Sauk County, Wisconsin - The whole text, 1918 (part 19 of 20)

A native of Sauk County, Fred A. Hinrichs was born in Reedsburg Township, May 27, 1870, son of Fred and Elizabeth (Ringelman) Hinrichs. His father was born in Germany in 1844, son of Henry Hinrichs and wife, both of whom died in Germany. Frederick came to Sauk County in January, 1867, and on May 3, 1868, he bought the homestead where his son Fred now lives. There he spent an active career as a prosperous farmer until his death in 1904, at the age of sixty. He was a republican and a devout member of the Lutheran Church. He married in Sauk County in 1869 Elizabeth Ringelman, who was born in Germany, February 15, 1840. Her parents both died in Germany, their names being Casper and Katrina Ringelman. The Ringelman children were: Frederick, who died at Reedsburg in January, 1917, at the age of eighty-six ; Dorothy and Henry ; and Elizabeth, who is still living at the Village of Reedsburg. She was the mother of four children : Henry, deceased ; Fred A. ; Bertha ; and Martha, at home with her widowed mother.

Fred A. Hinrichs passed his boyhood and youth on the farm now owned by him and his educational training was obtained in the local schools. After the death of his father he became heir to one hundred acres of finely improved land and subsequently he purchased an additional tract of one hundred and eighty acres, making in all an estate of two hundred and eighty acres. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising and in the latter connection is a breeder of thoroughbred Holstein cattle, of which he keeps about fifty-five head. The buildings on this farm are fine modern ones, the barn being an immense structure, 34 by 110 feet, and the silo 35 by 14 feet. Everything about this place is indicative of up-to-date methods and expert management.

In 1898 Mr. Hinrichs married Miss Anna Borth, who was born at Loganville, this eountj^, August 22, 1881, and who is a daughter of William and Dorothy (Burmaster) Borth. Mr. Borth was born and reared in Minneapolis, where he learned the' trade of blacksmith, which he plied with success after his arrival in Sauk County. For a number of years he had a shop at Loganville and eventually he turned his attention to farming in Washington Township, where his devoted wife died in April, 1888, aged thirty-three years, and where he passed away in 1905, aged fifty-five years. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Borth: Amelia, William, Mala, Anna, Charles (deceased), Mathilda, Emma and Alina. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hinrichs : Albert, Fred, Arnieta and Warnieta, twins, Leona, Irvin, Herbert and Eleanora (died in infancy).

Albert Strutz. To the business of farming Albert Strutz has applied the best years of his life since he reached his majority and is now cultivating and managing a fine farm in La Valle Township, which was redeemed from the wilderness largely through the efforts of his honored father.

Mr. Strutz was born in Winfield Township of this county October 23, 1886, a son of Herman and Wilhelmina (Jenwich) Strutz. His parents were born in Germany and came to Sauk County many years ago, first locating in Winfield Township. In 1899 the family removed to La Valle Township and located on the farm where Mr. Albert Strutz now resides. In the family were four children: Frederick, who married Minnie Wacholtz. a daughter of B. Wacholtz of Winfield Township; Charles, who married Annie Dravs ; Ida, wife of Guy Tate, son of Robert Tate ; and Albert.

Herman Strutz after many years of successful enterprise as a farmer died on the old homestead February 2, 1916, at the age of sixty- four. His widow is still living there, the farm being under the capable management of her son Albert, who is still unmarried. Mr. Albert Strutz is giving a good account of himself as a farmer on the 113 acres, has his fields well tilled, raises considerable stock, including about fifteen head of cattle, and milks ten cows. Mr. Albert Strutz was educated in District School No. 4 of Winfield Township, and is everywhere recognized as one of the capable younger citizens of Lavalle Township. He is a republican, a member of the Lutheran Church.

Mrs. Otto Standow has been a resident of Sauk County and has occupied her present homestead in Lavalle Township for the past thirtyfour years.

Mrs. Standow was born in Germany in 1858, her maiden name being Wilhelmina Hanka. She was adaughter of Manthey and Anstee Hanka. Her father died in the old country in 1871. Her mother came to America in 1883 in company with Mrs. StandoAV and her two other children, Amelia and Albert.

Wilhelmina Hanka was married in Germany in 1879 to Mr. Otto Standow. Coming to America in 1883 the family located on the present Standow farm in Lavalle Township and Mrs. Standow has for years carefully looked after its management and cultivation in addition to the burdens and responsibilities of home making. She owns 120 acres of good land, and with the aid of her children has successfully farmed it and has raised much good stock.

Her children are : Frank, William, Mary, Eliza, Albert and Paul. Mary is deceased, and the son Paul is unmarried and lives at home with his mother. The son Frank married Ida Burmeister. William married Annie Gates. Eliza is the wife of Paul Middlestead. Albert married Elsie Ceich. These children were all given good advantages in the local public schools. Mrs. Standow and her family are active members of the Lutheran Church and her sons are independent in politics.

Herman C. W. Lucht has been numbered among the enterprising farmers of Lavalle Township since his early youth. He was born in that township on the farm where he still lives, and his own exertions helped clear some of it from the woods.

Mr. Lucht was born June 11, 1875, and is a son of August and Wilhelmina Lucht, who were arrivals in this county from Germany in 1872. At that time they acquired the land now constituting the home of their son Herman. The father and mother were residents of Sauk County for nearly forty years, and the father died in 1911 and the mother in 1916. They had only two sons Albert, and Herman. The former is still unmarried.

Herman C. W. Lucht at an early age took his place as a worker on the home estate, and finally acquired it and has done much to develop the 198 acres under his ownership. He is a prosperous general farmer and stock raiser. He is thoroughly convinced of the value of silage as a means of economical feeding, and some years ago he built one of the best silos in the township. He properly takes pride in his farm, much of which represents his individual efforts at clearing the land and also the erection of most of its buildings.

Mr. Lucht is a democrat in politics and is an active member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. He first married Bertha Zietlow, daughter of William Zietlow of Juneau County, Wisconsin. His children by his first wife are Ottilie, Wilhelmina, Franz, Christina, Arthur, Ella, Lydia, Victor. These children are still young and none of them married. On January 28, 1917, Mr. Lucht married Anna Prochnow, daughter of Julius and Amelia Prochnow, and they have one child, Clara, born December 17, 1917.

Joseph Abbott Douglass, who is now living retired in the Village of LaValle, was identified with farming operations in the township of LaValle' during the major portion of his active career. He has ever been on the alert to forward all measures and enterprises projected for the good of the general welfare and he has served his community in various official positions of trust and responsibility. He has been township supervisor, was a member of the board of trustees of LaValle for a number of years and has also been village and township assessor.

(Salisbury) Douglass, the former of whom was born in Connecticut, October 25, 1826, and the latter in Augusta, Maine, December 1, 1832^ Mr. Douglass was a volunteer in the Civil- War with the Twenty-ninth Connecticut Regiment aacl served over a year, was wounded and mustered out. Mr. and Mrs. Douglass were married in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1847, and in 1867 they came to Wisconsin and settled on the farm in Sauk County, now owned by their grandson, Frank Douglass. This homestead originally consisted of eighty acres, which Mr. Douglass cleared and improved with good buildings. In 1879 he removed to the village of LaValle and thence settled in Wonewoe, in 1903.

He and his wife were residents of the latter place at the time of their death; he died September 17, 1907, and she passed away May 8, 1905. They celebrated their gold wedding in Wonewoe, in 1897. Following are the names of their children: Henry (deceased)', Joseph Abbott, Rose A. (deceased), and Harvey. In politics Mr. Douglass was a republican and he was chairman of the township board of trustees for a number of years. He affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was a Baptist in his religious devotion ; his wife was a member of the Advent Christian Church.

Joseph Abbott Douglass, subject of this review, was born in Rhode Island and kas fifteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to Sauk County. He attended school in Connecticut until his twelfth year, when he began to work in a cotton mill. After his arrival in Wisconsin he attended school again for a time and then turned his attention to -the great basis industry of agriculture. In 1882 he purchased his father's farm, the acreage of which he kept increasing until he had 192 acres of well cultivated and finely improved land. In addition to general farming he was a breeder of Jersey cattle. In 1905 he assisted in the organization of the LaValle Creamery Company, of which he was manager for three years and in which he is still a stockholder. He has lived in retirement in LaValle since 1904 but still retains interest in certain business matters, being a stockholder in and secretary of the LaValle Telephone Company. He sold the farm to his son Frank April 3, 1911. A republican in politics, he has been township treasurer and supervisor and for several years past has served as village assessor.

May 7, 1876, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Douglass to Miss Susan Burdick, whose birth occurred in Connecticut, November 23, 1857, and who accompanied the Douglass family to Sauk County in 1867. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Douglass and concerning them the following brief data are here incorporated : Clara May is the wife of Jerry Jackson, of Spokane, Washington, the}^ have one child, Delia May; Jane Gertrude married Deibert Marshall, of Clyman, Wisconsin : they have two children, Harry and Floyd ; Benjamin Franklin lives on the old Douglass homestead, which he purchased from his father in 1911 : he married Nellie Jackson and they have two sons, Lorin and Russell ; Joel is a farmer in Juneau County : he married Lulu Darrow and they have four children, Jay, Lee, Benjamin and Nona; and Hannah is the wife of Frank Darrow: they have two children, Roy and Fern.

which he has achieved marked success as a general farmer and stock raiser. He was born on the parental estate in Reedsburg Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, March 17, 1882, and is a son of Carl and Caroline (Burmaster) Behn.

