Clark County, Wisconsin - Biographical sketches, 1918 (part 9 of 18)

Mr. And Mrs. Geo. Kleinschmidt Leo A, Kleinschmidt Family And Residence

Kleinschmidt shaved shingles by hand and sold them at La Crosse, to which place, and to Black River Falls, he used to drive. He was often obliged to grind wheat in the coffee-mill to get flour. The first year he put in spring wheat, but the chipmunks were so numerous that they destroyed much of the grain. The mother helped to work in the fields when not busy with her household duties. The first winter a son was born, who was named Fred, and after that came other children, including Charles, who died young; Anna, who subsequently married John Barth, of Fremont Township; Leo A., now of Lynn Township, and F. Louis, on the old homestead in Lynn Township. Mr. Kleinschmidt's first wife died about 1893, and he subsequently married for his second, Mrs. Anna Gorbush, He was an active and enterprising man who in the end conquered success. Starting with eighty acres of land he in time became the owner of nearly 500 acres. He built a good ten-room residence and a barn, 38 by 72 feet in size, and when the latter burned down he rebuilt it. At various times he held township offices, being a member of the township board for many years and serving as treasurer of the district school board. He also helped to build the German Lutheran Church at Granton. Mr. Kleinschmidt died after . attaining the age of 83 years, in December, 1908. His second wife died in November, 1904.

Frederick F. Kleinschmidt, a well-known farmer of Lynn Township, Section 1, is a native of this township, having been born in a log cabin belonging to the Yonke family, Feb. 18, 1857. At the time of his birth his parents had recently arrived in the county, and were stopping temporarily at the Yonkes until the father could build a log cabin of his own. He was the first white child born in the township, there being few other settlers here at the time. In the spring of 1858 the parents moved onto their own tract of eighty acres in Section 1, where they led a pioneer life for years, having to carry provisions on their backs from Neillsville. The latter place was nearly two miles away, and there Frederick F. attended school, the schoolhouse having a floor made out of split logs. Later, he pursued his studies in the log schoolhouse that stood on the old Newman place in Section 2. This had home-made benches, and there also his future wife attended school. The district had been organized by our subject's father, George Kleinschmidt, whose wife in maidenhood was Wilhelmina Caroline Louisa Retzlaff, both parents being natives of Germany. They were German Lutherans, and in early days church services were often held in their cabin. When Frederick was old enough he helped to clear the parental homestead, and later worked at logging in the winters, going on the drive in spring. In time his father gave him eighty acres adjoining the old homestead, on which he built a barn, 40 by 70 feet in size. On March 10, 1891, he married Mary Jensen, who was born in Calumet County, Feb. 5, 1873, daughter of Peter and Christiana (Peters) Jensen. The parents were born and married in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and came as a young couple to the United States in or about 1864 by sailing vessel. They located first in Calumet County, Wis., later settling in Section 4, Lynn Township, Clark County, where the father cleared a tract of land. This he sold, buying eighty acres in Section 11, Lynn Township. He and his wife did pioneer work for a number of years, using an ox team. In 1915 they celebrated their golden wedding. They had six children: Anna, Emma, Herman, Bertha, Mary and Henry. The Jensen family are German Lutherans in religious faith. Since locating on his present farm, Mr. Kleinschmidt had greatly improved it. He now owns 180 acres of land, which is largely cleared. He is also a member of the Co-operative Elevator Company at Chili, For a number of years he has served the township as supervisor, He is engaged in general farming, keeping a good grade of stock, He and his wife have had four children, one of whom, Louie, is now deceased. The survivors are Edward, Arthur and Luella. The family are members of the German Lutheran Church,

Carl Otto Jorenby, of Eaton Township, proprietor of one of the largest and most up-to-date farms in this part of Clark County, also president of the Eaton Center Cheese Factory, and interested in other business enterprises, was born in Green County, Wis., Sept. 27, 1890, son of Henry and Inger (Snuggen) Jorenby. The father was also born in Green County, this state, being a son of Christian and Sarah Jorenby, who came to the United States from Norway in a sailing vessel some sixty years ago, or about 1856, being seven weeks on the ocean. Christian, who was a farmer in his native land, engaged in the same occupation in Green County, his farm being situated in a wild wooded country. He started there under the most primitive conditions, the first dwelling of himself and family being a dugout. Later, he built a log house, and afterwards a good frame residence, becoming more prosperous as the years went by, though this result was not attained save through a great amount of hard work continued over many years. His son, Henry, father of the subject of this sketch, grew up on the farm, where he now resides, after having tried various other locations, He raises high-grade Holstein cattle, is doing a prosperous business, and holds office in his township. He and his wife, Inger, have had four children, three of whom are now living - Carl Otto, Selma and Harold. Carl Otto Jorenby acquired his literary education in the common schools, and afterwards attended the College of Agriculture at Madison, where he was graduated in 1910. He had previous to this gained a fair practical knowledge of farming on his parents' homestead, on which he had been reared. After his graduation he returned home, where he remained until the fall of 1912. Then, coming to Clark County, he purchased his present farm, a tract of 560 acres, lying in Sections 29, 28 and 21, Eaton Township, Onto this place he moved as a bachelor Feb. 1, 1913. About 100 acres of the land had been cleared, there was an old barn on the place, an old, tumble-down sheep barn and a weather-beaten house. Mr. Jorenby at once got busy with the work of improvement, and by the latter part of the following year had things in such fair shape that he felt justified in beginning domestic life. He was, accordingly, married Dec. 25, 1914, to Millie Jeremiason. Her father, a native of Norway, had come to the United States when a young man, about 1850 or 1851, landing in this country after a voyage of thirteen weeks in a sailing vessel. Settling on a tract of land in the woods of Green County, he had there developed a farm. He is still living, being now 87 years old. His wife died about two years ago. With a good wife to aid him, Mr. Jorenby has made admirable progress. He has cleared 160 acres more land, and has built one of the largest and most up-to-date barns in Clark County. This structure measures 208 by 36 feet, being 47 feet longer than the next largest barn in the county. The basement is all cement, with antiseptic flooring of creosote blocks, under the cow stalls and with Loudon equipment throughout. The barn is entered by two driveways, and a good ventilating system has been installed. Mr. Jorenby has also built a machine shed, 120 by 24 feet in dimensions, and has remodeled and repainted the residence. He has a silo measuring 16 by 36 feet, and is contemplating the construction of two more. He has a large herd of high grade Holstein catle, including some pure-bred sires, and milks nearly 100 cows. His horses are of the Percheron breed, and he also raises Poland China hogs and White Wyandot and White Leghorn chickens. On the building of the Eaton Center Cheese Factory he became president of the company, which office he has since retained. He was also one of the leading promoters of the creamery, which handles from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of milk a day, and which began operations June 22, 1913. This concern pays out about $55,000 a year to the farmers. Mr. Jorenby is also president of the Farmers' Equity Shipping Association, and a stockholder in the Farmers' Store, of which he was one of the organizers and formerly vice president. He also holds shares in the Wausau Packing Company. With the view of keeping up to date on everything pertaining to the industry, in which he is engaged, he became a member of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Association, having headquarters at Madison, the object of the Association being to test seed grain and investigate all new methods in the different branches of agriculture, and so disseminate useful information to the farmers. Mr. Jorenby is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of Greenwood. He and his wife have one child - Adele Marjorie. Henry Ferdinand Stabnow, priprietor of a good estate within the corporation limits of Greenwood, Eaton Township, it lying in Section 2, is also a prominent business man of the village. He was born on a farm in Freedom Township, Sauk County, Wis., July 13, 1860, the farm being the old homestead of his parents, Seigfried and Augusta (Saustrow) Stabnow. The parents were natives of Germany, where they were married, and where the father followed the trade of cabinetmaker. There two children were born to them, one of whom died in infancy. With the other, whose name was Herman, they left Germany in 1855, bound on a sailing vessel for the United States. On arriving in this country they made their way directly to Watertown, Wis., where they resided until 1858, and there two other children were born to them - Bertha and William. In the year last mentioned they removed to Sauk County, making the journey by wagon, and settling on a forty-acre tract of wild woodland, away from any road. On this tract Mr. Stabnow erected a log house, about 20 by 28 feet in size, and containing two rooms and a garret. He had practically nothing to start with but his hands, and knew but little of farming, but learned how to grub in his first crops, and made use of an ox team as did the other pioneers. Baraboo was the nearest market, fourteen miles away, and he often walked the distance there and back, carrying home groceries, which he had obtained in exchange for farm produce. In time he not only cleared his original land, but purchased more until he had a tract of nearly 500 acres, and had erected good buildings on his property. He was a member of the Methodist Church, and in early days services were often held in his log house. His wife, Augusta, died about 1868, after they had had four more children, who were born in Sauk County, namely: Henry F., Minnie, Mary and Louise. Seigfried Stabnow subsequently married for his second wife Minnie Krause, who is now living on the old home farm in Sauk County at the age of over 70 years. He died in January, 1915, at the advanced age of 88. Henry F. Stabnow grew up on his parents' farm, and in his boyhood attended the district school, where he acquired the elements of knowledge. At the age of 22 years, being as yet unmarried, he struck out for himself, going to Sauk City, where he worked at the trade of carpenter. In 1883 he went to South Dakota, locating in Brown County, Portage Township, where he took a homestead of 160 acres, and also an eighty-acre tree claim. The homestead consisted of prairie land. These tracts he proved up, leading a bachelor's life there until 1886 or 1887. He married Gusta Kleinschmidt, a native of Germany, and daughter of William Kleinschmidt, who had settled in Sauk County, Wis. After their marriage he and his wife resided on his farm in South Dakota for eighteen years, during which time he brought it into a good state of cultivation. He also became one of the foremost citizens of that community, serving in various public offices. He was a member of the school board and of his township board, was assessor for a number of years and served two terms in the state legislature of South Dakota, being elected on the Republican ticket. In 1901, Mr. Stabnow came to Clark County, Wis., with the thought of being near his brother, and intending to stay only three years, but after he became well acquainted with the county he liked it so well that he has made his permanent residence here. He located first in Warner Township, purchasing eighty acres of wild land in Section 13. Of that tract he improved fifteen acres and built a house and barn on it. After living there a year and a half he sold the place and purchased his present estate, consisting of forty-four acres of good land in Section 2, Eaton Township, and within the corporation limits of Greenwood. There were no buildings on it when he came, but the land had been partly cleared, though plenty of stumps had been left. He finished the job of clearing and has erected a fine residence and barn. He has a good dairy herd of graded Holstein cattle. Mr. Stabnow is also a shareholder in the Farmers' Store at Greenwood, being elected a member of its board of directors in 1915, in which position he is still serving. He is also vice president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank. He has served four years as a member of the village council of Greenwood, was formerly assessor, and two years supervisor of the city. Two children have been born to him and his wife, Floda and Esther. Eloda, who was graduated from the Greenwood school, was a teacher for five or six terms, following that occupation, both in Clark County and South Dakota. She is now the wife of Edgar Uydyke, of South Dakota. Esther is also a graduate of the Greenwood school, and taught one term in South Dakota.

