Emma J., and Oscar W.  The eldest son is now married and has two children, Joseph, Jr., and Helen Elizabeth.  Mr. Miller held membership in the St. Joseph's Catholic Church, also with the St. Joseph's Brothers and Knights of St. George.  His political support was given to the republican party where national questions and issues were involved, but in local elections he cast an independent ballot.  He was a splendid type of a successful German-American citizen.  Whatever the quiet forces and influences at work in his life to shape his destiny, it was evident at the outset of his business career that he understood clearly the fact that energy and unfaltering perseverance constitute the surest basis upon which to build success.  Those qualities were ever numbered among his salient characteristics and won for him the constant promotion and advancement which attended him in his business career and gained for him his prominent and honorable position in the trade and banking circles of the city.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page
51
  JOSEPH MILLER & SONS.  No history of Peoria's industrial and commercial progress would be complete and satisfactory were there failure to make reference to the enterprise long conducted under the name of Joseph Miller & Sons.  This firm manufactures and handles lumber and building materials, is plant being at South Washington, Walnut and South Water streets.  The yards extend from South Washington to South Water at the corner of Walnut and the office is at No. 530 South Washington.  This business was established in 1848 by Joseph Miller, one of the pioneer lumbermen of the city.  Later his two sons, Joseph and Frank J., joined him in a partnership under the firm style of Joseph Miller & Sons, but all three are now deceased, the business being conducted as a part of the estates of Joseph and Frank J. Miller.  It is an active charge of Joseph Miller, a son of Joseph Miller II, and Frank J. and Frederick C. Miller, who are sons of Frank J. Miller, Sr.  All three are grandsons of Joseph Miller the founder of the business, which stands as a monument to the enterprise and progressive spirit of the promoter.
     Joseph Miller was a native of Baden-Baden, Germany, and came to America in the '40s.  He resided for a short time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and about 1846 came to Peoria, where two years later he established a lumberyard and also entered upon the contracting business.  His elder son, Joseph Miller, was born in Cincinnati and the younger son, Frank J. Miller, in Peoria.  They were reared and educated here and on attaining manhood entered the lumber and contracting business with their father, forming the firm of Joseph Miller & Sons.  Joseph Miller, Jr., became very prominent in industrial and banking circles and was a director of the Commercial German National Bank of Peoria at the time of his death, which occurred Oct. 4, 1905.  Frank J. Miller was also a leading figure in business circles here and passed away Jan. 24, 1904.  Both are mentioned at length elsewhere in this volume.
     The three grandsons of the original proprietor, who are now active in the management of the business, are also well known as leading factors in trade circles in Peoria.  Of these Joseph Miller married Theresa K. McDermott, of Elmwood, Illinois, and they have two children, Joseph and Helen E.  Joseph Miller III is a member of the Creve Coeur Club, of the Illinois Valley Yacht Club and Anna R. Prenger and his brother, Frederick C. Miller, wedded Alice Yingst.  Like their cousin, they are members of the Knights of Columbus and all three hold membership in the Roman Catholic church.  They are all active, enterprising, energetic young business men, who were born and reared in this city and who have made for themselves a substantial and creditable position in its business life.  They are now proprietors of one of the most extensive lumberyards of central Illinois, the volume of their trade having reached a large figure annually.  They possess the same stable and creditable business characteristics which characterized their grandfather and their fathers, and in the further development of their business are proving their right to rank with the leading young men of the city.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 231
  S. M. MILLER, inventor and manufacturer, who is the president of the Miller Safety Lock Company of Peoria, was born on Aug. 4, 1851, on a farm in Morrow County, Ohio, a son of Samuel and Sarah Ann (Call) Miller.  He is a descendant of the early pioneers and noted Indian fighters and is related to the Poe family to which Adam and Andrew Poe belonged, who killed the Big Foot Indian Chief, and were therefore famous as Indian fighters.  His two great-grandfathers on his mother's side fell in action in the Revolutionary war.  His grandfather, David Call, served as captain in the War of 1812 under General Harrison, who afterward became president.  The family is of Pennsylvania-German descent.  The father of S. M. Miller was a carpenter and mechanic and was during his lifetime thus identified with industrial pursuits.  In 1856 he came with his family to the city of Peoria and remained here until the following spring, when he moved to McDonough county, Illinois, settling on a farm on which he made his home for one year.  In 1858 he removed to a farm one and a half miles east of Dunlap in Peoria county, where he remained until the spring of 1861.  His next move was to a place two miles east of Princeville, in this county, where he purchased a farm, besides renting adjoining land, and carried on farming there extensively until the fall of 1867, when he sold his land and moved to Benton county, Missouri, where he settled on a large property and remained for three years.  At the end of that time he bought land in Henry county, Missouri, and engaged in agricultural pursuits until August 8, 1873.  S. M. Miller, the subject of this sketch helping his father with the work on this place.
