Author Archives: kgallagh
Jacob Brosius
Jacob Brosius was a mechanic and an inventor who came directly to Belleville in 1849. His products reflect the hand of man. He held at least 7 patents for agricultural equipment improvements and 3 for radiators and steam conducting pipes. His foundry and machine shop was prosperous, and his castor, linseed and pecan oil business was even more so. In 1876, he built a very pretentious, palatial style home on a hill overlooking east Belleville. He called it “Kronthal”. In [...]
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Ferdinand Braun
Ferdinand Braun, a malster from Germany, owned coal mine lands, a dairy and a brickyard on the north side of Belleville where his father, Lorenzo, and George Bressler built a distillery in about 1840. In 1863, Ferdinand was the sole owner. By 1874, his interests turned to transportation, and he incorporated the Belleville City Railway Company. Belleville is credited with the first electric rail line in the State of Illinois. Braun and his wife, Wilhelmina, returned to Germany in 1891 [...]
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Edward Abend
Edward Abend (1822-1904). His family moved from Germany to Belleville, IL, in 1833. Abend became an Agent for German Capitalists in 1852. He served as President of Belleville Savings Bank and was a four-time Mayor of the City of Belleville. Because of his opposition to slavery, he was expelled from Democratic Party. Share and Enjoy Facebook Twitter Delicious Digg Google Buzz StumbleUpon Add to favorites Email RSS
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Hans Schwartz
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George C Bunsen
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