Mr. And Mrs, F, M. Tuttle

Francis M. Tuttle, a well-known timber contractor residing in Abbotsford, is an old resident of Clark County, having arrived here as early as 1872, and during most of the time since then he has been connected with the lumber business. He was born in Auburn Township, Fond du Lac County, Feb. 5, 1848, son of Sherman B. and Martha (Brown) Tuttle. The father was born in New York State, and died Aug. 25, 1892, at the age of 78 years. His wife, a native of Vermont, died in 1908. From the East they they moved first to Ohio, and then, in 1846, to Wisconsin, making the journey by wagon. On arriving in Fond du Lac County, Sherman B, Tuttle pre-empted eighty acres of land, which he broke and cleared with oxen. He resided there until 1874, after which time he made his home with his son, Francis M. He was a well-to-do man, progressive and energetic, and took an active part in public affairs. In politics he was a Republican, and for a number of years served on the town and school boards. He and his wife had twelve children, of whom eight are now living, namely: Sheldon, Francis M., Sylvia, Martha, George, Jeanette, Sherman B. and Eugene. Those deceased are Henry, Melissa, Elmer and Emma. Francis M. Tuttle remained at home with his parents until he was 22 years of age. He then went to Dundee, Wis., where he engaged in business as a horse dealer. Three years later, in 1872, he came to Clark County and homesteaded eighty acres in Colby Township, on which tract he built a log house and barn and began clearing the land, a task in which he was finally successful. He remained at that location for many years, and continued to own the farm until 1913, when he sold it. In 1877, Mr. Tuttle began logging for himself. Two years later he became foreman of camp for Marshall Peterson. A year or two after that he bought the timber of the old Spaulding place and during the following three years cleared up that tract. He then moved his outfit to Ellis Junction, operating there three seasons for Butler & Mueller. In 1888, Mr. Tuttle erected a sawmill on his place in Colby Township and operated it for three years, after which he sold the outfit and bought a larger one, and for the next three years logged and sawed for the Upham Manufacturing Company of Marshfield. In April, 1907, he moved to Colby, where he resided until 1913, and while there was elected and did valuable service, both as supervisor of Colby village and alderman for several years. At the end of the period mentioned he came to Abbotsford, where he purchased a comfortable residence, and has since made his home. He has continued in the logging and sawmill business up to the present time, still taking timber contracts. Mr. Tuttle was married Oct. 24, 1871, to Barbara Shanks, who was born in Sheboygan County, Wis., July 7, 1849, daughter of Thomas and Louisa (Larrabee) Shanks. Both her parents were natives of Ohio. The father, a farmer, carpenter and millwright, and also a veteran of the Civil War, died in 1896, at the age of 76 years. The mother died in 1862, at the age of 39. Of the twelve children born to them, five are now living: Celia E., Barbara A., Mary J., Sarah and Nelson. Those deceased are Amelia, Henry, Wilson, John, Marion, Nettie and Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle have had ten children, whose record, in brief, is as follows: Thomas, born July 28, 1872, married Mertie Parker and lives at Abbotsford; Frank, born Jan. 4, 1874, is residing at home; Myrtle, born

Oct. 31, 1876, is now Mrs. Olof Olson of Neillsville; Louisa, born Feb. 21, 1878, is the wife of Harry Fisher of Black River Falls, Wis.; Roy, born Nov. 29, 1879, married Winifred Hubbel, and resides at Beach, N. D.; Martha, born April 24, 1881, is now Mrs. Erwin Gallagher of Oregon, Wis.; Sarah, born April 20, 1883, is the wife of Fred Olson of Cherokee, Wis.; Lincoln, born May 21, 1885, is now in the United States service as a member of Company B, 107th Military Mounted Police; Edwin, born April 21, 1891, married Marcelline Jacques and resides at Superior, Wis.; Edwin, a twin brother of Edwin, died in 1894. Mr. Tuttle is a member of Colby Lodge, No. 234, I. O. O. F., also of the Order of Owls and of the Guardians of Liberty. Mrs. Tuttle is a member of the Rebeckah Lodge at Colby.

Richard C. Glenzer, who, with his brother, John, is engaged in operating a profitable farm of 120 acres in Section 12, Green Grove Township, was born in Sheboygan County, Wis., Jan. 24, 1871, son of Justus and Elizabeth Glenzer, his mothers' family name being Younger. The father, who was born in Germany, came to this country when young and settled in Sheboygan County, where he engaged in farming. There also he met and married Elizabeth Younger. In 1875 they came to Clark County, Justus Glenzer buying a farm of 160 acres in Green Grove Township. He was active in local affairs, serving on the township board and as treasurer of the school board, and was a Republican in politics. He died June 15, 1912, his wife having passed away many years previously, in 1876. They had a large family of ten children - Henry, who resides in Dorchester, Clark County; Elizabeth, now deceased; August, a resident of South Kaukauna, Wis.; Mary, wife of H. Klemm, of Green Grove Township; John, who lives on the home farm; William, deceased; Barbara, widow of Fred Stacker, and residing in Colby; Fred, of Green Grove Township; Richard C., subject of this sketch, and Minnie, who is deceased. Richard C. Glenzer, in company with his brother John, acquired their present farm after their father's death, and have operated it in partnership ever since. They have made many improvements on it, building a basement under the entire barn, besides building an addition to the latter; also erecting a silo 16 by 32 feet in size, and a machine shed, hog house and chicken house. They raise Holstein cattle, milking twenty cows, and also raise such crops as hay, corn, oats and barley. Richard C. Glenzer was elected clerk of the school board in 1909 and 1912, and township treasurer in 1916. He is president of the local branch of the American Society of Equity, also of the Green Grove Farmers' Produce Company, and is a stockholder in the Wausau Packing Company. In religion he is a German Lutheran, He was married Dec. 1, 1902, to Hattie Sommer, who was born in Chicago, daughter of August and Theresa Sommer, her father being a harness maker by trade. The family moved to Colby, Wis., where they lived several years, and then Mr. and Mrs. Sommer returned to Chicago, where he died. His wife is still living. Mr, and Mrs. Glenzer have had three children - Minnie, born, Dec. 15, 1903; Richard, who died in infancy, and Reuben, born April 3, 1908.

Glen Reibsamen, cashier of the Curtis State Bank, who has had a number of years' experience in financial institutions and is a rising young business man, was born in Titonka, Kossuth County, Iowa, Oct. 17, 1883, his parents being Charles and Margaret (Cunningham) Reibsamen. The father, born in Illinois, in 1853, engaged in farming in lowa, where he is still living, as is also his wife, Margaret, who was born in Ohio in 1853. They had a family of eight children: Elsie, Grace, Mamie, Ethel, Vance, Veva, Ruth and Glen. Glen Reibsamen, after attending the common schools, took a course in 1903 and 1904 at the Northern Illinois Commercial College at Dixon, Ill. He then became bookkeeper in the First National Bank at Titonka, lowa, where he remained for three years and a half. Then, taking a land claim in North Dakota, he remained there nine months, proved up his claim and returned to Iowa, taking a position in the First National Bank at Esterville, that state. He left there three years later, after being advanced to the position of teller, and became cashier of the Le Grande, Iowa, Savings Bank, in which he had a financial interest. After remaining over a year, he sold his interest, and in 1912 came to Curtis, Clark County, Wis., and organized the Curtis State Bank, of which he is cashier. Although but a few years old, the institution has proved a success and fills an important place in the blsiness community. Mr. Reibsamen also promoted the Reibsamen & Peterman Real Estate and Loan Company. He is a stockholder in the Curtis Produce Company, and in 1913 was elected director and treasurer of the local school board, in which office he is still serving. He is also a notary public, his fraternal affiliations being with the Elks and Modern Woodmen of America. The office of the real estate and loan company is located in the bank building, and, like the bank, the company is flourishing. On Aug. 2, 1911, Mr. Reibsamen gave up bachelor life, being united in marriage with Katherine Gilliam, who was born in Berkie, Ohio, May 4, 1882, daughter of J. B. and Liddie (Wagonlander) Gilliam. Both her parents are still living, the father being a merchant at White Pigeon, Mich. Mr. and Mrs. Reibsamen have three children - Burlington, born June 9, 1912; Boneta, born Oct. 9, 1913, and Lydia M., born May 15, 1916,

