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BIOGRAPHIES
(Source: History of Peoria County, Illinois -
Chicago - Johnson & Company - 1880
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| MARK MORRILL AIKEN,
real estate dealer, 116 N. Washington street, is the son of
Nathaniel and Susannah (Morrill) Aiken. He was born in
Deering, Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, June 21, 1808. His
great-grandfather, Edward Aiken, emigrated from the
north of Ireland to Londonderry, New Hampshire, about 1722. He
had three sons, Nathaniel, James and William.
Nathaniel had five sons, Edward, John, James, Thomas and
William. The latter settled in Deering, New Hampshire.
He married Betsy Woodburn. She was a daughter of
David Woodburn. David Woodburn and wife were the
maternal grandparents of Horace Greeley. One daughter,
Betsy, married William Aiken; another daughter, Mary,
married Zaccheus Greeley, from whom Horace Greeley was
descended. The offspring of William Aiken and Betsy
Woodburn was Nathaniel AIken. He married
Susannah Morrill. There were five children as the fruit of
this marriage, Mark M. Aiken being the first. He
bears his mother's patronymic for his middle name. He received
a common school education. In the same class with him was a
boy who has since made a noise in the theological world - Rev.
Parker Pillsbury. When he was sixteen years old, he began
to look about for employment. He has a maternal uncle in New
York city who visited his father every Summer. He took a fancy
to Mark, and told him if he would come to New York he would
get him something to do. Mark was reported to be a good
scholar, and he took a certificate from the select men of the town
of Deering, giving a list of his qualifications, and their opinion
of his character. Armed with his, on the 17th of March, 1824,
he and his uncle called upon the Harper Bros., the well known
printing firm. It consisted then of but two members, James
and John. Mark presented his certificate and they read
it over and laughed at it, and set him to work reading a book on
political economy. This was his examination. It proved
satisfactory. The Harpers then said he could come on
trial, and if he proved satisfactory he could be indentured.
He went to board with John Harper. He stayed with them
until 1830, and then his health failed. They fitted him out
with a lot of books and sent him to Charleston, South Carolina.
He sold the books and returned. In 1832, he started a
job office at 54 Liberty Street, New York City. Here he found
Horace Greeley. As they were remotely related they struck up
a sort of partnership, Greeley canvassed for jobs, and
Aiken did the work, and paid him a commission. This
continued until 1833, and then Aiken sold out his office.
Greeley took part of it, and a man by te name of S. D.
Childs, whose son is now a wood engraver in Chicago, bought the
other part. Childs had married Mark's eldest
sister. It was a losing venture for Mark because
Childs never paid. Then Aiken took a lot of copies
of a medical work by A. Sidney Doane, a professor in the New
York Medical, and started West. He stopped at the principal
towns and sold the book. He went to Pittsburg, and from there
to St. Louis by steamer. While running his job office, he had
printed a catalogue for the Western Land Co. of the Military Tract,
Ill. He had acquired one or two patents in payment for his
work, and so he concluded to run up the river and see about it.
Dr. Berrien, an Episcopal clergyman of the city of New York,
had a large list of land, or a plat, that he thought was located in
Peoria. Mark was instructed to give this to his agent,
a man by the name of Capt. Howard. He took the steamer
Champion, and landed here the 28th of October, 1833. Here he
went into the land business, and, in 1836, formed a partnership with
the late Geo. C. Bestor. This continued until 1840.
Since then he has been alone. The only offices he has ever
held are school inspector, commissioner for condemning and opening
streets, assessor for two years in 1834, internal revenue inspector
for two years in 1834, internal revenue inspector for two
years, and he is now finishing his second term as a member of the
board of health. In politics he has always been an
anti-slavery radical. He voted for John Quincy Adams
for President in 1832, and acted with the Abolitionists until the
Republican part was formed. He voted that ticket up to the
nomination of Horace Greeley, when he voted for Greeley
Mr. Aiken's mental abilities are still unimpaired. He
has always been an earnest lover of liberty, and his benevolence is
known far and wide. He gave the ground on which the First
Methodist church stands. He and Asahel Hale owned it
together. They made a donation of it to the church.
Mr. Aiken is a firm believer in helping people help themselves.
More than one man owes his success in life to the sympathy, wise
counsel, and practical sense that Mr. Aiken gave him.