Reared to the life of a farmer on the old Behn estate. Otto Behn was educated in the neighboring country schools and after reaching his majority he worked for 0. P. Morrill for a period of seven years. In 1906 he bought a forty-acre tract of land, formerly owned by Fred Hinrichs, and subsequently purchased an additional tract of forty acres from the Jack Fisher farm. This land he has cultivated to a high degree and improved with fine, modern buildings, erecting a new silo in 1917. He breeds Holstein cattle and is engaged in general farming. In his political attitude he maintains an independent position, voting for the man rather than for party principles. His public service has been confined to membership on the school board.

In November, 1906, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Behn to Miss Bertha Hinrichs, a native of La Valle Township, where she was born July 17, 1874. Mrs. Behn is a daughter of Fred and Elizabeth (Ringelman) Hinrichs and a sister of Fred A. Hinrichs. Mr. and Mrs. Behn are devout members of the St. John's Lutheran Church, to whose good works they are liberal contributors. They are popular with their neighbors and are well known for their generous hospitality. They have no children.

Harry P. Apker. There are few more intelligent and none more important in a community than the modern, progressive farmer, and to the credit of Sauk County it may be declared that few sections can show more proof of this. The county is one of the soundest in the state, its taxes are not burdensome when its improvements are taken into account, and it is a profitable section in which to do business and has no equal in advantages that add to comfortable living. A representative farmer of the county who belongs to the enterprising class above indicated, is Harry P. Apker, who is a representative of one of the old families of the county and is the owner of one of the best improved properties in La Valle Township.

Harry P. Apker was born in Woodland Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, July 10, 1861, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Parker) Apker. Henry Apker was born in 1825, near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Peter and Charlotte (Meyer) Apker. They were natives of Pennsylvania who came very early to Sauk County and settled in Woodland Township as pioneers, living in their wagon until they could build a log house in the wilderness. That took many days of strenuous labor and when completed was a residence which offers, in retrospect, a great contrast to the beautiful electrically lighted residence of his grandson, Harry P. Apker. The grandparents lived and died on their farm and were the parents of thirteen children, three of this large family still surviving, as follows : Tunis ; Susan, who is the wife of John Sanborn ; and Cassie, who is the wife of Charles Norton, of Brooklyn, Wisconsin.

sawmills for a time and then followed farming in Woodland Township, buying a farm that adjoined his father's land, but later sold it and came to La Valle village. He worked in sawmills and in a carding mill and was an experienced mill man. His death" occurred in 1897. At Baraboo, Wisconsin, he was married to Elizabeth Parker, who had come to La Valle from the East to teach school, her birth having taken place in 1836, in Oneida County, New York, and she still resides at La Valle. They were the parents of six children, namely : Everett Edward, who is a railroad conductor and resides at Baraboo ; Mary, who is the wife of James Fitzgerald, of Sauk County; Harry P.; Fannie, who is the wife of D. E. Wright, of Oneida County, New York ; Ina, who is the widow of Philip Mihlbemer; and Clinton A., who died in 1914, for twenty years was chief clerk in the Northwestern Railroad office at La Valle.

Harry P. Apker obtained his education in the village schools and for several years afterward was baggage roaster at La Valle for the Northwestern Railroad, and also v/orked as a freight brakeman for four years. When he left the railroad he went to Iowa and bought a farm of eighty acres and worked on the same for two years and then came back to La Valle, after selling his western property, and in 1894 bought a farm of 120 acres, forty acres of which lies within the corporation limits. He has sold five lots to the village but has retained the rest of the land, which is certain to become more valuable every year. Mr. Apker has been very enterprising in putting his property in good condition. He has put up handsome buildings and has both his residence and immense barn, the dimensions of which are 32 by 57 feet, lighted by electricity. All his surroundings indicate thrift and good management. In addition to general farming he does some dairying, keeping fourteen cows, is a breeder of high grade Holsteins and is a member of the Holstein Association.

Mr. Apker was married March 7, 1883, to Miss Anna Sands, who was born in Ironton Township, Sauk County, March 7, 1862, and is a daughter of Charles H. and Elizabeth (Atkinson) Sands. Mr. Sands was born in 1830, in New York, and Mrs. Sands in 1836, in Rhode Island. John Atkinson, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Apker, was one of the earliest pioneers in Ironton Township. He became a well known man, a large landowner and for many years kept the Buck horn tavern and his granddaughter has a piece of the old tavern sign, which she preserves as an interesting family record, for this place of entertainment ' ' for man and beast" is mentioned in early histories. He also kept a general store and was a farmer of 160 acres of land. After the death of his wife he went to Nebraska and died there.

The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Apker were Nathaniel and Jane Sands, early pioneers from New York to Dane County, Wisconsin, Avhere both died. Charles S. Sands, father of Mrs. Apker, settled on what was known as the Ners Stowe farm but later sold it, having been the original owner and sold it to Stowe. Later he bought the Atkinson farm of 160 acres but later sold it and subsequentl}'- went to Iowa and there he died in 1890. The mother of Mrs. Apker died February 15, 1872. Mr. Sands served in the Civil War from 1865 to its close and through his enlistment into 1866. He was a man of political prominence and served in numerous important offices, was township trustee for several years and also supervisor, and from 1863 to 1864 was chairman of the board and again held that position in 1880. Mrs, Apker was the fifth born in her parents' family of eight children: Jane, George, Orin, Flora, Anna, Charles, William and Arvin.

Mr. and Mrs. Apker have three children, namely : Verne, Gladys and Merrill. The elder son is an electrical engineer. He was born August 9, 1886, attended the grade and high schools at La Valle and took an electrical course at Kansas City. He married Elsa Rist. The only daughter, Gladys, was born May 5, 1894, at La Valle, attended the public schools here and was graduated from the Baraboo High School in 1912. She is a graduated and registered nurse and has made pathology a special object of study and is a graduate in that science. Already, she has found her life busy and useful and at the time this is written (1917) she is attached to the Memorial Methodist Hospital, at Mattoon, Illinois, her duties including the examination of young men for service in the World War. Merrill, the younger son, was born November 22, 1897, and attended the public schools at La Valle and will be graduated from the high school at Reedsburg, in the class of 1918. In politics Mr. Apker is a republican and has always been a loyal party man but has never been willing to accept preferment for himself. Fraternally he is identified with the Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Woodmen of the World. The entire family and its connections merit the high regard in which they are held.

Alfred Beuchat. One of the widely known, highly respected and substantial citizens of Sauk County is Alfred Beuchat, who was born in Ironton Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, November 17, 1864. His parents were August and Mary Beuchat.

The Beuchats came to Sauk County in 1856. They were natives of Switzerland, where the father was born in 1828 and the mother in 1832. The mother's people had settled in Massachusetts, and after August Beuchat bought eighty acres of land in Ironton Township as a foundation for a home, he went to Massachusetts and was married there and brought his wife back with him to the pioneer farm. The building of a log house followed and his original eighty acres, together with another eighty acres were cleared through Mr. Beuchat 's industry, and "here both he and wife spent the rest of their lives. August Beuchat had other interests, however, during his useful life. In his own land he had been a charcoal burner and was engaged in a similar way in Massachusetts for a time and subsequently was in the employ of the furnace company at Ironton as a capable and experienced man in this line. He served as a soldier during the latter part of the Civil War, as a member of the Fifty-first Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. In politics he was a republican but was a quiet, sensible man who voted with this party because he believed in its principles and not because he desired public office. He died in 1895 and his wife in 1881. They were members of the Catholic Church. They had the following children: Henry, Alfred, George, William, Julius, Alice and Joseph, the last two dying in infancy.

Alfred Beuchat grew up on the home farm and gave his father assistance for many years. Later he bought the homestead of 160 acres and later sold it to advantage, after which he bought the farm he now owns.

an exceedingly valuable property comprising 165 acres, five and a half acres lying within the corporate limits of La Valle, and on this finely improved tract stands his residence. Mr. Beuchat has carried on his agricultural activities with remarkable success, being one of the leading breeders in the county of pure bred Percheron horses and Jersey cattle. He has taken a great deal' of interest in improving the standard of live stock in the county.

Mr. Beuchat was married December 25, 1895, to Miss Annie Tordoff, who was bom in La Valle Township, Sauk County, a daughter of John and Fannie (Tetlow) Tordoff'. Mr. Tordoff came to Columbia County, Wisconsin, in 1848, and in the same year was married to Emma Thornton, who was a daughter of Reuben Thornton. Four sons were born to that marriage, namely : Edmund, Samuel, Squire and John. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Tordoff married Fannie Tetlow and five children were born to the second marriage, namely : Annie, Ledger, Harry, Thomas and Herman. Mr. Tordoff was born in England in 1831 and died in 1903. The mother of Mrs. Beuchat survives.

To Mr. and Mrs. Beuchat three children have been born, as follows : Vera M., Max H. and Kathryn. The eldest daughter. Miss Vera, was born November 4, 1896. She was liberally educated, attending the La Valle public schools and the Reedsburg High, and was graduated from the Reedsburg Normal Training School, since when she has followed the profession of teacher. Max H., the only son, was born. January 24, 1898, and was graduated from the La Valle High School and the Lane Technical School, Chicago, and is a student in the Armour Institute, preparing for the profession of electrical engineer. The youngest daughter, a schoolgirl of seven years, was born January 30, 1910.

