Alton Township (part 2 of 3)

Warehouse Of Godfrey Gilman & Co M.

The same Grand .Jury found indictments again?t John Solomon, Solomon Morgan, Levi Palmer, Horace Beall, Josiah Nutter, James Jennings, Jacob Smiih, David Butler, William Carr, James M. Rock, and Frederick Bruchy, for "unlawfully, and with force and violence," entering the storehouse of Benjamin Godfrey, and Winthrop S- Gilman, and " unlawfully, riotously, and with force and violence," breaking and destroying a printing-press. These men were also acquitted, and thus ended judicial investigation of all matters connected with the death of Lovejoy.

Subsequent History

The commercial crash of 1837, the pro-slavery riot in which Lovejoy lost his life, and the collapse of the State railway system of which Alton was to have been the centre, all contributed to the downfall of the business prosperity of Alton, and for some years subsequent to 1837, trade was stagnant and property depreciated, while many of the most enterprising business firms met with financial ruin. About the year 1842, business revived again, and from that time on the city has had a healthy, steady, and constant growth.

The first railroad to Alton was completed in September, 1852. The Chicago and Mississippi railroad (now a part of the Chicago and Alton) extending to Springfield, began running at that date. To the enterprise of Benjamin Godfrey was principally due the construction of this road. The road terminated several blocks from the river. St. Louis passengers were transferred to boats till 1861, when the company secured railroad connection with East St. Louis by means of the Terre Haute and Alton road, which was used for their trafiic till the completion of the present line of the Chicago & Alton Company to East St. Louis, in 1864.

Alton in 1853 is described by a well known writer (Gov. John Reynolds) as a city of twelve churches, six public free schools, and several private schol.istic institutions, three newspapers of which two were daily, with nine lawyers, eight ministers, ten physicians, and three large and commodious hotels Two hundred dwelling-houses and twenty . large stores were erected that year. Two large flouring mills were in operation. Between forty and fifty steam engines and saw mil's were made each year, and a large quantity of valuable agricultural machinery'. Its lime product was celebrated throughout the Mississippi valley. During the year, exclusive of the St. Louis packets, eighteen hundred and eighteen steamboats arrived, many of these boats steamers from New Orleans. The average number of pa-ssengers between Alton and St. Louis each day was two hundred and ten. The penitentiary contained two hundred and seventy-seven prisoners. The receipt of wheat, corn, and oats, ranged from two hundred and fifty thousand to three hundred thousand bushels of each staple. Twentyseven thousand head of hogs, and three thousand head of cattle were slaughtered and packed.

Alton was a military pest; during (he war of the rebellion, from the beginnii/g of the year 1862 to the close of the war. It was garrison^atjHtlereiit times by theSi^ventyseventh Ohio, the Tenth Kansas, the One Hundred and Sixty;fi)urth Illinois and the Thirty-seventh Iowa infantry 0 ^..^ regiments, and the Fifteenth regiment of the United States regular army. A number of rebel prisoners, sometimes as many as sixteen hundred, were confined in the old penitentiary. About two hundred of them died and were buiied in a piece of ground near the village of North Alton. The small pox at one t'rae prevailed among the prisoners, and those attacked by this disease were taken to a hospital across the river. Those who died there were buried in the " tow head," as it is called, and since the construction of the government dyke the current of the river has washed their graves away.

Alton was incorporated as a town on the 6th of February, 1833. Previous to this the town was governed by a Board of Trustees, though the date at which the first organization was efltcted cannot now be ascertained. The Legislature granted a charter as a city on the 21st of Julj', 1837. An election was held on the 11th of September, 1877, at which the proposition to organize as a city under the general law was carried. The debt of the city on the first day of April, 1882, was S87.525.82. The City Hall, which cost in the neighborhood of fifty thou.sand dollars, was completed in 1858. The city receives from the United States five hundred dollars a year rent for the space occupied by the Post Oflice.

From 1832 to 1834 Jonathan T. Hudson was president of the Board of Trustees; 1834-5, J. S. Lane; 1835-6, J. T. Hudson ; 1836-7, lienjamin K. Hart. The first election under the city charter was held in 1837. From that time until the present the following gentlemen have filled the office of Mayor :

City Court Of Alton

The Alton City Court was organized in 1859, and its first session was held on the 11th of April of that year. The name Was changed in 1874 from the Alton City Court to the City Court of Alton. It has jurisdiction of all chancery and common law causes, except murder. Henry W. Billings was the first judge. He was succeeded in 1866 by Henry S. Baker, who remained on the bench till the September term, 1881, when Alexander H. Gambrill, who now presides over the court, became judge. On the organization of the court, James William Davis was clerk, and acted as such till 1861, when John W. Ash assumed the duties of the office. Patrick Ward, the present incumbent, became clerk in 1875.

Early Hotels

The best known hotel of Alton was the old Alton House, which occupied the corner of Front and Alby streets. A substantial frame building was erected on this spot in 1832 by Jonathan T. Hudson, in which a hotel was opened under the name of the Alton House. Among the proprietors in early times were Andrew Miller, a Mr. Delaplain, Samuel Pitts, and Washington Libby. This building was destroyed by fire in 1837. Calvin Stone replaced it by a brick building about fifty by twenty-five feet in dimensions, and three stories in height. About the year 1844 it came into the possessionof Major B.T.Burke, of Carlin villa, who remodelled and much enlarged it. Various parties leased it for short periods. It was kept for many years by Amos L. Corson, who was succeeded in the spring of 1866 by William Siemens, who was the proprietor till it was burned down on the eighth of January, 1870.

The Franklin House was built by a Mr. Blakeley. It was afterward purchased by Benjamin Godfrey, who made additions to it. For a period of ten years George W. Fox was the proprietor. He was succeeded by Ephraim Bliss, who kept the hotel four years. Samuel Pitts was then in charge for six years preceding 1861. The next proprietors were Edward S. and Ilufus H. Lesure, and then it came into the possession of W. H. K. Pile. In later years it lost the distinction it once enjoyed of being a popular and well-kept hotel, and was known under several differeui names. The

The Piasa House on the northeast corner of Fourth and Piasa streets was at one time a prominent and well patronized hotel. It was built by Judge Hezekiah Hawley previous to the year 1835 Among its proprietors in its palmy days were Mrs. Wait, Mr. Reno, William Weutworth, Capt. William Post, Samuel Brooks, Jacob C. Bruuer, and John Hart and sons. In the vicinity was the old terminus of the railroad from Springfield, from which passengers and baggage were transferred to the boats, and its situation gave it a large patronage. After the railroad track was extended to the river and rail connection made with East St- Louis^ the hotel declined and was thereafter maintained in but an indifferent way.

The old Union Hotel, at one time a well managed house, was where the first Presbyterian Church now stands, in the building erected by Beal Howard, in 1829. It was afterward known as the Virginia House, and was destroyed by fire.

It is believed that the Rev. Thos. Lippincott preached the first sermon in Alton. In the winter of 1829-30, William Miller, Beal and Charles Howard, and a few of their neighbors, began holding religious services, first in the cooper shop of William Miller, and afterward in new buildings as they were being erected from time to time and were yet unoccupied. A Sabbath-school was begun in 1831. During that year the Baptists and Presbyterians united in holding services in what was then known as the Lyceum Hall. Rev. Hubbel Loomis was the Baptist minister, and Rev. Elisha Jenny, the Presbyterian. The Protestant Methodists had occasional services at which Charles Howard usually officiated. The first church edifice stood on the ttortheast corner of Third and Market streets, the site of the present Episcopal church, and was a stone building, about sixty by forty-five feet in size, erected through the liberality of Benjamin Godfrey, who granted the free use of it to both the religious societies, organized in Alton, the Baptist and Presbyterian. It was adorned by a neat cupola in which was a bell, the gift of Mrs. Gilman, mother of Benjamin I. Gilman.

A Presbyterian church was formed on the ninth of June, 1821, by the Rev. Daniel Gould and the Rev. Edward Hollister, who were employed by the Connecticut Domestic Missionary Society. H. H. Snow and Enoch Long w^re elders. In 1827, removals having reduced the membership to two, the church was united with the church at Ed«ardsville. The present Presbyterian church was organized June 19, 1831, by the Rev. Thomas Lippincott, with eight members. Enoch Long was chosen elder. From 1835 to 1845 the congregation met in the church on the corner of Third and Market streets, for one year in a frame building on the corner of Third and Alby streets, and in June, 1846, the present Presbyterian church on the corner of Second and Market streets was dedicated. The Rev. Thomas Gordon is now the pastor.

History Of Madisoncounty, Illinois

March, 1833, with a membership of nineteen persons. Rev. Alviu Bailey was the first pastor. A church was built in 1834, on the northeast corner of Third and Alby streets. In 1831) a lot was purchased for three thousand dollars at the northeast corner of Second and Easton streets, and a church erected at an additional cost of eighteen thousand dollars. This building burned down in March, 1860, and in 1861, the congregation occupied a new church at the corner of Fifth and Market streets. The present pastor is the Rev. L. A. Abbott.

The First Methodist Episcopal church sprang from a Methodist class, formed in 1831, of which "William Miller was leader. In 1836 a frame church was purchased on the northeast corner of Third and Alby streets, and occupied five or six years. In 1814 a stone church on the northeast corner of Fourth and Belle streets was completed, and in 1855 enlarged. The church on the southeast corner of Si.vth and Market streets was finished in 1859. The congregation is now under the care of the Rev. S. P. Groves.

St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1836 with si.K members. The Rev. Depuy was the first rector, and after his departure in the fall of 1837, Owen Lovejoy was lay reader for several months. In 1843 the building and ground on the corner of Third and Market streets, the site of the present church, was purchased, and about 1850 the old building was removed and the present church edifice erected at a cost of thirteen thousand dollars. A terrible tornado in the month of June, 1860, demolished the tower of the church, and injured the roof, altogether causing damages amounting to five thousand dollars. The present rector is the Rev. Thomas W- Haskins, who also has pastoral charge of Trinity chapel.

