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Summer 2020 Volume 52, No.4
Chicago Genealogist
Chicago Genealogical Society
PURPOSE: The Chicago Genealogical Society, founded in 1967, is a not-for-profit educational
organization devoted to collecting, preserving and perpetuating the records of our ancestors, and to
stimulating an interest in all people who contributed in any way to the development of Chicago and its
surrounding area.
MEMBERSHIP: Membership is on an annual basis. Dues are: $25.00 – Individual, Library or Society
membership; $30.00 – Family membership; and, $250.00 – Life membership. Join online at
www.chicagogenealogy.org. Fees payable by credit card, check or money order.
MEETINGS: Most meetings are free and open to the public. Some require a fee and offer a discount for
members. For date and program information please visit our website at www.chicagogenealogy.org.
CHICAGO GENEALOGIST: Published quarterly. Church and school records, family stories, bible
records and other materials of genealogical value relating to Chicago and Cook County will be considered
for publication, provided such material has not been previously published or is out of copyright. Members
can purchase extra copies of the Chicago Genealogist for $8.00 each. We welcome books for review. All
materials submitted become the property of the Society and will not be returned.
QUERIES: These should be 50 words or less, typed, with name and address of the sender. Include a
name, date and location for each query. Queries from non-members will be accepted free of charge but are
printed only when space permits. Queries may be submitted by mail, or email at
CORRESPONDENCE: Whenever possible, send to the attention of a specific person, i.e., Publications
Chairperson, Quarterly Editor, etc. at the above address.
WEBSITE: Be sure to visit our website at www.chicagogenealogy.org where we have a member’s only
section. Our email address is [email protected]. You can contact the President, Corresponding
Secretary, and other members of our board through this address.
CHICAGO AREA RESEARCH: The Society does not provide research services, but a list of members
who do genealogical research for a fee is available upon request.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Update your online profile with any contact information changes.
DONATIONS: The Chicago Genealogical Society has several digitization projects in the works and also
contributes to the Newberry Library's Genealogy department projects. Please consider making a donation
to support these projects. Visit our website at www.chicagogenealogy.org and click on DONATE on the
top bar to support our projects.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
101
Table of Contents
Officers, Directors, and Standing Committees ………………………………………. 102
Transcription of the St. Augustine Chronicle: Spanish Flu
by David von Ehrlicher…………………………............................................. 103
St. Augustine Commercial High School Abstractions of “The Call” 1942:
Twice Graduating Pioneers
by David von Ehrlicher.................................................................................... 104
A Boat Ride Under Lake Michigan in 1867 and a Sketch of Ellis Chesbrough, the
Originator of Chicago’s Modern Water System, with Some of his Descendants
by Wittenized ……………….………………………………......................... 109 The Leander McCormick Family in Chicago
by Craig L Pfannkuche………………………...……………………………. 123
Listing of Map Volumes Held by Chicago & North Western Historical Society Archives
by Craig L. Pfannkuche………………….…………………………………… 127
CGS Programs at a Glance 2020……...…….………………………………………..... 129
Surname Index ……………………………………….………………….……………... 130
CLAIMS FOR MISSING QUARTERLIES
MUST BE MADE WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF DATE OF ISSUE.
Copyright 2020 by Chicago Genealogical Society. All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the
express written consent and clear citation of the publisher. ISSN: 0093556
The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that the Chicago Genealogical Society is a tax-exempt,
educational and scientific organization within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1954. Consequently, donations in funds, and library books or other property
made to the Society, are deductible contributions for purposes of Federal Income Tax returns; and
testamentary bequests to the Society are likewise deductible for purposes of Federal and State of
Illinois Estate Tax returns. The legacy could be as simple as: “I give and bequeath to the Chicago
Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1160, Chicago, Illinois, the sum of _______ dollars.”
CGS Quarterly Editor: Stephanie Pierce Carbonetti
CGS Quarterly Proofreaders: Sharon and Wayne Weber
On the Cover
Looking northwest from the south bank of the Chicago River about 1895. The building in the distance is the C&NW's
"Wells Street Station" located where today the Merchandise Mart stands. The masted boats (lake vessels are always
boats and not "ships" since boats are fresh water and ships are in salt water) are lake schooners from ports in the upper
peninsula of Michigan. The boat with the largest maps near the camera may be about where the Eastland would roll
over 20 or so years later. The C&NW moved it terminal site to Madison and Canal by 1908. The picture is courtesy of
the Chicago & North Western Historical Society.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
102
Chicago Genealogical Society
Board of Management
P.O. Box 1160
Chicago, Illinois 60690
e-mail address: [email protected]
Website: http://www.chicagogenealogy.org
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – OFFICERS President ............................................................................................................ Julie Benson
1st V.P. / Program Chair ..................................................................................... Kim Keiser
2nd V.P. / Membership Chair ........................................................................... Ginger Frere
Treasurer .................................................................................................... Wayne D. Weber
Recording Secretary ..................................................................................... Stephanie Jones
Corresponding Secretary ........................................................................................ Jill Weiss
DIRECTORS To June 2021 .......................................................................................... Joan M. Billingham
To June 2021 .................................................................................................... Sydney Shaw
To June 2020 ......................................................................................... Thomas Mackowiak
To June 2020 ................................................................................................ Terri O’Connell
EX OFFICIO Immediate Past President .......................................................... Stephanie Pierce Carbonetti
The Board of Management consists of the Executive Committee
and Chairpersons of Standing Committees
STANDING COMMITTEES – CHAIRPERSONS
Advocacy ........................................................................................................... Scott Burgh
Ancestor Certificates (Pioneer, Rebuilder & Progressive) ....................... Craig Pfannkuche
Archivist/Historian ..................................................................................... Wayne D. Weber
Assistant Treasurer.............................................................................................. Barry Love
Cemetery Project ................................................................................... David von Ehrlicher
Conference Exhibits……………………………………………………Joan M. Billingham
Hospitality ............................................................................................. Thomas Mackowiak
Mail Distribution ............................................................................. Jeanne Larzalere Bloom
Obituary Project ............................................................................................ Caron Brennan
Outreach .............................................................................................................. Barry Love
Nominating…………………………………………………………….. .....Karen Stanbary
Publication Sales ....................................................................... Stephanie Pierce Carbonetti
Publicity ............................................. Marsha Peterson Maass/Stephanie Pierce Carbonetti
Quarterly Editor ........................................................................ Stephanie Pierce Carbonetti
Webinars…………………………………………………………………….Jill Baumeister
Website ......................................................................................................... Caron Brennan
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Transcription of the St. Augustine Chronicle: Spanish Flu By David von Ehrlicher
Little more than a hundred years ago the “Spanish Flu” swept through Chicago. St. Augustine, a
Catholic parish that existed on the block of 51st and Laflin, records the local events of this
centenarian pandemic in its chronicles. It hauntingly echoes the social distancing and health
precautions of our own pandemic times.
Chronological History of St. Augustine’s Church, Chicago, ILL. 1879 - 1936. Pgs. 149-151:
The Flu Epidemic
During the months of October, November, and December of 1918, the terrible scourge
of the “Flu” broke out and carried off many victims in Chicago. “At once,” says the
Sisters’ Chronicle, “we took recourse to Saint Roch. Daily we prayed with all the
children, adding the invocation: ‘Saint Roch, pray for us!’ Every day candles burned
before his image which had been specially erected upon the Blessed Virgin’s alter. Father
Matthew said a Holy Mass in his honor. We also had a Mass said, and promised to have
a High Mass sung if none of our sisters succumbed. Thanks be to God, our prayers were
heard, and Saint Roch has protected
us!” Comparatively few pupils were
stricken with this treacherous
epidemic,” continues the Sisters’
Chronicle. “Although on some days
more than one-half of the pupils missed
class, only two fell victims to the
disease. As a precautionary measure
those children, in whose homes the Flu
prevailed were sent home. Thanks to the
prudent circumspection of our vigilant
Archbishop, and his timely intervention
with the Health Department of the City
of Chicago, the churches of the city were
not closed. Only on two Sundays were
the Mass services curtailed and the
afternoon services omitted. Otherwise
all things ecclesiastical and parochial
continued in their ordinary course.
St Augustine Catholic Church, Chicago, 1913
The Newberry Library, Midwest MS Sloan, Box 1, Folder 14.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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St. Augustine Commercial High School Abstractions of “The Call” 1942:
Twice Graduating Pioneers By David von Ehrlicher
Some people graduate high school and some do not, for various reasons. Others, like my
grandmother, graduated high school twice. But it had nothing to do with bad grades. Quite the
contrary, my grandmother’s grades were impeccable. Only her circumstances were peculiar.
Like many Catholics who grew up in The Back of the Yards, she attended St. Augustine’s
elementary school, which was located in Chicago at 5001 South Laflin Street. The school had
existed since 1879. Though the grammar school section had been growing for 60 years, by 1939,
St. Augustine only offered a few post 8th grade graduate classes. This “high school” originally
functioned as a coeducational commercial school conducted by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus
Christ. As a small commercial school, their students only studied secretarial subjects, with a few
general subjects tacked on. One would graduate from the program only two years after starting.
