In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1893) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1832, Meade County
From History of Effingham county, Illinois (1883), Portrait and biographical record of Effingham, Jasper and Richland Counties Illinois: containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, governors of the state, and of the pres (1893)
JOSEPH PARTRIDGE, proprietor of the Pacific House, Effingham, was born in Meade County, Ky., July 26, 1832. He lived there until he was thirteen years old, when he removed with his parents to Evansville, Ind., where he lived in 18G1. In November of that year, he removed to Cairo, Ill., where he lived during the war. acting as agent of the American Express Company. He was route agent of the Merchants' Union and American Express Companies, with headquarters at St. Joseph, Mo., for three years. In 1868, he engaged in the hotel business, at Richmond and Lexington Junction, Mo., and kept a railroad eating-house for a year. He was next proprietor of a railroad eating-house at Jewett, Ill., on the Vandalialine, for twenty-one months. In 1872, he came here and leased the Effingham Hotel, which he ran six years with good success. In November, 1878, he bought of D. Schmidt the Pacific House, which consists of two buildings, the main one located on Banker street, near the Vandalia & Illinois Central depot. It is a three and a half story brick, 63x45, and contains thirty-four rooms, thirty-two of which are fitted with all the modern conveniences, including three sample rooms. The other building is a two-story brick, at the crossing of the Vandalia and Central roads, and has a diningroom, lunch-room and sixteen sleeping-rooms. Mr. Partridge gives employment to twenty-one persons, and a transfer wagon is run to the Wabash road. The main building was erected about 1868, at a cost of S15,boil, and the other building was erected in 1880, by Mr. Partridge, at a cost of 6,000.
As printed in History of Effingham county, Illinois (1883). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
JOSEPH PARTRIDGE, President of the First National Bank of Effingham, has been a resident of Illinois since 1867, and six years later he came to ErBngham, where he has resided continuously since. He has been prominently connected with the best interests of the city, and with pleasure we present to our readers this record of his life work. He was born in Meade County, Ky., near Branden burgh, on the 26th of July, 1832, and is a son of Richard and Elsie (Brown) Partridge. His father was a native of Virginia, and was born in the Shenandoah Aralley in that State in 1802, and died in 1875. His mother was born in Meade County, Ky., and is now deceased.
The subject of this sketch received such educational advantages as were afforded by the common schools of the neighborhood in which he resided. At the age of sixteen years he started to make his own way in the world, depending entirely upon his own efforts. When thirteen years of age he removed with his parents from his native State, the family taking up their residence in Evansville, Ind., where he served an apprenticeship to the painter's trade. He continued to make his home in Evansville until November, 1861, five years of the time being employed as express messenger for the Adams Express Company, after which he went to Cairo, Ill., and entered the service of the Adams Express Company at that place, serving as their agent at Cairo during the war. He continued an employe of that company for eleven years, after which he was employed by the Merchants' Union Express Company at St. Joseph, Mo., serving as route agent fora period of two and a-half years. In 1868 he embarked in the hotel business in Richmond and Lexington Junction, on the old North Missouri Railroad, continuing at that place for one year, when he removed to Jewett, Ill., on the Vandalia Railroad, where lie kept a railway eating-house until early in 1873.
On disposing of his business in Jewett, Mr. Partridge came to Efflngham and leased the Effingliam Hotel, which he operated successfully for six years. On the expiration of that period, in November, ] 878, he purchased the old Pacific House, a frame building at the junction of the Vandalia and Illinois Central Railroads. The same year he built the brick structure on Banker Street now known as the Pacific House. It is 63x45 feet, three and a-half stories in height, with a basement, and has thirty-four rooms. This house is steam heated and is well fitted for hotel purposes. Mr. Partridge also erected in 1880 a three-story brick building with basement at the Junction, which has a dining-room, lunch-room, office and sixteen sleeping-rooms. It is also steam heated. The two houses, which are near together, are operated as one, under the name of the Pacific House. They are now leased and carried on by B. C. Smith, a brother-in-law of Mr. Partridge. The Pacific House is complete in all its appointments, having good sample rooms and modern conveniences, and is well kept, being the only first-class hotel in the city of Eflingham. In 1892, Mr. Partridge purchased the Fleming House, near the business center, which he now also leases. While our subject personally engaged in the hotel business he was a most popular landlord, and not only pleased his patrons, but made the business a paying one.
In 1885, Mr. Partridge opened a private banking house at Efflngham, which after a brief period was conducted by his son, Joseph Partridge, Jr., who held the position of Cashier. After a successful career of five years the private banking business was merged into the First National Bank of Effingham, with Joseph Partridge as President, and Joseph Partridge, Jr., Cashier. A history of the bank is given elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Partridge continued to operate the Pacific House until July 10, 1892, when he leased it to B. C. Smith, its present proprietor, and retired from active hotel business.
In April, 1869, in St. Louis, Mo., Mr. Partridge was married to Miss Alice Smith. The lady is a native of that city and is a daughter of Bernard and Bridget Smith. By the union of this worthy couple have been born four children, three sons and a daughter. Joseph, Jr., is Cashier of the First National Bank of Effingham, and is represented elsewhere in this work; Elsie, the daughter, is a student in Sacred Heart (St. Louis) College; Paul also attends the same school; and Hugh, who complete the family, is still at home.
In politics, Mr. Partridge is a supporter of the Democracy. He has served as a member of the City Council of Efflngham and also as Mayor of the city, and was President of the Effingham School Board for three years. lie proved himself a capable and efficient public officer. Socially, he is a member of Echo Lodge, A. O. U. W.
Mr. Partridge has always been active and influential in the support of local enterprises calculated to advance the best interests of the city, and has been very liberal in support of religious and educational institutions. He was one of the first to contribute, and he contributed liberally, toward building and equipping Austin College, of which institution he has been Treasurer since it was founded. He helped to establish the Effingham Canning and Wood Package Company, and was president of the same for a time, being elected to the position on its organization. He is still a shareholder in the same, and the bank of which he is president acts as the company's treasurer.
Mr. Partridge is a plain, unassuming man, whose success in life has been the result of his own untiring and industrious efforts and his business sagacity. As a landlord he was very popular, and is widely known, especially among railroad men, from which class he has always had a large patronage. Among them lie is universally known as "Jo." Mr. 1'artndge is quite fond of hunting, and always keeps some good guns and well-trained dogs. His guests can testify to his success as a shot, as quail on toast in season is a regular morning treat at his table, and other game is also liberally supplied when the game laws permit.
As printed in Portrait and biographical record of Effingham, Jasper and Richland Counties Illinois: containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, governors of the state, and of the pres (1893). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: John J. Funkhouser
The printed record stops around 1883. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.