In politics Mr. Beuchat maintains an independent attitude but his good citizenship has never been questioned. He is held in very high regard in La Valle village and township and has served with great satisfaction to all concerned as village trustee and as president of the village. He is a pronounced temperance man, a prohibitionist, and takes much comfort in the probable abolition of intoxicants that the people of the United States have learned to look upon as one of the great achievements of the twentieth century. Men of the high personal standing of Mr. Beuchat have had much to do in influencing public opinion in this direction.

Charles E. Decot. No condition more strongly emphasizes the remarkable changes which have taken place in Sauk County since the pioneers began taking up land here, than the fact that only thirty-five years ago many of the farmers settled on land which was still covered with heavy timber and were compelled to clear a space to build their first rude habitation of logs, and that without exception these properties are now well cultivated and productive farms, with modem buildings and splendid equipment. The Decot family has been closely identified with the agricultural interests and development of Sauk County since 1880, and its members have spanned the distance between wooded land and fertile fields and log cabins and modern residences. One of its representatives who belongs to the later generation is Charles E. Decot, the owner of a fine property in La Valle Township.

Mr. Decot was born in Germany, April 23, 1875, and is a soil of Eugene and Mary (Gasser) Decot, natives of France, the former born in 1853 and the latter in 1851. In 1888 the family came to the United States and located in La Valle, and about three years later the father purchased a farm in the township of the same name. His first tract, consisting of forty-three acres, was all in the woods, and before he could build his log home he was forced to make a small clearing, and when he made his second purchase, of eighty acres, the land was also largely timbered. Mr. Decot succeeded in developing a good farm and in later years he and his wife have enjoyed the comforts of a modern home and up-todate conveniences. In 1911 he sold his eighty-acre farm to his son, Charles E., although he still owns the original forty-three-acre tract, which is being operated by his son Frank. Mr. Decot and his wife are now living in retirement and are among the highly esteemed people of their community. Politically he is a republican, and he and his wife are members of the Catholic Church. Their children have been as follows: Charles E., of this notice; Theodore, a resident of Sauk City; Edward, of La Valle ; Victor, of the township of that name ; Mary, who died in 1917, aged thirty-three years; and Frank, who operates the home farm.

Charles E. Decot was thirteen years old when he came with his parents to the United States, and his education was secured in Nitting, Germany, and the Oak Hill public school. He was reared as a farmer, and in 1911 started operations independently when he purchased the eighty-acre farm of his father, where he has since carried on general farming and stock-raising. He has made a number of improvements on his land, and, using modern methods and improved machinerj^, is achieving success in his chosen vocation. He supports the republican party at elections, and belongs to the Catholic Church. His many acquaintances have entire confidence in his integrity and the number of his friends testifies to his general popularity.

Mr. Decot was married in March, 1905, to Miss Josephine Romies, who was born in Bear Creek Township, Sauk County, daughter of Joseph and Frances Mary Romies, early settlers of Sauk county, the former now deceased and the latter still living here. There were six children in the Romies family: Barbara, Sophie, Casper, Josephine, Frances and Frank. Mr. and Mrs. Decot have six children : Charley, born September 13, 1906 ; Margaret, born in 1909 ; Frank, in 1911 ; John, in 1912 ; Frances, in 1914 ; and Theodore, born in 1915.

Herman Lucht, of La Valle Township, is in a position to appreciate his own prosperity and the wonderful development that has occurred in Sauk County during the past half century. He was at one time a laborer himself in clearing away the woods and making the resources of the county available for settled agriculture, and though in those days he had much to contend with he has never regretted the choice which brought him away from his native Fatherland to this region of Wisconsin.

Mr. Lucht was born in Germany January 18, 1850, a son of John and Anna Mary (Kaeting) Lucht. His mother died in Germany in 1871 at the age of sixty-three. The father, in 1872, after the death of his wife, came to Sauk County to .join his children and died here in 1881 at the age of seventy-two.

Herman Lucht grew up in his native country, was given the usual education of a German youth, and in 1868 at the age of eighteen crossed the ocean and came to Milwaukee. In the course of the same year he arrived at Reedsburg and on the 12th of December, 1872, moved to the farm that he now owns. It could hardly have been described as a farm when he Avent there. In a few weeks a log cabin had been erected for his shelter. Then with the energy inspired by an ambition to conquer a home for himself he went to work clearing up and removing the stumps and putting the ground in cultivation, and the fine farm which he now owns is in the nature of a response to his industry and persistent efforts. He has done much to improve the land with good buildings, and has one of the fine barns of the township, 34 by 54 feet with 18-foot posts. He has for many years carried on general farming and stock-raising. His first purchase was eighty acres of land, and as his means justified it he bought another forty and then still another forty, so that his present farm comprises a complete quarter section.

Mr. Lucht is a member of the Lutheran Church and in politics a democrat. He has served on the school board and for several years past has been a side-supervisor.

In 1872, the year he occupied his present farm, he married Miss Albertina Roloff. She also is a native of Germany and came to Sauk County before her marriage. They were married in Milwaukee and their lives have been lived side by side now for forty-five years. One son was born to them, William, whose birth occurred in 1873. William was educated in the local public schools and as a practical and progressive farmer now handles the estate of his father. William married Lizzie Falk. Four children were born to their union, but three died in infancy. Peter, who was born August 14, 1898, is the only grandchild of Mr. and Mrs. Lucht.

Thomas Rudolph Litz is a native son of Sauk Cqunty and has spent nearly all his industrious and active j^ears on the farm in La Valle Township where he first saw the light of day. Mr. Litz was born April 13, 1862, a son of Sylvester and Catherine (Boyle) Litz. The father was born in Pennsylvania in 1828. In Pennsylvania he married for his first wife in 1849 Miss Louisa Gardner, and the young couple soon journeyed west and settled in Dane County, Wisconsin, v/hen all that section of the country was a wilderness. His first wife died in Dane County, Wisconsin, and he afterwards married in Sauk County Miss Catherine Boyle, a native of County Mayo, Ireland. Sylvester Litz was one of the pioneers of La Valle Township, and located there in the midst of the woods before there was any town of Reedsburg and when it was necessary to go to Baraboo for all groceries and other supplies. He used ox teams in the ploM^ng and breaking up of his land and also for the transport of products to market. He secured and developed a farm of 120 acres, but before his death sold forty acres, leaving the homestead eighty acres in extent. The father died there in 1900 and his wife is also deceased. He was a democrat in politics and a member of the Catholic Church. The children are : Mary Jane, Sarah Ann, Thomas R., Sylvester, Catherine and U. Simon.

own efforts became productive and a valuable farm. Still later he bought the homestead of eighty acres and has done much to increase its value and facilities beyond the point at which his father left it. He has erected good buildings, including a most substantial barn erected in 1902. Mr, Litz is an ambitious farmer and one of the live stockmen of the county. He keeps good grades of Holstein and Jersey cows for his dairy, usually milking about twenty-five head. He also has six or eight horses to furnish power on the farm.

In matters of politics Mr. Litz is independent and has never aspired to any office. The schoolhouse attended by his children is located on land that was formerly a part of his farm. He and his family are active members of the Catholic Church. It may be recalled that his father was at one time a factor in the hog-raising industry which was so important a feature of Sauk County agriculture in the early days.

In 1894 Mr. Litz married Catherine Conner, who was born in La Valle Township in 1865. Her pa.rents were among the early settlers of this county and both are now deceased. Mrs. Litz, after fifteen years of married companionship, passed away in 1909. She was the mother of these children: Theresa May, wife of Henry Wright, of Beloit, Wisconsin; John T. ; Elizabeth Catherine ; Mary Ruth and Thomas R., twins ; Hattie ; and James Edward.

John GtALLAgher. In recalling the early settlers of Sa^iik County, James Gallagher, one of the earliest landowners in Dellona Township, comes to mind. He was the paternal grandfather of John Gallagher, who is one of the representative citizens and substantial agriculturists of La Valle Township, Sauk County. For many years he has been a public offieial, serving ably and honestly and few men in this section are better or more favorably known.

John Gallagher was born in Winfield Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, July 31, 1863. His parents were Owen and Margaret (Casey) Gallagher, both natives of Ireland. The paternal grandparents, James and Kate Gallagher, came to the United States and landed in 1848 in the city of New Orleans. There James Gallagher was employed in the construction of the great levees that reach across the water front. From there Mr. Gallagher and his family came up the Mississippi river and finally landed in Sauk County, Wisconsin, where he secured a government land claim of 160 acres, situated in Dellona Township. They had many pioneer hardships to face but they were sturdy, resourceful people, well fitted to blaze the way for later civilization.

The maternal grandparents of John Gallagher were among the pioneers of the '50s in Dellona Township, Sauk County. Their names were John and Mary Casey, both natives of Ireland. They later removed from Dellona to AVinfield Township and still later to Dane County and there both died. In Winfield Township John Casey had a farm of 160 acres and acquired eighty acres in Dane County.

Owen Gallagher accompanied his parents to the United States and to Sauk County, Wisconsin, and he spent the remainder of his life in this county, devoting himself to agricultural pursuits exclusively. In 1862 he bought the farm now owned by his son, John Gallagher, and he moved on the place in 1864 and from then to the close of his busy life he continued clearing work on his property and making improvements. He died here, October 23, 1905, and his widow on March 21, 1910, both aged sixty-eight years. They had the following children : John, James, Mary, Maggie, Katie and Annie.