However, in 1940, student enrolment and patron donations had grown enough for the school to
increase the number of courses and become a standard four-year high school.
This posed a problem for those students who were freshman in 1938 and were due to graduate in
1940: Would they become high school dropouts if they did not continue? No. They would graduate
in 1940 as planned, but would be given the option to continue courses for the next two years. In
other words, those students who graduated in 1940, and had opted to continue with the extended
courses, had the curious distinction of having graduated high school twice. My grandmother was
among them.
In 1942 St. Augustine also published
their first yearbook which was titled
“The Call: Nineteen Hundred Forty
Two.” The following is an abstraction
of the roster of the first alumni of the
“new” St. Augustine Commercial High
School along with abstractions of the
then junior, sophomore, and freshmen
classes:
Marie Preiser, Paternal Grandmother of the Author
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Graduating Class of 1942 Class Officers:
President: Edward Bobber
Vice President: Dorothy Koehler
Secretary: Marie Preiser
Treasurer: Edmund Dahm
1942 Senior Graduates:
Edward Bobber (Class President) Marie Ortegel
Betty Bolda Helen Oswald
Edmund Dahm (Class Treasurer) Mary Jane Powers
John Dahm Marie Preiser (Class Secretary)
Bernard Foy Quentin Price
Rosaleen Godrey Marion Rieger
Anna Koegler Barbara Smerz
Dorothy Koehler (Class Vice President) Helen Szutenbach
Lottie Kosowski Alice Thompson
Jane Kubiak Margaret Ulatoski
Edward O’Malley George Wiesemes
Frances Offerman
Class of 1943 Class Officers (of the Juniors):
Presidents: Dolores Scahill & Thomas Mooney
Vice Presidents: Ritaclaire Navratil & Gerald McIntyre
Secretaries: Evelyn Liskovec & Clarence Smogor
Treasurers: Wanda Bolechowski & John Zisser
Class of 1943 (Juniors):
Frances Ahlbach Marie Muhr
Mary Blattner Ritaclaire Navratil (Class VP)
Wanda Bolechowski (Class Treasurer) Lawrence Ott
Philip Borskie Dolores Scahill (Class President)
Dorothy Eigenbauer Magdalen Schlubeck
Florence Gabel Stephen Schwontkowski
Herminia Halper Clarence Smogor (Class Secretary)
Patricia Harmon Helen Sullivan
Dolores Jander Michael Trapp
Marie Kedziora Helen Tworzydlo
Evelyn Liskovec (Class Secretary) Ann Wagner
Daniel McGuire Marie Wilkinson
Gerald McIntyre (Class Vice President) John Zisser (Class Treasurer)
Thomas Mooney (Class President)
Marie Morrissey
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Class of 1944 Class Officers (of the Sophomores):
Presidents: Adeline Dorman & Leo Schwontkoski
Vice Presidents: Florence Gobeli & Arthur Thelen
Secretaries: Rita Marie Von Arb & Joseph Huemmer
Treasurers: La Verne Sulzer & Edward Malcak
Class of 1944 (Sophomores):
Clare Beranek Clare Piastowski
Dorothy Coogan Felicia Polczanis
James Corcoran Rita Poetz
Adeline Dorman (Class President) Leonard Pryzbylo
John Drahos Mary Rabiansky
Frank Fink Catherine Rolinek
Theresa Fox Gloria Rosellini
Florence Gobeli (Class Vice President) John Schwertfeger
Lauretta Heilmann Leo Schwontkoski (Class President)
Mae Henery William Senniger
Robert Henrichsen Geraldine Smerz
Joseph Huemmer (Class Secretary) Nancy Smid
Emily Janisch Catherine Sullivan
Catherine Karp La Verne Sulzer (Class Treasurer)
Arthur Kilcoyne Anna Tarter
Rita Kleinhenz Arthur Thelan (transcribed as shown)
Dorothy Kowalske Arthur Thelen (Class Vice President)
Rosemary Kristof Agnes Trierwiler
Mary Labuhn Rita Marie Von Arb (Class Sec)
Beronica Lawler La Verne Weingart
Bertha Lepine
Dorothy Liskovec
Anna Majosky
Edward Malcak (Class Treasurer)
Dorothy McDonald
James McIntyre
Kathleen McLaughlin
Joseph McNally
Dolores Meier
Mary Moloney
Dorothy Moran
John Motzer
William Mutis
Theresa Opferman
Herbert Ott
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Class of 1945 Class Officers (of the Freshman):
President: Charlotte Skiba
Vice President: Lorraine Wagner
Secretary: Jeanne Rabe
Treasurer: Margaret “Peggy” Grove
Class of 1945 (Freshman):
Raymond Adam Ferdinand Lebensorger
Margaret Aspan Irene Lepine
Irene Bara Michael Ludes
Donald Bauer Therese Massura
LaVerne Bedner Aeneas McAllister
Anna M. Brennan Rita McCarthy
Dolres Buerkle Thomas McDonald
Eleanor Cichy Mary McKenney
Evelyn Condich Geraldine Michalak
Robert Coogan Shirley Michalcean
Mary Ann Dempsey Patricia Moore
Willard Donovan Patrick Murphy
Jack Downey Alice Murray
Therese Drahos Mary Negrelli
Catherine Curto Rudolph Neubek
Marie Ellis Rita O’Halloran
Joseph Ertl Alice O’Malley
Anna Ewald Katheleen O’Malley
Florence Flavin Frances O’Reilly
James Forkin John Opferman
Virginia Freudinger Patricia Peters
Michael Galvin Therese Piontkowski
Margaret Gaynor Therese Pomper
LaVerne Graffy Jeanne Rabe (Class Secretary)
Rita Grimm Patricia Reilley
Margaret “Peggy” Grove (Class Treasurer) Dorothy Rothermel
Helen Hefler George Schiestel
Robert Herman Charlotte Skiba (Class President)
Catherine Horan Dorothy Slowinski
Eileen Jacobs Joseph Soch
Gloria Janicki Catherine Sullivan
Alfred Keenan Anna Tatinger
Joseph Labuhn Cecelia Valek
Lorraine Langkan Patricia Voelker
Anna Lebensorger Colette Vorva
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Class of 1945 (Freshman): continued
Elizabeth Wagner
Lorraine Wagner (Class Vice President)
Andrew Walter
John Zatler
Anna Zisser
St. Augustine Commercial High School, 1936
*****
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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A Boat Ride Under Lake Michigan in 1867 and a Sketch of Ellis Chesbrough,
the Originator of Chicago’s Modern Water System,
with Some of his Descendants By Wittenized
Millions have taken boat rides on Lake Michigan, but have you ever heard of a boat ride under
Lake Michigan? The first, last and only such voyage occurred on March 22, 1867, just before the
Pumping Station and Water Tower, still extant on opposite sides of Michigan Avenue in Chicago,
began receiving pure, fresh lake water.1
Chicago's water supply ran into many problems before the current system of well-offshore crib
supply came into being. The first source of water for the residents of the Town of Chicago, in
1834, was neither the lake nor the river, but instead they dug a well north of the main branch of
the Chicago River in Kinzie's addition. This was supplemented by the entrepreneurial activities of
“watermen” who drew water in pails from Lake Michigan and then sold it to residents from their
wagons. By 1842, the Chicago Hydraulic Company, a private company, began pumping water out
of Lake Michigan through a 320-foot-long intake, which was then distributed throughout the city.
URLs validated shortly before publication
1 The Pumping Station and Water Tower still stand, after surviving the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but they are no
longer used as part of Chicago's water supply.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Problems soon developed, though, including occasional low water levels of the lake, filtering
necessitated by turbidity, and even the presence of small fish coming out the water taps. Other
solutions were tried, but complications such as Chicago's new sewerage system feeding more filth
into the river and lake made the situation worse. Finally, at the height of the Civil War, the city
approved plans by an eastern engineer (who incidentally was chiefly responsible for providing
Chicago's sewerage system), Ellis S. Chesbrough, to construct a crib two miles offshore and dig a
tunnel under Lake Michigan to supply water to the Pumping Station and Water Tower. The work
on this began in 1864 and finished in 1867.2
The transcribed newspaper article that follows picks up the story just before the system came into
use.
THE LAKE TUNNEL3 -
________
A Voyage Through It.
________
A Tour of Inspection - - - Its Incidents and Results.
________
A Reporter's Experience – Up and Down – Sub-Lacustrine Misery –
Novel Flatboating – Wading and Climbing.
________
Narrow Escape from Death.
________
Our readers have heard of a something called the Lake Tunnel; of visits to the same; of aldermanic
excursions through the great bore; of scientific exploring parties; pleasure parties; sensation
parties; of formal visits of committees to examine the state of the bricks; of ceremonies at the
laying of the first brick; of rejoicings at the laying of the last brick; all of which have been duly
recorded – the speeches that were made, the wine that was not drank, the songs that were sung, the
sensations that were experienced, and even the jokes that were perpetrated. One more chapter has
to be added, perhaps the most interesting, and certainly the most “sensational” of all – the closing
chapter of this portion of the Tunnel's eventual opening history. The next volume will be rather
watery.