Albert D. Bass, in former years a well-known and respected citizen of Mayville Township, serving in local office, was born in Canterbury, Conn., July 30, 1854, son of Charles and Waity (Smith) Bass. The father, born Jan, 15, 1825, came to Clark County from Florence, Mass., in June, 1892, locating at Curtis, Mayville Township, where he died May 1, 1915.° His wife, who was born Jan. 15, 1825 (same date as husband), died July 13, 1899, Albert D. Bass came to Wisconsin in 1871, locating in La Crosse, where for eight years he was in the employ of the Hickey Lumber Company. On Aug. 11, 1881, he was married to Emma Knecht, who was born at Onalaska, Wis., Oct. 25, 1857, daughter of Gabriel and Wilhelmina (Hemel) Knecht. Her parents, natives of Germany, were married at Newark, N, J., and moved to Wisconsin in 1852. The father was born Mar. 31, 1828, and died in January, 1863; his wife, born March 27, 1831, dying Feb. 7, 1911. They had four children: Adolph, Herman, Emma and Amelia, of whom Adolph and Amelia are now deceased. After the death of her first husband, Mr. Knecht, Mrs, Knecht married for her second husband, M. J. Moore, in August, 1867, and he died July, 1917. Of this second union there was born one child, Frank, Oct. 25, 1868, who now re- sides at Ingram, Wis, Albert D, Bass came to Curtis to live in 1881, associating with Nathan Clark in the logging and sawmill business, and he was thus engaged until the time of' his death, which took place Dec. 5, 1895. He, with Nathan Clark, built the sawmill at Curtis in 1881 and in 1885 Mr. Bass later purchased his partner's interest. During that time he became a prominent citizen of the township, serving as chairman of the Mayville Township board for two years and as a member of the school board four years. He at one time had been a school teacher. He was also justice of the peace for two years and was postmaster at Curtis from 1884 to 1888 and from 1892 to 1896. He and his wife had no children. Mrs. Bass is now a resident of Curtis, where and in the vicinity she has a wide circle of friends,

Louie Stange, proprietor of the old Stange farm in section 33, Beaver Township, was born in a log house on the farm where he now lives, Mar. 6, 1874. His parents were Charles and Wilhelmina (Arndt) Stonge, the family name having since been changed in spelling to Stange. The father, Charles, was born in Bromberg, Germany, as was also his wife, and they were married in that place. In 1867 they emigrated to the United States, accompanied by their three children, Tina, Charles and Reika, Two others, Herman and Ferdinand, had died in Germany, and another, named Minnie, died on the passage over, the voyage, lasting sixteen weeks, being made in a sailing vessel, On arriving at New York the medical inspectors, after examination of the crew and passengers, ordered the vessel into quarantine and they remained eleven days more on the water, out of sight of land. When finally released the Stange family came west to Dodge County, Wis., where Charles Stange found employment in the iron mine at Iron Ridge, Later he worked on farms in that county and three more children were born to him - Anna, Bertha and Herman. Subsequently they left there and came to Clark County, making the journey by train to Humbird, then taking the stage to Loyal, and from the latter place traveling to Beaver Township with an ox team. In the fall of that year, 1873, Mr. Stange bought a tract of forty acres in section 33, the land being covered with timber, and without buildings; neither were there any roads. The first thing needed was a residence and Mr. Stange built a log house of three rooms, measuring 26 by 30 feet. With his ox team he used a jumper, but often had to carry supplies on his back through the woods from the nearest village. The family were members of the German Lutheran Church and Mr. Stange helped to build the old log church of that denomination in Beaver Township. In time he made good progress with his farm, but his life came to a close in 1887, when he was only 53 years old. His wife died in 1906, at the age of 72. She had been a worthy helpmate to her husband, doing the spinning and knitting while he cleared the land. They had two children born in Clark County - Louie and Otto. Before he died Charles Stange had increased the size of his farm by the purchase of forty acres more, and had about sixty acres cleared. His son, Louie, into whose possession the property came, has bought still another forty-acre tract, which lies just across the road in section 34; and has cleared about twenty acres on the parental homestead, there being five acres cleared on the more recent purchase across the road, the rest being in pasture. In earlier days Mr. Stange worked in the woods during the winters. He has always remained at his present location, and has made a number of valuable improvements, having built a brick house of nine rooms; a barn, 36 by 70 feet, and a shed, 26 by 50 feet. He raises a good grade of stock and is doing a prosperous business as a farmer. Mr. Stange was married, Noy. 25, 1908, to Martha Wolf, who was born in the province of Pommern, Germany, Sept. 11, 1888, daughter of Charles and Tina Wolf. Her parents came to the United States in 1893, accompanied by their five children - Charles, Herman, Renald, Paul and Martha. The family located in section 27, Beaver Township, but the parents are now residing in Dodge County. Mr. and Mrs. Stange have two children, Clarence and Emeline.

James Emery Merrill, a thriving stock farmer of section 4, Beaver Township, was born in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Oct. 25, 1854, son of Elliott and Catherine (Hebe) Merrill. Elliott, also a native of Pennsylvania, was the son of James Merrill, one of the earliest settlers of Liberty, Tioga County, Pa. The family trace their ancestry back to an imigrant who came to this country on the Mayflower, early in the seventh century, and the family name is said to have been derived from a place in Scotland, called Merry Rill, which was the ancient home of the Merrills. By the father of the subject of this sketch the name was spelled Merrell. Elliott Merrill, or Merrell, served in the Union army during the Civil War, and was later a member of the Grand Army Post at Wellsboro, Pa.; also of the masonic lodge there. Coming west to Wisconsin, he settled in Jackson County, at a place in Garden Valley, six miles west of Alma Center, where he developed a farm from a tract of wild land, erecting frame buildings. He was married in Pennsylvania to Catherin Hebe, who was born in Schuylkill County, that state. They had four children: Eliza and Evelyn, who remained in the East; and Mrytie and James E, The latter first came West, and after him the parents, Eliza also coming after the death of her husband. James E. Merrill, after beginning industrial life worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania until reaching the age of 18 years. He was then engaged for awhile in railroad work and subsequently coming West, was employed on the Omaha Railroad. He then came to Clark County and was engaged as stationary engineer by A. A. Graves of Loyal, until 1904. At that time he bought his present farm of eighty acres in section 4, Beaver Township, five acres of land being chopped. There was also an old log building on the place. Mr. Merrill built the present house in 1906, and the next year erected the barn, which measures 34 by 60 feet. Forty-seven acres of his land are now cleared and he is profitably engaged in raising Guernsey and Jersey cattle. Mr. Merrill was first married to Martha Green, daughter of Samuel Green, of Garden Valley, Jackson County, Wis., where she was born. She died at the age of 41 years, leaving six children: Harry, Wauneeta, Sam, Nettie, Percy and three others that died young. Subsequently Mr. Merrill contracted a second marriage, with Minnie Mueller, of Sherman township, of which union also six children have been born: Violet, Maude,

William M. Ormond, a farmer of Weston Township, is one of the seltmade men of the county, having risen from humble beginnings to a condition of prosperity through his own efforts and perseverance, He was born in Wales, Nov. 8, 1863, a son of George and Esther (Davies) Ormond. The father, a gardener by occupation, is still living in Wales, being now 82 years old, his wife having died in 1914, at the age of 80 years. They had eight children: Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, William, Florence, Emily and Fannie. Of these children, Mary, Ellen and Florence are now deceased. William M. acquired a good common school education and was associated with his father until he emigrated to the United States in 1885. Locating in Milwaukee, he stayed there about three years, doing a little painting and carpenter work and for two years being a coachman. On Nov. 22, 1888, he was married to Matilda Offerman, who was born in Milwaukee, daughter of John and Emily Offerman, her parents being natives of Germany, who were married in Wisconsin. Mr. Ormond left Milwaukee, going to northern Michigan, where he was employed for awhile as engineer in the mines, He then removed to Dodge County, where he followed painting, and at last, in 1896, came to Clark County, having resolved to take up farming. As he was $150 in debt when he arrived here it was impossible for him to buy an improved farm, and he had to begin with wild land. For this purpose he selected forty acres in section 5, Weston Township, and, building a frame shed moved in with his wife and five children, Jesse, Florence, George, Esther and Douglas. Progress at first was very slow, as he had to work out for a living, doing carpenter work with Fred Draper of Loyal. He also spent eleven winters in the lumber camps. It was four or five years before he got a cow, securing his first team about the same time. This double acquisition was a big step in advance and things now began to move. His team of horses died in two years, however, but he got another as soon as possible and kept plodding along, making gradual progress until he had thirty acres cleared, at which time he bought eighty acres more land. It is unnecessary to trace each subsequent step of his progress. It resembled in its main features that of every other enterprising pioneer farmer in the county. It needs only be said that Mr, Ormond now has a good residence, a barn measuring 36 by 40 feet, with basement, built in 1915, his former barn, a log structure, having been 24 by 30 feet; he also has a silo, 12 by 24 feet in size, and keeps twenty-five head of cattle. These improvements have been made through his own hard work, with the aid of members of his family. He is also a stockholder in the Globe Cheese Factory. As regards public affairs, Mr. Ormond has had some erperience in official life, having been school clerk and justice of the peace and is now serving in his second year as township clerk. In addition to the children already mentioned, he and his wife have had seven others, who were born on this farm - Rosga, Oliver, Charles, John, Mary, Eva and William. Two of their children are now dead, Florence and Rose.

