Sauk County, Wisconsin - The whole text, 1918 (part 17 of 20)

Mr. Thomas Morley grew up on his father's old farm, was educated in the public schools, and in passing years has acquired a fine estate of his own in Excelsior Township, consisting of 130 acres. He devotes this to general farming and stock raising. He has served as a member of the school board and is an active republican.

In 1890 Mr. Morley married Miss Addie Crater. She was born at Reedsburg in Sauk County, daughter of Levi Crater! Mr. and Mrs. Morley have eight children : Ralsa ; Sidney, who died in infancy ; Reuben, Pearl, Eva, Alice, Lena and Rose.

George T. Horkan is one of the live and enterprising business men of Reedsburg, being member of the firm Siebert, Horkan, Verthein & Company, proprietors of what is known as the Daylight Store.

Mr. Horkaji was born in Dellona Township of Sauk County October 27, 1884, a son of George and Bridget (Davenport) Horkan. His father, who was born in Canada in 1841, has long been prominently identified /with Sauk County affairs, and further reference to his career will be found on other pages.

George T. Horkan grew up on his father's homestead, attended the local schools and the Reedsburg High School, and early chose a business career. For a year and a half he was an employe of the Kelley Mercantile Company of Reedsburg. In 1904 the present firm was organized, with him as an active partner, and they bought out the Kelley Store and Mr. Horkan has been an active factor in its management and development ever since.

In matters of politics he is independent. He and his family are Catholics and his fraternal affiliation is with the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Horkan married in June, 1908, Miss Helena Walsh, of Reedsburg. They have one daughter, Mary C.

Henry Grote. Among the men who have contributed to the agricultural development of Sauk County and who have now passed to their reward was the late Henry Grote, who for many years was the owner of a farm located 1^ miles from Reedsburg in the township of the same name. When he first came to this locality, not long after the Civil war, in which he had fought valiantly as a soldier of the Union, he settled on a property which was almost totally unimproved, and during the years that followed, through industry and steadfast effort, he succeeded in the development of a valuable farm and in establishing^ himself thoroughly in the confidence of the community as a reliable and useful citizen. In 1911 he retired from agricultural labors and took up his residence at Reedsburg, where his death occurred in 1915.

Mr. Grote was born at Hobenbernsdorf, Germany, and was a young man when he immigrated to the United States. His residence in Sauk County began in 1859, when he secured employment on the farm of a Mr. Coddington in Reedsburg Township, for whom he continued to work until he entered the army, enlisting February 22, 1862, in Company A, Nineteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. With this organization he participated in numerous engagements, including- the bloody battle of Fair Oaks, and when he received his honorable discharge at Richmond, Virginia, August 5, 1865, he had an excellent record as a brave and faithful soldier. Returning to Sauk County, he became the owner of a farm in Excelsior Township, and in 1867 was married. About three months after this event he sold his Excelsior Township farm and moved to Reedsburg, soon thereafter purchasing a farm II/2 miles from town, in Reedsburg Township. About ten acres of this property had been cleared and Mr. Grote made an additional clearing upon which to erect his home and other buildings, following which he settled down to the serious business of developing a productive and paying farm. In this effort he succeeded admirably, becoming one of the township 's skilled and successful farmers. After his first home was destroyed by fire he built another residence, and as the years passed and he accumulated more means he added to his buildings, improvements and equipment.

He continued to be engaged in general farming and stock raising operations until March, 1911, when he retired from active work and moved to Reedsburg, where he purchased a comfortable home at No. 433 North Locust Street. Here his death occurred November 7, 1915, and here his widow still resides. Mr. Grote was a republican in his political sympathies and support and took an active part in local affairs, being for several years chairman of the township board of Reedsburg. His standing in the community was that of an honorable and substantial man, honest in his engagements and faithful in his friendships. A supporter of good movements, he was also one of the founders of St. Peter's Church, of which he and his wife were faithful members.

On October 13, 1867, Mr. Grote was married to Miss Dorothea Huebing, who Avas born September 6, 1849, in Germany, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Harms) Huebing. The parents of Mrs. Grote came to the United States in October, 1861, and located in Westfield Township, Sauk County, where Mr. Huebing worked on a farm until he had accumulated sufficient means with which to purchase a property of his own in Reedsburg Township. His first residence was a log house, but after he had cleared and improved his farm he erected more commodious buildings. In the evening of life this reliable citizen and substantial farmer moved to Reedsburg, where his death occurred in January, 1913, when he was eighty-six years of age, Mrs. Huebing having died aged eighty years, November 25, 1902, while living on the farm in Reedsburg Township with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Grote. Mr. and Mrs. Huebing had the following children : Dorothea, now Mrs. Grote ; Catherine, who is the widow of Bernhard Conerus ; William, who is the owner of the family homestead in Reedsburg Township ; Henry ; and Annie, who is the wife of Fred Schutte, of Reedsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Grote became the parents of seven children : Levi, who died at the age of twelve years ; Bertha, who is the wife of John Sherhorn, of Reedsburg; William, resident of Reedsburg; Albert, twin of William, who died in infancy ; Pauline, who is the wife of Charles Bodenstab, a lawyer of Chicago ; Otto, who owns the Grote homestead in Reedsburg Township ; and Walter, who is employed at the sheet metal works at Gary, Indiana.

Mrs. Catherine (Huebing) Conerus, sister of Mrs. Henry Grote, was born February 17, 1857, in Germany, and was married March 10, 1880, to Bernhard Conerus, who was born May 1, 1851, at Wittmund, Hanover, Germany. He was a son of Herman Martin and Frances (Harkens) Conerus, both of whom died in Germany. They had two children : Gerhardt and Bernhard. Bernhard learned the blacksmith trade in his youth, and in 1870 immigrated to the United States and located in Dane County, Wisconsin, subsequently moving to Ableman, Sauk County, and in 1878 to Reedsburg, where he followed his trade until his death, September 9, 1884. He was a republican in politics, and he and his wife were members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Mrs. Conerus is now the owner of a comfortable home at No. 431 Vine Street, Reedsburg. To Mr. and Mrs. Conerus there were born two children : Arnold Martin and Bernhard Henry, the latter born April 22, 1883, died in July, 1895. Arnold Martin, born at Reedsburg, May 26, 1881,, was educated in the public and high schools, and is now a jeweler and optician of Elroy, Wisconsin. He married Caroline Schultz, of Reedsburg, and has two children, Tevna Catherine and Caroline Velma.

George Young. One of the substantial citizens of Sauk County is George Young, who is a member of an old settled family in the neighborhood of Reedsburg, and whose extensive farm and stock operations have given him much prominence here. He was born on his present farm in Reedsburg Township, January 23, 1866. His parents were W. Henry and Lydia (Dewey) Young.

W. Henry Young was born in Montgomery County, New York, May 10, 1824, and was a son of John C. and Hannah (Dingman) Young, who, when he was ten years old, moved to Otsego County, New York, and he lived there until 1847. In that year W. Henry Young went to Jefferson County, New York, and from there in 1854, came to Wisconsin and settled at Reedsburg and lived there until in July, 1856, he moved on the farm which is now the property of his son, George Young. He was a man of consequence in Sauk County, serving as district clerk for sixteen years, for four years was supervisor of Reedsburg Township and for one year was chairman of the town board. Mr. Young fell heir to eighty acres of his land and later bought 120 acres, and in the course of time made many improvements. He lived to an unusual age, ninety years and eighteen days, passing away in 1914. He was twice married, first in January, 1^56, at Reedsburg, to Adaline Crawford, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of James Crawford, and died July 10, 1861. Two children were born to this marriage, Clarence and Howard. Mr. Young's second marriage took place on December 17, 1863, to Lydia Dewey, who was born at Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and is a daughter of Henry and Mary A. Dewey. She resides at Reedsburg, where she has a wide circle of friends. Three children were born to this marriage: George, Charles, who is deceased, and Winnie F.

George Young was educated in the public schools and after completing his studies in the high school at Reedsburg assumed the duties and responsibilities he has borne ever since, these including operating a 200-acre farm, and since 1892 he has been a breeder of pure strain Holstein cattle. At the time of writing he has twenty head, fine animals that would undoubtedly bear off many prizes if exhibited. All his agricultural industries are well directed, Mr. Young being a very capable business man, and he is credited with much enterprise in his efi'orts to improve the standard of stock generally through the county.

INIr. Young was married in 1897 to Miss Gertrude Mason, who was born in Ohio, and they have five children : Helen, Ethel, Vera, Henry and Emma. Mr. Young is an important factor in the democratic party in this section. He has served as township clerk for sixteen years. Personally he is held in high esteem as an honorable and upright man, one who is ever ready to do his part in protecting and promoting the best interests of the section in which his family has been favorably known so long.

Mr. Weidenkopf was born on the old homestead of the family in Sumpter Township April 7, 1872. The 'homestead was the northeast quarter of section 22. His parents were John and Florentina (Gossenschmidt) Weidenkopf. His father was born near the River Rhine in Germany in 1822, while the mother came from the famous Schwartzwald or Black Forest district, w^here she was born in 1826. John Weidenkopf came to America and located in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1842, and some years later married there, his wife having come to America several years after him. Her father, John Gossensehmidt, maternal grandfather of George Weidenkopf, was a man of exceptional attainments. He learned the trade of blacksmith, afterwards took up veterinary surgery, and finally ac(iuired a thorough knowledge of medicine in the old country. On coming to America he located in Ohio, lived with his daughter, ]\Irs. John Weidenkopf, and subsequently came to Sauk County and practiced his profession here for two years. He doctored many of the early families. His death occurred in 1866.

