Dane County, Wisconsin - The whole text, 1906 (part 29 of 29)

Charles E. Whelan, national lecturer for the Modern "Woodmen of America, is a Dane county product. He was born August 26, 1862. His parents were Curtis E.. and Martha (Rowleyj Whelan. Curtis E. Whelan came to Wisconsin in 1848. He was a blacksmith by trade and followed this occupation until his retirement in 1895. He is now an honored resident of Mazomanie. For two generations preceding Curtis E. Whelan the male members of the family had been blacksmtihs, and on both sides were noted for their longevity. Curtis Whelan's grandparents lived to be ninetyfour and ninety-eight years old, while his parents passed away at the ages of ninety-four and eighty-eight. Martha Whelan's father was Rev. Moses Rowley, a Baptist minister, who drove to Wisconsin from New York and was not only one of the oldest settlers of the state but one of the first Baptist ministers. He lived to be eighty-seven years of age. His wife was Lydia Barrell. a daughter of Colburn Barrell. Jr.. a Revolutionary soldier, as was his father, Colburn Barrell. Sr.. who died while a prisoner of the British forces on board a vessel near Quebec. Martha Rowley Whelan died April 24, 1905, at the age of eighty-six years. Both she and her husband were life long members of the Baptist church. The subject of this sketch was the youngest of their four children. The others were Alfretta L. (Mrs. Frank L. McCraken). deceased, Helen C. (Mrs. John McClure), lives in Gurnee. Ills.; C. Rowley, a locomotive engineer killed in a railway wreck, in 1888. Charles E. Whelan received his education in the Mazomanie high school and the law department of the University of Wisconsin, from which he was graduated in 1894. Previous to that time he had been a newspaper man in Madison for seven years. Imme- diatelv after graduation he began the practice of law in Madison and was actively engaged in it until he received his present appointment in 1901, and for two years was assistant attorney-general of the state. His present occupation carries him from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, his lecturing being in thirty-seven of the forty-five states. It takes him just three years to complete the circnit of the states. For one term he served the city as mayor, being elected on the Republican ticket. Mr. Whelan stands high in fraternal circles. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, and Past- Grand Master of the State of Wisconsin, a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Knights of the Maccabees. Politically he is a stanch Republican and for ten years took the stump in behalf of the principles advocated by his party. On May 27, 1885 he married Bertie L., daughter of John and Jane (Grills) Wallis. Mr. Wallis died recently at the age of seventy-eight years, but Mrs. Wallis is still living and makes her home with Mr. Whelan. They are the parents of nine children, three of whom died in infancy. The others are Mary, widow of Thomas Grenfell, lives in California; Nicholas, a Nebraska ranchman ; John G., a traveling salesman who makes his home in Ames, la.; Anna. Mrs. John^ Hocking, lives in England ; Bertie L.. the wife of Charles E. Whelan ; and Richard, who died recently in Lincoln, Neb. To Mr. and Mrs. Whelan have been born two children, - Letta H.. a junior in the University of Wisconsin ; and Charles Elbert. Jr.

Charles H. White is a retired farmer of the town of Medina and a well known resident of Dane county. He is a native, of county Kent, England, where he was born January 17, 1848. His parents, Charles and Susannah (Sedgwick) White, were natives of Kent and came to America in 1850, bringing with them their two-year old son, Charles II. For a short time they lived near Palmyra, N. Y. and then proceeded farther west, locating on a farm in the town of York, Dane county, Wis. .Mrs. White died in York and for the past ten years Mr. White has resided in Portland, Dodge comity. Wis. Six children were born to them, of whom five are living. Mr. White has always been identified with the Republican party and is a member of the Church of England. Charles H. White received his education in the Dane county schools and has always been a farmer. His farm consists of one hundred and sixty-five acres in the town of York in a fine of cultivation and much of the work upon it has been done by Mr. White personally. He was formerly a Republican, like his father, but in recent years has been allied with the Prohibitionist movement. Mr. and Airs. White belong to the Methodist Episcopal church and are prominent members of the organization. May 23, 1869, Charles H. White married Miss Mary A. Pearsall, who was born in Saratoga Springs, X. Y., September 4, 1851. Her parents. Thomas and Melissa (Swartwont) Pearsall, were natives of Saratoga county, X. Y., and came to the town of Medina, Dane county, in 1855. Mr. Pearsall died in 1871 and his wife in 1879. Seven children were bom to them, of whom one son and one daughter are the only survivors. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. White was blessed with ten children; Hattie A., William X., Lewis Charles, Cora M., Lillian M.. Leona L., Fred. Grant, Fletcher, Edna Es,tella and Earl Victor. All but Fletcher are living and have been educated in the home schools.

