Trempealeau County, Wisconsin - Biographical sketches, 1917 (part 1 of 20)

Biography

The intimate life of the community is best told in the personal stories of its citizens. Biographical facts not only provide permanent geneological material for the families of which they treat, and valuable information for the historical investigator, but also furnish inspiration for worthy emulation. In so new a county as Trempealeau there are few men who have not started as poor boys and attained their success by their own efforts. The story of their equipment for the struggle by birth, training, environment and experience is of vital significance. So, too, is the story of the men of the younger generation, who with better preparation and under more favorable circumstances, have taken up the work which their fathers have laid down.

Therefore in supplementing the general county history, the publishers of this volume and their staff have gathered biographical data from some eight hundred leading families of the county. The list is comprehensive and thoi'oughly representative. The research involved in collecting the material has extended over a period of two years, and during that time the opportunity has been opened to all of those who desired their family story thus recorded and preserved.

It is manifestly impossible to include every family of the past and present ; such a task would be beyond human ability. The criticism that in such a work many worthy families are omitted is of little force; the scope of the book might be trebled, yet still omit many a family whom some one would like to see thus honored. And while the story of many of those here included is no more worthy of preservation than the story of many who are omitted, those here printed are thoroughly typical and represent every phase of the county's citizenship.

These biographical and geneological sketches have been gathered from personal interviews, from records and from newspapers. They have all been submitted to some member of the family most concerned. While it is believed that a high degree of accuracy has been maintained, the responsibility rests with the families themselves and not with the publishers. In a few cases sketches submitted for correction have not been returned. In such instances the duplicate has been printed, containing the facts as originally gathered.

The difficulties of gathering such a vast amount of material are many. Even brothers and sisters often give widely varying accounts, not only of the facts and dates concerning their parents, but even of the rendering of their parents' names. In a few instances, where an agreement was impossible, both versions are here given.

influence and ability have been added by the board of editors, constrained by a desire throughout to avoid extravagant laudations, though in many instances such laudations would be most thoroughly deserved.

John O. Melby, for many years a leader in the business, political and financial integrity of Trempealeau County, was born Oct. 15, 1845, at Askim, Smaalenenes Amt, Norway. He was reared to farm pursuits and received a common school education. As a young man he was employed for five years in a clerical position in Christiania, and during this period attracted the favorable attention of several prominent citizens. But at the advice of his friends, who saw in the young clerk those talents which in after years were to be the foundation of his success, he determined to seek the wider opportunities of the new world. Accordingly, bidding farewell to his old associates, he embarked for America in 1869, and found his way to Omaha, Neb., where he remained but a short time. Thence he came to La Crosse, Wis., where he was employed for a short time in the saw mills. It was in 1870 that he came to Ettrick, in this county, and secured work as a clerk in the general store of Iver Pederson, in whose employment he remained for five years. While a resident of that town he was elected to the office of town treasurer, a position he held for four years. His character as a man, his ability as an official, and his willingness to render services to his fellowmen whenever needed made him well known throughout the county, and in 1874 he was elected registrar of deeds of Trempealeau County, which office he held continuously until 1887. He was a conscientious official, and discharged the duties of his office with dignity and ability. Especially was his influence marked among his fellow countrymen, who, finding themselves in a new land with new laws and customs, constantly sought his competent advice. From 1887 to 1888 he was cashier of the Bank of Galesville, and it was upon retiring from this office that he entered upon his notable career as near the end of the latter year he began the operation of a private bank, at Whitehall, which he conducted as such until 1894. In 1894 he organized a stock company and incorporated this as a state bank under the name of John 0. Melby & Co. Bank. In 1906 the charter of this bank was extended and the capital stock increased to $50,000. He was president of this institution from its creation to the date of his death, June 12, 1909. The Times Banner, in summing up his life and work after his death said of him : "In the death of Mr. Melby, Trempealeau County loses one of its leading citizens and Whitehall its most lofty type of a Christian gentleman. For almost a quarter of a century he has been identified with the business, political and social life of the county, and perhaps no man in all its history has enjoyed such a wide cricle of personal friends as he. From every section of the county people came to him with their problems and troubles, and this is especially true of those of his own nativity, whose inability to speak the English language or whose lack of knowledge concerning our laws made them hesitate to confide in others. To those he gave his time and the benefit of his intimate business knowledge with a patience and kindly interest that early in life endeared him to all who knew him. How much of his time he has thus devoted gratuitously to others will never be known, nor can we ever estimate what his advice and help thus taken from his busy hfe has done for the peace of communities, the tranquilHty of homes, and the upbuilding of characters in the county and even beyond its borders. With a modesty becoming his generous nature, these are all closed incidents for which he made no charge and kept no record. Only once has he held public oi^ice, that of registrar of deeds of Trempealeau County, and his services in that capacity were so highly appreciated that it was with difficulty that he could retire at the end of twelve years of continuous service. Time and again in later life he refused the offers of high political honors to devote his time to his business and his family. Perhaps no stronger testimonial of his clean and rugged character could be written than the record of the birth and steady growth of the banking institution that bears his name. For twenty-one years this institution has been almost the sole depository for the wealth of the county seat and the surrounding territory. During all those years it has stood with the strength of a Gibraltar. Whether the financial tide ran high or low, the people's faith in this bank never faltered, chiefly because of their unquestioned faith in the man at its head. He died possessed of a comfortable fortune, and always gave with a liberal hand to every worthy charity and to every cause looking to the improvement of the social and educational conditions in the village of Whitehall. In his boyhood he joined the United Lutheran Church of Norway, and has always been an earnest Christian worker, giving liberally to the aid of church work, regardless of denominations. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Whitehall owes much to his enthusiastic work and hberal support. The best epitome of the life and character of John 0. Melby was his request, as the end drew near, for a simple Christian burial, and his acceptance without fear and with quiet resignation of the infinite decree. John 0. Melby is gone, and the light of his kindly presence on the streets of Whitehall is dimmed by death, but the influence of his upright Christian life will remain with us to cheer and guide the generations yet to come." Such encomiums but briefly skim the surface of the real depths of his character, his worth and the meaning his life had on the community. He furnished backing for several financial and business institutions throughout the county ; he encouraged many a worthy business enterprise that had a part in the upbuilding of Trempealeau County villages. In Whitehall there was scarcely any phase of the village's activity in which he did not have a part. His benefactions were widespread, his hand was ever open. The blessings which the people of Whitehall will receive from the park which he and his wife presented to the village will increase yearly. Mr. Melby was especially happy in his domestic life, and in his home and family he took his greatest pride. At the beginning of his career Nov. 3, 1875, he married Jennie L. Beach, at Ettrick, and her influence and encouragement were important factors in his success. Their home was brightened by five children. Two died in infancy. Kathryn F. is the wife of Judge Robert S. Cowie of Whitehall, Charles B. is cashier of the John 0. Melby & Co. Bank of Whitehall, Marie A. is the wife of Harold W. Dawdy of Onalaska, Wis. Jennie L. Melby, the inspiration and companion of her husband in all his efforts, was born at Charlotte, Vt., Oct. 9, 1847, daughter of Charles

