Page 400

JOSEPH BAUM and his sons are proprietors of Baum's Steam Marble, Granite and Stone Works, and are carrying on an extensive wholesale dealers in monuments and building stone. Mr. Baum is a native of Cologne, Germany, where he was born October 3, 1828. He was reared in the land of his birth and according to the strict laws of the Fatherland, he was obliged to give the opening years of his manhood to the army and for four years he was a soldier in the Prussian Army which he entered in 1848 with the Fourth Dragoons. He saw much hard fighting and lost his right eye in battle. The results of the war in which he fought were anything but satisfactory to him, and that determined him to come to this country, and in the year 1854 he first set foot on American soil at New York City with recommendations as a sculptor from the builders of the wonderful cathedral in his native city. He had learned his profession in Cologne and for four years was there engaged in making statues for the cathedral. He commenced like work for a church in New York City and was subsequently employed by Fisher & Beard for about three years.

At th expiration of that time our subject made his way to Charleston, S. C., where he remained until 1863. He had had enough experience of war in the land of his nativity and had no wish to become a soldier here, and moreover his sympathies were with the Union cause, but he found it very difficult to get away from Charleston as he was summoned to take up arms for the Confederacy. A major, however, aided him in securing a pass and he got away unharmed. He intended returning to Europe but in New York was induced to remain with his old employers, Messrs. Fisher & Beard. Whilst he was there a delegation visited New York from Chicago to secure a workman to work on Crosby's Opera House. Our subject was designated as a particularly skillful artisan and he was accepted. He accompanied the delegation to Chicago and did some notably fine work on the opera house mentioned. He then came to Springfield where he opened his present business. This has steadily increased till it is now one of the largest of the kind in Central Illinois and he and his sons derive a fine income from it. Their works are situated on Tenth and Jackson Streets, while their office and salesroom are on Jefferson Street between Third and Fourth, numbers 321 and 323.

Mr. Baum was married to Antoinetta Schmitz of Germany in 1854. Mrs. Baum was born near Cologne and comes of German antecedents. Her marriage with our subject has been blessed to them by ten children, who are now scattered far apart: Frank is in Lynn, Mass.; Juliet is in Minneapolis, Minn.; Antoinetta is in South America; Joseph is in Birmingham, Ala.; M. J., the eldest, Alexander and William are here with their father; Francis is in North Carolina; Josie is in Decatur and Annie is in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mr. Baum has built up an extensive and profitable business solely by his own exertions. He has real artistic merits and the work that is done in his manufactory is of the best kind and has acquired a high reputation far and near.