Iowa County, Wisconsin - Some of La Fayette County's Illustrious Dead, 1881 (part 1 of 2)

By Peter Parkinso.N, Jr

Henry Dodge, the subject of the present sketch, was born at Vincennes, Ind., October 12, 1781. At the time of his birth his parents were emigrating to that portion of the Spanish Province of Louisiana which now constitutes tlie State of Missouri, his father, Israel Dodge, being attracted thither by the large grants of land offered by the Spanish Government to all persons who would settle west of the Mississippi River. In this State, in Ste. Genevieve County, he grew to manhood amid the turmoils and strifes of Indian border warfare and the strifes and difficulties incident to the discovery and working of lead mines.

Upon the change of Government from France to that of the United States, he was (when barely of age) appointed Sheriff of Ste. Genevieve County, a place which he filled until Missouri became a State, some twelve or fifteen years. At the commencement of the war between the United States and Great .Britain, he raised a company of mounted volunteers to protect the frontiers from the merciless Indian hatchet and scalping-knife, in which arduous and dangerous duty he was peculiarly successful, so much so that during that war he rapidly rose from the rank of Captain (filling ail the intermeiliate positions) to the rank of Brigadier General, to which he was appointed by President Madison. In these various positions, he laid the foundation for that remarkable reputation as an Indian fighter, which became almost ''world wide." He was also appointed by Mr. Madison Marshal of the State of Missouri, and continued in the same otiice until he left the State, of whose militia he was elected the first Major General. He was also chosen a member of the State Convention of 1820 from Ste. Genevieve County, and aided in forming a constitution and State Government for that State. In this State he was extensively engaged in mining and smelting, and in the manufacture of salt.

In 1827, he emigrated to Wisconsin, then Michigan Territory, and arrived in the mines a few days prior to the commencement of what is known as the Winnebago war of 1827. He found the people of the lead mines few in numbers, and almost destitute of arms, congregated at and about Galena, between which place and Peoria (then called Fort Clark), on the Illinois River, there were no inhabitants. Although he was not a resident of the State of Illinois, he was at once chosen commander-in-chief of the lead-mine forces (so called at the time). He immeiliately put the country in a state of defense as best he could by causing block-houses to be built on the heights surrounding Galena, also at Gratiot's Grove, New Diggings, etc. But choosing rather to be on the aggressive than the defensive, with thirty mounted men he crossed the "ridge," the "Rubicon," and going in the direction of the present village of Mineral Point, and when between the two Pecatonicas he encountered Winneshiek and his band moving from the Wisconsin River into the mining region. The Indians fled at the first onset and made their escape through brush. Gen. Dodge, however, captured the son of the chief (young Winneshiek who afterward became at the death of his father the head chief of the Winnebago nation), after a hot pursuit of many miles. Gen. Dodge a few days afterward conducted another expedition from Gratiot's Grove, using his young Indian prisoner as a guide to conduct him and his volunteers to his father's village, which occupied then the present site of Freeport, 111., but the Indians eluded pursuit. He afterward led another expedition, consisting of nearly four hundred men from Gratiot's Grove, the then point of rendezvous to co-operate with Gen. Atkinson between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. On this expedition. Gen. Dodge and his men swam the Wisconsin River four times. They captured Decorrie's village, and were present at the treaty of peace concluded by Gen. Atkinson with the chiefs and braves of the Winnebago nation. They surrendered the six men who had murdered the French family at Prairie du Chien, and led the attack on the keel-boat at La Crosse in July, 1827. With this treaty the war closed, and we were permitted to resume the business of exploring the country in pursuit of lead ore.

In October, 1827, Gen. Dodge located at what is now Dodgeville (named for him), Ezra Lamb and - Putnam having first discovered the Indian lodes worked by the savages and their friends (the French or English) perhaps for ages before.

Gen. Dodge built the first rude log furnace east of the Ridge, so called, upon the waters of the Rock River, without law, and in the exercise of squatter sovereignty, until he was elected Superintendent of the lead mines.

During this time, he had concluded several treaties of peace with the different bands of the Winnebagoes, making them extensive presents, and conciliating their good will in every way that he could. At the same time, however, he was making preparations to fight them in case of emergency or necessity, and for this purpose had procured 150 Yangee guns from Galena. Had also built a palisade fort just below the present town of Dodgeville. Here he was visited by Thomas McKnight, the lawful Assistant Superintendent of the lead mines, and by Mr. Marsh, Indian Agent from Prairie du Chien, and formally ordered him to leave the country, or the diggings, as was the common parlance of the country at that time, alleging that the country belonged to the Winnebagoes; all of which he respectfully declined to do," affirming on his side that while the Indians and the people both were in favor of his remaining and occupying the country, he should do so, and the officers had no right to interfere.

It was then threatened by the officers tliat the regular troops would be marched to remove him. upon which he remarked (perhaps with some severity) ''Let them march sir; with my miners I can whip all the sore-shinned regulars stationed at Prairie du Chien." The regulars, however, were not marched against him, and he continued in peaceable possession until in March, 1828, when on foot, and in a canoe he went to St. Louis to visit ex-Governor William Clark (of Lewis and Clark's expedition). General Superintendent of Indian affairs, and succeeded in convincing Gov. Clark (who was his early and faithful friend), that it was expedient to allow the people to remain in the Indians' country until it was purchased, an event which all knew must soon occur.

In after years, the writer of this sketch has heard the old General relate these circumstances, and notwithstanding the better equanimity of his mind, that age, and the contemplation of grown subjects, had produced, when he came to the driving-off part of it, by the regular soldiers, his eyes could not avoid emitting some of the fire that was no doubt kindled in his mind at the time the threat was made.

In 1829, at an election held at Mineral Point, Gen. Dodge was at one and the same time elected by ballot Colonel of Militia and Chief Justice of the County Court. This was the first movement toward the civil organization of Iowa County. All the other officers of the county were then chosen, and John C. Chastine was appointed an agent to visit Detroit to induce the Legislature to pass a bill confirming what the people at this mass-meeting had done, and the Legislature accordingly did so, with the approval of the Governor (Lewis Cass.)

In the years of 1830 and 1831, Gen. Dodge with his associates, John H. Rountree (now of Platteville, Grant County), and James P. Cox (now dead), held courts at Mineral Point and Helena, on the Wisconsin River.

In 1831. Gen. Dodge was elected to the Legislature of Michigan, this then being a part of tha^ Territory; but, owing to the threatening difficulties connected with the Black Hawk war, he was prevented from attending.

In the month of May, 18-32, this war broke out, when Gen. Dodge was, in virtue of his Colonel's commission of militia - still more in virtue of his great fitness for the position - placed at the head of all forces and movements for the defense of the country, and, in this capacity, he conducted all the movements of troops and families in the country. The families were secured in forts at the prominent points, and all the men that could be armed and mounted were put into the field, as ranger.^ and reconnoiterers. With this force, which did not at any time e-xceed one hundred men. Gen. Dodge was constantly in the field, scouring the country from the Four Lakes to the Rock River on the south, and from the Mississippi to Rock River on the east. He made one expedition to Dixon, on Rock River, and one to Ottawa, on the Illinois River. Both of these expeditions were made for the purpose of securing some assistance from the Illinois forces to protect the vast frontier of the mining region, but without availing anything; no assistance could be had, and this entire country was dependent on Gen. Dodge and his- handful of miners for protection, not only from the Sacs and Foxes, but also from the treachery of the Winnebagoes, of whom we stood in much more dread than we did of the Sacs and Foxes.

But such were the active, prompt and judicious movements of Gen. Dodge that no serious ilamagewas done to the frontiers until the massacre on the Spafford farm, near Wiota. But, for their temerity in this matter, they paid doubly dear. In two days afterward, the same party, as was supposed, were overtaken by Gen Dodge and twenty-one of his volunteers, in the memorable battle of the Pecatonica, on the IGth of June, and every one of them killed - seventeen in number. This battle was memorable for its fierceness and destructiveness. No war party of equal size was ever before so completely annihilated in so short a time, and with so small a loss on the part of the whites - three only of their number being slain.

This battle was also memorable as being the turning-point of the war, being the first repulse that the Indians had received, they having been victorious in all the engagements previous to this battle. Previous to this, they had been upon the aggressive ; but, from this time forward, they were upon the defensive.

Soon after this battle, re-enforcements were received in this country, and Gen. Dodge was permitted to dictate the movements of the army, and, from this time to the close of the war, the Indians were hotly and vigorously pursued, and overtaken at the Wisconsin Heights on the 21st of July, where they were badly beaten, sixty-eight of their number being killed on the ground, and many wounded so that they died of their wounds on the march. On the 3d day of August, they were again overtaken at the Bad Ax, on the Mississippi River, and almost entirely destroyed. This battle terminated the war with Black Hawk, and its happy termination in so short a time and witli so small a loss to the whites is most certainly attributable mainly to the prompt and judicious movements of Gen. Dodge, after he acquired control of the army. It is said that old Black Hawk should have said, after the war was over, that, if it had not been for Gen. Dodge and his '- Badgers," that he could have whipped Gen. Atkinson and his " Porkeaters." and raised corn to boot.

On his own personal responsibility, he secured all the arms and munitions of war that were had for the defense of the country, both in the forts and in the field. He also procured, on the same responsibility, all the provisions that were used for the men and their families, in the forts as well as in the field. Mr. John Atchison (merchant), of Galena, who furnished these provisions, said: " Gen. Dodge, I am afraid to trust the General Government, but if you will give me your word that I shall have my pay, you shall have the provisions." The General gave his word, and the provisions were provided accordingly.

