Portage, Illinois

GRUMME JlIt,IUS, Harness Maker, 246 and 248 Main Street, corner Franklin ; residence same numbers; born in Germany April 6, 1826; came to Philadelphia in 1847 ; went to Pittsburg the same year ; lived there about one year and a half; went to Virginia then, and came to Galena in 1850; he has been in harness business since 1852; he married Olive Stebbins March 23, 1852; she was born in Mantua Tp., Portage Co., Ohio, April 28, 1833; they have six children: Almira Inez, Charles J., Wm. Fred, Frank, Arthur and Harry ; they have lost two daughters ; Mr. and Mrs. G. are members of the M. E. Church.

Passage source: The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Constitution of the United States, published 1878.

IflTXKIXS DARIUS, Capitalist; residence Second Street, near Decatur; born in Sanbornton, Strafford Co., N. H., April 29, 1812; moved to Baltimore; first wife was Ann McCarthy ; they were married June 28, 1840; she was born at Silver Lake, Pa., Feb. 13, 1820, and died July 18, 1861; they had five children: Miriam Amelia, born in Sanbornton, N. H., March 14, 1841 ; she married Edward T. Greene Dec. 21, 1861 ; Charles McCarthy was born in Galena Feb. 1, 1843, and died March 12, 1843 ; Robert Stuart was born in Galena June 30, 1844, died Sept. 17, 1846; Sidney Cassius was born in Galena Aug. 2, 1847; he married Phenie Mills January 5, 1872; Frank Pierce was born in Galena July 15, 1850; married Fannie Blaetterman Oct. 18, 1877 ; Col. Hunkins' present wife was Maria F. Greene ; they were married April 10, 1867; she was born at Napierville, 111., Nov. 19, 1838; one child by this marriage, Kate Virginia, born in Galena Dec. 21, 1870; since 1832 the Colonel has been largely interested in the construction of railroads in various parts of this country; in 1832 he superintended the construction of a part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway; afterwards contractor on the Allegheny & Portage R. R., in Pa., and Sandy & Beaver Canal, Ohio; in 1836 he took contract of the Louisville & Lexington Ry., from Louisville to Middleton; in 1837 engaged on the New Albany & Vincennes Ry. ; in Spring of 1838 came to Galena; from 1838 to 1840 he was engaged as contractor in construction of the Illinois Central Ry.; in 1840 he went to N. H., where he was engaged in building the Concord & Nashua Railroad ; in the Fall of 1842 he returned to Galena and engaged in mining and smelting; in 1845 he took the contract for the construction of the Government Military Road from Dubuque to the Des Moines River; completed this contract in 1846; in 1847-'48 he built the Spring and Meeker Street bridges in Galena ; in 1851 he took the contract for building the Pacific Ry., from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Mo. ; he completed that contract in Nov., 1855 ; he was attending a steamboat convention at New Orleans, when the first decided demonstrations of of the War of the Rebellion were made; in 1862, he went to the headwaters of the Missouri River, Washington Territory, taking with him the first steam engine which had ever been transported to that region ; he took quartz mills to the territory in 1863, having to transport every thing by teams from the mouth of Milk River to Bannack City, a distance of 600 miles; from that time until the Fall of 1865 he was engasred in that region mining and quartz milling; in the Fall of 1865 he returned to St. Louis ; in 1868 he took a contract for the construction of a portion of the Iron Mountain Ry.; in 1872-'73 he graded the Galena & Southern Wisconsin Ry. from Galena to Plattville, Wis.; in 1874 he took charge of the Keokuk Noi " ern Line Packet; he was president and superintendent of the Galena & Southern Wisconsin Railway Co. in 1875; since then he has not been engaged in active business; our country has produced few men who have displayed greater energy and business sagacity than Col. Hunkins. Hunkins S. livery stable.

Passage source: The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Constitution of the United States, published 1878.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on West Galena Township.