Amos Parker Wilder. - (Sketch written by himself for his children.) I was born in Calais, Maine, February 15, 1862. My mother (born 1830) is a daughter of George M. Porter, who was a ship owner and lumberman of importance in the St. Croix Valley. Grandfather Porter lived to be ninety ; he was strong, kind, religious, one of the best of men. His picture shows it. Father's mother was a Lincoln. She lived to be ninety-three. The Wilders were Baptists, - plain, stern, godly folk. I recall Grandfather Wilder keeping store in his later years in Milltown, near by. The Hebrew strain in our blood was from Grandfather Porter's mother, (Marks) who was a full blood. My father (born 1824) was Amos Wilder. His brothers were. Benjamin and Moses. Father was the ambitious one and saved money enough with which to take a dental course in Baltimore about 1845. He practiced in Calais until 1869 when we moved to Augusta, Maine. He bought an interest in an oil-cloth factory at Hallowed, two miles down the Kennebec, and this was his business until his death in 1894 at the age of seventy. He was characterized by mechanical skill, precision, and a blending of sternness and humor. His character was above reproach. A\ e had a happy and typical home life in Augusta. The first two years we lived on Myrtle street on the east side, but as father prospered we moved to the present home, on State street, where mother lives at the age of seventy-six ( 1906), - second house north of the Bla'ne home. I followed the public school course until I was sixteen. Then I spent a year at the Highland Military Academy in Worcester, Mass. I then took the last year in the Augusta high school, was graduated in 1880, speaking my piece in Meonian Hall. I entered Yale in the fall of that year and was graduated in 1884. My father's account books show that he spent $900 a year on me while in New Haven. I went to college largely through the incentive of my mother. Strong in body, possessed of great sense, having had many advantages in her youth, of a hopeful, serene nature, always able to see a bend in the road ahead, and wont to relate all the ordering of life to prayer, mother has been and is one of the most normal and best women I have known. I matured late and so missed much at New Haven ; I trifled much of my time away. I had picked up telegraphy through Frank A. Munsey, the publisher, always my friend, - then operator in Augusta, - and worked at that at odd hours when I should have been busy with my books. As a collegian I wrote on the college papers and was elected to be "fence orator," both in freshman and sophomore years. After graduation, through intimacy with Frank Trowbridge, I went to Old Lyme. Conn., and taught for a year in the boys' boarding school that graduated him. There I made my first speech, - the Elaine campaign - in the town hall with John T. Wait, the veteran congressman of the district. I was twenty-two years of age. The school year ended, I spent the summer, (as I had the previous summer) in the office of the Albany, N. Y., Journal. It was Thurlow Weed's old paper. The year 1885-6 I spent as teacher in the Faribault, Minn., military school, associated with Samuel A. Booth of my Yale class. At the conclusion of the school year I went to the Philadelphia Press, as a reporter, at $12 per week. The managing editor at that time was Mr. Talcott Williams, now the cultivated editorial writer on the same paper. Mr. Williams was of a missionary family, and a cousin of my college chum. Dean A. Walker. I worked very hard here ; the more work they gave me the better I liked it. I was glad to do the work of the other boys after midnight when they were weary. Some of my best friendships trace back to the less-than-a-year I was with the Philadelphia Press. Richard Harding Davis was one of us, although of late years I have seen little of Davis. I was called back to the Albany Journal and went. In reporting the Albany legislature I obtained valuable experience. In the summier I lived at a suburb (Altamont) with my classmate, Edwin McCellen. I went to New Haven to become editor of the Palladium for three years and a half at $1,600 salary. I was but twenty-six when I accepted the post. I must have written a good deal of nonsense in those callow years but I did more and more public speaking which helped me. I lived at Grove Hall, a boarding house in the college district and some choice friendships date from this. I wrote an editorial the first day I went to work, turned it in and it was printed, though my regular assigned duty was to hold copy for the proof-reader. I could not write editorial any better than my boyish associates wrote it, but by my efforts I put myself in the editorial class and came to be associated with editorial writing. A great truth lies buried here for young persons able to grasp it. I took my doctor's degree during the New Haven years and wrote a thesis on "The Government of Cities." This I read to the Chamber of Commerce and that body printed it as a pamphlet. When I went to Wisconsin I lectured on the subject under "University Extension," and gave a course of five lectures at the parent Chautauqua. My New Haven connection came to an end through a clash with a political "ring." A new manager who represented a new owner of the paper offered me the choice of printing an article practically repealing an attack I had made on the "ring" the day before, or of resigning. Of course there was but one thing to do. I had a number of new positions tendered, some by telegraph. I went as an editorial writer, to the Mail and Express, then owned by Elliott F. Shepard, the eccentric son-in-law of the then reigning Vanderbilt. The editor was John A. Sleicher, a life long friend, who was editor of the Albany Journal when I was with that paper. This New York life for something over two years was valuable experience. My public speaking took me into all kinds of company and I met many men and women well worth knowing. The last part of my stay in New York was with the Commercial Advertiser. I had a salary that increased to $80 per week and I saved my money. I have "lost my job" a number of times and suffered great depression. One who has failed in business, or who is utterly cast down from any cause will often do well to begin life under a new environment - to move to another place. Happily I could rally my courage, and when I went out of the Commercial office I resolved that I would be happier with a paper of my own. I dallied with a literary syndicate, dragging out nothing but a sweet friend, Maynard ; and while on a western tour fell upon Mr. H. A. Taylor in Madison. He decided that he did not need a partner with only $5,000 but on my reaching Milwaukee I received a telegram from him to come back. This was in the spring of 1894. I came back, bought half of his interest. June 9, 1894, almost wholly on credit: and May 9. 1900, bought the balance of his interest - the control. I worked all the time for many years. On December 3, 1894, I was married to Miss Isabella Niven, whose father for over thirty years was pastor of the Presbyterian church in Dobbs Ferry. Our children's birthdays are: Amos Niven, September IS. 189."). born in the Askew house at the foot of

South Henry street; Thornton Niven, April 17, 1897, in the Kerr hohse on Langdon street ; Charlotte Elizabeth. August 28, 1898, born in one of the Frawley cottages, Mendota Court; and Isabel, lanuarv L3, 1900, born in the flat 211 West Gilnian street, where we lived for six years. I was secretary of the Madison "Six O'Clock Club" from its beginning. 1899. for seven seasons. The Maple Bluff cottage was built in 1901. The mother took a foreign trip with three Madison ladies in 1902. I had a summer trip abroad in 1891. I was appointed consul general to Hongkong January 31, L906, and we sailed from San Francisco April 7, 1906. My brother, Dr. Julian Wilder, lives in Augusta; my sister, Mrs. George Hobson, in Brooklyn. N. Y. ; and a half brother, Geo. P. Additon. in Bath, Maine.