John Weidenkopf enlisted for service in the Mexican war with the Fifteenth Ohio Regiment and was in service until that brief but decisive conflict was ended. For his service the Government gave him a land warrant, and in 1852 he located it in Sauk County, in Sumpter Township. His first place was 160 acres but in 1864 he moved to the old homestead above noted. The first home of the Weidenkopf family in Sauk County was a house of hewed logs, 22 by 26 feet in ground dimensions, and being twelve feet high furnished a story and a half of room. That building is still a landmark in the county and still in use. The property was in the family ownership until 1907. On this farm, which he had brought to a high state of development John Weidenkopf died in the spring of 1890. His widow passed away at Baraboo in June, 1906. They were the parents of nine children. Minnie, who died in 1893, was the wife of A. F. Herfort. John, Jr., lives at Badger, South Dakota, where he was a pioneer settler in 1879. Caroline is the wife of Paul Herfort, of Baraboo. Charles lives at Highland, South Dakota, where he was a homesteader in 1879. Mary is the wife of Jerry Coughlin, of Baraboo. Elizabeth, the first of the family born in Sauk County, is the wife of John Franklin, of Baraboo. Josie married Emil Reinke, and they live at Portland, Oregon. Julia is the wife of Oscar Altpeter, of Baraboo.

Mr. George Weidenkopf, the youngest of the family, grew up on the old homestead farm and acquired his education in district school No. 7. He finely acquired the homestead and worked it as a practical farmer until he sold the property in 1907 and moved to Baraboo. At the county seat he has conducted a successful real estate and loan business and is a member in good standing of the AA^isconsin Association of Real Estate Brokers.

Mr. Weidenkopf lives at 714 Eighth Street, and has a good home and grounds of an acre and a quarter. In politics he is a democrat, having cast his first vote for Bryan in 1896. He is affiliated with the' Modern Woodmen of America.

October 26", 1898, ]\Ir. Weidenkopf married Miss Blanche Hoover, of 'Sumpter Township, a daughter of Martin Hoover and a granddaughter of John Hoover, one of the real pioneers of Sauk Prairie. Mr. and Mrs. Weidenkopf have two children, Vane Hoover, born October 9, 1902; and Arlene born December 30, 1904.

Henry W. Meyer. The connection between the growth and development of the interests, industries and institutions of a community and its agricultural affairs implies so close a relation that it cannot be lost sight of by the intelligent observer. Unless the farms are prosperous and the farmers progressive the community will not grow. Therefore, the men who are engaged in the tilling of the soil are very important factors in the scheme of things, and their lives are connected indissolubly with the history of their localities. Accordingly, in writing of Sauk County, and particularly of Reedsburg Township, mention should be made of Henry W. Meyer, who is successfully engaged in farming, stock-raising and dairying, and whose progressive methods and good business management have assisted in building up his county 's prestige.

Henry W. Meyer was born November 5, 1869, in Germany, a son of August and Maria Meyer, the latter of whom died in Germany in 1885. Three years later the father, with his children, immigrated to the United States, his first settlement being at Nicollet, Nicollet County, Minnesota, where he remained nine years. In 1897 he came to Sauk County, Wisconsin, then returned to Minnesota for a time, only to again come back to Sauk County, where he made his home with his son and died in 1906, aged eighty-one years. There were four children in the family, namely : August, who is deceased ; Maria ; Henry W. ; and William.

Henry W. Meyer received the greater part of his education in the schools of Germany, and was nineteen years of age when he accompanied the family to the United States and located at Nicollet, Minnesota, where he attended school for two months. Mr. Meyer first came to Sauk County in 1893, bringing with him a capital of $500, which he invested in a farm of eighty acres. This land he put under a good state of cultivation, making numerous improvements and erecting substantial buildings, and in 1904 was able to sell this property at a good figure. In that year he bought 120 acres of land in Ironton Township, which he still owns and upon which he carried on operations until 1914, when he bought his present farm in Reedsburg Township, a property 130 acres in extent. Immediately upon locating upon this tract Mr. Meyer began to improve his surroundings, and ere long had impressed his progressive spirit and industry upon the buildings and equipment of the place. He made improvements upon a number of the structures and in 1917 erected a handsome and commodious residence, modern in every particular and attractive in appearance. As a farmer Mr. Meyer has won success through his industry and able business judgment, and in addition to raising the standard crops of the locality has met with prosperity in the breeding of Holstein cattle and in his dairy work, in which he milks twenty-two cows. He is a man who has the respect of those with whom he has been connected in business enterprises, and his integrity in this direction, as in others, is unquestioned. In civic affairs he has taken an interest in all that pertains to the welfare of his community, and while residing in Ironton Township served as a member of the board of school directors for several years. His political support is given to the republican party. With Mrs'. Meyer and their children he attends the Lutheran Church.

Mr. Meyer was married in 1901 to Miss Ida Thiemann, of Reedsburg, daughter of W. A. and Dora (Von der Ohe) Thiemann, the former deceased and the latter a resident of Reedsburg Township. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Meyer : Paul, Emma and Olga.

Andrew Nelson. One of Sauk County's substantial citizens is Andrew Nelson, a successful general farmer in Excelsior Township. He was born at Kongsberg, Norway, December 28, 1846, and his parents died in that country.

Andrew Nelson attended the public schools in his native land. In 1866 he came to the United States and went to work for farmers in Columbia County, Wisconsin, near Kilbourn, and also worked along the IMississippi River and spent one summer at Dubuque, Iowa. In 1872 he bought 160 acres of wild land in Excelsior Township, Sauk County, and has cleared seventy acres and made excellent improvements. In addition to general farming Mr. Nelson raises high grade Durham cattle. A republican in politics, he has always been loyal to party and friends but has never been willing to accept public office. He is a member and liberal supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church of North Freedom.

In 1871 Mr. Nelson was married to Mrs. Sophia (Halversen) Hartwig, who was born in Norway and died in Sauk County, March 2, 1916, when aged seventy-six years. She came from Norway to Dane County, Wisconsin, with her parents when four years old. They died in the Moe settlement at Newport, near Kilbourn, Wisconsin. Her first marriage was to Morton Hartwig, and they had two children : Julius, who is state chemist for INIinnesota, having filled that office for sixteen years and resides at St. Paul ; and Isaac, who died when aged nine years.

To Mr. and Mrs. Nelson two sons were born :' Carl Morton, who resides with his father and operates the home farm; and Tunis Norman, who resides at Gays Mills in Crawford County, Wisconsin. He married Grace IMcCuUough, and they have two children : Max and Claire.

Morton Hartwig was a son of Isaac Hartwig, who was one of the pioneers of Sauk County. When the Civil war came upon the country Morton Hartwig entered the Union army and was a brave soldier. He died in a military hospital in the City of St. Louis, Missouri.

Edward Krueger. Few farms in Sauk County are better improved than the one owned by Edward Krueger, which is situated in Reedsburg Township, a part of it being the old Krueger homestead, which was purchased by his father, the late Edward Krueger, more than forty years ago. Edward Krueger, the younger, was born at Reedsburg, October 4, 1872. His parents were Edward and Minnie (Schroeder) Krueger,

The elder Edward Krueger lived in Germany until he was thirtyone years old, in the meanwhile serving for four years in the German army. When he came to the United States he located in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he remained for twelve years. He had left his parents in Germany and when his father died there he sent for his mother and he cared tenderly for her until her death. Mrs. Wilhelmina Krueger was born October 31, 1805, and died on the farm which her grandson, Edward, now owns December 31, 1895. Edward Krueger came to Reedsburg when forty-three years old and resided in the village for four years and during this time put up the first brick building in the place. He was in the bakery and saloon business with a Mr. Rheneke. In 1877 he traded his Reedsburg interests for a farm of eighty acres in Reedsburg Township and moved on the property, M^hich he subsequently improved. In 1903 he moved back to Reedsburg and his death took place there in August, 1910, when he was aged eightythree years.

At the age of forty-five years Edward Krueger was married to Minnie Schroeder, whose people had come from Germany and settled at Wonewoc, Wisconsin, and she died at Reedsburg, February 3, 1916. They were the parents of the following children : Laura, who was born November 7, 1871, is the wife of Charles Krohn, of Reedsburg ; Edward ; Henry, who was born July 10, 1874, resides at Clayton, Wisconsin; William, who was born March 30, 1876, lives at Port Edwards, Wood County, Wisconsin ; Herman, who was born April 5, ^1878, lives in Michigan ; Ida, who was born November 25, 1879, is the wi'fe of Amandus Stampe, of Reedsburg; Frederick, who was born February 12, 1882, and Dietrich, his twin brother, are in a general store business at Reedsburg; Bertha, who was born October 7, 1883, is a trained nurse residing in Milwaukee; Otto, who was born March 15, 1886, died May 22, 1887 ; Gustav, who was born June 14, 1887, resides at Clayton, Wisconsin ; Emma, who was born April 4, 1889, resides at Reedsburg and is the youngest of a family remarkable for its general intelligence and robustness of constitution. In politics the father of the above family was a democrat but he was never interested enough to accept any political office for himself, although frequently urged to do so, as he was considered not only an honest man but one of business ability. He was one of the early shippers of wheat and also of hops from Kilbourn. Both he and wife were faithful members of the Lutheran Church and did much for the church at Reedsburg.

