Philander Barclay in 1919. Studio portrait by George E. Birdsall. Photo from The Oakparker, November 11, 1927.
The Barclay Blog
A detailed exploration of the life of Philander Walker Barclay (1878 - 1940),
bicycle mechanic and Oak Park's first Village Historian.
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Philander Barclay as he appeared in the Oak Leaves, November 13, 1903.
Philander Barclay in 1939. Photo from the Chicago Tribune, November 13, 1939. Clipping found in the Barclay Photo Collection, Book 4, Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
July 7, 1940
By Anna-Maria Manuel
Published July 7, 2024.
Philander Barclay, Oak Park’s first Village Historian, did later researchers a huge favor, leaving a rich paper trail: descriptions of the photos he collected or took; notes about his oral-history sound recordings (wax cylinders and disc records); index cards with his handwritten or typed notes about local residents, his own family, Oak Park, and River Forest; miscellaneous notes; newspaper articles he wrote; articles written about Barclay during his lifetime; newspaper advertisements for his bicycle shop; Barclay’s letters to newspaper editors (Oak Leaves and The Oakparker); and letters to the editor written about the Village Historian.
The vast paper trail has been a tremendous gift for a person like me—fascinated by Barclay’s life and seeking to answer the question “Who was Philander Barclay?” With time, patience, and a deep interest, much of Barclay’s life can be reconstructed by connecting facts and anecdotes provided by the paper trail.
What may never be known for certain is exactly what led Barclay to take poison—“with suicidal intent”—in a Chicago hotel room, causing his death two days later on July 7, 1940, in Cook County Hospital. [1] One can only examine the evidence, looking for hints, then speculate.
1. Philander W. Barclay Certification of Death Record; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; obtained July 28, 2023.
Village Historian Steps on the Gas
Throughout the 1930s, Barclay was tremendously active as Village Historian—serving as a one-man historical society.
He seemed to be tying up loose ends, particularly by writing detailed descriptions for photographs in his collection. He feared that not describing the images “would always be a tragedy and a dark spot in [his] life’s work.” [2]
Barclay disseminated his photos, knowledge, and memories about the early history of Oak Park and River Forest in numerous articles published in the Oak Leaves and The Oakparker.
Barclay did not forget his oral history collection, the wax-cylinder records he made beginning in 1905. In 1933, he transferred one of his cylinder recordings of Elijah Hoard to a home-recording disc at the Lyon & Healy store on Marion Street. Barclay believed that re-recording from the cylinders to discs would “improve the records and make them more distinct.” [3]
Also in 1933, Barclay contributed historical artifacts for the time capsule placed in the cornerstone of the then-new Federal Building (housing the Main Oak Park Post Office) on Lake Street. [4]
2. Philander Walker Barclay; “Make Your Snapshots”; The Oakparker Mail Box; The Oakparker; November 29, 1935; pg. 184.
3. “Borrowed Timers in Memorial Services for Club Founder”; Oak Leaves; June 29, 1933; pg. 14.
Philander Barclay; Listing of contents donated by Barclay for cornerstone of Federal Building (Main Post Office); Philander Barclay Collection; gray file box; Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest. (Barclay mentioned trying to transfer a Hoard cylinder, which he recorded in 1905, to a “Victor disc type of the present day model.”)
4. Philander Barclay; Listing of contents donated by Barclay for cornerstone of Federal Building (Main Post Office); Philander Barclay Collection; gray file box; Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
Six veteran village residents seated beneath one of the photomurals at Wieboldt’s. They were guests of William Wieboldt and gathered to view the murals, made from scenes they remembered from their youth. From left to right: Harry B. Noyes, Walter N. Kettlestrings, Albert H. Schneider, William Wieboldt, Philander Barclay, Robert A. Lackey, and Frank C. Schneider. Dorothy Lohrberg, the coffee shop manager, is on the left. [5]
[5] “Historic Murals and Native Villagers”; Oak Leaves; April 8, 1937; pg. 119 and
“Historic Murals at Wieboldt’s”; The Oakparker; April 9, 1937; pg. 25.
