Finney Reform Loomis (1841-1911)

Finney Reform Loomis, from Evert's Atlas of Medina County, Ohio, 1874.

  Ohio has yielded a few new strange name discoveries over the past few days, the most interesting of which belongs to the above-pictured gentleman.....Finney Reform Loomis! A resident of Medina County, Ohio for the majority of his life, Loomis was a veteran of the Civil War and later gained distinction as a prominent Buckeye state publisher, being the editor and owner of both the Medina Gazette and the Norwalk Chronicle. Loomis's placement on the site rests on his service as a representative from Medina County to the Ohio General Assembly, where he served for one term.

   Born at Lodi, Medina County Ohio on September 3, 1841, Finney Reform Loomis was one of eight children born to Milo (1802-1852) and Lucy Greenly Loomis (died 1852), both natives of New York. With the deaths of their parents of typhoid fever in October and November 1852 the Loomis siblings were left parentless, and despite this tragic loss young Finney pressed on, taking work as a clerk and school teacher during his youth.  He enlisted in the Union Army in June 1862 and served with the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Loomis would receive several promotions during his service on the battlefield and was "severely wounded" at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. He was again wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg the following year and in July 1864 was mustered out, having achieved the rank of first lieutenant.

  Finney R. Loomis married his first wife Helen Gray Slater on December 4, 1862. Less than a year after their marriage Helen Slater Loomis died and two years following her passing Loomis remarried in January 1865 to Catherine C. Killmer (1844-1913). The couple were wed for over four decades and had one son, Clare Reform (1871-1892), who died of typhoid in February 1892 at just twenty years of age.

   After his war service, Loomis was honored with the appointment as postmaster of his hometown of Lodi, an office in which he served until 1873. In August of that year, he received the Republican nomination for representative to the Ohio General Assembly, to which he was elected in October 1873. Loomis served one term in the legislature (1874-1876) and during that term was a member of the following committees: Blind, Deaf, and Dumb and Imbecile Asylums; Claims; and Retrenchment.

Loomis during his Civil War service (picture courtesy of Find-A-Grave.)

    Loomis declined renomination in 1876 and in that same year made his first venture into the publishing field, purchasing "a half interest" in the Medina Gazette. He would serve that paper as an owner and its editor until 1879, whereafter he sold off his interest and purchased the Norwalk Chronicle, of which he was "sole proprietor and editor." 

   Remarked as being "one of the temperance advocates of Ohio", Finney R. Loomis was affiliated with a few church-related organizations in Medina and Huron County, including service as president of both the Huron County Bible Society and the Huron County Sunday School Association. Loomis was also active in veteran's organizations, being a past commander of the M.F. Wooster Post, No, 34 of the G.A.R. chapter of Norwalk, Ohio, and for one year held the presidency of the Ohio Command of the Union Veterans Union.

   After many years of prominence in both Medina and Huron County, Finney Reform Loomis died on November 26, 1911, at age 70.  He was survived by his wife Catherine and was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Lodi, Ohio.

Sprague Spooner Stetson (1841-1899)

   Sporting one of those fun tongue-twister-type names, Sprague Spooner Stetson was a resident of the village of Lakeville in Massachusetts during the 19th century. A prominent farmer in that area, Stetson served one term in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives in the early 1880s, earning him an article here on the site. Despite his being a citizen of distinction in the Plymouth County area, little could be found on Mr. Stetson, with the exception being a small write-up in the 1906 History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, authored by Thomas Weston. This book also yielded the rare portrait of Stetson shown above.

   Born in the town of Carver in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Sprague Spooner Stetson was one of three children born to Peleg Stetson (1800-1867) and his wife Priscilla Ward (1808-1871). Little is known of Stetson's early life or education, and he married on December 13, 1864, to Thalia Weston, with whom he had two children, George Ward (1866-1926) and Jennie (1870-1953). George Ward Stetson went on to become a noted lawyer, later serving as a special justice for the 4th District Court of Plymouth County.

  Following his father's death in 1867, Stetson inherited the family home (referred to as the "Ward Place") and in the succeeding years built up a reputation as a productive farmer in Lakeville and also served in several local political offices. In 1883 he was elected to the Massachusetts General Court for that year's term and was named to a seat on the legislative committee on Agriculture. Stetson also held a membership in the Plymouth County Agricultural Society both before and after his tenure in the legislature.