Carl Wilke was born in the city of Strasburg, Germany, March 20. 1837. His father, Ernest Frederick Wilke, opened his eyes upon the world a century ago, and was already an old man when he came to this country in 1871. He came first to Dodge county, afterward removing to Dane. He lived for ten }ears, spending the latter part of his life with his son Carl. He interested himself sufficiently with the public affairs of his new home to ally himself with the Republican party. His wife, Christina (Hess) Wilke. survived him sixteen years, dying in 1897, at the age of ninety, at the home of her son. He had one sister in America whose home was in Iowa, and three of his five children still remain in Germany. Mr. Carl Wilke received his education in his native land, and was also married there, August 10, 1865, three years before coming to this country, (1868). He remained for ten years in Dodge-, and then removed to Dane county, where he accumulated a large property without other aid than his natural ability for patient, untiring effort and intelligent economy. His large farm of seven hundred acres, near Waunakee, has been largely devoted to stock-raising, - short-horn cattle and Poland China hogs being chiefly bred. He has affiliated with the Republican party, and all of his family are connected with the Lutheran church. His wife was Miss Caroline Schwem, born in Germany. February 25, 1844. daughter of Frederick and Johanna (Schmidt) Schwem. both Germans who die! in their native land. Mr. and Mrs. Wilke have had ten children. Minnie Ernestine, wife of ( leo. Blank : Johanna ; Frank, a farmer of Vienna township; Louisa, wife of Chas. Dahn ; Ferdinand, a farmer of Vienna township; Otto, a farmer; Ernest, a butcher: Gustave. a merchant of Waukegan, 111.; Walter, a fireman in employ of the C. & X. W. R'y Co.; Oscar, a farmer; these are all living with the excep- 11 of the second child. Johanna. Mr. Wilkie is a man of strong personality and unusual native ability. Among- those who know him well he has a reputation for shrewdness, hard common sense and good judgment.

William Wille is a prosperous landowner in the town of Berry. The date of his birth was December 8, 1836, and the place was the province of Saxony, Prussia. His parents. Christian and Annstin (Schmitt) Wille, were natives of Saxony, where the father was a manufacturer of wool carding machinery. Of the five children in the family, Henry and William came to America ; of the others, two are still living in Prussia. William [Wille had but a limited education in the old country. At an early age he learned the cabinet maker's trade. In 1861, with the wife and two children of his brother Henry, who had made the trip in September, i860, he came to America, the town of Cross Plains in this state, where the brother had located, being the objective point. For some years he farmed in partnership witK his brother and then bought eighty acres of land in the same town. Later he sold this and purchased the farm in the town where he now lives, a place of three hundred and fifty acres, of which one hundred and fifty are under cultivation. He carries on general farming, which naturally includes some dairy business, and that he has been successful is easily seen. Politically Mr. Wille is a Republican, and although he has always taken an active interest in politics he has never held any office other than that of clerk of the school board, which position he has filled for the past twenty-five years. He is actively interested in and a member of the German Lutheran church. In April, 1866, he married Annstin, daughter of Gottlieb and Johanna Schmitt, natives of Gotha, who came to America in 1856 and purchased a farm in the town of Berry. Both are now deceased. Mr. and Mjrs. Wille have had six children, - Pauline married Ole Olson, a tailor of Mount Horeb, where she now resides; William is farming in the town of Bern' ; Henry is farm ng the old homestead, where another of the sons also makes his home : Annstina and Elfrieda also are both living at home.

Chauncey L. Williams was born in 1820. at La Fayette. Onondaga county, N. Y.. and was a son of Dr. Chauncey L. Williams, of that place. After living in Syracuse for some years he moved to Madison. Wis., in 1855, entering shortly after in the grocery business. In 1862 the firm of M. E. Fuller & Co. was formed, of which Mr. Williams was the partner. This business was organized for the purchase and sale of agricultural implements, and out of it grew the several firms of Fuller & Williams. Fuller. Johnson & Co., and others, all dealing in machinery, and in all of which he was financially interested, and which,. 61 - iii

- largely through his intense industry and popularity, together with his ability to organize, - were developed into great and thriving concerns. Air. Williams was noted for his promptness in business affairs and close attention to every duty and obligation both in business and society life. He was physically large, forceful and vigorous, but was a quiet, modest and unobtrusive man, with a heart full of love, always doing acts of kindness to his fellow-men. Mr. Williams was twice married, and all of his four children were by his first wife, Johanna L. Van Duzer, of Middletown, New- York, to whom he was married May 2i, 1848. These children were M'ellie (Airs. F. A. Frank, deceased) ; Cornelia Lillian, (Airs. H. H. Rountree, deceased) ; Anna Alyra, (Afrs. Arthur O. Fox), of Madison, and Chauncey L. Williams, Jr., of Chicago. Airs. Fox and Chauncey L. are both living and have families. Airs. Johanna ( \"an Duzer) Williams was a woman of much literary ability, and was also conspicuous throughout her life in Madison for her great kindness of heart. Her supreme happiness was in ministering to the comfort of others and especially to the poor and sick. Although she has been dead thirty-four years there are yet many living here who speak her name with tender recollections of her self-sacrificing kindness and generosity to all. Airs. Williams was one of the earliest members of the First Congregational Church and throughout her life was one of its truest supporters. She died at Madison, A larch 5, 1872. Air. Williams died May 27, 1878.

