The following is a short bio/sketch of most of the businessmen in the
towns of Sterling & Rock Falls Il. who were in operation in 1896-1897. This article
was presented in "The Sterling Standard". Accompanying each sketch was a
picture of some of these men. (I've inserted NO PHOTO - where there is none available). I only have pages 25 to 52 of this article. The first 25 pages
didn't survive. They are listed in alphabetical order.
(No Photo) - Christian EISLE has conducted one of Sterling's foremost bakeries at 10 West Third street for a number of years. He came to Sterling in the spring of 1866 and since that time has been one of the city's stable business men and influential citizens. In addition to a complete bakery stock he carries a fine line of confectionery and fruits. His ice cream parlors and soda fountain are popular resorts in the hot weather. A specialty is made of supplying ice cream in wholesale quantities.
(No Photo) - Jacob EISELE & Co. established his merchant tailoring business in this city in 1873 and has been in the business ever since. He is the oldest merchant in his line in the city. Edward Eisele, the assistant cutter is a graduate of Philips Cutting Academy and is a prominent young cutter. There are fifteen men and women employed in thier shop at present.
(No Photo) - Robert EISELE recently purchased the jewelry business formerly owned by W.F. Eisele, at 19 East Third street. Mr. Eisele is an expert workman and handles a large variety of goods in his line.
Pg. 28 Elwood H. ESHLEMAN, the well known grocer, was born in Pennsylvania in the year of 1867. He came west with his parents when two years old and the family purchased a farm just north of this city.
Four years ago Mr. Eshleman came to the city and purchased the grocery stock of Amos Ahrens, at No. 110 East Third street, his present place of business. He carries a full and complete line of groceries, provisions and crockery.
Mr. Eshleman has a splendid trade in the city and country. Fresh butter and eggs he always has on hand.
(No Photo) - E.J. FEIGLEY & Son, S.H. FEUGKET, conduct a popular cigar store and news stand at 309 Locust street. They have been in business for four years, dealing in fine cigars and tobacco, confectionery, sporting goods, newspapers, periodicals and paper covered novels. They also handle a fine line of pipes and other smokers materials.
(No Photo) - Virgil S. FERGUSON entered upon a general law practice in Sterling in 1870. He has served in municipal offices at various times and has been for sixteen years continuously a member of the Board of Education of the Wallace School. He served, four years, from '91 to '95, in the General Assembly of the State as Senator.
Pg. 37 EDWARD FERNBERG, of the firm of Fernberg Bros., dealers in clothing and gents furnishings at Sterling and Aurora, was born in Mendota in 1867. He lived in Mendota until four years ago the firm purchased the business of David Goldsmith of this city.
About two months ago W.P. Fernberg, the other member of the firm, removed to Aurora to take charge of a large new store which they have opened in that city. They deal in clothing, hats, caps and gentlemen's furnishing goods. The firm is one of the most substantial in our city.
Pg. 28 FLOCK & DAVIS. The firm of Flock & Davis, the well known bicycle dealers and repairers, have a nice trade. Their place of business is located at No. 106 West Third street, where they have all the modern conveniences for repairing. They also make a specialty of renting bicycles. The senior member of the firm,
(H.J. Flock - photo on left) was born in this county and moved to Sterling in 1890. He commenced his present business three years ago. Last February he took into partnership I.C. Davis, who came from Iowa. Both are young men and very popular with the young people of the city.
Early History & Pioneers of Bicycling in Sterling (No Photo) - A.H. FONDERSMITH, 401 Locust street, conducts one of the finest meat markets in Sterling. He came to this city from Strasburg, PA in 1871, and is endowed with the sterling honesty and industry characteristic of the Pennsylvanians. He has resided in Sterling twenty-five years, with the exception of two years spent in Chicago, and has been in business here nearly all of this time. He has been two years in his present location, in a building planned and built expressly for him. Besides all kinds of meat Mr. Fondersmith handles fish, oysters and game in season. He carries a fine line of canned and bottled shelf goods. Fine lard is one of his specialties.