Edward Krueger, the younger, attended the district schools and as he was the eldest son was called on to give his father assistance for a number of years. He owns the old homestead of 160 acres and now carries on his industries with plenty of room, these being largely crop raising, and he is one of the successful farmers of the county. He is half owner of eighty acres in Polk County, Wisconsin, and has a half interest in 120 acres in the same county. He has another large source of income in his business of buying and selling horses, and thus far in 1917 has sold fifty-six head and has further contracts. He is a fine judge- of stock of all kinds and keeps only a high grade. Mr. Krueger has made many improvements on his place that have added to its value and appearance. In 1913 his fine residence, with all manner of modern comforts installed, was completed and in 1906 he pht up one of the best barns in the township, the structure being 36 by 86 feet in dimensions. Many of the progressive farmers in this section think they do well when they have one silo, but Mr. Krueger has two of these expensive but valuable structures, the dimensions of one being 14 by 36 feet, and the other 10 by 36 feet.

Mr. Krueger was married February 24, 1903, to Miss Matilda Ost, who was born in Reedsburg Township, Sauk County, May 9, 1880, and is a daughter of Ferdinand and Frederika (Garske) Ost, extended mention of whom will be found in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Krueger have no children. They are active and valued members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Krueger casts his vote with the democratic party, to which he is very loyal.

August Henke is member and head of a widely known family in Sauk County, especially in the North Freedom community. Mr. Henke has spent the best years of his life in Sauk County, but was born in Germany, March 23, 1848, a son of Martin and Rosa Henke. His parents came to this country and first located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, and in 1867 moved to Excelsior Township of Sauk County, where they acquired 120 acres. This farm is now owned by August Henke, though some years ago he sold twenty acres and now has 100 acres. On occupying the land the father built a log house, and did much of the heavy clearing necessary for cultivation. August Henke during his regime has advanced improvements in many ways, has erected substantial buildings, and in 1913 put up one of the model country homes of the township. He is a successful farmer and stock raiser.

His parents finally left the farm and moved out to South Dakota, where they took up a homestead and both of them died at Gettysburg in that state, the father in 1889, when about eighty years of age, and the mother in 1913, at the age of eighty-nine. They had seven children : August; Julius, deceased; Nettie, Mrs. William Wiland, of Greenfield Township ; Julia, wife of August Belter ; William, who had taken up a claim in South Dakota and lost his life by drowning in the Mississippi River, his body never being recovered ; Augusta is the wife of Gottlieb Siebrasse, of Gettysburg, South Dakota; and Rosa is the wife of John Barbknecht, of Tripoli, Iowa.

August Henke grew up partly in Germany and partly in Sauk County and has been continuously identified with the vocation of agriculture for upwards of half a century. At Baraboo, on November 29, 1872, he married Miss Augusta Pflugradt. Mrs. Henke was born in Germany June 9, 1853, a daughter of Michael Pflugradt. Her father died in the old country in 1856, when she was three years of age, she being the only child. Her widowed mother, Justina Selmer Pflugradt, afterwards married Gottlieb Hildebrandt. There was one child of that union, August, but he is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrandt came to Sauk County, Wisconsin, in 1867, when ]Mrs. Henke was fourteen years of age, and located in Honey Creek Township. Both of them spent their last years with their daughter in Excelsior Township, where Mr. Hildebrandt died in 1894 and Mrs. Henke's mother in 1886.

Mr. and Mrs. Henke had a family of eight children. Their names in order of birth are Emma, Edward, August, Otto (who died in infancy), Mary, Paul, Elizabeth and Julius. This family constitutes a number of the well known people of Sauk Couuty. The oldest child, Emma, is the wife of Gustav Meyer, of Excelsior Township and they have four children, named Herbert, Irma, Clara and Minnie. The son, Edward, who was born on the homestead, was educated in the public schools, did his part in clearing up and developing the farm and in erecting its modern equipment of buildings, and is still steadily at Mork in its improvement and cultivation, living unmarried with his mothjr and father. The son, August, is a farmer in Excelsior Township and married Inez Hingstler. The daughter, Mary, is the wife of Jake Zimerly, of Excelsior Township, and they have three children, Ernie, Philip and Ruth. Paul, also a farmer in Excelsior Township, married Edna Hingstler, and their family consists of two, Gladys and Durlan. Elizabeth is the wife of A. Gurgel and the mother of four children, Fred, Raymond, Hilda and Viola. Julius, a farmer in Excelsior Township, married Dorris Springer and has two children, Julius and Wendall.

George Grantin. Some of the most progressive and successful of the agricultural representatives of Sauk County are engaged in operations on land on which they were born and which has been in their families for many years. In this class is found George Grantin, of Reedsburg Township, who has passed his entire life on the farm which was originally owned by his father.

George Grantin was born in Reedsburg Township, November 24, 1882, a son of Henry and Mary (Pfifer) Grantin. His father, born in Germany in 1834, immigrated to the United States at the age of thirty years and first located at Chicago, where for several years he worked at the trade of carpenter, which he had mastered in his native land. Coming then to Sauk County, he purchased eighty acres of land in Reedsburg Township, of which he cleared forty acres, and in addition owned forty acres of timbered land in Ironton Township. He erected good buildings and made a number of improvements, and continued to actively follow general farming until 1906, when he sold his land to his son, retired to Reedsburg, and there died in 1907. He was an industrious and hardworking man and was highly esteemed in his? community, where he was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church. In political matters he supported the principles of the republican party. Mr. Grantin was first married at Reedsburg to Mena Dravis, and they had three children, Henry, Bertha and Lena. After the death of his first wife he was married in Sauk County to Mary Pfifer, who was born in Honey Creek Township, Sauk County, in 1855, a daughter of Sheron and Annie Pfifer, pioneers of Sauk County, Mr. Pfifer being a veteran of the Civil war. He died about the year 1878 in Honey Creek Township. Mrs. Grantin passed away at Reedsburg in 1909, having been the mother of five children: Louise, Augusta, Anna, George and Ferdinand.

George Grantin was reared on the home farm in Reedsburg Township, where he attended the district schools, and was later sent to the Lutheran parochial school at Reedsburg. - With this training and that secured from his father in an agricultural' way, he began farming for himself about the time he reached his majority, and in 1906 bought the home farm from the elder man and has since devoted his attention to the operation of its eighty acres. Here he has his home, a comfortable residence, and his barns and outbuildings, but in addition to this land he owns forty acres in Ironton Township, where he has likewise made good improvements. He has been successful in the raising of good crops of rye, wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, corn and hay, and has also devoted some attention to the raising of graded Durham and Holstein cattle, while his dairy demands necessitate the milking of fifteen cows. Independent in his political views, he has taken no more than a good citizen 's interest in party affairs. His religious connection is with the Lutheran Church.

Mr. Grantin was married June 12, 1906, to Miss Emma Schulz, who was born in Ironton Township, Sauk County, August 6, 1884, a daughter of William C. and Angelina (Samsow) Schulz, of that township, the latter of whom died June 6, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Grantin have been the parents of five children : Robert, Frances, Irma, Harry and Rheinhold, the last named of whom died in infancy,

Ferdinand Schmidt. The changes that have been effected in American agricultural operations in recent years are transforming farm life, formerly so hard, into one of the most independent, peaceful and agreeable of occupations. Farm life today offers more attractions than at any other time in the world's history and is calling millions from the desks and factories of the city to the healthful, invigorating life of the country. Sauk County has many attractive and up-to-date farms, where the appliances and conveniences equal those of city life, and among these is that owned by Ferdinand Schmidt, a well-cultivated tract lyiiig in Reedsburg To^\'Tlship. Mr. Schmidt is of foreign birth, but has been a resident of Sauk County for more than a quarter of a century, and is now numbered among his community's substantial men.

Mr. Schmidt was born May 31, 1879, in Germany, and is a son of Gottlieb and Christina (Gareng) Schmidt, the former born in Prussia, September 18, 1842, and the latter in Poland, April 4, 1854. They were married in Germany and there followed farming in a small way, but did not feel that their outlook for success was bright and accordingly, in 1890, started for the United States, their vessel making port at New York City June 13. After a short stay in the metropolis they came to Reedslnirg, the father renting eighty acres of land, this now furnishing a part of the farm owned by his son. He bought this land in 1892, and later bought an additional forty acres, but disposed of the greater part of the latter before his retirement. He was industrious, thrifty and hard-working, and succeeded in the cultivation of a fertile and productive property and the establishment of a good home, in which he was ably assisted by his worthy wife. After she passed to her reward in

Ferdinand Schmidt attended the public schools of his native country, as well as those of Sauk County, and from childhood has shown himself industrious and enterprising. The only son of his parents, when still a youth he became his father's assistant, and in 1906 invested the earnings which he had carefully accumulated in an eighty acre tract adjoining the homestead place. In the following year he added to his holdings by buying the original eighty acres of his father, and in 1911 he further augmented the size of his acreage by another purchase, and now has about 195 acres. This land is all valuable and productive, yielding large crops under Mr. Schmidt's intelligent methods of cultivation. The value of the farm is enhanced by good buildings and modern improvements, and in addition to general farming Mr. Schmidt carries on stock raising and is considered an excellent judge of cattle and other live stock. While not a politician or an office seeker, he stanchly supports the republican party's candidates, and as a citizen has been quick to assist wherever needed in the advancement of public-spirited movements. He belongs to the Lutheran Church, in the faith of which he was reared.

