People

Henry J Baumann

Henry J. Baumann (born June 27, 1859, Dundee, Kane County, Illinois) was a pharmacist, civic leader, and businessman who spent the greater part of his life in the Dundee area. He was among the more prominent figures in local commercial and community life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, serving variously as a retail druggist, fire insurance agent, local telephone manager, village trustee, and library board president. (Source: *Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County* (1904))

Known Activities

Pharmacy. Baumann received his professional training at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1878. Returning to Dundee, he took employment as a clerk in the drug store then operated by Dr. Cleveland. In 1880 he purchased a half-interest in the establishment, and by 1881 had become its sole proprietor. The business was thereafter conducted under his own name. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Fire Insurance. Alongside his pharmacy, Baumann conducted a general fire insurance business, a combination common among small-town retailers of the era who managed multiple commercial lines from a single storefront. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Chicago Telephone Company. Baumann served as local manager for the Chicago Telephone Company's Dundee station, making him a point of contact for telephone service in the community at a time when the technology was still relatively new to small Illinois towns. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Village Trustee. He served two years as a Trustee of West Dundee, participating in the governance of the incorporated village. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Library Board. Baumann served on the Library Board of West Dundee for approximately twenty years and held the office of President of that board for four years. This long tenure suggests he was a sustained advocate for the community's public library during its formative decades. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Family

Baumann was the son of John Baumann, a native of Germany, who settled in the Dundee area. On May 5, 1881, Henry married Elizabeth Bartels, daughter of Charles Bartels, formerly of Dundee and later of West Point, Nebraska. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Timeline

Year	Event
1859, June 27	Born in Dundee, Kane County, Illinois
1878	Graduated from St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis
c. 1878–1880	Employed as clerk at Dr. Cleveland's drug store, Dundee
1880	Purchased half-interest in Dr. Cleveland's drug store
1881	Became sole proprietor of the pharmacy
1881, May 5	Married Elizabeth Bartels
By 1904	Serving as local manager for Chicago Telephone Company, Dundee station
By 1904	Had served two years as Trustee of West Dundee
By 1904	Had served approximately twenty years on the West Dundee Library Board, including four years as President

## Sources

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904). Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/historicalencycl00unse#offset-4323776.