St. Peter's and St. Paul's Roman Catholic church. A frame building was erected in Upper Alton in 1838 for the use of the Catholic congregation, of which Rev. George Hamilton was pastor. The Rev. Michael Carroll undertook the building of a new church on the corner of Third and Alby streets, which was completed in 1844. This structure was destroyed by fire in 1854, when the building of the present Cathedral was commenced. In 1857 Alton was raised to an Episcopal See, and the Rt. Rev. Henry D. Juncker was consecrated as first bishop ; his death occurred in 1868, and the Rev. Father P. J. Baiters, formerly pastor of St Peter's church, Belleville, was consecrated as bishop on the twentythird of January, 1870- The Rev. Charles J. Zeiwisler is now the pastor.

The Unitarian church was organized in 1853. After the burning of the Catholic church on the corner of Third and Alby streets, in 1854, the ground was purchased by the Unitarians who, using the same walls, completed the present church building The Rev. J. Fisher is the pastor.

The First Cumberland Presbyterian church was organized with SBveateen m^rabsrs in June, 1855. Their present church building, at the corner of Twelfth and Henry streets, was completed in 1856.

The German Methodist church was organized about ]8.j8. The church is on Union street, and the congregation is under the care of the Rev. Louis Harmel.

St. Mary's Catholic church, the congregation which is composed of German Catholics, was completed in 1859. The tornado of June, 1800, destroyed the church building, and also the school-house and priest's residence adjoining. A larger and finer building was then erected, and was dedicated in 1861. The Rev. Peter Peters is pastor.

The Congregational church was organized in 1870. The church edifice is on the corner of Sixth and Henry streets. The Rev. E G. Chaddock is pastor.

A large Union mission Sunday-school was organized in 185S, under the care of the Young Men's Christian Association. For several months its meetings were held in the upper story of a building known as Hunter's tavern; afterwards in a vacant store owned by Major Charles AV". Hunter, on Second street near Henry ; and then in Weigler's Hall, at the corner of Second and Henry streets. A larg'i mission Sunday-school is now carried on in Hunterstown under the care of the Baptists and one on State street in charge of the Presbyterians.

There are two churches maintained by the colored population. The Union Baptist church was organized about 1840, and occupies a church edifice at the corner of Seventh and George streets. The Rev J. T. Pierman is pastor.

Alton And St. Louis Packets

The first steamer to begin making regular trips as a packet between Alton and St. Louis, not the " Tiskilwa, " in the year 1833. This boat then carried the mail. She was named after an Indian chief, and after leaving the Alton and St. Louis trade was sunk in 1836, in collision with the steamer Wisconsin. The "Alpha" in 1837 was the next boat to begin running as a regular packet. She was succeeded by the Eagle, commanded by captains Wilson, Reed, and Clay, of St. Louis. In 1843 this boat was bought by captain William P. Laraothe, of Alton. In January, 1844, captain Lamothe, in connection with Messrs. Starnes & Springer of St. Louis, built the "Luella. " In 1845 Frink & Walker, of Chicago, proprietors of stage lines, placed in opposition to the " Luella, " the " Governor Briggs, " captain James E. Starr, and the two boats soon came to be the property of one joint-.stock company. In 1848 Messrs. S. & P. Wise with captain Thomas G. Starr and other citizens of Alton, bought the " Tempest, " with which an opposition line was started. At that time the fare between Alton and St. Louis was one dollar. The year 1849 witnessed a warm competition between the two lines. The old company determined to sharply oppose the '' Tempest, " and captain George E. Hawley of the "Luella," cut down the fare to seventy-five cents, then to fifty, then to twenty-five, then to ten cents, and finally carried passengers without charge and freight for nearly nothing. The " Tempest" was prompt to meet these reductions, and lively times be tweeu the two rival lines were experienced during the summsr of 1849. Each boat carried a ban 1 of music and left at the sam3 hour. Eich was anxious to make better time than its rival, and rosin and turpentine were burnt freely with the wood for fuel. At that time there was no law re- Etricliug engineers as to the amouut of steam they should carry. After furnishing cheap transportation for several months, the owners of the boats came to the conclusion that a better way could be devised for the management of their business, and consolidated their interests. The " Luella" ran in the trade during the spring of 1850, and the "Tempest, " the balance of the year, and the whole of the year 1851. Frink & Walter sold their interest in the company to captain Joseph Brown, who in partnership with S. & P. Wise and Gaty, McClune & Co., of St. Louis, bui't the " Altona, " which began running in December, 1851, and was then the fastest boat on the western waters. She made the run from St. Louis to Alton in one hour and thirtyseven minutes, which for many years afterward stood as the fastest time ever made on the river from St. Louis to Alton. In September, 1852, the Chicago & Mississippi railroad company, on the completion of their road from Springfield to Alton, purchased the Altona, Capt. D C Adams, and the " Cornelia," Capt, Lamothe, for the accommodation of their freight and passenger traffic between Alton and St. Louis. Two trips were made each day. The Cornelia sank in December, 1853, and the Altona the first day of January 1854. The "St. Paul," Capt. Lamothe, then did all the business till March, 1854, when the " Keindeer," Capt. Adams, and the " Winchester," Capt. John A Bruner, were added to the line. These boats did not prove profitable investments, and were sold, J. J. & W. Mitchell, W. P. Lamothe, Joseph Brown, and Gaty, McCune & Co. becom- 'ing the purchasers and agreeing to do the business of the railroad between the two points. There were some changes of ownership in 1857, when we find the company with three boats, the Reindeer, Baltimore and York State. The Reindeer sank November 10th, 1857; September 10th, 1859, the York State sank ; in October of the same year the " David Tatum " was purchased, and the following December witnessed the end of Baltimore ; she sank like her companion boats. Several different boats were then chartered until the company built the femous ' City of Alton," Capt. George E Hawley, which went into service in the fall of 1860. About the time of the breaking out of the war the railroad company began sending their passer gers through by rail over the Alton k Terre Haute railroad (the present Indianapolis & St- Louis) when the " City of Alton " was withdrawn, and ran South from St. Louis in command of Capt. AVilliam Barnes. In June, 1862, the company bought the " B. M. Runyan," Capt. James S. Bellas, which ran between Alton and St. Louis till 1864, when she also went South and sank on the 2lst of July, proving a total loss. The '- David Tatum" was then brought into requisition. Meanwhile, the Chicago & Alton railroad company (the old Chicago and Mississippi) had extended their road to St. Louis, and all the railroad freight was taken from the boat toward the close of the year 1864. The Tatum continued to run during January and February, 1865, but not proving profitable, she was withdrawn, and the Alton trade abandoned to the through line packets.

After a month or more Capt. John A. Bruner, in connection with Tunstall & Holmes and others of St. Louis, began running the " May A. Bruner. " In the summer of 1865 the " South Wester " was purchased, and ran between Alton and St. Louis, till the winter of 1868-9, when the company built the Belle of Alton which was in service between Alton and St. Louis, in the fall of 1871, when she was sent South, and was burned at New Orleans, on the 28th of March, 1872. The Schuyler, in the fall of 1871, supplied the place of the Belle of Alton, and ran till the next year. In 1872, the Illinois River Packet Company placed the Illinois in the Alton and St. Louis trade, and she ran about two years and a half. In March, 1874, Capt. John A. Bruner, purchased the De Smet and started her in opposition to the Illinois, which was now taken off. In the summer of 1874 the Eagle Packet company began business, and shortly afterward Capt. Bruner and this company con.solidated their interests, and have since at different times ran the " De Smet," the " Bald Eagle," and the " Spread Eagle," between St. Louis, Alton, and Grafton.

The Alton Cemetery

The grounds now embraced in the Alton Cemetery, in the eastern part of the city, were formerly the property of Major C'harles W. Hunter, and had been used for burial purposes from a date early in the history of Alton. In March, 1845, the mayor and common council of the city of Alton, and their successors in office, were incorporated as the " Alton Cemetery," and the grounds remained under their control till 1875, when they were transferred to an association, incorporated under the name and title of the " 2Vlton Cemetery," of which all the lot owners were made members. The present officers of the association are : Charles A. Caldwell, president, and H. J. Crane, secretary and treasurer. This association agreed to assume the old indebtedness and enlarge the grounds, which now comprise about twenty acres. Here is the grave of Elijah P. Lovejoy. In laying out an avenue the removal of his remains was made necessary, and they now lie about one hundred feet from the place of their original interment. A lot has been set apart for a monument which the Lovejoy Monument Association design erecting to his memory, and to this part of the cemetery it is intended to remove his ashes when the monument shall have been built. The cemetery contains the graves of one hundred and sixty-four United States soldiers who died at Alton during the war of the Rebellion. They belonged to the Seventy-seventh Ohio, the Tenth Kansas and the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Illinois, and the Thirty-seventh Iowa infantry regiments, and the Fifteenth regiment United States regulars.

Four newspapers are published iu Alton. The Alton Tdegraph is a daily and weekly paper, W. T. Norton, editor and proprietor. Perriu & Smith are editors and proprietors of the Alton Dcni'icrat, published daily and weekly. The Alton Banner is a weekly German paper. The Madison County Sentinel is issued weekly by J. J. Mc- Inerney.

Public Library

The Alton Library Association was organized in 1852. Among the members were : P- W. Randle, Norton Johnson, W. T. Miller, A. S. Barry, Harvey Baruett, Isaac Scarrilt, W. H. Turner, A. G. Walford, L. S. Metcalf and S. W. Robbins. A small collection of books was made, which, in February, 1866, was sold at public auction and purchased by a number of the ladies of Alton for the sum of one hundred and sixty-five dollars. In 1869, the constitution of the association was amended, and twelve ladies elected to manage the library. In April, 1871, the room in the City Hall, now used for the post-ofBce, was obtained for the library and fitted up at the expense of the association. In February, 1876, the library was moved into the rooms now occupied, and the following April a free reading-room was established. There are about five thousand volumes in the library. The library rooms are open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons of each week. Books may be taken out on the payment of an annual subscription fee of two dollars and a half The present officers are : Mrs. R. G Perley, jjresident ; Mrs. J. P. Laird, vice-president; Mrs. C. L. Wright, corresponding secretary ; Mrs. M. F. Topping, recording secretary. Miss Florence Dolbee is the librarian, and Mrs. C. M. Crandellat the head of the book committee.