Gen. Dodge wivs not a wealthy man by any means, but his word was good for almost any amount. He also had the men in the forts mustered into service, and drew pay for the same through his influence in Congress. Had it not been for this policy of his, the country would most undoubtedly have been abandoned, for the inhabitants could not otherwise have remained here, having no means of subsistence.

Immediately after the close of the war, Gen. Dodge was appointed by President Jackson to the command of the two regiments of dragoons, for the purpose of exploring the Rocky Mountain country, visiting and holding treaties of peace and conciliation with the various tribes of Indians inhabiting that country - a very delicate and important trust, as well as hazardous; but so well did he discharge this important trust, that, at its close, the Congress of the United States voted liim a unanimous resolution of thanks, for the faithful. Judicious and prompt manner in which he had discharged the important trust confided to him.

He was three years in this service, and at its close he was appointed, by the same President, Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin, which took on its Territorial form July 4, 183(i. He continued its Executive (except two years he was Delegate to Congress), during its Territorial existence. Upon its becoming a State, he was elected one of its first Senators, Isaac P. Walker, of Milwaukee, being his colleague.

He remained in the Senate twelve years, and during that time he was regarded aa one of its most useful and influential members. As Governor of Wisconsin, his administrations were the most satisfactory to all parties, perhaps, of any of the Executives that the Territory or State has ever had.

As a man, in all the various relations of life that he has occupied, perhaps no better idea of him could be given than what was said of him by Hon. Peter Parkinson, Jr., of Fayette, at the Old Settlers' Meeting held in Darlington in 1876, in response to a toast offered upon that occasion, and we here insert it. It was as follows :

My Friknds and Kei.i.ow-Citizens: Noihing would afford me more pleasure than to respond to the toast juat read in your hearing, complimentarj to Gen. Dodge, were I competent to do so in a proper and be&t(ing manner^ but I am not. It would require a tongue more gifted and a voice more eloquent than mine to do him justice.

Gen. Dodge was no ordinary man; he was justly and fully entilled lo all that is embraced in the seniimeni - "The Citizen, the Hero and the .'<talesman." But few men. in ancient or modern times, possessed these three prominent characteristics of the great man more fully than did (ien. Dodge.

.\s a citizen, he was just, kind and obliging, discharging, with promptness and fidelity all the obligations imposed upon him, either by the customs of snoieiy or the laws of his country. He lawcd not nor wrangled with his neighbors, but lived in cordiality and friendship with all. In his disposition, he was kind-hearted and generous; in these respects, he was not unlike the eld " Hero of the Hermitage." .\ltbongh he had a bold and daring head, he had a kind and generous heart. In these respects he was, perhaps, not always understood. Some supposed, be cause he was a bold and daring man, he was necessarily harsh and cruel ; but such was not the case. I knew him well and in times of great excitement, and never knew anything like cruelty or harshness in his nature : but. on the contrary, knew many things which showed his kind and generous nature, one of which I will relate. It was at an early time in this country, when he was living with his family in a small cabin, near the present village of Dodgeville, when, on a cold November evening, jusi at night, a small boy, with a heavily loaded oi-team. was overtaken by a storm near his cabin. In the boy s own language, he coulil hardly make up his mind, whether to go in and ask Gen. Dodge if he could slay all night, or go on and run the risk of frceiing." He, however, chose the former, and went in and asked if he could slay all night. He said Gen Dodge replied and said, in a kind tone, " .My son, you see that we can scarcely take care of ourselves, but such as we have, you shall be welcome to."

He immediately sent a man to assist him in taking care of his learn. When he came in, the General conversed with him kindly and familiarly, making him, as the boy said, "feel quite at home." In the morning when he was ready to start, he asked what his bill was, when the General replied in the same kind tone, " not anylliing, my son; we do not keep people here for money." I have a remarkable instance of his kind and considerate nature in my own case. When 1 joined his squadron at the commencement of the Black Hawk war, I was a mere boy and quite a stranger lo all that were in il. Me look me into his own mess and cared for me and looked after me with the kindness of a father.

Heroism, however, I always regarded as his most prominent trait of character. This was universally accorded to him by all. I never heard any one question it in the least. Most any man can be a good citizen, and many men can be wise statesmen, but few men can be "heroes."

Heroism is a rare qualification, and but few men ever possessed it. The world's history does not furnish us with an account of many heroes. His entire military career partakes largely of the heroic character. There is a heroic tinge about all hi.s military achievements. His taking into custody the five Winnebago chiefs at the Blue Mounds during the Black Hawk war, under the circumstances, was a bold, daring act, and required the nerve of a hero to have undertaken and accomplish it. There were about as many Indians on the ground as there were of Oen.

Dodge's men, anil their niiiin army of warriors were close at hand, and just ready and greatly inclined to seize upon any pretext to join Black Hawk.

The liatile of the Pecatonica was also a bold and heroic act, when we take into consideration the disastrous and terrible effects which all the other commanders lia 1 suffered in their conflicts with the Indians under precisely the same circumstances.

His military expedition to and through the Rocky Mountains for three years among the numerous and hostile tribes of Indians in those regions was characterized by the same bold and heroic achievements that all his military movements were : so much so that, upon his reiurn to Washington after its completion, both Houses of Congress unanimously passed the most coraplimcntiry resolutions expressive of their high admiration of the heroic and satisfactory minner in which he had discliarged the high and delicate trust confided to him. These are only a few of the heroic acts of lien. Uodge which so justly stamp him with the appellation of hero.

As a statesman, the occasion will not allow me to go into a very extended review of his course. He was honest, frank and sincere, and expressed his views on all matters in a clear and convincing style when addressing the Senate of the Tnited Slates, in which august body he served twelve years, and ranked as one of its most honored and influential members.

As E.\ecutive of the Territory of Wisconsin, he was deservedly popular, and his messages and other State papers taking high rank with similar documents for their sound, judicious and statesmanlike views. From the Executive office of the Territory, he was chosen one of the first Senators of the State, a convincing proof of the high estimate which his fellow-citizens placed upon his abilities as a statesman.

In the year 1800, a few miles west of St. Louis, Mo., in the Bon Homme (gooti man's) settlement, Henry Dodge married Christiana iMcDonald, with whom he lived sixty-five yearS) and unto them were born thirteen children, nine of whom, seven daughters and two sons, grew to maturity.

Those who thus lived were named respectively, Nancy (Mrs. Ward), Louisiana (Mrs. Madden). Henry L., Augustus C, Elizabeth (Mrs. Bequette), Mary (Mrs. Dement), Sabina (Mrs. Truitt), Christiana (Mrs. Clark) and Virginia (Mrs. Hayden). This marriage took place between these parties at the respective ages of 19 and 15, four years before the tri-colored flag of Napoleon was replaced by the Star Spangled Banner of the United States, in what was then known as the Louisiana purchase. These daughters were all first-class ladies, with liberal education, and married first-class men. Henry L. was killed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by the Comanche Indians, while acting as their agent. Augustus C. now resides in the city of Burlington, Iowa, and, for high ability and sterling worth, ranks among the first men of the nation.

Besides raising and liberally educating this large family, Gen. Dodge raised and educated Dr. Lewis Lynn, his half-brother, who served as Senator from the State of Missouri, in the Senate of the United States eighteen years, and was a compeer of Thomas H. Benton, and was not less than second to that great statesman.

During the Black Hawk war. while Gen. Dodge was leading his forces against that great war chief, he was commissioned by President .Jackson as Major of the United States Army. In the following year, 1833, he was appointed by the same Old Hickory Jackson (as has already been stated) Colonel of the Thirteenth Regiment of Dragoons.

He led this regiment to Te.xas, New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, a terra incognita except to a few Indian traders and trappers, reclaimed prisoners held by the Indians, and made treaties of peace and conciliation with forty different tribes of Indians.

This expedition, however, has been adverted to in the response of Mr. Parkinson, perhaps to a sufficient extent for the purposes of this sketch, as we are necessarily compelled to be brief.

Gen. Dodge, no doubt, had the widest spread fame as an Indian fighter of any man in America. The writer of this sketch once visited him in company with an officer of the United States Navy, who had been in that service fifteen years, and, during that time, had been in nearly all the kingdoms and countries in the world ; was with Commodore Perry in his expedition around the world; was in China, Japan, Mediterranean Sea, South American Provinces, etc., etc., but he was in no country, he said, where no inquiries were made about the old Indian fighter Gen. Dodge, of Wisconsin. This officer went into the navy quite young, and, though a Wisconsin boy, he had never seen Gen. Dodge. After our visit was over, I asked him what he thought of the old Indian fighter. He replied that he was very much disappointed in him, indeed ; that he was very much more of a man. in every respect, than he expected to see ; that he was quite astonished at the extent of his knowledge of foreign countries and their principal men ; that he had never met a man who was so conversant with tl e leading men of the world as he was. It may be justly said of Gen. Dodge that he was a great reader of men. Man was his chief study and but few men knew them better. It was once said of him (by a very prominent man), in speaking of his prominent traits of character, that Gen. Dodge's most prominent trait of character was his great knowledge of men. That he never knew him to be deceived in but one maii during his long and intimate acquaintance with him. But, of all the great men with whom he was familiar (by biography), Napoleon the Great w:is his ideal man, in all matters of war and in handling an army ; was familiar with both his civil and military codes, and often quoted them. Had a great admiration for Gen. Washington, La Fayette, and all the Revolutionary sires, but no patience or sympathy with fanatics or demagogues.