Mr. Schmidt was married August 22, 1906, to Miss Annie Grantin, who was born on the old Grantin homestead farm in Reedsburg Township July 5, 1881, a daughter of Henry and Mary (Pfifer) Grantin, a sketch of whose career will.be found elsewhere in this work in the review of George Grantin. Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt are the parents of seven sons, all living: Harold, Herbert and Wilbert (twins), Arnold, Ferdinand, Raymond and Elmer,

William Henry Baxter. There are few older settlers in Sauk County than William Henry Baxter, who arrived here in 1854 and in the sixty-three years that have since followed has built up a reputation for integrity and general worth that is as rare as it has been upbuilding to the townships of Baraboo and Fairfield. While he is now retired from active pursuits, having reached the advanced age of eighty-six years, he was formerly the owner of a large amount of valuable property, and is credited with being one of those men who maintain, into the eventide of their lives, those genial and kindly thoughts which make them a blessing and inspiration to those about them. He has kept pace always with the advance of agricultural science, and the improvements which he made upon his property indicated a painstaking and cautious judgment.

William Henry Baxter was born on a farm in Addison Township, Steuben County, New York, August 16, 1831, and is a son of William and Anna Baxter, natives of that county. The parents of Mr. Baxter were life long residents of Steuben County, where they followed farming as residents of Addison Township, both passing away there, the father in 1836 and the mother in 1852. William H. Baxter was but five years of age when his father died, and in his boyhood he was denied many advantages which are granted to youths who do not have to spend the greater part of their time in working in order to contribute their share to the family income. His education was of a public school charac- ter and somewhat limited, but tlie lad was quick to learn, sharp i]i observing', and possessed of a ready intellect and retentive mind, so that he gained a much better training than many others who possessed greater advantages. Also, he was eager to succeed and placed his ambitions high, and early in life displayed a remarkable industry and unlimited capacity for hard, painstaking work. He was engaged in farming in his native state, and there started a household of his own when in 1852, following the death of his mother, he was married.

Mr. Baxter, as noted, was a hard and industrious worker and accepted whatever opportunities for honorable employment presented themselves, but he finally came to the conclusion that in New York his chances were limited and therefore decided to remove to some locality where the land was not so crowded. Reports had reached him of the fertility and productiveness of Sauk County land, and in 1854 he left the Empire state for Wisconsin and upon his arrival located on a farm of eighty-five acres situated in Fairfield Township. His first few years spent here were ones that tried his mettle, for under the new conditions he was forced to work out his own difficult problems, but he was persistent and patient, and his well directed labors soon began to bear fruit. After clearing a part of his original purchase he disposed of it and bought another farm near it in Fairfield Township, this being a tract of 120 acres. With the exception of sixteen years he has resided in Fairfield Township ever since coming to Sauk County. In 1895, after the death of his first wife, he moved to the City of Baraboo, but when his second wife died, in 1911, he returned to the Fairfield Township farm and here is now living retired. During the period of his active labor in agricultural work Mr. Baxter was accounted one of the skilled and thoroughly capable farmers of his locality. While somewhat conservative and relying on tried and practical methods, he did not hesitate to give more modern means a chance and was ready to experiment with the new machinery constantly being invented to lessen the work of the farmer. He always aimed to make his land pay him for all the labor he put into its cultivation and generally succeeded in doing so, at the same time enhancing the value of his farm by the erection of good buildings and the installation of modern improvements. In addition to general farming he carried on stock raising. Little by little Mr. Baxter disposed of his property to his children, who now own it all. In politics Mr. Baxter is a democrat, and has several times been the incumbent of political positions, having served one term as a member of the board of township supervisors and several years as a member of the school board. His citizenship has always been of the best, and his support has been given to worthy movements", civic, educational and religious.

Mr. Baxter was first married in 1852, in Steuben County, New York, to Mrs. Samantha Hagadone, who was born in that countj^, and they became the parents of five children, as follows : Adelia, George Henry, W. Franklin, Frederick and Thomas Jefferson. Mrs. Baxter died in Fairfield Township in 1895, at which time Mr. Baxter went to Baraboo. There he was married in 1897 to Mrs. John Dangerfield, who died in 1911. Mr. Baxter has rounded out a successful and satisfying career. He survives, like an oak in the forest, the majority of those who started in life when he did, and his memory is a panorama of those small and large events which make up the history of the white man's labors in Sauk County.

Frank A. Strang was born in Bear Creek Township of Sauk County August 21, 1869. He has never strayed far from the scene of his birth and early childhood, but in this one locality has made a success as a farmer and stockman and is today one of the leading and influential citizens of that community.

His parents were Nelson C. and Alvina (Harris) Strang. His father was born in New York State March 9, 1819, and the mother was born in 1840. Nelson C. Strang was a pioneer of Bear Creek, where he located in 1857, and died at Spring Green, Sauk County, February 8, 1889. The mother is still living. Their children were Frank, Minnie, Cora, Charles, Jacob, Harvey and Alma.

Frank A. Straiig received a common school education when a boy, and then applied himself to the main business of life, farming. In April, 1896, he came to his present farm of 160 acres, and is widely known through that section of Sauk County for his success as a cattleman. He keeps about forty head of cattle, many of them Holsteins, and his herd is headed by a thoroughbred bull. As a dairyman he markets the products of thirty-one cows. Mr. Strang is a republican, belongs to the Congregational Church and is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Order of Beavers.

On Christmas Day, December 25, 1894, he married Cynthia L. Maxw^ell. daughter of Charles and Johanna Maxwell. Mr. and Mrs. Strang traveled together along the highway of life for nearly twenty years, until her death on March 6, 1914. She became the mother of ten children, as follows: Minnie, Nelson, Harvey, . Agnes, Florence, Eva, Edna, Herbert, Francis and one that died at birth. Nelson and Herbert are also deceased.

Theodore Henry Kessler. Among the members of the agricultural fraternity of Sauk County one who is a representative of an early family of this region is Theodore Henrj^ Kessler," whose property is located in Greenfield Township. He has passed his entire life within the limits of the county and has worked out a worthwhile success, being accounted one of the substantial farmers and stock raisers of the community, as well as a citizen who is aiding in the general advancement and progress of the locality. He was born in 1870, four miles from Loganville, in Westfield Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, and is a son of Rev. Christopher and Susannah (Oberheim) Kessler.

Rev. Christopher Kessler was born in Bavaria, Germany, where he was educated, and as a young man entered the ministry of the Lutheran Church. His ministerial labors were so successful in his native land that during the '60s the earnest young man was sent by the church as a missionary to Wyoming, where he established several churches, then going into Iowa, where he was married to Miss Susannah Oberheim, who had been born in Dubuque, that state. From Iowa Rev. and Mrs. Kessler came to Sauk County, where the remaining years of their lives were passed. Reverend Kessler became known far and wide as one of the most successful, devoted and energetic laborers in his church in Wisconsin. He built the stone church near Loganville which still bears his name, and in addition held charges at different' times at Westfield, Ableman, Reedsburg and Merrimack, and in Greenfield Township. He was more than a minister to his people, for in addition to being their spiritual adviser he was also friend and counsellor, giving them valuable advice in money matters and performing all manner of services for the unfortunate. As a result he became greatly beloved, and when he died there were many to mourn his loss. Mrs. Kessler was an able helpmate for her husband, a devoted Christian woman, with a warm heart and a charitable nature, who seconded him in everything he did and whose life was filled with kindlj^ acts and beautiful deeds. Reverend Kessler was a man of sound business judgment and became successful in a material way, wisely investing his means in valuable and productive land, of which he owned 320 acres in Greenfield Township. On this farm both he and his wife passed away. They were the parents of the following children : Carl, who left home to go to Denver, Colorado, where he was section foreman on the Denver & Colorado Railroad, and subsequently went to Alaska, since which time nothing has been heard of him ; Mary, who is the wife of Rudolph Euholt, of Greenfield Township ; Henry, who is deceased ; Theodore Henry, of this review ; and Christopher, who is engaged in agricultural operations and owns a good farm in Baraboo Township, Sauk County.

When Theodore H. Kessler was still an infant his parents moved to their newly purchased farm in Greenfield Township, and it was in that locality that he received his education in the public schools. His early training was all along the line of agriculture, and no other vocation has ever suggested itself to him, for in the period of his career he has met with marked success in his operations, and has been content to follow the peaceful vocation of the husbandman, tilling his fields and gathering his crops. As the years have passed he has added from time to time to his holdings, and his present property, located in Greenfield Township, consists of 205 acres, all fertile, productive land, upon which he raises the standard crops of the locality. His buildings are large, substantial and attractive, including a handsome barn, 62 by 34 feet, and in them he has installed modern improvements and machinery calculated to save labor for the busy agriculturist. Mr. Kessler is a general farmer and also raises standard stock, in addition to which he does a profitable dairy business, being identified with the Excelsior Co-operative Creamery Company of Baraboo. He has never desired public office, bitt takes an interest in local affairs, and is one of the men of his township who have contributed to the success of beneficial and progressive movements. His support during elections is given to the candidates of the 'republican party, and he and Mrs. Kessler are members of the Lutheran Church of Baraboo.