Those who have already made the journey in comfortable trucks, pioneered by comfortable mules,
and provided with comfortable baskets and bottles, will scarcely appreciate the novelty and
excitement of a voyage made through the dismal cavern in a flat-bottomed boat, and after the
introduction of Lake Michigan. Let us distinguish as we say. The journey was comparatively easy,
2 Chicago's 1834 well – A. T. Andreas, History of Chicago, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, vol. 1,
Ending with the Year 1857 (Chicago: A. T. Andreas, 1884) 185. • Water supply from 1842 to the 1860s, and the
construction of the crib and tunnel – Carl Smith, City Water, City Life (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013)
39-52, • The crib and the tunnel which fed the Pumping Station and Water Tower are no longer in use and have been
demolished.
3 Chicago Tribune, Sunday, March 24, 1867, p. 4, col. 3.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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smooth and dry; the voyage was rather perilous, and, if anything, damp; damp not in an aldermanic
sense, but damp externally and searchingly. Such a voyage never having been made before, and
never to be made again, the historians may be permitted, with all modesty, to characterize the
adventure as unparalleled, and the four adventurers are only too happy to-day to have the privilege
of recording their experience, instead of furnishing material for small obituaries.
The flood gates at the crib were opened about a week ago and the water admitted for the purpose
of making a preparatory experiment to test the thorough efficiency of the walls. On Friday a portion
of the water was pumped out, leaving the tunnel over half full, when Mr. Chesbrough, desiring to
make a final examination of the work, conceived the idea of a boating excursion – a delightful
idea. He invited three members of the press to join him in this excursion, and anticipating perhaps
a somewhat arduous trip, he considerately forewarned them to leave their new spring hats at home.
The tug boat “George B. McClellan” waited to receive the little party at State street bridge, and at
four o'clock precisely the party found themselves steaming towards the mouth of the river.
THE VOYAGE OUT
was a pleasant one. Lovely weather, bracing breezes, shoals of ice around us, clear blue overhead,
before us the white horizon rimmed with rolling clouds, behind the glory of the sunset, the
wondrous city, with its hundred spires and towering elevators, and right ahead the object of the
voyage, the Crib, ruddy with the evening rays. At the mouth of the river a few boys were amusing
themselves with a very primitive looking skiff, which seemed so exactly suited to the purpose that
the Captain of the tug bore down upon it, dispersed the owners, and unceremoniously carried it off
in triumph. It proved, however, to be too wide for the tunnel, and might as well have been left
behind.
AT THE CRIB
the party was received courteously by Captain Berg, who wore upon his beaming countenance,
however, an ominous grin, which was anything but encouraging under the circumstances. It clearly
meant that we were land-lubbers, and the prospect of a pleasant catastrophe to the adventurers
appeared to amuse, not only him, but all the hands on the crib. They took our dimensions, inquired
if our lives were insured, and kindly volunteered to convey our last messages to the girls we left
behind – all of which pleasantries were received in good part, while it was understood that they
were preparing to lower us gently down the shaft in the old way. Having been in the Tunnel on
former occasions, there was nothing appalling in the prospect of another descent. We did not
calibrate on the fact that the hoist was no longer in operation. This was rather a startling discovery,
and presented the matter in quite a new light. Captain Berg with diabolical composure, conducted
us to the mouth of the yawning abyss, and pointed out the only method by which the bottom could
be reached – a perpendicular ladder down the side of the cylinder. To recoil from such a step was
not unnatural. To retreat would have been unmanly. To regard the proposal as a joke was a poor
subterfuge. There was the ladder – no joke, but a wet, slimy, horrible reality. “First,” quoth the
Captain, heedless of the wan looks of the party “you go down the first ladder so far. Then you get
over to another ladder, and take care you don't miss the steps. Then you go straight down.” An
echo from the abyss seemed to answer “straight down.” Another alternative was offered, to
descend one by one by means of a rope which dangled over the mouth of the shaft, suggestive of
unpleasant scenes, and this being the safest mode of conveyance the proposal was unanimously
adopted. At this moment Mr. Chesbrough appeared ready equipped for the voyage, in the guise of
an ancient mariner, a broad brimmed sou'wester on his head, a rubber coat upon his back, and his
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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nether limbs protected by a pair of high boots. The other members of the party inwardly
commended themselves to the care of the saints, and prepared to follow their leader.
Each looked to sun and sky and plain
As what he ne'er might see again
Re-assured in some measure by the calmness of our chief, Mr. Chesbrough, who very soon
disappeared in the depths by means of the ladder, we resigned ourselves to fate and to the rope.
THE DESCENT
was not exactly what Captain Berg would have called a “straight down” process, yet it was
preferable to the ladder. A noose was formed at the end of the rope which afforded a tolerably
secure seat, though to see an individual who had committed no crime, hanging in that deplorable
position over such a gloomy abyss, was rather humiliating. The first sensation was decidedly
striking – a series of rapid whirlings which produced a temporary giddiness, followed by an
unexpected blow on the head by some projection. From below came a hostile growl, a dashing and
dripping of water, while around on every side was a lively sense of cold, wet iron. Once below the
flood gates where the water was hissing and sputtering as if eager to make a rush upon the victim,
the sense of wetness gradually increased, and when deposited at the bottom of the shaft a plunge
into the “sumph” could have added nothing to our condition. Four times the rope was lowered, and
the party at last found themselves at the beginning of their voyage, standing under a pelting shower
bath, which in a few minutes had nearly half filled with water the frail bark to which we confided
our fortunes.
A FLAT-BOTTOMED BOAT.
It was the very worst boat that could possibly have been selected for such a purpose, and the
voyagers very soon had occasion to deplore the necessity of employing it. The slightest movement
had the effect of tipping it over, and the result was that when we started, each one having to sit on
the bottom, we were comfortably immersed half way up in water. There was an unanimous protest
uttered against the boat, but that proved of little avail, so steadying ourselves as well as possible,
and each holding a miner's lamp in his hand, we left the shaft and shot swiftly into
THE TUNNEL
The only means of propelling the vessel was by pushing against the walls, and this was a very
unsteady process, fraught with danger to the boat and her little crew. The water at the crib end was
exactly half way up the sides of the bore, gradually deepening, of course, as we approached the
shore. For a time it was comparatively plain sailing, and by the aid of the lamps we were enabled
to examine minutely the condition of the cement, which was the principal object of the voyage.
Not a flaw could be discovered, with the exception of a space here and there between the bricks,
where an iron spike had been introduced to hold the ventilators. The top of the arch seemed to be
perfectly dry, save in places where the water, not from the lake, but from springs in the vicinity of
the tunnel, oozes through the walls. The water was beautifully clear, as clear as crystal, and sweet
to the taste.
We were not long permitted, however, to enjoy the contemplation of the surrounding scenery,
limited as the view was. The bricks were soon exhausted, every brick being so much like its
neighbor as to become somewhat monotonous. The lamps, too, began to flicker out. Like the
foolish virgins, we had omitted to trim them properly, and now we were left in a state of obscurity
which was almost as bewildering as total darkness. One could have imagined he was crossing the
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unknown river with “that grim ferryman whom poets write of,” our Charon being Mr. Chesbrough,
who looked like some grim phantom pawing the air as it seemed, and muttering some mysterious
incantation. The silence became oppressive; the distant growling from the end of the cavern were
magnified into the noise of a cataract, and our hearts stood still as we thought how by some
unforseen accident the flood gates might be opened. To perish like rats in a hole, to be distributed
in the course of time through the water pipes of Chicago, and be boiled in kettles – we were not
prepared for such a sacrifice. Then again we remembered how Dr. Guillotin was among the first
who perished by the instrument of death which he invented, how the man who invented the new
drop was the first to be hanged on it, and other similar instances. How is destiny had also decreed
Mr. Chesbrough was to be drowned in his own tunnel? To chase away these fears, we sang the
Star Spangled Banner, and listened to the beautiful echo of our own sweet voices from the nearest
chamber.
In this way we reached the closing stone, a white marble tablet, placed there by the Mayor's own
hands. We paused to scrutinize this closing stone, and here an unlucky incident occurred, to which
may be attributed the disaster which was soon to follow. One of the crew, inspired by a frantic
wish to “write his name in the water,” leaned over the edge of the flat bottomed boat, which took
in a little more than it could conveniently carry. Then in the process of bailing the crew got
unsettled in their positions and never quite regained an equilibrium. We succeeded, however, in
pushing our way at considerable risk on to a point beyond the fifth chamber or nearly a mile and a
half from the crib.
WEDGED IN.