When Gen. Dodge came to Wisconsin, he owned three families of negroes, numbering, perhaps, in all, fifteen persons. Upon his return from his Rocky Mountain expedition, or soon thereafter, he gave all these negroes their freedom, together with forty acres of good land, comfortably improved, with log cabin and small fruits, good team, wagon, and some farming implements and some stock, and a year's provisions to each familj'. But, alas I land, families, stock and all, are now gone, except a few straggling children.

Gen. Dodge died June 10, 1865, in Burlington, Iowa, at the house of his son Augustus C. His wife was born in Nelson County, Ky., the 2d of February, 1785, and died at Burlington, Iowa, March 30, 1865, also at the house of her son Augustus C.

Upon the death of Gen. Dodge, Lucius Fairchild, then Governor of the State of Wisconsin, caused the following Executive Order to be issued :

It is with deep regret tint I have to announce to the people <3f this State the death, at Burling'on. Iowa, on the 19th inst., of Hon. Henry Dodge, one of Wisconsin's most honored public men.

From an early day. Gen. Dodge was actively and intimately connected with the affairs of Wisconsin, in the several capacitie.i of Governor, Delegate in Congress and United Slates .Senator.

At tlie close of his .Senatorial career, he retired from public life, and to the enjoyment of a dignified and happy seclusion, which he had so well earned, by long and faithful services as a brave ami accomplished soldier, an enlightened and incomparable statesman.

Gen. Dodge was for many years recognized as one of the most distingii-ihed leaders in the nation. Too brave to be other Ihan he seemed, too honest to be a demagogue, his course was characterized by a manly independence in doing the right, which won for him the confidence of the whole people.

After a long life of rare usefulness, he has gone from our midsl ; and truly may it be said of him, that to few, indeed, has it been given to leave a fame at once so widespread and so spotless.

As a testimony of respect, the usual badge of mourning will be displayed at the several State Departments for the period of thirty days. Lucirs F.viBcim.D,

In commemoration of his public services, the Legislature of Wisconsin has directed that a marble bust of the late Gov. Henry Dodge be placed within the State capitol. The subjoined is a copy of the law :

Whereas, It has ever been an honored custom of all civilized and enlightened governments lo perpetuate the memory of their eminent statesmen, generals and philanthropists, by means of paintings and statuary, as well a through the annals of history ; and

Whereas. The State of Wisconsin has reason to be proud of the ability, the sterling integrity and the eminent services of the late Gov. Henry Dodge, and is called upon to recognize these qualities and services in some permanent and enduring way, that shall be alike creditable and honorable to the State ; and

Whereas, We believe Mr. E. I'. Knowles to possess genius and talent as a sculptor of the highest order, and that he is capable of executing a statue that shall reSect credit, both upon himself as an artist, and upon the :State of which he is a citizen ; therefore,

The act then goes on to authorize Mr. Knowles to execute the bust, of the finest m»rble, at a cost of 82,000 ; and when done to be placed in some conspicuous place in the capitol, under the direction of the Governor, the Secretary and Chief Justice of the State.

Thus it will be seen that the highest honors of the State, as well as of the people, have been conferred upon him ; and perhaps no man ever more justly deserved such honors.

Gen. William R. Smith

William Rudolph Smith, the eldest son of William Moore Smith, was born at LaTrappe, in Montgomery County, Penn., on the 31st day of August, A. D. 1787. The family removing to Philadelphia in 1792, he was placed at school under the tuition of Mr. James Little and his ushers, this being at that time the largest and best preparatory school in the city. In 1799, he was placed in the Latin school of the Rev. James McCrea, but soon afterward the whole care of his education was assumed by his grandfather, the Rev. William Smith, D. D., who received him into the old family residence at the Falls of Schuykill, where he remained under a rigid course of instruction until April, 1803. when, as private secretary, he accompanied his father to England, the latter being one of the Commissioners under the sixth article of the Jay treaty, to adjust and settle the demands of the British claimants. During their protracted residence in England, the father and son traveled much together at various times, journeying along the south coast from Dover to Falmouth, visiting all points of interest in the interior of the South and West, and making frequent and extended journeys into other parts of the Kingdom. In London tiieir time was happily spent at the houses of many friends, and particularly at the house of Charles Dilly, Queens Square, so often mentioned by Boswell in his " Life of Johnson." Mr. Dilly took a great satisfaction in showing to his guests the arm-chair in.which Dr. Johnson sat at his table, and where he enjoyed himself perhaps more than at any other house in London. It was at this hospitable table that Dr. Johnson met with and learned to tolerate the great radical leader John Wilkes. In Mr. Dilly 's house the young Secretary had the gratification to meet with the venerable Pascal Paoli, with Richard Cumberland, with a brother of James Boswell and with many of the literary celebrities and other notorieties of the day. Benjamin West, the President of the Royal Society, in his friendly attentions to the father and son, did much to repay the obligations which in early life he owed to his friend and patron Dr. William Smith.

In the house of Mr. West, in Great Newman street and in the picture gallery, young William R. Smith met and formed friendships with many of the great painters and artists of England as well as of the continent, for, in those stirring times, London was the" City of Refuge " of all classes of " Emigres " and refugees seeking safety from the whirlwind of strife, then sweeping over every country in Europe. George Cadondal, the great Vendean Chief, and Gen. Pichegrou, both afterward concerned in the attempt to assassinate Napoleon, were among the acquaintances thus formed.

These London days, teeming with recollections of Sarah Siddons, John and Stephen Kemble, of George III, the crazy old King, to whom he had been presented at court, of the Prince of Wales and Beau Brummel, and of the soldiers and statesmen who were then shaping the destiny of the civilized world, formed the solace of many an hour in after years, and incidents of this period remembered and related in his inimitable manner were the delight of three successive generations of listening friends. His father intending him for the bar, young William R. Smith, during his residence in England, commenced a preparatory course of study under the direction of Thomas Kearsley, Esq., of the middle temple, and from this period until the autumn of 1808, he was a diligent student of the law, for the first two years after his return to America, under the direction of his father and afterward in the office of James Milnor, in Philadelphia In after years, Mr. Milnor removed to New York, and, having taken orders, became a distinguished minister of the Episcopal Church.

In 1808, Mr. Smith was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia, his examiners being Richard Rush, Thomas Ross and Peter A. Browne; the Judge was Jacob Rush. The following year he removed to Huntingdon, Penn., a town laid out by his grandfather and named in honor of his friend Selina, Countess of Huntingdon.

Having entered into the practice of his profession and feeling therefore settled in life, Mr. Smith was, on the 17th of March, 1809, married to Eliza Anthony, of Philadelphia, who was descended on the father's side from the Rhode Island family of that name, and on the mother's side from Michael Hillegas, the Treasurer of the United States during the Revolution. For the ensuing eleven years, Mr. Smith led a busy life, assuming at once a leadership in his profession, and becoming extensively known as one of the profoundest lawyers in the State. In 1811, he was appointed under Walter Franklin, Deputy Attorney General for Cambria County; was reappointed to the same office by Richard Rush, and, in 1812, was again re-appointed by Jared Ingersol, the Attorney General. A boy's preference for a military career iiad impelled Mr. Smith in early life to connect himself with the Third Troop of Philadelphia Light Horse, and, whilst a member of that troop, had the satisfaction of riding the same horse which had carried his father, when a member of this same company, in the expedition to suppress the celebrated whisky insurrection. This taste for military affiiirs strengthened with advancing years, and caused Mr. Smith to make a careful study of the national defenses, and the organization of the State militia forces. He devoted a large portion of his time to the study of field tactics, and was energetic and active in the organization and drilling of the Pennsylvania Militia, in which he served in various grades up to the rank of Major General. In the war of 1812-15 with England, he was Colonel of the Sixty-second Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserves, and commanded that regiment when it was ordered to Erie to support Gen. Scott in the movement on Canada, which resulted in the victory at Lundy's Lane.

Gen. Smith was in Baltimore during the siege of that city ; he witnessed the disaster at Bladensburg, and the burning of Washington by the British. In civil life. Gen. Smith filled with distinguished ability the various offices to which he was at intervals either elected or appointed. He served in both branches of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, held many offices of civil trust and honor, and, in January, 1836, was admitted Counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States at Washington.