Mr. And Mrs. William M. Ormond

L. Edgar Stowe, a well-to-do farmer of section 12, Beaver Township, was born in Wooster County, Mass., June 3, 1845, son of Sumner E. and Nancy (Faye) Stowe. Both parents were natives of Massachusetts and were reared and married there, where Sumner was engaged in farming on his parents' farm until after their marriage. After that he farmed on his own account, remaining in Massachusetts about seventeen years. At the end of that time he sold out and removed to New York State, where he bought a farm in Monroe Township, Saratoga County. There they stayed four years, by which time they had six children: Sam, Jim, John and Edgar, who were born in Massachusetts, and Charles and William, born in New York State. The family then moved to Marquette County, Wis., where Sumner bought a partly improved farm of 160 acres. He was taken sick there, however, and three years later died. His widow, with their sons, Charles and William, then returned to New York State. Sam, Jim and John enlisted in the army, the Civil War being then in progress. Sam was captured and spent eleven months in Andersonville prison, returning home a skeleton. Jim was wounded in battle and John died of disease in the service. L. Edgar Stowe, after his mother and two brothers returned East, was left alone in Marquette County, where he worked on a farm for about six months. Then he, too, returned to New York State and worked for others for about four years, subsequently coming back to Marquette County, where he bought an improved farm of 120 acres. There his mother and two youngest brothers joined him and the mother subsequently died there. His residence on that farm lasted for nine years, and there he was married, Nov. 23, to Lillian Thwing, a native of Ohio, and daughter of Rufus Thwing, a doctor, who had removed from that state to Iowa and then to Wisconsin. In 1875, L. Edgar Stowe bought 160 acres of wild land in Beaver Township, Clark County. There was no road in the vicinity, but a small log shack stood on the place and in that he took up his abode with his wife and one child, George H., who had been born in Marquette County. For several years he had to walk to Unity, Wis., for supplies, carrying them home on his back. He had no oxen at first but later purchased a team. During one winter he worked in the woods, afterwards spending two winters in the mill. He then went to logging on his own account, clearing his farm whenever he found opportunity, After ten years he built an 18-room frame house, and a barn, 36 by 112 feet, also a machine shed, 16 by 32 feet. He has now cleared 130 acres of his land and is raising Durham cattle and Chester-White hogs with profitable results. For many years Mr. Stowe has served as supervisor and pathmaster, and has also held the office of school director, He held stock in the Greenwood creamery at its organization and also helped to build the Beaver Methodist Church. He and his wife are the parents of eight children - George H., Sam D., Elbert J., Earl L., Eltha, Jane, John, and Rufus. George H., who lives in Beaver Township, married Nettie Cordel, and has four children, Morris, Owen, Forest and Mabel. Sam D. married Emma Lewis and lives in Michigan. Elbert J. married Mary Guisler, and resides in the state of Washington. His children are Leland, James and Leah. Earl L., who married Anna Litke, lives in Beaver Township, and has one child, Howard. Eltha, now Mrs. Pyatt, resides in Beaver Township, and has three children, Bernice, Clarence and Myrtle. Jane is the wife of Ned Cook of White Creek, Wis., and has two children, Francis and Raymond. John lives on the home tarm. has one child, Josephine.

Jacob Lewis Roohr, a resident of Beaver Township, where he is successfully engaged in stock farming, was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, Dec. 20, 1848, son of George C. and Margaret Ann (Sisnault) Roohr, He was about thirty years old when he came to Clark County, where he first found employment cutting maple wood, which he sold for 75 cents a cord, receiving groceries in exchange. Sometimes he would take a yoke of steers and drive from Neillsville to Hewittville, with a couple of sacks of corn to be ground into corn meal. The father, George C. Roohr, who also came to Wisconsin, was drafted for service in the Civil War, in Company }, 27th Wisconsin Regiment, serving nine months. After the expiration of his term he enlisted for three years. He died soon after the war, in 1866. Jacob L. also enlisted, at the age of 18, in Company D, 45th Wisconsin Volunteers, at Fond du Lac, Wis., and served under General Thomas at Nashville until July, 1865, being finally injured in a train wreck. After the war he engaged in farming, an occupation with which he was familiar from early experience. Subsequently he went to Green Bay, where he was employed in the sawmill of Monroe Brothers, for five years. He then farmed in Washington County for a year, after which, in 1887, he came to Clark County, locating in Neillsville, where he resided two years. At the end of that time he began working on farms in Beaver County, and also did more farm work, and mill work. He then took charge of C. A. Youmans' farm. About 1903 he bought his present farm from B. Curtis, of Columbia County, it being then a tract of 120 aeres of timbered land cut over, with no roads in the vicinity, so that he had to chop a trail to his place. He started with six head of horned cattle and four horses, and has since built a frame house and a good barn, 74 by 30 feet. His stock consists chiefly of Durham, Guernsey and Pole cattle, all of good grade. Mr. Roohr is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, formerly belonging to the post at Unity and now to that at Colby. He also belongs to the Guardians of Liberty. He was married, in 1873, to Gertrude Steele, of Green Bay, Wis., and he and his wife have ten children: George, Mary, William, Maggie, Nellie, Anna, Fred, Jacob, John and Hazel, all of whom are living. Mary is now the wife of Ernest Stowe, of Beaver. Maggie is the wife of George Sumner, of Beaver Township, and has four children: Nola, Sarah, Mary and Elnora. Nettie, who married Thomas Plumstead, died at Buffalo, N. Y., July 21, 1917, and her remains were brought home and interred in the Beaver cemetery. George, living at Colby, married Alma Sumner, and has two children, Archie and Winona. William, a resident of Beaver Township, married Lisey Rake, and his children are William, Jr., Bernice, Gertrude and Adam. Fred, also of Beaver Township, married Clara Wisnaskye, and has two children, Alice and Dorothy. Jacob married Stellie Stringem,

Chester Hamilton Burgess, in former years one of the representative citizens of Beaver Township, was born in Boonville, Oneida County, N. Y., Dec, 25, 1827. There he secured his education and grew to manhood. At the age of 20 years, or thereabouts, he went to Mendon, Monroe County, N. Y., where he engaged in farming and also worked on the Erie Canal. On Jan. 1, 1850, he was married to Amy Lunt, who was born in Mendon, N, Y., Dec. 25, 1831, her birthday being on Christmas Day like his own, though with a difference of four years between their respective ages. In 1853 Mr. Burgess came west with his family to Fond du Lac County, Wis., where he bought a farm and was engaged in agriculture until 1862. In that year he enlisted in Company B, Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry, becoming color bearer of his regiment, and serving with distinction until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged and returned to Fond du Lac County. Immediately afterwards, however, he moved to Iowa, in which state he resided for two years, then returning to Fond du Lac County, Wis. In June, 1870, he came with his family to Clark County, making the journey directly overland with a horse team, and on his arrival here took a homestead of 160 acres in Beaver Township, consisting of wild and heavily timbered land. On this tract he built a log shanty with a bark roof and puncheon floor, and then began the work of clearing his land. This was necessarily an arduous task, but he applied himself to it resolutely and continued it through many years, also in time erecting a good frame house, barns and out buildings, until he had a well-developed and profitable farm and was recognized as one of the representative citizens of his township. For several years he rendered efficient service as chairman of the town board, by virtue of that office being also a member of the board of county commissioners. In 1913 Mr. Burgess sold his farm and with his wife took up his residence in the village of Unity, where two years later, on Jan. 12, 1915, he passed away at the ripe old age of 87 years, loved, honored and respected. His wife is now residing with his daughter, Mrs, Edward F. Bowen, at Marshfield, Wis., and has the distinction of being mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother. During the active period of her life she was a member of the Rebekah branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. To Mr. and Mrs. Chester H. Burgess four children were born, two of whom, Harriet Ann, born Oct. 15, 1851, and Rosetta, born Nov, 3, 1855, each died at the age of 18 years. The two survivors are Mary Luvina and George. Mary Luvina, who was born Oct. 21, 1853, was married, July 4, 1871, in her father's log cabin, in Beaver Township, to Edward F. Bowen. They farmed in Beaver Township until about 1888, when they moved to the village of Unity, where for three years they were owners and proprietors of the Forrest House. Subsequently they removed to Marshfield, Wis., where they are now living practically retired. Mr. and Mrs. Bowen have had one child, Nettie Jane, who married Lewis Dodge, and has two children, Lisle and Evonne, Lisle married Helen Asp and has one child, Delphine. George Burgess, who was born Mar. 3, 1871, mar- ried Clara Britten and resides in Unity village. He and his wife have two children, Doris and Mildred, of whom Doris married Albert A. Coey, Fond du Lac, Wis. The members of the Burgess family in general attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Osear Northup, supervisor of York Township, where he is successfully engaged in general farming, was born in the log cabin of his parents in section 31, Aug. 31, 1871. The parents were Thomas and Esther (Gribben) Northup, the father being a native of Juneau, Dodge County, Wis., where he grew to manhood and was married. After their marriage they came to Clark County, journeying by stage to Sparta, and thence to Neillsville, and finally settling in section 31, York Township. Their place, which was covered with timber, was reached by a tract through the woods, but on it stood an old barn and house, and they took up their abode in the latter. Thomas was more fortunate than some of the pioneer settlers, as he had a team of horses, and with them he began the task of clearing his 40 acres of land. This task was never completed by him, however, as he died about 1883, at the age of 46 years. His wife survived him thirty-three years, dying in 1916, at the age of 68. Their children, all of whom were born on this farm, were: Charles, Mary, Oscar, Thomas and Martin, of whom Mary and Martin are now deceased. Oscar Northup attended district school in York Township and grew up on his parents' farm. When old enough he began work at logging in the woods, spending about twelve winters in that occupation, and being on the drive several springs. In the meanwhile he continued to make his home with his parents, except when he was working out, and during the summers he continued the work of clearing the home farm, his father having made but small progress with it, when called away by death. This work he finally completed, also building a house and barn, and he is now conducting a profitable farm, raising Holstein cattle of good grade, and a good breed of horses, besides other stock. As already mentioned, he is a member of the township board, at present acting as supervisor. He is a member of the Woodmen's Lodge and attends the Methodist Church. Mr. Northup was married Mar. 12, 1893, to Nellie Hannah, who was born in Christie, Clark County, Wis., daughter of Charles and Mary Ann (Boon) Hannah. He and his wife have four children, Jessie, now the wife of Wm. Plummer, of York Township; Alton, Leland and Ruth, all of whom reside at home.