Nels E. Williams is a leading citizen and progressive farmer of the town of Deerfield, where he was bom and reared, and where the Williams family has had its domicile for over sixty years. Air. Williams was born on the farm where he now resides, December 20, 1854. and is one of seven children born to Erick and Christina (Bochtun) Williams, both of whom were natives of the province of Bergen, Norway. The parents came to America in 1844 and settled on section 32. in the town of Deerfield, Dane county, the father having first worked as a common laborer for a short time. The tract upon which he located was government land, and he preempted forty acres, which he began to improve, and he added thereto from time to time until at his death he owned three hundred and eighteen acres. He followed genera] farming during all of his life, after coming to America, and died December 25, 1879. at the age of seventy-six years, his good wife passing away four years later. They were the parents of seven children, as follows: Cornelius, the eldest son, who enlisted on March 3, 1862, in Co. H, Fifteenth Wisconsin infantry, rose to the rank of first lieutenant and served to the close of the war, then located in Chicago where he is still living; Julia became the wife of Will- iam Miller, both of whom are deceased ; Christina is the wife of Nels Anderson, of the .town of Deerfield; William located in St. Louis, Mo., and is now deceased ; Isabelle is the wife of Carl F. Eltzholtz, of Chicago; Betsy is deceased; Knute served through the Civil War and is now employed in the hospital of the soldiers' home at Milwaukee ; and Nels E. is the subject of this review. Nels E. Wiliams received his education in the district schools of Deerfield and attended two terms of the Marshall academy. He has always had his residence on the old homestead, though at the age of twenty-six years he and one of his brothers bought forty acres of the farm from their father and began an independent career. A number of years later Mr. Williams purchased his brother's interest, and he still remains on the homestead which marks the place of his birth and also that of his children. A few years ago he invested a part of his savings in one hundred and sixty acres of land in Spink county, S. D. Of superior natural ability He has easily become a leader in the community in which he lives. He is a man of splendid physique and is well preserved, appearing much young-er than the calendar of time would reckon his age. He is a Republican in his political affiliations and is now serving his sixth term as town treasurer, having also served as supervisor of the town of Deerfield. Mr. Nelson married for his first wife. Miss Cam Polson, of Chicago, who died eleven months later, leaving no children. The second marriage was to Miss Caroline I. Nelson, November 4, 1880. She was the daughter of Iver and Ingeborg (Gjeitle) Nelson, natives of Norway who came to America and located in the town of Deerfield, Dane county, in 1845, and spent the remainder of their lives there. Mjrs. Williams was born December 18, 1854, and died on March 23, 1891, leaving four children, whose names follow: Clara Belle, born March 14, 1882; Emma Christina, born March 31, 1884, died October 27, 1896; William Erick, born June 17, 1887; and Caroline Nora, born March 14, 1891. Mr. Williams' third matrimonial alliance was with Olena Hoff, daughter of Toston and Guro Olson, of the town of Christiana, and the date of the marriage was April 22, 1893. No children have been born of this union.

Sylvester B. Williams, farmer and stock raiser, of the town of Madison, was born at Verona, N. Y., January 9, 1828. His parents, Daniel and Mary Williams, were both natives of Rhode Island, but went with several others of the Williams family and settled at Verona, four miles from Rome, when the place was nothing but the primitive forest. Daniel Williams was a boat builder. He and his father built the first boat that was ever launched at New London. He also built several of the locks on the Erie canal, constructing the one near New

Amsterdam, X. Y., when he was but nineteen years of age. For some time he was employed on the canal, and was also engaged in merchandising. In the summer of 1846 he went up the canal to Buffalo, where he took a steamer and came around tht great lakes to Milwaukee, and in September landed in Madison, having hired a team to take him from Milwaukee. He bought a farm at Stoner Prairie, where he began farming, burning lime and cutting stone for buildings in Madison. The following year he was joined by Ins wife and son and continued to live in Dane county until his death on July 17, 1876. He was twice married. His first wife, the mother of Sylvester, died at Verona in 1830. and some time afterward he married Mary Green, a native of Xew York state, who died in 1881. During his life he was an active Democrat, but was never an aspirant for omiee, and was a consistent member of the Baptist church. Sylvester B. Williams received a common school education in the state of New York, came to Wisconsin in 1847, and in 1854 began farming. In 1861 he bought a small tract of land where he now lives. Since then he has bought and sold several tracts, and now owns one hundred and sixty-six acres, upon which he carries on a general farming business, devoting considerable attention to raising of livestock. All the improvements on the place have been made by him and he has one of the representative farms in the community where he lives. Like his father he was interested in the production of lime and from 1853 to 1888 he conducted a kiln for that purpose. He has served on the school board and the town board, although he can hardly be called an active politician, as he usually votes for the best man, particularly .in local affairs. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was formerly identified with the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Williams has been twice married. In 1855 he married Harriet French, of Verona, N. Y., but she died the following spring. In October, 1858, he was united in marriage to Sarah Kenny, a native of New Jersey, and to this union were born three children, viz: James Leslie, Laura Augusta and Sylvester. James L. married Matilda Linde, a native of Germany, and they have five children: Daniel, Robert, William, Sarah and Eunice. He served for seven years on the school board and as treasurer one year. Laura A. is the wife of Sidney Davenport and Sylvester died in infancy. Mr. Williams is a quiet unassuming man, one of those, who- attends to his own business, though he takes an interest in all questions pertaining to the general good. He is respected for his sterling qualities and is generally recognized as one of the substantial citizens of the town.