In January, 1820, Gen. Smith lost his wife, hei* death occurring suddenly, after a brief illness of a few hours only. Three years afterward he married again, his second wife being Mary Hamilton Van Dyke, whose family, originally from Delaware, had removed to and settled in the State of Tennessee. In 1828, Gen. Smith removed from Huntingdon to Bedford County, where he resided until the year 1837, when he was appointed Commissioner of the United States in conjunction with Gov. Henry Dodge, to treat with the Chippewa Indians for the purchase of their pineries on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The journey into the Northwest, in the fulfillment of this trust, forms an important epoch in the life of Gen. Smith. The wonderful resources of the country in everything that serves to make a nation happy, rich and great, impressed him profoundly. He saw, with the prophetic vision of a statesman, that the scepter of empire must surely pass from the East to be seized upon with firmness and permanently held by the mighty West. Instantly, almost, he resolved to be one of that earnest band of pioneers, who, turning heroically from the ease and comforts of their E:istern homes, willingly encountered all the hardships of a frontier life in order to contribute the treasures of their learning and experience to the great work of formulating the legislation and shaping the destiny of these new States of such glorious promise. His letters to his brother, Richard Penn Smith, afterward published in Philadelphia under the title of " Observations on Wisconsin Territory," are filled with glowing descriptions of this paradise for farmers. That the magic beauty of the scenery deeply touched his poetic nature, may be witnessed by the following lines, dashed off in a moment of tender recollection :

Returning to Pennsylvania. Gen. Smith, in 1838, removed his family to Wisconsin and settled in Iowa County, at Mineral Point. In 1839, he was appointed Adjutant General of the Territory of Wisconsin, by Gov. Dodge, which office he held under successive administrations for about twelve years. He also received from Gov. Dodge the civil appointment of District Attorney of Iowa County, retaining this office also for many years. In 1840, he presided over the first Democratic Convention that as.sembled at the seat of government of Wisconsin Territory, and he drafted the address sent forth by that body to the people. He was elected Secretary to the Legislative Council of Wisconsin, and, in 1846, was elected delegate to the convention to form a constitution for the State of Wisconsin. The journals of that convention show that Gen. Smith either originated or gave most earnest support to many of the legislative reforms that have since become law in Wisconsin, and have been widely adopted in other States of the Union, notably the " Homestead Exemption Law " andthe " Rights of Married Women." In 184'J, Gen. Smith was elected Chief Clerk of the Senate, and again in 1850, receiving the compliment of a unanimous vote. In 1849, Gen. Smith, together with a few other citizens interested, like himself, in collecting and preserving all matters of historical interest, formed the " State Historical Society of Wisconsin." The immediate success of the society in collecting valuable material induced the Legislature to place the institution under State patronage. A room in the capitol was assigned for the use of the society, and thereafter annual appropriations were regularly made to carry out and enlarge the work and usefulness of the institution. By a special act of the Legislature, in 18f)2, Gen. Smith was authorized to compile a " Documentary History of Wisconsin, from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time." To this work he devoted several years of his life, and two volumes of the history were published by the State in 1854. In 1856, Gen. Smith was elected Attorney General of the State of Wisconsin, and for two years he filled that office with marked ability ; then, having reached the ripe age of seventyone years, he deemed it best to retire from active professional and political life, and, for the remainder of his days, to enjoy the well-earned quiet of his home, his library, and the society of his family and intimate friends. Here, for eleven years more, he was the delight of all who approached him ; his ripe scholarship and varied information, his sparkling wit and kindly disposition, gave a charm to his conversation that will never be obliterated from the memories of those who knew him. His reminiscences of Washington and the statesmen of his day, with many incidents and anecdotes of historical interest, were related with dramatic effect. The hands of Washington had rested upon his head ; he had listened to the reading of the farewell address. He was present in the German Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, when Maj. Gen. Lee, by the appointment of Congress, pronounced the funeral oration of Washington : he was in the theater on the night when the (now) national anthem of " Hail Columbia " was first sung, and was witness to the enthusiasm with which the song was greeted ; he had seen every President of the United States, from Washington to Lincoln, and was thus in himself, almost, a history of the Republic. These, and similar recollections, endearei him to a generation that regarded many of the events in which he had been an actor as almost belonging to antiquity. In 1868, Gen. Smith, still active and in good health, made the tour of Wisconsin, visiting many of his old friends in the Northern and Eastern parts of the State. Then he proceeded to Quincy, in the State of Illinois, to visit iiis youngest daughter, Mrs. Robert II. Deaderick, residing in that city, and there, in the fullness of years, this long and brilliant life came to a quiet and peaceful close. Gen. Smith, during all his life, was an active and preeminent Freemason, passing through all the degrees of that Order from the Blue Lodge to the Royal Arch Chapter. He had been Grand Master of the State of Pennsylvania, and was several times made Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin. He had a singular love and veneration for the Order whilst he lived, and he was buried with Masonic honors in Mineral Point. Wis., on the 26th day of August. A. D. 1868. A stately Masonic monument now marks his resting-place.

Hon. Moses Meeker

Mosea Meeker was born in New Jersey in 1790. His education was received in his native State, and in 1817 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he engaged in the manufacture of white lead. While on a visit to St. Louis in 1822, he was informed of an expedition to the leadmioing region, the Fever River. Imbibing of the spirit of adventure, he disposed of his business in Cincinnati and joined fortunes with Col. Cole. At that time the journey from Cincinnati to the present site of Galena was dangerous, from the natural contour of the country and the presence of the insatiable Indian who not having ceded the raining territory, guarded it most jealously from encroachment. The journey led through a tangled wilderness, without roads or bridifes, and only after a perilous voyage did the adventurers ultimately reach their destination on the 12th of November, 1822. An exploration of the region satisfied him of the mineral wealth, and Mr. Meeker determined to embark in mining operations. He then returned to Cincinnati on horseback, and entered into a correspondence with -John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, soliciting information regarding the method of mining. This correspondence having been submitted to President Monroe, resulted in the issuance of an order, permitting Mr. Meeker to build furnaces, operate the mines and make other improvements. On receiving this order in Cincinnati, Mr. Meeker purchased a substantial keel-boat, enlisted several families, numbering forty-three persons in all, and on the 5th day of April. 1823, started for the lead regions byway of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and arrived at Galena in June of the same year. He at once commenced the building of furnaces, and in August of that year a census was taken, showing the population of Galena to be seventy-four whites and 500 Indians. The furnaces were completed in the spring of 1824, and during the first year 425 pounds of smelted ore was produced.

The disruption of business, occasioned by the Black Hawk war, caused a temporary suspension of work. During the interregnum, Mr. Meeker took a prominent part in the war, acting under a Captain's commission. After the Indian troubles had been effectually (juelled, he removed to Iowa County and commenced the erection of a blastfurnace on the Blue River. The accumulation of business absorbed his entire attention until 1842, he was elected to the Territorial Legislature, and at the expiration of his term of office was re-eleeted in 1843.

In 1846, he represented Iowa County in the First Constitutional Convention, and served in the responsible capacity of Chairman of the Committee on Internal Improvements. To his innate sense and sound wisdom, the country is indebted for the embodiments of the article governing public improvements, which alone has often prevented the Legislature from plunging the State into irretrievable debt.

He resided in Iowa County until 1854, when he removed from Mineral Point to his farm at Meeker's Grove, in La Fayette County, and withdrew from active life. In 1865, he removed to Shullsburg, where he died very suddenly of paralysis, on the 7th day of July. Dr. Meeker was a man of high moral and religious character ; he was patriotic, courageous, honest, ho.«pitable, and his house was ever the welcome asylum of the stranger and homeless.

Dr. Meeker was twice married, first in 1818 to Miss Mary R. Henry, who died in 1829, and again in 1837 in Cincinnati, to Miss Eliza P. Shackleton, who still survives. He had a large family of children, who occupy prominent social stations in the walks of life.

Among Wisconsin's distinguished men, both at a very early day and during the subsequent career of the State, for many years Judge Dunn, as he was generally known, occupied a prominent and leading position. He was born December 28, 1779, in Bullitt County, Ky., his father being a native of Dublin, Ireland, and his mother. Amy Burks, being an American, and a daughter of " Old Virginny." In his youth. Judge Dunn received only an ordinary education - his way to distinction being unheralded, either by the honors of Yale or some less pretentious college. After passing his majority, he began the study of law in the office of Worden Pope, of Louisville, in his native State, with whom he remained for a brief time, then continued with John Pope, of Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky. In 1819, he removed to Illinois, then the " Land of Lead " for large numbers of the ambitious youth of the South. Here he finished his legal studies under the tutelage of Nathaniel Pope, then one of the leading advocates of the Northwest, and United States District Judge of Illinois.

Judge Dunn was admitted to the bar in 1820, and immediately commenced the practice of his profession in Jonesboro, 111. Very soon after, he was appointed Clerk of the House of Representatives of that State, a position which he retained five years. From this time forward, almost to the end of his life, he filled a variety of eminent public stations in a worthy and serviceable manner.

In 1829, Mr. Dunn received the appointment of Acting Commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal enterprise, from Gov. Edwards, and, during this year, he, in connection with several others - official associates and interested parties - laid out and surveyed the first plat of Chicago. The Commissioners commenced the sale of lots immediately after, and, during the ensuing two years, the sales were continued. The entire amount received for lots during that time would not pay for one business lot today in the Garden City.

When the Black Hawk war broke out, in May, 1832, Mr. Dunn entered the militia service, and, being commissioned as Captain, raised a company in Pope County, 111., which he commanded during the campaign, through which he passed honorably, but not fortunately. His misfortune consisted in being shot and severely wounded by a timid sentinel, in what is now known as the town of Dunn, Pope County. While Capt. Dunn, who was officer of the day, was approaching, in company with the Sergeant and relief guard, the sentinel on post, becoming alarmed, instead of giving the usual challenge, drew up and fired at the party, striking Capt. Dunn in the groin and inflicting a wound which confined him at Fort Dixon until the close of the war.

In 1835, Mr. Dunn was elected a member of the Illinois House of Bepresentatives, and, during the session, served acceptably as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

When the Territory of Wisconsin was organized, in 1836, Mr. Dunn received the appointment of Chief Justice of the Territory, a position which he filled with credit until May, 18-48, when Wisconsin was admitted into the Union of States, and the bench was changed. His associates during that time were Judge Miller and Judge Irvin, both of whom were appointed with Mr. Dunn.