Secret And Benevolent Societies

Masonic. - The history of Free Masonry iu Alton began, with the organization of the Franklin Lodge, No. 25, in 1837, uuder the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. There was at that time no Grand Lodge in the State of Illinois. The charter members in Franklin Lodge were Jacob C. Bruner, Samuel C. Price, Jabez Carter, J. A. Langdou, John A. Maxey, H. S. Summers, J. D. Combs, A. Hart, Charles Howard, and R. McFarland ; Charles Howard was the first Master. This was the first Masonic Lodge instituted in Madison county. It remained under the Missouri Grand Lodge till 1844, when the Grand Lodge of Illinois was formed. It was removed to Upper Alton in 1843, where it has since maintained a useful and active existence. Piasa Lodge, No. 27, was granted a charter in October, 1844. Among those interested in its establishment were John Bailhache, Samuel G. Bailey, and David Allen. The last named was the first Master. Alton Lodge, No. 284, was chartered in October, 1SL8, and is not now in operation. In October, 1859, Erwin Lodge, No. 315, was instituted, composed largely of Masons of Germaa nationality.

Howard Chapter, No. 8, Royal Arch Masons, was chartered in Upper Alton, where it met till November, 1851, when it was removed to Alton. The name was changed to Alton chapter in 1852 Alton Council, No. 3, of Royal and

Select jSIasters was established in Feb. 18-53, by charter from the Grand Council of Kentucky. Belvidere Commandery, No. 2, Knights Templar, was instituted in September, 1853. The charter members were Josiah Hunt, B. J. Kirkham, J. W. Schweppe, and William H. Tarner. Constautine Conclave, No. 10. Red Cross Knights of Rome and Constantine meet at Alton.

Independent Order of Odd Fellows. - Alton was the early home of Odd-Fellowship in Illinois. The first Lodge of Odd Fellows in the State was organized here about the year 1837, and was known as Western Star Lodge, No. 1. Past Grand Sire - Wildey, the founder of this order in the United Stales, visited Alton, and to his labors is largely due the introduction of Odd Fellowship in Illinois. Shortly afterward Alton Lodge, No. 2, was formed. The third Lodge iu the State was Clark Lodge, No. 3, in Greenville, iu Bond county. The Grand Lodge of Illinois held its fir.st ses-sion at Alton in August, 1838. Among those connected with the early history of the order in Alton, were John R. Woods, James E. Starr, John R. Batterton, John P. Ash, and John M. Krum. The Lodge of Odd Fellows in Alton, chiefly on account of extravagant expenditures became embarrassed, and ceased work in October, 1839, and with them the Grand Lodge of the State. The Grand Lodge was reorganized in March, 1842. Western Star Lodge, No. 1, was never revived, but Alton Lodge, No. 2, resumed work, and is now in active existence. The Encampment was instituted at Alton in July, 183S. It soon afterward suspended operations, and was re-opened in June, 1850. The bodies of Odd Fellows now in existence in Alton, are Alton Lodge, No. 2, Germania Lodge, No. 299, and Wildey Encampment, No. 1.

The Knights of Pythias are represented by Fleur de LyS Lodge, No. 68 ; the Kuiglits of Honor by Alton Lodge, No. 920. There are also lodges of the Independent Order of Mutual Aid and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Other organizations are Alton Turn Verein, the German Benevolent Society, Lodge of Hope and Alton lodges of the Order of Harugari, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Catholic Total Abstinence Society.

Street Car And Omnibus Lines

A street car line, making hourly trips between Alton and Upper Alton, has been in operation since December, 1868. A line of omnibuses furnishes communication between Alton and North Alton. The city is supplied with gas, the works for the manufacture of which were erected in 1855.

Alton Water Works Company

This company was incorporated in 1875, with a capital stockof S15l»,000, and completed the present water works after the city had expended fifty thousand dollars in their construction. These works were placed in operation on the twenty-ninth of January, 1876. and have a capacity of four million gallons per day. Two powerful engines at the river pump the water to a reservoir, situated on one of the highest points in the city, at an elevation of two hundred and seventy-five feet above the Mississippi, whence the water is distributed. The completion of these works gave Alton superior means of estinguishiug fires. So strong is the pressure in the lower part of the city that ten streams of water have been thrown at one time to the height of one luindred and fifty feet. The use of steam fire engines has thus been made unueeessary. All the stock of this comj>any is now owned by Henry Watson.

Tue Fire Depaktment

Consists of a chief engineer, assistant, and a force of men strong enough to man the two hose carriages owned by the city. Tiiero are two engine-houses, one on Market street and the other on Second street.

Alton has many advantages as a manufacturing pointy among which are excellent railroad and river facilities, cheap fuel, and a healthy and advantageous locatiou in the midst of a rich and productive region of country.

The Illixois Glass Compasy

Is the largest and most important manufacturing establishment. Glass works were started on Belle sti'eet, of which in Se[>tember, 1873, the Illinois Glass Company, William Eliot Smith, president, became the owner. In 1876 the works were removed to their present location, between the line of the Chicago and AJton railroad aud the river, in the lower part of the city. At that date there was only one building. The second glass-house was erected in 1877, the tiiird in 1830, and the fourth in 18S2. Four hundred and tlf[y hands have been employed, and on the completion of the prujected improvements this force will be increased to six hundred. The production has largely consisted of green aud amber bottles, which have been sold extensively throughout the We^t. A larger amount of this class of goods has been made here than at any other factory in the United States. It is also proposed to begin the manufacture of flint-glassware. The sand used is brought from Pike county, forty miles up the Mississippi, opposite Cap-au-Gris, Missouri. The value of the production in 1881 was $450,000, which will be increased to §650,000. William Eliot Smith is the owner. The works occupy three acres of ground.

This company has a large brick building on Front aud Henry streets, and employ about one hundred hands. Riding plows, walking plows, aud cultivators are manufactured. The implements made have a just reputation for excellence, are sold everywhere throughout the West, and the manufacturers have been uuable to supply the constantly increasing demand. Charles H. Hapgood previously carried on the business in Chicago and St. Louis, where, iu each city, his works were destroyed by fire. The factory was established at Alton in 1874. The company was incorporated iu December, 1879, with a capital stock of $150,000. The president is Charles H. Hapgood ; the vice-president, J. P. Black ; the trea urer, F. H. Ferguson ; and the secretary, Thomas Bates.

The Altos Agriccltcral Works

Manufacture threshing machines, horse powers, and different agricultural implements. With the machine shop a foundry is connected. When in active operation seventyfive or eighty men are employed. The works are now owned by Andrew T. Hawley. They were first started by N. Hansou about 1840.

Altox City Jiills

The Alton city mills came into the possession of E. O. Stanard & Co., in March, 1881. Since then important improvements have been made, and the capacity enlarged, so that now the mill is the largest and most complete in Madison county. There are thirty-two sets of rolls, and flour is manufactured by the latest improved process. Among the well-known brands are "Stanard's Eoyal Patent," " Alton City ]\IilI Roller Process," " Burbridge's Best," " Stanard's Best" and "Eagle Steam." The best grades of flour are shipped directly to the Ei^st, and shipments are also made to the European markets. The power is furnished by a new Corliss engine. The mill building is one hundred by one hundred aud twenty feet in dimensions, with a warehouse fifty by one hundred feet. The shipping facilities are excellent, cars of the Chicago aud Alton, and Indianapolis and St. Louis railroads, running alongside the mill. The capacity is seven hundred barrels every twentj'-four hours. Thirty-one hands are employed.

These mills have a capacity of five hundred barrels a day. The new roller process was adopted in February, 1S82, aud superior grades of flour are now manufactured. The leading brands are the " Armadale " and " Roller C A. Process " There are twenty three setts of rolls. Five run of burrs were retained, aud are sometimes used. A Harriss Corliss engine of two hundred horse-power runs the machinery. Eighteen men are employed. The building is constructed of brick and stone, is ninety-five by one hundred feet in dimensions, and four stories in height with a basement.

Empire Mills

The E u^)ire Mills, of which Matthew Wilkinson is proprietor, are ruu on the custom plan, aud have a capacity of fifty barrels of wheat fljur per day. There are two run of burrs, one used for grinding wheat, and the other corn. Four men are employed.

The Madison Mills, in Bozzatown, are owned by Oliver B. Ground. The mills have three run of burrs, two used for wheat, and one for corn, and can manufiicture fifty or si.xty barrels of flour every twenty-four hours, aud about one hundred barrels of mjal. H.ilf-a-doz9u miu are employed. The best grades of flour find a maiket in Alton. On Tuesdays and Saturdays custom work is done, and the rest of the week is devoted to merchant milling.

Drummoxd Tobacco Company History 01 Madison County, Illinois

The firm afterward became Myers & Drummond, nud ia 1873, Dausman & Drummond. In 1876, the company was incorporated as the Dausman & Drummond Tobacco Company with a capital stock of SHiU.OilO. lu 1879 the name was changed to the Drummond Tobacco Company. The officers are John N. Drummond, president, Charles H. Eandle, secretary and treasurer and J. T. Drummond, general superintendent. These gentlemen, with John E. Hayuer, are the owners of the stock. The works occupy a three story brick building, eighty by one hundred feet, on the corner of Front and Alton streets, with a warehouse, fort3'-one by eighty feet, on the corner of Second and Alton streets- Three hundred and fifty hands are employed, and about three million pounds of plug tobacco, valued at $1,500,000, are manufactured annually. The same company also carry on a factory in St. Louis, started in 1880, which has a capacity of five million pounds each year.