Benjamin F. Williamson, a retired farmer and a long-time resident of Dane county, was born at Bedford, Westchester county, N. Y., February 13, 1834, son of William and Sarah (Carpenter) Williamson, who were born and reared in the same state. William Williamson was engaged in agricultural pursuits and reared his eleven children on the farm. Five of these still survive, of whom William R. resides in Madison, Thomas in the town of Blooming Grove, Henry in Missouri, and Benjamin F. is the subject of this review. The Williamsons are descended from Scottish ancestry, and have been residents of America since before the Revolution. The educational advantages of the subject of this review were good and he secured a very good education in the district schools of his native state and the Bedford academy, as did also his brothers and sisters, several of them becoming teachers. In 1863 he decided that the west offered better advantages for a young man and accordingly he began to look about for a location. Relatives of the family had previously come to Wisconsin, and in the year above mentioned Benjamin F. arrived in Dane county and purchased eighty acres of land in the town of Blooming Grove, where he began general farming. He resided on this place three years and then purchased eighty acres adjoining, upon which he moved. He remained on this farm until March 1, 1906, when he bought a home in Hudson Park, a beautiful suburb of the city of Madison, and there he expects to reside the remainder of his life. Despite his many years of strenuous labor he is well preserved, and for one of his age is very active. Mr. Williamson was married on January 23, 1856, and the lady whom he selected as his helpmate through life was Miss Caroline Carpenter, who was born in the state of Xew York, March 22, 1837. She is the only survivor of four children that were born to James and Mary (Haviland) Carpenter, the parents being also natives of the state of New York. They were Quakers. One of Mrs. 'Williamson's brothers enlisted in a Xew York regiment during the Civil War and died while in the service at New Orleans. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williamson : Mary C. married Pliny F. Pierson, of St. Paul, Mjinn.. and is deceased; Franklin J, is deceased; Sarah C. resides with her parents; Carrie E. is the wife of Dr. Jos. F. Gill and resides in the city of Madison: William resides in Fitch-burg; Anna May and Robert H. are deceased ; Lucy B. is the wife of W. A. Sykes and resides in the city of Madison ; and Benjamin H. is deceased. Mr. Williamson is independent in his political views and has never entered public life in the role of an office seeker.

J. S. Williamson, of Oregon, was born in Anthony township, Lycoming county. Pa., July 2j, 1845. He is the son of A. Williamson, born in Union county, Pa.,' December 8, 1818, and Mary (Emery) Williamson, also a native of Lycoming county, born August 18, 1819. They were married November 15, 1841,'and spent their earlier married life in their native state where their children were born and reared, coining to Wisconsin in 1869. They settled first in the town of Oregon, where they purchased an improved farm of two hundred acres ; some years later they moved into the village of Oregon which was their home for seventeen years, until the death of Mrs. Williamson, October 18, 1900, since which time, Mr. Williamson has made his home on the farm with his son. Mr. Williamson was engaged in the lumber business in Pennsylvania, and his son, the subject of this sketch, was associated with him in that line before coming. to Wisconsin ; here, however, he engaged in farming first with his father, and later, after the removal of his father to the village, operating the farm for himself. He now owns one hundred acres of the original plot, the remainder having been sold to Mr. Fincher the husband of his daughter Laura. Mr. Williamson was married, March 21, 1872, to Miss Phoebe J. Bethei, the daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Welch) Bethel, of Oregon township, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Williamson had four children, Laura, ( Mrs. Fincher ). of Oregon; Mary E. (deceased) ; Cora B. and Raymond A., both at home ; all the children were born and educated in Oregon. Mr. Williamson is a Republican and has served as assessor. His church affiliations are with the Christian church, but his wife belongs to the Seventh-day Adventists.

Thomas Williamson, of Waunakee. is a native of England, born July 29, 1840. He came with his parents to Dane in 1851. Charles and Elizabeth (Jackson) Williamson were also born in England, the former October 14, 1814, and the latter December 29, 1819. The parents settled in Burke township, on a small farm, which they made their home until their death. Mrs. Williamson died in 1875 and her husband in 1901. They had three children, Anna, Thomas, and Lucretia, of whom the oldest daughter, Anna, has passed away. Politically Mr. Williamson was a supporter of the Democratic party and both he and his wife were members of the Episcopal church. He served at one time as the constable of Burke township. Thomas Williamson, the subject of this sketch, received his early education in England and afterward in the common school of Burke. He came to Vienna and began his life as a farmer there in 1868, an occupation which he followed all his life. He owns eisjitv acres on which most of the improvements have been made by himself; he runs this as a general farm. He is a Republican in politics, but neither public interests nor private concern have caused him to ignore a fact that brings a failure of physical forces before the time to so many farmers, viz., that all work and no play sometimes results disastrously. He has probably inherited from his English ancestors a love of hunting, and for nearly fifty years been an enthusiastic follower of Duck and other game which haunt the Catfish where it flows into Lake Mendota. in the town of Westport. He is also a member of the Cherokee Hunting Club. February i, 1863, he was married to Miss Eliza Whitstance, a native of England, - born December 20, 1846. She is the daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Andrews) Whitstance, both born in England, - the latter in 1809, - who came to Sauk county in October, 1856, and settled in Bamboo. Mr. Whitstance died there in November of the same year and his wife in 1887. He was by occupation a farmer and both he and his wife were members of the Methodist church. Mrs. Williamson was one of a family of fourteen children, of whom five are living. She has herself been the mother of eleven, - Andrew Thomas, William Henry, Charles, John Paver, Eliza Ann (now deceased)), Sarah, Thomas, Lucretia, Henry, Cora and Frederick Marmsduke, of whom all are living except two.