Judge Dunn was elected a member of the Convention that formed the State Constitution, and served as President pro tern, at the organization of the Convention. He also acted in the capacity of Chairman of the Judiciary Committee during the proceedings, and wielded an influence at once potent and salutary in shaping many of the organic provisions of the State law. He spoke frequently, readily, and with good judgment during the action of the Convention ; but his speeches were never long ; they were rather, brief, and to the point, and were always listened to with respect.

After the organization and admission of the State, Judge Dunn turned his attention to the practice of his profession as a lawyer, taking up his residence at Belmont, in La Fayette County, the first seat of government. Subsequently, in 1853-54, 1855-56, he represented La Fayette County in the Stite Senate, and again occupied the responsible position of Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In 1856, he ran for Congress against C. C. Washburn, and, in 1870, he was a candidate for the State Senatorship against H. S. Magoon ; but was in both instances defeated.

On the 7th day of April, 1872, at the advanced age of seventy-two years and nearly four months, and after a life of great prominence and usefulness, Judge Dunn died at the residence of his sister, Mrs. David W. Jones, in the city of Mineral Point. The bar of the Supreme Court held a meeting, and paid that respect which was due to his great worth and eminent position. The proceedings were placed on record, and may be found in the thirtieth volume of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Reports.

In politics. Judge Dunn was an ardent and outspoken Democrat ; and, being a Kentuckian, he clung instinctively to the Southern sentiment regarding slavery and State rights. When the organization of the Republican party was effected, he opposed the measures with all the ardor of his strong nature and political faith. It is said, though he was so enthusiastic in his convictions, that he was not unfair or rancorous toward his opponents ; and, as a member of the bar, was generally acceptable to the people. During the time he was on the bench, his duties were quite onerous, as the district over which he presided was the most populous and important in the Territory, and also produced the greatest amount of litigation at that time.

Socially, Judge Dunn was highly respected and well liked. He was courteous and dignified in his manners, and possessed of qualities that made him very popular with his acquaintances, and agreeable as well as instructive in conversation. At the time of his death, he was the ohlest member of the legal profession in the State, and one of the most esteemed.

The following extracts, from the report of the Supreme Court proceedings, from the resolutions adopted by the bar of the State, and from an address to the bench of the Supreme Court, by Moses M. Strong and others, will fully illustrate the character of this illustrious pioneer, and the high appreciation in which he was held by his compeers.

Retolved, That in the death of our brother, Hon. Charles Duan. the bar has lost one of its most distinguished members, the profession one of its truest friends, the public one of its ablest defenders, the State one of its most esteemed citizens, and society one of its brightest ornaments.

Renolvrd. That Charles Dunn will be remembered as a learned jurist, an able advocate, a sound exponent of constitutional principles, and a true American citizen.

Remlvfd. That in remembering his amenity of manners, his kindly forbearance and uniform courtesy, both on the bench and at the bar, we will endeavor to emulate his virtues and strive to cultivate the friendly relations and courleonsness ot professional character, both before the courts and toward each other, of which he gave such good example, and that is always praiseworthy in every member of the profession.

" It was Judge Dunn's lot in life to fill many stations, professionally and lay, executive, legislative and judicial. So far as I know or have been able to learn, these rather sought him than he them. There was a modesty in the man that was rare in his generation. I think his own estimate of his own powers was below, not above the estimate of all who knew him well, and he was a thoroughly earnest man. He filled all his offices with singular fidelity' and zeal, as if each in its turn were the chief end of his life. To say that he filled them with ability would be faint praise. He did not achieve success in them by just escaping failure. He was a faithful officer; his officers were never below him, but he was always .above them. None of them gave opportunity of showing all that he was, of calling out the strength that was in him. They were all respectable, some of them were high; but his intellect, his culture, his general capacity, towered far above every station he ever occupied. We mourn for the untried powers that die out of the world with the young. Let us mourn for the world when it suffers great powers to die, unused in its service, with the old. * * * jjg y.^^ truly a great man in a private station ; while his intellect was calm, it was solid ; while it was not brilliunt, it was comprehensive and far-reaching. It was deliberate, discriminating, clear, wise, just. I doubt if he has left among us his intellectual equal. His character was solid, strong and resolute, but not stern or harsh. His stronger qualities were softened by great sense of humor and great kindness of heart. * * * jjg ^.^g generous and trustful to a fault. * * * It is little to say that he was the soul of honor. He could not be false or mean. He did not know what treason was ; that which he believed, that which he loved, that to which he gave his faith, were part of himself. He could not desert faith, or friend, or duty, without betraying his own life. Dishonor in him would have been moral suicide."

From the remarks of Moses M. Strong : " While Judge Dunn, always as an essential part of his nature, displayed up6n the bench the suavite in modo, it was invariably accompanied with the fortiter in re. Numerous illustrations might be given, but one most remarkable, and bordering on the tragic, must suffice :

" In 1838, an atrocious murder had been perpetrated in Grant County, and a person charged with the crime was committed ro jail to await the action of the grand jury. He was brought before the Juilge upon a writ of habeas corpus, who, after a full investigation, admitted the prisoner to bail, which he obtained and was set at liberty. The inhabitants in the vicinity of the murder. were very much incensed, and assembled in large numbers, with the avowed intention of lynching the accused, who only saved his life by flight. His sureties were also compelled to leave the Territory, at the hazard of their lives. The mob, in which were some veryrespectable citizens, also passed a resolution, of which they notified the Judge that if he attempted to hold another court in that county it would be at the risk of his life.

" On the day appointed by law for holding court, the Judge appeared, as usual, without guard or escort, as calm and undisturbed as though he was entirely ignorant of the menaces of the mob, many of whom, as he knew, were in attendance. Without having spoken to any member of the court or to tlie Sheriff of the danger with which he was threatened, he took his seat upon the bench, with his accustomed quiet dignity, and ordered the Sheriff to open court. It was observed that he took with him, to liis seat, his saddle-bags, and placed them immediately by his side. This was his arsenal The firm, determined and resolute purpose of the Judge to hold that court at that time and at that place, in despite of all threats of personal violence, was 80 unmistakably developed in every lineament of his unblanched features, that all appearance of mob violence was effectually subdued. The Sheriff opened court, and its business was proceeded with in its usual orderly manner. * * * But it was neither on the bench, at the bar, in office, or in political contests, that those traits of character were developed which endeared Judge Duan most to those who knew him best. In social life, and in every-day intercourse with his friends and neighbors who knew him so well and who prized him so highly, he lived and moved, the object of the highest esteem and warmest friendship all of with whom he came in contact."

Hon. Stephen P. Hollenbeck

One of the early settlers in Iowa County was S. P. Ilollenbeck, who came to Mineral Point in 1S34, and was, from that time until 1868, considered one of the representative men of this portion of the State. The subject of this sketch was a native of Vermont, his parents, Abram and Abigail, having been residents of Richmond, Chittenden County, of that State. He was born on the 28th day of March, 1801, and after reaching manhood, having received a comraonschool education, he embraced the honorable vocation of millwright. After arriving in AViscon gin, he remained single until 1841, when he married Harriet lilair.

One peculiar and somewhat remarkable pioneer experience, m which he was engaged as the most prominent actor, is especially worthy of note, as it illustrates very fairly some of the traits for which he was most remarkable. It appears that, in 1840, the Winnebago Indians, who were then on the north side of tiio Wisconsin River, became somewhat restive, as ever becomes the Indian nature, and, contrary to treaty, made with them previous to 1840, by which their lands on this side of the river were ceded to the Government, they returned to their old tramping grounds, thus violating the conditions of the treaty; and if they did not make any very hostile demonstrations, greatly alarmed the settlers.

Orders were immediately despatched by Gov. Dodge to Mr. Ilollenbeck, instructing him to take men and go into Richland County and arrest the Indians. AVithout delay or ceremony, Mr. Ilollenbeck at once started, taking but three men to assist iiim in the arduous uiulertaking. Pushing boldly forward, they arrived at the Inilian camp, in the wilds of Richland County, about 10 o'clock at night, and then and there Mr. H. proceeded to arrest the whole band of one hundred. They (|uietly submitted to be taken, and were soon after turned over to the tender mercies of a United States Army Captain. This officer pronounceil this act of these three or four men rash and foolhardy in the extreme, and one that migiit iiave resulted vei'y disastrously.

When the State Constitutional Convention convened in 1847, Mr. HoUenbeck was selected as one of the representatives from this section of the State. Although he took no very prominent part in the proceediags, yet the record of his votes on the various propositions submitted for consideration displayed a keenness of apprehension, accuracy of information, and depth of judgment, as well as honesty of purpose, at once creditable to himself and useful to the interests of his constituents.

Subsequent to the time of the State organization, he took no prominently active part in politics, until 1855. when he was chosen a member of the Assembly. Aside from this, he held numerous import.int local offices, until 1863, when he removed to Green County. Eventually. Mr. HoUenbeck removed to Minnesota and out of the political and public arena of Wisconsin, but not beyond the reach of the remembrance of appreciative and admiring friends - friends to whom he is endeared by many useful and worthy acts, and that no time or distance can alienate.

