Mary Balliet was one of the first board members appointed in 1883 to Ida Public Library and served on the board for 47 years. She was involved with many social organizations and a devoted member of the First Presbyterian Church.

By Mindy Long

Local History Librarian, Ida Public Library

There is an adage that’s been around since at least the 1940’s which says, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” It basically means that someway, sometime, and somehow, a woman had a hand in a man’s great success. We see this adage hold true time and again throughout history and it’s one of the reasons this series was started – to acknowledge the women who helped our community become a thriving city. This adage is especially true for one of our founding fathers, Josiah R. Balliet, known professionally as J.R. Balliet and nicknamed Uncle Joe by Belvidere residents. 

J.R. Balliet came to Belvidere around 1870, selling pianos and organs as well as sewing machines for the June Manufacturing Company from Chicago. These were door-to-door sales with long hours, but energetic J.R. quickly built up a following and by 1872 opened his own music store at 403 S. State St. His life would change forever when 18-year-old Mary Detrick walked into his store in search of a piano for her local school. Some said it was love at first sight, other said it took a while but music teacher Mary eventually warmed to the energetic 25-year-old with his love of keyboards and the couple were married on Dec. 23, 1874.

Mary Detrick was born April 22, 1855 in Belvidere to Benjamin and Margaret Detrick. She grew up in a spacious home on Whitney Blvd., just across the street from her future home with Josiah. Sadly, Mary’s father died of typhoid fever on Feb. 23, 1858, leaving Margaret to care for their seven children on her own. Their childhood was a happy one, though, and Mary grew up in a laughing environment surrounded by four brothers and one older sister. She loved music, playing piano and organ in church, and teaching music in the local schools as a young woman. According to friends, Mary was extremely talented on the keyboards and they called upon her to play at many local gatherings.

After marriage, Mary stopped teaching to help her husband in his music store. Josiah continued to invest in many ventures and was instrumental in bringing many advancements to Belvidere. Under his influence, the Belvidere Telephone Co. was organized in 1895, bringing free phone service to many residents. He was also a key figure in bringing electricity to town and convinced Frank June to bring his sewing machine factory to Belvidere on one of his sales trips to Chicago. His contributions to Belvidere were numerous, giving him the nickname of ‘Uncle Joe.’ Mary was right beside him during all these ventures and was herself heavily involved with the Belvidere community. 

Mary Balliet was one of the first board members appointed in 1883 to Ida Public Library and served on the board for 47 years. She was also involved with many social organizations and a devoted member of the First Presbyterian Church, playing organ on Sundays and teaching Sunday School. Josiah was a member of the Freemasons, and Mary became a prominent member of the Adeline chapter of the women’s auxiliary Masonic branch, serving several terms as high priestess. Mary also enjoyed playing cards and was so good at euchre that she was crowned Belvidere’s unofficial euchre champion.

In 1896, Josiah and Mary built the stately Colonial Revival home at 203 Logan Ave., known today as the Belvidere Funeral Home. It was a marvel in town, with its cross gables, slate roof, copper roof alleys, decorative tower finials, stained glass windows, 24 rooms, including a personal library, and large wrap around porch. Mary selected the site herself, locating the home as close as she could to her happy childhood home on Whitney and the Balliet home became just as happy over the years. It was even close enough to the music store for Mary to stroll over on nice days with J.R.’s lunch basket.

Both Balliets loved entertaining, so the house was usually filled with friends and card playing. Needless to say, any gathering at their home involved music, with both Balliets entertaining on organ and piano. Euchre and whist were the common card games. Mary was not fond of poker, so J.R. held his manly poker games, complete with pipe smoking, in the back of the music store on weekends. Mary loved her stately home but she also loved Belvidere. One of her greatest joys was riding around town with J.R. in one of their many vehicles and they could often be seen cruising through town on Sunday afternoons.

As you can likely imagine, life with J.R. would have been a whirlwind with his many ventures and exciting ideas. Mary was equally excited about the progress of Belvidere and J.R. consulted her frequently on new opportunities. Unfortunately, Mary fell ill in 1922 and died at home in 1930, leaving Josiah to ramble around in the large house on his own. With no children, he decided to sell the spacious home to Olney Witbeck in 1937. Josiah moved to the apartments above the music store and Olney Witbeck transformed the home into a gracious funeral home.

In 1940 J.R. donated a massive $5,000 pipe organ to the First Presbyterian Church in memorial to Mary. He sold the music store in 1941, retiring from work but remaining active in the community until his death in 1944, at age 96. Today, both Balliets are buried in a lovely mausoleum in Belvidere Cemetery easily visible on a short drive through the grounds. The beautiful Balliet home continues to take care of Belvidere residents as the Belvidere Funeral Home and you can almost sense the loving arms of Mary Balliet when you walk through the doors. 

 
 
 
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