Jerseyville, Illinois History

Jersey County Page     Jerseyville History

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Jerseyville To-day

Hanley & Perrings, Butchers

Among our representative butchers, we call attention to the firm of Hanley & Perrings, two of our enterprising young business men, who in 1885 launched their trial craft upon the sea of business, having at the time limited means and limited experience and the strongest competition to encounter. But pluck, perseverance and close attention to business triumphed again and to day they have the leading business in their line, and are well equipped in all matters pertaining to the successful prosecution of the same. To meet the demands of their business they purchased the old Hamilton property in the northern portion of the city, and now have an extensive slaughter house, packing house and ice house combined, with feed lots attached. In addition to these facilities they have forty acres of pasture ground under lease for the use of their stock intended for the home market, and the cattle and hogs that they buy, and ship to other points, which business in certain seasons they carry on quite extensively. They are careful buyers and keep their market well supplied with the choicest meats, at reasonable prices. They are accommodating and pleasant gentlemen to deal with and withal public spirited showing a willingness to aid any and all enterprises calculated to enhance the interests of the city. Their market is centrally located, corner of Pearl and State streets, and is kept scrupulously neat and clean, and they are justly ranked as our most popular butchers.

Lowe & Akard, Grocers

These comments would be incomplete without reference to the extensive grocery house of Lowe & Akard in the Herdman Block on north State street. These gentlemen have been associated in business since 1886, and have quietly pursued the even tenor of their way relying upon the quality of their goods and straight forward business methods for their reward – a substantial and steadily increasing business. They started up in the Goecke building and after three years found it necessary to make a change to meet the growing demands of their business, when they moved to their present capacious and elegant quarters. Mr. A. W. LOWE of this firm is a son of the late Judge Richard I. LOWE, one of Jersey county’s most prominent and highly respected citizens. He was born in New Jersey in 1839, and came to Jersey county in 1847. After several years farming and three years spent in the army, he entered into partnership with Mr. Akard in the grocery trade and has since applied himself diligently to business, and made of himself a successful business man. Mr. B. W. AKARD is well known in Jerseyville as a competent and reliable business man. He was born in Alton in 1855 and came to Jerseyville in 1868, and after six years service with his father in the Singer sewing machine business, he engaged as salesman for Mr. John WILEY, the old State street grocer, with whom he remained seven or eight years, securing a business acquaintance and confidence which served him well when the new firm of Lowe & Akard came to the front. These gentlemen have proven themselves worthy of liberal patronage and we are glad to note are receiving it. They carry a large stock of choice staple and shelf goods, including glassware, queensware, crockery, tin-ware, lamps, etc., and their prices are the lowest the markets will permit.

L. M. Cutting & Son, Insurance

The Cutting Insurance Agency of Jerseyville is one of the oldest if not the oldest continuous agency in the state. Mr. L. M. CUTTING senior is a native of Westminster, Mass., and came to Jerseyville in 1856 [sic]. His first business venture was finishing and wholesaling chairs at Albany, N.Y., under the firm name of Cutting & Morrill. He afterwards engaged in the manufacture of musical instruments at Pittsfield, Mass., with Mr. Pierce of the city as a partner. In 1865 he embarked in the insurance business at Jerseyville, with the Home of New York as his first company and after several years of successful prosecution of the business, he took as a partner in 1878 his son, L. M. CUTTING, Jr. Mr. Cutting Jr., had had special training for the business in his father’s office, and developed a remarkable aptitude therefor, and in 1885 he received an urgent call from the Home Insurance Company to act as their special agent and general collector in the field. This he concluded to do and after two years service was promoted to the responsible position of examiner of risks at the Chicago office. Later he was called home by the serious and protracted illness of his father, and when his father had sufficiently recovered to resume his business, he again took the road as special agent for the same company, in which capacity he is now working. The Cutting agency has fifteen fire companies, two life and one accident company, all leading companies in the country. This agency has paid out during its continuance in Jerseyville, in the aggregate about $120,000 – $26,000 having been paid on one of the prominent blocks in the city. It insures against fire, tornado, life and accident, and the gross assets of the companies represented reach the enormous figure of $267,400,000. During the long and successful business career of this insurance agency – extending over a period of a quarter of a century, it has never been involved in litigation growing out of the adjustment of losses, but has paid thousands of dollars which could have been avoided by reason of legal technicalities. Mr. L. M. Cutting senior, informs us that during his residence in Jerseyville he has sold over $40,000 worth of pianos – our musical people entrusting him with the selection of their instruments as he has practical knowledge of their mechanism, and the personal acquaintance of the best manufacturers of the East. He carries no stock for exhibition or sale, but has filled orders direct from the factories since living here from thirteen different states.

