Samuel Halls Jnr.

This is his biography from Industrial Chicago Vol 1, published 1891 by Goodspeed Publishing of ChicagoSamuel Halls, contractor and builder, No. 293 Claremont avenue, is one of Chicago's progressive young men. He was born in Middlesex county, Ontario, in April, 1859, to Samuel Halls, who is also a builder, and has carried on business successfully in Canada for forty years, having erected many of the fine buildings in Middlesex and Huron counties, but who is now, at the age of seventy-two, living, retired from business, in the enjoyment of the accumulations of his earlier years. Samuel Halls, the immediate subject of this sketch, is the second son in a family of four sons and four daughters, and in the public schools of Huron county he received his initiatory education. He learned his trade with his father and uncle, serving a five-year apprenticeship, but since he attained his nineteenth year he has been in business for himself, and is now a practical and successful builder. In August, 1880, he came to Chicago, and here formed a partnership with his brother James, which lasted for two years, since which time Samuel Halls has carried on business alone, being principally interested in the erection of residences. He has built several churches, and has also put up some fine store buildings on such streets as State, Madison, Wells and Halsted. He draws his own plans and superintends his own work, having under his employ fifty to sixty men at times, and on an average puts up from fifty to one hundred buildings annually. He does a great deal of masonry, this being his particular branch of the building business. He has a prosperous business, and has all the trade he can properly attend to. He is a member and a director of the Western Avenue Building & Loan association. December 24, 1884, he was married to Miss Drucilla A. Brisco, by whom he has two children: Allen S. and Bessie.

Samuel can also be found in the Chicago Blue Book living on 1639 W. Adams in 1901. He was also a member of The Builders Club of Chicago.

In 1912 Sam was charged with swindling a Mrs Florence Woods out of more than $6000, and it appears that his life started to come apart after that. Some sort of family dispute appears to have arisen out of the swindling charge. In 1910 he is still living with his wife but in 1920 in the census he reports himself as widowed and he is living in a lodging house, in a much less upscale part of Chicago. His wife Drucilla is living in Portland, Oregon, with their son Allen Samuel Halls, and she reports herself as widowed in the 1920 census too.

In 1928 Sam is with Eunice Eisentraut, who was from Sugar Bush, Wisconsin. Judging by the inscription on the photo, and some news reports I have found, they had been together for at least a couple of years by the time of the photo. Just over a year and a half later Sam had died, in Crystal Lake, Illinois.To make matters stranger still, Sam and his wife Drucilla are both buried together in Chicago in the same cemetery plot, someone having brought Drucilla back from Portland to bury her with Samuel. Samuel died on April 1st, 1930 in Crystal Lake, McHenry County, Illinois. Drucilla died on Feb 6, 1938 in Portland, Oregon. Their daughter Bessie died at about ten years of age and is buried with her parents. Samuel and Drucilla do not appear to have any grave markers.There is one last bit of strangeness that Sam has saved for us. Drucilla was his legal wife. Eunice was apparently a very close companion. But on Sam's death certificate from McHenry County, his wife is listed. And her name is Becky!

Sam and Drucilla's son, Allen Samuel Halls married Kathryn (last name unknown) sometime inthe 1920's. They had no children. They seem to have lived their entire lives in Portland, Oregon. Allen owned a business called National Electric Co. Kathryn died May 26, 1962. Allen died barely three months later, on Aug 11, 1962. The death notice for Allen was placed by the funeral home.