In this respect he has been emphatically guide, counsellor and
friend to multitudes. |
| BENJAMIN ALBERTS,
saloon, 112 S. Washington street. Was born on the 17th day of
May, 1839, in New Orleans, La. Left there in 1842, went to
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained twenty-two years, thence to
Terre Haute, Ind., and remained nine years. Came to Peoria in
1873. Married Josie Kemper, Jan. 21, 1880; has been in
business for himself in Peoria one year. Politics, Democrat. |
| HENRY ALBRECHT,
druggist, 111 S. Washington street. Son of Henry and
Elizabeth (Kunz) Albrecht, natives of Switzerland, where the
subject of this sketch was born (at Zurich) on the 13th day of Dec.,
1842, and received a good education. In 1864 came to America
and settled in Peoria; embarked in the grocery business, but finding
it hard to get along on account of the language, went into an
American family and learned the language; afterward embarked into
the drug business, which he has made a success. Carries a full
line drugs, paints, oils, lamps, and notions usually kept in a
first-class drug store, and is one of the largest retail dealers in
the city. Married Miss Catherine Sing; she was born in
Tazewell county, Ill., April 1, 1844; they have three children,
Louisa, Nellie, and Lillie. Members of the German
M. E. Church. |
| ALEXANDER ALLISON
(deceased), carriage manufacturer, res. 809 Fayette street, was
born in Ontario county, N. Y., on the 17th day of December, 1825
(was the son of Joseph and Martha Allison). Came to
Peoria county about 1844, and engaged in the manufacturing of
carriages (He died Nov. 24, 1873). Was a member of the
Universalist church ,and a consistent Christian, and was loved and
respected by all who knew him. Married Miss Caroline
Jeffers, daughter of Jesse and Jane Jeffers. Her
mother coming to this county as early as May, 1833, was one of the
seven who formed the first Presbyterian Church in Peoria, of which
she was a member until her death, which occurred July 10, 1852.
There were six children of her mother's family, two of whom are
living, Mrs. Theodore Adams, of Philadelphia, and Mrs.
Allison. Mrs. A. says there were only five frame
houses in the city when they first came, and the prairie dogs made
the nights hideous with their howling. |
| JOSEPH ARMFIELD,
teaming, 123 Main street, was born in Burlington, Iowa, April 3,
1846. His father was a native of North Carolina. He was
raised, attended school, and afterwards engaged in teaming business
in his native city, coming to Peoria in 1862. On coming, he
started his present business, and has continued it without a break;
has four teams constantly employed, and does the largest express
business in the city. He married in Quincy, Ill., in the
Winter of 1866, Sarah Layman a native of Qincy, by whom he
has had five children, four now alive, Mary, Susan, Ida, and
Frank. Mrs. Armfield is a member of the M. E. Church. |
| DR. JOHN D. ARNOLD
(deceased), was born in the town of Collins, in the State of New
York, June 8, 1820; studied medicine at Buffalo, N. Y.; attended for
a considerable time the New York College of Surgeons, and finally
graduated at Alleghany Medical College at Meadville, Pa. He
commenced the practice of medicine at Springfield, N. Y., with
Dr. Emmons. In th Spring of 1847 he emigrated to
Galveston, Texas, remaining there but one year, when he removed to
Peoria and resumed the practice of medicine, soon establishing an
extensive and lucrative practice. In 1854 the Doctor was
elected to the State Senate, where he served four years with general
acceptance to his constituency. In 1859 he was elected mayor
of this city, and served for one year, his administration of public
affairs always being conservative and prudent, with enough of energy
to keep matters moving. In 1861 he was appointed consul to St.
Petersburg by President Lincoln, leaving for his post in May
of that year. His close application to his profession had
impaired his health, and made great encroachments upon his vigorous
constitution. the rigorous climate of St. Petersburg proved
too severe for his health, after close confinement to his apartments
during the severity of a Russian Winter, he recovered sufficiently
to return home in the Spring of 1862 in the feeble health, was very
soon confined to his bed, and after a lingering illness of some
three months, died in April, 1863. In politics the Doctor was
a Whig, and when the Whig party went down he joined his political
fortunes with the Republicans. He was of a lively social turn
of mind, and enjoyed the friendship, esteem, and confidence of all
with whom he came in contact. He was a man of quick
perception, great energy and perseverance. |
| FRANK W. ASH sign
writer and painter, res. 209 N. Adams street, is the oldest of three
children of Horace F. Ash and Nancy Garrett, and was born in
Springfield, Ill., on July 14, 1844. His mother died when he
was but four years old, and he lived chiefly with his grandfather
Garrett during childhood and youth; came to Peoria first with
his uncle Auren Garrett in 1854, whose father was a very
early settler in Peoria county. Soon after the first call for
troops he enlisted in the 8th Ill. Inf., but being a minor his
grandfather secured his discharge at the end of three months.