Chaele8 B. Melby

Grant Beach and Caroline Barnes Beach. In 1854 the family moved to North Ferrisburg, Vt., where she attended the common school. In 1859 she attended the seminary at Charlotte, and in 1864 the select school at the Hollow, in North Ferrisburg. In 1866 she entered the female seminary at Middleburg, Vt., remaining there, however, only one year, as her parents then left for Wisconsin, where Mr. Beach owned a farm near Ettrick. Shortly after coming west she began a term of school in the settlement now known as Hegg. The following winter she taught in what was then known as the lower district of Scotch Prairie ; then the next two terms in Ettrick, and finally a term of school in what is known as the Beach district. At the close of the term she returned to Vermont, where she remained about a year, returning to Wisconsin in 1872. On Nov. 3, 1875, she was married to John 0. Melby, at Ettrick, Wis. In 1876 they moved to Galesville, where they remained until the county seat was moved to Arcadia, leaving Galesville in the fall of 1876 for Arcadia, where they resided until the fall of 1877. At that time the county seat was moved to Whitehall, to which place they came to remain until the present time. Mrs. Melby was always active in community endeavors wherever she was located, especially in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she is a leading member. Being deeply interested in music, and possessing an unusually sweet voice, she was prominent in all musical organizations until late years. She was a charter member of the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union and its first president. She was also an active member of Ivy Chapter, No. 115, 0. E. S.

Charles B. Melby, financier and man of affairs, is one of the leading citizens of Trempealeau County. His wide experience has admirably fitted him for the onerous duties of the position he occupies in the community, and his influence has ever been used in behaK of progress of development. Every movement that has for its object the betterment of the county finds in him a warm friend, and busy though he is with his numerous business activities, he is finding time for considerable public service. Born in the village where he now lives, March 1, 1883, only son of John 0. and Jennie L. (Beach) Melby, he was reared with the special end in view of some time assuming control of the extensive Melby holdings. He passed through the graded schools, and was graduated froin the Whitehall high 'school with the Class of 1899 at the age of sixteen years. Then he attended Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis., for three years. In 1905 he became chief page in the House of Representatives at Washington, D. C, in which capacity he met nearly all of the men prominent in American public life. In the meantime he studied law at the George Washington University, graduating in 1907 with the degree of LL.B. Upon being admitted to the bar he took up the practice of his profession at Washington. April 1, 1909, he was called home to take the position of assistant cashier in his father's bank. In July, 1911, he was promoted to the oflSce of cashier, which he still retains. In addition to his work in this connection he is vice-president of the Bank of Eleva, and treasurer of the Central Trading Association of Whitehall. His financial holdings include stock in the new Ettrick & Northern Railroad Company, of which he has been an enthusiastic and loyal supportex". His public work has included service as a member of the school board and of the library board. War activities in the county have given him an unusual opportunity for effective help. The sale of the first Liberty Bond issue found in him an enthusiastic promotor, and the Defense League counts him among its most useful members. His decisions as a member of the exemption board have been marked by a discretion which has realized the full need of the government, and yet which has taken into due consideration all angles of local needs and local conditions. Of a fraternal disposition, he was a popular member of the Phi Delta Phi while at college, and in the Masonic order he has passed through the chairs of the local lodge and has also joined the Chapter. Mr. Melby was married April 26, 1W9, ) to Frances Gunby Bethune of Washington, D. C, born in Warrentown, Va., May 1, 1887, daughter of James A. Bethune, a Washington pharmacist, and of Narcissa Garrett Bethune. Mr. and Mrs. Melby have two childi'en : John Bethune, born April 5, 1912, and Natalie Grayson, born Jan. 16, 1915.

Anton O. Melby, president of the John 0. Melby & Co. Bank, Whitehall, is one of the substantial figures in the financial stabihty of Trempealeau County. Connected with his present institution since 1888, he has worked his way to the top, and his personality and ability have been important factors in its success. He was born in Askim, Norway, Jan. 1, 1858, the son of Ole Christianson and his good wife, Maria Olson, farming people, the former of whom died in 1871 and the latter in 1896. Of the six children in the family three came to the United States and found their way directly to Ettrick, in Trempealeau County, John 0. arriving in 1869, Edward in 1871 and Anton O. in 1873. Upon reaching Ettrick Anton 0. secured employment in the store of Iver Pederson, with whom he remained nearly six years. Then he spent nine years traveling. In January, 1888, he came to Whitehall. In the fall of that year, when his brother, John 0. opened his bank, Anton O. became assistant cashier. In 1894 he was made cashier, and in 1911 he was elevated to the duties of his present position. With aU his busy life, he has found time for considerable- public work, and has given excellent service as a member of the village council since 1894. He has been a member of the Odd Fellows since 1888. His religious affiliation is with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a member of the official board as a trustee. Mr. Melby was married July 26, 1893, to Delia E. Hazard, a school teacher of North Ferrisburg, Vt., who was born in 1865 and died in 1899, the daughter of Ezra and Caroline (Williams) Hazard. This union was blessed with three children: William H., who is engaged in the lumber business at De Smet, S. D. ; Sylvia M., who was graduated from the La Crosse normal school in 1916, and is now teaching at Norwalk, Wis., and Edward C, who lives at North Ferrisburg, Vt. June 11, 1903, Mr. Melby married Mrs. Mary E. (McKay) Shane of Modena, Wis.