Our heads had been gradually approaching the top of the tunnel as we pursued our darksome
journey to the shore. From sitting positions each member of the party had slowly subsided into
reclining attitudes, and by and by they were changed into horizontal positions. This in a flat-
bottomed boat half full of water was refreshing. Those who were at each end of the boat were bent
“like corbels of a building” in an attitude of devotion, while the other two, with faces turned
heavenward, could feel the rubbing of the bricks against their noses. Further progress was deemed
a little too precarious. Still no one was willing to give out, and our leader manifested a readiness
to go the whole length if desirable. It was not desirable. In fact, it was not practicable, seeing that
the boat by this time was effectually wedged in between the bricks and the water.
THE CATASTROPHE.
The return necessitated a change of propellers, and the new hands not being well accustomed to
the duty, the unsteadiness of our devoted bark was increased. The water came in on all sides, so
we got on swimmingly after a fashion. Only two lights were left and these struggled drearily with
the darkness. They were entrusted to the man in the centre of the boat; another propelled, while
two at each end set to work to bale out the water. We had not gone far towards the crib end again,
when symptoms of uneasiness began to manifest themselves. In spite of all efforts to bale out the
water, the boat seemed to be filling rapidly. We were yet a mile at least from the shaft and the
water was nearly breast deep. Suddenly the man at the stern raised a sharp cry of distress; his end
was settling down, he said, and what was the use of baling out. The man with the lamp rose to his
feet, just as he felt the boat subsiding. The man with the bucket sprang overboard, and Mr.
Chesbrough floundered. We were shipwrecked.
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Then rose from the sea to sky the wild farewell. The last expiring lamplight had flickered out and
all was confusion and darkness deeper than Tophet. Up to the waist in cold water, the boat lying
at the bottom of the tunnel, a sensation of a thousand needles pricking all over our limbs, the
situation was indescribable. In spite of our dismay the sense of our ridiculous position was so
irrisistable that we raised an involuntary shout of laughter loud and prolonged. It came back to us
in the echoes from the chambers and sounded like the mocking of a spiteful crew of fiends.
There was no help for us but to raise the boat and haul it to the crib end. This was a task of
considerable difficulty, but after a vigorous effort we succeeded. Wading through the chilly water
with our limbs benumbed, and dragging a ungrateful flat-bottomed boat, which would not carry
us, we toiled painfully, but as cheerfully as possible for the distance of a mile, shouting
occasionally for help, which did not come, bewailing our fate, and thinking sorrowfully of the four
small obituaries that would appear in the morning papers.
At last a faint light glimmered upon us from the far end. “As if it had been a Christian soul, we
hailed it in God's name.” We had been floundering in our watery dungeon for nearly three hours,
and were pretty well exhausted. The light proved to be a lamp in the hand of Captain Berg, who,
fearing from our prolonged absence that some disaster had overtaken us, had descended to the
bottom of the shaft. And there he stood profoundly amused at our mischance, and laughing
consumedly as the bedraggled wayfarers came one by one into view.
THE ASCENT.
But our worse was not over. We had to climb the shaft, sixty-eight feet in height, by means of the
ladder. “Just go straight up” said Captain Berg, “you cannot go out of the way.” There was no
possibility of reaching the upper air that night, except by climbing, and as there was no comfortable
lodging to be had in the tunnel, we again adventured. Mr. Chesbrough ascended first, and by way
of a parting salute, when halfway up the emptied a gallon of water from each boot upon our heads.
The remainder of the party were already exhausted by fatigue and cold. How the others succeeded
is best known to themselves. The present writer for his part, was just on the point of giving out as
he reached a platform let down about fifteen feet from the mouth of the shaft, hands stiffened with
cramp, a dizzy sensation of sixty feet beneath him, a creeping of the flesh, powerless to move
another step. One last shout for help, and he found himself seized by a friendly hand and laid out
on the platform, then tied to a rope and hauled up to the mouth of the shaft. Mutual congratulations
on our escape, and an adjournment to the kitchen, where Mr. Delaney, the worthy steward of the
crib, provided a bowl of hot coffee for the sufferers.
The flood-gates of the crib were reopened immediately after our ascent, and the waters went down
with a roar like that of an infant Niagara. What became of the flat-bottomed boat we did not know
and did not care. It belonged to Mr. C. L. Wilson, to whom we hereby tender our profound thanks.
The tug was waiting for us at 10 o'clock, and in a few minutes the party were fleeing merrily home
again under the kindly stars. And so ended the adventurous voyage – the last that will be made
through the Lake Tunnel.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Sketch of Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough and Some Descendants
Ellis S. Chesbrough, about 1880. From Engineering News and American Contract Journal
(New York: Engineering News Publishing Co., 1886) facing p. 121.
Ellis S. Chesbrough, the Master and Captain of the flat-bottomed boat ride under Lake Michigan,
was an incredible individual. Completely lacking formal education after the age of 15, he
nevertheless reached the pinnacle of Civil Engineering in America in the 1800s.
Mr. Chesbrough was born 6 Jul 1813 in Baltimore County, Maryland.4 His parents were Isaac
Marks Chesbrough, a native of North Adams, Massachusetts, and Phrania Jones, of Baltimore
County, Maryland. His paternal lineage was of New England, traced back to William
Chesebrough, the immigrant from England, who landed in Boston in 1630.5
4 Anna Chesebrough Wildey, Genealogy of the Descendants of William Chesebrough of Boston, Rehoboth, Mass.
(New York: Press of T. A. Wright, 1903) 254; Author not stated, 'Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough' Biographical Sketches
of the Leading Men of Chicago (Chicago: Wilson & St. Clair, 1868) 191 (hereafter Biographical Sketches); Author
not stated, 'Obituary. E. S. Chesbrough, Civil Engineer, Engineering News and American Contract Journal (New
York: Engineering News Publishing Co., 1886) XVI, 123 (hereafter Engineering News).
5 Wildey, #1, William Chesebrough, 7; #6, Samuel Chesebrough, 18; #19, Elisha Chesebrough, 20; #62, Elisha
Chesebrough, 31; #267, Sylvester Chesebrough, 63; #1002, Sylvester Chesebrough, 251; #5361, Isaac Marks
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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At 15, his father, who was then employed as an engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, got
Ellis a job with the railroad as a chain-man on a surveying crew. Many of the senior surveyors
were Army officers and trained engineer graduates of West Point Military Academy, one of the
few engineering schools then in existence in America. His facility for the tasks impressed the
officers, who provided Ellis with a wealth of engineering education on the job. After only two
years, he left the B & O and was hired as assistant engineer of another railroad, and over the next
dozen years he was hired by various railroads to positions of increasing responsibility, culminating
as the Superintendent of Construction of the extension of the Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston
Railroad to Columbia, South Carolina.6
When his South Carolina construction project ended in 1842, Ellis found the economy still in the
doldrums, not yet recovered from the panic of 1837. He found short term employment in
Providence, Rhode Island, working in the shops of a local railroad there, and in late 1842 he
purchased a farm in Niagara County, New York, where his father and some Chesbrough uncles
also farmed.7
The various published sketches of his life claim he “failed” at farming, but, even though he pursued
engineering employment again after 1844, he held the farm until 1850, when he sold it at a profit;
others, no doubt, running the farm in his absence. Beginning in 1844, though, he again managed
the construction of a railroad branch, and in 1846 he was hired as the Chief Engineer of the West
division of the Boston Water Works. His task was to plan and manage the construction of the
Cochituate aqueduct. This project would supply Boston's fresh water, but was a complicated and
difficult effort to bring to fruition. The varied elevations of the land along the way required both
bridges and tunnels, and the success of the project elevated Ellis to the positions of Boston's
Commissioner of Water Works, and City Engineer of Boston.8
CHICAGO CALLS
As City Engineer of Boston, Ellis, introduced new methods of sewerage based on his study of the
English solutions to the problem, and by 1855 his reputation in civil engineering was known
nationwide. Chicago convinced Ellis to move to Chicago to apply his newfound expertise to the
Chicago sewerage system, and he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Board of Sewerage
Chesbrough, and #5426, Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough, 254. • Also, for the first of the Chesbrough/Cheeseborough line
in America, William Cheeseborough, see Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins online at American
Ancestors, subscription required: https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/great-migration-begins-immigrants-
to-ne-1620-1633-vols-i-iii/image?volumeId=12107&pageName=339&rId=23894698
6 Biographical Sketches, 192-93; Engineering News, 123; Alfred T. Andreas, History of Chicago (Chicago: A. T.
Andreas Co., 1885) I, 65.
7 Providence employment - Biographical Sketches, 193; Engineering News, 123; Alfred T. Andreas, History of
Chicago (Chicago: A. T. Andreas Co., 1885) I, 65. • Purchase farm – 20 Dec 1842, Deed of Indenture from
Ambrose Wells and wife, Esther, to Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough, Niagara County Deed Book 45, page 108.
8 Sale of farm – 4 Mar 1850, Deed from Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough and wife, Elizabeth Ann, to Isaac M.