(No Photo) - Arthur FOWLER has lately purchased the harness shop at 205 East Third street and is conducting a first class shop. E.J. King, the oldest harness marker in the city is at the head of the shop. This is a sufficient guarantee of first class workmanship.
(No Photo) - August FRANK , merchant tailor, came to Sterling in 1869. He was cutter for E.W. Edson & Co, eight years before he went into business for himself. His shop, 28 West Third street, is one of the best equipped. Garments made by him are unsurpassed in fit, style and workmanship. He is the only man in Sterling who handles the celebrated Van Ingen Company fabrics.
(No Photo) - Mrs. Mattie J. FREY has been one of the Sterling's successful business women for a number of years. Her millinery store, 6 West Third street, has always been one of the leading institutions of its kind.
Pg. 34 N. GAULRAPP, Jr., proprietor of the well established grocery store located on West Third street, which places is better known to the public under the appelation of "My Store," has been engaged in the grocery business, in the same location, for the past fourteen years, and has met with signal success. Besides groceries, he handles a full line of crockery and glassware and endeavors to keep none but the best goods on the market. He makes a specialty of Pillsbury's flour, which he considers the best flour made. He will pay the highest price for farm produce and sell lower than the lowest. "My Store" is a first-class up-to-date grocery store.
(No Photo) - GEM Printing House is a general job printing establishment, located in the basement under the postoffice. The proprietors, Messrs. John H. Byers and E. R. Cary, have been in control since April, 1896. All kinds of job printing are promptly executed, and the proprietors take pnde in being up to the times.
(No Photo) George M. GERDES (Biography)
has been in the grocery business in Sterling more than twenty years. He carries at his present location, 308 Locust street, a well selected stock of staple and fancy groceries, provision, crockery, and fruits in season. He has always given close attention to business and for this reason has a large trade.
Pg. 48 F. H. GEYER, the prominent furniture dealer of Rock Falls, was born in Ogle county in the year 1858. Mr. Geyer moved to South Dakota in 1882; was sheriff there one term and supervisor two terms. He came to Rock Falls in 1891 and purchased the furniture stock of E.E. Dill & Co. Over two years ago, finding his quarters too limited Mr. Geyer erected his present fine block to accommodate his increasing business. He has one of the largest stores in Rock Falls and carries a fine stock of furniture of every kind and description, does undertaking, has a nice line of carpets and picture frames. He is a member of the Masons, M.W.A. and A.O.U.W.
(No Photo) John M. GOLTMAN has been Police Magistrate in this city for the past twelve years. He obtained his education at the Franklin Academy in Franklin County PA..... was admitted to the bar in 1858. Sterling has been his home since 8161. He has been prevented from practicing his profession because of delicate health. Mr. Goltman is a popular justice and his legal training makes him particularly well fitted for the office he holds.
Mr. Goodell has received the endorsement of Congressman Prince for the Rock Falls post office, and will assume the responsibilities of that office February 1, 1898.He was president of the board of education three years.
(No Photo) F. W. GORDON M. D., has resided in Sterling more than thirty years, during which time he has been engaged in the active practice of his profession. He was graduated from Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, in the class of 1860, the first class ever graduated from that institution. Dr. Gordon is widely known in his profession throughout the State, having been President of the Rock River Institute of Homeopathy in 1896, of the Hahnemann Alumni in 1889, of the Illinois Homeopatic Association in 1890 and Commissioner of Public Health since 1893.
(No Photo) Henry GREEN has practiced law in this city for the past twenty years. He is a graduate of Evanston College. He obtained his knowledge of law in the old fashioned way by absorbing it in the subcharged air of a law office. Mr. Green has a large practice and is highly esteemed.
(No Photo) J.A. GROVE began business in Sterling in October 1894 at 115 East Third Street. He conducts a general bakery business on a large scale. He has six employees and runs two wagons. He has a large trade in the villages surrounding the city for twenty miles. During the summer months he does a large wholesale business in ice cream. A restaurant is also run in connection with the bakery, which enjoys a large trade.