Robert S. Cowie, attorney of Whitehall, is one of the best known citizens in Western Wisconsin, and for many years has taken an active and influential part in public affairs. He has held national, state and county appointments, and as an attorney has participated in many of the most important cases that have been tried in the courts of the Sixth Judicial Circuit. He was born in Glencoe, Buffalo County, this state, April 18, 1872, son of George and Margaret (Faulds) Cowie, was educated in the public schools, and while still a youth became a teacher. By this means he was enabled to enter the law department of the University of Wisconsin, from which he was graduated with the degree of LL.B. in 1894. While in the university he took a deep interest in all student activities, and was especially prominent in the Columbia Literary Society. In the fall of 1894 he located at Arcadia, as a partner of Attorney John C. Gaveney. There he successfully practiced until Jan. 1, 1898, when he became district attorney, a position in which he did the county most efficient service. While serving his second term he resigned to accept an appointment by President Theodore Roosevelt as deputy auditor in the United States Navy Department, in which position he served from 1903 to 1905, when he resigned. In the spring of 1905 he was elected county judge, and served with much distinction from Jan. 1, 1906, to July, 1909, when he was appointed a member of the State Board of Control by Gov. James O. Davidson. At the expiration of his term he established himself at Whitehall, where he has since been in practice. His business holdings include stock in the John 0. Melby & Co. Bank at Whitehall, the Central Trading Association of Whitehall and the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Independence. His fraternal associations are with the Masonic, Elk and Odd Fellow lodges. Judge Cowie was married Dec. 25, 1897, to Kathryn F. Melby, born in Arcadia, April 1, 1878, daughter of John O. and Jennie (Beach) Melby. This union has been blessed with one daughter, Janice M., born Dec. 31, 1900.

George Cowie, an early settler of Buffalo County, Glencoe Township, was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, Aug. 25, 1828, son of George Cowie, Sr., and Janet (McDonald) Cowie, both of ancient Scotch Highland ancestry. George Cowie was I'eared to the occupation of iron and coal mining in his native land, and in 1848, at the age of nineteen years, came to America. Landing in Nova Scotia, he engaged in mining there for a time, and then went to Pottsville, Pa., where he engaged in the same occupation. Going thence to the city of New York, he left that port on Jan. 5, 1850, for California. Going via the Isthmus, he landed at Aspinwall, and thence went across the Isthmus on foot to Panama on the Pacific side. At that place he took the steamer Winfield Scott for San Francisco. This proved a most eventful voyage. The vessel was an old one, and both yellow fever and cholera broke out on board. The vessel was crowded with 1,000 passengers, 300 of whom were sick, and seventy-five died before the vessel reached the port of San Francisco, and were buried in the sea. On reaching California Mr. Cowie went to Nevada County, where he engaged in gold mining, and remained on the Pacific coast for about one year, when he returned to his home in Pottsville via the Nicaragua route. Soon after his return home he removed to Lonaconing, Alleghany County, Md., where he engaged in mining. In the spring of 1855 he started for Wisconsin, going by rail to West Virginia, thence- by the Ohio River to Cairo, and thence by steamer to Fountain City (then known as Holmes' Landing) , an Indian trading post. That, it will be remembered, was 62 years ago. La Crosse at that time was but a village, and the existence of Winona had scarcely begun. Mr. Cowie made his present settlement at once, purchas- ipg government land at $1.25 per acre. Mr. Cowie was prominently identified with the growth and development of Buffalo County, and was called upon to serve in many public positions. He was the first postmaster of Glencoe, filling that office very efficiently for twenty-seven successive years, and gave the name to the office, which was established in 1862. He gave the name Glencoe to his town in honor of a valley in the highlands of Scotland called Glencoe, which was the home of the McDonalds, from which clan he is descended. He also served as chairman of the town for six years, and held nearly all other local offices, and was largely instrumental in the organization of the town of Glencoe. He served in the legislature in the sessions of 1871-72, and has the honor of being the first Democrat elected to the legislature from Buffalo County. In November, 1894, Mr. Cowie reluctantly retired from the old farm home and with his wife moved to Arcadia, Trempealeau County, where they resided until his death. He died on Feb. 17, 1904, while visiting his daughter, Mrs. F. P. Taft, at Longmont, Cal. His wife died May 29, 1913, at her old home in the town of Glencoe. Mr. Cowie was married at Pottsville, Pa., to Margaret Faulds, daughter of James Faulds, who, with his son and daughter, John and Elizabeth Faulds, came to Wisconsin with the Cowie family. Mr. and Mrs. Cowie had twelve children: David, Frank, Nettie, Anna, George and Louis (deceased), and James F., George M., Allan J., Albert E., Robert S. and Margaret M.