In 1937, Barclay supplied the new Wieboldt’s department store at Lake Street and Harlem Avenue (River Forest) with several historical photos from his collection. The Kaufmann & Fabry Company created nine large photomurals from early scenes of Oak Park and River Forest, to decorate the walls of the store’s River Oak Room (coffee shop). Historians and researchers who inspected the murals “unanimously [agreed] that the Wieboldt store in perpetuating interesting historical scenes in this manner has emphasized a new and effective service to the community—that of story-teller and accurate historian.” [6]
By 1940, Barclay had donated “some” 60 photographic copies of images in his collection to the Oak Park Public Library, reportedly as a memorial to his deceased brother and sister, James and Luan. [7] Philander may have hoped that donating copies of photos to the library would ensure public access to at least part of his collection after his death.
In the late 1930s, Barclay may have considered getting into radio, based on a letter from his friend, Jessie Ozias Donahue [8] (held in the Barclay Collection at the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest). It appears that Donahue, the Chicago Daily News Society Editor in the late 1920s, [9] was helping Barclay secure a spot on Gabriel Heatter’s radio program. Heatter was known for his optimistic news broadcasts. In his We, the People radio program, he interviewed people from various walks of life. [10] Although the name of the program was not mentioned in Donahue’s letter, it may have been We, the People. Perhaps Barclay thought he might be a good fit for the program, being both a bicycle mechanic and the recognized Village Historian.
One wonders whether Barclay went into overdrive as Village Historian, because he worried that his life might be drawing to a close.
6. “Historic Murals at Wieboldt’s”; The Oakparker; April 9, 1937; pg. 25.
7. “Library Features Jubilee Displays”; Oak Leaves; August 23, 1951; pg. 32. (This article said that Barclay donated the photographic copies to the Oak Park Public Library in 1938.)
“Barclay Pictures on Display Now at the Main Library”; Oak Leaves; pg. June 6, 1940. (This article said that the donation was “recently acquired.”)
8. Donahue and Barclay likely became acquainted because of their connections to the Borrowed Time Club, a social club for elderly men formed in 1902. Barclay, who was instrumental in the club’s formation, often assisted the club with their activities. Donahue’s father, Eli Ozias, was a member of the club. See: “Death of Eli R. Ozias”; Oak Leaves; June 9, 1917; pg. 17.
9. Jessie Ozias Donahue; “Suggests P.W. Barclay for Village Historian”; Letter to the Editor; The Oak Parker; December 9, 1927; pg. 44.
10. “Gabriel Heatter Radio Newsman Dies”; The New York Times; March 31, 1972; pg. 32; accessed June 30, 2024.
Loss of Friends and Family
Back in 1903, Barclay took a series of photos at Forest Park’s Forest Home Cemetery. When he later wrote a description for one of those photos, he commented, “I often tell people I have more friends today (1939) under the ground than on top.” [11]
Sadly, the Village Historian wasn’t joking. Most of Barclay’s elderly friends from the Borrowed Time Club had passed decades earlier, such as Elijah Hoard (1908) and Edward Robbins (1910). [12]
Oak Leaves Editor and Publisher Orrin M. Donaldson died in 1933. [13] Donaldson had supported Barclay’s activities and causes, such as his Historic Album (the beginnings of Barclay’s collection of photographs), [14] benches placed on the Lowell School grounds (at the time, in 1908, Oak Park did not have a park), [15] and the How to Cross the Street Club (which Barclay founded to teach local children about pedestrian safety). [16] Donaldson retired from the Oak Leaves and eventually moved to California, starting Holly Leaves, a weekly publication in Hollywood. [17] When Barclay moved to Hollywood, Donaldson enthusiastically introduced him in the pages of the Holly Leaves. [18] Around 1924, after Barclay closed his bicycle shop, he was reported to be working for a newspaper—perhaps Holly Leaves. [19]
George Weed, Jr. and Barclay had been childhood friends. Over the years, they lost track of each other. In 1933, Barclay was pleased to reconnect with his “good friend” Weed, while out and about, looking for information on some old photos. Sadly, Weed died “about” six months after the two reunited. [20]
11. Barclay Photo Collection, Book 7; Picture 70b; Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
12. Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2MQ-K414; accessed April 23, 2023. (Death information for Hoard.)
Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7FG-NB5; accessed April 25, 2023. (Death information for Robbins.)
13. “O.M. Donaldson” (obituary); Oak Leaves; July 6, 1933; pg. 8.
14. “Historic Album”; Oak Leaves; November 13, 1903; pg. 25.
15. “Forced to Saloons”; Oak Leaves; June 6, 1908; pg. 16.
16. “Crossing Street”; Oak Leaves; June 24, 1911; pg. 12.
17. “O.M. Donaldson” (obituary); Oak Leaves; July 6, 1933; pg. 8.
18. “Bicycle Barclay Here”; Holly Leaves; July 1, 1922; pg. 67.
19. Index to Register of Voters; Los Angeles City Precinct No. 445; Los Angeles County, California; 1924.
20. Philander Barclay; “What Oak Parkers Did Back in the Gay ‘90s”; The Oakparker; August 31, 1934; pg. 11.
Philander Walker Barclay; “20 Years Ago Youth Scaled Smoke Stack”; “The Oakparker Mail Box”; The Oakparker; August 30, 1935; pg. 30. (Barclay recalled a childhood adventure involving Weed, two other boys, and the recently-completed River Forest Water Tower.)
James Bullis in 1905, in front of the Oak Park Municipal Building. Photo by Philander Barclay. From the Barclay Photo Collection, Book 6; BB58G; pg. 17; Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
Another of Barclay’s good friends, James Edward “Happy” Bullis, who had been an Oak Park volunteer fireman and, later, one of the first police patrol drivers (for Oak Park), died in 1934. Bullis struggled financially at the end of his life, residing with Philander and Luan in their apartment (Number 310) in the Scoville Building, 132 N. Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park. He died there after a brief illness. [21]
Barclay’s parents died in 1902. [22] His brother James passed in 1932; [23] his sister Luan in 1937. [24] Since Barclay never married nor had children, [25] he was the last surviving member of his family.
During the late 1930s, Helen Stevens [26] observed that “Mr. Barclay was a very kind man and so interesting, but he was always alone.” [27]
21. Barclay Photo Collection, Book 6; BB58G; pg. 17; Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
Barclay Photo Collection, Book 2; BB4; Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
“Death of Happy Bullis, Popular Local Character”; Oak Leaves; September 20, 1934; pg. 21.
22. Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q237-RF33; accessed February 25, 2023. (James S. Barclay died January 23, 1902.)
Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7L6-1M5; accessed February 25, 2023. (Mary Taylor Barclay died February 13, 1902.)
23. California Death Index, 1905-1939; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKSM-P4YK; accessed December 1, 2022.
24. Luan Barclay Certification of Death Record; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; obtained July 10, 2023.
25. For Philander Barclay, examined: 1900, 1910, and 1940 U.S. Census (could not locate census information for 1920 and 1930); WWI Draft Registration Card; Certificate of Death; Philander Barclay Collection, Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest; and newspapers: Oak Park Reporter; Oak Park Vindicator; Oak Park Times; Oak Park Argus; Oak Leaves; The Oakparker; and Chicago Tribune from 1892 - 1940.
26. Helen Stevens was the wife of Warren Stevens. In the late 1930s, Warren was a writer for Oak Park newspapers, including The Oakparker. At that time, the Stevenses lived on Holley Court, across the alley from Barclay’s Ontario Street residence. Barclay was a frequent visitor at the Stevens’ home. Warren interviewed Barclay about his recollections of Halloween in the 1890s for The Oakparker article, “Painted Cow, ‘Stabbed’ Lion, Faked Suicide, Stopped Trolleys Among Hallowe’en Pranks ‘Way Back When.” (October 25, 1935, pgs. 41 & 48.)