Chesbrough, Niagara County Deed Book 45, page 109. • Railroad and aqueduct work - Biographical Sketches, 193-
94; Engineering News, 123; Alfred T. Andreas, History of Chicago (Chicago: A. T. Andreas Co., 1885) I, 65. •
Difficult aqueduct terrain – Carl Smith, City Water, City Life (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013) 36.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
117
Commissioners of Chicago in August 1855. By December, he had completed his examination of
Chicago's existing system and presented his plan of improvement, which was accepted and put
into effect.9
He wanted to take it to the next level, though, and convinced the city to send him to Europe to take
a first-hand look at the sewerage systems there. He left for Europe in late 1856, and returned in
1857. He wrote the conclusions of his study of the European systems, and his report was published
in 1858. This immediately became the standard reference work on the subject, and remained so
throughout the nineteenth century.10
In 1861 Chicago created the Board of Public Works, which included both the sewerage system
and the water system, and Ellis was named Chief Engineer, and then City Engineer two years later.
His improvements in the sewerage system regrettably led to increased pollution along the shore of
Lake Michigan, since the Chicago River still emptied into the lake (the flow of the river was not
reversed until 1900). Chesbrough advised the board to institute the offshore crib intake system,
connected to the pumping station by tunnel. The board accepted his plan and put him in charge of
the construction. Work began in 1864, proceeded around the clock, 24 hours a day, for three years,
and culminated, of course, in the boat ride under Lake Michigan, above.11
Though he remained Chicago's City Engineer, he was called upon as a consultant for planning and
construction of sewer systems and water works for over 20 cities throughout the United States,
and one city in Canada. He also served as the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
In 1880, he was hired by New York City to extend their water supply system. A trip to Europe to
study their procedures and technology allowed him to devise a system for New York which was
put into effect. The trip to Europe, however, led to an illness which caused him to cut short his
work for New York. He returned to Chicago and retired from active work for the last three years
of his life.12
GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY
1. Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough was born in Baltimore County, Maryland on 6 Jul 1813,13 and he
died in Chicago on 18 Aug 1886.14 His parents were Isaac M. Chesbrough (born in North Adams,
Massachusetts on 14 Mar 1786,15 died at Wheatfield, New York, shortly before 20 Apr 1863, when
9 Boston system improved – Engineering News, 123. • Chicago appointment and plan – Biographical Sketches,
194.
10 Engineering News, 123; Biographical Sketches, 194.
11 Smith, 43-50.
12 Cities advised, Presidency of civil engr. assoc., New York project, and European trip – Engineering News, 123-
24. • Return to Chicago - “Death's Doings. Ellis S. Chesbrough” The Inter Ocean (Chicago), 19 Aug 1886, p. 3, col.
5, at Newspapers, subscription required:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/34476323/?terms=Ellis%2BChesbrough
13 Widley, 254.
14 Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994, online at: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N72K-V2F
15 Widley, 254.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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will was proved in court Niagara County, New York),16 and Phrania Jones (born in Baltimore
County, Maryland on 31 Mar 1789, died there 9 Nov 1828).17 He married Elizabeth Ann Freyer,
daughter of Henry Freyer and Elizabeth Renshaw, in Baltimore, Maryland on 23 Dec. 1837.18
Elizabeth was born about 1817 in Baltimore County, Maryland19, and died in Chicago on 18 Jan
1900.20 Both Ellis and Elizabeth are buried in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery, along with three of
their sons, in Lot 462, Section D.21
Children of Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough and Elizabeth Ann Freyer:
2. i. Isaac Sumpter Chesbrough, b. 19 Jan 1839;22 m. Mary Dignan.
3. ii. Henry Freyer Chesbrough, b. 19 Sep 1840;23 m. Mary Goodall.
iii. Infant unnamed Chesbrough.24
iv. Lewis Collins Chesbrough, b. 5 Sep 1842, Baltimore, Md.; d. 29 Feb 1844, Cambria,
New York.25
4. v. Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough; m. Mary Tebbetts.26
2. Isaac Sumpter Chesbrough was born 19 Jan 183927 in North Carolina28. He died in Elgin State
Hospital on 28 Jun 1907,29 and is buried in the Chesbrough lot, Lot 462, Section D at Graceland
16 New York Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999, online at Ancestry subscription required:
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8800/005116472_00335
17 Widley, 254.
18 Marriage info. Ibid. • Maiden name of mother - https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4V9-2N1
19 Place – Widley, 254. • Year from headstone (see: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182671695 ) and US
Census entries (Ancestry subscription required) 1860 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7667/4213434_00143 ,
1870 https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7163/4262757_00082 .
20 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 https://www.ilsos.gov/isavital/deathsrch.jsp search term: Chesbrough,
Elizibeth (spelling differs from norm).
21 Graceland Cemetery records – may also be found through the Graceland website Burial Search function, search
term: last: Chesbrough https://www.gracelandcemetery.org/burial-search/
22 Widley, 254.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid. Widley lists: “Infant, d. in infancy”, with order of birth between Henry and Lewis, but no place or dates
given.
25 Ibid., 255.
26 Ibid.
27 Ibid., 254.
28 North Carolina is given on his Civil War service record, Illinois, Databases of Illinois Veterans Index, online at
Ancestry, subscription required: https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=9759&h=127792&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=xl6-647814 and on his 1870 US
Census entry (line 17): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6FFW-FYG?i=77&cc=1438024 ,
however, his 1850 US Census entry (line 36) states he was born “At Sea”:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-67Q7-6ZT?i=10&cc=1401638 , as does his 1860 US Census
entry (line 14): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBP-K27?i=142&cc=1473181
29 Illinois, Select Deaths Index, 1877-1916 found at Ancestry, subscription required:
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=9758&h=158955&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=xl6-612889
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Cemetery in Chicago.30 He married in Chicago 4 Mar 1882, Mary Dignan,31 who was born in
Chicago in February 1855.32 She died in Chicago on 28 Feb 1902,33 and is buried at Calvary
Cemetery, Evanston, Illinois, Lot N12, Block 6, Section D.34
On 8 Feb 1864, Isaac enlisted in the Union Army, specifically in the Chicago Board of Trade
Independent Battery Light Artillery, as a Private.35 His first assignment with them was to Pulaski,
Tennessee, where the battery was refitted with new cannons. They then began a period of heavy
and sustained combat with General Sherman's army in the Atlanta Campaign.
Isaac's battery moved from Tennessee to Atlanta beginning in early May 1864 and arriving there
in September 1864. They took part in the battles of Resaca, Tanner's Bridge, Kingston, Dallas,
Ackworth, Big Shanty, Marietta, Kenesaw Mountain, McAffee's Cross Roads, Noonday Creek,
Powder Springs, Nickajack Creek, Rosswell, Rottenwood Creek, Chattahoochie River, Raid to
Atlanta and Augusta, Raid to Covington, Decatur, Garrard's Raid to South River, Flat Rock Bridge,
Siege of Atlanta, Kilpatrick's Raid around Atlanta, Red Oak, Flint River, Jonesboro, Lovejoy
Station, Chattahoochie River Bridge, and Turner's Ferry.36 This was no cake-walk! The battery
was attached to a cavalry unit, and they were constantly on the move; they spent as many as four
days and three nights continuously in the saddle.37
Isaac's exemplary performance led to his promotion to 1st Lieutenant and assignment to Company
K, 9th U.S. Colored Troops, Heavy Artillery in October 1864. He stayed with them past the end of
the war, and then was assigned to Company C, 88th U.S. Colored Infantry, in August 1865. He was
the Company Commander there until January 1866, when he was discharged.38
After the war Isaac returned to Chicago, and by 1880 he was established as a civil engineer, just
as his father was.39 The exact date he was committed to Elgin State Hospital is unknown, but he
30 Graceland Cemetery records – may also be found through the Graceland website Burial Search function, search
term: last: Chesbrough https://www.gracelandcemetery.org/burial-search/
31 Illinois, Cook County Marriages: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7XL-X83
32 1900 US Census entry for Mary Chesbrough (line 88): https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-
DHX3-VLG?i=13&cc=1325221 , however her marriage record estimates birth about 1857, and her death record
estimates 1862.
33 Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7JM-7ZD
34 Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, Cemetery Records, 1864-1989:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DT73-Z5M?i=3477&cc=1503083
35 Unnamed compiler, Historical Sketch of the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, Horse Artillery, Illinois
Volunteers (Chicago: Henneberry Co., 1902) 77. Hereafter Sketch of Board of Trade Battery.
36 Civil War Archive, online: http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unilart2.htm#chicago
37 Sketch of Board of Trade Battery, 28-29.
38 Fold3 subscription required: 9th USCT service:
https://www.fold3.com/image/267222428?terms=chesbrough,249,isaac,s , 88th USCT service:
https://www.fold3.com/image/296639107?terms=chesbrough,249,isaac,s
39 The Chicago Directory Co., 1880 Chicago City Directory at Fold3 subscription required:
https://www.fold3.com/image/227/78217676
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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was listed as a draftsman in the 1894 Chicago city directory, and by the 1895 directory his wife is
listed at the same address as the 1894 entry, with no mention of Isaac.40
Child of Isaac S. Chesbrough and Mary Dignan:
5. i. Elizabeth “Bessie” Chesbrough, b. about 1883,41 m. James Hoffman.
