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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
wards, Coles, and others. It has pressed and shale brickyards, coal mines, flour mills, machine shops, banks, electric street railway, water-works, schools, and churches. In a suburb of the city (LeClaire) is a cooperative manufactory of sanitary supplies, using large shops and doing a large business. Edwardsville has three newspapers, one issued semi-weekly. Population (1890), 3,561; (1900), 4,157; with suburb (estimated), 5,000.
EFFINGHAM, an incorporated city, the county-seat of Effingham County, 9 miles northeast from St. Louis and 199 south west of Chicago; has four papers, creamery, milk condensory, and ice factory. Population (1890), 3,260; (1900), 3,774.
EFFINGHAM COUNTY, cut off from Fayette (and separately organized) in 1831-named for Gen. Edward Effingham. It is situated in the central portion of the State, 62 miles northeast of St. Louis; has an area of 490 square miles and a population (1900) of 20,465. T. M. Short, I. Fanchon and William I. Hawkins were the first County Commissioners. Effingham, the county-seat, was platted by Messrs. Alexander and Little in 1854. Messrs. Gillenwater, Hawkins and Brown were among the earliest settlers. Several lines of railway cross the county. Agriculture and sheep-raising are leading industries, wool being one of the principal products.
EGAN, William Bradshaw, M.D., pioneer physician, was born in Ireland, Sept. 28, 1808; spent some time during his youth in the study of surgery in England, later attending lectures at Dublin. About 1828 he went to Canada, taught for a time in the schools of Quebec and Montreal and, in 1830, was licensed by the Medical Board of New Jersey and began practice at Newark in that State, later practicing in New York. In 1833 he removed to Chicago and was early recognized as a prominent physician; on July 4, 1836, delivered the address at the breaking of ground for the Illinois & Michigan Canal. During the early years of his residence in Chicago, Dr. Egan was owner of the block on which the Tremont House stands, and erected a number of houses there. He was a zealous Democrat and a delegate to the first Convention of that party, held at Joliet in 1843; was elected County Recorder in 1844 and Representative in the Eighteenth General Assembly (1853-54). Die