See: Jerry Crimmins; “Retired Editor of Oak Leaves”; Warren Stevens obituary; Chicago Tribune; October 15, 1988; pg. 8.
Doug Deuchler; “The Legend of ‘Poor Phil’”; Wednesday Journal; March 17, 1993; pg. 43.
27. Doug Deuchler; “The Legend of ‘Poor Phil’”; Wednesday Journal; March 17, 1993; pg. 43.
Barclay without a Bicycle Shop
In late 1921, Barclay moved from Oak Park, Illinois to Hollywood, California, where he opened a bicycle shop in 1922. He hoped to take advantage of a place “where bicycles are used all the year.” [28] Barclay closed his Hollywood shop after roughly two years. [29] He may have concluded that Californians—like Oak Parkers and the rest of the nation—were falling in love with their automobiles. It was his last bicycle shop.
Upon returning from Hollywood to Oak Park during the last half of 1926, [30] Barclay needed to balance making a living with pursuing his passion—his role as Village Historian. Retired from the bicycle business, he next worked in automotive service at the Annex Garage (1116 Williams Street, Oak Park), between roughly 1927 and 1930. [31] The garage underwent a change of ownership in 1929. [32] Barclay may have left soon thereafter.
28. “Swatting Mosquitos”; Letter by Philander Barclay; Oak Leaves; November 26, 1927; pg. 6 (Barclay mentioned moving to California in 1921.)
Classified ad; Oak Leaves; October 8, 1921; pg. 111. (Seems to be Barclay’s last ad before moving to California.)
“Bicycle Barclay Here”; Holly Leaves; July 1, 1922; pg. 67.
29. The Index to Register of Voters, Los Angeles City Precinct No. 445, Los Angeles County, California, 1924 (Barclay’s occupation was listed as “nwsppr” (newspaper)).
30. “Swatting Mosquitos”; Letter by Philander Barclay; Oak Leaves; November 26, 1927; pg. 6.
31. “History of Oak Park His Hobby”; The Oak Parker; November 11, 1927; pg. 88. (Seems to be the earliest mention of Barclay working at the Annex Garage.)
Annex Garage, listed in “Garages” (automotive, not parking); Oak Park Telephone Directory; June 1, 1928; pg. 55.
Philander Barclay listing; 1930 McCoy’s Oak Park and River Forest Directory; pg. 31. (Barclay, clerk at C. O. Burras.)
32. Legal Notice; Oak Leaves; February 16, 1929; pg. 88.
Barclay’s boss during the 1930s: Cless Burras. From “Cless O. Burras”; Oak Leaves; February 5, 1916; pg. 3.
Barclay’s next job was at Cless Burras’ stationery and office supply shop in Oak Park, around 1930. [33] Burras and Barclay were longtime pals. Their connection was through the Oak Leaves. Burras was Advertising Manager at the Oak Leaves, from 1906 or 1907 until 1916. [34] Barclay likely dealt with Burras when placing display ads in the Oak Leaves for his bike shop. During the Great Depression, Burras may have hired Barclay to help support the out-of-work bicycle mechanic.
After several years in California and North Carolina, Luan returned to Oak Park in October 1930. [35] She and Philander lived together, [36] perhaps to reduce expenses. It is unknown to me whether Luan was employed from the time she came back until 1936, when she started working as a filing clerk for the “Surplus Commodity Co.” [37] There may have been a brief time in the 1930s when Philander’s finances weren’t too precarious, thanks to a shared residence and a second income (Luan’s).
33. Philander Barclay listing; 1930 McCoy’s Oak Park and River Forest Directory; pg. 31. (Barclay clerk at C. O. Burras.)
34. “Our Holiday Editions”; Oak Leaves; December 11, 1909; pg. 40.