   After his brief stint in state government, Stetson was appointed by then Massachusetts Governor Frederic Thomas Greenhalge to the State Board of Agriculture, serving in that capacity from 1892 to 1899. Stetson died on January 12, 1899, while still serving on the board. He was 58 years old at the time of his death and was later memorialized in the History of Town of Middleboro as being:

"Prudent yet enterprising, conscientious in the performance of every duty, always courteous yet unassuming, and the cordiality of his manners and his thoughtful regard of others won the respect of the entire community."

                       A Massachusetts House resolution passed shortly after Stetson's death in 1899.

Piamus (Primus) Walter Jones (1844-1890)

  Hailing from the county of Baker in Georgia, the obscure Piamus Walter Jones is profiled today, and his rather odd first name is worth mentioning, as there are a total of three variations in its spelling floating around online! While the rare portrait of him above (located in the 1882 work entitled Georgia's General Assembly of 1880-81) has his first name listed as "Primus", his gravestone in Baker County denotes it as "Piamus". The spelling is further complicated by a listing for a "Priamus Walter Jones" on Rootsweb genealogical-related websites. Despite all of these spelling variations floating around, I usually consider a person's gravestone to be the final arbiter in such matters, hence why Jones is listed as "Piamus (Primus) Walter Jones in the title of his article here. 

   A lifelong resident of the Peach State, Piamus/Primus W. Jones was born in Meriwether County on May 10, 1844, the thirteenth of fifteen children born to John Jones (1802-1874) and his wife Elizabeth Strozier (1807-1892). The Jones siblings are listed as follows in order of their birth: Anne V. (1826-1920), John W. (1828-1849), Reuben (1829-1874), Franklin Chandler (1830-1891), Willis (1831-1843), Louisa (1832-1916), Orrie (1832-unknown), Emily (1833-1861), Chandler (1834-1899), Enoch Callaway (1837-1916), Desdemona (1838-1841), Morgiana (1840-1915), Piamus (1844-1890), Otis Smith (1845-1880) and Montgomery (born 1848). John Jones was a prominent planter, and was "in his time the leading cotton planter of Georgia." Piamus/Primus is remarked by Georgia's General Assembly as "enjoying a happy boyhood, mixing hunting, fishing and outdoor sports with work and study" but no mention is given as to where he received his schooling.

  Engaged in farm work while still a young man, Jones learned the cotton planting trade from his father and became very successful, eventually becoming the owner of a 2,500-acre cotton plantation in Baker County. Jones is remarked by more than one source as being a veritable king of the cotton industry, and was noted as having "carried his name into every cotton mart in the world by yearly bringing in for sale the first new bale of cotton for the season."  In addition to cotton, Jones is mentioned as raising a large vegetable crop at his residence. Because he was the producer of the first new bale of cotton every year, Jones was labeled in his death notice as the "first bale man", a fitting tribute for a man so involved with the cotton industry.  

   A lifelong bachelor, Jones is recorded as "growing more cotton to the plow than any other man in Georgia" and with his statewide reputation as a farmer and grower, came calls for him to run for public office. In 1880 he won election to the Georgia State House of Representatives from Baker County and served in the legislative sessions of 1880-1881, 1886-1887, 1888-1889. During the 1886 session Jones introduced legislation advocating the construction of an experimental agricultural station in Georgia, and his advocacy of this idea received a write-up in the January 1886 edition of the Southern Cultivator, Volume 44, posted below.

  Jones's tenure in the state legislature was marked as one of "zeal and faithfulness unbiased by partisan feeling", and was well respected by his Baker County constituency. Jones died at the age of 45 on February 9, 1890, in Atlanta and was memorialized in his Calhoun Times death notice as "being one of the most advanced farmers in the state." He was interred in the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta and his stone (shown below) bears the inscription "First Bag Man" which this author found quite perplexing. Not knowing of his cotton-planting activities at the time I wondered if Jones was indeed a "bag-man" (a collector/distributor for racketeers). While this proved not to be the case, the "bag-man" inscription is actually a lasting testament to his bringing in the first cotton bale at the beginning of the season. A portrait of his gravestone (found via the billiongraves.com website) is shown below.

Jones' death notice from the February 13, 1890 edition of the Calhoun Times.

Courtesy of the Billiongraves.com website.