In the Fall of 1862 he again enlisted in Co. A., 77th Reg. I. V. I.,
and served till the close of the war; was discharged in July, 1865.
He participated in some ten battles under Gen. Grant.
Attended school one term after returning home, then went into the
painting business. On Nov. 10, 1872, married Alice Doyle,
in Pekin, who was born in Louisville, Ky.; settled for six months in
Bloomington, Ill., thence removed to Pekin for a short time, and
came to Peoria in April, 1874. Their family consists of two
sons, Frank Martin, born Nov. 10, 1873, and Augustus Auren,
born Sept. 10, 1875. Mr. A.'s father was a man of
extraordinary mental powers, and though dependent entirely upon his
own efforts, attained to the position of treasurer of the State oaf
Illinois; and was at the time of his son's birth, filling the office
of assistant auditor of State. |
| W. W. ATWOOD,
superintendent of the Grange Co-operative store, 229 S. Washington
street, son of Hiram and Aurilla (Douglass) Atwood; mother a
native of Connecticut, and father of Vermont. In 1819 father
went to McComb county, Michigan, where the subject of this sketch
was born on the 10th day of April, 1836; was reared on a farm and
received a common school education, also attended commercial school
one term, which gave him a fair knowledge of business. Came to
Peoria county in 1855, and immediately commenced manufacturing
bottled beer, or pop, and continued in the same for five years.
Afterwards commenced the boot and shoe trade and carried that on
three years. Thence on a farm eight miles from Peoria on the
Knoxville road, and in 1878 came to Peoria and took charge of the
grange store. Married Miss Margaret Frye, daughter of
Smith Frye, one of the prominent men in the county. She
was born in this county March 21, 1839. The fruit of this
marriage is ten children, viz.: Charles, George, Mary, Smith,
Willie, Douglass, Henry, Percy, Aurilla, and Phœba. |
JOHN AUMER,
grocer, 823 N. Monroe st., was born Feb. 16, 1830, in Germany;
emigrated to the United States in 1855, and located in Baltimore,
where he remained three years; thence to Chicago, Ill., and remained
a short time; thence to Peoria and worked at the baker business;
engaged in the grocery business in 187. In 1858 married
Miss Mary Miller, by whom there are two children, one boy and
one girl. They are both members of the Catholic Church. They
have succeeded in business and have several fine houses and lots. |
| GILMAN W. AVERY,
furniture manufacturer and dealer, Nos. 114, 116, 118 and 120 Main
st., was born in Greenfield, N. H., March 14, 1835. Parents
were Amos and Lydia Avery nee Evans, both
natives of that State. Mr. A. is the sixth of a family
of six sons and four daughters; was educated in the common schools
and at Kimball academy, Meriden, N. H., went to Missouri when twenty
years old and engaged in teaching; after earning some money returned
to New Hampshire and attended school for a time, then back to
Missouri and taught school, in all three years. Jan. 18, 1860,
he married Ellen Haywood, in Jaffrey, N. H., and came West;
engaged in general merchandising, including furniture, in Lebanon,
Mo., in August, 1861; left there in 1862 to escape violence at the
hands of the rebels, and came to Illinois, losing their entire
property of nearly $15,000 value. After two years spent in
same business elsewhere, settled in Peoria in 1864, and forming a
partnership with F. J. Comstock, established the present
business on a limited scale, which has grown to large and increasing
dimentions under his judicious and energetic management. His
marital union has resulted in three children, two living, Frank
E., born July 21, 1861, and Fred H. born Aug. 1, 1873;
Granville died at five yeas of age. Mr. A. having
started life with no cash capital, and once lost the results of
several years' labor, his years have been full of struggle and hard
work, but have yielded flattering results, due largely to close
attention to details, and the assistant of a true helpmate, who,
with a fine education, combined diligence in business. Mr.
A. has served the city in the Board of Alderman.
Himself and wife are members of the Baptist Church. |
| AXMAN
& SALZENSTEIN, hides, pelts, wool and furs, 111 Main street.
This business was started under present firm name in 1873, and was
continued till May, 1878, whenhis former partner again came into the
firm. Hides and wool are their principal articles of trade.
Buying from farmers and country dealers, they cure the hides and
ship them to Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Conn., and New York.
The basement of their building is used for curing purposes, at which
they employ from two to six men, since they do much the largest hide
business in the city. Also have in lower Peoria a grease
manufactory, where they make for export a fine quality of grease.
Of this they make about a car load a week. Also handle
considerable tallow. Last year's business amounted to about
$90,000. |
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