George Hoeser, a prosperous farmer of section 8, York Township, was born in Bavaria, Germany, Oct. 4, 1857. His parents were John and Madeline (Cole) Hoeser, The father was born, reared and educated in Bavaria, getting a good schooling, and afterwards following the occupation of a farmer, working for his father until he was about 27 years old, which was in 1851. He was then married to Madeline Cole, who was born in Bavaria in 1829, daughter of Gustav Cole, a farmer. After their marriage he and his wife settled on their own farm of eighty acres and had four children born: Annie, Mary and Mary, second, and George. John and Madeline Hoeser never came to the United States. George Hoeser remained at home working on the farm until he was 26 years old. He then came alone to America, settling in Jefferson County, Wis., where he worked out for about seven months. At the end of that time he bought forty acres of land in York Township, section 8, the tract being all wild land. On it he built a frame house of six rooms and for ten years thereafter worked in Heine's sawmill, which stood just across the road, where a settlement had sprung up known as Heineville. For a part of each year he worked on his farm, gradually clearing and improving it. In 1888 he married Barbara Gates, a native of Bavaria who had come to Clark County with her father and mother and four other children, Annie, John, Joe and Teris, in 1886. Mr. Gates was a farmer who had settled first in Jefferson County, staying there two years. On arriving in Clark County he bought forty acres in York Township, where he settled, subsequently buying forty acres more. After their marriage Mr. Hoeser and wife located on his farm in York Township, and continued the work of clearing it. At that time he had one team of horses but no other stock or implements. He has since increased the size of his farm by buying forty acres more, and has built a barn, 35 by 80 feet in size, besides making other improvements, and now has a well-equipped and profitable farm. He and his wife have reared eleven children: Rose, Bertha, Otto, Annie, Mary, Frank, Sophia, Theresa, Kate, Joseph and Lena.

Edward George Purkis, a well-to-do farmer of Unity Township, of which he is a well-known and popular citizen, was born in Hampshire, England, Dec. 8, 1863, son of Edward George Purkis, Sr., his mother's maiden name being Mary Ann Osey. The father died in England at the age of 42 years, when the subject of this sketch was about 15, and the latter, who was his parents' only child, at the age of 20 emigrated to Canada, going to Toronto. For a year or so he worked on farms in that locality and at the end of that time came to Wisconsin and has resided ever since within a few miles of Unity, Clark County. Here he followed the most usual occupations, logging in the winter, going on the drive in spring and working on farms in the summer. After awhile he was joined by his mother, who is now living in the village of Unity, being 76 years old. She, like her husband (who was son of George Purkis), was a native of Hampshire, England. In 1898 Edward G,. Purkis purchased a tract of eighty acres of land in section 11, Unity Township, Clark County. It contained eighty acres and was covered with stumps and timber, but there was a house and barn on the place. This place he set to work to develop and has now cleared sixty acres, having the rest in good pasture. He is giving his chief attention to dairying, having been one of the leaders in that movement, and raises Holstein cattle. He is also a director of Unity Cheese Factory, which he helped to start, and he helped to organize the Unity & Southwestern Telephone Company, of which he is secretary and manager, and which concern has now been running ten years with good success. Aside from these activities Mr. Purkis served twelve years formerly as school clerk, and for the last ten years has been clerk of Unity Township. He is a member of the Odd Fellows' Lodge and Encampment at Unity. Mr. Purkis was married July 3, 1885, to Laura Gregerson of Marathon County, Wis., daughter of Mads and Anna (Lar- son) Gregerson, natives of Denmark, who came to America in 1879, and settled in Unity Townuship, Clark County, Wis. Mr. and Mrs. Purkis are the parents of five children, Edward G., Jr., Bessie, William, Clyde and Frank, of whom the two last mentioned are residing at home on the farm. Edward G. Purkis, Jr., who is an engineer on the "Soo' Line, and resides in Chicago, married Kate Smith, and they have three children, Claude, Orlin and Arnold. Bessie, who for ten years was a school teacher in her home district, is now Mrs. Thorwald Jacobson, of Milwaukee. She has two children, Gordon and Laura. William and his wife Elsie reside in Milwaukee.

Edward Begley, Sr., a farmer of York Township, owner of 400 acres of land, is a man who has attained his present prosperity by long, continued industry and perseverance. He was born in Ontario, Canada, Dec. 23, 1850, on the farm of his parents, Thomas and Abbie (Lintz) Begley. The father, Thomas, was a native of Ireland, and his wife of Canada, her parents being from New York State. They were married in Canada, where Thomas followed farming, and where he died when the subject of this sketch was one of two years old, leaving besides Edward another son, William. His wife remained a resident of Canada. Edward Begley, after his father's death, lived with his maternal grandfather, John Lintz, who was a farmer in Ontario. He had but little opportunity for attending school, but of farming he acquired a competent knowledge. At the age of 19 he came to Wisconsin, with the expectation of working in the lumber camps of Clark County. In the winter of 1869, however, his first winter in the county, he was employed in the Hotel Begley at Greenwood, the proprietor of which was a distant relation of his own. The next spring he made a trip to the Michigan pine woods, where he worked for a year and a half, atter which he returned to Canada. Three or four years later he came back to Clark County to go into the woods and found employment driving a team at the landing. After working in the woods from four to six years, he decided to engage in agriculture, and accordingly secured eighty acres of land in section 19, York Township. About the same time, or Oct. 4, 1876, he was united in marriage with Eliza McKimm, who was born in Ontario, Canada, Sept. 24, 1853, daughter of Samuel and Isabelle (Courtney) McKimm. He and his wife then began doniestic life on his present farm, which, however, was not yet a farm, the land being wild and covered with timber and there not being even a road past the place. Their first residence was a log house, 16 by 24 feet in size, and containing two rooms, which stood a few rods northwest of the present brick house. They had neither stock nor implements, but the second year they got a cow. It was four or five years, however, before they got a yoke of steers. Neillsville was their market and source of supplies and they both often walked to and from that village, taking butter and eggs, and receiving about eight cents a pound for their butter, having to take payment in groceries. For flour and pork they had to pay cash. As time went on Mr. Begley made gradual progress with his farm. For a number of years he raised sheep, his wife spinning the wool and knitting socks, mittens and caps for the boys. Their clothes were also home- made, though for these they bought the cloth. As already mentioned, 'Mr. Begley gradually increased his land holdings up to 400 acres, and also gave all his children a good start in life. In 1896 he built a brick house of seven rooms, and among his other improvements are a barn, 30 by 72 feet, and another 36 by 50 feet. He raises a good grade of Durham cattle and Norman and Percheron horses, besides good Poland-China hogs. He and his wife are the parents of five children: George, who lives in section 18, York Township, married Bertha Head, and has two children, Blanche and Archie; John, of section 17, York Township, who married Mary Buddinger; Howard, of section 18, this township, who married Sadie Barton, and has two children, Thelma and Russell; Edward, residing at home, who married Marian Holt, and has one child, Ernest; and Grace, who is unmarried, and lives at home.