Col. Thomas Stephens

Col. Thomas Stephens, by birth and lineage an Euglishman, but American by adoption, was born in Tavistock, Devonshire, May 3, 1815. He was, at an early age, inured to the hardships inseparable from a miner's life, but as his magnificent frame [slowly developed by time, his fine figure attracted the notice of certain court officials, who interested themselves in his behalf, and procured for him a commission in the Royal Life Guards. At Windsor Castle, his preparatory studies included the arts of fencing, broad-sword exercise, and the mv>ly art of self-defense. He evinced a remarkable aptitude in handling the sword, and, on graduating in May, 1837, he vanquished his instructor, and was thence accorded first rank in the class. During his three years' service with the Guards, he won many emoluments and encomiums, and, at the expiration of that period, his pre-eminent ability as a swordsman was acknowledged throughout the United Kingdom. Aspiring to greater deeds, he removed to the United States in 1840, and settled in the iron regions surrounding Pottsville, Penn. Here his wondrous skill was turned to profitable account, by imparting instructions to tyros, and his exhibitions elicited the warm approbation of Gen. Winfield Scott and other military authorities. Removing to Philadelphia, he taught swordmanship for two years, during which time he gained the mastery of such professionals as Prof. Newton, of Norwich University ; Prof. H. V. Morris, of the Pennsylvania Military Institute ; and N. H. Davis, Sword Master and Military Instructor of Virginia. French, German and Polish experts were alike disarmed by him. His " New Method," as taught in his Sword Manual, was the subject of approbatory testimony from hundreds of military heads, and professional and amateur fencers. Among the number. Gen. Scott and Prof. Wayne, of West Point, recommended it for the use of the United States Army. Col. Stephens was a man of noble stature, six feet two inches in height, of muscular and well knit frame, and could wield his weapons with equal facility either with the right or left hand, clianging from right to left and vice verm with a movement that defied detection. He taught fencing at West Point and New York, although his first classes were organized at Williamsport, Penn., where he also met his future wife. Miss Jane W., daughter of Isaiah Hagerraan. In 1845, Col. Stephens was attracted to the lead fields around Galena, 111., whence he visited the Lake Superior iron mines. On his return East, his marriage with Miss Hagerman was consummated, on August 5, 1847, and two days subsequently they departed on a bridal tour, extending toward their new home in Dodgeville. Soon after his arrival here. Col. Stephens built the Western Hotel, which was burned and re-built.^ In 1851, he visited California, and returned to Dodgeville for permanent settlement. In 1857, he was appointed Inspector General of the Wisconsin State Militia, and afterwanl he embarked in the real estate and loan business. At the announcement of the secession, he volunteered his services in defense of his adopted country, and went forth to the field of carnage in 1861, as Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Wisconsin Cavalry. After a brief experience of the glory of war, he returned home on sick leave. On conval- e?cing. he resumed command of his regiment, and, by distinguished bravery, augmented his hitherto renowned achievements, receiving, as marks of personal esteem, autographic acknowledgments from the leaders of the campaign. At the close of the war. Col. Stephens was presented by the Second Wisconsin Cavalry with a handsomely chased and richly mounted sword, a brace of costly revolvers, a belt, sash, spui's and other equipments, together with an oil painting of himself. His first commission as Colonel, signed by Gov. Porter, of Pennsylvania, in 1841, was granted as testimony of services rendered in suppressing riots.

Together with a brother, the subject of this sketch visited Great Britain in 1869. and while there was received with universal honors at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. The seeds of disease sown while battling for the honor and unity of his adopted home were surely germinating. In spite of the sea voyage, the delightful sojourn in his boyhood's home, and the most skillful medical care, he gradually failed, and went to his long rest July 22, 1871.

Few men enjoyed a more extended acquaintance than Col. Stephens, and his friendship once acquired bloomed with the never-fading vigor of a perennial plant. As a gentleman of liberality, wealth and honor, he was the self-constituted protector of the poor and friendless, and an orphan's appeal to him was never made in vain. As an instance of his generosity to a fallen foe, the following incident of his relations with an adversary is a powerful illustration: While in New York City, he was challenged to mortal combat by a French preceptor. The challenge was accepted, the spot was designated, and swords selected as the weapons. At the third round, the Frenchman's sword was wrenched from his grasp, and, after describing a parabola in the air, fell to the ground at some distance. The vivacious Gaul, crestfallen, with the last trace of mirth departed from his countenance, threw himself back on his horse and appealed loudly for mercy. Afterward, to testify his appreciation of his foeman's magnanimity, he gave a dinner, at which Col. Stephens presided, and carved the fowls with his host's sword, then fashioned into a carving-knife.

Hon. Henry Ji. Billings

Henry M. Billings was born at Chaghticoke, N. Y., on the 18th day of May, 1806, and passed the earlier years of his life amid home influences and home surroundings. Notwithstanding the difficulties attend ng the procuration of an ordinary education in those days, he succeeded in securing a partial collegiate and military experience. The fever of Western emigration, as is well known, became almost epidemic half a century ago, and Mr. Billings, joining in the tide that flowed hitherward in 1828, came to Galena and established liis home in that flourishing settlement. He remained here but two years, however, when he went to Centerville. Wis., where he remained nearly twenty years, actively engaged in the discharge of his duties as a man and a citizen, and receiving numerous evidences of the appreciation in which he was held by his neighbors and friends. In 1838, he was elected a member of the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin, which convened that year at Madison, and the discharge of his trust so commended him to his constituency that he was re-elected to the same position in 1839, 1840 and 1846. In the latter year, he was commissioned Colonel of Militia by Governor Dodge, and on March .5, of the same annual, he was united in marriage to Ann Broy. In 1848, he was elected State Senator from the Fifth Senatorial District, and, during the year following, became a resident of the town of Highland (now Eden) in Iowa County. In 1858, he was again elected to the General Assembly, and, in 1861, received the nomination of Lieutenant Governor on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by Edward Salomon. He was the first President of the State Agricultural Society, a prominent member of the Masonic order, and identified with reforms and the correction of abuses without regard to the source whence the same originated. He was killed by a runaway team February 6, 1862.

Hon. Elihu B. Qoodskll

Mr. Goodsell isof Iri.sh descent and was born in Sheldon, Franklin Co.,Vt. His grandfather, who was a soMier in the war of the Revolution, fell at the battle of Bennington. The maiden name of his mother was Ann Atherton, and though born at Greenfield, Mass., removed to Vermont at an early day. The subject of this sketch was born May 11, 1806; received an academic education and removed to Quincy, 111., in April, 1832, subsequently visiting Dubuque, accompanying La Claire, tite French interpreter, thither, also a Government agent, for the purpose of efficting a removal of tlie Indians from that locality. When the party arrived, there was neither a habitation nor a wiiite person on the site of the present city. From there he journeyed to Mineral Point and attended the first court which ever sat in that vicinity, finally removing to the town of Highland, and settling among the Winnebago Indians, whom he always found hospftable, kind and well-disposed. On May 4, 1846, he was married to Miss Isabella Oakes, and the same year was elected a member of the convention from the county of Iowa, serving in that body as a member on eminent domain and property of the State, taking a thoughtful, conservative and sagacious part in the deliberations of that body. Subsequent to this period, he filled the position of Postmaster and numerous town offices, and, in 1805, was elected a member of the Legislature. In 1845, he laid out the village of Ilighland for the convenience of lead miners, since when it has become the thriving center of a flourishing farming country.

One of the distinguished dead of this portion of the State was the subject of this sketch- Gen. Charles Bracken, who was born at Pittsburgh, Penn., April 6, 1797. and died at Walnut (irove. La Fayette Co., on the 16th of April, 1861, after a long and painful illness. Exposed from his earliest infancy to the toils and privations of a frontier life, the General was the embodiment of tho stern and unflinching virtues born of such an age and experience. A surveyor by profession, he removed to Cynthiana, Ky., in 1816, when he became engaged in teaching, and also upon the survey of the boundary lines between the States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. In 1814, he volunteered as a member of the Pittsburgh Blues, of which he was elected Orderly Sergeant, and marched to Baltimore, expecting to participate in the defense of that city, arriving, however, after the engagement. In March, 1820, he was united in marriage to Miss Ann Jones, a resident of Harrison Count)', Ky., and eight years later removed to Galena, where he entered the service of Clopton & Van Matre. He established what has since been known as the "Van Matre survey." In September, 1830, he was joined by iiis family, consisting of a wife and three children, and settled in Wisconsin near the county line, between La Fayette and Iowa, where he resided up to the day of his death. During the Black Hawk war, he was an ofiicer stationed at Fort Defiance and participated in the leading battles of that memorable contest, resuming mining and smelting in Rock Branch, in Willow Springs Township, La Fayette County, at its close, which he continued until 1835, when he became a speculator. In 1840, he began the manufacture of copper on Otter Creek, Willow Springs Township, and carried on extensive operations, hauling his product to Milwaukee by teams. In 1838, he became a member of the Legislature, serving in his capacity of Representative with distinguished success, and was re elected in 1856 or 1857. In 1848, his wife died at the family homestead, located on a farm about half a mile south of the place first occupied by the family after their .settlement in Wisconsin. During the latter portion of his life. Gen. Bracken was engaged ift farming, and so remained up to the time of his death. He was a prominent member of the community in which he resided, and a leading spirit in all works of public improvement, and in his several capacities of pioneer, soldier, surveyor and legislator he was brave, self-sacrificing and capable, esteemed as a friend and citizen not more than for his many noble qualities as a man one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Iowa County and a man universally respected for his unswerving integrity, died at his residence in the city of Mineral Point on Sunday morning. January 11, 1874. ' He was born at Cox'iackie, N. Y.. January 18, 1796, and was consequently within one week of his 78th birthday. In his youth he was apprenticed to the hardware business, at Troy, N. Y., in which he subsequently engaged at St. Charles, Mo., whence he moved to Sangamon, 111., and thence to the lead mines in 1829, where he became a merchant and smelter. He early identified himself with Territorial interests, and was a member of the first Legislature which convened at Belmont. During the war with Black Hawk, he revived his recollections of active service experienced in the war of 1812, receiving a Captain's commission for meritorious services in former contest, and later appointed Brigadier General of the State Militia by Gov. Dodge. His subsequent career was amid the bustle of trade and business, and in every department of life with which he was identified he honored and sustained. His home, from its first establishment in the wilderness, was a haven of rest for the foot-sore and weary ; no one ever left his door needy, and no good work lacked for his sympathy and assistance. As an upright, generous-hearted man, he was was known the State over, and in his death Wisconsin, of which he may be justly regarded as prominent among the early defenders and law-givers, sustained a loss not easily repaired.