Alton Box Manufactuking Company

The box factory, now operated by this company on the Mississippi above Alton, was established by John E. llayner iu 187"2, and in 1877 the present company was formed, and iu 1880 was incorporated with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. The president is G. R. Allen, the secretary, J. M. Ryrie, and the treasurer, John E. Hayner. The company also own a saw mill, which partly furnishes the lumber used in the manufacture of boxes. Forty-five hands are employed in the saw mill, and three million five hundred thousand feet of sycamore and cottonwood lumber are sawn annually. In the box factory from eighty to one hundred hands are kept at work. Boxes of sycamore for plug tobacco, are the principal goods manufactured, though tobacco butts, cracker boxes and barrel headings are also turned out. This is one of the largest box factories in the West, and the boxes are shipped to towns along the Mississippi river from Burlington to New Orleans.

The machine shop of George D. Hayden was established in 1872; it now employs thirteen men, and has the re])utation of turning out work of a superior character. Repairs to stationary and portable steam engines are made a specialty, and attention is paid to plumbing, gas, steam and water fitting. The shop is on Second street, between Piasa and State.

The Anton Foundry And Machine Shop

Is carried on by the firm of Brunner & Duncan. Orders are executed for engines, flouring mills, saw mills, pumps, pulleys, shafting, water pipes, brass work and fittings of all kinds. A specialty is made of coal-mining machinery.

Alton Planing Mill

Was established by the firm of Martin & Boals, in 18G4, and moved to the present location on Second street, between Spring and Walnut, in 1872. The building now occupied was erected by the Indianapolis and St. Louis railroad as a car factory. M. H. Boals is the pr<sent proprietor. Sash, doors, blinds, frames, mouldings and

Wheelock & Gintek

Also carry on the manufacture of sash, doors, blinds, brackets, mouldings and stair rails at their planing mill on Front street, between George and Langdon. This establishment began operations in 1866 under the same management as now. Twelve hands are employed.

Carriages And Wagons

The wagon and carriage factory of Charles Rodemeyer was established by his father, Charles Rodemeyer, in 1854. Forty-five men are employed in the establishment, and all kinds of wagons, buggies and carriages are made. The annual sales amount to about 830,000. Daniel Miller manufactures carriages exclusively, and emploj's twentyfive hands. His factory is at the corner of Fifth and Belle streets, and began operations in 1869. William Rodemeyer is engaged iu the manufacture of buggies and carriages at the corner of Fourth and State streets. Wagons are also made by Nick. Seibold, George Luft and J. H. Koehne, on Belle street, and Joseph Amman, in Hunterstown.

Cooperage

Cooper establishments are carried on by William Armstrong, Adam Gundall, Jacob & Thomas Jun, Fred Holfert, John Ubelhack and Henry Laux. The most of these are iu the lower town. The largest shops are those of Armstrong and Gundall. Flour, apple and lime barrels comprise the principal articles made, for which a strong and constant home demand exists.

Lime

William Armstrong has four kilns for the manufacture of lime, and produces from one hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand barrels each year. Coppinger & Biggins have one kiln, and make about forty thousand barrels annually. There is another kiln in operation, recently owned by Theodore Dietz. The stone found about Alton is a very pure carbonate of lime, and burns into the best and whitest lime made in the country. It has won a wide reputation throughout the West for its excellence, and the Alton manufacturers ship to different points in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.

Earthenware

J. Wilhelm & Co., established themselves iu the manufacturing of earthenware iu Alton in 1855, in a stone buildino- used during the Mexican war as headquarters for the quartermaster's department. They employ in their business a capital of about 83000. Their supply of clay is obtained from Whitehall and North Alton.

Brick Manufactories

J. Henry Hellrung pursues the manufacture of brick, a business handed him from his father. At present the capacity of his works is about a half million per annum.

Stone Quarries

Henry Watson commenced the quarrying of stone in 1859. His business has assumed large proportions, giving employment to seventj'-five hands, and aggregating about $150,000 per annum.

Company

Began operations in the summer of 1881. Large quantities of dried fruit are manufactured by Williams' evaporators, according to the Alden process. The works are on William street, between Wall and Fourth streets, and are owned by John A. Bruner.

There are two breweries in Alton, that of John Jehle, between Alton and North Alton, called the Alton Brewery. This makes about four thousand barrels of beer every year. The product is sold mostly in Alton, and small towns within a radius of a dozen miles. The bluff City brewery, of which James Carr is proprietor, is situated in the lower part of the city. This is the old Yeckel brewery, the first ever started in Alton.

Soda And Mineral Waters Alton Stone, Ballast, And Macadam Company

This company, composed of Henry Watson, William Armstrong, and William Huskinson, in February 1881, put in operation a crusher to reduce the limestone rock of the bluflf, above Alton, to a size suitable for macadam and ballast purposes. The crusher is one of the largest in use. Twenty car-loads of crushed stone can be furnished daily. The company, in the spring of 1882, furnished stone with which to ballast the Chicago and Alton railroad from Alton to East St. Louis. The capital invested in the works is about twelve thousand dollars.

Upper Alton

Upper Alton sprang into existence about the same time as Alton, though in the earlier years of its history it had a more vigorous growth than its rival by the river. Joseph Meacham, a native of the State of Vermont, who came to Illinois in 1811, was the original proprietor, and surveyed the site of the town into lots in the year 1817. He proposed to dispose of these lots by lottery, each ticket entitling the holder to one lot, or thirty acres more or less. For some years there was considerable trouble with the titles. Meacham, who pre-empted the land,had only paid the land office one fourth of ihe amount due. Under the rules of the Land Office, then in force, he received a certificate of entry, and was entitled to a j^atent on jjayment of the balance of tlie purchase money. Subsequently he became financially embarrassed and unable to pay his debts, and assigned his certificate to James W. Whitney, Erastus Brown, John Allen, and Ebenezer Hodges, who paid the balance due the Land Office, and obtained a j)atent. Meanwhile Ninian Edwards and Charles W. Hunter had procured judgments against Meacham, and sold under execution a number of lots for which deeds had been given by j\Ieacham while he held the certificate of entry. - Litigation followed, and a compromise was finally made by which Whitney, Brown, Allen, and Hodges, and Edwards and Hunter, divided the most of the lots between them, while the original purchaser was crowded out entirely.

For some years after 1817 Upper Alton (it was then simply known by the name of Alton), both in population and the character of its improvements, surpassed the Alton laid out by Easton.*

James W. Whitney was a lawyer, and for some years previous to his death was the oldest member of the bar in the state. He died in Adams county at the age of eighty-five. He was familiarly called " Lord Coke." Among the papers of George Churchill was found this memorandum : " Whitney

* Meacham, after founding Upper Alton, had purchased whatw.as known as the Bates farm, and projected a town whicli he advertised as Alton on the river. Major Charles W. Hunter became interested in (his last enterprise in 1818, .and out of it grew Ilunterstown, now incorporated in the city of ."Vlton.

13 a Yankee, from the viciuity of Boston, and came to this country in 1800. Has been two thousand five hundred miles up the Missouri, and was taken prisoner by the Indians." Dr. Augustus Langworthy had come to Illinois from Vermont. On the establishment of the po.st-office in 1818 he was appointed postmaster. The office was then called Alton, and was supplied by a weekly mail, carried on horseback, on a route from Carlyle to St. Charles, Missouri, crossing | the MJesissippi at Alton. Dr. Erastus Brown had the first 1 drug store in the town, and the Rev. Bennett Maxey was the first minister of the Gospel. John Allen and Benjamin Spencer filled the office of justices of the peace in 1818, and Willis Webb and Benjamin Hail served the same year as constables. Robert Sinclair was deputy sheriflT. He was shrewd, eccentric, and illiterate. He was found guilty of complicity in a robbery, and though present when the verdict was rendered, escaped before the officials could secure ' him. He fled to Arkan.sas, there became popular, and was elected a member of the State Legislature.

One of the early residents of Upper Alton, who came to the place in 1818, describes the town on his arrival as a little village of log cabins. There was one store kept by Shad. Brown in a little log house in the extreme south part of the town. It was a general store, but with a very poor and small stock of goods. There was a double log cabin, in one room of which whiskey was kept for sale, and in the other was the only hotel in the place. William Morris was the proprietor. There was one small frame building, erected by Benjamin Spencer, and used by him as a shop.

*An advertisement in the Edwardsville Spectator, in 1S20, S2ts forth the advantages of Salu, and gives the reason for the laying out of the town. It is as follows :

" When it is considered that the Missipsipi river is bounded on the east by alluvial land, from four to seven miles in width, beginning at the mouth of the Kaskaskia River, and extending to two miles above the junction of the Missouri River, a distanceof eighty or one hundred miles, has nowhere in this distance a permanent or rocky shore, but overflows the country in unusually high freshets - and when it is considered that from the termination of this alluvial land, at which place the town of Alton is situated, to the mouth of the Illinois river, the shore of the Mississippi is a perpendicular rock, from one to two hundred feet high, with only here and there a narrow break admitting a few small streams of water to flow into the Mississippi, but not presenting anywhere a situation for a town - and when it is also considered that the eastern bank of the Illinois river for some distance is rocky and broken, and then it becomes low bottom land for more than two hundred miles from the mouth of the river, the mind is irresistibly led to the opinion that the town of Alton is situated on a conunandirg and important site, there being nowhere else on the eastern bank of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, formore than three hundred miles, a good situation for a town. This opinion is drawn from the advantage this place may receive from the navigation of those rivers. Let us look forward only a few years when the internal navigation shall be completed from the Hudson through the Lakes to the Mississippi, and the importance of this station for a great commercial town will be more fullv appreciated.