3. Henry Freyer Chesbrough was born 19 Sep 1840, in Totness, South Carolina.42 He died on 8
Dec 1870, and is buried in the Chesbrough lot at Chicago's Graceland Cemetery, Lot 462, Section
D.43 He married Mary Hannah Goodall, on 15 Jul 1865 in Chicago;44 she was born in Lisbon,
New Hampshire, 27 May 1838, the daughter of David G. Goodall and Maia D. French.45 She
married, second, Alfred J. Morley, in Winnebago County, Illinois, on 19 May 1888.46 She died in
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on 17 Mar 1916.47
Henry completed high school in Chicago; entered Yale University, then transferred to and
graduated from Antioch College in 1863. He practiced as a physician and was Surgeon of the
Peninsula Railroad, owned by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.48
Child of Henry F. Chesbrough and Mary H. Goodall:
40 The Chicago Directory Co., at Fold3 subscription required, 1894: https://www.fold3.com/image/227/98764803 ,
1895: https://www.fold3.com/image/227/92854380
41 Date of birth based upon parents' marriage in March 1882. It could have been earlier.
42 Widley, 254.
43 Graceland Cemetery records – may also be found through the Graceland website Burial Search function, search
term: last: Chesbrough https://www.gracelandcemetery.org/burial-search/
44 Illinois Marriage Index, 1860-1920, at Ancestry subscription required: https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60984&h=1150824&ssrc=pt&tid=19208644&pid=18040132393&usePUB=true
45 New Hampshire, Births and Christenings Index, 1714-1904, at Ancestry subscription required:
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2559&h=314290&ssrc=pt&tid=19208644&pid=18040132393&usePUB=true
46 Illinois, Marriage Index, 1860-1920, at Ancestry subscription required: https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=xl6-
936530&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=60984&gsfn=Alfred&gsln=Morley&msgdy=18
88&new=1&rank=1&uidh=xl6&redir=false&msT=1&gss=angs-
d&pcat=34&fh=0&h=725986&recoff=&ml_rpos=1&queryId=dd53a7d400236ce9c2bea77159c24734
47 British Columbia, Canada, Death Index, 1872-1990, at Ancestry subscription required:
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=6093&h=502806&ssrc=pt&tid=19208644&pid=18040132393&usePUB=true
48 Triennial Meeting and Biographical Record of the Class of Sixty Three in Yale College (New Haven CT: Tuttle,
Morehouse & Taylor, 1869) 98, at Ancestry subscription required:
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2203/41198_2221301230_7128-00103/6078380
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
121
i. Henry “Harry” S. Chesbrough, b. August 1867 in Michigan;49 d. 19 Jul 1931 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is buried at Union Dale Cemetery, in Pittsburgh.50 Henry died
childless, and was never married.
4. Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough was born 12 Feb 1849, in West Newton, Massachusetts;51 He
died in Paris, France on 5 Mar 1928; he was cremated in Paris, and was buried in the Chesbrough
lot (Lot 462, Section D) at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago 7 years later, on 11 Apr 1935.52 He
married in Chicago 12 Oct 1882 Mary Mott Tebbetts,53 b. 27 Mar 1856 in Boston, the daughter
of James R. Tebbetts and Rebecca S. Mott.54 She died in Châtelard-Montreaux, Switzerland, on 9
Mar 1934; she was cremated in Lausanne, and was buried in the Chesbrough lot at Graceland on
the same day as her husband, 11 Apr 1935.55 Ellis was an attorney in Chicago; he retired in the
1920s, and he and his wife then lived with his daughter and son in law in Paris.
Child of Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough and Mary Mott Tebbetts:
i. Elizabeth Mott Chesbrough; b. in Chicago 14 Dec 1886;56 m. in New York City 3 Dec
1919, Eugene Prince, b. 4 Feb 1890, St. Petersburg, Russia, son of American parents, John Henry
Prince and Anna Shishkin.57 Elizabeth served in the Signal Corps in WWI. Her husband, Eugene
was an Army reserve officer and served in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War; he retired as a
49 1900 US Census (line 42), at Ancestry subscription required:
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/7602/4114972_00307/45916017
50 Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1967, at Ancestry subscription required: https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-
bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5164&h=4938428&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=xl6602004&_phstart=successSou
rce
51 Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915, (line 189) at Ancestry subscription required:
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5062/41262_B138998-00255?pid=6569807
52 Death and cremation – Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974, at Ancestry subscription
required: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1616/31070_170934-00811?pid=116743 • Chicago burial -
Graceland Cemetery records – may also be found through the Graceland website Burial Search function, search
term: last: Chesbrough: https://www.gracelandcemetery.org/burial-search/ , note, however, the cemetery records
have his first and middle names transposed, and read as Sylvester Ellis Chesbrough.
53 Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N762-6J5
54 Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915 (line 68) at Ancestry subscription required:
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5062/41262_B139061-00078?pid=5779863 • Mother's maiden name from
death record of her sister, Virginia Tebbetts, Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQQB-CJ9
55 Death and cremation – Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974, at Ancestry subscription
required: https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1616/31070_171186-00092?pid=110352 • Chicago burial -
Graceland Cemetery records – may also be found through the Graceland website Burial Search function, search
term: last: Chesbrough: https://www.gracelandcemetery.org/burial-search/
56 Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7QW-CYM
57 New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2476-
KHZ • Eugene's exact date of birth – United States Social Security Death Index:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JPRQ-W6J
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
122
Colonel.58 Elizabeth died 4 Mar 1974 in Norwalk, Connecticut, and is buried at Rowayton Union
Cemetery, with her husband, Eugene, who died 2 Sep 1981, also in Norwalk.59 They were
childless.
5. Elizabeth “Bessie” Chesbrough (daughter of Isaac); b. about 1883, based upon the date of
marriage of her parents of 4 Mar 1882;60 m. 30 Jun 1897 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, James
Harland Hoffman;61 b. 6 Sep 1879 in Hartford City, Indiana,62 the son of Jacob Hoffman and
Elizabeth Kerr.63 Elizabeth died 23 Jan 1899 in Chicago, and is buried with her mother at Calvary
Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois, Lot N12, Block 6, Section D.64 James died in Cook County, Illinois
on 26 Feb 1972, and is buried with his mother, daughter and other relatives at Oakridge Cemetery,
Hillside, Illinois, Section 25.65
Child of Elizabeth “Bessie” Chesbrough and James Harland Hoffman:
i. Helen Geraldine Hoffman, b. 7 Jun 1898 in Chicago;66 m. in Chicago 30 Jun 192067
Edward Schilling; b. 12 Apr 1893 in Chicago the son of Edward F. Schilling and Gertrude
Lendabarker;68 d. 15 Feb 1957 in Maywood, Illinois, and is buried at Oakridge Cemetery in
Hillside, Illinois.69 Helen died 30 Aug 1974 in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and is buried with her
husband, Edward, and other relatives at Oakridge Cemetery, in Hillside, Illinois, Section 25.70
*****
58 “Mrs. Eugene Prince” obit The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, CT) 5 Mar 1974. p. 46, col. 5, at Newspapers
subscription required: https://www.newspapers.com/image/60638334/?terms=Elizabeth%2BPrince
59 Elizabeth death – Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2001: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZGS-
GBW • Eugene death – Connecticut Death Index, 1949-1901: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZ5S-
KDH and U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 at Ancestry subscription required:
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2441&h=14299749 • Places of burial – Find A Grave;
Elizabeth: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141289555/elizabeth-prince ; Eugene:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141289583
60 Illinois, Cook County Marriages: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7XL-X83
61 Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8P-TG25
62 United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQF5-JQK
63 Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8P-TG25
64 Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7HC-Z3P • Burial
record: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DR6Q-7FQ?i=309&cc=1503083 • Both previous
records differ excessively on date of birth from each other and from the estimated (1883) date of birth.
65 United States Social Security Death Index: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VSGQ-736 • Place of
burial – Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173133126
66 Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1940: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q23S-SLSF
67 Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N78N-68V
68 Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MH-B3FY
69 Ibid. • Place of burial – Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173133164/edward-r_-schilling
70 Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MN-8JNK • Place of
burial – Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173133152/helen-g_-schilling
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
123
The Leander McCormick Family in Chicago By Craig L. Pfannkuche
Recently, an envelope from the Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana appeared in the mailbox of
our Chicago Genealogical Society. Inside that envelope were four cabinet card photographs, two
snapshots taken in the 1920s, and a photocopy of a lengthy Chicago Times-Herald detailing the
life of Mrs. Leander McCormick. No letter from anyone concerning the donation was enclosed.
When the librarian at the Willard Library was contacted, she said that the envelope “just showed
up on her desk and no one knew where it came from.” Since all four cabinet card photos were
“taken” in Chicago, the librarian mailed them to our Chicago Genealogical Society. Our society is
gratefully indebted to her for thinking of sending them to us.