John Gallagher has spent his life in Sauk County. From boyhood he has been accustomed to the industries carried on on a farm and on his 102 acres these are conducted along modem lines and according to good judgment and prove very profitable. Mr. Gallagher raises a considerable amount of stock but only first class breeds and his herd of Shorthorn cattle and his many head of Poland China hogs give proof of the wisdom of his decision. He frequently attends meetings of farmers where different methods are discussed and belongs to that intelligent class that believes in progress and enterprise on the farm as well as in other directions.

Mr. Gallagher was married in 1899 to Miss Cecelia Gahagan, who was born in Winfield Township, Sauk County, July 21, 1869, and is a daughter of Cornelius and Mary Gahagan, who in 1863 bought a farm of forty acres in Winfield Township, from a Mr. Belong, making their farm eighty acres. This farm remained the Gahagan homestead and was subsequently well improved, and here both parents of Mrs. Gallagher died, the father in 1878 and the mother in 1902. They had the following children : Mary, who is the wife of Joseph Corbin, of Warren, Pennsylvania; Nellie, who is the wife of John F, O'Brien, of Reedsburg; Cornelius, who is in business at Reedsburg; Michael, who is engaged at Milwaukee; Cecelia, who married John Gallagher; and John, who lives at Milton Junction, in Rock County, Wisconsin.

Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher have five children : John, who was born- February 3, 1901 ; Cecelia, who was born December 1, 1905 ; Philip, who was born August 17, 1907 ; Owen, who was born October 17, 1908 ; and Eugene, who was born March 12, 1911.

In his political views Mr, Gallagher has always been affiliated with men in whom he has reposed confidence and casts his vote with the republican party. Personally he has long been regarded as a man of financial soundness as well as unwavering integrity and his fellow citizens have called him to positions of trust and responsibility. The office of supervisor is one that requires great good judgment and this office Mr. Gallagher had filled continuously for thirteen years and for five of these has been chairman of the board. He is a liberal supporter of the public schools and of religious bodies.

Julius Schulz is a resident of La Valle Township, where he is the owner of a finely improved farm of eighty acres, on which he has resided since 1900. A self-made man, Mr. Schulz has progressed steadily toward the goal of success until he is now recognized as one of the substantial farmers of the vicinity of Reedsburg, where he is known as a loyal and public-spirited citizen.

August 19, 1866, occurred the birth of Julius Schulz and his native heath is Germany. He is a son of Carl and Hannah (Semson) Schulz, who brought their family to America from the old Fatherland in 1870 and settled in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The father purchased a farm of 160 acres in Reedsburg Township and there reared to maturity a fam- ily of four children, concerning whom the following brief data are here incorporated: Julius is the subject of this sketch; Louis; Carl is now deceased ; and Lizzie is the wife of August Mayer, of Reedsburg Township. Mr. Schulz was a demoerat in politics and he and his wife were devout members of the Lutheran Church. He passed to eternal rest in the year 1911 and the mother died in 1899.

Julius Schulz was but four years of age when he accompanied his parents to the United States and he was reared to maturity under the sturdy discipline of the old homestead in Eeedsburg Township. He received a good common-school education in the country schools and for a number of years after reaching maturity he worked as a farm hand. In 1900 he bought a fine farm of eighty acres in La Valle Township and here he is most successfully engaged in general farming and stockraising. He was reared in the faith of the Lutheran Church and in politics is a loyal supporter of the principles set forth in the democratic party. While never desirous of holding public office, Mr. Schulz does all in his power to advance the general welfare of his community and he is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens.

In 1898 Mr. Schulz was united in marriage to Miss Lena Bramer, who was bom in Reedsburg, in 1880, and who is a daughter of Henry and Lena Bramer. Mr. Bramer was a farmer in Reedsburg Township during practically the entire period of his active career and he died in 1917, aged seventy-four years. Mrs. Bramer, who survives her honored husband, is now a resident of the old home farm. To Mr. and Mrs. Schulz were born the following children : Alvena, Esther, Emil, Bernhard, Edna, Harold, and Arnold.

Francis Marion Groat. Many of the old landmarks and the old names of Sauk County have disappeared in the passage of sixty-eight years, but the name of Groat has survived this long lapse of time and the Groat homestead has remained in the family for almost as long. Francis Marion Groat, for many years an extensive farmer and stock-raiser in La Valle Township, but now living retired in his beautiful home at Whittier, in Los Angeles County, California, was born in Broom County, New York, November 25, 1847. His parents were Frederick J. and Clarissa (Spurr) Groat, and the paternal grandparents were Frederick and Cornelia (Spoor) Groat. The grandfather died in New York in 1822, leaving an infant son, Frederick (who was born July 13, 1822) and other children. He grew to manhood there and was a farmer in Broom County. He married Clarissa (Spurr) Groat, the widow of his brother William Henry Groat. She was born in New York in 1819 and to her first marriage one son was born, William Henry Groat, who was a member of Compiany A, Sixth Wisconsin Infantry for eighteen months and later of the Thirty-fifth Wisconsin Infantry. He died in the service at Vicksburg, Mississippi. To the second marriage six children were born, namely: Francis Marion; Cornelia, deceased; Esther; Mary; Ella; and Angeline, deceased.

In 1848 the Groat family decided to remove to Wisconsin and made their preparations so that they reached Dodge County in that year. The members of the party were Frederick Groat and wife and children, including William Henry Groat, and the grandmother, Mrs. Cornelia

(Spoor) Groat. They were people of some means and had brought with them from the old home sufiQcient household possessions to make them comfortable even in a wilderness and a year, passed by before Frederick Groat became convinced /that Sauk County presented more substantial attractions for a permanent home and the family came to a farm near Reedsburg. In 1850 Mr. Groat secured by a land warrant 160 acres, situated in Ironton Township. The land was yet uncleared but apparently our pioneer forefathers knew no such word as discouragement, and clearing was immediately begun and carried on until a farm of 120 acres was under cultivation. That farm was the Groat home till the death of the wife and mother in November, 1888, when it passed into other hands. The father later married Mrs. Julia Greaves, who faithfully ministered to his needs for the rest of his long life, five years of which were passed in the darkness of the blind.

Frederick Groat was one of the valuable pioneers and influential men of his day. In politics he was a Republican and a loyal defender of his country from disunion in the Civil War, in which he served three years and eleven months as a member of Company B, Twelfth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. For some years he served in Sauk County in the office of justice of the peace. He was reared a Wesleyan Methodist but later was an ordained minister of the Adventist religious body.

Francis Marion Groat attended the district schools in boyhood and later took courses in Ripon College and at Madison, and then went into educational work and taught school for twenty years, during eleven of these teaching at La Valle, and all over the county may be found men and women active and useful in their various stations, who recall Mr. Groat with sentiments of high regard because of his helpful influence in their student days.

In 1885 Mr. Groat purchased a farm of 160 acres in La Valle Township and spared no expense to substantially improve it. He built the first silo in this township and during his active life on the farm, investigated and accepted other methods of feeding along modern lines and scientific reforms in general. For twenty years he was a breeder of Poland China hogs. In 1912 he sold his farm to his son, Frank Groat, and since then has not been a permanent resident of Sauk County. The family spent three winters in Florida and two in California before choosing California for a permanent home.

In politics Mr. Groat was reared a Republican and continued as such until the Progressive party became a factor in public affairs, when he united with that organization, believing in the truth of its principles and sincerity of its leaders. He has served his fellow citizens in numerous capacities in the township, chairman of the board of supervisors and township treasurer and was township clerk of Ironton for some years. He has ahvays been an advocate of good schools and of good roads and has tried to encourage those things which assist good government, good feeling and neighborly interest and social comfort and contentment.

He remembers with some satisfaction, that he was well enough thought of to be allowed to teach the children of his neighbors for eighteen years in three schools within two and a half miles of his old home ; that he clianged an old run-down farm to one of the most productive in the com-

Mr. Groat was married September 22, 1878, to Miss Jennie Butman, who was born in Richland County, Wisconsin, January 12, 1856, and died August 18, 1896. She was a daughter of Volney and Lucretia (Benjamin) Butman, who spent much of their lives in Ironton. Mr. Butman was a molder by trade and was the boss in a furnace at Ironton. Later he went into the bee business at La Valle and still later went to Whittier, California, and died there in 1912 at the age of eighty-two years. Mrs. Butman died in 1915, aged eighty-four years.

Mr. Croat in 1898 married Miss Jane Tordoff, who died April 26, 1917, in Whittier, California, at the age of fifty-six years and was buried in Ironton, Wisconsin. She was a daughter of Edmund and Harriet Tordoff, English-born pioneers. The children born to Mr. Groat's first marriage were : William Henry, who was born in 1880 and died in 1898 from an accidental gun-shot wound by the hand of a neighbor boy. Francis Marion, who was born in 1882 ; Mary, who was born in 1884, and became the wife of Thomas Tibbitt of Chippewa Falls. Mr. and Mrs. Tibbitt have two children, Eleanor and Nellie, made fatherless by the drowning of their father with two other fathers of young families October 14, 1917. Two children were born to Mr. Groat's second marriage, namely: Edmund Tordoff, who was born February 2, 1900, and is a graduate of the high school at Whittier, California ; and Frederick Jeremiah, who was horn February 26, 1902, and is a high school student in the third year.