Pg. 28 S.C. GRUBB, the well known baker and dealer in cooked meats, was born in Pennsylvania in 1843. He came west and settled in Sterling in the year 1867. Mr. Grubb was successfully engaged in the coal business; billiard rooms under the Galt house, where he remained for six years. Afterwards he run feed sheds and for four years a restaurant. He started his present business over two years ago and is doing a nice business in bakery good and cooked meats.
Pg. 25-26 William FRANKE, the well known proprietor of the Excelsior Brewery, was born in Wisconsin in the year 1855. At the age of sixteen he apprenticed himself to the trade of brewer at Bay City, Wisconsin, where he worked three years, when he moved to Milwaukee. He was employed in the large and well known breweries of Pabst and Blatz in Milwaukee, the following two years.
He next went to St. Louis, Mo., where he had eight years experience in the Lemp, Anheuser-Busch and Wainright breweries. He left his position to accept an offer as head brewer from the Continental Brewing Co., at Philadelphia, where he remained one year, when he accepted an offer from the J.L. Hoeber Brewing Co., of Chicago, as malster brewer, where he remained a short time when he accepted a position as brew-master of the Aurora Brewing Co., of Aurora, Ill.
He was employed in this brewery for three years. He removed to Sterling three years ago and leased the Excelsior Brewery of B.J. Helms and has since conducted it.
His varied experience in the different large breweries in the country has thoroughly fitted him for the business. His product is considered as good as any beer made and used almost exclusively in a majority of the saloons in this city and surrounding towns. A late acquisition is the brewing of ale, of which he makes a suprior quality.
Pg. 35 FRANK GALT, the dealer in agricultural implements in Sterling, occupies a very important place in the business community because of the fact of the large trade he enjoys from the farmers. No line of trade has seen more development and progress than the manufacture of agricultural implements. It is comparatively a few years ago when the old-fashion sickle did the grain cutting, the scythe mowed the hay and the flail thrashed the grain, but in the last twenty-five years the whole system of farming has been changed. The mind of man has invented machinery for performing nearly every kind of labor to be done on the farm. By the aid of these inventions farming is made easier and cheaper. The different machines used on the farm can now be purchased at a very reasonable price. In the agricultural implement line in Sterling one of the oldest in business is the well-known house of Frank Galt, situated on Second avenue. Mr. Galt was born in this city in the year 1856. Twenty years ago he started in the agricultural implement business. His place is large and commodious, and is stocked with the very best of goods in this line. He deals in threshing machines, wagons, carriages a specialty of the Mitchell wagon being made, high grade surries, road wagons of every description, Milwaukee corn planters and shredders, sole agent Minneapolis harvestors and binders, power and wind mills and feed grinders, the Rock Island and Sterling Hay loaders, Moline Flying Dutchman, also sterling disc barrows an corn planters, eleven foot agitators and force feed seeders, Rumsly and Port Huron threshing machines and a large number of other implements too numerous to mention.
Pg. 47 A.S. GOODELL, the prospective postmaster of Rock Falls, was born near Aurora, Illinois, in 1843. The family moved to Rock Falls, which was then a prairie, a short time after his birth. His first experience in business was in 1872, when he started a hardware store. Two years later he engaged in the manufacture of novelties, continuing this for twelve years. Mr. Goodell is now serving his third term as alderman of the Third ward, and is chairman of the committee on fire and water and judiciary.
Pg. 36 M.P. GRAHAM, the well known manager of the Sterling Bedal Gold Cure Sanitarium, was born in Ogle county, Ill., in 1863. He has been in the gold cure business since 1892 and has in that time treated and cured thousands of inebriates and also cured a large number of opium and morphine fiends. Mr. Graham claims that the Bedal Cure has made more successful cures in proportion to the number treated than any cure in the world. The price for liquor treatment is $75.00, board extra. Morphine and Opium treatment $25.00 per week for first three weeks and $15.00 per week for each additional week. A cure guaranteed in all cases. Write for particulars. M.P. Graham, Manage. Dr. Frank Keefer, Medical Director.
