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Tazewell County Biographies Biographies are a great way to get a glimpse of the lives behind Tazewell County history. These biographies were either transcribed or written by contributors from their research. If you would like to contribute your favorite biography, just use the link below. Thanks in advance, Bill |
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Jim Bluejacket Prominent Pekin Baseball Professional Click on the picture for a larger version
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Competing teams in the Illinois-Missouri League when Jim joined in 1911 were the Clinton Champs, Pekin Celestials, Champaign-Urbana Velvets, Canton Chinks, the Lincoln Abes and the Taylorville Christians. The league lasted through 1914. |
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| After his stint in the Illinois-Missouri League, Jim Joined the Bloomington Bloomers of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa, or Three-I league, a Class B minor league time at that time. Wags of that era often called it "The Three-Eye League". Competing in the League were: The Quincy Gems, the Dubuque Dubs, the Davenport Blue Sox, Danville Speakers, the Decatur Commodores, the Springfield Watchmakers, the Bloomington Bloomers and the Peoria Distillers. |
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Son Fred was also a local ball player |
Improving as a ballplayer, Jim was bought by the New Your Giants,
and before the season began went to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the
short-lived Federal League, where he played in 1914 and 1915..
His success there led to a stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1916.
Click here for Jim's stats with the Brooklyn Tip-Tops and
Cincinnatti Reds |
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Click on the picture for a larger version |
However, Jim wasn't a baseball player all his life. About 1929 he went to the Dutch West Indies with the Standard Oil Co.
of New Jersey as a welder foreman and helped to build the largest
oil refinery in the world. He stayed with the New Jersey
company until his retirement in 1944.
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Click on the picture for a larger version |
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Biography adapted from the
Pekin Daily Times obituary March 26, 1947 Researched, collected and donated by Carole Hill Martin |
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