Today in Wheeling History: March 8—Former Wheeling glassworker and later Illinois political leader and benefactor William Reddick dies in Ottawa, Illinois (1885).
William Reddick (1812–1885) was born in Ballynahinch, County Down, Ireland, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1816. After early years in New Jersey and Ohio, he was sent at age fourteen to Wheeling, then part of Virginia, to apprentice as a glass blower. His work in Wheeling’s glasshouses—demanding, hot, and disciplined—earned him four dollars per month and provided the foundation for his later advancement. Reddick remained in the glass trade through the 1820s, moving to Brownsville, Pennsylvania in 1830 and then to Washington, D.C. in 1832, where he continued blowing glass by day while attending night school. Through careful saving, he accumulated $1,000, a substantial sum that enabled him to move west. In 1835, he and his wife Eliza settled in LaSalle County, Illinois, where he became a farmer, landowner, and civic leader. Reddick served as sheriff from 1838 to 1846 and later as an Illinois state senator. His philanthropy included support for public education and the early University of Illinois. He died in Ottawa on March 8, 1885, and is buried in Ottawa Avenue Cemetery. His rise began in Wheeling’s industrial world, where his apprenticeship shaped his character and future success.
To learn more: LaSalle County Illinois (https://tinyurl.com/dkdxzvft), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/49pd6ncc), Reddick Mansion and Gardens (https://tinyurl.com/3ked3h84), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/5rmmdkhf)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
William Reddick (1812–1885) was born in Ballynahinch, County Down, Ireland, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1816. After early years in New Jersey and Ohio, he was sent at age fourteen to Wheeling, then part of Virginia, to apprentice as a glass blower. His work in Wheeling’s glasshouses—demanding, hot, and disciplined—earned him four dollars per month and provided the foundation for his later advancement. Reddick remained in the glass trade through the 1820s, moving to Brownsville, Pennsylvania in 1830 and then to Washington, D.C. in 1832, where he continued blowing glass by day while attending night school. Through careful saving, he accumulated $1,000, a substantial sum that enabled him to move west. In 1835, he and his wife Eliza settled in LaSalle County, Illinois, where he became a farmer, landowner, and civic leader. Reddick served as sheriff from 1838 to 1846 and later as an Illinois state senator. His philanthropy included support for public education and the early University of Illinois. He died in Ottawa on March 8, 1885, and is buried in Ottawa Avenue Cemetery. His rise began in Wheeling’s industrial world, where his apprenticeship shaped his character and future success.
To learn more: LaSalle County Illinois (https://tinyurl.com/dkdxzvft), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/49pd6ncc), Reddick Mansion and Gardens (https://tinyurl.com/3ked3h84), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/5rmmdkhf)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
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