HIRAM O. BOLLES, M.D., has been a practicing physician in Springfield for more than a quarter of a century, coming here fresh from his studies and within that time he has made a name and has won an honorable place for himself among the members of his profession in this county. He is a native of Cazenovia County, N.Y., where he was born July 29, 1838. The Bolles family is one of the old New England families, and the parents of our subject, Barney and Emily (Olcott) Bolles, were natives of New Hampshire.

The father of our subject went to New York from his old home among the granite hills and remained there several years. There he and his wife reared a fine family of six children, of whom four are living, namely: Emily, wife of Frank Wheatley, engineer of the Springfield water works; Hiram O.; James E., a resident of Peoria, Ill., and Jennie F., who makes her home with the Doctor. The Bolles family came to Illinois in 1870, and the father and mother are now living with their son, the former at the venerable age of eighty-five, and the latter at the age of seventy-nine.

Hiram O. Bolles was given superior educational advantages, laying the solid foundation for his medical studies in an excellent institution of learning in New Hampshire. He was graduated from the New Ipswich University, in that State, in the year 1858, with high rank for good scholarship. In the same year he began to prepare himself for his profession in the medical department of the Pennsylvania University, from which he was graduated in 1864, well equipped for the life upon which he was about to enter. After leaving college he came to Springfield and has ever since been in active practice here. He has done well in his calling and has established himself firmly in the confidence of the people, many of whom have been his patrons nearly the whole time of his residence here. He keeps pace with his brethren in thought and careful study, and avails himself whenever practicable of new discoveries in the medical world and of modern methods in practice. He is greatly interested in the welfare of his adopted city, and for many years has been one of its most valued civic officials. He was a member of the City Council in 1875, and for the last fourteen years has been President of the Board of Water Commissioners and has done good service in that capacity. Politically his sympathies are with the Democrats. He is a man of warm, genial, social nature, is popular and well liked and is an active member of various societies.

Dr. Bolles was married to Miss Eliza Van Meter, a native of Illinois, May 23, 1865. To them came four children, of whom three are living - Chester H., who is now carrying on the drug business at No. 502, north side of the Square: Birdie V. and Mamie E., all of whom are at home with their father. After a pleasant wedded life of twenty-one years the Doctor's happy home circle was broken by the death of the beloved wife and mother in November, 1886. She was a woman of rare merit whose fine disposition had gathered to her many friends. In her death the Second Methodist Episcopal Church lost one of its most active and valued members.

Below we append a brief notice of the death of Mrs. Bolles:

DIED - BOLLES. - In this city on November 14, 1885, Mrs. Eliza V. Bolles, wife of Dr. H. O. Bolles, in the 40th year of her age.

The funeral of this most estimable lady took place from the family residence, and was attended by a very large number of friends of the family, who had known the deceased for years, and came to evince their respect for the pure life and womanly graces of a beloved neighbor. The Monitor deeply sympathizes with Dr. Bolles and those whose hearts have been called to bleed by this visit of the angel of death to their domestic heaven. Mrs. Bolles a few weeks ago was the picture of health, and yet today slumbers in the grave. How true it is that in the midst of life we are in death. Peace to her beloved ashes.

The following tributes to the memory of Harry, the deceased son of Dr. Bolles, is worthy of presentation in this volume.