Eugene F. Clark, legislator, financier and man of affairs, is one of the leading citizens of Galesville, where his interests and influence extend to almost every phase of village and rural life. As president of the Bank of Galesville he has been an important factor in the standing which that institution has maintained in the community, and as secretary of the Trempealeau County Insurance Company his able administration of affairs has made that organization a model of its kind in every particular. For twenty-two years his work as clerk of the board of education assisted in shaping the careers of several generations of Galesville youth, and his voice was ever raised in behalf of progress and efficiency in educational and administrative methods. For twenty-three years he helped to guide the destinies of the county as a member of the board of supervisors. In 1916, with a splendid previous record in the assembly, he was elected to the state senate from this district, and has by his notable work in that body not only increased his popularity in his district, but also won the admiration and applause of his colleagues, and the people of the state at large. His stand on every public question has been on the side of stauncher patriotism, and for a wider helpfulness and benefit to the people in state affairs. Desiring to do his share toward every business proposition that has for its object the upbuilding of Galesville and vicinity, he has become a stockholder in the Davis Mill Company, the Maxwell-Davis Lumber Company and the Western Wisconsin Telephone Company. With all his busy public activities he has been regularly faithful to his church duties, and has been a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal choir for a period of some forty years, been a most interesting one. Descended from distinguished New England ancestry, he first saw the hght of day in the home of his parents, Isaac and Emily (French) Clark, at the quaint old hamlet of Kingfield, Maine, Aug. 14, 1850. As a small boy he was brought to Wisconsin, living a year in Monroe, Green County, before coming to Galesville, Trempealeau County. Here he was reared to manhood, learning farming from his father and receiving a good education first in the pubKc schools and later at Gale College, and at the La Crosse Business College. After his marriage in 1876 he took up his home on a farm of 100 acres, one mile from Galesville, which he had purchased in 1871. In 1895, a few months after his father's death, he succeeded him as president of the Bank of Galesville, and disposing of his own place moved back to the parental farm. That same year he began his first term in the assembly. In 1902, while serving a second term in the assembly, he sold the family farm and moved to Galesville. There he has since resided, spending, however, some of his winters in the South or West.

Senator Clark was married Dec. 24, 1876, to Emily Crouch, who was born Jan. 13, 1851, in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, daughter of William and Susan (Frizzelle) Crouch. This union has been blessed with three children : Emily Blanche, Susan Mildred and Ethel Grace. Emily Blanche passed through the graded and high schools of Galesville, was graduated from the University of Wisconsin with the class of 1901, and for two years was assistant principal of the Galesville high school. She was married on Oct. 21, 1903, to Earl E. Hunner, a mining man of Duluth, Minn. Susan Mildred passed through the graded and high schools of Galesville, took a course in the Columbia College of Music at Chicago became supervisor of music at Hibbing, Minn., for two years, also at Marinette, Wis., for two years, and then became a music supervisor at Missoula, Mont., having ten schools under her supervision. She was married on Aug. 29, 1916, to Leonard Larson, assistant cashier of the Trust and Savings Bank of Missoula, Mont. Ethel Grace passed through the graded and high schools of Galesville and attended Milwaukee Downer College for two years. She then went to Appleton, Wis., where she graduated from both the Conservatory of Music and Lawrence University. After this she taught English and music for three years in the schools of Evansville, Wis., and a private school near Milwaukee, Wis. She was married on Aug. 29, 1916, to George C. Nixon, a business man of Milwaukee.

Isaac Clark, one of the early settlers in this region, and one of the sturdy group of men who had in their hands the shaping of the early history of Galesville, was born in Maine, of English descent, Jan. 21, 1826, and was there reared, receiving such educational training as the neighborhood aflforded. Growing to manhood's years, he was married, and settled down to quiet New England farm life. But the blood of pioneers was in his veins, and in 1854 he brought his family to Wisconsin, to seek the wider opportunities of a newer country. For a year they lived at Monroe, in Green County. Then leaving his family there he came to Galesville, and secured a farm within what are now the corporate limits of the village. On this place a small frame dwelling was standing, and to this house he brought his family. Here he made his home for the remainder of his days, and followed the occupation of a farmer, taking an interest also in many other ventures. In 1883 he organized the Bank of Galesville and was its first president. He also organized the creamery company and was largely instrumental in having the railroad constructed to Galesville. Another important enterprise which he helped to found was the Trempealeau Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, of which he was secretary for a number of years. He was also actively interested for many years in the Trempealeau County Agricultural Society, serving as its treasurer and general superintendent. In short, Isaac Clark was one of those men of far-sighted enterprise and energy who are the leading factors in advancing any community in which they may cast their lot. He saw opportunities where other men passed them by and having once started in any enterprise he worked hard until it was established upon a sure footing. He was a member of the town board in 1861, 1862 and 1863, and served in the state assembly in 1870. After a long and useful life he died Sept. 24, 1894, widely honored, beloved and mourned. His name will live in the story of the institutions he helped to found, and in the hearts of the friends whom his sterling worth drew to his side. In 1893 he built the M. E. Church and presented it to the M. E. Society.

Mr. Clark was married in Maine, July 9, 1848, to Emily French, a native of that state. She died in 1865, leaving Eugene F., Florence M. and Genevieve. By his second marriage, Mr. Clark had two children, Wilford and Leslie, and by his third marriage he had one child, who died in infancy.

William Crouch, a pioneer, spent his interesting life in four states, and was a useful and substantial citizen of every locality in which he made his home. He was born near Lockport, N. Y., May 3, 1828, of English descent, spent his boyhood in much the same manner as other boys of his age and period, and as a young man became a miner. Later he came to Wisconsin and took up farming at Big Creek, near Sparta, in Monroe County. Subsequently he moved to South Dakota and later made his home at Ballaton, Minn. He died there Sept. 24, 1908. His wife was Susan Frizzelle, of English and French descent, who was born Dec. 31, 1828, and died March 7, 1883, on the farm at Sparta, Monroe County, this state.