Francis Marion Groat, Jr., his father's namesake and successor on the farm, was educated in the public schools and is one of Sauk County's enterprising agriculturists who has- conducted his activities with excellent results. In 1912 he bought his father's farm of 160 acres and has continued the industries and undertakings that have made this farm for many years noted for its products. His herd of dairy cows are good producers, and his returns from them make him the heaviest patron of the local co-operative creamery. Mr. Groat married Miss Alma Corseadden, who was born in La Valle Township, Sauk County, and they have one son, William Henry.

John Mears for more than a generation has represented much of the solid business enterprise and substantial citizenship of Bear Creek Township.

He was born in Canada in October, 1852, but when he was three years of age, in 1855, his parents, Andrew and Margaret (Howard) Mears, came to the United States and settled on eighty acres of land in Franklin Township of Sauk County. To the clearing and developing of this land his father gave the best of his subsequent years. Both parents are now deceased. Their children were: John, Mary (now deceased), Martin, Nellie, Michael, James, Johanna, Margaret (deceased) and Andrew.

John Mears was reared and educated in Sauk County, attended the public schools, and in 1880 he located on the farm of 3 60 acres which he still owns and manages as a general farming and stock-raising enterprise. Besides farming he has also long been active as a builder and contractor. A capable man in the management of his own affairs, Mr. Mears has again and again been sought for public duty, and is now and for a number of years has been chairman of the town board and has also filled various school offices. He is a democrat in politics and a member of the Catholic Church.

November 25, 1880, he married Miss Helen Farrell, daughter of Patrick and Julia (Harrington) Farrell, of Bear Creek Township. Mr. and Mrs. Mears have five children: James, who married Molly Purcell; Thomas, who married Stella Mears ; Mary, wife of M. T. Drea ; Margaret, unmarried; and William, who married Clara Fargen. The daughter Mary has six children, named: Willie, Catherine^ Margaret, Joseph, Jane and Lawrence. William and wife have two children : Henry and Julia, twins, born in 1917.

Charles Pearson. One of the oldest families in Sauk County bears the name of Pearson and members of this family still own the land that their grandparents secured almost seventy years ago. A worthy representative of this sturdy old pioneering family is found in Charles Pearson, one of the substantial and prominent citizens of Ironton Township, who has been an extensive breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Percheron horses for some years.

Charles Pearson was born on his father's farm in Ironton Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, May 2, 1867. His parents were Charles and Martha (Harrison) Pearson, natives of England and born in 1834 and 1832, respectively. The father came to Sauk County, Wisconsin, in 1848, with his parents, Manlius and Amy (Rowe) Pearson. They located in what is now La Valle Township, and their farm of 160 acres is still in the family. Their youngest child, Mary Ann, was the first white child born in the township. Their other children were: Charles; Isaac, who died in 1894; Thomas; Christopher Columbus, who lives at Whittier, California; and Martha.

Charles Pearson, the elder, was fourteen years of age when his parents settled in Sauk County and here he spent his after life. He was a general farmer and raised stock for his own use, carrying on his agricultural industries on 160 acres that he purchased in Ironton Township. When he took possession of this land it was wild and uncleared and he, like other pioneers had to go through the laborious task of clearing it, a work of magnitude when it is remembered the lack of tools and machinery that at the present day are put to use in like circumstances. It speaks well for the courage and perseverance of our ancestors that they were not disheartened in those early days. Mr. Pearson not only cleared his land but improved it and gained a competency through his industry, making it possible to retire when age came upon him and his death occurred after he had removed to Ironton. His widow survives and makes her home with her children. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as was Mr. Pearson. They had a family of eight children, namely: Eleaser; Azilla, who is the wife of William Rabuck, of Reedsburg ; Jacob, who lives in Ironton Township ; Sarah, who is the wife of Harry Thornton, of La Valle ; Salina, who is the wife of George Stowe, of Reedsburg ; Charles ; Ida, who is the wife of Daniel Williams, of Glasgow, Montana; and Mina, who is the wife of Doctor Booher, of Richland Center, Wisconsin.

Charles Pearson was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in the public schools of Ironton. Afterward he worked for five years in a gristmill at La Yalle and thoroughly learned the business under Harry Thornton, but for some time has devoted all his attention, to farm pursuits. He owns the old homestead in Ironton Township to which he has added forty acres, and in 1915 he bought a farm of eighty acres in La Yalle Tov/nship, on which he resides, and additionally he owns 150 acres in Ironton Township that he secured from Frank Byrne. For some years past Mr, Pearson has given close attention to raising fine horses and cattle and has been very successful.

Mr. Pearson was married September 23, 1891, to Miss Emeline L. Tordpff, who was born November 8, 1864, at La Yalle, Wisconsin, and is a daughter of Edmund and Harriet (Pickles) Tordoff. The father was born in England in 1827 and the mother, in 1828 and they were married in England. They came to Sauk County, Wisconsin, in 1858, and bought 160 acres in La Yalle Township and lived on that farm. The mother of Mrs. Pearson died in 1889 and the father died at La Yalle in March, 1911. By trade he was a carpenter and put his knowledge to good account in erecting his own buildings. In politics he was a republican and stood well with his party and fellow citizens, as was evidenced by his being elected'to the responsible office of township treasurer. Both he and wife belonged to the Unitarian Church. They had the following children: Jane Elizabeth, Mary Ann, Emeline Ledger, Hattie Olive, and Charles Colfax, Jane and Hattie being deceased. When the parents of Mrs. Pearson came to Sauk County, the grandmother, Mrs. Elizabeth TordofP, accompanied them and she died here in 1865.

Mr. and Mrs. Pearson have four children : Harriet Ruby, Louie Tordoff, Cecil Lee and Charles Edmund, all of whom reside at home. Louie Tordoff, the eldest son, married Miss Marie Thomas, who is a daughter of Charles Thomas of Ironton Township.

In politics Mr. Pearson is a republican, as was his father, and he is quite active in township affairs, for some years being chairman of the township board and at present is treasurer of Ironton Township and a member of the township school board. In many ways he has been one of the useful and most enterprising citizens, always being ready to encourage movements that, in his judgment, will be of general benefit. He was one of the promoters of the Little Baraboo Yalley Agricultural Society that existed for eighteen years and was very helpful to this whole section during that time, and served as secretary of the association. For many years he has been an Odd Fellow and belongs to the lodge at Ironton.

Thomas J. Holton, a retired farmer of Dellona Township, has lived in several of the great states of the Union and throughout the greater part of his career, covering three-quarters of a century, has been a practical and progressive farmer.

Mr. Holton was born in Ohio in February, 1842, son of William H. and Mandy (Combs) Holton. His father died in 1875 and his mother in 1902. Their children were: Simon S., who married Electa Hall; Thomas J.; William Wallace, who man-ied Cordelia Gardner; Heil M.,

Thomas J. Holton married, January 1, 1866, Susan Luce, daughter of L. Luce, of Minnesota. To their marriage were bom two children: William, born in January, 1868; and Clarence, bom October 27, 1872.

Mr. Holton was formerly a successful farmer in Minnesota and owned considerable land there, but has disposed of that and is now retired. Politically he is a republican,

William Lucht. Among the names that have been longest identified with the clearing of the wilderness and the successful cultivation of the soil and the management of its resources that of Lucht is prominent. Mr. William Lucht is a native son of Sauk County, grew up here, and for years has maintained an enviable position as a successful farmer and citizen in La Valle Township.

His birth occurred in Reedsburg Township in 1868. His parents John and Minnie (Stelter) Lucht came to this county from Germany and were pioneers. The Lucht family has lived in La Valle Township since 1872. William was the younger of two sons, his older brother being Herman.

William Lucht grew up in La Valle Township, had the advantages of the local schools and since attaining manhood has applied himself steadily and progressively to the business of farming. On September 28, 1888, he married Augusta Radtke, daughter of William and Hannah Radtke of Sauk County. Four children were born to their marriage: John, now deceased; Hannah; Mary; and August. The daughter Hannah married August Sefkar, who died quite recently. Mary is the wife of Albert Roloff. The son August married Elsie Pfaff September 14, 1917, and is numbered among the progressive young farmers of the county and is now serving as school clerk for the district.

Many years ago Mr. William Lucht acquired the 102 acres constituting his present farm, and much of the clearing was done by his strong right arm. He has placed many good improvements on the farm and it is now well adapted to the iDUsiness of general farming and stock raising. He breeds some Holstein cattle and his place shows the fruit of good management. Mr. Lucht and family are active Lutherans and for years he has held some church office. In matters of politics he is independent.

Carl Radtke has been numbered among the progressive farmers of La Valle Township for the past thirty years, and the fruits of his industry are represented in a well cultivated farm and those influences that emanate from a family of public spirit and of kindly neighborliness.

Mr. Radtke is a native of Germany, born November 7, 1869, a son of William and Hannah Radtke. When he was twelve years of age in 1881 his parents came to America and settled in La Valle Township of Sauk County. They brought little capital with them from Germany, and for several years rented a farm. In 1885 the father located on land that is now owned by his son Carl, and cleared up much of it and put it in cultivation for the first time. The father lived an industrious and honorable career until his death June 2, 1910, at the age of seventythree. His wife passed away on November 1st of the same year at the age of sixty-eight. They had the following children: Augusta, wife of William Lucht, of a well known La Valle Township family; Carl; Bertha, wife of William Krueger; William, deceased; and Albert, a resident of La Valle Township.