In 1894 Mr. Kessler was united in marriage with Miss Emma Kosine. who was born in Germany and was a child when brought to the United States. Her father is Herman Kosine, who was one of the early settlers of Baraboo and who still makes his home in that city, one of the respected members of his community. To Mr. and Mrs. Kessler there have been born the following children : Carl, who is assisting his father in the operation of the home farm ; Elsie, Jennie, Ernie, Aleck, Mareta, Florence, who is deceased ; Ruth, Theodore and an infant, unnamed. Their children have been and are being given good educational advantages and are being trained to take their rightful positions in the life of the community and to conduct themselves in a manner which will be creditable to themselves, to their township and to their fahiily.

William Roecker. In Westfield Township one of the farms that indicate the care and thrift bestowed upon it by its owner and represents a material asset of the entire county is that of William Roecker, who has lived continuous!}^ in that locality for nearly thirty years. Mr. Roecker came to Wisconsin when a boy of seven years from Germany, where he was born December 19, 1861. He is a son of Albert and Paulina (Blank) Roecker. His parents came to Sauk County in 1868, for several years rented land, and later bought the farm where their son, Edward, now lives. This contained eighty acres and the father built in the woods a log house and by his own labors cleared most of the farm. He is still living there with his son at the advanced age of eighty-four. His wife passed away in 1907, at the age of sixty-eight. Their family of nine children were William, August, Augusta and Tilly, both deceased, Edward, Annie, Marie, Minnie and Henry.

William Roecker acquired his education in the common schools of Wisconsin. For about five years he lived with his parents at Portage and Casimir, but otherwise his home has been in Sauk County. Growing up as a farmer, he industriously took advantage of every opportunity to get a home of his own, and in 1889 bought eighty acres contained in his present homestead. Later he bought another forty and now has 120 acres under cultivation, improved with good buildings, including a barn 36 by 66 feet, which is one of the best equipped structures of the kind in the township. Mr. Roecker does general farming and has about twenty-seven head of cattle. He is a member of the Lutheran Church.

In 1886, several years before coming to his present homestead, he married Miss Mary Hasc. Their companionship was terminated by her death in 1889. She was the mother of three children : Herman, Martha and Marie, the last two being twins and both now deceased. In 1891 Mr. Roecker married Miss Marie Meier. She was born in Germany,' March 22, 1869. Her father died in Germany and her widowed mother, Katrina Meier, brought her family to Sauk County in 1890 and died there in 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Roecker have had five children: Albert, deceased; Emil; Martha; Erna, deceased; and Elda.

Fred Schoephorter. In every community there is apt to be found a body of retired farmers, and very often they represent the most solid and substantial citizenship of the section in which they live. Many of those who live in Sauk County belong to old pioneer families and some of them, like Fred Schoephorter, a highly respected resident of Troy Township, may be classed as pioneers themselves. Having come here early, they have witnessed and helped to bring about the wonderful development this section of Wisconsin has enjoyed and their reminiscences covering the period are both interesting and instructive. In Mr. Schoephorter 's case recollection goes back even to another land, for his birth took place in Germany, March 25, 1845, and he was eight years old when the long ocean voyage was taken and the further overland trip to the new home in the Wisconsin wilds.

The parents of Mr. Schoephorter were Carl and Maria (Millman) Schoephorter, natives of Germany who came to the United States in 1853 and made their way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they hired a conveyance that brought them to Sauk City. There were no railroads at that time in this part of the state and the traveling that people did was with oxen or horses as their preference might be. The weary travelers settled as soon as they could on the 120 acres which the father had secured from the Government, and never left it, both dying on the farm now owned by their son some twenty years ago. They came at a time when many hardships had to be endured because of unsettled conditions, but they were brave and industrious and had not been expecting a life of ease, hence they went to work with a will and the time came, which their son is glad to remember, when they were able to take their ease at will. The 120 acres had to be cleared before it could be cultivated and the father made use of oxen to break up the land.

Fred Schoephorter grew up on this pioneer farm and in boyhood attended the district schools". He has always followed farm pursuits and has always lived on the old homestead, having purchased the interests of his three sisters, he being the only son and the third in order of birth in his parents' family, the others being: Louise, who was the wife of Peter Engel and lived at Prairie du Sac ; Mary, who married and lived at Cottage Grove in Dane County; and Caroline, who is the wife of Fred Hansmyer and lives at Cottage Grove.

When Mr. Schoephorter was twenty-five years old he married Miss Caroline Mittie, and four children were born to them, as follows : Mary, who lives at home ; Charles, who is a merchant in Prairie du Sac ; Eli, who lives on a farm in Sumpter Township, is married, as is also his older brother; and Lizzie, who is Mrs. Henry Carmacker and lives in Cottage Grove. The mother of the above children died and subsequently Mr. Schoephorter married her sister, Augusta Mittie, and to this marriage there were also bom four children, namely : Willie, who is a farmer and has a family and lives at Baraboo ; Lidie, the wife of Simon Stibur, lives in Honey Creek Township ; Julia, the wife of Henry Gasser, lives in Troy Township ; and Henry, who resides on and operates his father's farm.

For many years Fred Schoephorter was one of the most successful farmers of Troy Township and kept active until 1906, when he retired, being fully justified when he could turn his affairs over to so capable a farmer as his youngest son. In political matters he has always been a repiiblican but has never accepted any political office unless membership on the school board might be deemed such, for he has served six years in all as a school director. With the members of his family he belongs to the Evangelical Church, which is a strong organization in Troy Township. Mr. Schoephorter has seen many changes in agricul- tural methods, in manner of living and in a general progress along all lines, and he has accepted those of which he has been able to approve, but he has not altogether forgotten some of the old familiar customs which prevailed in earlier days. He is one of the best known residents of Troy Township.

William A. Stolte. In 1893 was formed the business of Stolte, Dangel & Foss Company, an enterprise which had its chief capital in the ambition of the members forming the concern. The records show that the venture in that year did a fairly prosperous business, and that in the fifteen years that followed it continued to add to its prestige and to gain in greater and greater degree the confidence of the buying pub-* lie, so that in 1908 it was forced to enlarge its quarters. Today it is the largest department store in Sauk County, and thus it wall be apparent to the merest layman that the personnel of this concern has been far above the ordinary. One of the guiding spirits of this Reedsburg concern, one who has brought it right to the forefront in the face of stern competition, who has had the courage to grasp opportunities and the foresight to see when these opportunities would come, is William A. Stolte, secretary and treasurer, who has won and retained for himself a leading position among Sauk County business men.

William A. Stolte is a product of the community in which his labors have been prosecuted and in which his success has been gained. He was born January 23, 1866, at Reedsburg, on the present site of the Hotel Stolte, a son of William and Dorothea (Meyer) Stolte, natives of Germany, where the former was born March 2, 1835, and the latter in November, 1840. William Stolte came to the United States in 1861 and located in Westfield Township, Sauk County, and there met and married his wife, who had come here one year later, their honeymoon journey consisting of a ride in a wagon drawn by an ox-team. Mr. Stolte worked on a farm in Westfield Township for a time, but subsequently went to Kilbourn, where he worked at the trade of tailor, which he had learned in his native land. After about three years he came to Reedsburg and embarked in the mercantile business under the firm style of Sehweke & Stolte, this association continuing until 1869, the year of the hop crash. The shock of this calamity caused Mr. Sehweke 's death, but Mr. Stolte continued the business alone until 1887, when he retired. During this time he also conducted a li.quor establishment, and from 1887 forward engaged in farming until 1911, when he gave up all active labors and lived quietly until his death, which occurred in 1913. Mr. Stolte was one of Reedsburg 's most successful men of business, was one of the stockholders in the woolen mill, and built the Hotel Stolte, which he gave to his sons, one of whom, Edward G., was manager of the house at the time of his death, December 25, 1914. He was a democrat in politics and prominent in local affairs, serving at times as supervisor and treasurer of Reedsburg, and took a leading part in religious work, being one of the founders of Saint Peter's Lutheran Church and afterwards of Saint John's Church, of which, he was president at the time of his demise. Fraternally he belonged to the Independent Order. of Odd Fellows, and was very active in that order. Mr. Stolte was a son of

George and Dora Stolte, who came to Reedsburg about 1864 and lived on a farm which was located within the city limits and which was owned by their son. They both passed away here. George Meyer, the maternal grandfather of William A. Stolte, fought in a number of the battles of the Napoleonic wars, including Moscow. He married Elizabeth Meyer and in later years came to America and located in Westfield Township, where both grandparents passed away. They had four children : Mrs. Stolte ; Mrs. Charles Thies, with whom they made their home ; Mrs. Carl Giffert ; and one son. William and Dorothea Stolte were the parents of ten children : Dora, who is deceased ; William A. ; Edward G., deceased ; Nannie ; Louisa ; Henry, who died in infancy ; George ; Lydia ; Lena ; and Freda.