“Cless O. Burras”; Oak Leaves; February 5, 1916; pg. 3.
More evidence of the friendship between Burras and Barclay: In 1915, when Barclay became interested in “all-night autoing” (car travel at night), Cless was one of the friends who traveled with Barclay. See: “Advantages of All-night Autoing”; Oak Leaves; August 28, 1915; pg. 26 and “Country Automobiling at Night”; Oak Leaves; September 4, 1915; pg. 8.
35. Oak Leaves; October 17, 1930; pg. 38.
36. “When Oak Park First Felt ‘Growing Pains’”; The Oakparker; May 1, 1931; pg. 27. (Mentioned that Barclay lived with his sister and Barney Genty (sometimes spelled Gentry), the owner of a tobacco store.)
37. Luan Barclay; Certificate of Death; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; Obtained July 10, 2023.
Perhaps the “Surplus Commodity Co.,” to which Philander referred (he was the informant for Luan’s death certificate) was the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation, one of the New Deal agencies President Franklin D. Roosevelt established in the 1930s. According to Wikipedia, “The purpose of the agency was to divert agricultural commodities from the open market, where prices were depressed by surplus farm products, to destitute families.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Surplus_Commodities_Corporation, accessed May 14, 2024.
Little Money and No Work
Luan died on June 23, 1937. [38] Thereafter, Philander had a tough time making ends meet. He probably didn’t earn much money as a clerk at Burras’ shop.
For the 1940 U.S. Census, Barclay reported that he did not work during 1939. [39] It is unclear when Barclay left Burras’ shop. The last newspaper reference to Barclay working there was dated July 17, 1936. [40] I have not been able to determine whether he was employed at all between August 1936 and December 1938.
By 1939, Barclay may have earned most of his income from writing newspaper articles. [41] The Village Historian seemed desperate to write more articles and earn more money, but was frustrated by editor Otto McFeely, who Barclay deemed unfairly dismissive.
In his Forest Leaves column of July 25, 1979, J.E. (Cap) Shelby, who worked for Oak Leaves beginning in 1929, recounted that Barclay frequented his home on Sunday afternoons. During those visits, Barclay:
bemoan[ed] and almost [cried] over some real or imagined grievance visited upon him by the late, legendary and long-time editor, Otto McFeely.
One of the kindest men we ever knew, Philander was not conditioned to the hustle and bustle of a news room and perhaps thought the editor had brusquely brushed him off because a deadline impended. [42]
To complicate matters, for the 1940 U.S. Census, Barclay reported that he was “unable” to work (during the week of March 24-30, 1940). This classification was for “persons physically unable to work because of permanent disability, old age, or chronic illness.” [43] When enumerated on April 23, 1940, Barclay was 61 years of age—not that old. So, what was Barclay’s “permanent disability” or “chronic illness”? Could it have been the “chronic myocarditis” [44] cited in Barclay’s Death Record? [45] Or, perhaps an injury from repairing bicycles over many years? Maybe chronic depression manifested as insomnia? [46]
38. Luan Barclay; Certificate of Death; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; Obtained July 10, 2023.
39. 1940 U.S. Census. Barclay, Phylender [sic]. Address (1123 Ontario St., Oak Park, Illinois), age, and birthplace are correct. Number of weeks worked in 1939 (equivalent full-time weeks): 0. Income in 1939 (12 months ending December 31, 1939) amount of money wages or salary received (including commissions): 0.
40. “Four Heat Prostrations”; The Oakparker; July 17, 1936; pg. 3 (Barclay working at 1024 North Blvd., Burras’ shop).
41. 1940 U.S. Census. Barclay, Phylender [sic]. Did this person receive income of $50 or more from sources other than money wages or salary? Yes.
42. J.E. (Cap) Shelby; “Philander Barclay Lives on in Memory”; “Cap’s Comments” (column); Forest Leaves; July 25, 1979; pg. 21.