Daniel B. Vaughan, in former years an esteemed resident of Unity Township, but now passed away, was a man of New England origin, having been born at Underhill, Vt., May 10, 1837, son of Francis and Charity (Shaw) Vaughan. The father, a shoemaker by trade, was born, reared and married in the state of New York, he and his wife then moving to Vermont, where he engaged in farming. Six children were born to him and his wife in the Green Mountain State - Sophronia, Mary, Loraine, Daniel, Charity and Lucia. After a residence there of about twenty-five years, Francis Vaughan returned to New York and there bought a farm, which he turned over to his son Daniel B. The latter, after residing on it a short time, enlisted, Aug. 29, 1862, in Company B, 118th New York Infantry, being mustered in at Plattsburg. After arriving in the South he was taken sick with typhoid fever and upon his recovery was sent home on afurlough. At that time, July 17, 1863, he was married to Sarah Jane Terry, a native of Janesville, N. Y., who was born Feb. 3, 1844, but whose father, Orville Terry, was then a physician in Redford, that state. After his marriage Mr. Vaughan returned to the army for his discharge, which was received Sept. 9, 1863, and he then returned to the farm in Clinton County, town of Saranac, N. Y., where he and his wife resided four years. There two children were born, Francis and Frederick. In 1867 Mr. Vaughan joined the strong tide of emigration westward, settling at Sun Prairie, Dane County, Wis., where he bought forty acres of improved land. His residence there lasted thirteen years, during which time the family circle of himself and wife was enlarged by the birth of six more children, Lillian, Charles, John, Ralph, Mary and Nellie. On Oct. 12, 1880, the family, now numbering ten members with the parents, moved to Unity Township, Clark County, Mr. Vaughan here purchasing eighty acres of wild land from the railroad company, for which he paid $2.00 an acre. A trame house, 24 by 16 feet, was erected in which the home was established, and Mr. Vaughan then began the work of clearing the land. On this place the youngest child, George, was born. By the tirne of his death in 1903, Mr. Vaughan had cleared about forty acres, built a fourteenroom residence and two barns, and was successfully engaged in general farming. His useful activities were not confined to his own immediate interests, for he took part in affairs of a more public nature, acting as justice of the peace and clerk of his school district. As a member of the Methodist Church, he was also active in religious matters, helping to build the first Methodist Church in Unity village, and also in Colby, New Hope and Beaver, being superintendent of the Sunday school for twenty years in Unity. The record of his family, in brief, is as follows: Francis died at age of 1 year; Fred married Alice Near, and now resides at Yankton, S. D. He has four children, Lyle, Verda, Charles and Fred. Mary married Arthur Lawson, and resides at Cullman, Alabama, and has eight children, Ruth, Dorothy, Corda, Dan, Thomas, Orville, Charles and Fred G. Ralph married Margaret Darling, and is now a resident of Ocean Springs, Miss. Nellie, who is the wife of Rev. W. J. James, resides at Rewey, Wis., and his children are William, Donald and Ralph, George, now a Methodist minister, was born in Unity Township. He married Beatrice Bly and they live at Patch Grove, Wis., having one child, Ellen. Charles, John and Lillian are residing at home. The mother, Mrs. Sarah Vaughan, is still living on the old homestead in Unity Township, and is a lady highly esteemed and of wide acquaintance.

Adonijah Benedict, an early settler, and in former years a prominent citizen of York Township, but now deceased, was born on a farm in New York State, about 1836, a son of Solomon and Emory Benedict. His father, Solomon, was an early settler of Fond du Lac County, Wis., where he was offered land at $5 an acre on the site of what is now the thriving city of Fond du Lac. When he arrived there he was accompanied by his wife and three children, two others being born to them there. Their family then consisted of two sons and three daughters. Solomon secured a tract of land in the timber, about thirty miles from Sheboygan, which was his nearest market. He had nothing but a yoke of oxen and often walked to the market town with produce on his back, bringing home his supplies in the same manner. Starting with an old log building, he finally cleared and improved his farm and was one of the respected citizens of his locality. He was an ardent member of the Methodist Church, helping to build the church edifice in his vicinity and in early days religious services were often held in his log cabin. His death took place when he was 63 years old, his wife having previously passed away. Adonijah Benedict grew to manhood on his parents' farm in New York. After removing to Fond du Lac County, Wis., he continued in agricultural work, buying a place of his own of 20 acres, on which he put up a frame building. He was married in Fond du Lac County, in 1852, to Clarissa Bryant, daughter of Albert and Luvisa Bryant, and they took up their residence in the frame dwelling he had erected. While engaged in clearing his farm, the Civil War broke out, and he and his brother William Edgar, enlisted, Adonijah becoming a member of Company A, 21st Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers. This was in 1862, and he served three years, during which time he was made prisoner and afterwards paroled. The brother William also served three years in the war. Adonijah had left his wife and three children at home, the latter being Sanford W., Adelbert R., and Charles H. On his return he ran a steam engine for awhile in Fond du Lae County, and then, in 1873, removed with his family to Clark

County, having at this time one more child, Frederick. They drove from Fond du Lac County by sleigh, it being in the winter time, and in two days arrived in York Township, locating at York Center, where the store and town hall now stand. There he got forty acres of wild land, with no road leading to it. The family took up their residence in an old shanty while Mr. Benedict built a log house, which was set back on the hill in the center of his tract. The next summer he bought a cow, having none the first summer, though he had started with $50 in money; he also had his sleigh. For some time he worked in the lumber woods with oxen he had got by trading, receiving the oxen and cow for his team of horses, There he lived for a number of years, clearing his forty acres, and building the brick house now standing on the site of the old log structure. He then sold out his farm and bought the store at York Center, also conducting the post office there, which had first been established in his own house. It was he and Silas Wilcox who got the Wilcox post office established. He was also township assessor for four years, chairman of the township board four or five years and justice of the peace for ten or twelve years, besides serving as an official of his school district, which he helped to establish. Later he sold the store to William E. Benedict, his grandson, who now conducts it, being also township clerk. Mr. Benedict was also a leading man in the Methodist Church, helping to establish the church of that denomination in York township, and to organize the Sunday school the first summer he was here. He died at the age of 72 years, in November, 1908, having been a widower for some eight years before his death, his wife having passed away in 1900, at the age of 65. He was a man who always took great interest in the development of the township and its prosperity, supporting the construction of roads and bridges and other public improvements, and it will be many years before he and his good wife are forgotten.

Sanford William Benedict, an official of York Township, where he is successfully engaged in agriculture, was born in Fond du Lac County, Wis., Nov. 20, 1853, on the farm of his parents, Adonijah and Clarissa (Bryant) Benedict. He was reared in Fond du Lac County and was 19 years old when the family came to Clark County. Here he went into the lumber woods, working there in the winter, but residing at home the rest of the year until he struck out for himself. This he did finally by securing a piece of land adjoining his parents' farm on the east, it being a tract of forty acres, all wild. After a year, however, he sold it and moved to his present location in section 9, York Township, it also being a tract of forty acres of wild land. On this he built a log house, 16 by 24 feet in size, which stood on the site of the present eleven-room residence, and which contained only two rooms. He was married, July 1, 1878, to Margaret Lawrence, who was born in Sheboygan County, Wis., daughter of Harvey and Sophronia Lawrence. Her father died in the Civil War from disease contracted in the service. Her mother was a daughter of Anson Windsor, who with his family, settled in York Township, Clark County, where he cleared a farm. After their marriage Sanford W. Benedict and his wife began domestic life on his land, and which he started to develop into afarm. At first they had nothing but their hands te depend on, and it was two years before they got an ox team. Their crops were grubbed in and Mr. Benedict exchanged his labor for the use of a team, so was not able to put all of his time on his own farm. In time he got the forty acres cleared, however, and gradually accumulated more land, which he has given to his sons. He now has good barns and other buildings and is proprietor of a flourishing and profitable farm. One of the prominent citizens of his township, he has served eighteen terms in the office of assessor, was chairman of the township board two years, justice of the peace several years and a member of the school board. His religious affiliations are with the Methodist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Benedict have four children: William E., who resides at York Center; Merle, who married Nora Judd, and has one child, Harvey; Belle, wife of Guy Smith, residing three miles east of Loyal, who has five children, Isabella, Violet, Robert, Glen and Eugene; and Rollie, a resident of York Township. Cullen Aver, formerly for many years one of the leading spirits of Clark County in the activities of lumbering and farming, but now deceased, was born in Somerset, Maine, March 2nd, 1841, son of Jonas and Leah (Nutting) Ayer, the parents being natives of the same state and county. Jones Ayer was a farmer by occupation, but in 1845 he removed with his family to Iowa County, Wis., and for several years thereafter was employed in the lead mines at Mineral Point. Iowa County was then sparsely settled and the family had to endure many privations and hardships usually experienced in pioneer settlements. In 1868 they removed to La Crosse County, Wis., where the father died in 1874. In politics he was originally a staunch Whig, but subsequently joined the ranks of the Republicans. His wife survived him about eighteen years, passing away in 1892 at the age of 81. They were the parents of twelve children: Jane, Ellen, Leah, Sophia, Cullen, Owen, Jonas (1), Jonas (2), Elizabeth, Esther, Caroline and Augusta. Cullen Ayer was but a child of four years when his parents settled at Mineral Point, Wis., and there he received his education and grew to manhood. At the age of 17 years he began logging on Black River and was enguged in that line of business and in farming until 1912, meeting with great success. As his means increased he invested in land until he owned 840 acres in sections 7, 17, 18 and 21, Unity Township Jt was in 1871 that he settled on his farm in section 18, this township, anl here he cleared 170 acres and established his home, becoming one of the leading farmers in the township. It was no light task to bring this land into condition for the plow and reaper, but energy, perseverance and determination finally overcame every obstacle. Starting in life, as did Mr. Ayer, with no capital, the success that crowded his efforts manifested in a high degree his commendable qualities. Politically Mr. Ayer was identified with the Republican party. During the Civil War he was in the government employ in the Quartermaster's Department. For seventeen years he rendered valuable service as chairman of the town board, by virtue of that office being also a member of the county board, on which he also served efficiently. Before his death, which occurred Sept. 30th, 1912, he had given to each of his sons eighty acres of land, and still had 400 left. Mr. Ayer was united in marriage, Aug. 8th, 1864, to Mary J. Lampshire, of Mineral Point, Wis. Mrs. Ayer was born in England, Feb. 16th, 1847, a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Harris) Lampshire, also natives of that country. They emigrated to America in 1848, setling at once at Mineral Point, Wis., where they resided for many years. Myr. Lampshire died in Colorado about 1902. Mrs. Lampshire died at Mineral Point, Feb. 16th, 1916, aged 88 years. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen Ayer became the parents of eleven children, of whom the following is a brief record; Edgar, born Feb. 28th, 1867, at Onalaska, La Crosse County, Wis., came with his parents to Clark County, in 1871. He attended the district school and the Unity village public school, and grew up on the farm, always making that his home, but like most young men of his day he followed the logging industry during the winters for several years. He helped to manage the home farm, becoming one of the representative citizens of Unity Township, which he served as chairman of the board of supervisors for three years, also being school clerk for nine years. He has remained single, and in 1914 he and his mother moved to Unity village, where they now reside, Cullen Ayer, Jr., born Jan. 22nd, 1871, is also single and is now engaged in ranch farming in South Dakota. Frank Ayer, born Dec. 11th, 1873, died Aug. 2nd, 1881. Jonas Ayer, born Jan. 15th, 1876, is proprietor of a hotel at Spencer, Wis. He married Emma Raabe. William Ayer, born Oct. 2nd, 1877, lives on a farm in the town of York. He married Ella Nice. Lenard Ayer, born May 18th, 1879, is single and lives in Abbotsford, this county. Mary J. Ayer, born Jan. 17th, 1881, was married May 6th, 1905, to William Cammers, and they live in the township of Beaver. Owen Ayer, born Sept, 18th, 1883, is single and is a lumber grader at Rhinelander, Wis. Belva Ayer, born Dec. 17th, 1884, is now Mrs. Truman Loney, of Buffalo Springs, N. D. Kate Ayer, born Jan. 16th, 1886, is now Mrs. Morgan Schjonnemann, of Brighton Township, of Marathon County, Wis. Adelia Ayer, born May Ist, 1888, is the wife of Arthur Wishnosky, of Unity Township. Walter Ayer, born May 17th, 1891, married Esther Witlinger and they reside in Unity Township.