     The son accompanied his father on his various removals and early became familiar with the labors which fall to the lot of an agriculturist.  At the age of twenty-two years he drove a team of horses from Missouri to the eastern part of Ohio and was forty-five days in making the trip.  He remained in Ohio for three years and in the spring of 1876 drove back to Peoria county, arriving in June.  He then purchased a farm in Hallock township in the northern part of Peoria county, of which he remained the owner until 1901.  As a farmer he was very successful, brought his fields under a high state of cultivation, kept his buildings and fences in good repair and his mechanical skill and inclination were of great advantage in doing many things around the farm and keeping it neat in appearance.  His life stock also looked well cared for and he took pride in his herds and treated his animals kindly.  He was considered one of the enterprising, progressive and successful farmers of the community.  In the meantime, however, he had turned his attention to industrial pursuits, having in 1892 became the owner of a portable sawmill which he operated in Woodford, Marshall and Peoria counties for twelve  years.  Early in his career, in 1887, he spent a year in Florida, leasing his farm, and while in the south followed the carpenter's trade as contractor and builder until he went into the sawmill and lumber business.  He found a market for his output in the large coal mines and carried on an extensive business there.  In 1891 he exchanged his farm for land in Nebraska.  He moved to Peoria in 1904, where he has ever since lived.  Through his skill and ingenuity he has given to the public various useful and valuable mechanical devices, some of which are now upon the market finding a ready sale.  He has succeeded in inventing the only practical mechanical elevator safety lock that is on the market and working successfully.  It makes it impossible for an accident to occur, thus preventing ninety-five per cent of elevator accidents which happen by reason of open doors, people getting on or off of cars or falling down the open shaft.  The device compels the operator to stop his car at a safe landing for receiving and discharging passengers before the door can be opened.  It also locks the power while the door is open so that it must be closed and locked before it is possible to start the car.  Mr. Miller has other inventions now perfected and patents applied for which he expects soon to place upon the market.  We can justly class him with the pubic benefactors and he prides himself on being a useful member of society who will leave something to benefit humanity long after laying aside his earthly labors.
     On the 14th of June, 1883, S. M. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Clara E. Brown, the only child of Elder S. H. Brown, who formerly edited the Christian Gleaner, a Peoria Paper, and later on published the Chillicothe Enquirer, published at Chillicothe, Illinois.  He was a minister of the Christian church and filled the pulpit of that denomination for twenty-seven years.  He was first appointed to the ministry of that church in Brunswick, McDonough county, where he was residing with his family at the time of the marriage of his daughter.  Mr. and Mrs. Miller have become the parents of eight children: Mabel E., the wife of Fred Hunt; and Frank E., Emmett S., Lyman H., Alma E., Merrion M., Howard B. and Earl C.  The three eldest sons are engaged in business with their father, and are of great assistance to him, having become skilled mechanics.  Mr. Miller prefers to concentrate his energies upon his inventions, which promise gratifying returns.  He may well be proud to have by his life work contributed great benefits to his fellowmen and his life may rightly be called on of great usefulness.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 784
  WALTER MURRAY was called to the position of secretary of the board of park commissioners on the 20th of June, 1910.  This was not his first public office for in other connections he had proven his loyalty to the best interests of the city in the faithful performance of duties which devolved upon him.  He is one of Peoria's natives sons, his birth having here occurred Oct. 27, 1870.  His parents were James j. and Mary (McLean) Murray, the latter a daughter of William McLean who was a native of England.  In the paternal line Walter J. Murray comes of Irish and English ancestry.  His father was born on the Emerald isle and the mother in Liverpool, England.  In 1854 the father was brought by his parents to the United States, the family home being established in Peoria.  He became a moulder by trade and afterwards served for a number of years on the police force of the city.  Both he and his wife have now passed away, but their son, Walter J. Murray, still occupies the old home at 1208 North Monroe street in which he was born and to which his parents removed in 1864.
     The public schools afforded him his early educational privileges, and after he began earning his own livelihood he continued his studies by attending night school.  He was first employed as a page in the circuit court under Sheriff Berry and was afterward connected with the firm of Singer & Wheeler for two yeas in the wholesale drug business.  He then entered the employ of Nickol-Burr & Company, serving an apprenticeship at the mechanist's trade.  He afterward spent eleven years as a machinist in the shops of the Rock Island Railroad and then became superintendent of sewers of Peoria under Mayor Bryan.  That his services were appreciated by the railroad company is indicated in the fact that he was solicited to return to his old position where he continued until the shops were moved from the city.  He next entered the service of the Keystone Fence Company as a machinist, and while there became his party's nominee for city clerk against Robert Joos, the republican candidate.  He lost the election by a majority of one hundred and thirty-four votes, but was appointed assistant city comptroller under Mayor Tolson, and acted in that capacity for two years.  When Thomas O'Connor succeeded Mr. Tolson to the position of mayor Mr. Murray was appointed city comptroller and continued in the office for two years more after which he returned to the Keystone Fence Company.  A year later he was elected by the park commissioners to the office of secretary of the park board, and has now filled that office for two years.  In this connection he is rendering valuable service and is doing much to further the park interests of the city.
     Mr. Murray is connected with various fraternities and societies.  He belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp, the Independent Order of Foresters and was the first financial secretary of Court Gibbons Independent Order of Foresters.  He is also a member of the Peoria Yacht Club.  He likewise holds membership with the Knights of Columbus and the International Association of Machinists and for three years was secretary of the Machinists' Union.  His religious faith is that of the Catholic church.  He has made a creditable record in public office, and in his different private positions has proven himself thoroughly loyal and faithful to the interests which he has represented.
Source: Peoria City and County, Illinois - The S. J. Clarke Publ. Co. - 1912 - Page 25

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