There was a return address under the Willard Library return address label. When that was peeled
off, an original address was seen. The address was from Columbus, Ohio but that street address
does not exist in Columbus, Ohio.
The first of the four cabinet cards is a reproduced drawing of who is believed to be Robert
McCormick, the father of Leander McCormick. A series of names and dates are written on the
reverse of the Melander & Bros. produced card. They are:
Thomas McCormick
His wife – Elizabeth Carruth McCormick
Robert McCormick
His wife – Martha Sanderson McCormick
Robert McCormick
His wife – Mary Ann Hall McCormick
Leander J. McCormick
His wife –Henrietta Hamilton McCormick
Robert Hall McCormick
His wife – [?] Day McCormick
Thos B. McCormick - 1703 – 1762
Robert McCormick, Sr. Born 1737 Died Oct 12, 1818
Robert McCormick, Jr. Born June 8th 1780 D. July 4/46
Leander J, McCormick Born Feb 8th 1819. Robert McCormick
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
124
If this is a reproduction of a drawing of Robert McCormick, Jr. then he was the father of three
noted sons who moved to Chicago from Walnut Grove; Cyrus, Leander and William McCormick.
It was Cyrus who improved his father’s “hemp breaking” machine and patented it as a reaper.
Robert McCormick, born at Walnut Grove, Virginia, on 8 June 1780, died on July 4, 1846 at
Walnut Grove and is buried nearby.
The second of the four cabinet cards are a reproduced drawing of Mary Ann Hall McCormick, the
mother of Leander McCormick. A series of names and dates are written on the reverse of the
Melander & Bros. produced card. They are:
Patrick Hall - B. 1757 D. 1814
His wife – Susan McNerny Hale B. 1749 D. 1814
Mary Ann Hall- daughter Born June 24th 1780 Died
June 1st 1853
If this is a reproduction of Mary Ann Hall McCormick,
then she was the mother of three noted sons who
moved to Chicago from Walnut Grove; Cyrus, Leander
and William McCormick.
Mary Ann Hall McCormick, born at Walnut Grove,
Virginia on 24 June 1780, died there on 1 June 1853
and is buried with her husband.
The third of the four cabinet cards is a photograph of Leander McCormick taken at the Root Studio
on Wabash Street in Chicago on 8 February 1899. A series of names and dates are written on the
reverse of this card in the same handwriting as that on the first two cards. They are:
Mary Ann Hall McCormick
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
125
James McCormick
Thoms McCormick Born Ireland 1702 Di 1762
Elizabeth Carruth His wife 1705 1766
Robert McCormick Born Ireland 1738 1818
Martha Sanderson His wife Born Penn [No date]
1807
Robert McCormick Born Va. 1780 1866
Mary Ann Hall His wife Born Va. 1780 – 1853
Leander McC Born Va. 1819
Robt. Hall born Sept 6, 1867
Robt. Hall born July 10, 1878
Leander McCormick, a son of Robert and Mary Ann
Hall McCormick was born at Walnut Grove, Virginia
on 8 February 1819. He worked with his father who
was a mechanical tinkerer on the family farm. Using
their father’s idea for a “hemp-breaker,” Leander and
his older brothers, Cyrus and William, opened a
factory in Cincinnati, Ohio to turn out primitive reaping machines. By late 1848, seeing that reapers
would sell better on the more level farms of Illinois and Iowa, they moved their factory to Chicago.
Leander became the manager of the McCormick Harvester Company’s mechanical department
while William handled finances and Cyrus went on the road as the company’s prime salesman.
Leander built a spacious home at the northwest corner of Rush and Ohio Streets in Chicago. It was
destroyed in the Chicago Fire of October 1871. He would later build an impressive hotel, the
“Virginia,” on the site of his home. He would live there with his family until his death.
Leander had married Henrietta McNutt, born on 25 May 1822 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, a
daughter of John and Elizabeth McNutt in Rockbridge County, Virginia on 22 October 1845. They
had four children: Robert H. (1847 – 1917), Elizabeth (1850 – 1853), Henrietta (1857 – 1932, and
Leander H. (1859 – 1934). Henrietta McNutt McCormick died at the Virginia Hotel on 26
November 1899. She is buried with her husband and family members in Chicago’s Graceland
Cemetery.
Leander retired from the company by 1889 and by 1896 had researched, written, and published a
thorough in-depth genealogy of his family. He also transferred the value of his share of the
McCormick company into wide real estate holdings in the city and suburbs.
Leander McCormick, 8 February 1899
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
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Leander ‘s photograph was taken on 8 February 1899 only a few months before his wife’s death
and a year before his own death from pneumonia on 8 February 1900 at his Virginia Hotel. He is
buried with his wife and family members in Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery.
The fourth cabinet card, taken by Melander in Chicago, has the name “John S. McCormick, written
on the back along with a set of dates, “Sept 9th 1815” and March 7th 1848.” In small letters on the
front is a date “April 25, 1899.”
In a book on McCormick genealogy written by Leander
McCormick (Newberry Library E7.M138), he lists the
birth of John Steele McCormick as being born on 9
September 1815 in Kentucky, the fifth of seven children.
He was a son of George Elliot McCormick (5/9/1771 –
d. 4/25/1849) and Jane Steele (1784 – 1846). He was a
great grandson of Thomas McCormick and Elizabeth
Carruth.
George and Jane came to Henderson, Kentucky in 1805
where they settled on a farm about four miles east of
Henderson where John Steele McCormick was born. On
7 March 1848, John Married Martha Elam in Henderson.
In Leander’s book, he lists John’s death as happening on
27 April 1900 in Henderson, Kentucky with burial in the
Fernwood Cemetery there. John Steele McCormick may
have been visiting cousin Leander when his photograph
was taken. A photograph of John Steele McCormick can
be found on page 262 of Leander’s genealogy. It is the
very same photograph which is seen on the cabinet card.
A granddaughter of James and Martha Elam McCormick
was Mrs. Leila Coleman Fox. It may well be that the photos came to the Evansville, Indiana
library which is reasonably near Henderson, Kentucky.
Could it be that the data written on the backs of the cabinet cards is the hand writing of Leander
McCormick himself? As noted above, Leander did research and write a genealogical history of the
McCormick family which was published in 1896.
Also enclosed with the four cabinet card photos were two snapshots. Neither of them has any
name, date or place data written anywhere on them. There seems to be no way to trace them. They
are possibly descendants of John S. McCormick.
The photographs have been added to the photo database which can be found on the website of our
Chicago Genealogical Society.
*****
John S. McCormick, 25 April 1899
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
127
Listing of Map Volumes
Held By
Chicago and North Western Historical Society Archives
By Craig L. Pfannkuche
1. TOWNSHIP PLATS OF NORTHWEST WISCONSIN - 2 Volumes (1870s)
Hand drawn
2. TOWNSHIP PLATS OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND NORTHERN
SOUTH DAKOTA (1870s) Hand drawn
3. STATE OF ILLINOIS – GENERAL ATLAS ESPECIALLY WHITESIDE
COUNTY Warner and Beers – 1875
4. SIOUX CITY & PACIFIC RAILROAD TOWNSHIP
RIGHT OF WAY MAPS (1880s) Hand drawn
5. ATLAS OF LAKE VIEW TOWNSHIP [Chicago]
Nicolai & Co. - 1885
6. ATLAS OF CICERO [Township]
Nicolai & Co. - 1887
7. ATLAS OF BLUE EARTH AND FAIRBAULT COUNTIES [Minnesota] – 1887
8. ATLAS OF CHICAGO (and Selected suburbs)
Rufus Blanchard - 1895
9. NORTH SHORE ATLAS [North of Chicago]
Emil Rudolph - 1896
10. ATLAS OF JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP [Chicago]
Nicolai & Co. - 1908
11. CITY INDUSTRIAL PLATS [Chicago] Prior to 1907
12. PLAT BOOK OF RACINE AND KENOSHA COUNTIES [Illinois]
Racine Real estate Board 1924
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
128
Listing of Map Volumes Held by Chicago and North Western Historical Society Archives
continued:
13. BOOK OF VALUATIONS OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
OF CHICAGO
Farnham – Kuhn Company 1927
14. THE VICINITY OF CHICAGO
James H. Rees 1851
Contact the archives by emailing [email protected].
The Vicinity of Chicago Map, 1851
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
129
Upcoming CGS Programs 2020
We are hopeful about the future and looking forward to holding regular in-person CGS activities
when we can and are exploring new virtual ones also. The Chicago Genealogical Society is being
cautiously optimistic about planning upcoming programs. We have many ideas and speakers on
hold for future presentations.
Currently, we are having to communicate upcoming events more closely to the actual date due to
the Illinois statewide orders and the current public health requirements. As of this publication, we
have the following in-person presentation scheduled for September. Hopefully, we will be getting
back to our regular schedule soon. Thank you for your understanding.
