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Description |
In this 1908 family photo are: front row, left to right: George Klehm, Louise Kolling Klehm, Elizabeth Stitz Klehm, and John A. Klehm (George was the son of Elizabeth and John and Louise was George’s wife). The individuals in the top row are unknown. George Klehm was born on October 12, 1862, to John A. and Elizabeth Klehm in Arlington Heights. At the age of 12, he began working with his brothers Henry and Charles in the nursery business that his father had started in 1856. He was active in the business until January 1947. He was also active in Arlington Heights civic affairs, serving as a village trustee for 30 years, public school trustee for 26 years and as trustee for the Arlington Heights Township High School for 2 years. He was a member of the Lion’s Club, the Illinois Nurserymen Association and the Society of American Florists. He married Louise Kolling on October 8, 1891, and they had four children: Edwin, George, Henriette and Lillian. He died December 22, 1951, and is buried in Arlington Heights Cemetery. Louise was born in 1868 to John and Sophia Kolling in Illinois. She died in 1928. Elizabeth Stitz was born on March 13, 1842, in Hobenrode, Kurhessen, Germany. She came with her mother and two sisters to America in 1860, settling in Arlington Heights (then known as Dunton). She married John A. Klehm on January 11, 1862. They had five children, but lost two in early childhood. Their three remaining sons were George, Charles and Henry. Elizabeth was instrumental in helping her husband establish Klehm Greenhouse and Nurseries. John Klehm, son of Paul and Catherine Klehm, was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany on July 14, 1834. John’s father died in 1840 and his mother, along with her two sons, came to America in June 1851. They lived in Buffalo, New York, for several years before moving to Dunton, Illinois (now Arlington Heights). Here, in 1853, young John bought an acre of land and built a home on the corner of what are now Miner and Davis streets. He worked at the bricklaying trade for eight years, earning $1.50 a day. When he took a job grafting cherry trees he discovered he could earn $25.00 for 25 trees, more than a month’s pay laying bricks. John decided he was in the wrong business. In 1862, he started his own nursery business on nine acres of land originally purchased for raising potatoes. He planted 5,000 Richmond cherry trees, 20,000 apple trees for stock, two acres of bearing apples and two acres of grapes and currents. Later he expanded this parcel to 147 acres, raising Moline Elms as well as the fruit trees. For over 50 years trees were planted on this land (today it is part of the Scarsdale subdivision in Arlington Heights). John continued to buy land and in 1882-83, on some acreage west of town, he built four brick hothouses at a cost of $5,000. These were heated by hot water. On this property he specialized in cut and potted flowers, tea and hybrid roses. John died March 16, 1916, and Elizabeth on March 29, 1924. This item is part of the collection of the Arlington Heights Historical Society (http://www.ahmuseum.org). |