William A. Stolte was educated in the public and parochial schools of Reedsburg, spent one year in the Reedsburg High School, aiid was confirmed in Saint John's Church. He was but thirteen years of agewhen he began his connection with mercantile affairs, and to this line his efforts have since been confined, with the exception of six years when he was engaged as a traveling salesman in selling hops. In March, 1893, he became one of the organizers, with Frank A. Foss and Louis Dangel, in the formation of the Stolte, Dangel & Foss Company, thenew concern taking over the stock and good will of the Harris & Hosier Company. The business was in poor shape, but the new partners soon introduced methods and ideas that rapidly brought custom, and from the start the business grew and prospered. Changes were repeatedly made to accommodate the increased business, and for some years the business was conducted on the corner of Main and Walnut streets. The two-story department store now comprises the largest business of its kind in Sauk County, and employs in the neighborhood of fifty people. In connection therewith is operated a large cold storage plant, and a recently added feature of the business is a complete automobile department. Mr. Stolte has been secretary and treasurer of the firm since its inception, and by his foresight, acumen and natural ability has been a leading figure in the development of the enterprise. His standing in business circles is evidenced by the fact that he is president of the Commercial Club of Reedsburg, and in civic affairs he also takes a leading part as a member of the city council. His political affiliation is with the democratic party. Fraternally he is connected with Reedsburg Lodge No. 157, Free and Accepted Masons ; Reedsburg Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; the Order of the Eastern Star; the Modern Woodmen of America ; the Beavers ; and the Knights of Pythias, all of Reedsburg. He is a member of Saint John's Lutheran Church, and has been president thereof since his father's death.

Mr. Stolte was married in 1894 to Miss Rosette J. Heyer, of Darien, near Delavan, Wisconsin. They have three children: Ruth, born in 1896, a graduate of Reedsburg High School and a junior at the University of Wisconsin, who is greatly interested in the Young Woman's Christian Association and religious work; Herbert A., born in 1898, a graduate of the Reedsburg High School, class of 1917, and now attending the University of Wisconsin ; and William A., Jr., born in 1904.

Samuel Andrews. On the 17th of February, 1917, was summoned to the life eternal the soul of a man whose sterling integrity and most exemplary character have left an indelible impress upon the hearts of his fellow men. At the time when he was called from the scene of his mortal endeavors he was in his eighty-seventh year, and it may be said concerning him that "his strength was as the number of his days." The prestige which he gained as a fair and honorable man was the result of his own well directed endeavors and his success was on a parity with his ability and well applied energy.

Samuel Andrews, the subject of this sketch, was a native of Herfordshire, England, where his birth occurred August 1, 1830. His parents passed their entire lives in England and as a young man he decided to come to America. He landed in the harbor of New York July 4, 1849, and proceeded thence to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained about six months. He then located in Baraboo, where in company with his brother, Andrew, he learned the trade of shoemaker. Andrew continued to reside in Baraboo but Samuel came to Ironton and here engaged in the shoe business in 1858. His partner in this enterprise was Jack Jessup, and they were together until the hop crash, after which Mr. Andrews conducted the growing business alone during the long intervening years until 1910, some seven years prior to his demise.

In 1887 Mr. Andrews purchased a farm of 140 acres 3^ miles from Ironton. This farm is still in the possession of the family and for the past twenty years has been managed and conducted by a son, David James.

Mr. Andrews was a republican in his political proclivities and for fourteen years he filled the office of treasurer of Ironton Township with the utmost efficiency. In a fraternal way he was a member of Ironton Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, having been connected with that organization for fifty-six years. He was treasurer of the lodge for several years and was carried to his final resting place by a large delegation of Masons. With his wife he was a member of the Eastern Star for six years.

March 24, 1860, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Andrews to Miss Melissa Harrison, who was born in England, March 24, 1842, a daughter of George and Martha (Bottomly) Harrison. Mrs. Andrews' parents were natives of Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and they immigrated to Massachusetts in 1848, at which time he came on to Sauk County and located a claim in what is now Lavalle Township. This claim consisted of forty acres, and here the family joined him two years later, in 1850. Mr. Harrison died in 1868 and his devoted wife died in 1870.

Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Andrews : Walter is now a resident of California; Martha, of Baraboo; George W., who lives in Baraboo; Eleazer maintains his home in Chicago; Joseph is likewise a resident of Chicago; Jane is the wife of John 0 'Gorman, of Duluth; David James runs the old homestead in Ironton Township ; and Jane, Nancy and Arthur all died in infancy.

warded for the general progress and improvement. His life history is certainly worthy of commendation and of emulation, for along honorable and straightforward lines he won the success which crowned his efforts and which made him one of the substantial residents of Sauk County. Mrs. Andrews, who survives her beloved husband, is a woman of great kindliness of character and marked hospitality. She is a prominent member of the local chapter of the Eastern Star and her beautiful home in Ironton was the scene of many attractive social gatherings during the lifetime of her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were married nearly tiftj^-seven years when death called him.

Albert Schulze. On the fine old homestead which was founded by his father, Albert Schulze is now most successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. He is a young man of sterling character, quick intelligence and exemplary habits and as such holds a high place in the esteem of his fellow citizens. The date of his birth was January 6, 1883, and he is a son of Henry and Lizzie (Lipkeman) Schulze, who came to America from Germany in 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Schulze were married in the old country and there became the parents of three children : Henry, William and Lizzie. In 1881 they came to Sauk County and located a homestead in the vicinity of Reedsburg, where Mr. Schulze was engaged in work as a carpenter for a number of years. For two years they lived in Lavalle Township but since 1891 they have been continuous residents of the farm on which Albert now lives. This estate consists of 180 acres, and although the original buildings were constructed of logs the present ones are fine examples of the substantial, modern farm buildings. Mr. Schulze retired from active participation in farm work in April, 1912, and is now living in comfort on the competence gained in his prime. He was born November 28, 1848, and his wife June 30, 1849. Four more children were born to them after their arrival in Sauk County, namely : Albert, Emil, Otto and Ida. Mr. Schulze has a genial and kindly personality and is greatly beloved by his family and many friends.

Albert Schulze grew to maturity under the invigorating discipline of the old home farm, in the work and management of which he early began to assist his father. He was educated in the Reedsburg schools* and since his father's retirement he has been manager of the homestead which he now owns. He is a practical farmer and has met with marked success in his endeavors. A republican in his political convictions, he manifests a deep and sincere interest in public affairs although he is not an active politician. He is a devout member of St. Peter's Church at Reedsburg and is a generous contributor to the charities of that institution.

In 1905 Mr. Schulze was united in marriage to Miss Emma Westerman, a native of Ironton Township, where her birth occurred March 10, 1883. Mrs. Schulze is a daughter of John and Katherine Westerman, the former of whom is deceased and the latter is now living in Reedsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Schulze have seven fine children : Christel, Selma, Hilda, Alfred, Edna, Adena and Florence.

Henry Garske. The farming interests of Sauk County are very important, for this section of the state is noted for the fertility of its soil and the value of its agricultural lands. There was a time not so long distant when these fertile fields were covered with prairie grass or timber and when the wild animals held undisputed sway, but now all is changed and Sauk County has blossomed forth in a remarkable degree. Here are to be found many intelligent, hard-working men engaged in farming, and some of these have passed their entire lives on their present lands. In this class is Henry Garske, of Reedsburg Township, who was born on the farm that he now owns, October 30, 1868, a son of Frederick and Amelia (Puhal) Garske.

The grandparents of Mr. Garske, William and Henrietta (Koplein) Garske, were born in Germany, and brought their family to the United States in 1855, settling in Reedsburg Township, Sauk County, where for many years they lived on the farm now owned by their grandson, although they died on the property owned by Henry Yost. They were industrious and honest farming people, greatly respected in their community, and both reached advanced years, the grandfather being eighty-eight years old at the time of his demise. Their children, all of whom are deceased, were as follows: William, Ferdinand, Minnie, Hannah, Frederick and Fredericka. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Garske, August and Henrietta (Schultz) Pufhal, were also born in Germany, and came to the United States with their children in 1857, locating in Reedsburg Township, where they rounded out their lives in the cultivation of a farm and the making of a home. ]\Ir. Pufhal died when well advanced in years, and Mrs. Pufhal in 1890, when eightyfour years of age. They belonged to the sturdy class of honorable early settlers who assisted in the development of the great County of Sauk. They had three children : Gudima, Amelia and Ferdinand.

Frederick Garske was born January 13, 1834, and had about reached his majority when he accompanied the family in its journey to the United States. Like the other members of the family, he chose farming as his life work, and it was he who purchased the eighty-acre farm which is now owned by his son. Throughout his life agricultural pursuits continued to occupy his attention, and as he was an industrious man, with good business ability, he made his labors pay and at the same time occupied a substantial place in his community. His death occurred in 1899. Mrs. Garske, who was born November 6, 1845, still survives him and is now a resident of Reedsburg, where she has many friends and is highly esteemed. She is the mother of five children : Albert, Augusta, Henry; Annie and Frederick.

Henry Garske 's entire life has been an agricultural one. Born in the country and reared amid agricultural surroundings, his earliest boyhood remembrances are connected with the homestead, where he assisted his father while not attending the district schools. When he came to choose his life work it was natural that he should select farming, and in this and stock raising he has found complete success. On the homestead farm, of which he became the owner through purchase in June, 1917, he has good buildings and up-to-date improvements, and his operations are carried on in a modern and progressive manner, backed by good busi- ness management. Hard-working, industrious and thrifty, he has becoipie one of the well-to-do men of his locality and enjoys the universal respect of his community. Politically he is independent of party lines, and has not sought public preferment. He belongs 'to the Lutheran Church and contributes to its movements.

