Biography - M Stahl
MRS. M. J. STAHL. The husband of her whose name introduces this sketch was born in Chodziesen, Prussia, in 1833. He received his education in Germany, and after completing the school course insisted on by the laws of his native land, devoted himself to the trade of a coppersmith, which he mastered before reaching his majority. Soon after attaining to years of manhood, Mr. Stahl left his native home to seek his fortune in the United States, and located at Bloomington, Ill. He continued to gain his living at his trade, and by thrift, energy, and perseverance soon accumulated enough to warrant him in choosing a life partner and companion. Fortune favored him in the person of Miss Mary J. Waldron, who became Mrs. Stahl in 1856. Four years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Stahl moved from Bloomington to Litchfield Township, at which place Mr. Stahl became engaged in the hardware and farm-implement business, in which line he was a very successful dealer. The first store site on which he conducted this enterprise is the one now occupied by Messrs. Schmit & Loescher. It was here that Mr. Stahl met with one of the most disastrous experiences that marked his mercantile life. The store took fire and the building and stock were completely destroyed. He soon replaced the structure, however, and on the same spot there stand to-day the four brick stores which surround the First National Bank, and the two grocery stores which front on State Street.
Mr. Stahl found time to engage in other pursuits beside his hardware business, and became largely interested in the Litchfield Car Works, of which company he was Secretary and Treasurer. He was a prominent Mason and an active member of the Presbyterian Church, occupying the position of Elder at the time of his death. Mr. Stahl was a sound Republican, a man of influence in the community, and one who bore an important share in the enterprise which tended to the growth, welfare and prosperity of the town wherein he spent so many years of his life. His death occurred on the 22d of May, 1887, and his loss was mourned by a large circle of friends, who esteemed him as a man of more than ordinary character and worth. The bereaved family consisted of a wife and three children. The eldest daughter, Susan Amelia Goodell, died ten months after her father, and the son, Louis, departed this life at Los Angeles, Cal.
Mrs. Stahl and her daughter, Miss Jennie, are the only surviving members of this prominent family so closely connected with the history and welfare of Litchfield. Their home is one of the most beautiful residences in the town, situated at the junction of Jackson and Harvard Streets.
Mrs. Stahl was born in Albany County, N. Y. Her parents were Aaron and Susan (Bloomingdale) Waldron. She received her education in Albany, and made her home there until the death of her parents, when she moved to Bloomington, Ill., at which place she became the wife of Mr. Stahl.
Mrs. Stahl is a woman of much ability and many noble traits of character, numbering among her friends the best people in Litchfield. Her religious belief is that of the Presbyterian Church, and her attitude toward her fellow-creatures is that of one who delights in doing a kindly act when opportunity offers. The bereavements of her life have been many, and her many charitable acts and kindly impulses are the best proof that she herself has felt the chastening rod, and is therefore capable of feeling for others.
Extracted 12 Jan 2017 by Norma Hass from 1892 Portrait and Biographical Record of Montgomery and Bond Counties, Illinois, pages 477-478.