John Falls O'Neill

Capt. O'Neill was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, coming to America when only sixteen years of age. He located at Baltimore, Md., for a short time, where he had some relatives ; but possessed of an adventurous spirit, the chances in the Far West induced him to try his fortune there, and he moved to St. Louis, Mo., where he entered one of the merchandising establishments as a clerk. He went from St. Louis to Santa Fe with one of the first overland trains that crossed the plains, probably in the year 1826, and on coming back moved to Galena, 111., where he engaged largely in lead mining and smelting. He was married at that place on the 16th of September, 1827, to Miss Mary A. Sublette, and the result of the union was thirteen children, seven of whom are dead. Mr. O'Neill was in many of the Indian wars of the time of the first settlement of Illinois and Wisconsin, took an active part in the Black Hawk war, in 1832, and there gained his title of Captain, by which he has since been known. He had a host of interesting recollections of the life among the pioneers. He was among the first who located the land on which the beautiful capital city of Wisconsin, Madison, now stands, and at one time had valuable interests there. His name will be found frequently mentioned among those who organized the territorial government of Wisconsin, ami during those stirring times he occupied many prominent positions and acquired considerable wealth. In 1849, when the gold fever broke out in California, he joined the tide across the plains, his eldest son accompanying him. He tried his fortunes in the southern mines, and for awhile resided at Stockton. Returning to the East in 1851) he started across the plains in the spring of 1852, with his family, arriving in American Valley, California, in the fall, where he engaged quite extensively in merchandising and packing, at one time owning a pack-train of 100 mules. He removed his family to Marysville in 1856, but returned to American Valley in 185!'. and made his permanent home there until the date of his death, which occurred on May 9, 1880.

Capt. O'Neill was one of the school of old-time gentlemen, now rapidly passing away. His cordial greeting, the polite military salute which was invariably tendered to his friends on meeting them, will long be remembered. His life proved to be a striving, active one, and but few men have had more thrilling and varied experiences.

Col. Daniel M. Parkinson

This distinguished Western pioneer was the sixth son of Peter Parkinson, an enterprising Scotchman who emigrated to America at a date unknown to his family, and settled in East Tennessee. His mother was Mary Morgan, the sister of Gen. Daniel Morgan, of Revolutionary fame. Col. Parkinson was born in Carter County, East Tennessee. October 20, 1790, and his father dying when the subject of this sketch was but two years old, he grew to manhood in a wilderness inhabited by roving bands of hostile and friendly Indians. In 1822, he settled in Sangamon County, 111., having previously resided a brief period in Madison County the same State, and White County. Tenn., where he engaged in farming, and was in all respects a prudent husbandman. In October, 1827, he removed to New Diggings. La Fayette Co., Wis., where he remained two years, when he again removed to Mineral Point, where he built the third house erected in that place and conducted a tavern and billiard-room. Previous to his settlement in the Territory, he won and married Miss Elizabeth Ilyder, a native of Tennessee, and one of the most accomplished la<lie3 of her time (in whose veins flowed the blood of the Hampton family, she being first cousin to Gen. Wade Hampton, during the war commander of " Hampton's Legion" in the Confederate service, and at present United States Senator from the State of South Carolina), who bore him all his children, but two of whom survive I^eter Parkinson, Jr., a prominent and universally esteemed resident of La Fayette, and William Parkinson, of Iowa.

Col. Parkinson was Captain, Major and Colonel successively of Territorial militia and Lieutenant in the Winnebago war, also commanding the fifth volunteer company under Gen. Dodge in the Black Hawk war. Under the Territorial form of government, he was a Representative from the district embracing what is now Iowa, La Fayette, Grant and, Richland Counties in the Legislature convened at Belmont in October, 1836; of that which convened at Burlington in 1838, and was also a member of the first and second sessions of the third Legislative House of Representatives of 1840, 1841 and 1842, in addition having often served as a member of the Board of Supervisors. In 184G, he was elected to represent the county of Iowa in the Constitutional Convention, in which body he served on the Committee on Militia, and was a member of the State Legislature of 1849.

Mr. Parkinson passed through all phases of pioneer life in Tennessee, Illinois and Wisconsin. When he settled in Illinois in 1822, the country was still new, houses were built, corn picked and husked, (piltings, harvestings and threshings, etc., all done at meetings of settlers. These meetings were interspersed with rude music, dancing, wrestling, horse-racing, and it may be supposed without off'ense to the imagination that they had their bowls of whisky punch as well, though Mr. Parkinson was a temperance man, and taught temperance in his family with such success that his three sons never knew the taste of liquors. Limited in education, but possessed of a mind disciplined by reflection and keen observation, he quoted no authorities to sustain his position in debate, relying upon his own convictions for correctness. Physically, he was a perfect Hercules, over six feet six inches in height, and built in proportion. As friend, neighbor and citizen, none could be better ; his kindness and hospitality were proverbial and bounded only by his ability to extend them. He lived to see the fruition of success attending the undertakings commenced when the West was a wilderness, and on the 1st day of October, 1868. at his residence in La Fayette County where he was attended by his son Peter Parkinson, Jr., he joined his comrades who had preceded him to their final rest across the Beautiful River. He lived in the companionship of such men ns Gen. Henry Dodge, Col. John Moore, Col. Ebenezer Brigham, Col. William S. Hamilton, Gen. Charles Bracken, Judge J. ^V. Blackstone, Col. Abner Nichols, Col. James Morrison, Col. Levi Sterling, Maj. James P. Cox and Maj. J. B. Terry, all now deceased, but who in their lifetime laid the foundation of Empire in Southwestern Wisconsin. In influence, weight of character and sincerity of purpose, Daniel M. Parkinson was the peer of any man, and unborn generations will rise up in coming years to bless the memory and do honor to the name of him who is the subject of this brief sketch.

Hon. Thomas Jenkins

Thomas Jenkins was born in South Carolina in March, 1801, where he secured an education in the elementary branches obtained when not providing for the cultivation of his plantation. After resi<ling for some years in the States of South Carolina, Alabama and Missouri, he removed to Wisconsin, in 1827, and settled at Dodgeville. During the Black Hawk war, he served under Gen. Dodge, and was wounded at the battle of the Pecatonica. In 1833, he was married to Minerva Young; and, as a member of the Committee on Powers, Duties and Restrictions of the Legislature in the Constitutional Convention, he exerted a marked influence, and honored the position he was appointed to fill. In 1849, he removed to California, accompanied by his family, where his wife died the following year, and whence he removed to New Mexico,, in 1864, with his two sons. He died in 1866.

Hon. Levi Sterling

Hon. Levi Sterling was born in Woodford County, Ky-, January 2, 1804. He came to Galena in March, 1828, and in May following located in the neighborhood of Mineral Point. He was, in 1830, appointed Deputy Clerk of the United States District Court, and County Court of Iowa County ; and during the Indian war of 1832, served as a Lieutenant in Capt. Francis Gehon's company, under Col. Dodge. In 1833, he was appointed by Gov. Porter, of Michigan Territory, Sheriff of Iowa County, and at the same time discharged the duties of Marshal of the United States District Court for the counties of Crawford and Iowa, a district of country then embracing the whole of the present limits of Wisconsin, excepting the old county of Brown.

In 1834, he enumerated the inhabitants of his district, which then contained 3,443, Crawford County having 810, and Iowa 2,633, while Brown contained 1,957, making but 5,400 white inhabitants in that part of Michigan Territory now comprising Wisconsin.

In 1836, Mr. Sterling resigned the Shrievalty, and was the same year elected Sergeant at Arms of the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory, which met at Green Bay in January ; and when, the same year, Wisconsin Territory was organized, he was appointed Auctioneer of Iowa County. He was elected Transcribing Clerk of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, at the session held at Burlington in June, 1838, and was the same year appointed one of the Commissioners to relocate the half-breed Indian lands, reserved by the Winnebagoes under the treaty of 1829. He was also, in 1838, chosen a member of the Legislative Council from the county of Iowa for the term of four years. He took his seat at the first session held in Madison in November of that year. He served in the Council five sessions, including two extra sessions, and resigned in 1841. He was in that year appointed by the President Receiver of Public Moneys of the ^Mineral Point Land District.