Alexander A. Arnold was born in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, N. Y., Oct. 20, 1833, son of Archibald H. R. and Catherine M. E. Schultz. After mastering his primary studies he was sent to Starkey Academy and later to an institution known as the Nine Brothers Boarding School. This was supplemented with a business course at a college in Poughkeepsie. Thus equipped he started out as a teacher, but this profession did not appeal to him and he entered the Ohio Law School at Poland, from which he graduated in 1855. Fresh from college he added to his knowledge of the law and acquainted himself with actual practice in the office of Hon. Theodore Miller, then a prominent lawyer of Hudson, N. Y. Six months later he was admitted to practice before the supreme courts of that state and Ohio. The tide was flowing westward and the young man saw his future in that direction. Early in 1857 he set out for Wisconsin, and having relatives at Elkhorn that was his first place of residence. Elkhorn also was the scene of his first case as a trial lawyer. Having two cousins located at Galesville, Mr. Arnold decided to visit them before fixing a permanent location, and later in the year 1857 found him in the settlement, which was then in its third year and was known as Galesville. There was little demand for a lawyer, but there were thousands of acres of land to be entered and new settlers were arriving. The prospects looked good to the young lawyer and he cast his lot with Galesville, which was destined to be his home to the end of his days. There were few frame buildings at this time, and one of these (still a part of the W. A. Tower house) had just been completed by a Captain Finch. This building was purchased by Mr. Arnold and his lawyer's sign was swung to the breeze. The building was small, but it provided ample room for his desk and a few books, besides space for the postoffice. The late Dr. William M. Young was postmaster. There was little mail, and as the doctor was a busy man in his practice the lawyer attended to the office most of the time. In 1859 Mr. Arnold returned to New York and was married to Hattie E. Tripp, returning with his bride to Wisconsin soon after. The young wife died two years later, leaving a daughter Blanche. The child died at about three years of age. When the Civil War broke out, in 1861, Galesville, along with the rest of the country, caught the martial spirit. In August, 1862, the Thirtieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was organized and Mr. Arnold enlisted in Company C and was chosen captain. He was so commissioned by Governor Lewis. The service of this regiment the first year was largely in this state. The second year it was stationed on the Indian frontier in the Dakotas. Not until the third year was the regiment sent south, and then its operations were confined to Kentucky. At the close of the war Captain Arnold returned to Galesville. He did not resume his law practice, but turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He had, on his first arrival here, purchased eighty acres of land. After the war he added 160 acres to this and continued to increase the tract to the 400 acres which make up the present Arnold properties. The Arnold place has for years been one of the finest farm homes in the state. Farming fifty years ago was carried on on a much smaller scale than at the present time, and Captain Arnold found ample time to assist in shaping the affairs of the community and to study politics. His college education had included a practical knowledge of surveying, and few of the original stakes set in this section of the county were not placed by him. He held the office of county surveyor many years. He was also one of the early district attorneys and was once county superintendent of schools. His first prominence in politics was gained in 1870, when he was elected to the state legislature. From 1878 to 1880 he served his district as state senator. In 1880 he was again sent to the assembly and was elected speaker of that body. As an advanced farmer and breeder of purebred stock Captain Arnold has been known throughout this and in other states for forty years. He was one of the organizers of the Trempealeau County Agricultural Society in 1859, and served as president and as secretary at different periods. He was a member of the executive board of the State Agricultural Society for a time, and during a long period was one of the state's farmers' institute conductors. He commenced the breeding of

Shorthorn cattle when there was not a pure-bred animal in this part of the state outside of those on his farm. The breeding of this particular strain has gone on for more than forty years and is continued by his sons. Captain Arnold was made a Mason in Trempealeau Lodge fifty-seven years ago. When Decora Lodge was organized he was one of its charter members. He was a past master of the lodge and one of its faithful patrons to the end. He was president of the Trempealeau County Historical Society and vicepresident of the Bank of Galesville at the time of his death. As one of the organizers of the Charles H. Ford Post, G. A. R., he was ever active in that body. Captain Arnold was again married Feb. 1, 1869, to Miss Mary Douglas of Melrose. The bride came from a family then prominent in Jackson County, and was the oldest of five children. She was educated in the district schools and at Galesville University, first attending when Bishop Fallows was president, and then taking another course of two years seven years later. For many years she was president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, of which she is still a member.

Seven children were born to Captain and Mrs. Arnold: Archibald H., Roy D., Kittle H., MoUie D., Gerald D., Alex. W. and Beulah. Archibald H. is a fruit grower, residing at College Place, Wash., three miles from Walla Walla. He married Fannie M. Parsons of Whitehall and has two children : Dewey and Douglas. Mollie D. is the wife of S. C. French, Gale Township, a farmer and stock grower. They have three children : Henry C, Miriam H. and Arnold S. Gerald D., county surveyor, a resident of Galesville, is engaged in farming and raising Shorthorn cattle. He married Jayne E. Burrows of New Richmond, Wis. They have two children: Wm. A. and John B. Alex. W., who resides on the home place, is conducting the home farm and is engaged in stock raising. He married Myrtle Smith of Tomah, Wis. Beulah is the wife of Gilford M. Wiley, principal of the high school at Greensburg, Ind. They have two children : Arnold R. and Mary Esther.

George Young Freeman was born in the village of Quakerstreet, Schenectady County, N. Y., Aug. 13, 1827. He was of Puritan and Knickerbocker Dutch ancestry. He received an academic education at Union College at Schenectady, and in 1843 came to Wisconsin with the family of his Grandfather Young and settled at Elkhorn, Walworth County. At Elkhorn he pursued the study of law with Judge Gale, and in 1852 went to New York and entered the office of Judge Waterman, then judge of the Marine Court of that city. He remained in that city six years, coming to Galesville in 1858 to visit his relative. Judge Gale, the founder of Galesville. He remained here a short time, returning to New York to sever his connection with Judge Waterman before entering upon the practice of law in the west. The spring of 1859 found Mr. Freeman admitted to the bar and permanently located here. When Mr. Freeman settled in Galesville he found located here Romanzo Bunn, engaged in the practice of law. The late Capt. Alex. A. Arnold also was installed in an office and united law with surveying. Galesville was then the county seat, and the old courthouse was the scene of many a legal contest with these three as advocates. Mr. Freeman at once came into prominence as a lawyer, and his reputation soon spread over a wide territory. In 1862 he was elected district attorney for Trempealeau

County, but a steadily growing practice demanded most of his time, and in the active years of his life he found little time for political office. In the earliest years of his life he was a Whig. He voted for Lincoln in 1864 and Grant in 1868, but after that time he was affiliated with the Democratic party. He was once the candidate of his party for congressman in this district, and later was named for state senator against the late Senator Withee. The district was then comprised of Trempealeau and La Crosse Counties. Mr. Freeman carried La Crosse County, but the overwhelming Republican majority in Trempealeau County elected Mr. Withee. In 1888 President Cleveland called Mr. Freeman to Washington as principal examiner of land claims and contests. Of the dozen lawyers employed in this branch of the Department of the Interior, Mr. Freeman was recognized as an authority. It was during his service at Washington that the famous Oklahoma decision was handed down. The iindings in this case were written by him, although the document necessarily appeared over the signature of the head of the department.