The floor was of rough-hewn, split logs, laid in a manner as rough as the material. This structure stood in the south part of the town, and was soon supplanted by another building more centrally located on the street, or road, lead-

''The surrounding country equals in richness of soil and agricultural advantages the most fertile portion of the western country. In addition to the foregoing considerations, freestone, lime-stone, and stone coal abound in great abundance in the neighborhood of these places, and by reference to the actual survey of this state, Alton is found to be nearly due West from Vandalia, the seat of government The Mississippi at this point is fifteen miles nearer that town than any other navigable water of the state, excepting the Kaskaskia river which is navigable to Vandalia, only two or three months in the year."

" But even here, although the bank is rocky, the river is easy of access, and there is a good boat landing or harbor, the land is for more than one mile back broken and uneven, interspersed with hilU and sink-holes. Therefore, the site for the town of Salu is considered more eligible than others which can be selected on the waters of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. This town is situated on the first high, rolling, and commanding ground from the river in section six, in town five north, and range nine west, of the third principal meridian, adjoining, and north of Upper Alton, in the County of Madison, and State of Illinois. There are no ponds, nor stagnant waters, the source of so much disease in this country in this town, nor in its vicinity, but it is well supplied with springs of pure water."

" The great road leading from the East through this state to the Missouri territory, the Boon's Lick, and Silt River countries, runs through this town, and crosses the Mississippi at the well-known Smeltzer's Ferry. This road will be made to fork at this town, and run also to Fountain Ferry, at Lower Alton. These two ferries are the only ones of any importance that can ever be established on the Mississippi between the Illinois and Missouri rivers. The great National Road, running from the city of Washington westwardly, must neces-sarily cross one or the other of these ferries, when it shall be extended to Missouri and the Rocky Mountains The important road leading from the South to the military boimty lands in the fork of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, and to the Sangarao country, must, from the peculiar make of the land, either on the West or on the East, run through this town."

" Good mechanics of moral, industrious habits, and respectable men of other occupations, will receive liberal encouragement to settle in this town."

" It may be considered extraordinary that a new town, bearing a new name, should be laid out adjoining Upper Alton, as this town is well situated, and already contains more than thirty families. It i» from these considerations that the town of Salu is laid out, and the lot-s offered to actual settlers. No clear and indisputable title could heretofore have been obtained for any lot in Upper Alton, and the legal (luestions connected with the land are complicated and difficult. Under these cii nunstances, the people who had settled in Alton could not prudentially make improvements, but had become more and more convinced of the unusually healthy and commanding situation for a great town, and were unwilling to remove to any other town, or part of this state or country. Therefore, the subscribers purchased the site for the town of Salu, which has all the advantages of Alton, and have given the new town a new name, because Alton embraced Upper and Lower Alton, two separate and distinct sites for towns, situated more than one mile apart; from these considerations it was not thought advisable to extend Alton to greater limits, and therefore the subscribers have named the town Salu."

ing to Milton. This was likewise built of logs, but was more commodious and comfortable than its predecessor, and was used for several years. The seats were made out of slabs hauled from the saw-mill at Milton. One of the pupils of those days, who does not seem to have entertained the most pleasant recollections of this school-room, writes : " The small scholars were required to sit on these miserable benches without backs, and be very quiet, though some of the smallest could not reach the floor with their feet. The larger scholars were better provided for, as their seats were next to the wall, and a board was placed in front of them for a writing-desk. Our school-books were : Webster's Speller, Walker's Dictionary, Pike's Arithmetic. Murray's Reader, and Murray's English Grammar." Among the early teachers of this school was Mr. Rose, Nelson Aldrich, H. H. Snow, Enoch Long, Rowlet Maxey and Levi McNeil. For a shcrt time, a man named Jinks held sway over this temple of learning, but was discharged for lying down and sleeping on the benches during school hours. His devotion to whiskey was the cause. Except for this one failing, he was an excellent teacher.

William G. Pinckard,* William Heath, and Daniel Crume, and their families, all of whom had removed to Illinois from Ohio, and first settled at Huuterstown in the fall of 1819, ciirae to Upper Alton (or Salu) ; and these families, fifteen persons in all, spent ihe following winter in a log cabin of two rooms. That winter Pinckard and Heath constructed a pottery, and in the spring of 1820 began the manufacture of pottery ware, for which there was a great demand, persons coming from far and near to procure dishes, cups, crocks, and all kinds of earthen vessels. Nathaniel Pinckard, father of William G. Pinckard, became a resident of Upper Alton at the same time.f

* Thomas Stanton Pinckard, son of William G. Pinckard, after mentioning that his father, in 1834, moved from Upper to Lower Alton ; in 1837 to Middle Alton, and in 1846 back again to Lower Alton, writes :

" I have a vivid recollection of several of the old settlers who were living when I was a boy. Abel Moore, in his Dearborn wagon, with his wooden leg. Tommy Nichols, with his favorite by-word, ' Dadburn it.' OldMcAuley ; old George Bell - all old rangers in the Indian troubles. Often these men visited my father's house when I was a boy, and by a bright, glowing fireplace, seated on father's knee, I listened to the hairbreadth escapes and thrilling incidents of border life. The murder of the Eeg.an family in the forks of Wood River in 1814, was often spoken of by these old ' rangers,' some of whom participated in the pursuit and killing of the .savage murderers. It was a common occurrence for us, children, to pick up Indian arrow-heads in the timber and fields of Middle Alton up to 1840."

t In the columns of the Edwardsville Spectator, in 1820, appears an account of a Fourth of July celebration at Alton (Upper Alton) that year, "which excelled anything of the kind heretofore witnessed in this country.'' Hezekiah H. Gear, momited on horseback, in full military uniform, was the marshal of the day. J. W. Whitney read the Declaration of Independence, and William Jenks delivered an oration. The company then repaired to the table, where a plenteous and excellent repast was served by Dr. .Viignstus Laugworthy. James Smith, an aged Revolutionary Patriot, and one of the first settlers, presided, asfisted by K. P. Day, the Vice-President. Several

From the time they made their home in Upper Alton, the houses of Nathaniel Pinckard and William G. Pinckard were the stopping-places of the pioneer preachers, and religious services were often held at their houses, and also at that of Jonathan Brown. The Revs. Samuel Thompson, Thomas Randle, John Dew and Jesse Walker were among the early ministers. Nathaniel and Oliver Brown removed j to Illinois in 1817 from Champaign county, Ohio. In 1818 they became residents of Upper Alton.

The first postmaster, Augustus Langworthy, appointed in 1818, was succeeded by the Rev. Bennett Maxey in 1824. The Rev. Mr. Maxey was one of the early Methodist circuit preachers in Virginia, from which state he removed to Ohio, and then to Illinois. His residence was in " Salu," and consequently the change of name was made to that from " Upper Alton." In 1826 he resigned the office, and George Smith received the commission. The oflice was then brought from Salu, and the name changed back to that of " Alton." In 1835 David Smith received the appointment as postmaster. The name of the oflice was then changed to " Upper Alton," and the post-office at Lower Alton, which had previously borne the name of " Lower Alton," was called " Alton." In the year 1849, Frank Hewitt was appointed posttnaster, and was succeeded in 18.53 by Joseph,Chapman. James Smith was ne.xt placed in charge of the oflice. Aaron Butler was commissioned in 1861, and was followed in 1866 by the Rev. T. B. Hurlburt. Aaron Butler was re-appointed in 1867. Joseph H. Weeks, the present incumbent, has had charge of the office since 1877.

" Its situation is high and healthy, and it contained last spring (1831) thirty-five families and two hundred souls. Its numbers, within a few mouths, have augmented nearly one-third. The soil of the surrounding country is fertile and rolling; the prevailing timber walnut, hickory and oak. In March it had two stores, one tavern, one blacksmith shop, one ox flouring mill, one wagon-maker, one tannery, one saddlery, one shoemaker, one brick-maker, two carpenters, two physicians, one pottery for coarse earthenware, a post-office and a brick school-house building. Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians have organized societies, and preaching alternately by one of these denominations every Sabbath. A flourishing Sabbath-school is kept up. At Upper Alton the first Sunday-school in Illinois was opened in 1819."

Three years later, in 1834, the same author, in his " Gazeteer of Illinois," writing of Upper Alton, states that there were " three stores, one house of entertainment, three physicians, various mechanics, a pottery, a commodious brick school-house for town purposes, a steam flouring-mill now toasts were drank, " interspersed with suitable pieces of vocal and instrumental music, and each accompanied with the discharge of a piece of artillery, together with the reiterated cheers and plaudits of the company." Benjamin Spencer, Hezekiah H. Gear, Dr. Hewetson of Milton, and Robert Sinclair were among those who participated in the toasts.

" Upper Alton is improving ; the society is good, and it is a desirable place for family residence, out of the bustle of business. The post-office is distinguished as 'Alton.' Upper Alton was laid oft' by the proprietor in 1816, and incorporated by the Legislature, under the government of trustees, in 1821, when it contained seventy or eighty families. In 1!^27 it had dwindled down to seven families. It was reduced from several causes, but especially from various conflicting claims to the soil, which have been happily terminated by a decision of the court of chancery, according to the mutual agreement of all the claimants. Hereafter, no doubt the town will experience a regular and rapid , growth. The Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians hold worship regularly here."

The same writer, in 1839, describes the place as containing ^ eight stores, five groceries, two lawyers, five physicians, mechanics of various descriptions, a steam saw and flour mill, and about tliree hundred families, or fifteen hundred inhabi- ; tants. The Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians have houses of worship. The Baptist and Presbyterian houses are handsome stone edifices, with spires and bells, and provided with ministers. There are seven or eight ministers of the \ gospel connected with this place, some of whom belong to the college and theological seminary. Others are agents for some of the public benevolent institutions, whose families | reside here. Good morals, religious privileges, the advantages for education in the college and in three respectable common-schools, with an intelligent and agreeable society, make this town a desirable residence." He predicts that " Upper, Lower and Middle Alton will eventually grow into one great city." Their aggregate population was at that time about four thousand.