September 12 - Finding Hidden Clues in Old Family Photos
Craig Pfannkuche, the developer of the CGS’s family photographs
database on the CGS website https://chicagogenealogy.org/Chicago-
Family-Photo-Database will be our speaker. This database is a listing of
over 1,000 “carte de visite” and “cabinet card” photographs of
individuals taken (mostly) in Chicago between 1855 and 1915. Only
those with names of individuals written on them have been collected.
Craig will be making a powerpoint illustrated presentation about
“Finding Hidden Clues in Old Family Photos.” In the presentation,
Craig will show how to date when a family photo was taken discussing,
for example, the type of photo taken, the type of cardstock on which the
photo is pasted, line types and revenue stamps on the card, the types of
clothing seen on those pictured as well, even, hairstyles. Also, the
material written on the backs of the photos, most often cartes de visite and cabinet cards, can be
especially useful in dating photos. He will also show, through the use of actual albums, how the
positioning of the photos in albums can disclose family relationships. A number of actual named
Chicago photos will also be passed around for inspection.
Craig is an independent research professional and President of Memory Trail Research, Inc. He
volunteers for the CGS Board as the Ancestor Certificate Committee Chair and is our awesome
bus tour guide for our annual genealogical tours. He is also the archivist for the Chicago & North
Western Historical Society. This program will be at the Newberry Library at 1:30pm and free.
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
130
Index
Adam, 107
Ahlbach, 105
Aspan, 107
Bara, 107
Bauer, 107
Bedner, 107
Beers, 127
Beranek, 106
Berg, 111, 112, 114
Blanchard, 127
Blattner, 105
Bobber, 105
Bolda, 105
Bolechowski, 105
Borskie, 105
Brennan, 107
Buerkle, 107
Carruth, 125, 126
Chesbrough, 110, 111, 112,
113, 114, 115, 116, 117,
118, 120, 121, 122
Chesebrough, 115
Cichy, 107
Coleman, 126
Condich, 107
Coogan, 106, 107
Corcoran, 106
Curto, 107
Dahm, 105
Delaney, 114
Dempsey, 107
Dignan, 118, 119, 120
Donovan, 107
Dorman, 106
Downey, 107
Drahos, 106, 107
Eigenbauer, 105
Elam, 126
Ellis, 107
Ertl, 107
Ewald, 107
Farnham, 128
Fink, 106
Fox, 106, 126
Foy, 105
French, 120
Freudinger, 107
Freyer, 118
Gabel, 105
Gaynor, 107
Gobeli, 106
Godrey, 105
Goodall, 118, 120
Graffy, 107
Grimm, 107
Grove, 107
Guillotin, 113
Hale, 124
Hall, 124, 125
Halper, 105
Harmon, 105
Hefler, 107
Heilmann, 106
Henery, 106
Henrichsen, 106
Herman, 107
Hoffman, 120, 122
Horan, 107
Huemmer, 106
Jacobs, 107
Jander, 105
Janicki, 107
Janisch, 106
Jones, 115, 118
Kedziora, 105
Keenan, 107
Kerr, 122
Kilcoyne, 106
Kleinhenz, 106
Koegler, 105
Koehler, 105
Kosowski, 105
Kowalske, 106
Kristof, 106
Kubiak, 105
Kuhn, 128
Labuhn, 106, 107
Langkan, 107
Lawler, 106
Lebensorger, 107
Lendabarker, 122
Lepine, 106, 107
Liskovec, 105, 106
Ludes, 107
Majosky, 106
Malcak, 106
Massura, 107
McAllister, 107
McCarthy, 107
McClellan, 111
McCormick, 123, 124, 125,
126
McDonald, 106, 107
McGuire, 105
McIntyre, 105, 106
McKenney, 107
McLaughlin, 106
McNally, 106
McNerny, 124
McNutt, 125
Meier, 106
Michalak, 107
Michalcean, 107
Moloney, 106
Mooney, 105
Moore, 107
Moran, 106
Morley, 120
Morrissey, 105
Mott, 121
Motzer, 106
Muhr, 105
Murphy, 107
Murray, 107
Mutis, 106
Navratil, 105
Negrelli, 107
Neubek, 107
Nicolai, 127
O’Halloran, 107
O’Malley, 105, 107
O’Reilly, 107
Chicago Genealogical Society Vol. 52 No. 4 Summer 2020
131
Offerman, 105
Opferman, 106, 107
Ortegel, 105
Oswald, 105
Ott, 105, 106
Peters, 107
Piastowski, 106
Piontkowski, 107
Poetz, 106
Polczanis, 106
Pomper, 107
Powers, 105
Preiser, 104, 105
Price, 105
Prince, 121
Pryzbylo, 106
Rabe, 107
Rabiansky, 106
Rees, 128
Reilley, 107
Renshaw, 118
Rieger, 105
Rolinek, 106
Rosellini, 106
Rothermel, 107
Rudolph, 127
Sanderson, 125
Scahill, 105
Schiestel, 107
Schilling, 122
Schlubeck, 105
Schwertfeger, 106
Schwontkoski, 106
Schwontkowski, 105
Senniger, 106
Shishkin, 121
Skiba, 107
Slowinski, 107
Smerz, 105, 106
Smid, 106
Smogor, 105
Soch, 107
Steele, 126
Sullivan, 105, 106, 107
Sulzer, 106
Szutenbach, 105
Tarter, 106
Tatinger, 107
Tebbetts, 118, 121
Thelan, 106
Thelen, 106
Thompson, 105
Trapp, 105
Trierwiler, 106
Tworzydlo, 105
Ulatoski, 105
Valek, 107
Voelker, 107
Von Arb, 106
Vorva, 107
Wagner, 105, 107, 108
Walter, 108
Warner, 127
Weingart, 106
Wiesemes, 105
Wilkinson, 105
Wilson, 114
Zatler, 108
Zisser, 105, 108
Neither the Quarterly Editor nor the Chicago Genealogical Society can assume
responsibility for contributors’ errors of fact, and opinions of contributors are not
necessarily those of the Editor or of CGS. Proven errors of fact will, of course, be corrected.
Chicago Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690 -1160
Membership Form
The best way to take full advantage of all CGS is to join us online! Join or renew your membership at: www.chicagogenealogy.org. Pay by credit card to have immediate access to all we offer, including our “members only” website. Or you can request an invoice to mail in with a check or money order.
No email access? Complete the form below and mail it in with your payment. Make your check payable to the: Chicago Genealogical Society and mail to:
Chicago Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690-1160.
The Chicago Genealogical Society has several digitization projects in the works and also contributes to the Newberry Library's Genealogy department projects. Please consider making a donation to support these projects.
$ to the Chicago Genealogical Society. $ to the Newberry Library These amounts are in addition to membership fees.
rev. 4/2019
My membership is (check one): New Renewal
Individual, society or library membership ($25.00) Family membership ($30.00 - all members must reside at same address) Life membership ($250.00)
Surname: Given Name:
Address:
City: State: Zip Code:
Telephone Number: Date:
Email:
CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY ANCESTOR CERTIFICATES
The Chicago Genealogical Society will issue ancestor certificates to descendants of early residents
of Chicago or Cook County. There are three categories of Certificates: (1) Pioneer – an ancestor
who settled in Chicago or Cook County from the city’s founding in 1833 through 8 October 1871
(Great Chicago Fire), (2) Rebuilder – an ancestor who settled in Chicago or Cook County from
October 9, 1871 to the end of December 1893 (World’s Columbian Exposition), and (3)
Progressive – an ancestor who settled in Chicago or Cook County between January 1894 and the
end of March 1933.
In documenting your Pioneer, Rebuilder, and Progressive ancestors, you will be helping to
preserve the records of your family and the history of the Chicago area.
Applicants need not be residents of Chicago or Cook County or members of the Society. A
certificate will be issued for each ancestor documented, and submitted as follows.
1. Complete the Application Form and Direct Lineage Chart as fully as possible. The
Application Form and Direct Lineage Chart can be printed (or downloaded) from our
website: http://www.chicagogenealogy.org, and obtained at our meetings. Please use
maiden names where applicable. If unsure of any dates or information, place a question
mark after them.
2. Submit proper documentation. You may include copies of census records, land records,
birth/marriage/death records, church records and/or burial records (cemetery name and
location), etc. Do NOT send the original documents. Family Group Sheets will NOT be
accepted as proper documentation. All applications and copies of supporting documents
become the property of the Chicago Genealogical Society.
3. The first certificate costs $25.00 and each subsequent copy of the same ancestor to various
descendants is $15.00. Send your Application Form, Direct Lineage Chart, proper
documentation for each Certificate, and a check for the total number of Certificates ordered
to:
Chicago Genealogical Society
Attn: Ancestor Certificates
P.O. Box 1160
Chicago, IL 60690-1160
You may submit as much additional information about your ancestor as you wish.
Please consider sending a short narrative of how your ancestor arrived in the Chicago area (by
wagon, train, water), first residence, or experiences during and after the Great Fire. We may
publish your story in the Chicago Genealogist.
Chicago Genealogical SocietyP.O.Box 1160Chicago, IL 60690
Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage
PAIDCarol Stream, ILPermit No. 91
