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The Brokaw family began their journey to America to escape religious persecution. Abram’s father, Hiram, was of French and Dutch descent. His great-grandfather was a French Huguenot—which was a form of Protestantism opposed to the way the Roman Catholic Church worshipped, and they believed that the Roman Catholic Church had to be cleansed of its impurities. They were persecuted for their beliefs, which clashed with the powerful Roman Catholic Church at the time. The Brokaws fled France for Holland, and eventually immigrated to America. Abraham Brokaw (he preferred to go by Abram) was born November 6, 1815 in Somerset County, New Jersey. Abram attended school until twelve years of age. He remained and worked on his father’s farm until the age of eighteen when he was apprenticed to Darius Gilmore as a wheelwright. He would have learned that producing wheels requires strength, ingenuity, and the talents of both a carpenter and a blacksmith. Precise measuring skills were mandatory. In 1836, Gilmore came West and brought Brokaw with him. Abram walked much of the way as the wagons were heavily loaded. Gilmore settled in Springfield where Brokaw finished his apprenticeship under a different master. Abram used this opportunity to develop his skills and soon became a master wheelwright, though most of his earnings were sent directly to Gilmore. In the fall of 1836, Abram formed a partnership with Jacob Leader and they came to Bloomington. At this time, there were only 600 residents in Bloomington. Brokaw had a letter of introduction to Lewis Bunn. They gave Bunn a fifty dollar deposit to build a wagon shop. Afterwards, they both wanted to back out as hard times were thought to be coming and banks were breaking. Bunn refused and built the shop on his own land. Leader went back to Springfield and Brokaw leased the building from Bunn. It was in that shop that Brokaw manufactured the first wagon in McLean County. Soon after that, Brokaw realized that it would be more profitable to make plows instead of wagon wheels. Around 1840, he entered into a partnership with Oliver Ellsworth, who was an iron maker, and maintained a shop that lasted for over twenty-five years. Their goal was to make the very best product and establish a reputation for quality and workmanship. The longevity of their business attested to their success. After Ellsworth died in 1871, Brokaw continued for a number of years employing as many as 30 men, and as many as 2,500 plows per year were constructed. On October 20, 1847 in Janesville, Wisconsin, Brokaw married Eunice Ellsworth, Oliver’s sister. She came to Illinois in the fall of 1838 with her brothers Charles P. and John. The town of Ellsworth was named after the Ellsworth family. Eunice died on January 19, 1902 after a lengthy illness. They had no children but were married for 55 years. By all accounts, they had a very happy marriage, and she was his loving and faithful companion. Evidence of Brokaw’s economic foresight occurred when he bought two lots in what became part of downtown Bloomington in 1843 for $125.00. In 1869, he sold a portion of the lots to the People’s Bank Company for $25,000.00. Other purchases included ten acres of fine timber for $10.00 per acre. Before the Illinois Central Railroad received their grant, he purchased 730 acres of land in Old Town Township for seventy cents an acre. As Brokaw reflected in an interview years later regarding his investments: “after a time they increased of themselves.” The interviewer speculated they were compounding beyond his needs and making him wealthy probably beyond his knowledge. When not working in his shop, Abram was a member of the old Bloomington Band, in which he was an accomplished clarinet player. The band at that time was known as the best band in the state and traveled to perform in a variety of venues around the state. One source said he also had a good singing voice. Abram was not involved in politics but served on the county board as well as being a part of as many juries as he could, partially to pass the time and partially to get to know the local lawyers. Brokaw was a staunch Democrat and supporter of Stephen A. Douglas. He attended the Lincoln-Douglas debates and although he supported Douglas, he knew Lincoln from his days in Springfield serving on juries, which he also did in Bloomington. Brokaw had an amazingly sharp memory and commented about the many jokes Lincoln told, and that there was always a crowd to listen to him talk. One story in particular that Brokaw liked to tell was when Judge David Davis was going to fine a man for contempt of court on account of a trifling action and Lincoln secured the man’s release by telling a good story. Brokaw was thought of in the community as being one of the most able, progressive and successful businessmen. It was said of him that “he has the strictest sense of honesty and justice.” He had been known to help deserving people in need as well as make personal loans—always at 7 percent interest. When asked for advice to young men, he replied: “get a plan in your head and stick with it, keep in good company, indulge in no bad habits—avoid those who do, cultivate your own abilities, help yourself, rely on yourself, and study common sense.” If people wanted to do business with him, they would have to go to his plow factory to speak with him. If Abram no longer wished to speak about a potential business transaction, he simply replied Around 1896, Brokaw loaned $3,000.00 to purchase ground mid-way between Bloomington and Normal to build a hospital, named Deaconess Memorial Hospital. While the original money was not extended as a gift, it became apparent that he did not expect to collect principal or interest. After several years, the hospital needed additional facilities and appealed to Brokaw for help. He gave a $10,000.00 donation as a memorial to his wife and himself on the condition that the hospital would be renamed Brokaw Hospital. Another source indicated that Mrs. Brokaw gave the money from an inheritance and the name change came with the following donation. When he sold his plow factory in 1903, Brokaw set up the Brokaw Hospital Endowment Fund with $30,000.00. He named the trustees and conditions, namely to provide more beds for sick people and to assist with the operating costs. It was expected that $20,000.00 more would be raised. Brokaw Hospital still stands today, although since 2001, it has been known as BroMenn Hospital. By the time he died, Brokaw’s fortune was estimated at $2,000,000 (equivalent to $48,051,448 in today’s money), and he owned over 10,000 acres of fertile farmland throughout Illinois. However, one would never know it from the way he lived. He lived a simple lifestyle, waking up early and going to bed in the early evening. Brokaw dressed plainly and often wore clothes that had been in style 50 years ago. A friend remembered a grey shawl that he used to wear often. He gave most of his money discreetly to charities or privately to people in need. He was also known as a lenient landlord who would often provide rebates on his tenants’ rent in years of partial crop failure. Brokaw was not a member of any particular church. However, he faithfully attended the First Presbyterian Church and annually donated a sum of money to be used to buy candy and Christmas presents for the children’s choir. After a short illness, on March 22, 1905, Abram Brokaw died of pneumonia at his home located on 213 East Washington Street where he had lived for over fifty years. Captain Lewis J. Ijams took care of him in his old age. Lengthy articles in local and regional newspapers lamented the loss of one of Bloomington’s oldest and most well-known citizens. The Daily Pantagraph quoted Colonel D.C. Smith, a member of the Brokaw Hospital directors, as stating that Abram was “a unique, honest, and frugal man…He was a man who never changed his demeanor to his friends…and kept his simple tastes to the end of his days.” He was buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery next to his wife, Eunice.
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