Mr. Freeman remained in Washington under President Harrison a year after the Democratic administration was retired. A few years later he sold his office and equipment. Later he associated with him his son Robert, and the firm of Freeman & Freeman continued until 1898. Mrs. Freeman died in 1896, and from that time Mr. Freeman gradually lost interest in business affairs. Mr. Freeman was ever a man of affairs, and he had much to do with the making of Galesville. When the Trempealeau County Agricultural Society was founded in 1859 he was the first in the movement and piloted it through its infancy. As the first secretary of the society the record books show the interest he took in the organization. His penmanship in the old secretary's book is like copperplate engraving. He was a power in the building of the railroad from Trempealeau to Galesville, and was secretary of the company that promoted the road. In this movement he was tireless in his efforts. When Galesville was incorporated Mr. Freeman was its first mayor. Along in the nineties he served in this capacity a second time, when he was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of W. B. Thompson. That was a year when Galesville was a dry town, and in after years when he thought the generation that followed him extravagant in city affairs he dehghted in saying that when he was mayor he ran the town on nothing but the poll and dog tax. Not the least of Mr. Freeman's exploits was the development of the Arctic Springs, which property passed into the hands of a syndicate a few years ago. While he spent considerable money on the springs and in getting the water before the public, his peculiarities prevented his interesting capital or winning the co-opei"ation of the public in marketing the product. In the early days of Galesville University he was prominent in its affairs. He was also one of the first to organize a Burns Club here. In fact, in all things for the betterment of the community in his active years he was a conspicuous figure. Mr. Freeman was a man of fine personal appearance, well groomed, polished in his speech, and when in the mood, had the politeness of a cavalier. While never a member of any church, he was one of the few men in Galesville in his time who regularly attended church, and all his life he was a liberal contributor to the Presbyterian society. He was a charter member of Decora Lodge, F. & A. M., but he had not been affihated with the lodge for twenty-five years. Mr. Freeman is survived by his three sons: Edwin W., a prominent attorney and promoter, living at Los Angeles, Cal. ; Robert, also a lawyer and man of public affairs, residing at Corona, that state, and Rev. Charles E. Freeman of Galesville, who temporarily retired from the ministry some years ago that he might care for his father in his helpless condition.

Joseph Barnes Beach, for some 35 years a distinguished figure in Western Wisconsin journalism, was born in Charlotte, Chittenden County, Vt., May 12, 1853, son of Charles G. and Caroline (Barnes) Beach. He spent his early boyhood in his native state, came to Trempealeau County with the rest of the family at the age of 13, and was reared to farm pursuits in Ettrick Township. At the age of 21 he entered the office of the Galesville Journal, then conducted by George Luce, and spent two years learning the printers' trade. When Mr. Luce sold to B. E. Clark in 1876 Mr. Beach established the Galesville Independent, under the auspices of the Galesville Printing Association. In 1877 he and E. H. Lowe established the North La Crosse Star. Selling this a short time later he returned to his father's farm. Frederick E. Beach, a brother, established the Whitehall Times in January, 1880, and in December, of the same year, Joseph B. Beach bought a half interest, buying the other half and assuming full ownership and control five years later. He conducted this paper until March 20, 1915, when, owing to failing health, he leased the plant to his brothers, Frederick E. and Zachary T., and retired. He died May 3, 1916. Entering political Hfe as a young man, he took a deep interest in public affairs. For 14 years he was chaii-man of the Republican County Committee. He also served on numerous other committees and delegations, and was a member of many political conventions. In 1897 he did his district good service as a member of the assembly. A Republican of the old type for many years, he later espoused the cause of the progressive wing of that party, and labored zealously in its ranks. His great joy was in his newspaper work. At the time of his death it was written of him : "His was a busy life. Possibly he thus overtaxed himself, for it was his delight to be constantly accomplishing some worthy object. Where others found enjoyment in society and travel, work at his desk, or at the case, afforded him all the pleasure his nature seemed to crave. When the day's labor was over he found recreation, in the summer months, in his well-tilled garden, in which he took great pride; during the winter months he found life's greatest joy with his family, in his comfortable home. He was pre-eminently a home man, a devoted husband, a sympathetic and loving father, and the training of his children was one of the vital things in his life. Mr. Beach was married Sept. 5, 1889, to Hattie M. Olds, born in Pigeon Township, March 27, 1869, daughter of George H. and Nancy J. (Oliver) Olds, the pioneers. This union has been blessed with four children : Kathryn Florence, Joseph Barnes, Jr. (first), Joseph Barnes, Jr., and George Harrison. K. Florence was born Nov. 9, 1893, and is now a high school English teacher. She graduated from the Whitehall high school in 1911 and received the degree of B. A. from Lawrence College at Appleton, Wis., in 1915. While at that institution her scholarship won for Jher the honor of membership in the Phi Beta Kappa. Joseph Barnes, Jr. (first), was born May 3, 1895, and died April 29, 1896. Joseph Barnes, Jr., was born Nov. 10, 1897, was graduated from the Whitehall high school in 1915 and is now a student at the University of Wisconsin. George Harrison was born July 27, 1901, and is a junior in the Whitehall high school.