E. A. R. Myers, Livery, Feed and Sale Stables

Jerseyville has always been well provided with livery stables and no city of its size can boast of more stylish outfits than those kept and furnished by our city liverymen. The drives about Jerseyville are unsurpassed and during the season for this out door amusement, our young people indulge freely in buggy riding, which fact has stimulated our liverymen to keep first-class stock and stylish rigs, and the business has thus become at once profitable and lucrative. The stable now occupied by Mr. E. A. R. MYERS on east Pearl street, was erected by Mr. Charles E. BOWMAN, and occupied by him in the livery business a number of years. It is a fine brick structure 44 x 100 feet in ground area and two stories high, and is supplied with every convenience for carrying on the business. In July 1880, Myers and Brown bought the stable outfit, and after one year Mr. Brown retired from the firm and Mr. Myers has been sole proprietor since. Mr. Myers is a native of Scott county, Virginia, and when quite young his parents moved to Missouri where they remained until 1878, when the family moved to Jersey county. Mr. Myers spent his early years clerking in various capacities, and farming, up to the time he engaged in the livery business at Jerseyville in 1880. In 1878 he was married to Celestia P. BROWN, a native of Franklin county, Mo., and has but recently taken possession of a handsome residence purchased by himself, on east Pearl street. Mr. Myers feeds about twenty horses for his livery use, and as stated above has a stylish outfit of buggies, phaetons, carriages, etc., and sends out none but experienced and careful drivers. He is a practical horseman, a good judge of horses, and buys and sells horses, and keeps boarders in the line of his business. His stable is popular and he has a good run of custom.

Herman F. Brockman, Baker and Confectioner

No more conspicuous examples of personal success can be found in Jerseyville that those furnished by the Brockman brothers respectively who are to day numbered among our most enterprising and industrious citizens. As stated elsewhere in these comments these brothers started in business at Jerseyville in 1879 succeeding Nail & Voorhees, and conducted their bakery and confectionery business together until 1884, when Herman sold out his interest to his brother, and taking Horace Greely’s advice, to “go west young man,” went to Crawford county, Kansas, where he remained two years, when he returned to Jerseyville, and in 1887 started what is now known as the National Bakery, in the old National Hotel building on East Pearl street. Being thrifty, industrious and economical, he soon firmly established himself in the community as a first-class baker and confectioner, and found ready and abundant sale for his goods. He is a thorough master of his business and his bread of which he manufactures several different varieties, including milk vienna, graham, rye and home made bread is pronounced “par excellence” by all who use it. He also does fine pastry cooking and makes a specialty of wedding cakes. He also carries a full line of fine candies and confections, and has a good trade in these. Mr. Herman F. BROCKMAN is a native of St. Louis, but has spent most of his life at Jerseyville, and that he has greatly prospered in business goes without saying. He, last year built a conspicuous and ornamental dwelling house in Shephards Addition to the city, where he now resides. In 1883 he was married to Miss Emma LERESCHE of our city, and is the happy father of three children – two bouncing boys and one girl. Mr. Brockman has hosts of friends, who rejoice to know of his business prosperity and domestic happiness as well. Miss Katie BROCKMAN is the popular sales woman at this place of business.

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