The education of Carl Radtke was begun in Germany but from the age of twelve he attended the public schools of Sauk County. He learned farming by practical experience when a youth and a number of years ago he bought seventy acres adjoining the old homestead. His prosperity finally enabled him to acquire the fifty acres of the home farm, and on that place he still resides and has 120 acres devoted to general farming and stock raising. He has done much to improve the value of his land. Politically Mr. Radtke is a democrat but independent in local affairs.

In 1898 he married Miss Maria Ripke, who was born in Woodland Township in 1878, a daughter of Judson and Dora (Bearman) Ripke. Her parents lived for a number of years in Woodland Township but are now residents of Wonewoc, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Radtke have six children, all living, and constituting a lively household. Their names are Paul, Herman, Elma, Walter, Carl and Regina.

George Borchers. For thirty-three years the name of Borchers has been held in esteem in Sauk County because of the dependable men who have honorably borne it. It was in 1884 that Herman Borchers, one of La Valle 's most respected retired citizens, came to this section of Wisconsin, married here and reared a family and long since gained financial independence.

George Borchers, the youngest son of Herman and Marie (Bearman) Borchers, is one of the enterprising and successful farmers and stockraisers of La Valle Township. He was born in the City of Chicago, Illinois, October 25, 1891. Both parents were born in Germany, the father on July 11, 1859, and the mother on February 21, 1863. They came as young people to Sauk County and were married here and had the following children, namely : Hedwig, who was born March 17, 1885, was educated in Chicago for the profession of trained nursing; Hugo, who was born October 6, 1886, attended the public schools of La Valle Township and also of Chicago, and is now an employe of the Foley Nursery Company of Baraboo, Wisconsin, and married Edna Jacobansen.

Herman Borchers was twenty-five years old when he came to Sauk County. He had little capital at that time except health and the determination to get on in life that so often is the great factor in making progress. He was married soon after coming here and for five years worked in different kinds of business, both in Sauk County and in Chicago, Illinois. In 1900 he purchased a farm of eighty acres, the one on which he yet lives, situated in La Valle Township. The buildings on the place were in poor condition but this he soon remedied by remodeling and later erecting a fine new barn. Sheds and a garage have since been built. He has been a general farmer, has engaged to some extent in dairying and has raised a good grade of stock. Mr. Borchers and his family are members of the Lutheran Church. He has never taken any very active part in politics but in local m'atters his neighbors have always been sure of his co-operating in affairs of general importance.

George Borchers obtained his education in the township schools and the La Valle High School. He has always lived at home and from the age of fourteen years has given his father's agricultural industries close attention and since taking entire charge has displayed excellent judgment and proved one of the best farmers in this section. He owns a fine Buick automobile, which may be taken as satisfactory evidence that Mr. Borchers belongs to the modern type of farmer. He is well known both in business and social life in this section and is considered an honorable, upright and intelligent citizen.

Julius Prochnow is the example of a man who came to Sauk County twenty years or so ago with an exceedingly modest amount of capital, and out of his own efforts and enterprise has builded well for himself and the community not only from the standpoint of material prosperity but in the degree of community esteem paid him.

Mr. Prochnow was born in Germany in 1867, a son of Herman and Henrietta Prochnow. His father died in the old country in 1881. Julius Prochnow grew up in his native land, and in 1893 he and his widowed mother came to Sauk County and settled on the farm in La Valle Township. His mother is still living.

Julius Prochnow has applied himself to farming as a practical business with the .judgment acquired by long experience and is now the proprietor of eighty-six acres of land devoted to general farming and stock raising.

In 1892 he married Miss Amelia Eeinholtz, daughter of H. Reinholtz. They have five children, Anna, Herman, Marie, Alwine and Martha. These children were given the advantages of the La Valle Lutheran School and two of the daughters are now married. Anna married H. Lucht of La Valle Township, while Marie was married January 15, 1917, to Henry Daugs.

The family take a very active part in the La Valle Lutheran Church, Mr. Prochnow being church president. In polities he is a democrat. Besides his general farming interests he runs a dairy and keeps about twelve high grade cows.

William Sosinsky. One of the hard-working farmers and respected citizens of Sauk County, is William Sosinsky, who owns valuable land in La Valle Township and is a producer of grain and raises high grade Jersey cattle. He has been a resident of Sauk County since he was fifteen years of age and during a large part of this time has devoted himself to agricultural pursuits.

William Sosinsky was born in Germany, December 25, 1853. His parents were Andrus and Julia Sosinsky. They were natives of Germany and came to Sauk County in 1870. At first they lived on rented land in La Valle Township, near the village of that name, but the father was a good business man and later moved to Ironton and bought town lots there which later increased in value. He died there in 1889, when aged seventy-five years, the mother living until 1898. She was then eighty-two years old. They had five children, namely : Thomas, Martin, Jacob, William and Julia, Martin and Julia being deceased.

After William Sosinsky reached Sauk County, he went to work for an iron company at Ironton and as his wages were paid him a part was always saved for the buying of the farm on which. he had determined. Finally it came to pass and he was the owner of sixty-nine acres of land situated in La Valle Township. He cleared his land and improved it and lived on it for five years. In 1901 he sold that property and bought another farm in the same township, this being his present homestead. It contains seventy-four acres of valuable land which each year, through Mr. Sosinsky 's good farming and practical improving is becoming still more valuable. He has suitable farm buildings and has his property all enclosed with wire fencing.

Mr. Sosinsky was married October 12, 1886, to Miss Mary Laufenberg, who was born in Monroe County, Wisconsin, February 22, 1864, and is a daughter of Henry and Katherine Laufenberg. When Mrs. Sosinsky 's parents came first to the United States they stopped in Chicago, Illinois, and from there went to Sterling in the same state and then to Monroe County, Wisconsin. There the mother died in 1903, when aged eighty-two years. The father fell ill and was taken to Chicago and died in a hospital in that city in 1906, being then aged eighty years. They had the following children : Matthew, Catherine and Cecelia, all of whom are deceased; Anthony, Matilda, Henry, Mary and Peter, the last named being deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. Sosinsky have had the following children : Katherine ; an infant son who died ; Mary Theresa, who is deceased ; Frances ; Mary Caroline; and Methilda and Fidelia, twins. Mr. Sosinsky and family are members of the Roman Catholic Church and stand well in the parish as they do in the entire neighborhood. Mr. Sosinsky takes a good citizen 's interest in public affairs and casts his vote with the democratic party.

C. D. Johnson is one of the men who have contributed to the improvement and development of Bear Creek Township. He has lived here for about a quarter of a century and his work is now manifest in the splendid farm of which he is proprietor. This farm is located in the Lone Rock community.

Mr. Johnson was born in Denmark October 29, 1872, a son of Martin and Caroline Johnson. His father died in Denmark while his mother is still living there. Their children were Peter, Jennie, Carl, Helen and John M.

C. D. Johnson secured his education in the schools of Denmark and was nineteen years of age when he came alone to America and sought his fortune in this world of opportunity. While he had no capital, he possessed a pair of willing hands, and working steadily the good things of life have come to him one by one until he is now one of the substantial citizens of his home county. In March, 1902 he located on his present farm, and owns now 200 acres. Some of this land was cleared by his own labors, and the splendid buildings represent a large investment of his personal means and labors. He is doing general farming- and stock raising, and one of the features of the farm that indicates his progressiveness is a large silo near the barn. He keeps forty head of livestock and has a dairy of seventeen cows. Mr.- Johnson is a republican in polities and a member of the Lutheran Church.

He married Miss Mary Sophia Nelson, daughter of N. J. Nelson of Bear Creek. Mrs. Johnson has a brother Fred and two sisters, Amelia and Erlrena.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are named, Helen, Ernest, John, Marcella and Myrtle, twins. These children have received the advantages of the schools of their locality and all of them are still at home, except Helen, the wife of Frank Luce.

Thomas Pearson. For almost seventy years the name of Pearson has been known in Sauk County, where it yet is held in great esteem representing as it does, some of the most dependable and substantial people in this section of Wisconsin. The pioneer of the family was Manlius Pearson, who was the father of Thomas Pearson, one of the leading citizens of La Valle Township, who owns the old Pearson homestead.

Thomas Pearson was born on the farm on which he lives, February 24, 1853. His parents were Manlius and Sarah Ann (Rowe) Pearson, both of whom were born in England. The father came to Wisconsin in 1846, two years before this state was admitted into the union of states, and before he returned to England he bought a tract of eighty acres but never settled on that land. He was well pleased with the country and climate and as a man of good judgment, foresaw the opportunities awaiting men of enterprise and energy. Within two years, in 1848, Manlius Pearson and his wife and family came to Sauk County. His first purchase of land had been near Lime Ridge but after coming here the second time, he took up a government claim of 160 acres in La Valle Township and eighty acres of this pioneer farm now belongs to his son, Thomas Pearson. Manlius Pearson and family encountered many hardships for some years and at first lived in an Indian wigwam while their log cabin was being constructed. The father died on this farm, a man respected by all his neighbors, and the mother passed away on one near by. They had the following children: Charles, who is deceased ; Isaac, who died in 1894 ; Thomas ; Christopher Columbus, who is a resident of Whittier, California ; Martha ; and Mary Ann, M'ho was the first white child bom in La Valle Township, Sauk County. During all these intervening years since their first settlement, the Pearsons have been people of substantial character and today are among the most progressive and successful agriculturists in Sauk County, and have been identified with progress along other lines.