H. M. Willoughby, of Belleville, was born in Tiffin, Ohio, September 3, 1843. son °f Wellington and Mary (Mollette), the former a native of New York and the latter of Tiffin, Ohio. The family came from Tiffin to Wisconsin in 1846, driving through what was then, much of the way, an almost unbroken wilderness. They located in section 27, town of Montrose, and remained there for some time ; they also kept a hotel in Belleville for some years, about the middle fifties. Mr. Willoughby died in 1884. He was not actively interested in politics, but was nevertheless elected to local offices on several occasions. His son, H. M., the subject of this sketch, was brought up in Montrose township, attending the district schools and assisting his father in the work of the farm. During the war ( 1864) he enlisted in Company H, of the First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery. He was in Xew Orleans and in the country eighty miles to the west, as far back as Berwick Bay, and was at the latter point when Lee surrendered. At the close of the war he was discharged and returned to Montrose, and resumed the occupation of tanning. He gave up active work on the farm in 1890. and moved into the village of Belleville where he has held several offices on the village board, as treasurer, street commissioner etc. He is a Republican and cast his first vote for Lincoln. He was married in 1868, to Miss Stella

Marks, daughter of Reuben Marks, of Vermont. They have two children, Mae, married Merrill Perkins; Lena, married Matt. Hosley, of Waukesha. The family is connected with the Presbyterian church.

Willis H. Willoughby, of Belleville, was born in the town of Montrose, April 12, 1851. the son of W. Willougby, of whom mention is made in connection with the sketch of his eldest son, H. M. Willoughby. Willis H. was reared on a farm, and in common with the residents of rural and village communities, obtained his book knowledge at the public school. He began life for himself at the age of twenty-four by renting and running a farm for a year, after which he entered the empolyment of Mr. Ogilvie, of Verona, where he remained for two years, and then spent a season in Colorado, before returning to the town of Montrose : he then bought a place one mile north of the village, and interested himself in general farming and stock raising. He was married, October 18. 1874, in Eagle, to Miss Fanny Howe, daughter oi Henry and Elizabeth ( White) Howe, both natives of England, the former born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, July 13, 1824, and the latter in Lincolnshire. September 20. 1823. They came to America in 1850, and located first in Janesville, and in 1854, came to Belleville. In 1868 they moved on a farm near the village, which in 1875 they purchased and where they lived until Mr. Howe gave up active work and returned to the village, where he died. He was a wheelwright by trade. To himself and wife were born five children of whom three are living. Mrs. AY. H. Willoughby, Mrs. C. R. Pease, of Clayton, Kansas, and Frank E., of Sterling, Til. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby have three children, George, of Belleville, married Miss Jesie La Marr of Montrose township; Fred, married October 12, 1906, Miss Anna Yoeglie. and resides in Green county; Frank, at home. In national politics Mr. Willoughby is a Republcan. but does not allow party lines to influence him in local politics.

Thomas Wilson, of Belleville, R. F. D., was born December 20, 1849, on section 29, town of Montrose. He is the son of Thomas and Jane (Cherry) Wilson, both natives of Londonderry county, Ireland. the former of the parish of Tamlaght Fanlaggan. and the latter of the parish of Myrroe. 'They were married in Ireland and had had one child when they came to America in 1844. They came via New York, Erie canal, Buffalo, and the lakes and landed in Milwaukee, and then came on to Dane county and settled on the place where their son Thomas now resides. They bought eighty acres of government land and afterward made additional claims. Although Mr. Wilson was a farmer and followed that occupation all his life, he was naturally of a mechanical bent and was always handy with tools of all kinds. He made himself a part of the life of the new community, and served as a justice of the peace for twenty years. He and his wife are both buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in the town of Montrose. Thomas is the youngest of three children ; his brother, James D., lives in Verndale, Minn, and his sister Nancy died at the age of four years. He was brought up on the farm and educated in the district schools of the town of Montrose and private schools of Belleville; he taught school for fifteen winters, at the same time managing his farm, which now consists of over one hundred and seventy acres. This is run for general agricultural purposes, for stock raising and dairying. Mr. Wilson was married March 2$. 1880, to Miss Nettie Balfour, daughter of Thomas and Matilda J. (Oliver) Balfour, the former born near Sterling Castle, Perthshire, Scotland, and the latter a native of Wisconsin. Mrs. 'Wilson's father was one of the pioneers of this country, and now makes his home with his daughter ; her maternal grandmother was one of the Red River colony. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have had twelve children and all except the oldest, George Walter, who died at the age of four years, - are living. They are Nellie, a graduate of the Whitewater Normal and a teacher at home; Thomas Grover; John Ralph; William Balfour; Rose Janette, a student at Belleville high school; Mattie May; Charles Henry; Pearl Evangeline; James Walter; Robert Oliver. Mr. Wilson is the oldest native resident of the town of Montrose; he is a member of the I. O. O. F., has been justice of the peace for twenty years, supervisor and assessor several times, and politcally is a stanch supporter of W. J. Bryan.