Charles Buddinger, proprietor of an excellent farm in section 17, York Township, was born in Mt. Carmel, North Cumberland County, Pa., May 5, 1864. His father was Anton Buddinger, a carpenter who had come to Mt. Carmel from the province of Baden, Germany, where he had been born and reared, and where he had learned and worked at his trade. Anton came to the United States in 1860, when 40 years of age. He had been married in Germany in the early forties, at the age of about 24 years, and had resided in his native land for about sixteen years after his marriage, during which time he and his wife had eight children born to them - stepbrothers and sisters of the subject of this sketch. Anton's first wife died about two years after their arrival in this country, and two years later, about 1863, he married for his second wife, Mary Boyer, mother of Charles Buddinger. Anton then settled in Mt. Carmel, Pa., where he did carpenter work in and about the mines for about fifteen years. He then went to Iowa, where he bought eighty acres of prairie land, which he farmed for about three years, at that time using oxen. Next he moved to the vicinity of Lake Superior, in Wisconsin, finding employment as carpenter in the copper mines. After being thus occupied for eight years he returned to Pennsylvania, where he continued to follow his trade, dying in Mt. Carmel. His children, in addition to the children of the second wife were: John, William, Peter, Davis, Paul, Lizzie, Mary and Rose. Charles Buddinger remained with his father until the latter's return to Pennsylvania. He was then 11 years old, and, leaving the family, he went to Manitowoc, Wis., where he found work on farms. At the age of 15 he was put on a salary of $30.00 a year, and put $15 of his first year's pay out on interest at 10 per cent. He worked on the farm until he was about 20 years old, and then began working in the woods near Wausaukee. He also worked in the lime kiln at Brillion, Wis., for eight years, being foreman six years. It was while engaged in this work that he met and married Emma Fisher, a native or resident of that place, who at the time was working in the boarding house being conducted for the convenience of the logging woods laborers, she being paid only 50 cents a week and her board. Mr. Buddinger was then 27 years old, and for eight years after his marriage he was foreman of the logging camp in that vicinity. He then bought forty acres in section 17, York Township, Clark County, the tract being all wild land. He had a team of horses and with the aid of his brother built a log house and barn. For some time he carried all the water he and his wife needed for a distance of a quarter of a mile, as he at that time had no well dug. He also cradled his grain, as there was no other way to harvest it. Twelve years or so after coming to Clark County, his wife died, after a happy married life of twenty-one years, and a year later, Jan. 13, 1909, he married Mrs. Minnie Kauffman, daughter of Christian and Augusta (Lauterbach) Kauffman, her father being a carpenter who had come from Altenburg, in the province of Thuringer, Germany, where he followed the trade of a carpenter, and where she was born. Mr. Kauffman had settled on a tract of eighty acres in Grant Township, building a log house and barn and clearing his land with a team of oxen. He and his wife had four children, who were all born in Germany, and who were, for the most part, reared in Clark County, namely, Alvenia, Minnie, France and Olga. The daughter, Minnie, had two children by her first marriage, Ernest and Frances. As Mrs. Buddinger she became the mother of three others, Carl, Bernice and Beatrice. The year after his second marriage Mr. Buddinger built a nine-room brick house. He had already a barn, 36 by 70 feet in size, which he had erected in 1903, and later, in 1911, he built a machine shed, 24 by 70 feet. When Mr. Buddinger first settled on his farm, there was no road and the price of farm produce was so low that it is a wonder how anyone had the courage to cultivate the land. Eggs were about eight cents a dozen, pork two and a half cents a pound dressed, beef one and a half cents dressed, potatoes ten cents a bushel and oats ten to fifteen cents a bushel, while as to butter, though the farmers in some localities got ten cents a pound for it, Mr. Buddinger says he could not sell it for wagon-grease. Since then a great change in conditions has taken place, culminating in the present era of high prices. Mr. Buddinger bought his farm for $700 and now values it at $10,000, most of the increased value, however, being due to the work he has done on his place. He has attained a recognized place in the community as one of its successful men, and one, moreover, who takes an interest in everything calculated to benefit his township, or the county in general.

Byron L. Bassett, a well-known farmer of York Township, was born in Mayville, Dodge County, Wis., Nov. 20, 1863, son of Edwin B. and Mary (Furlong) Bassett. The father was a native of Massachusetts and the mother of Ireland, the former being a farmer, who located at Dundee, Wis., from which place he removed with his family, about 1870, to Neillsville, Clark County. Without stopping there long he began farming at Spencer, where he remained for some years, finally locating in section 9, York Township, on a tract of partly improved land. There he remained, except last few years of his life spent with his son Byron, until his death. His wife died in Fond du Lac, Wis. Byron L. Bassett attended school in Spencer, and in both Beaver and York townships. He grew to manhood in York Township and when strong enough began working in the woods with the logging gangs, which occupation he followed for twenty winters, during one winter of which he conducted a camp for Mr. Simmons. In 1879 he bought his present place in section 9, York Township, having been saving money for such a purpose ever since he was 16 years old. The tract was perfectly wild and there was neither a road nor trail to it. Here he erected a barn and started improvements, and then, being ready to enter upon domestic life, was united in marriage with Carrie Gardiner, a native of Canada, whose father, Wolf Gardiner, was a pioneer in section 8, York Township. After his marriage Mr. Bessett built a frame residence on his land, a building that he has since enlarged. His tract consisted of forty acres and he had a yoke of oxen and two cows. He often walked to Neillsville and back, taking produce or bringing supplies. His subsequent career has been one of steady progress and he now has eighty acres of land cleared by his own work and has a good basement barn, 36 by 66 feet in size. Mr. Bassett raises a good grade of stock and is doing a profitable business as a farmer. He has held office as a member of the school board. His wife died Mar. 29, 1904, at the age of 34 years. She left four children: Alma, who married Michael Beaver, and has three children, Catherine, John and Louise, all residing with Mr. Bassett; Sylvia, wife of Ed Pagelsdorf, who has two children, Carroll and Harold; and Vivian and Clayton.