Thomas Pearson was reared on the home farm, and has always devoted himself to agricultural pursuits. In his boyhood the schools did not offer the advantages that they now do and he had far less opportunity to take what they offered, but he attended when he could be spared from the farm and thereby laid a sound foundation. He remembers the time when oxen were used .to do the heavy farm work and when a cradle scythe was used to cut the grain. The wonder working' machinery that he now uses was not then on the market and much of it had not yet been invented. He is a modern farmer in the full sense of the term. He has 235 acres, all in one tract and raises grain and high grade live stock making a specialty of Holstein cattle and operates his dairying industry with thirty head of the same.

Mr. Pearson was married in 1874 to Miss Martha Greenhalgeth, who was born in Ironton Township, a daughter of Peter Greenhalgeth, who is one of the oldest surviving pioneers of Sauk County, being now in his ninety-fourth year. With his wife he now lives in California but formerly owned a farm in La Valle Township. Two children were born to Mr. Pearson 's first marriage : Robert, who died in infancy ; and Carrie, who resides in California. The mother of these children died in 1889. Mr. Pearson's second marriage was to Miss Julia Tavor, who was born in Ironton Township, Sauk County, a daughter of Eugene and Agnes Tavor, early settlers, Mrs. Tavor still living on the old home place in Ironton Township. Mrs. Pearson died in 1903, leaving four children, namely: Eva, who resides at home; Thomas Arvin, who assists his father; Susan, who is a school teacher; and Robert, who is at home.

In 1904 Mr. Pearson was married to Mrs. Anna (Stott) Tomlinson. She was born in Ironton Township, Sauk County, and was then a widow with two sons, William Tomlinson and George, and one daughter, Elizabeth, who is the wife of Byron Barnette, of La Valle, Wisconsin. The elder son is an employe of the Ford Manufacturing Company at Detroit, Michigan, and the younger is at home.

In politics Mr. Pearson has always been a democrat. On numerous occasions he has been elected to important township offices and has served for years as supervisor and for five years has been chairman of the board. With his family he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church. Some years ago Mr. Pearson made a trip to England and had the satisfaction of visiting the old home of the Pearsons that has been owned by the family for 125 years.

Michael E. Croal. The Croal family belongs among the old timers of Washington Township, where they established their home in pioneer times and where a large amount of land was cleared and made productive through their efforts.

The founders of the family here were John and Catherine (Daily) Croal, the former a native of County Leitrim and the latter of County Roscommon, Ireland. They came to Sauk County in 1856 and located on forty acres of raw land in Bear Creek Township. Later the father acquired another forty acres in Washington Township, partly cleared and improved, and though a blacksmith by trade and conducting a shop for a number of years, he managed to get his land under cultivation and was one of the well known citizens of that community. John Croal died in 1874, his widow surviving him until May 27, 1911. They were the parents of eight children: John; Andrew, now deceased; Thomas; Joseph; Mary; Katherine; Jennie, now deceased; and Michael E.

Township August 23, 1871. He has never married and his sisters Katherine and Mary keep house for him, while he gives his attention to a large and well managed farm and also to numerous public duties.

The Croal farm consists of 200 acres, and Mr. Croal for a number of years has specialized in the breeding of Shorthorn cattle. He has served as town clerk for three years and is an active democrat. He is a trustee of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Columbus.

Heney Kruse represents the second generation of sturdy and thrifty farmers in Sauk County, where his father was a pioneer, and where some of his sons now bear a notable part in agricultural and business affairs.

Henry Kruse was born in Westfield Township of this county October 21, 1863, a son of George and Dorothy (Ratzman) Kruse. His parents both came from Germany in 1861 and were married in Wisconsin in the same year. Their children were : Anna, deceased ; Henry ; Doris and Herman, both deceased in early life ; William, Amelia ; Bertha, deceased ; Herman, deceased ; and Bertha. The son William married Annie Licht, daughter of Fred Licht. Amelia is the wife of John Heistend. Bertha married Albert Neistedt.

Henry Kruse grew up in Sauk County, was educated in the local schools, took up farming as a vocation, and 'on November 16, 1888, at the age of twenty-five married Dorothy Hahn, daughter of Henry and Dorothy Hahn of Westfield Township. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse have a large family of children named Henry, Albert, William, Hilda, Dora, Edward, Meta, Emma, Arthur, Marie and Clara. Of these the son Albert married Josie Hanko and has one son. Hilda is the wife of William Hammermester and is the mother of two boys. The son William married Meta Struck.

Henry Kruse is now substantially fixed and located as a practical farmer of Washington Township, and owns a well developed estate of eighty acres. He conducts it largely as a dairy farm, keeping about fifteen head of cattle, and his dairy herd comprises nine cows. Mr. Kruse is a republican in politics and he and his family are all Lutherans.

Ernest Schuette. A progressive farmer and representative citizen, whose civic attitude has ever been of the most public-spirited order, Ernest Schuette is the owner of a well improved farm of 160 acres in Ironton Township, near Reedsburg. A native of Germany, he was born February 4, 1865, and he is a son of John and Elizabeth Schuette, who immigrated to America in 1889 and located in Sauk County, where the former died, in 1908, aged eighty years, and the latter in 1897. Mr. and Mrs. Schuette had three children : Ernest, Dora and August, and by a former marriaae Mr. Schuette had four sons : Henry, John, Frederick and William, all living.

Ernest Schuette received a good common school education in Germany and in 1881, when sixteen years, he came to America and began to work on a farm in Sauk County by the month. Subsequently he purchased a farm of eightv acres east of Reedsburg and after having the place for two years sold it and located in the city of Madison where he worked in the iron foundry of Fuller & Johnson for a period of eighteen years. In 1902 he returned to this section and bought a farm of 160 acres, which he has cleared and improved with good, modern buildings and on which he is most successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising.

On November 24, 1894, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Schuette to Miss Bertha Grade, a native of Reedsburg Township, this county, where her birth occurred October 14, 1871, and who is a daughter of Frederick and Louisa (Winkleman) Gade, early settlers in Reedsburg Township. Mr. Gade died at Reedsburg in 1909 and his widow, who is sixty-seven years of age, is now living in that town. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Schuette : Laura, John, Raymond, Reinhard, Edna and Arnold, all of whom are at the parental home except Arnold who is deceased.

In his political proclivities Mr. Schuette is an independent democrat and while he has always manifested a deep interest in civic matters his public service has been confined to membership on the school board. He is a member of the Lutheran Church of Reedsburg and he and his wife are popular in the social affairs of their home community.

Frederick W. Kohlmeyer has been a resident of Sauk County forty-four years and has had a very successful career, being now in the machinery and automobile business at Loganville.

Mr. Kohlmeyer was born in Germany April 11, 1869, son of Henry and Margaret (Hagelberg) Kohlmeyer. When he was four years of age his parents came to the United States and loeated in Sauk County. His father died here November 2, 1894, and the mother on August 5, 1908. Their children were: Henry, Dora, William, August, Kate and Frederick W. Henry married Dora Harms. Dora is the wife of Henry Feltman. William married Dora Burmeister. August is married, and Kate is the wife of George Nickols.

Frederick W. Kohlmeyer grew up in Sauk County, attended the public schools, and in early life was associa^ted in the threshing business. He is of a decided mechanical turn of mind, and has found in mechanical lines the best avenue of his business career. He owns a beautiful home in the Village of Loganville, and is rated as one of its most prosperous citizens.

On April 13, 1891, Mr. Kohlmeyer married Mary. Hase, daughter of Fred and Caroline Hase of Loganville. They had two children, Edward, and Frederick, now deceased. The son Edward married April 8, 1917, Lena Westedt, daughter of Henry Westedt of Loganville.

August Krueger. One of the richest and best improved farming districts of Sauk County is in Washington Township. Many good farms may be found there and improvements are generally of a high class. One of the best of them is owned by August Krueger, located in the vicinity known as Lime Ridge. Mr. Krueger is an old timer of Sauk County and has been a resident of Wisconsin more than half a century.

in the spring of 1863 came to Wisconsin with his parents and settled in Herman Township of Dodge County. Ten years later in 1873 he removed to Washington Township of Sauk County and since that time has been identified with the business of farming.

On April 22, 1873, the same year he came to Sauk County, Mr. Krueger married Anna Goetsch. Her parents, Carl and Fredericka Goetsch, are both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Krueger have eight children named William A., Frank 0., Albert F., Ernest F,, Lydia M., Helena T., Emma D. and Herbert. Three of them are already married and established in homes of their own. Frank 0. married Anna Hahn ; Albert F. married Bernice Prouty; and Ernest F. married Emma Werthien.

Mr. August Krueger has again and again been honored with positions of trust and responsibility in his home township. He was town treasurer eleven years, chairman of the town board three years, and supervisor ten years. His oldest son William has been town clerk for the past four years and for seven years has been treasurer of the school board in District No. 1.

Mr. Krueger owns a farm of ninety acres, and most of the land was cleared by the work of his own hands and under his supervision. He conducts a model dairy of fourteen cows, and keeps about twenty head of good livestock. Mr. Krueger is a republican in politics and he and all his family worship in the Lutheran Church.