Another writer, Edmund Flagg, who in 1838 published "The Far West, or a Tour Beyond the Mountains," visit, d Upper Alton in 1839, and thus describes it :

Note. 'At sunrise of the morning succeeding my visit to the hlnffs, 1 was in the saddle, and clambering up those intolerably steep hills on the road leading to the village of Upper Alton, a few mile.s distant. The place is well situated on an elevated prairie, and to my taste, is preferable for private residence to any spot within the precincts of its rival namesake. The society is poli.^hed, and a fine-toned morality is said to characterize the inhabitants. The town wa.s originally incorporated many years ago, and was then a place of more note than it lias ever since been ; but owing to intestine broils and conflicting claims to its site, it gradually and steadily dwindled away until, a dozen years since, it numbered only seven families. A suit in chancery has happily settled the.se ditiiculties, and the village is now thriving well. A seminary of some note, under the jurisdiction of the Baptist persu,ision, has within a few years been established here, and now comprises a very respectable body of students. It originated in a seminary formerly established at Rock Spring, in this state. The present buildings are situated upon a broad plain, beneath a walnut grove, on the eastern skirt of the village. I visited this seminary, and was much pleased with its faculty, buildings and design."

Jonathan Brown, Delilah Brown, Oliver Brown and John Seely Mrs. 3Iary Woodburu was the next person to unite with this class, and after her the wife of William G. Pinckard. The first religious services were held in the cabin of Ebenezer Hodges, which stood where afterward the old Baptist church was built. It is supposed that John Dew was the first preacher. The Rev. Samuel H. Thompson ofliciated as pastor from 1818 to 1820. In 1835 the first church edifice, a frame building, was erected. In 1849 a brick church was built. The Rev. L. E. English is pastor of this church.

The Btptiist Church at Upper Alton was constituted in 1830, by Rev. John M. Peck. The original members were eight in number. The Rev. Ebenezer Rogers was pastor from 1834 to 1838. For nearly six years services were held, either in private houses or in what was known as the " brick school-house." In 1826 a house of worship was completed, and was used by the congregation for more than thirty years, till the building of the present church structure. The church is now under the pastoral care of the Rev. David T. Morrill.

The Presbyterian church was organized in 1837 with twenty-four members. The first minister was the Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy, then a resident of Alton, and publisher of the Alton 06.*eri'er, who supplied the pulpit till the installation of a pastor. In 1838 twenty-six new members were received, many of whom had been connected with Congregational churches, aud to meet their views a Union form of church government was adopted. A house of worship was built in 1838, and in 1858 destroyed by fire. A new church building was partially completed in 1861, and was dedicated in 1865.

Educational In.Stitution.S.

No place in Illinois ofliers better educational advantages than Upper Alton. Shurtleft' College is well known as one of the oldest and best institutions in the State, and the Wyman Institute is a liberally patronized and well govern. ed school.

The Business Interests

of Upper Alton are represented by E. G. Webster, Thomas R. Murphy and Henry Loehr, as general merchants. Mahlon Malson, E. 0. Reader, August Hildebrand, and Albert H. Hastings deal in groceries. Henry C. Swift and Fred J. Stebbins are in the drug business. Books, stationery, and gents' furnishing goods are sold by M. A. Leverett ; i-toves and tin ware by Evan E. Betts ; and boots and shoes by Mrs. K. K. Boyle and Louis Ehrler; F. L. Vogelpohl is baker ; Bradley & Col and Albert H. Hastings, butchers ; Henry L. Walke, shoemaker; Robert R and John McReyuolds, wagon makers ; Oliver G. Stelle, architect and builder; and Israel H. Streeper, undertaker ; H. S. Darnielleand H. H. Rippe, manufacture cigars, Cyrus W. Leverett is attorney, and Daniel W. Collett and Amos E. Benbow, justices of the peace. The physicians are Drs. T. P. Yerkes,

The Secret And Benevolent Orders

Are represented in Upper Alton as follows ; Franklin Lodge, No. 25, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Franklin chapter, No. 15, Royal Arch Masons ; Upper Alton Lodge, No. 466, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Madison Lodge, No. 110, Ancient Order of United Workmen; Upper Alton Lodge, No. 1594, Knights of Honor.

North Alton

The town of Greenwood, by which name the village of North Alton was formerly known, was surveyed into lots by James C. Tibbett, and the town plat recorded in February, 1853 Directly across the line, is congressional township six, range ten. The Buck Inn had been built in 1837, and a post-office was establit^hed in 1S68, kept by P. J. Melling at his house, in township six, range ten and called Buck Inn. William Hall, about two years afterward was appointed postmaster, and the office was removed to the present town of North Alton There was formerly a voting precinct, called Greenwood, which compri-sed parts of townships five, range ten, and six, range ten. In 1875 the village of North Alton was incorporated, and the name of the post-office was then changed from Buck Inn to North Alton. Within the corporate limits of the village there are about nine hundred and fifty inhabitants. George F. Long succeeded William Hall as postmaster, and George F. Barth, who now has charge of the office, was appointed in 1880.

There are two general stores kept by H. A. Betz & Co., and Charles Henderson. Anthony Buri and Kohler & Walter are the proprietors of grocery stores. John Redmond, and William P. Kolb deal in harness and saddles. George F. Barth is druggist. There are two millinery stores, one butcher and one shoemaker shop, and two blacksmith shops, one livery stable, and seven saloons. An Episcopal mission is carried on under the care of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church of Alton. The North Alton Reformed Club, a prosperous temperance organization, with one hundred members, which has been in existence about five years, owns a Temperance Hall, used for their meetings. Greenwood Lodge, No. 421, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted in 1870, with John Rutledge, William Benson, William R. Jones, Thomas Hall, Robert Crawford, Jacob Strong, and George Moulding, as charter members. The board of village trustees for 18S2 is composed of John Toi - sor, Joseph Krug, Mathias Hilt, John Kohne, Frank Worden, and C W. Colby.

At Coal Branch, in congressional township five, range ten, there is one store, two blacksmith shops, and some other business establishments.

General James Semple was one of the pioneers of the state of Illinois, and one among its most distinguished citizens, who have contributed to its prosperity ; and departing, left behind them monuments of their labors that will be remembered and lauded for centuries yet to come. He was born in Green county, Kentucky, January 5th, 1798. His parents, John W. and Lucy Semple (nee Robertson), were natives of Virginia, descendants of one of the old Scotch families of Remfordshire, Scotland. James was the eldest in a family of nine children. He received a fair education in the schools of Greensburgh, Kentucky, which was supplemented by a legal course pursued in Louisville. Prior to this, however, he had learned the calling of tanner and currier, a business which proved unsuited to his tastes and talents. His first advent to the state was in 1818, locat. ing iu Edwardsville, where he remained for a short time, when he returned to Kentucky. In the year, 1820, he moved to Chariton, Jlissouri, and in 1822, was elected colonel of the 21st regiment of the Missouri militia. In 1824, he was licensed to practice law in the state. In 1828, he removed to Edwardsville, where he continued the practice of his chosen profession, that of the law, with great success. He was exceedingly diligent and careful, and being a man of magnificent presence and fine manners, he rose rapidly to distinction. Upon the breaking out of the Black Hawk war he was commissioned as brigadier-general on Gen. Whiteside's staff Immediately after the cessation of Indian hostilities, he engaged iu politics. He represented ]Madison county in the state legislature several terms, and was twice elected speaker of the house - a merited compliment to a natural parliamentarian and statesman, and leader of his party. He had become so prominent in national affairs in 1837, that he was appointed by President Van Buren, minister to Santa Fe de Bogota, and it is related by the old timers that the General was somewhat in doubt with regard to the location of his mission. He, therefore took into his confidence Abraham Lincoln, who although of different politics, was a warm personal friend. After consultation, i\Ir. Lincoln confessed that he was as ignorant of the geography of South America as Semple. They, therefore, concluded to visit a book-store and post themselves upon South American history. The mission was accepted, and General Semple took passage for New Grenada in January, 1838. He held his position here until 1842, when he returned to Edwardsville, and the following year received the appointment of judge of the supreme court of the state, which position he resigned after a few months' occupancy to accept a seat in the Uuited States Senate, by appointment under the administration of Governor Ford, to fill the vacancy of Samuel McRoberts, deceased. In this body he stood almost alone in the advocacy of the establishment of a line of communication with the Pacific coast. In this regard his keen foresight placed him several years in advance of his age, and he was, therefore, subjected to ridicule by flippant and shallow critics, who were incapable of comprehending his broad conceptions pertaining to the future great republic. In 1842 and '43, General Semple specially distinguished himself in speeches made at Alton and Springfield, Illinois, relating to the " Oregon " question, which was then agitating the minds of the people of the states. We glean the following from one of these powerful and patriotic speeches : " I regret that the Western boundary was not settled in the late treaty with England in reference to boundary lines in America, and that I considered the right of the United States to the whole of Oregon as far as the Russian Boundaries, as clear as the noonday sun ; that the right of the state of Maine to all she claimed equally as clear. But a foreign nation laid claim to a part of that territory without any shadow of right whatever. Yet, we have seen the special agent of the nation refusing even to discuss the question of right, and propo.sing for the sake of ' peace,' to divide the country in dispute ; and we have seen that proposition agreed to by the executive and senate of the United States. For his part he was as much in favor of peace as any of his countrymen, but that he would prefer war, to yielding one inch of territory that justly belonged to the Uuited States." Through the eflorts of Mr. Semple, Judge Lyman Trumbull, Stephen A. Douglas and other leading men of the West, a set of resolutions was prepared and published that had great weight with the action of Congress relating to the Oregon controversy.