Mr. Garske was married in 1912 to Miss Ida Schwanz, who was born iu Reedsburg Township, Sauk County, in 1880, daughter of William and Amelia Schwanz, a sketch of whose career will be found in the review of Louis Schwanz, elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Garske are the parents of one son : William, born November 3, 1915.

Samuel Weidman. There is something singularly appropriate in the fact that a county with such marvelous geological resources as Sauk should produce at least one man eminent in the science of geology and recognized by his work and attainments throughout the country.

Samuel Weidraan, whose home has been at Madison for many years, was born at Westfield in this county, October 11, 1870, a son of Alexander and Eleanor (Mcllvaine) Weidmau. His parents were both born in Ohio, and his paternal grandparents, of Pennsylvania German origin, were Samuel and Mary (Schenk) Weidraan. Mr. Weidman is descended in the sixth generation from Martin Weidman, who came from Durlach, Germany, and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as early as 1733. Martin Weidman received his patent to a grant of land of 385 acres in what is now Clay Township, Lancaster County, signed by William Penn, on October 6, 1733, with the consideration named therein of fifty-nine p>o^^iitls nineteen shillings and six-pence. Mr. Weidman 's paternal grandfather, Samuel, a great-grandson of Martin, was born in Lancaster County in 1790 and lived for many years in Summit County, Ohio. He was a pioneer in Sauk County and bought much land in Westfield and Reedsburg townships, and died in 1863 at the home of his youngest son, Samuel, in the Town of Reedsburg. Alexander Weidman and wife were married in Sauk County in 1859, and at the time of his death in 1897 he owned 240 acres of .land in section 36, Reedsburg, and section 1, Westfield, now in farms owned by three of his children. Alexander Weidmau, born in 1832, was a democrat originally but for many years voted independently. He served two years in the Civil war, 1861-63, being a member of Company A, Nineteenth Wisconsin Regiment. His wife, Eleanor (Mcllvaine) Weidman, born in 1833, in Wayne County, Ohio, was the daughter of John Mcllvaine, of Scotch-Irish descent, who was born in 1788 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and removed to Ohio in 1820. Mrs. Weidman lives with her son, Clifton, on the home farm and is in good health and vigor at the age of eightyfour years. She is one of the oldest pioneers of Sauk County. Alexander Weidman and his wife had seven children: Vernie, Mrs. Charles G. Waltz, living in California; Henry, who has eighty acres of the old homestead in Reedsburg; Grant, who owns another eighty acres of the old farm in Reedsburg; Edna, deceased; Clifton, who has the third share, eighty acres, of the old farm in Westfield; Samuel; and Angle, who died at the age of ten years.

manifested a more than ordinary curiosity in his environment and from boyhood became a student of local geology. He graduated in 1889 from the Reedsburg High School and in 1894 took his Bachelor of Science degree in the University of Wisconsin. He was a Fellow in Geology at the University of Wisconsin in 1895-96, and a Fellow in Geology at the University of Chicago in 1896-97. Mr. Weidman has the degree Doctor of Philosophy given him by the University of Wisconsin in 1898.

On many phases of Wisconsin geology, especially economic geology, he is a recognized authority, both by his work and his writings. He has discovered several new minerals. He was field assistant in the United States Geological Survey in the Lake Superior region in 1894-96. During 1897-99 he was assistant geologist and since 1899 has been geologist of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. He is also secretary of the Wisconsin Clay Manufacturers' Association, an organization for educational purposes largel3\ He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of American Geographers, and a member of the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters.

As an author Mr. Weidman is known by the following works, published by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey : ' ' Soils and Agriculture of North Central Wisconsin," first published in 1903 and a second edition in 1908; "The Baraboo Iron Bearing District," 1904; "The Geology of North Central Wisconsin," 1907; "Soil Survey of Northwestern Wisconsin," 1911; "Soil Survey of Marinette County," 1911 ; "The Water Supplies of Wisconsin," 1915; and the following by the United States Geological Survey : ' ' The Marathon-Wausau Geologic Folio," 1917; besides many reports, bulletins and articles for journals, including the article on local geology which appears under his name in this history of Sauk County.

Mr. Weidman is a member of the Sigma Zi, an honorary scientific fraternity, the University Club at Madison, is generally a democrat, and is a member of the Unitarian Church. He is also a member of the Masonic Order. His home is at 410 North Henry Street in the City of Madison.

On November 22, 1899, Mr. Weidman married Miss Adda J. Westenhaver, of Madison. " She was born in Sauk County, daughter of Henry and Alice (Hulburt) Westenhaver. Her mother is a sister of Dr. F. D. Hulburt, of Reedsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Weidman have three children: Samuel Henry, John Mcllvaine, and Robert Hulburt.

Joseph Keith. Many of the ablest men in America are ardent devotees of the great basic industry of agriculture and it is well that this is so, because the various learned professions are rapidly becoming so crowded with inefficient practitioners that in a few years it will be nearly impossible for any but the exceptionally talented man to make good or even to gain a competent living therein. The independent farmer who in addition to tilling the soil cultivates his mind and retains his health is a man much to be envied in these days of strenuous bustle and nervous energy. He lives his life as he chooses and is always safe from financial ravages and other troubles of the so-called "cliff dweller." An able and representative agriculturist who lias ever done all in his power to advance the general welfare of his community is Joseph Keith, who is engaged in general farming and stock raising on a finely improved estate of eighty acres in Ironton Township, this county.

Mr. Keith was born in the State of Ohio, January 7, 1845, and is a son of William and Sarah (Holden) Keith. The parents left the Buckeye state in 1855 and migrated to Sauk County, here settling on the farm now owned by the subject. The father died in 1859, at the age of forty years, and the mother passed away at the age of seventy years. To them were born six daughters and two sons, of whom Rachael, Joseph, ^largaret, Elizabeth, Oney and Nancy are living.

At the age of ten years Joseph Keith accompanied his parents from Ohio to his present home in this county and four years later he was bereft of his father. He assisted his widowed mother in clearing the land and erected several of the buildings still standing on the farm. His education consisted of occasional attendance in the country school and he early learned the rudiments of farming and stock raising, to which lines of enterprise he has since devoted his earnest endeavors. Politically he is a democrat and he has served faithfully and with efficiency on the local school board.

In 1871 Mr. Keith married Miss Lucy IMoorhouse, a native of Ironton Township and a daughter of James and Ellen Moorhouse, both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Keith died in 1894 and is survived by the following children: Josephine, Ira, Herbert, Clyde and Albie. Clyde is associated with his father in farming the old homestead. Mrs. Keith was a woman of most gracious personality and her memory will long be green in the hearts of her -friends. Mr. Keith's life has been exemplary in every respect and he supports those interests which are calculated to uplift and benefit humanity. He is well liked by all with whom he has come in contact.

William Giese has played the part of a pioneer in Sauk County and is a member of a family which for more than half a century have made their efforts productive not only for the benefit of themselves but for the welfare of the community.

William Giese was born in Pomerania, Germany, January 17. 1849, a son of Michael and Elenore Giese. In November, 1864, the family came to America and settled in Honey Creek Township of Sauk County. They acquired 220 acres, a part of which was cleared and improved. In a few years it was all brought under cultivation and became one of the farms of note in that part of the county. Michael Giese died at Watertown, South Dakota, in 1894 and was buried at Watertown, and his wife passed away in 1871 and was buried in Honey Creek Township. All their children except the youngest were born in Germany, their names being Lottie, John, William, August, Amelia, Julius, Bertha and Annie.

William Giese grew up on his father's place in Sauk County. He married Miss Minnie Priebe January 11, 1871. She was a daughter of William Priebe and Minnie Priebe, and they also came from Germany.

County on a farm and had to grub out a place to put up a house for his family. There he made his home until the death of Mrs. William Giese, who died June 4, 1904, leaving seven children: Anna, William, John, Henry, Albert, George and Marie. Anna married William Harty ; William married Amelia Kohlmej^er ; Henry married Mary Luck ; Albert married Clara Petske ; and Marie married Jason Tuthill. William Giese is making his home with his son, John.

John Giese now owns the old homestead farm of his father, William, comprising 240 acres, half of which is situated in Franklin and the other half in Westfield Township. The improvements on this farm are a credit to the entire county. There is a commodious residence, good barns, and the farm also boasts two large silos, capable of storing many tons of feed for the stock. Mr. Giese is a very successful Holstein cattle breeder. In matters of polities the family are republicans and their church affiliations are Lutheran.

John Giese married March 1, 1905, Miss Minnie Rusch, daughter of William and Alvina (Backman) Rusch, of Reedsburg. To their union have been born five children : Agnes, aged twelve ; Alvine, aged nine ; Raymond, aged eight ; and Edmund and Etta, twins, aged four years.