Joseph Wilt, a representative of one of the oldest homes in Dane county, came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1844 and settled upon the farm now owned by Charles and Albert Wilt in the town of Medina! Joseph Wilt was born in Alsace, Germany, March 14. 1817, embarked for America with his parents, Francis Joseph and Mary Ann (Diss) Wilt, in 1830, and for fourteen years resided in Medina county, Ohio. In 1844 the family came west and obtained one hundred and sixty acres of farm land in Medina township. Francis J. Wilt and his wife spent the remaining years of their lives upon this farm and their son Joseph succeeded them in its management and ownership and made it his home until his death. To it he added forty acres and improved it in many ways, making it a well-stocked and valuable piece of property. Mr. Wilt was a Democrat but did not desire office or take any very active part in politics. On June 23, 1851, he was married to Catherine Mary (Groshong) Wilt, widow of Tohn Wilt, also a son of Francis J. Will. One son was born to

Mrs. John Wilt by her first marriage, John Francis, deceased. Airs. Wilt was horn in Niles, Cayuga county, N. Y., in 1830, the daughter of William Groshong, a native of North Carolina, and Betsey (Savage) Groshong, who was horn in Massachusetts. They came to Wisconsin from Ohio in 1846, lived in Jefferson county and after the death of Mir. Groshong in 1847 the family moved to the town of Medina. Of their twelve children but two are living. To' Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wilt were born eight children. The oldest son, Andrew, and tile oldest daughter, Mary, died. Charles, Albert, Clara, William, Kate and Eleanor make up the family. All have attended the home 'schools and thq Methodisti Episcopal church. Albert! and Charles own and operate the old home farm and make a specialty of a fine grade of Holstein cattle, of which they generally have a herd of about forty. They are both independent in politics and active in all which concerns the welfare of the community.

James A. Wood, a well known and successful farmer ot the town of York, lives upon the fine farm of one hundred and ninety-eight acres which was his birth-place. His father, James D. Wood, came to York with his parents, Jonathan and Charlotte (Powers) Wood, from Oneida county, N. \., in 1854, and located on a farm. James D. Wood married Miss Elvira Harrington, a native of Erie county, N. Y., and four children were born to them : Manley J., who married Miss Rosaline Brown and has two children; William B., deceased, whose widow was before her marriage Miss Amelia Tracy and who has three children, Guy, Katie and Winnie ; Alary E. married Walker Johnson ; both of whom are dead leaving two children, Elsie May and Gladys ALarv; James A., the subject of this sketch, was born in York. June 20, 1870, received h:s education in York and has always been interested in farming. He has a splendid farm with modem equipment and is particularly interested in the breeding of a fine grade of shorthorn ed cattle and also Clyde horses. Like his father he is a Republican and actively interested in the concerns of the town, and for two years he served as its treasurer. April 4, 1895, he married Aliss Priscilla Ellen Knapton, daughter of Isaac Knapton, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere. Airs. Wood is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Marshall. Airs. Wood, the mother of James A., is stdl a resident of York and has been a widow since April 9, 1889. She is a member of the Baptist church. She is of American ancestry, her grandfather having lived in New York and served his country throughout the Revolutionary War. Her father, Barney Harrington, was born in Vermont, but spent his life in New York, and her mother, Roxie (Perkins) Harrington, was a native of Massachusetts.

Biographical. D71

David H. Wright, Sr. Probably every city of any size has its "grand old man" and Madison is no exception. David H. Wright, Sr., is the man who has gained this appellation in the capital city. He has lived sixty-two of his eighty-six years in Dane county's judicial center, having come here May 7, 1844. There is not a house standing at the present time which has not been erected since his arrival. There is but one other man living who can claim longer residence in Dane county than Mr. Wright and that is the Hon. George Stoner. Mr. Wright was born July 9, 1820, in Otsego county, N. Y. His parents were Bezaleel and Catharine (Kipp) \\ right, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of Xew York. In 1850 Bezaleel Wright brought his family west and settled on a farm in the town of Verona. Upon his retirement he came to Madison and spent the remaining days' of his life with his son. His death occurred in November, 1879, in his eighty-third year. His wife died some fourteen years earlier, in her sixty-sixth year, having been born in the last year of the eightenth century. Of their eleven children, of whom there are four survivors, the subject of this sketch was the eldest. David H. Wright received his early education in Marion academy, A'Vayne county, X. Y. After learning his trade, that of carpenter, he came to Wisconsin and the first year after his arrival taught a school here. For more than fifty years after 1845 ne worked as a carpenter and many of the residences and public buildings of the city are monuments to his skill. It was Mr. Wright who built the old Methodist church, since replaced by a more modern structure, and the old first and third ward schools, also replaced. In the early fifties he served as president of the school board and was a member of the board of trustees while Madison was still a village. For some nineteen years he was state carpenter, maintaining the position through the efficiency and thoroughness of his workmanship. He was un ted in marriage on July 2, 1848, to Hannah V., daughter of William and Adaline (Stewart) Pyncheon. On the paternal side Mrs. Wright was a direct descendant of William Pyncheon of early Massachusetts fame. Through her mother she was related to Gen. Hart Stewart, one of the earliest settlers of Chicago. By this marriage Mr. Wright had four children. Dr. Arthur L. Wright is chief surgeon of St. Anthony's Hospital at Carroll. la. He formerly conducted a hospital of his own. He has one son. Robert. Ellen M. is the widow of James E. Nichols of Chicago and has three children, Minnie, Amy and Arthur. James S. Wright is private secretary to his brother. Dr. Arthur L. Wright at Carroll, la.

