Benjamin Henry Weber, the youngest of three children of Martin and Gertrude Weber, was only four years old when his father Martin died. Ben grew up in his mother's boarding house and in his youth spent a lot of time on the streets of Moline, Illinois, fending for himself.
Ben's athletic feats brought him a lot of attention. In the summer of 1888, when he was just 19, he was selected to represent the Sylvans, a local rowing club, at a regatta in Salt Lake City, where the club finished second in the four-oared race. Ben and his rowing partner Jim Osborne returned to Utah the next summer to row for the local Garfield Club. In August they were sent to Chicago to row in a national regatta on Lake Calumet, where the pair claimed the two-oar championship in both the junior and senior divisions and were erroneously dubbed "the Mormon boys" by the eastern press. Ben spent one last summer in Salt Lake City in 1890, rounding out his rowing career with a well-promoted race against his friend to determine the "champion amateur oarsman of the world." Ben won the race easily after Jim Osborne "caught a crab" and capsized.
Back home in Moline, Ben continued to make headlines in the sporting pages for several years. He played shortstop for the Moline Browns and competed in many boxing and wrestling matches. In one bout, he held his own for 13 minutes against the famous wrestler Farmer Burns. Ben also played football with the East End team well into his thirties.
During the same period Ben served as a volunteer fireman with the Minnehaha Hose Company in downtown Moline. In addition to their firefighting duties, the Minnehahas also put on variety shows for the general public, and Ben was one of the main acts. He performed on a slack wire, sang in a quartet, showed his skill at clog dancing, and performed in a tumbling routine with his young nephew Roy Baas. The Minnehahas also competed in events against hose companies from other cities, testing their skills at coupling hoses and pulling the hose cart.
The Minnehahas disbanded in October 1896 after the volunteers pushed the growing city to employ full-time firemen instead. Ben applied for a position but was turned down. During the next few years he worked, in addition to occasional assignments as a boxing and wrestling referee, on the assembly line at the Moline Plow Company and as a street car conductor. In the early 1900s he owned and operated a bowling alley and billiard parlor with Abe Stouffer.
In 1896, Ben married Matilda "Tillie" Cedarquist. A year later, Tillie gave birth to a daughter, Gertrude, named after Ben's mother. There were complications with the birth, however, and Tillie died the same evening, just 21 years old. Ben remained a widower for seven years until he married Fannie Bergert, with whom he had two more children, Mart and Betty.
In June 1915, when he was 46 years old, Ben finally earned a full-time appointment to the Moline Fire Department years old. He served at all four Moline fire stations during his career. When Ben retired in 1938 at age 69, he was the tillerman on the department's aerial truck.
Ben died in 1948 at age 79.
Ben's athletic feats brought him a lot of attention. In the summer of 1888, when he was just 19, he was selected to represent the Sylvans, a local rowing club, at a regatta in Salt Lake City, where the club finished second in the four-oared race. Ben and his rowing partner Jim Osborne returned to Utah the next summer to row for the local Garfield Club. In August they were sent to Chicago to row in a national regatta on Lake Calumet, where the pair claimed the two-oar championship in both the junior and senior divisions and were erroneously dubbed "the Mormon boys" by the eastern press. Ben spent one last summer in Salt Lake City in 1890, rounding out his rowing career with a well-promoted race against his friend to determine the "champion amateur oarsman of the world." Ben won the race easily after Jim Osborne "caught a crab" and capsized.
Back home in Moline, Ben continued to make headlines in the sporting pages for several years. He played shortstop for the Moline Browns and competed in many boxing and wrestling matches. In one bout, he held his own for 13 minutes against the famous wrestler Farmer Burns. Ben also played football with the East End team well into his thirties.
During the same period Ben served as a volunteer fireman with the Minnehaha Hose Company in downtown Moline. In addition to their firefighting duties, the Minnehahas also put on variety shows for the general public, and Ben was one of the main acts. He performed on a slack wire, sang in a quartet, showed his skill at clog dancing, and performed in a tumbling routine with his young nephew Roy Baas. The Minnehahas also competed in events against hose companies from other cities, testing their skills at coupling hoses and pulling the hose cart.
The Minnehahas disbanded in October 1896 after the volunteers pushed the growing city to employ full-time firemen instead. Ben applied for a position but was turned down. During the next few years he worked, in addition to occasional assignments as a boxing and wrestling referee, on the assembly line at the Moline Plow Company and as a street car conductor. In the early 1900s he owned and operated a bowling alley and billiard parlor with Abe Stouffer.
In 1896, Ben married Matilda "Tillie" Cedarquist. A year later, Tillie gave birth to a daughter, Gertrude, named after Ben's mother. There were complications with the birth, however, and Tillie died the same evening, just 21 years old. Ben remained a widower for seven years until he married Fannie Bergert, with whom he had two more children, Mart and Betty.
In June 1915, when he was 46 years old, Ben finally earned a full-time appointment to the Moline Fire Department years old. He served at all four Moline fire stations during his career. When Ben retired in 1938 at age 69, he was the tillerman on the department's aerial truck.
Ben died in 1948 at age 79.