Charles Grant Beach, an early settler, was born in Vermont, Aug. 15, 1815, son of Aaron L. Beach and descended on both sides of his house from a long line of Colonial ancestry. He was reared on a farm and in his adult years became interested in railroad work. As a young man he married Caroline Barnes, who was born in Vermont March 24, 1817, and was likewise descended from the colonists of that state. In Vermont eight children were born, of whom one, a girl four years of age, died there. In 1866 the family came to Trempealeau County and settled on a farm in Ettrick. There the mother died in 1887, and the father, two years later, moved to Whitehall, and took up his home with his daughter, Mrs. John 0. Melby, with whom he remained until his death. May 13, 1906. Of the seven children who came to this county with their parents, Charles, who became a railroad man, remained in Vermont, where he died in 1903 ; Edgar S., who came west some years before the others, died in Mankato in 1874 ; Henry, a railroad man, died in Whitehall in 1904 ; Jennie L. is now Mrs. J. 0. Melby of Whitehall ; Zachary T. and Frederick E. are newspaper men in Whitehall ; Joseph B., who died May 3, 1916, was also a newspaper man for many years.

George H. Olds, pioneer, was born in Chenango County, New York, Jan. 8, 1834, son of William and Marietta (Jackson) Olds. William Olds was born in Hillsdale, N. Y., March 1, 1799, and in that state grew to manhood and was married. In 1853 he came to Wisconsin and located in Caledonia Township, where he purchased 40 acres of land from William Cram. Later he secured a homestead from the government, and from time to time added more land until he owned in all some 520 acres. His wife died in Caledonia Township. He died at Rice Lake, Wis., when more than 98 years old. George H. Olds came west with his parents and remained with them several years. In 1857, with his brother, James D. - who had come west in 1851, located in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and there remained until joining the family in 1853 - he opened a mercantile establishment at Caledonia. In 1861 he served for a short time in the Civil War, being discharged on account of ill health. He moved to Pigeon Creek in 1863 and in 1874 came to Whitehall and secured the first lot sold in the townsite. The same year he was made postmaster, a position he held until May, 1889, when he retired. He died Sept. 13, 1905. Mr. Olds was married in Pigeon Township, June 26, 1864, to Nancy J. Oliver, their only child being Hattie M., who was born March 27, 1869, and was married Sept. 5, 1889, to Joseph B. Beach, now deceased.

George Gale, jurist and pioneer, founder of Galesville, founder of Gale College, one of the framers of the Wisconsin constitution, and one of the organizers of Trempealeau County, was born on the banks of Lake Champlain, at Burlington, Vermont, Nov. 30, 1816. His grandfather,

Peter Gale, was a native of Vermont, and served in the Continental army ; his father, whose name was also Peter, was one of the "Minute Men" of Barre, Vermont, in the War of 1812 ; his mother, whose name was Hannah Tottingham, was of genuine Puritan stock. George Gale lived on a farm during his boyhood, and divided his time in working on a farm and attending school. His schooling was thorough, and although he was not a graduate of any college, he acquired an excellent knowledge of the higher branches of mathematics and the sciences. In March, 1839, he commenced reading law at Waterbury Center, Vermont, and was admitted to the bar in 1841, having in the meantime served his village as postmaster. Soon after becoming a lawyer, he came to the then territory of Wisconsin, and located at Elkhorn, in what is now Walworth County, where he practiced law, and at the same time continued his studies with great diligence. In addition to his professional labors, he was for one year the editor of the Western Star, published in Elkhorn, to which he contributed many able articles. The Wisconsin Farm Book he first published in 1846, issuing revised editions in 1848, 1850 and 1856. Soon after his arrival at Elkhorn, he entered public life, and was elected to various town and school offices, serving one term as chairman of the county board of supervisors. In 1847 the scope of his services broadened, and he was sent to the Constitutional Convention, in which body he was a prominent and hard working member, winning; distinction for his labors on the judiciary committee. The same year he was elected district attorney for his county. In 1850 and 1851, he served in the state senate, being chairman of committee on privileges and elections in the first session, and chairman of the committee on industry the second session. July 4, 1851, he received from the governor of the state, the appointment as brigadier-general in the militia. In the fall of that year he moved to La Crosse, and shortly after his arrival was elected county judge of La Crosse County, having both common law and jurisdiction not only of La Crosse County, which then embraced a large area, but also over Chippewa County, which had been attached to La Crosse County for judicial purposes. Jan. 1, 1854, he resigned, and in April, 1856, he was elected judge of the Sixth Judicial District, composed of the counties of Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Monroe, Trempealeau, La Crosse, Vernon and Crawford, for the judicial term of six years, commencing Jan. 1, 1857. The duties of this office he discharged with much dignity and ability. During Judge Gale's residence at La Crosse, he urged very strongly upon the prominent citizens of that place the importance of their establishing a college or an institution of learning of a higher order, but the country being new, the project did not find favor with the people, and nothing was done to carry out this worthy project. He shortly afterward decided to found a college and town on his own responsibility. Accordingly in 1853, he purchased about 2,000 acres of land, including the present location of Galesville, with the water power on Beaver Creek, and in January, 1854, he procured from the state legislature the organization of the new county of Trempealeau, with the location of the county seat at Galesville. At the same time he obtained a charter for a university to be located at that place. The board of trustees was organized in 1855, and the first edifice commenced in 1858. In June, 1854, the village plot of Galesville was laid out. Even through the financial crisis, Judge Gale carried the university to success, and had the great joy of seeing the first class graduated in July, 1865. After eleven years as president of the board of trustees and of the faculty, he resigned, and left the worlc in other hands, although he never lost his active interest. In 1863 the institution conferred upon him the degree of LL.D., the University of Vermont having paved the way by granting him the degree of M.A. in 1857. As an historical writer. Judge Gale took a high rank. For the Wisconsin State Historical Society, of which he was at one time vice-president and later an honorary member, he prepared an elaborate paper entitled, "History of the Chippewa Nation of Indians," which is included in the published "Collections" of the society. In 1866 he published at Galesville a "Genealogical History of the Gale Family in England and in the United States, With an Account of the Tottingham Family, of New England, and of the Bogardus, Waldron and Young Families, of New York," a volume requiring a large amount of patience and persevering investigation. His last work, to the preparation of which he devoted many years, was published in 1867 and was entitled, "The Upper Mississippi, or Historical Sketches of the Introduction of Civilization in the Northwest," a work which was well received and widely circulated. Judge Gale's health partially failed him in the summer of 1862, and the three following winters he spent in the South and West, most of the time in the service of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions. During February and March, 1863, he had charge of the United States Sanitary Commission Depot, on Morris Island, during the siege of Charleston. He departed this life with all the consolations of the Christian religion, at Galesville, April 1, 1868. In all the relations of life, in which he had been called to take a part. Judge Gale was always faithful, honest and persevering, with habits of industry and close application. Those who knew him the best esteemed him the most. In all respects he was an estimable man, discharging every duty to the best of his ability. He retained his mental faculties to the last, his faith was strong, and his last days were full of peace.

