CHICAGO H ISTORICAL SOCIETY C EL EB RA T I O N OF T H E FI FTI ETH $ A NNI VERS A RY $ O F I T S I NC O RPO R A TI O N F BRU RY 1 0 E A 7, 9 7 A D D R E S S E S B Y ‘ ' $ E Z R A B M C A G G . C / 3 A ND ‘ F R A NK L I N R O L L O F O F F I C E R S A N D M E M B E R S C H I C A G O P U B L I S H E D B Y I H E S O C I E T Y 1 9 57 CH ICA GO H ISTO RICA L SOCI — 1 8 57 1 90 7 C EL EB RA TI O N O F TH E F I F TI ET H A N NI VE R S A O F I T S I NC O R P O RA TI O N B RU A RY 1 0 FE 7 , 9 7 A D D R E S S E S B Y E Z R A B C C A G G . M A ND F R A N K L I N H I I E A D . ‘ R O L L O F O F F I C E R S A N D M E M B E R C H I C A G O P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E S O C I E T Y I 9 O 7 CH ICA GO H I STO RICA L SOCI ETY SE M I CE NTE NN IAL ANNIVE R S A RY I o FEBRUARY 7 , g 7 H E fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the Chicago T Histo ri cal S ociety was marked by a special meeting of the t its u l Socie y and a reception in B i ding, on the evening of h ru 1 0 . a T ursday, Feb ary 7, 9 7 Some two thousand invi t tions its r e had been sent to members , f iends , an d correspond nts and more than four hundred persons were present at the exercis es . President Head had in vited the following ladies to represent as e a in e $ the So ciety hostess s , and ssist him in receiv g the gu sts ni M i . t a r c . l Mesd mes Cy us Bentley, A ta C B a ne , T B Blacks one , ’ W B i E l W . B f . B W . illiam la r, iphalet latch ord, Joseph T owen, J K . a r . s . Calhoun , ate S Caruthers , Ch rle H Conover, Frede ick A a a s n l Delano , Thom s Dent, J cob M . Dickin o , Marshal Field , r . l . F G in G C F . G C rede ick M i p , John J lessner, harles unther, ar . ar s . o r . ter H H ri on , Annie M Hitchc ck, Gu don S Hubbard, i r . m Charles L Hutch nson , George S Isha , Harry P att Judson , K K r r n Chauncey eep , Samuel H . e foot, Bryan Lath op , Joh V h E M a . mi 0 . c ea Mason Loo s , Frank Lowden, Franklin g , zra B M M c ormic i k cC a t . k s M c orm c E C . C g g , Net ie F , Cyru H , dward w V . rr é L a erne . G Mason, George Me y eather, W Noyes , Honor i a . E . l Palmer, Ferd n nd W Peck, ugene S Pike, George M Pu l n l . i . S c man , John S Ru ne ls , Mart n A Ryerson , Otto L hmidt , O . W W ll . W rson Smith, James M alker, Norman i iams , Mary J il h . il i K h r E marth, Jo n P W son ; and M sses at arine A nold, lizabeth r l z . E n i Head , Ma y L Newberry, i abeth Ski ner, Freder ka Skinner, w E . and Helen Sno . The President and those of the above named ladies who were in attendance stood in the entran ce from the Main H all to the Gilpin Library and received the gues ts who were formally pre E c sented by members of the xe u tive Committee . 1 8 1 1 8 2 CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOC IETY . W the c O f the hen the hour arrived for exer ises occasion , the audience assembled in the Lecture Hall in such numbers as to exhaust its seating capacity and many gentlemen stood through i the ent re programme . E On the stage beside the President were Messrs . zra B . M cC a E K E gg , lij ah ent Hubbard , and dwin Doak Mead . Presi M c a dent Head stated to the audience that Mr. C gg was the sole surviving Charter Member and Incorporator of the Chicago His i l . E tor ca Society ; that Mr dwin D . Mead O f Boston was the Vice President and a working member O f the Massachusetts Historical f Society 3 that Mr. Hubbard was one O the first white children born in Chicago . He also announced that the E xecutive Com mittee had some weeks since invited Governor Deneen to be t presen and deliver an address, appropriate to the occasion, and read a letter from the Governor expressing his regret that impera tive Official duties had at the last moment obliged him to remain the in Springfield, and extending to Society his congratulations on its Semi -centennial anniversary and wishing it pro sp erity for the n . t r future . Mr Head also read a co gratulatory le te from Daniel t O f C . Roberts , presiden the New Hampshire Historical Society . The formal exercises were then Opened by President Head who spoke as follows th e Fifty years ago , a body of early citizens of Chicago inter e sted in collecting and preservi ng the records O f the early t exploration and settlemen of the State , having procured from the the C hica O authorities a proper charter for g Historical Society, f met and perfected the organization O the Corporation . The fift 1 8 y years which have passed since February 7, 57, have been t for the Socie y, periods of modest prosperity as well as of discouraging storm and stress . Twice have its buildings and collections been destroyed by fire, and many books and O f va t - manuscripts great lue , irre rievably lost ; yet to day, at the O f - t beginning its second half century, the Society is in his beau fir — n d tiful e proof building, with more than one hu dred thousan t volumes, manuscrip s, and memorials of the early days , and is entirely free from deb t . Of the early citizens who were the founders and incorporators - E NT N I A L E N 1 8 SEMI C E CEL BRATIO . 3 E M o f the . cC a Society, but one survives , Mr zra B gg , a man who for more than fifty years has been held in high esteem and honor by the people of Chicago . He has consented to read to us, this n c eveni g, a paper ontaining various incidents connected with the 1 N r O f th e t 8 1 . O ea ly life Socie y, and prior to the great fire of 7 M c a . introduction to a Chicago audience is needed for Mr. C gg ’ M c a s e Mr . C gg addr ss was as follows i t In the gospel accord ng to Saint Luke, it is recorded tha our “ Saviour said to his disciples in o ne O f his parables $ I say unto you , though he will not rise and give b ecause he is his friend , yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as ” he needeth . It was forcibly brought to my mind when your “ ” President did not permit me to say N 0 after an express e d unwillingness to occupy some of your time this evening, the w fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of this Society, ith some - account of its early history . If the repetition of a twice told tale c wearies you till the hairs seem hard, let his b e the blame . v I would ha e avoided it, for it is not altogether a pleasure . The result of what was so many years ago begun is before you ; this h fine building, its books and manuscripts , its portraits , t ese last perpetuate as far as may be done on canvas , the actors , their e e t fac s r call their respective doings , and the promise of wha may - yet be, yet these portraits are prints of foot falls in the march of time 3 one actor the less, one more break in the ranks , till the wh place has some pain to the survivor o will not down . The beginning, the very beginning, and it is to this I am to c . A e e . onfine myself, was small few gentl m n , Mr Mason writes , in ' twelve number, by whom requested, I do not recollect, prob f ably by the Rev.