Dagobert Zeiser (1841-1925)

   A figure of distinction in the city of Troy, New York, German immigrant Dagobert Zeiser immigrated to the Empire State in 1860 and after serving in the Civil War became one of Troy's most prominent businessmen and merchants. In addition to his career as a butcher and beef wholesaler, Zeiser was active in Socialist political circles, eventually becoming the candidate of that party for Mayor of Troy and later for the New York State Senate.

   Born in Wittenberg, Germany on December 13, 1841, Dagobert Zeiser was the son of John and Caroline Mueller Zeiser. John Zeiser is remarked by the Troy Daily Times as being a well-to-do grain dealer in Wittenberg, and both of Dagobert's parents are listed as being the product of "very prominent German families". Dagobert Zeiser resided in his native country until the age of 20, whereafter he immigrated to the United States, settling in the city of Troy around 1860. 

    A few months after his arrival, Zeiser found work as a farm hand and engaged in this line of work for about two years. In late 1862 he signed on for service in the Civil War,  joining up with Company H, 169th Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry. His 1925 Troy Daily Times obituary notes that he "saw much service" and later suffered a grievous gunshot wound to his jaw at the Battle of Petersburg. Zeiser eventually rebounded from his war wound and was later discharged due to being "physically disabled". After being discharged from service in 1865 Zeiser returned home to Troy and on January 21st of that year married Josephine C. Rhinehart, with whom he would have a total of 15 children! Among this impressive number of offspring were six sons, (Albert, John J., Joseph, Frederick, Rudolph, and Leo) and five daughters (Josephine, Caroline, Mrs. William Grant Hague, Mrs. John Carr, and Mrs. Frederick Crowley). The three remaining Zeiser children's names are unknown at this time.
   Around the same time as his marriage, Zeiser embarked on a lifelong career as a butcher and meat producer, opening a shop in the Port Schuyler vicinity. He remained in this area until December 1882, when he ventured into wholesale beef production. In that year he and fellow butcher David Gaffey formed the company of Gaffey and Zeiser, "wholesale dealers in western dressed beef and pork." This company received a substantial write-up in the 1886 history of The City of Troy and Its Vicinity and was remarked as becoming "strongly established in public favor, and acquired, by its perseverance and enterprise, the large business in the wide extended territory mentioned." Receiving their product from the Armour Company in Chicago, Gaffey, and Zeiser would command a "great part of the territory of Northern New York, Vermont and Western Massachusetts, for the distribution of large quantities of dressed beef."
  Throughout the succeeding years, Zeiser built up a wide reputation as a consummate businessman, winning the "esteem and confidence of all brought into contact with him during the course of trade." While highly identified within the business community of Troy, Zeiser was also prominent in the activities of the Socialist Party, running on that ticket for Mayor of Troy on several occasions. His first attempt at the office came in 1894 when he ran for mayor on the Independent Democratic ticket. As one of eight candidates that year, Zeiser came out on the losing end, being defeated by incumbent Mayor Dennis J. Whelan. An article on that year's contest has been posted below.

From the September 1894 edition of the Syracuse Evening Herald.

Zeiser's 1919 Mayoral candidacy, featured in the Troy Daily Times.

   In addition to his 1894 candidacy, Zeiser ran on the Socialist ticket for mayor of Troy on several other occasions, including two contests in 1919 and 1921. In the former year, the Troy Times noted that he garnered around 700 votes, with Zieser himself relating that he "did not spend a single penny in his campaign", and that his vote total was received through integrity and his strength of character.

  In November 1922 Zeiser was again a Socialist Party candidate, this time running for a seat in the New York State Senate. In that year's contest, Zeiser squared off against incumbent Republican Frederick Draper and his Democratic opponent John P. Ryan. One should note that Zeiser was over eighty years old when he began his senate campaign, and one can wonder if his age (and not his party affiliations) were a factor when it came time for people to cast their vote. On election day 1922 Zeiser again came up short in the vote count, polling only 1,131 votes to John P. Ryan's victorious tally of 26,432. After losing this contest Zeiser made no more attempts at public office and continued to be a prominent business force in Troy. He was mentioned by the Troy Daily Times as having been engaged as a butcher and meat wholesaler for over forty-three years. 

  Dagobert Zeiser's last few months were marred by ill health, and he died at his home in Troy on April 8, 1925, at age 83. His wife Josephine had preceded him in death in 1912 and both were buried at the St. Agnes Cemetery in Troy. The portrait of him shown above was featured in his Troy Daily Times obituary, published on April 8, 1925.