He has three children, Jesse, Charles and Harry. Dr. Charles L. Wright married Anna Gussman and had one child, Dorothea. He died in [896 at the age of thirty-one. Mrs. Wright died March 25, 1867. She was a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Wright's second marriage occurred February 2, 1870. to Sarah E.. daughter of Warren and Nancy (Bentley) Miles, of New York, both deceased. By this union he has had two children. David II.. Jr.. shipping clerk for the Gisholt Machine company, married Olive Wise, since deceased, and had one son, David H., Ill, who lives with his grandfather. Mary Florence, the other child, was graduated with the class of 1906 from the Madison high school. Both Mr. Wright and his wife are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Madison. In former years Mr. Wright was a member of the board of trustees of the church. He is prominent in Masonic circles, being Knight Templar Mason and a thirty-third degree member of the Scottish Rite, and Past Grand Master. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a past grand master of that order. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge of Madison. Kindly, courteous and affable. Air. Wright is a most revered and esteemed citizen who acts as a connecting link between the golden past and the magnificent present of Madison.

Lewis Ziesch is a prominent farmer and stock raiser of the town of Windsor and a native of Dane county. He is the son of Ludwig Ziesch, who was born in Germany and came to Dane county in the early days. Ludwig Ziesch was a farmer in the town of Middleton. His second wife was Miss Elizabeth Schultz, also a native of Germany, who now lives in the town of Burke. Two children were born to the first marriage and four to the second. Lewis Ziesch was born in the town of Middleton, March 14, 1870, attended the home schools and early engaged in farming. His property consists of ninety-six acres on which he carries on a general farming business and also raises fine Poland China hogs. November 27, 1898, he married Miss Nellie Blanchar, a daughter of Horace Blanchar. Mr. and Mrs. Ziesch are identified with the Congregational church. Mr. Ziesch is a Republican. Mrs. Zie&ch's father. Mr. Blanchar, was born in Chatauqua county, Xew York, son of Willard Blanchar, attended the Windsor and Beaver Dam schools and the University of Wisconsin. He is the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty-seven acres in the towns of Burke and Windsor but has retired from active, business. He 1- a Republican and has served the town as supervisor for many years. December 31, 1867, he married Miss Emma Rose, who was born in Now York, daughter of Oliver and Edna (Stanley) Rose, who came to Dane county from New York and settled in the town of Fitchburg. Mr. and Airs. Blanchar had one son, Edward, who is a banker at Oregon. Mrs. Blanchar died in 1872 and in 1874 Mr. Blanchar married Miss Jennie Thompson, a native of Norway. Ten children were born to them; Xellie, who is Mrs. Ziesch ; Florence (deceased); Nettie, Edna, John, Willie, Archie, Maud, Russell and Ernest. A. G. Zimmerman, judge of Dane county since January 6, 1902, is of German ancestry and was born in Elgin, Iowa, and located in Wisconsin in 1868. His early education was received at the public schools and he was an unusually bright and self-reliant student, as even with the meager advantages offered in the district schools he was the proud possessor of a teacher's certificate at the age of fifteen years, and two years later began his work in the field of pedagogy, which is, perhaps, as good a preparation as can be made for later work in any of the learned professions. After teaching for a time he again became a student and was graduated from the Northern Indiana College in 1885 with the degree of B. S. After having been instrumental in the organization of the high school at Bloomington. Grant county, he officiated as its first principal and occupied the position for four years ; meanwhile he studied law by himself, preparing on the junior work and on presenting himself at the Unversity of Wisconsin in 1889 was able to enter the senior law class. He received his degree of LL. B. from the University of Wisconsin in June, 1890, but began his practice as an attorney in company with Gilbert E. Roe, under the name Roe & Zimmerman, several months before upon passing the state bar examination. The following year he became a member of the firm of La Follette, Harper, Roe & Zimmerman, which partnership lasted four years and upon its dissolution Mr. Zimmerman practiced alone until his election to the position of count v judge. Always actively interested in public questions he entered the field of practical politics in 1896 as a delegate to and the chairman of the Republican convention which nominated Dr. A. A. Dye as mayor, and he followed up that entrance by attending as delegate most of his party conventions that have occurred since that time, whether state or congressional. In 1897 he appeared as a candidate for the office which he now holds but was defeated by Judge J. H. Carpenter, who had held the position since November. 1885. by 219 votes. In 1900 he was made a member of the Republican state central committee and chairman of the congressional committee : upon presenting himsef as a candidate for the position of county judge a second tfme he was elected by a plurality of one thousand six hun-

Rev. Alois Zitterl, pastor of the Church of the Holy Redeemer, Madison, was born June 12, 1845, m St. Oswald, Upper Austria. Here he received a thorough classical education at the college of Linz, Austria; came to the United States in August, 1866; took his theological course in St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee county, Wis., and was ordained a priest by Archbishop Henni in Deqember, 1868. The present is his third pastorate, his first being that of St. Martin's church in the town of Springfield, Dane county, and the second, that of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Milwaukee county. His present pastorate dates from March, 1877. The church of the Holy Redeemer was first constructed in 1867, and was reconstructed in 1880 at a cost of more than $7,000. The present value of the property (including five lots, parsonage, Sister house, church, school, etc.) is in the neighborhood of $100,000. During each of his pastorates, Father Zitterl has built a parsonage, and has been eminently successful during his long period of faithful service in his present charge. He is much beloved by his parishioners, who number more than four hundred families, all Germans. The large parochial school connected with his church is taught by the sisters of Notre Dame; it is a large commodious structure erected in 1892, its course being graded like the city ward schools, and its graduates being admitted to high school.