The next meeting of the Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society will be Tuesday, August 13th at 7 PM when TCGHS member and author Verna Hankins will discuss her book 1924-2024: Remembering Those Who Died and Suffered. The book is about those who perished in the cold early morning hours of January 3, 1924 in the Corn Products Co. explosion and fire. The public is invited.

We are excited to be celebrating Pekin’s Bicentennial this year and we are participating on the bicentennial planning committee. Next up is getting the Pekin Bicentennial Pictorial finished and to the printer by August 2 so that they’ll be ready for sale in September. Fingers crossed. 

All history is local until it is woven together with other stories to become part of the National fabric and there is no aspect of National history that doesn’t touch Tazewell County, including Saloons.

This photo comes with a caption that states that this is the oldest frame building on Court street [circa 1924] still used for business purposes. Built in 1849 by Henry Zimmer, a pioneer carpenter, as a residence for Nicholas Jene (1822-1859) who had a blacksmith and repair shop on the opposite corner where Herget Bank once operated.

Later John Wietlispach (1826-1890) started an inn with a bar attached in this location. It’s believed that J. & G. Herget Grocery, another early Pekin business, was once in this building. Caption states that the building had been used for every purpose except a drug store.

After the building was torn down, the lot sat vacant until about 1936 when Roscoe Hackler decided it would be a great place to open a drug store!

You can clearly see the old City Hall in the background so there is no question regarding the location. If that corner could talk, it would have quite the tale to tell. 

About Frederick A. Moeckel
Fred was born 23 September 1870 in Langenhain, Oberhessen, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany to Johannes and Catherine Auschicks Moeckel. He immigrated to Pekin as a young man and on 27 October 1895 he married Emma Zimmerman (1865-1949) in Pekin. She was a daughter of Jacob and Catharine Unzicker Zimmerman.

They had six children: Flora E Hancock (1896-1987), Fred Jr. (1898-1961), Willis (1899-1993), Hilda Smith (1902-1984), John (1903-1971) and Harry (1905-1953). 

Frederick Moeckel died 29 December 1932 at his farm on South 5th Street. He was interred at Lakeside Mausoleum on New Year’s Eve.

Moeckel always listed himself as a gardener or truck farmer but he was always on Pekin’s Southside. 

Moeckel’s Market was last located at 1235 S. Capital St., next to the family home. After Fred Sr. died the sons continued to operate the business. Willis was on the farm at 1600 S. 5th and Fred Jr. was at the store on Capital.

There is absolutely no record in any city directory of him having a stand on Court St., however, the photo above tells a different story. And oh, what a story it tells!

It was an ethnically diverse corner with German, Swiss, French and Irish families all there in the first 100 years!

We know the photo was taken after 1919 when the previous occupant, Patrick Flynn’s Saloon, lost its’ proprietor. Patrick Flynn was born in Ireland in 1851 and died in Pekin in 1919. We know the photo was taken no later than 1929 as the man on the left, Casper Knoll (1851-1929), died in September of that year.

About Nicholas Jene
Nicholas Jene was born 17 December 1852 in Germany but immigrated to the USA in 1846, arriving at the port of New York. He made his way to Pekin where he filed his Declaration of Intent at the Tazewell county courthouse in 1853. 

He was married 18 August 1851 in Pekin to Josephine Portman (1826-1907), daughter of Nicolas and Marguerite Jacquin Portman, and they moved into a home at 401 Court that had built for them by Henry Zimmer. Nick’s blacksmith shop faced Court street just across 4th Street from the home.

Nick died 17 October 1859 in Pekin leaving his widow and five children: Mary (1852-aft. 1900), Frances (1853-1864), Barbara Carney (1856-1930), Nicholas (1858-1938) and George (1860-?).

Josephine married again 3 July 1860, this time to Swiss born Johann U. Wietlispach (1826-1890) and they operated a saloon and inn at 401 Court Street until about 1885 when they moved a few blocks east on Court. Johann and Josephine’s children were: 

Josephine Weisbruch 

(1862-1946), Catherine (1863-1944), August 

(1866-1934) and 

Lawrence (1870-1947).

And Patrick Flynn
Patrick Flynn was born in Waterford County, Ireland 25 February 1851 to Patrick and Ellen Cullinane Flynn. He immigrated as a teenager and lived briefly near Tremont before settling in Pekin.

He married Lulu G. Smith 15 September 1882 in Peoria and they settled in at 404 S. 6th Street where they raised four children: Nellie (1883-1962), Mary Louise (1885-1971), Eugene (1887-1960) and Joseph (1891-1922).

Flynn owned the Saloon at Court and 4th beginning about 1886 which would’ve been closed by prohibition if he had not become ill. His death occurred December 11, 1919. Pat, Lulu and three of the children were buried in Mt. Calvary, now known as St. Joseph, cemetery.

He served as an alderman and was a director of Pekin Loan & Homestead.

And Finally, Casper Knoll
Casper was born 17 June 1851 in Germany and married in Pekin 18 September 1870 to Barbara Margaret “Maggie” Lohman. He was listed as a butcher, cooper, salesman and flagman in various census records. He died 1 September 1929 in Pekin.

Their first born, Ann E. Kirsch appears to have died shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Hulda, in 1892 in South Bend, Indiana as Hulda was a boarder in the 1900 census in Indiana then is living with her maternal grandparents in Pekin in 1910. Hulda goes on to marry Walter Borsch.

Casper’s other children were Katherine Essex Kaminski (1873-1948) who also lived in South Bend, Edward Adam (1878-1951), Maggie Schilling (1880-1956), George (1883-1950) and Mary Schwenk (1886-1971).

The Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society is an award-winning 501(c)3, all volunteer organization that has been in continuous service to our members and the public for over 45 years. TCGHS operates an archive, library and research facility at 719 N. 11th St., Pekin. Visit our website at www.tcghs.org to learn more about us. If you have any point of interest that you would like to know more about, stop in at TCGHS or drop us a line.