A death notice for Zeiser that appeared two days following his death.

Jetlee Bryngelson Nordhem (1841-1919)

Portrait from the History of the Norwegians of Illinois, 1905.

  The first Norwegian native to be profiled here on the site, Jetlee Bryngelson Nordhem found his business fortunes in his adopted state of Illinois, where he settled at age 18. Born in Voss, Norway on June 6, 1841, Nordhem was the son of Bryngel and Ingeborge Saue Nordhem. The History of the Norwegians of Illinois notes that he attended the common schools in his native country, worked on his father's farm, and was "confirmed in the Vossvagens church."

  In 1859 Jetlee Nordhem immigrated to the United States, first settling in the town of Long Prairie, Illinois. After a year in this location, he moved to Decorah, Iowa, and in 1862 signed on for service in the Civil War, joining Company H, First Battalion of the Sixteenth U.S. Infantry. During his three years of service, Nordhem participated in several important battles, seeing action at the battle of Marietta, Kenesaw Mountain, Mission Ridge, and Stone River, where he was wounded. 

  After his military service, Jetlee B. Nordhem returned to Long Prairie and married in 1871 to Ms. Julia Jonsdatter Amondson, with whom he would have three children, Joseph Bernard (died in infancy), Harriet Nordhem Hamann (1873-1968) and Edith Josephine (born 1877). 

    Following his marriage, Nordhem and his family relocated to Chicago, where he found employment in the customs service. His years in this occupation saw him serve as an inspector, warehouse ledger clerk, and bond clerk. Nordhem eventually left the employ of the customs service and found work in the publishing industry. He became the Secretary and director of the John Anderson Publishing Co. in the early 1890s and later became its vice president.

  Jetlee Nordhem made his first foray into political life in 1879, when he won election as supervisor of West Town, Chicago, Illinois, serving a one-year term. In 1908 he was named as an alternate delegate to that year's Republican National Convention in Chicago, where William Howard Taft was nominated for the Presidency.

   Nordhem continued to be a prominent figure in Chicago's Norwegian community well into his twilight years, serving as the president of the Norwegian Republican Club of the 28th Ward and also held a life membership in the Norwegian Lutheran Tabitha Hospital Society. Jetlee and his family were parishioners at the English Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity, and it is recorded that he was a trustee of this church for nearly two decades.

   Details on the remainder of Jetlee B.Nordhem's life are quite sketchy, although it is recorded that he passed away at his home in Chicago in May 1919 at age 78. His wife Julia survived him by thirteen years, dying in November 1932 at age 82. A burial location for both Jetlee and his wife is unknown at the time of this writing.

                                         From the Printer's Ink, Volume 107, published in 1919.

Francello George Jillson (1841-1912)

From the Representative Men and Families of Rhode Island, Volume III.

   This oddly named public servant is Francello George Jillson, a man long prominent in 19th-century Rhode Island politics. Over the course of his life, Jillson served in a number of public posts, including three terms as Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, and was later named a municipal judge for the city of Providence. In addition to his political and judicial activities, Jillson also distinguished himself on the battlefield during the Civil War, serving under the command of Ambrose E. Burnside.
   Francello G. Jillson was born on September 22, 1841, in Woonsocket, the son of Allen Bennett and Abby Hunt Jillson. He attended schools local to the Woonsocket area and later studied at the New London Literary and Scientific Institution.  During his studies, Jillson began a teaching career in New London, Connecticut, and continued in this vocation until the outbreak of the Civil War.  Soon after the firing on Fort Sumter, Jillson enlisted as a Corporal in the First Rhode Island Detached Militia. He served in this unit until August of 1861 and in the following year was made a First Lieutenant in Company G of the newly formed Ninth Rhode Island Regiment. 
  Jillson's service in the military concluded in September 1862 and soon after returning to Woonsocket resumed his teaching career, serving schools in both Blackstone and Woonsocket. He would serve as superintendent of schools in the town of Cumberland, and in 1864 he began pursuing a career in law. Over that year, he studied in law offices located in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including one under the tutelage of future U.S. Senator George Frisby Hoar. In February 1865 Jillson passed the bar exam and shortly thereafter became clerk of the Woonsocket Court of Magistrates. Jillson later was named as town clerk of Woonsocket, serving in this position until the mid 187os. In 1868 Jillson married Emma Potter, a Burrillville, Rhode Island resident, and one son was born to the couple, Francello Albert Jillson (1869-1896).
   While still serving as town clerk Jillson was elected to the Rhode Island State Senate, serving from 1870-1871. After his Senate term, he returned to his earlier law practice and in 1876 was elected to a one-year term as the President of the Woonsocket Town Council. As his political career continued to rise, Jillson's name also became prominent in Woonsocket civic affairs. During the 1870s and 80s, he served as a trustee of the Harris Institute and was later secretary of the Woonsocket Hospital for several years.
   Francello Jillson reemerged on the Rhode Island political scene in 1880 when he was named as President of the Republican State Convention. The following year he was elected to the first of several terms in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and would serve as its Speaker in the years 1883, 1884 and 1885. 