Benjamin Henry Weber, the youngest of three children of Martin and Gertrude Weber, was only four years old when his father Martin died. Ben grew up in his mother's boarding house and in his youth spent a lot of time on the streets of Moline, Illinois, fending for himself.
Ben's athletic feats brought him a lot of attention. In the summer of 1888, when he was just 19, he was selected to represent the Sylvans, a local rowing club, at a regatta in Salt Lake City, where the club finished second in the four-oared race. Ben and his rowing partner Jim Osborne returned to Utah the next summer to row for the local Garfield Club. In August they were sent to Chicago to row in a national regatta on Lake Calumet, where the pair claimed the two-oar championship in both the junior and senior divisions and were erroneously dubbed "the Mormon boys" by the eastern press. Ben spent one last summer in Salt Lake City in 1890, rounding out his rowing career with a well-promoted race against his friend to determine the "champion amateur oarsman of the world." Ben won the race easily after Jim Osborne "caught a crab" and capsized.
Back home in Moline, Ben continued to make headlines in the sporting pages for several years. He played shortstop for the Moline Browns and competed in many boxing and wrestling matches. In one bout, he held his own for 13 minutes against the famous wrestler Farmer Burns. Ben also played football with the East End team well into his thirties.
During the same period Ben served as a volunteer fireman with the Minnehaha Hose Company in downtown Moline. In addition to their firefighting duties, the Minnehahas also put on variety shows for the general public, and Ben was one of the main acts. He performed on a slack wire, sang in a quartet, showed his skill at clog dancing, and performed in a tumbling routine with his young nephew Roy Baas. The Minnehahas also competed in events against hose companies from other cities, testing their skills at coupling hoses and pulling the hose cart.
The Minnehahas disbanded in October 1896 after the volunteers pushed the growing city to employ full-time firemen instead. Ben applied for a position but was turned down. During the next few years he worked, in addition to occasional assignments as a boxing and wrestling referee, on the assembly line at the Moline Plow Company and as a street car conductor. In the early 1900s he owned and operated a bowling alley and billiard parlor with Abe Stouffer.
In 1896, Ben married Matilda "Tillie" Cedarquist. A year later, Tillie gave birth to a daughter, Gertrude, named after Ben's mother. There were complications with the birth, however, and Tillie died the same evening, just 21 years old. Ben remained a widower for seven years until he married Fannie Bergert, with whom he had two more children, Mart and Betty.
In June 1915, when he was 46 years old, Ben finally earned a full-time appointment to the Moline Fire Department years old. He served at all four Moline fire stations during his career. When Ben retired in 1938 at age 69, he was the tillerman on the department's aerial truck.
Ben died in 1948 at age 79.
Ben's athletic feats brought him a lot of attention. In the summer of 1888, when he was just 19, he was selected to represent the Sylvans, a local rowing club, at a regatta in Salt Lake City, where the club finished second in the four-oared race. Ben and his rowing partner Jim Osborne returned to Utah the next summer to row for the local Garfield Club. In August they were sent to Chicago to row in a national regatta on Lake Calumet, where the pair claimed the two-oar championship in both the junior and senior divisions and were erroneously dubbed "the Mormon boys" by the eastern press. Ben spent one last summer in Salt Lake City in 1890, rounding out his rowing career with a well-promoted race against his friend to determine the "champion amateur oarsman of the world." Ben won the race easily after Jim Osborne "caught a crab" and capsized.
Back home in Moline, Ben continued to make headlines in the sporting pages for several years. He played shortstop for the Moline Browns and competed in many boxing and wrestling matches. In one bout, he held his own for 13 minutes against the famous wrestler Farmer Burns. Ben also played football with the East End team well into his thirties.
During the same period Ben served as a volunteer fireman with the Minnehaha Hose Company in downtown Moline. In addition to their firefighting duties, the Minnehahas also put on variety shows for the general public, and Ben was one of the main acts. He performed on a slack wire, sang in a quartet, showed his skill at clog dancing, and performed in a tumbling routine with his young nephew Roy Baas. The Minnehahas also competed in events against hose companies from other cities, testing their skills at coupling hoses and pulling the hose cart.
The Minnehahas disbanded in October 1896 after the volunteers pushed the growing city to employ full-time firemen instead. Ben applied for a position but was turned down. During the next few years he worked, in addition to occasional assignments as a boxing and wrestling referee, on the assembly line at the Moline Plow Company and as a street car conductor. In the early 1900s he owned and operated a bowling alley and billiard parlor with Abe Stouffer.
In 1896, Ben married Matilda "Tillie" Cedarquist. A year later, Tillie gave birth to a daughter, Gertrude, named after Ben's mother. There were complications with the birth, however, and Tillie died the same evening, just 21 years old. Ben remained a widower for seven years until he married Fannie Bergert, with whom he had two more children, Mart and Betty.
In June 1915, when he was 46 years old, Ben finally earned a full-time appointment to the Moline Fire Department years old. He served at all four Moline fire stations during his career. When Ben retired in 1938 at age 69, he was the tillerman on the department's aerial truck.
Ben died in 1948 at age 79.
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