After the expiration of his term in the Senate, in 1847, he returned to his home in Edwardsville. Having been so long absent from the pursuit of his profession, legal duties became irksome to him, and he retired from both the bench and the bar, and devoted himself to business (principally town making), a taste for which had been somewhat cultivated long before, in laying out the town of Highland. He laid off an addition to Alton, which perpetuated his name, and to which he removed afterward, but sub.sequently located in Jersey county, Illinois.

General Semple spent considerable time and money in the construction of a self-propelling wagon, which proved to be a failure. He was ahead of his age. The enterprise would have resulted in a success had he lived twenty-five or thirty years later, but we had no mechanics at that day who could carry out his plans. Semple was robbed of all that he had been able to lay up of his salary, as he was on his return from Bogota ; but he afterward became, by judicious trading, principally in lands, moderately wealthy. He was an uncommonly exact and methodical man in his business, and could, in the dark, lay his hand upon any paper he wanted from his desk or shelves. He was pre-eminently straightforward in all his dealings, professional, political, or private, and any deviation from the path of rectitude met with a scathing rebuke from him, without regard to consequences. He observed so much ignoble conduct in political attairs, that he became disgusted and withdrew from public life. Although he possessed the elements of great popularity, "he could not bend the pliant hinges of the knee, that thrift might follow fawning." He was very kind and affectionate in his family, and exceedingly sociable with his neighbors. He was six feet three inches in height, and admirably proportioned. He was one of the finest specimens of manhood to be found in a day's journey. His style of speaking was easy and flowing, but not in the least ostentatious. His object seemed to be to present his subject, and not himself, to his auditors. He was a Democrat of the Jefferson type, but would not brook modern innovations, invented for the sake of expediency. His motto was to live and die by his creed. In political principles he thought there was but little room for improvement, and that the stream was purest at the fountain-head ; but in all other aflfivirs of life, he was pre-eminently a man of progress, and had no concern about being out of the line of safe precedents- Semple was a public-spirited man, and always lent his aid and influence to the advancement of measures which he believed would be conducive to the public welfare.

He was married to Mrs. Mary S. Mizner, a daughter of Dr. Cairns of Monroe county, Illinois, June 5th, 1833. Dr. Cairns was a prominent politician, and a member of the first Constitutional Convention of Illinois, and bitterly opposed to the introduction of slavery into the State. By this union there were born four children, of whom Mrs. Lucy V. Semple Ames, of St. Louis, is one; Mrs. Julia E. Scott, of St. Louis ; and Eugene Semple, of Oregon. Mrs. I. M. Floyd-Jones (nee Mizner), of St. Louis, is his stepdaughter. The evening of Gen. Scrapie's life was passed in one of the most sightly spots in the State - Trevue - an exponent of his own excellent taste, a home naturallj' beautiful, but aided by art. Here he passed away, December 20th, 1866.

Among those who have contributed largely iu energy and in means towards the developmeat of their native county's resources, Capt. John A. Bruner takes a prominent place. He was born in Edwardsville, September 1st, 18-2. His parents were Jacob C. Bruner, a Kentuckian, and Mary D., a native of Massachusetts. They were married in Kaskaskia in 1821. Jacob C. Bruner, was a hatter by trade. Not satisfied with the trade of his adopted home, he opened branch establishments in St. Louis, Mo. and Springfield and Alton, Illinois. In 1833, he entered into general merchandising in Alton, and was appointed by Andrew Jackson as postmaster - the first in the place. Wheu the Illinois State Prison was located here he was appointed as its first Warden. He was a man of wonderful resources, great executive ability and untiring energy. He died in June 1843. His wife was a school teacher, ai\d as such numbers among former pupils many prominent citizens of this county.

John A. Bruner was the oldest in a family of eight children. He received a ff.ir common school education, which was supplemented by a short attendance at McKendree College. In 1839, he commenced his long and active career as a steam-boatman on the unpretentious Alton ferry boat, St Charles. The next year he became pilot on a boat plying between Keokuk, Warsaw and Churchville, now Alexandria ; then on a boat between St. Louis and Venice and St.

Louis and Alton. His father's sickness and death interfered with his business, and in 1843, hebecame a clerk in a hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The following year he embarked, with his brothers, in the grocery trade in Alton. In 1847, he returned to steaniboating, in which he remained until 1881, when he embarked in his present business, manufacturer of vinegar and cider and evaporator of fruit. He wa.s united in marriage with Catharine Smith, in June, 1844, who died March 27th, 1847. On the 5th of January, 1855, he was married to JIaria L. Godfrey, daughter of Benjamin Godfrey, of Godfrey, Illinois, by whom he had two children one of whom survives the wife of E. B. Widaman, near Carliuville. He was married to his present wife, Ellen Thoni]ison, September 27th, 1875 ; a bright, intelligent, boyi John H., blessed the union.

Politically Capt. Bruner is an uiiswerving democrat. Although often importuned to accept ofiice, he has never consented, except to become Supervisor from his township, a position to which he was chosen in the spring of 1882, and the duties of which office he is faithfully and impartially discharging.

"Was born March 8th, 1825, in Barren county, Kentucky. His parents, Isham and Martha Hardy (Edwards), were respectively Virginian and Kentuckian by nativity. To improve his condition in life, his father, a farmer, came to Illinois in the fall of 1825, making the trip on horse-back. He located in Hamilton county, where he resided until 18.S7, when he came to Alton. Here at the age of fifteen the subject of this sketch commenced attendance at school in Upper Alton. For a part of his attendance of five years he acted as janitor. When a junior, in Shurtleff, he presented himself to Dr. B. K. Hart as a student of medicine. The Dr. accepted him as such, and he laid the foundation for a life-time devoted to his profession. In 1846, when the tocsin of war sounded, he was among the first to oflTer his services to his country. After a year thus spent, he resumed his studies in Louisville University, from the medical department of which institution he graduated March 5th, 1849. During the prevalence of the cholera he practiced in ISIadison Landing, and in 1852 he opened an office in Alton, where he has since resided In 1859, he visited Pike's Peak, where he remained two and a half years. Upon the breaking out of the war he entered the service first as contract Surgeon at Alton, then became Acting Assistant Surgeon U. S. Army. In all he remained iu the service four years and one month. As a practitioner of medicine, the doctor has been quite successful. Politically, he is an ardent Democrat. His qualifications for the office led his fellow citizens to elect him as Supervisor, the duties of which position he ably discharged. He served three terms as a member of the City Council. At present he is City Physician.

Few men have taken a deeper interest in Masonry than the doctor. He was made a Master Mason, June 28th, 1846 ; been passed to K. T., and has taken all the degrees in Scottish rites. His zeal knows no flagging, and his interest in ma-

I The doctor is eminently social. He is a skillful and successful practitioner, combining firmness and tenderness. He overflows with kindness and good nature. In all his rela-

For many years a prominent citizen of Alton, was born in Craftsboro, Vermont. In the year 1836, when Alton was engaging so largely the attention of eastern men, he made his way hither. His first pursuit in life was that of schoolteaching which he began in a country school-house in his native State. This business he exchanged for that of handling stoves and tinware. Gradually he extended this business, embracing the handling of hardware and steel. He associated with himself in this John E. Hayuer, which partnership continued until his death, in March 1871. Mr. NeUon was a successful merchant, strict and just in all his dealings ; benevolent without ostentation. He left a large estate, the result of faithful, earnest labor. He was twice married. Had six children by the first wife. His last wife, now Mrs. Crocker survives him.

A NATIVE of Leicester, Liviugston Co , New York, was boru July 23, 1819. He is the sou of Lorey Bulkley and Harriet nee Scott. Both his parents were natives of Connecticut. His father was a farmer, generous, industrious and upright in all his dealings. He died at Barry, Pike Co., Illinois, July 24, 1859, and his wife, at the same place, a few years later. Mrs. Bulkley, his mother, was.au earnest Christian and a devoted member of the Baptist Church, and by her earnest piety, consistent Christian life and careful training, she left the imperishable impress of her piety and zealous life upon her sou.

When Justus was three years old his parents removed to Allegheny Co., New York, a cold, rugged 'mountainous region, and here the surrounding developed in him a spirit of self-reliance, economy, industry, and temperance that has developed and modified his entire life, and character. Until seventeen years of age he attended school during winter in a log school-house, in primitive style, and in summer worked on his father's farm. He early developed a taste for literary pursuits, and was especially fond of mathematics. When seventeen years of age he removed with his parents to Illinois, and settled near Barry, in Pike county, on a farm. During the session of the Blue River Baptist Association, near Barry, in the autumn of 1837, he made a public profession of religion and united with the Baptist church at Barry, under the pastorate of Rev. Joel Sweet, who baptized him. This event changed his entire life. He was immediately profoundly impressed with his duty to preach, but for six years fought persistently against his conviction of duty. At length, duty conquered ; he prepared to enter the Christian ministry. To qualify him for this work he entered the preparatory department of Shurtleff College at the age of twenty-three, and was graduated in 1847. After his graduation, Rev. Washington Leverett directed his theological studies. Immediately after graduating he was elected principal of the Preparatory Department of the college, and held the position two years, until the death of his wife determined him to seek a home elsewhere. Having received a call to become pastor of the Baptist church of Jerseyville, Illinois, he was ordained in Upper Alton, at the call of the Jerseyville church.

Professor of Mathematics in his Alma Mater. But in consequence of bitter opposition awakened by his ardent espousal of the cause of Bible Revision, then exceedingly distasteful to many of the trustees of the college and of his ministerial coadjutors, he resigned his position in 1855, and during nine years thereafter held the pastorate of the church at Carrollton, Green Co., Illinois, and was happy and prosperous in his work. In April, 1864, he accepted a call from the Baptist church at Upper Alton, and at the expiration of one year and a half was elected Professor of Church History and Church Polity in Shurtleft' College, a position he still holds. Aside from his regular duties he acted as president of the college, while that office was vacant after the resignation of Dr. Read, and has supplied many feeble churches with preaching as opportunity offered.