    Following the conclusion of his last term in the house,  Jillson returned to active involvement in the civic affairs of Woonsocket, being a founding member of the city's Water Works Company (including drafting the company charter) as well as serving on the Board of State Charities and Corrections. Long an active Mason in Woonsocket, Jillson was honored as a past grand high priest of the M.E. Grand Chapter of Rhode Island. 

   In 1910 Jillson resumed political office when he was appointed to the judgeship of the Municipal Court of Providence, holding his seat until his death on November 6, 1912. Jillson had earlier been stricken with pneumonia in October 1912 while still on the bench, and later succumbed to blood poisoning following the initial onset of pneumonia. Jillson was survived by his wife Emma and was subsequently buried in Woonsocket, although an exact cemetery name couldn't be found at the time of this writing. The portrait of Jillson shown above was featured in his obituary, originally published in the Providence Evening News on November 7, 1912. A portion of that obituary has been provided below.

                                                                       From the Providence Evening News.

Vitruvius Jackson Kennedy (1841-1890)

From the Tennessee legislative composite, 1882.

  This bearded gentleman is Vitruvius Jackson Kennedy of Tennessee, a physician who served in both houses of the Tennessee State Legislature. Details on Kennedy's life are noticeably absent from the internet and very few sources mention him at great length, with the exception being his service during the Civil War.

   Vitruvius J. Kennedy (most sources list him under the initials "V.J.") was born on July 9, 1840, in Clinton, Tennessee. His father, Jackson J. Kennedy, is mentioned as being a cabinet maker by trade, and when Kennedy enlisted for military service during the early months of the Civil War, he listed this as his primary occupation. Genealogical websites have been quite a blessing when it comes to finding any information on Kennedy. A statute book also contains Kennedy's name and lists him as a member of the First Regiment of the Tennessee Volunteer Light Artillery. 

  At some point in the years following the war, Kennedy earned a degree to practice medicine (several sources list him with the title of "Dr.") but no available source states what school he attended or what year he graduated. 

  Following his service in the Civil War, Kennedy entered politics, hence his inclusion here. He was elected to the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 1880 and served in the legislative session of 1881-1882. The portrait of him shown above was found on the House of Representatives composite picture taken during his service. During this term, he chaired the committee on Public Printing and was a member of the committees on Banks, Charitable Institutions, and Sanitation. Kennedy was later elected to the Tennessee State Senate, and served from 1887-1889, representing both Hamilton and Marion County.

Portrait from the Tennessee senate composite photo, 1887-88.

   A death date originally couldn't be found for Vitruvius Kennedy, until a useful book entitled the Congressional Serial Set (1912) gave a passage on his widow applying for a pension. The book lists him as dying on July 7, 1890, of "cancer of the larger intestine", two days before his 49th birthday. He was later interred at the Welsh-Rogers Cemetery in Sale Creek, Tennessee. A small obituary for Kennedy (published in the July 9, 1890 edition of the Nashville Tennessean) denotes his traveling to Nashville for surgery stemming from his stomach and bowel issues. This surgery was performed, but Kennedy died "of secondary shock" a few days later. This same obituary details his being a leading Mason in his area, and in January 1890 had represented his local lodge in the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

  In an aside note, Kennedy's first name "Vitruvius" stems from a Roman architect, writer, and engineer named Vitruvius. This obscure Roman figure has been called by some sources as the "world's first known engineer", but it is unknown as to why V.J. Kennedy was endowed with this highly unusual first name. 

From the Nashville Tennessean, July 9, 1890.