My Genealogy Hound

W. B. PROBASCO, grain-dealer, Bloomington; one among the most successful business men of Bloomington, is a native of Cumberland Co., N. J.; was born Oct. 8, 1836, and in 1856, went South, where he was engaged in business in Alabama, Mississippi, New Orleans and Tennessee until 1863, when he returned to New Jersey, but remained but a short time, coming West the same year and locating in Bloomington, where he has since resided, excepting time spent in the South; he was engaged in the hotel business in Bloomington until 1871, being very successful in this line; he then engaged in the real estate and loan business, which he continued until 1875, when he embarked in the grain trade; he has now a large elevator on the C. & A. R. R., between Chestnut and Locust streets, with a storage capacity of 40,000 bushels, besides his cribs, which will store 25,000 bushels of corn; in 1877, he established a branch house at Towanda, and, in 1878, one at Covell. The combined shipments of the three houses will aggregate about eight hundred cars per annum; in the spring of 1879, he erected one among the finest residences in the city, which is located at 1009 North Main street; he has been a man dependent wholly upon his own resources, and the accumulation of his splendid property has been due to his industry, energy and good financiering.