George Kuhl – Biography
GeorgeKuhl
GEORGEKUHL was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1807. His parents, Christianand Elizabeth (Ganz) Kuhl, were very old when they died, the father atthe age of eighty-three, the mother at the age of eighty-five and one-halfyears. They were members of the Lutheran Church. When George was yet ayoung man he embarked for America in the ship Baltimore in 1833. Aftera voyage of eight weeks he landed in Baltimore and went from there to Richmond,Virginia, and followed his trade of baker. He soon left that city, however,and came to Beardstown, Illinois. Re was the first of his family to ventureacross the ocean, but was later joined by his parents and other brothersand sisters. He is the eldest of a large family that comes of good Germanstock. His youngest brother is a Lutheran clergyman of Carthage, Illinois,and he and George Kuhl are all that are left of the family.
WhenMr. Kuhl came to Beardstown in 1835 he had but twenty-five cents in hispocket. The city was then very small, and the country was new. He beganhis business career in Beardstown as a baker. He soon gained a footingand found a sale for his wares, both in the little town and on the boatsthat were on the river. He made money and after twelve years establisheda large grocery store. Later he made it a general store, and added to itall the time until he became a large pork packer and grain dealer. Thosewere the times to make money, and during the war times he was one of thelargest dealers on the Illinois river. He had two large grain houses thatwere destroyed by fire, and he lost some $4,000 in a paper mill. This madeno difference to Mr. Kuhl’s business enterprise. In spite of his losseshe has made a large amount of money, and he now enjoys it in a beautifulhome that he erected, that cost him some $15,000 when completed. It isfurnished with every modern improvement. He has always had the best interestsof the city at heart, and has done everything he could toward buildingit up. He has been a hard worker, and is the best kind of a citizen, andone that has a good deal of influence with all classes not only in thecity but all over the county. He has been a leader in all tending to improvethe city. He was one of the originators, and is one of the principal supportersof the German Church, and has contributed liberally to its support. Hisparty (Republican) has rewarded his faithful services by making him Aldermanof the city. He is a very temperate man and one that scorns anything meanor low. He has now retired from business, and is taking a merited rest,but he still takes a strong and deep interest in all that occurs in thecity’s history.
Hewas married for the first time to Christanna Belger, who was born in Saxonyand came to this country when young in 1836. She died at Beardstown whenabout thirty years of age. She left four children, one of whom is dead.Mrs. Lizzie Rearick died after her marriage. The three living ones are:William P., who is in the grocery business, married Mary Shepherd; GeorgeS., a dry-goods merchant, married Julia Buck; Philip, a successful dry-goodsmerchant of Beardstown, married Mamie L. Arenz. Mr. Kuhl was married forthe second time in this city to Mary E. Hemminghouse, nee Mashmeier.She was a German by birth and came to the United States with her parentsin 1834. Landing in New York city they came by water route to Beardstown.Ten days after their arrival her father died, and her mother died somesix months later. Mrs. Mary Kuhl was first married in her native countryto the Rev. William Hemminghouse. He had charge of a German Lutheran mission;after some ten years he became a Methodist, and was a missionary throughthe West. He died when he was forty years old. He left six children, alldead but two daughters: Minnie, wife of George Schultheis; Henrietta, wifeof Chris Kuhl. By their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kuhl have four children:Louis, a clerk for Philip Kuhl in Beardstown, and married to Emma McVey,now deceased; Henry E., a clerk in Nashville, Illinois, married Allie Means;Mary, a teacher in the High School of Springfield, and she is an accomplishedlady, and a graduate in English and German; Lydia, wife of Rev. M. D. Hornbeck,a minister of the Methodist Church.
BiographicalReview of Cass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, BiographicalReview Publishing Co., Chicago, 1892, pages 277-278.
Copyright2000-2006 Judi Gilker; all rights reserved. For personal use only.Commercial use of the information contained in these pages is strictlyprohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright must appearwith the information.
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