43. 1940 Census: Instructions to Enumerators; IPUMS USA (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series); https://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/inst1940.shtml; accessed July 6, 2024.
44. From www.hopkinsmedicine.org (accessed July 6, 2024): “Myocarditis occurs when the heart muscle (myocardium) becomes inflamed. Inflammation occurs when your body’s immune system responds to infections, for example. Myocarditis can be caused by viral infections or more systemic inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune disorders. In severe cases of myocarditis, the heart muscle weakens and cannot pump blood effectively to other parts of your body.
“Chronic myocarditis is when it takes longer than usual to treat the disease or when symptoms reappear after experiencing the condition. This can occur due to more general inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune disorders, in which your immune system attacks healthy cells and tissue in your body.”
From www.mountsinai.org (accessed July 6, 2024): “Common autoimmune disorders include:
Celiac disease - sprue (gluten-sensitive enteropathy)
Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis)
Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus)
45. Philander W. Barclay Certification of Death Record; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; obtained July 28, 2023. (Disease or Injury Causing Death: “Chronic myocarditis complicated by phenobarbital poisoning.”)
46. “Philander Barclay, Village Historian, Dead in 62nd Year”; Oak Leaves; July 11, 1940; pg. 7.
The End
By 1940, Barclay had lost nearly all his longtime friends, had no family, no job, very little income, and a disability or illness that prevented him from working—The Village Historian’s Personal Hell. Plenty of cause for feeling despondent.
The McCoy Hotel, 949 Madison St., Chicago back in the 1920s, during better times. Postcard from Chicago History in Postcards, https://chicagopc.info/hotels/hotels-l-o/, accessed September 4, 2022.
Perhaps for anonymity, Barclay checked into the McCoy Hotel at 949 Madison Street [47] on Chicago’s Skid Row, on July 5. According to Barclay’s death record, he “drank poison with suicidal intent while temporarily insane.” [48] His choice of poison: the sleeping pills (phenobarbital) [49] he had taken during his bouts of insomnia, over the years. [50] He died at Cook County Hospital on July 7. [51]
Barclay’s funeral was held at Drechsler’s funeral home in Oak Park, where 100 visitors gathered to honor the Village Historian. About 20 of them were members of the Borrowed Time Club, [52] the organization he helped to found in 1902 and always heartily supported.
On July 9, [53] Barclay’s ashes were scattered in Section 1 of Forest Home Cemetery, [54] his final resting place, among pioneers and prominent residents of Oak Park and River Forest from the “Horse-and-Buggy Era”—Philander’s term for the period that so fascinated him.
47. “Sleeping Potion Kills Philander Barclay at 65 [sic]”; Chicago Tribune; July 8, 1940; pg. 20. This obituary gave only the address of the hotel. The author searched for the name of the hotel and found a postcard at Chicago History in Postcards (https://chicagopc.info/hotels/hotels-l-o/ accessed September 4, 2022), which gave the name and address of the hotel.
48. Philander W. Barclay Certification of Death Record; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; obtained July 28, 2023.
49. Ibid.
“Sleeping Potion Kills Philander Barclay at 65 [sic]”; Chicago Tribune; July 8, 1940; pg. 20.
50. “Philander Barclay, Village Historian, Dead in 62nd Year”; Oak Leaves; July 11, 1940; pg. 7.
51. Philander W. Barclay Certification of Death Record; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; obtained July 28, 2023.
52 “Philander Barclay, Village Historian, Dead in 62nd Year”; Oak Leaves; July 11, 1940; pg. 7.
53. Philander W. Barclay Certification of Death Record; Cook County (Illinois) Clerk’s Office; obtained July 28, 2023.
54. Ibid.
Find a Grave: Philander Walker Barclay; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137241764/philander-walker-barclay; accessed August 24, 2023. (Cremation #904.)
The author visited the Forest Home Cemetery office in April 1993 and inquired where Philander Barclay was buried. Upon searching cemetery records, the FHC employee said that his ashes were scattered in Section 1.