People of Mount Prospect

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address in Mount Prospect:

Birth Date: December 4, 1875

Death Date: July 26, 1947

Marriage
Date: June 11, 1903

Spouse: Maria Kirchoff

Children: Gertrude, Laura, Theodore, Edwin, John P. Jr., Vivian

Interesting information on life, career, accomplishments:

John Phillip Moehling was the son of John Conrad Moeling, and like his father he spent years of his life working to improve Mount Prospect. In 1917 he was Mount Prospect’s first Police Magistrate and later, in 1929 worked as the village collector. He was a charter member of the Mount Prospect Lions Club. Between 1913 and 1916 he was the secretary of the Board of Education for the short lived Mount Prospect High school. He also served as a democratic election judge for 32 years. Similar to his father, he worked in a number of different fields. He formed a real estate brokerage firm in the 1920s. He built a Standard Oil Service Station on the corner of Northwest highway and Main, the first full service station in Mount Prospect. He also continued his father’s business and expanded it by becoming an agent for the International Harvester Company, Deering Division. He later changed with the times and shifted from selling plows to selling lawn mowers.

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address in Mount Prospect: 518 S. Main

Birth Date: October 15, 1850

Death Date: September 3, 1939

Marriage
Date: January 28, 1875

Spouse: Emelia Augusta (Bahr) Moehling

Children: Dorothea (died in infancy), Heinrich (died in infancy), John Phillip, Clara.

Interesting information on life, career, accomplishments:

John C. Moehling owned the first store in Mount Prospect. It was a small general store located at the corner of Main Street and Northwest Highway. The store was originally started by Cook County Commissioner Christian Geils. However, Geils soon found out that running a general store was not his calling in life. While Geils was discovering that he did not like running a general store, a man named John Conrad Moehling was in Elk Grove discovering that he did not like farming. In 1882 the two came together and Moehling bought the store. He found that he did enjoy being a store keeper and he soon became an institution in the community. He began selling farm tools, coal, seed, feed, groceries, shoes, etc. and built a warehouse along a side track to help bring in and ship out materials.

John C. Moehling was one of Mount Prospect’s biggest promoters. Throughout his career he worked hard to improve Mount Prospect and bring in new services and businesses. He persuaded John Meyn to move to Mount Prospect and start a blacksmith shop. Meyn had been working as an apprentice in Arlington Heights and was ready to move on to his own shop when Moehling approached him and offered to build him a new shop in downtown Mount Prospect. Moehling also convinced the Chicago Northwestern Railroad to build a new Depot in Mount Prospect and was appointed the first depot agent, a position he held from 1887 until 1902. In 1875 he was a charter member of the Mutual County Fire Insurance Company of Mount Prospect, in 1884 he organized the Jefferson Democratic Club, and in 1895 he was one of the founders of the Central School and District 57. Moehling was also appointed the first Postmaster of Mount Prospect on December 31, 1885 and based the local post office in his store. He served as Postmaster for twelve years or until 1897. According to legend, Moehling was also the person who brought dairy cows to Mount Prospect. Seeing that the area was appropriate for milk cows, he went off in search of the best breed and eventually brought them back, kicking off Mount Prospect’s role as a major dairy center.

Does MPHS have photographs: Yes

Address in Mount Prospect: 31 S. Main

Birth Date: January 7, 1863

Death Date: December 3, 1948

Marriage
Date: 1884

Spouse: Christina (Henningsmeyer) Meyn (b. August 11, 1863 d. 1925)

Children: Laura, Herman, Bertha, Elsie, William, John Jr., Christine, and Adele

Interesting information on life, career, accomplishments:

John Meyn was born in Schleswig-Holstein and immigrated to America in 1882 at the age of 19. He worked as an assistant blacksmith in Arlington Heights for a year before he was persuaded by John C. Moehling, Mount Prospect’s first postmaster and owner of the general store, to move to Mount Prospect and open his own shop. He was the first blacksmith in town and ran the business for many years. His shop in Mount Prospect was located on Northwest Highway, just past Main Street. Having a blacksmith shop was an early step towards development. When most transportation required horses, you needed to have someone who could shoe the horses and repair wagons in town if you expected the town to grow. This is why John Moehling went out of his way to persuade John Meyn to move to Mount Prospect.