In the various capacities in which Dr. Bulkley has acted, he has taken a leading part, and has occupied a prominent position among the leading men of his own denomination. The Illinois Baptist Pastoral Union in 1851, elected him Chairman of the Committee on Ministerial Obituaries, and he has filled that position at every annual meeting except one, for thirty years. During that period the preparation of brief sketches of nearly three hundred Baptist ministers in Illinois, deceased, has passed under his supervision, and been prepared for permanent record in the minutes of the body. In 1853, 1855 and 1859, he was clerk of the Illinois Baptist General Association. In 1864, he was elected Moderator of that body. He was elected again in 1869, and served continously till 1877 inclusive. He has been President of its Board since 1869, and still occupies that position. His service in this capacity has been marked by promptness, energy, decision and executive ability, and during the entire time there has never been in the Association an appeal from his decisions, and but one appeal in the Board, when the chair was not sustained. In all these offices he has been firm and decided, but kind and courteous. In his religious views he is positive and unwavering, firmly believing that the Baptists are scriptural in their doctrines and polity, and yet he is liberal enough, not only to allow others the same freedom and independence of opinion that he claims for himself, but he honors adherence to conscientious conviction of duty and faith in any one with whom he may differ in religious belief In political life he was formerly a Whig, and cast his first presidential vote for Wm. Henry Harrison. During the civil war he was a firm supporter of the government, and has given his unwavering support to the Republican party since its organization.

He has been three times married. His first wife wa.s Miss Lucy Perry Ide, of Massachusetts to whom he was married July 27, 1347. She died August 24, 1848; and June 25th, 1849, he was married to Harriet Green Newell, eldest daughter of Rev. Isaac D. Newell. He lived with her in great domestic bliss about thirty years. She died January 4, 1879. She was a woman of many virtues, and excellent qualities, and largely contributed to the success of her husband. They had born to them one son and eight daughters.

of whom six daughters are now living. The eldest, wife of Rev. Charles B. Roberts, pastor of the Baptist church at Decatur, Illinois, is the first lady graduate of Shurtleff College. The second is the wife of Rev. John E. Roberts, pastor of the Baptist church at Kansas City, Mo. She is also a graduate of Shurtlefl' College, as is the third daughter. The next two will graduate. in June 1883. Dr. Bulkley believes that women should have all the advantages of education afforded to the sterner sex. Hence his settled purpose to give all his daughters the advantage of a complete college course of study. His third marriage was June 15th, 1880, to Mrs. Mary B. Head of Carthage, Illinois, but a native of Virginia, a most estimable Christian woman.

In personal appearance Dr. Bulkley is of medium height, of slender build, swarthy complexion, black heavy hair and beautiful dark keen eyes, grave almost to severity. He is naturally social, domestic, and of a sympathetic disposition. " As an orator he is emotional and enthusiastic, with a wonderful magnetic power of impressing his hearers. His popularity with the young is well attested by the fact that he is invited far and near to perform the ceremony of marriage ; and the warm place he holds in the hearts of numerous Christian families of his acquaintance is equally apparent in the eagerness with which they turn to him for consolation in the hour of their bereavement. A warmhearted, companionable friend, a zealous Christian worker, and able theologian, he has impressed himself strongly upon the social and religious character of the sphere in which he has moved." He is now 63 years of age.*

Hermann Kleinwort

The able editor of the Alton Banner, vias born in Wedel, Germany, March 23d, 1843. His father, Martin Kleinwort, was a thrifty miller in his native village. In 1869, Her. mann came to America, to try his fortunes. He had acquired a fine education in the school at Kiel and university at Leipsic. Hischosen profession wasthatof thelaw, to the study of which he bent all his energies, graduating in that branch of study from Leipsic University just beforestarting for America. His objective point in this country was the city of St. Louis, Missouri. On arriving there he entered into merchandising. From there he went to Texas, thence returned to the old country. In 1882, he again came to America, whose institutions he had learned so well to love during his former sojourn ; this time to Alton, where he bought a half interest in the Banner, of which paper he assumed editorial charge. Mr. Kleinwort is an agreeable companion, a man of good judgment and fine social qualities. Independent in his views he has allied himself with neither political party, but supports men and measures as meet his ideas of right. He is an active member of the Independent order of Odd Fellows.

Charles A. Herb, an enterprising and successful merchant, was born in LofFeuane, Wirtemberg, September 21st, 1846. His father, Jacob, was a cooper by trade. He brought his family to America in 1854, making the trip across the ocean in the " Connecticut," a three mast sail vessel. For Uyo years they lived in St. Johnsville on the Mohawk. Because of loss sustained in the old country by being robbed Jacob Herb was so short of funds as to be compelled to walk from Albany to Schenectady on the way to his new home. In 1856, he came to Alton. Charles AHerb, entered the army at the age of fifteen as drummer. He first enlisted in the 5th Missouri State troops, which were soon disbanded, then offered himself to the 80th Illinois Regiment, but was rejected on account of size, afterward accepted in the 1st Missouri Infantry, where he re. mained two years, then served fifteen months iu the 14th Missouri Cavalry. His service was in the state of Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas. In 1865, after the war was over, he was with those who made the treaty with the Indians at the mouth of the Little Missouri. For a time after the war he was engaged as salesman in a St. Louis house, then as clerk inthegeueralstoreof Conrad Schaub, of Bunker Hill, Illinois. Whilst a resident of Macoupin county, he held several offices, for which he proved himself well adapted. Was City Marshal of Bunker Hill, for five years City collector, was Deputy Sheriff' and in 1870, was elected Coroner. In 1872 he came to Alton, where he has since resided engaged in mercantile pursuits. During the years 1876-77 and '78 he was a member of the county Board of Supervisors, the duties of which position he discharged with general satisfaction. He has been a member of the City Council of Alton three terms of two years each. Politically he is an earnest Republican. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias order. Masonic, in which he is a Knight Templar, and Alton Turner's Society. When the Alton Guards were organized he was made 1st Lieutenant. Mr. Herb was married to Barbara Dye, February 25th, 1^70. By her he has four children.

Frederick William Joesting. - Was born in Hanover, Germany, November 5th, 1810. He was the son of Anton Deiderick Joesting, a schoolmaster. He learned the baker's trade in the old country. Came to America in 1834, locating first in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1837 he came to Alton, and in 1838 was married to Otitia Sack. She died in 1846. He was married again December 11th, 1856, to Ida Holtzmeuller. From the time he came to Alton until 1864, when he retired upon a competency, the result of the exercise of strict business principles he carried on the baking industry, except during three years, when he tried his hand at farming. In 1844 the high water drove him from his place of business. He had to swim to his ovens and put his pans on top of the house to keep them dry. At that time he went by skiff from State to Piasa street, so high was the water. Mr. Joesting was a natural musician, playing equally well the violin, piano or flute. While watching his baking he would be found playing flute or violin. A world of happiness to him was found in music.

Persevering, continuous and enegetic eflxjrt was the great secret of Mr. Joesting's success. Sound judgment, and a determined power of will hewed out for him the means to pass life's twilight in ease.

Taking high rank among pushing business men of A.lton, is John M. Tonsor. He was born October 5th, 1827, in Fuerstanberg, Prussia. His father, for whom he was named, was a farmer iu humble circumstances. In the troubles which thrilled all Germany in 1848, and which are popularly spoken of as the revolution of that year, Mr. Tonsor was an active participant. In common with thousands of his fellow-men, he sought a home in freedom-loving America shortly after the troubles. He crossed the Atlantic in the vessel "Louisiana," landing in New Orleans in 1850. Two years thereafter, he came to Alton, where he has since resided. For three years he was engaged as teamster by a company manufacturing lime, then bought a team and drove his own dray. From this humble beginning he laid by sufficient to become a liquor merchant, which he did in 1864. Mr. Tonsor has ever been an ardent, active Democrat. His first vote was cast for James Buchanan, in 1856.

For five years he was a member of the City Council. Ever since the adoption of township organization in this county, he has been a member of the county board of supervisors, a position he has most worthily filled, and whose duties he has most faithfully discharged. He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of North Alton ever since its organization. He is a member of the Mascnie, Odd Fellows, German Benevolent, Turner and other orders. Mr. Tonsor has been twice married : fir.-t, to Mary Ann Maxinal, June 2.3d, 1855, by whom he had three sons, Henry, John and Charles. She died July 29, 1864. His present wife was Mary Ann Boosa, to whom he was married December 20, 1864. By her he has one child living. Bertha by name. Physically, Mr. Tonsor is a large and powerfully-built man. His proportions make him a conspicuous personage in public assemblies. His sound judgment on all questions of general interest receives quite universal recognition.

The son of an eminent Presbyterian clergyman and writer the Rev. A. T. Norton, is the able editor of the Alton Telegraph. Like his father, a ready writer, a clear, logical thinker, an independent outspoken citizen, he wields much influence. His father's influence was exercised from the pulpit, and as a minister, whilst his is from the press and of a political character. The Rev. A. T. Norton, and wife, Eliza Rogers Norton, removed from Connecticut to Illinois in 1835. Alton became their home, and here on September 10, 1844, the subject of this sketch was born. His education was obtained in the schools of Alton, and ShurtleS" College, from which institution he graduated in 18(56. During the war his patriotic ardor led him to join a company of students who offered their services to the government, and whose services were accepted. They were placed in the 133d Regiment, Illinois Volunteers. After graduation from Shurtleff' College Mr. Norton entered the office of the Alton Telegraph as associate editor. After a year thus spent he became part proprietor of that journal, and subsequently bought out his partner's interest. The Telegraph, under his eflieient management, has accomplished much in behalf of Republicanism, and ever keeps step in the music of progress, fearlessly condemning wrong and commending whatever is deemed right.

Mr. Norton's services in behalf of his party were recognized in 1880, by his being made a Presidential elector from his Congressional district. Affable in manner, pleasing in address, Mr. Norton proves himself well fitted for his profession.