He was elected Sheriff of Iowa County in 1846, and re-elected to the same office in 1848. In 1850-51, he served a term in the State Senate ; in 1851, he was appointed a Deputy Surveyor of the United States Lands by the Surveyor General of Iowa and Wisconsin ; and in 1852, he was again chosen for a term of two years in the State Senate. He was again elected Sheriff of Iowa County in 1854; and, in 1857, he was appointed by Gov. Bashford a Commissioner, in conjunction with ex-Gov. L. J. Farwell and Hon. John P. McGregor, for the location and erection of the Wisconsin State Hospital for the Insane.

Col. Sterling served creditably in the late war. This long list of public services attest the worth and popularity of the man, whose ambition, with his natural modesty, probity and industry, seems to have been directed to serving faithfully those who confided important trusts to him ; and to have done this for so long a series of years, is in itself high praise, and must carry with it ample satisfaction. Col. Sterling died October 16, 1868, leaving three daughters and one son.

Capt. William Henry

Mr. Henry was born in Colchester, Conn., April 10, 1784. He was a son of John Henry, a native of Ireland, and Nancy Gordon, a native of Connecticut. He received a common-school education in the State of New York, and when quite young began life as a clerk in a mercantile establishment. Upon the breaking-out of the war of 1812, he enlisted, and, on the 12th of March of that year, received his commission as Second Lieutenant of Artillery in the army of the United States. At the close of the war he resigned his commission, and shortly after started for the West. He left Cherry Valley, N. Y., in October, 1817, and located at Vincennes, Ind., where he remained about two years, engaging in the mercantile business. In 1819, he left Vincennes and went to St. Genevieve, Mo., where he remained until early in 1821, when he removed to St. Louis, and, in February of that year, purchased a steam saw-mill. Here he did a good business until the mill was burned in the winter of 1823. In 1822, Mr. Henry returned to New York and married Miss Rachiel McQuigg, at Oswego, in that State,- bringing his bride to St. Louis. In the spring of 1824, he, with his wife and son, William T.

Henry, then one year old, started for the lead region, arriving in Galena, 111., early in May. Here he engaged in the mercantile and lead-smelting business with M. C. Corastock, then a prominent citizen of Galena. After retiring from this business a short time after, he was employed as clerk in the office of Thomas C. Legate, Superintendent of the United States Lead Mines, and was subsequently under Lieut. Martin Thomas in the same capacity. At the breaking-out of the Winnebago war in 1827, there being no courts of justice, nor military forces, it became necessary for the people to organize for personal protection. Forthwith a meeting of the citizens of Galena was held and a committee of safety appointed, of which Capt. Henry was chosen Chairman. He gave his whole time gratuitously from the 4th of July, 1827, until October 80, often making trips to Prairie du Chien and Fort Winnebago, now Portage City. In 1832, at the beginning of the Black Hawk war, he was appointed Sutler to the forces under Gen. Scott, continuing in this capacity through the war, and afterward with the rangers, who patroled the Indian country until 1833. In the fall of this year, he located at Dodgeville and opened a small store; and August 27, 1834, he was appointed the first Postmaster of the village. In the fall of 1833, he fitted out Isaac Tower with a stock of goods, and sent him from Galena to Lake Koshkonong with four four-horse teams to trade with the Indians. This proved a most successful venture, as in the spring the expedition returned laden with valuable furs which, being sold in New York City, brought the magnificent sum of §10,000. In October, 1834, Mr. Henry removed to Mineral Point and opened a large stock of goods in a building located near Jerusalem Spring, and August 9, 1836, he was appointed Postmaster of Mineral Point, serving in this capacity until 1841, when he was succeeded by I. T. Lathrop. He retired from the mercantile business in 1837, and for many years served his numerous friends as Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, Register of Deeds, etc. He died at Mineral Point February 12, 1853. He left four sons - William T. Henry (lawyer and banker. Mineral Point), Francis Henry (now Judge of Probate, Olympia, W. T.), Rufus W. (died at Olympia in May. 1870, aged forty years), George Henry (now at Oakwood, D. T.). Capt. Henry was personally known to almost every one in Iowa County, and it may be safel}' said no man had more friends or fewer enemies than he. There was somethini: in his nature that attracted men and women to him with an irresistible force, and bound them to him in friendship as with bands of steel. He was a man of great perseverance, genial, whole-souled, hospitable, generous to a fault and kind to the last degree.

of Messer Grove, Iowa County, died at his residence on the 1st day of October, 1855, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. He was born in Franklin County, Penn., one of the frontier counties of that State, in the year 1788. Mr. Smith may thus be said to have been a pioneer from his very birth. He eventually married and removed to Ohio, where he remained until he came to Wisconsin in 1827, and located at Mineral Point. Here he built himself a house, and for several years was engaged in mining, then the principal pursuit of the inhabitants of the Territory. He was not intended for a miner, however, and as soon as circumstances would permit, being bred a farmer, he selected a beautiful farm in one of the rich valleys of Iowa County, and from that time busied himself principally in the cultivation of the fertile soil. But Messersmith, as well as all the settlers on the frontier at that early period, suffered much from the Indian wars, until the defeat and capture of Black Hawk in the year 1832. Much improvement, therefore, in the cultivation of the soil or the raising of form-stock was rendered almost impossible, nevertheless the Messersmith farm steadily improved, and is to-day one of the finest homesteads in Iowa County. During the Black Hawk war, he and his sons fought with bravery. He was a practical farmer, and having a good English education, and being possessed of sound judgment, he became a most useful citizen, and for many years was called upon to serve his fellow-citizens in the various capacities of civil magistrate and dispenser of justice, as well as the official superintendent of the financal affairs of the county. The death of so popular a citizen was deeply mourned by his many friends and relatives. He raised a large family of children, and had the pleasure of seeing his sons fill responsible positions among his fellow-raen. In every position, public or private, his career has been without stain or reproach ; his honestv and integrity ever being far above either calumny or suspicion, his record in all senses having been honorable, useful, and worthy of commemoration as an example to the future.

Robert S. Black

One of the noted pioneers of Iowa County was Robert S. Black, who was born in the city of Londonderry, Ireland, and died at his home in Dodgeville on the 28d of October, 1872, aged ninety-three years. He came to America when quite young, the first years of his life in this country being spent in Philadelphia and Charlestown. He came to Mineral Point, Wis., more than fifty years ago, when the Territory was a vast wilderness containing but few settlements. He rendered valuable service in the Black Hawk war, being noted for his nerve and bravery, and more than once he was the only man willing to risk his life in carrying important dispatches through a country infested by savage Indians and wild beasts, with no other path or guide than his faithful compass. He participated in the battle of the Bad A.x, when the celebrated chief, Black Hawk, was taken prisoner, and his followers routed. After the termination of the Indian war, Mr. Black was engaged in commercial pursuits at Mineral Point, where, owing to his genial disposition and business talent, he' met with flattering success. He eventually married a Mrs. McArttiur, a half-sister of Gov. Henry Dodge, and is remembered as being the hostess of the first hotel at old Belmont, the first capital of Wisconsin. Mr. Black subsequently removed to Dodgeville, where he engaged in merchandising until his death. He is universally remembered as a fine humorist and great story-teller. It is said he could keep an audience convulsed with laughter for hours, with iiis well-told anecdotes and reminiscences of his early frontier life. M^. Black was known through life as a warm-hearted, whole-souled, honest man. He may be truly regarded as an example of bravery and generosity, always ready to sacrifice not only his own interests, but even his life for the preservation of his friends. In early times, he carried messages through an uninhabited and wild region filled with innumerable dangers and privations, and let it be said in his favor that he has accomplished as many brave deeds as almost any other man in Wisconsin. On a beautiful day in October, of 1872, as the autumn leaves were falling thick and fast, the spirit of Robert S. Black shook off its mortal coil and winged its flight to eternity. Thus passed away from earthly cares a man who was ever a valued member of society, honored and respected by all who knew him.

Judge L. M. Strong

Leuman Masten Strong was born in Orange County, Vermont, October 24, 1803. He was left an orphan in infancy, and taken in charge by a childless old couple in the neighborhood, with whom he lived until his marriage to Miss Nancy Griswold, on the 7th day of March, 1824. By this marriage he had seven children, five of whom are still living - one daughter residing in Quincy, 111., and one daughter and three sons in the State of Iowa. Mr. Strong removed to Ohio shortly after his marriage, where most of his children were born, and where lie lost his wife, who died on the 2oth day of March, 183.'). Mr. Strong subse(|uently removed to Iowa, and was one of the pioneers of Linn County, erecting the fir-tt house where the present beautiful village of Marion now stands. He was married to Miss Mary Gabbert on the 30th day of October, 1837, by whom he had three children, two of whom died in infancy, and the third, Mr. Orville Strong, is now engaged in banking business at Dodgeville. Mr. Strong was for many years a Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner of Linn County. In 1848, he became attracted to the lead-mine region and locateil at Highland, this county, settling near the old Corwith furnace. For several years, he engage<l in fanning and teaming between Highland and Galena. He filled the positiotis of Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk and Postmaster of Highland for several years, and represented the Northern District of the county in the I/Cgislature of 1852. About this time, he was admitted to the bar, and continued in the practice of the law during the remainder of his life. In 1854, he was elected County Judge, and re-elected in 1857, holding the office eight years. He was again chosen County Judge in 1865, which office he held at the