William C. Schluter is a citizen of Washington Township whose education as a farmer began with the fundamentals while he was a boy on his father's place and who with increasing experience has made himself master of the business and enjoys the possession of one of the best farms in his section of the county.

Mr. Schluter was bom in Washington Township May 15, 1881, a son of Charles and Catherine (Schurman) Schluter. His father was born February 2, 1844, and his mother, a native of Richland County, Wisconsin, was bom March 5, 1850. They were married in October, 1868, at that time located in Washington Township, where the father owned 200 acres of land and from it acquired the prosperity which enabled him to rear and educate a capable family of children and also the competence which he and his wife now enjoy in their good home at Reedsburg. Their children are Annie, wife of Herman Felske; Lydia, wife of John Alexander; Henry, who married Lizzie Reuter; Clara and Martha, still unmarried ; William C. ; Orra, who married Maud Pearson ; and George, who is serving in the Field Artillery, U. S. Army.

William C. Schluter was educated in the public schools of Washington Township, and in March, 1906, at the age of twenty-five located on his present place. He is the owner of 240 acres, and is both a crop raiser and a stockman. He is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and is working rapidly towards a competence. At the same time he has given liberally to every movement intended for the advancement of community welfare, and for two years has been treasurer of his home township. He is a republican and an active supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church- Mr. Schluter married August 30, 1911, Minnie Stoll, daughter of Henry and Mary Stoll of Lime Eidge, Sauk County. Three children have been born to their marriage named Carroll, Robert and Marie, the oldest four years old and the youngest about twelve months. Mrs. Schluter has two sisters, Ida and Edna, the latter the wife of Bradford Hineman.

John Richartz. The business of farming has been the occupation by which John Richartz has accomplished a substantial success. He is an old resident of Sauk County and many years ago he went on to a farm in Bear Creek Township which with its improvements now stands a monument to his industry and intelligent husbandry.

Mr. Richartz was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, September 16, 1860, a son of Martin and Mary (Weber) Richartz. His parents were both born in Germany and came to Wisconsin in 1851, locating at Fond du Lac. Later they entered a homestead of forty acres in Fond du Lac County, and while the industrious wife remained at home looking after the interests both in and outside the house, including the management of the farm, the husband worked several years in the copper mines around Lake Superior. In the course of time they had their land cleared and improved, then bought another forty acres which was also developed by them, in 1867 they sold out at Fond du Lac County and then located in Sauk County. These good people lived worthy and useful lives, and in death they were not long separated, since the father passed away March 31, and the mother on May 9 of the year 1897. Their children were : Joseph J., Celia, Peter, Mary and John, all living except Mary.

John Richartz grew up and received his education largely in Sauk County and though he started out with limited capital he has made more than an ordinary success. In 1890, the same year that he married, he located on his present farm, where he now has 390 acres. Most of this land was cleared by his own efforts, and he has invested much of the surplus profits in new improvements. He is one of the largest stock farmers of Bear Creek Township, keeping about ninety head of livestock and has a dairy of twenty-three cows. Mr. Richartz is a demoerat and a member of the Catholic Church, has filled church offices and for many years has been clerk of the school board.

His home school is District No. 3 and he himself attended that school when he was a boy and his own children derived their early advantages from the same place. On September 23, 1890, Mr. Richartz married Kate Brucker, daughter of Peter and Clara Brucker of Richland County, Wisconsin. Their children are Martin, Mary, Cornelius, Gertrude and Clara. Clara attended high school at Richland Center, Richland County.

WiLiJAM Hasse's enterprise since he reached manhood has been directed to the management and cultivation of the thrifty farm in Washington Township which was also the scene of his birth and early childhood days.

Mr. Hasse was born on that farm May 22, 1870, son of William and Wilhelmina (Schultz) Hasse. His parents were both natives of Germany, and in 1867, seeking the advantages of an American home and opportunity they crossed the ocean and settled in Dodge County, Wisconsin, but three years later removed to Washington Township. With them on their trip from Germany came George Schultz, father of Mrs. Wiihelmina Hasse. He was born about 1816 and he lived as a member of his daughter's household till his death in February, 1904. The land in the fields now cultivated by William Hasse was largely cleared of its wilderness growth by his father. William Hasse, Sr., was the father of three children, Ferdinand, William and August. Ferdinand married Mary Brandt, daughter of Fred Brandt, while August married Lena Lophan.

William Hasse grew up and received his education in Sauk County and has always lived on the old home place. He owns 120 acres of land, and besides raising the standard crops of Sauk County he keeps about thirty head of cattle and has a first class dairy of twenty cows. In politics he is a republican and a member of the Lutheran Church.

On March 17, 1899, he married Miss Bertha Ruehlow, daughter of William and Wiihelmina Ruehlow. To their marriage have been born eight children, all still living except one. These children in order of age are named Walter, born December 10, 1899 ; Emma, July 18, 1901 ; Emilie, August 28, 1903 ; Lorinda, February 20, 1906, died December 9, 1906 ; Adela, born October 8, 1907 ; Lydia, November 16, 1910 ; Rosina, April 22, 1913 ; and Alvina, October 13, 1915.

Peter J. Horkan has long been identified with the agricultural and civic prosperity of Winfield Township, and is one of the leading farmers and stock raisers there.

He was born in that township in 1875, a son of ^ames and Mary (Gallagher) Horkan. His father was born in Toronto, Canada, and his mother in Ireland. The mother is still living. Peter was one of a family of children named John, James, Peter, Patrick, William and Mina. Of these William and Mina are now deceased.

Peter J. Horkan is a very busy man, owner of 140 acres, devoted to general farming and stock raising. He has also been called upon to serve the public as a member of the town board, and has filled that position for about ten years. Mr. and Mrs. Horkan have the following children : Francis, Leo, Mary, Patrick, Henry, James and Bernard.

Amos Alonzo Carr. At this point it is proper to pay tribute to the memory and works and family of the late Amos Alonzo Carr, long a prominent resident of Ironton Township, where the best work of his life was accomplished. Mr. Carr died at the old homestead where Mrs. Carr now resides on June 12, 1909, in his sixty-fourth year.

He was born at Niles, Michigan, July 29, 1845, a son of Melancthon and Rebecca (King) Carr. When he was a small child his parents removed to Dane County, Wisconsin, and about 1863 located in the Township of Ironton in Sauk County. On coming to Sauk County they first rented a farm and later bought school lands. The father was a Union soldier and died in September, 1865. His widow survived him many years and passed away at Independence, Iowa, in 1910.

In 1883 Mr. Carr married Libbie Selden. She was born in Madison County, New York, December 19, 1852, a daughter of George and Hannah (Petley) Selden. Her parents were both natives of England, her father born in 1827 and her mother in 1832. George Selden came to New York when seventeen years of age, locating in Madison County, and his wife was four years of age when her parents John and Hannah Petley arrived in this country. Her parents died in Madison County, New York. George and Hannah Selden were married in Madison County, New York, and from there he enlisted early in the Civil war in the One Hundred Fifty-seventh New York Volunteers. He served a period of three years and fought in many of the engagements of his regiment including Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, where he was taken prisoner. He spent a number of months in Libby prison and Belle Isle. After the war he returned to New York and in September, 1865, turned his face westward and came to Sauk County. He established his home on a farm in Ironton Township adjoining the place where his daughter Mrs. Carr now resides. George Selden had a farm of eighty acres. His wife died in April, 1887, and he passed away at Superior, Wisconsin, in July, 1916, his remains being now at rest in the cemetery at Reedsburg.

The late Mr. Carr after his first marriage located on a farm in Ironton Township and that farm is now occupied by the present Mrs. Carr. He began with eighty acres and subsequently added another twenty acres and left the place splendidly improved before his death. Mr. Carr was a man of public spirit, served as clerk of the school district for thirty years, and was always willing to sacrifice his own time and interests to serve the public. Mrs. Carr is an active mem^ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Before her marriage Mrs. Carr taught school in Sauk County. She is the mother of five children. Vem, born December 27, 1884, is unmarried and lives at home and has a farm in Ironton Township. Ethel Hannah, born November 8, 1886, is the wife of Benjamin Templin of Washington Township. Walter Amos, born January 7, 1889, with his brother Floyd and their mother own and operate the homestead farm. Marian Ruth, born May 26, 1891, is the wife of Cloyd Porter of St. Lawrence, South Dakota. The youngest child Floyd Selden was born November 4, 1893.

Henry W. Kruse is one of the active members of that live and enterprising corporation known as the Hill Point Auto and Milling Company at Hill Point in Washington Township, This firm has a large and well equipped garage, handles automobiles and also does an extensive milling business. The firm was incorporated under the state laws of Wisconsin on June 20, 1916. The building is a fireproof structure, completed in September, 1916, and has a very desirable location. The firm enjoy a large patronage and have the complete confidence of all who are fortunate enough to have dealings with them.

Mr. Kruse was born in Westfield Township of Sauk County September 30, 1889, a son of Henry and Dorothy Kruse. He belongs to an old and Avell known family of the county elsewhere mentioned in these pages. Mr. Henry W. Kruse is still unmarried, and in his business is associated with his brother Albert and his brother-in-law Anthony Hanko.

Benjamin S. Brandt. In Washington Township the name Brandt has long been associated with the most capable efforts of farm husbandry and management, and in this connection it should be here noted that Benjamin S. Brandt, of this family, has one of the carefully cultivated homes and farms of the Lime Ridge community.