Sylvester Pease, a thriving farmer of York Township, who has won success through hard work and in spite of severe discouragements, was born at Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan County, Wis., Feb. 5, 1857, son of Sylvester P., and Murcy (Tracy) Pease. The father, a carpenter by trade, was a native of Vermont, as was also his wife. They came to Wisconsin in 1848, but it was not, until 1872 that they settled in Clark County, locating at York Center, Mr. Pease working at his trade in the vicinity. After awhile he bought forty acres of land in section 21, which he later sold, buying a tract of the same size half a mile south in section 22, which was covered with timber. This latter he improved, building a frame house and log barn and developing a farm on which he and his wife resided until his death at the age of 73 years, his wife dying at the age of 85. Sylvester Pease was educated in Plymouth, Wis. After leaving school he took up farming as a regular occupation. On Nov. 10, 1873, he arrived in Neillsville, Clark County, after a three-days' journey by rail from Plymouth, the last part of which, however, was made by stage from Hatfield to Neillsville. From the latter place he walked to his father's homestead in York Township. Although early in the last month of autumn, the snow was already a foot or eighteen inches deep. From that time on for a number of years, he assisted his father in clearing the home farm during the summers, working in the woods in winter. The year 1891 saw him make an independent start in life. On March 10, that year, he was married to Ida Baumann, who was born at Watertown, Wis., daughter of Emil and Leria (Moser) Baumann. Her mother died in 1876, and her father now resides in North Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Pease resided on the home place for four or five years and then, in 1896, located in Section 29, York Township, on a tract of forty acres, of which two acres were cleared. There were no buildings on the place, but Mr. Pease soon built a log house of one story and three rooms, 16 by 26 feet in size, and also a log barn. He had one horse and a sow. In time he got the forty acres entirely cleared up and built a frame house of eight rooms and other buildings. In the fall of 1913 he had three barns filled with hay, one 20 by 18 feet, another 18 by 24 feet, and the third 16 by 24 feet. On the last days of October they took fire and were all destroyed with their contents, causing him a great loss. In the same fall, after the disaster, he built a frame barn 32 by 44 feet in size, not full cement basement, a granary 16 by 20, and a hen house 16 by 12 feet. He raises a good grade of stock. Mr. Pease was treasurer of the Hawk Cheese Factory for one year. He is a member of the Woodmen and of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He and his wife have had three children: Pearl, who married Emil Leupke, of Weston Township, and has one child, Maynard; Asa, who died at the age of 23 years, and Emil, residing at home.

Oscar F. Jahr, a prominent farmer of Section 25, York Township, is a native of Clark County, having been born in Grant Township, July 23, 1876, son of Bernard and Augusta (Drescher) Jahr. The father was born in Saxony, Germany, Aug. 30, 1849, and his wife in the same German state or province, July 3, 1851. Bernard came to the United States at the age of 2 years with his parents, the father was Christian Jahr, they settling in Washington County, Wis. Their voyage to America was made in a sailing vessel and lasted six weeks. Locating in the woods, the father built a log house and barn and began to make improvements, having at first nothing but his hands to work with. They were in Trenton Township, and Milwaukee was the nearest market, to which they often walked for supplies. Bernard Jahr left there for Clark County in 1871, and after arriving here worked out for a year or so, finally buying a piece of land in Section 21, York Township, the tract consisting of eighty acres. His father, Christian, remained in Washington County. The latter was twice married, Bernard being a child of the first marriage, of which the other children were Emil, Lena and Alfred. By the second wife there were seven children. There were no roads to the place on which Bernard settled. Before his marriage he erected a log shanty of two rooms, 18 by 26 feet in size, into which he later moved with his wife, Augusta, who had come from Germany with her parents, Herman and Anna Drescher, at the age of 19 years, they locating in southern Wisconsin in the vicinity of some of Mr. Drescher's relations. Afterwards they came to Grant Township, Clark County, where Mr. and Mrs. Drescher made their permanent home. When Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Jahr began domestic life on the farm they had neither implements nor stock, and it was a year or more before they got an ox team. Accordingly, he had to grub in his first crops, and like most of the other early settlers, he worked in the woods in the winter, clearing his farm in the summer, He had to walk to and from Humbird, Neillsville and Marshfield, carrying supplies on his back. That place was his home for the rest of his life, except for a few years which he spent in York Township with his son, Oscar, where he died at the age of 63. He had cleared and otherwise improved his eighty-acre farm and for a number of years was a prominent man in his township, serving as assessor several times and as school clerk several years. In religion he was a German Methodist, and in early days church services were often held at his log house; after the church was built he was one of its trustees. His wife, who is still living, resides at Granton, being born July 30, 1851. Their children, all of whom are living, are: Oscar, Frank, Lena, Edwin, Wesley, Clara and Albert. Oscar F. Jahr in his boyhood attended district school in Grant Township, and grew to manhood on his parents' farm. Later, he worked out on farms by the month and in the woods in winter. He also learned the mason and carpenter trades, and worked at them when he could find employment. After some years thus spent, he bought his present place, an eighty-acre tract in Section 25, York Township, and, building a part of the present residence, lived a bachelor's life here for five years, during which time he also put up some other small buildings. The land when he moved onto it was all wild, and a road was cut only a part of the way, he having to cut a trail to his building site. He had an ax, which had been thrown in as a part of the bargain when he bought the land, but before he married he got a horse team and one cow. The event referred to - Mr. Jahr's marriage - took place May 19, 1904, and united him with Mary Schaeffner, who was born in Neillsville, Wis., daughter of Edward and Paulina (Zipfel) Schaeffner. Her father was born in Frankfort, Germany, and her mother in Saxony, that country, they being married in Milwaukee. Mr. Schaeffner had come to America when a young man,'and for some time worked in a general store, Milwaukee, later becoming its owner. He also became manager of alarge farm. There his first wife died and he subsequently contracted a second marriage in Milwaukee. Coming to Clark County, he settled on a small farm near Loyal, where he died at the venerable age of 91 years. His second wife still resides in Loyal. They had eight children: Edward, Mary, Hannah, William, Martha, Charles, Clara and Helen, all of whom are living. As Mr. Jahr prospered he built a good house of ten rooms and a basement barn, 36 by 60 feet, and his farm is now well improved. He is engaged in raising Guernsey and Durham cattle, a good grade of horses and Poland-China hogs, besides White Leghorn chickens. All the farm, except a small wood lot, has been cleared by his own labor, and he, himself, with his father, did all the carpenter and mason work on the place. He and his wife have three children: Ernest, Esther and Wesley.

John Vandeberg, a well-known farmer of York Township, residing in section 21, was born in Milwaukee, Wis., Feb. 4, 1858. His father was Chris Vandeberg, and his mother's maiden name was Johanna Wilhelmina Beyers, Both parents were natives of Holland, where they were married, coming to the United States as a young married couple. On landing in this country after a nine weeks' voyage, they proceeded to Milwaukee, where Chris Vandeberg worked at whatever he could find to do. After a while they went to Fond du Lac County, where they rented a farm, but later they bought a tract of land four miles west of Waupun, on which Mr. Vandeberg built a log stable and a board shanty, and in time he cleared up his place and erected good buildings on it. His wife died, leaving six children - John, Garrett, Abram, who died at the age of six years, Abram (second), Johanna and Dina - and he married for his second wife Wilhelmina Terbeest, also a native of Holland. Of this union there were seven children, William, Herman, Chris, Wilhelmina, Cynthia, Christina and Jennie. John Vandeberg acquired his education in the district school and gained a knowledge of agriculture on his father's farm, subsequently working for two years on a farm in the vicinity of the Vandeberg homestead. At the end of that time he came to Clark County, where he found employment in the woods at lumbering from February to May, afterwards buying his present farm in section 21, York Township, which consisted of sixty acres of wild land on which there were no buildings. In July of the same year he was married to Lillie I. Lawrence, daughter of Horace and Lorinda (Windsor) Lawrence, who were pioneers of York township. Fora residence Mr. Vandeberg built a frame shanty, 14 by 16 feet in size, which he has since remodeled into a good farm house of nine rooms, but the first year he and his wife lived in a rented log house in the vicinity. He has cleared the farm by his own labor and made various improvements on it, having erected, besides his dwelling, a basement barn, 36 by 70 feet: in size, and a silo, 16 by 24 feet. When he began the work of cultivation he cradled his grain by hand and exchanged his labor for the use of a team. He first raised Durham cattle, which he has now crossed with Holsteins, also raising full-blooded Poland- China hogs and a good grade of horses, He has increased the size of his farm to 140 acres and has helped to establish his children in homes of their own. Mr. Vandeberg has served as treasurer of York township and as supervisor, and has also been a member of the school board for twenty-four years, during twenty-one of which he served as treasurer and three as clerk. He is a member of the Lynn Fire and Tornado Insurance Company and was treasurer of the local telephone company. He and his wife have had five children: Alvin, residing in York Township, who married Julia Ziemba, and has two children, John and Chester; Horace, who married Fern Alton, also resides in York Township, and has two children, Bernice and Harold; Manley, now deceased; Ida, the wife of Edward Voigt, and residing on the home farm, who has one child, Mervin; and Ruth, also residing on the home farm. Mrs. Lillie Vandeberg was born in Sheboygan County, Wis., Jan. 11, 1867, the scene of her birth being a log house on the farm of her parents, Horace and Lorinda (Windsor) Lawrence. Her father died in York Township, Clark County, May 22, 1889, at the age of 51 years, Lorinda, his first wife, having died at the age of 33 years, in York Township, May 8, 1875. He had been a farmer in Sheboygan County, and he and his wife had five children, born in that county, George, Ida, Burton, Lillie and Melvin. After coming to Clark County the family located in section 21, York Township, where Mr. Lawrence took up a tract of wild land, building a log house and barn. There he subsequently erected good buildings and passed the rest of his life. After the death of his first wife he married for his second, Edna Smithers, of which union ten children were born: William, Lois, Orin, Roy, Floy, Earl, Ethel, Olive, Carrie and Horace. Mr. Lawrence was a member of the Methodist Church. His daughter Lillie (Mrs. Vandeberg) went to live with her uncle and aunt, George and Sarah Lindsley, in whose home she grew to womanhood, She attended school in Fond du Lac and Clark counties.