Aaron Austin. An able and representative agriculturist who has done much to advance progress and conserve prosperity in Sauk County, Wisconsin, is Aaron Austin, who owns and operates a finely improved farm in Ironton Township. Mr. Austin was born in Onondaga County, New York, March 29, 1846. He is a son of Elkana and Eliza (White) Austin, the former a native of Rhode Island and the latter of Connecticut. The parents both located in Onondaga County in early youth and there their marriage was solemnized and to them two children were born, namely, Charles, a resident of Southwestern Missouri, and Aaron. Elkana Austin died in Onondaga County, New York, in 1875, and his wiie passed to the life eternal in 1909, in Sauk County, whither she had accompanied her son, Aaron, in 1881. She lived to the patriarchal age of ninety-three years.

To the public schools of the Empire state Aaron Austin is indebted for his educational training, and he continued to live in Onondaga County, New York, until 1881, when he came to the Badger state, purchasing a farm of 120 acres in Ironton Township, this county. At one time he owned a plot of eighty acres in Montcalm County, Michigan, near Stanton. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising and is considered one of the most substantial citizens in this vicinity. In politics he is a stalwart republican and he has served with marked ability as treasurer, director and clerk of the local school board. He is kindly and courteous in his demeanor and is ever considerate of those with whom he has dealings.

In New York was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Austin to Miss Elizabeth Gardner, a native of Onondaga County, that state. To them were born three children, concerning whom the following brief data are here inserted : Eli is a resident of Milwaukee, where he married Edna Bogel, and they have a daughter, Bernice; Rose is the wife of Frank

Steinberg, of St. Louis, and they have two children, Goldie and John; and Lawrence married Mala Schutz and is a farmer in Ironton Township. They have three children : Oliver, William and Adaline.

Louis Schwanz. In order to attain success in agriculture, in these modern days, it is necessary that science be displayed in operations and intelligence in management. Some of the best farmers in the country are to be found in Wisconsin, and especially in the great grain belt in which Sauk County is situated, its location making it particularly valuable for agricultural purposes. Of those men working scientifically and intelligently that have attained more than ordinary success as farmers is numbered Louis Schwanz, who has passed his entire life in Reedsburg Township.

Mr, Schwanz was born in this township, September 26, 1874, and is a son of William and Amelia (Klitzke) Schwanz, natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1872. They were not possessed of any great amount of capital, in fact their ambition and willingness to .work represented their chief assets, and for a number of years there were many hardships in their lives, but eventually they overcame all obstacles and gained a well merited success. In 1898 they purchased a farm of 120 acres in Reedsburg Township, upon which Mr, Schwanz died in 1901, at the age of sixty-two years, Mrs. Schwanz surviving until 1911 and l3eing sixty-eight years of age at the time of her demise. There were twelve children in the family of this worthy and* highly respected couple: Albert, deceased ; Bertha ; Minnie, deceased ; Herman ; William, deceased ; Louis; Anna and Mary, deceased; Ida, William, Martha and Emma, and the last named is deceased. The parents were devout members of the Lutheran Church and Mr, Schwanz was a democrat in his political views.

Louis Schwanz was reared on the home farm and received his education in the public schools, and, his training all having been along agricultural lines, he adopted farming when he made a choice of his life work. In 1901 he purchased eighty acres of land in Reedsburg Township, which forms a part of his present farm, and when this was put under a high state of cultivation he added forty acres more in the same township. He later bought twenty acres of timber land in Ironton Township, which he also owns at this time. Mr, Schwanz has devoted his energies to general farming and stockraising, and has made a success of his efforts because he has realized the value of modern scientific methods, while at the same time discarding none of those which still prove practical and which have been tested by time. He has made a study of his vocation, and combines industrious work with good management. His buildings are equipped with up-to-date appliances and the structures themselves are substantial and commodious. In his political affairs, Mr. Schwanz is allied with neither of the large parties, preferring to rely upon his own judgment in the selection of candidates for office. He belongs, with his family, to the Lutheran Church.

Mr. Schwanz was married October 4, 1906, to Miss Anna Niebuhr, who was born in Reedsburg Township, September 10, 1878, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Bergamann) Niebuhr. Her parents came from Germany about the year 1871, settling on a farm in Reedsburg Township, and here Mrs. Niebuhr died in 1909, aged seventy-two years, while Mr. Niebuhr passed away at the home of his daughter and son-inlaw, Mr. and Mrs. Schwanz, in 1914, when eighty years of age. They had five children : William ; an infant who died unnamed ; Henry, deceased ; Ernest; and Anna, now Mrs. Schwanz. Mr. and Mrs. Schwanz are parents of two children: Wilbert, born February 1, 1908; and Anola, born February 4, 1913.

Francis Byrne. Many people gain wealth in this world, many gain distinction in the learned professions, and many are honored with offices of trust and responsibility, but to few is it given to attain so high a place in the esteem and affection of their fellow citizens as that enjoyed by Mr. and Mrs. Francis Byrne, who are known throughout Sauk County for their hospitality. Their spacious and comfortable residence in the Village of fronton is widely renowned for its charity, hospice having been frequently given to those persons less fortunate in the way of worldly goods than themselves. Farming was long Mr. Byrne's chief occupation but he is now living retired.

A native of the fine old Emerald Isle, Francis Byrne was born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1842. He is a son of John and Bridget (Royal) Byrne, who came to America and settled at Lancaster, Ohio, in 1852. Seven years later, in 1859, they located in Richland County, Wisconsin, going thence to Ironton, in which latter place they resided at the time of their demise. Seven children were born to them, as follows : Mary, Alice, Bridget, Francis, Peter, Catherine (deceased) and Ellen.

Francis Byrne was ten years of age when he arrived with his parents in the United States. His education consisted of such facilities as were afforded in the public schools of Lancaster, Ohio, and he was seventeen years of age when the family settled in Sauk County. As a young man he purchased a farm of forty acres in Westford Township and he added to that plot until he eventually owned 440 acres in that section. Subsequently he began acquiring land in the vicinity of Ironton, and at one time owned an immense estate of 1,440 acres, parcels of which he has recently given to his sons. His main work in life has been the management of his farms, brain and not brawn building up his fortune. His success in life has proved that the adage of Benjamin Franklin, "He who by the plow would thrive, must either hold the plow or drive," is not applicable in all cases. For a number of years Mr. Byrne was superintendent of outside works for John F. Smith, at one time owner of practically everything in the vicinity of Ironton. Mr. Bryne set forth on his journey through life some seventy-five years ago, and from the date of the beginning of his business career at a tender age, under the rapidly shifting skies of success and adversity and through years burning with intense energy and devotion to the manifold affairs of life, he has come to the years of his retirement with undimmed alertness and clearness of mentality and judgment and rejoices that he can still carry the burdens which would overwhelm most men of half his years.

a pioneer of Dellona. To Mr. and Mrs. Byrne were born five children : John, a farmer near Ironton ; James, likewise a farmer ; Mary ; Frank and Joseph (deceased). The family are Catholic in their religious faith and in politics Mr. Byrne is a stalwart democrat. Mrs. Byrne is a woman of most gracious personality and in conjunction with her husband has extended hospitality to the needy in many walks of life. They are greatly beloved by all who know them and their lives are a fine example of faithful industry and charitableness to the younger generation.

Charles M. Kester. Shrewd business ability, special adaptiveness to his calling, appreciation of its many advantages and belief in his own power to succeed placed Charles M. Kester among the foremost and most substantial promoters of agriculture in Reedsburg Township. From the prairies his unaided industry brought forth ample means, permitting' his retirement to Reedsburg in 1905 and his consigning to younger hands the tasks that made up the sum of his existence for forty years. He has a modern and well furnished home at the corner of North Walnut and Second streets, and is regarded as one of the financially strong and morally high retired farmers.

Charles M. Kester was born in Morrow County, Ohio, July 22, 1842, and is a son of William W. and Susan R. (Washburn) Kester. His father was born in Virginia in 1819, and as a young man went to Morrow County, where he met and married Susan R. Washburn, who had been born in New York, in 1822, and had gone as a child with her parents to Ohio. They resided in the Buckeye State for some years, but Mr. Kester felt that he could gain greater success further to the west, and in 1855 the family came to Wisconsin, settlement being made on a farm in Ironton Township which is now included in the Village of Ironton. The elder Kester continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits throughout the period of his active career, and upon his retirement located at Reedsburg, where he died April 30, 1901, Mrs. Kester having passed away February 20, 1897. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Charles M., of this notice; Sarah P., who was for a number of years one of the popular school teachers of Sauk County; Charlotte J., now deceased, who also was well known in educational circles as a successful and popular teacher of this county; Olive E. ; Harriet C, deceased; John W., a successful practicing physician and surgeon of Mazomanie, Wisconsin; Clara B., deceased; and Helen. When the office of county superintendent of schools was established, and the first examination was held at Ironton, in April, 1862, Charlotte and Sarah P. Kester were among the applicants, and the former was the first teacher in Sauk County to receive a certificate. William W. Kester from being a small farmer and an obscure citizen of his community rose through his own efforts to the owner of a valuable property and to a place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. He was clerk and assessor in Washington Township, held the same offices in Ironton Township, occupied all the school offices in his community, and for several years was township superintendent of the Ironton Township schools. His public life was one marked by devotion and fidelity to duty and his record is clear and spotless. Fraternally he was affiliated with the Independent

Order of Odd Fellows. During the early days he and Mrs. Kester belonged to the Free Will Baptist Church, later transferred their membership to the Christian Church, and finally joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the faith of which both died.