December, 1844, Judge Gale married Gertrude Young, born at Schenectady, N. Y., in 1810, daughter of George and Anna (Waldron) Young. She died March 3, 1902. In the family there were three children: George, a leading attorney of Galesville ; William, a prominent attorney of Winona, who died Aug. 13, 1903; and Helen, wife of H. J. Arnold, who is engaged in the drug business at Kansas City.

George Gale, Jr., a distinguished attorney of Galesville, was born in Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin, Sept. 14, 1845, son of George and Gertrude (Young) Gale. He was taken to La Crosse as a small boy, and was but 12 years of age when his parents brought him to Galesville. Here he attended the public schools, and in due time entered Gale College, from which he was graduated in June, 1866. Then he studied law in his father's office. In 1868 he was admitted to the bar of Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the following year moved with his mother, brother and sister to Winona, where he spent one year in the office of Judge Thomas Simpson.

In 1870 he and his brother, William, engaged in the practice of law at Winona, under the firm name of G. & W. Gale. In 1880, the partnership was dissolved, and George Gale moved to Fairmont, Minn., where he continued his practice. He subsequently practiced at Berlin, Wis., and later engaged in the lumber and supply business at Merrill, Wis. Because of his wife's failing health, he returned to Trempealeau County in 1885, and moved onto the old Gale farm. In 1894 he moved to Galesville village, where he has since resided. He devotes his time to the practice of his profession, and to looking after his farm and village holdings. He is the justice of the peace for the village, has been city judge of Berlin, Wis., and was county attorney of Martin County, Minn. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of Pythias, in the local lodge of which he was an officer for a number of years, and in the state lodge of which he has sat as a delegate. Mr. Gale was married in 1874, to Myra Johnson, who was born in Elkhorn, Wis., daughter of D. R. and Katherine (Pike) Johnson, of old Huguenot stock, early settlers of Wisconsin, and natives of New York. The father engaged in the furniture business in Elkhorn, Wis., and at Berlin, Wis., established a casket factory, which is now the Milwaukee Casket Co. By this marriage Mr. Gale had two children, Mamie, who died at the age of eight years, and George, who died in infancy. Mr. Gale was married Dec. 31, 1903, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Glennie) Stewart, daughter of John and Elizabeth Glennie, and widow of Duncan Stewart. She was bom in Scotland, came to America as a child, was married at Northbend, later moved to West Salem, and there lived for some years. She has a daughter, Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. Gale have two sons, George Glennie, born Feb. 14, 1905, and William John, born May 13, 1912.

Peter J. Enghagen, president of the Hammer-Enghagen Co., Inc., general merchants, of Galesville, was born in Ettrick township, Trempealeau County, June 16, 1867, son of Iver and Ingaborg (Jacobsen) Enghagen. He attended the common school at French Creek and was subsequently a student for two years at Gale University. Residing at home until he was 21 years old, he then entered the employ of Jordan & Hammer as clerk in their general store. After two years in their employ, he worked four years for Gilbertson & Myhre. He then purchased the interest of Mr. Jordan in the Jordan & Hammer concern and the business was conducted under the name of Hammer & Enghagen Mercantile Company, until Feb. 15, 1917, when they incorporated and Mr. Enghagen became president. He devotes all his active hours to the store and is also stockholder in the Bank of Galesville. As a public spirited citizen, interested and willing to aid in local progress, he has served a number of times as a member of the city council. In politics he is independent.

Mr. Enghagen was married May 22, 1895, to Lena Johnson, who was born at Half-way Ci'eek, near Holman, in the township of Holland, La Crosse County, Wis., daughter of Louis and Marie (Brudlas) Johnson. Both her parents were born in Norway, the father in Laud and the mother in Vordal. Her father, who came to the United States during the Civil War, enlisted and served in the Union army. At the close of the war he engaged in farming, residing in La Crosse County, Wis., until the fall of

1915, when he retired and took up his residence in Galesville. Mr. and Mrs. Enghagen have two children: Inez Minerva, who is a student at St. Olof College, Northfield, Minn., and Marie Lucile, who is attending the pubhc schools of Galesville. The family are members of the Lutheran church. As a business man Mr. Enghagen has been successful, and as a man and citizen he is held in high esteem by his neighbors.

O. P. Larson, for many years a resident of Whitehall, was one of the most successful men in Trempealeau County. Coming here as a poor boy, and working for many years under the handicap of poor health, he gradually built up a series of estabhshments which formed a chain of successful houses throughout the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. In building his own fortunes, he also aided many another man to achieve prosperity, and more than this, his stores and banks have had a part in the development of many a rural community. 0. P. Larson was born on the estate of Eastern Piltingsrud, Begnadalen, Valders, Norway, April 15, 1849, and there received such education as his neighborhood and circumstances permitted. In 1866 he came to the United States and found his way to Trempealeau County, where he secured employment as a farm hand. His inclinations, however, turned to mercantile pursuits, and before long he was working in a store. His shrewdness, ability and courtesy won recognition, and it was not many years before he was at the head of an establishment of his own. The first store he owned was at Independence. After a while he looked to other fields, and gradually extended the scope of his activities. At the height of his career, he owned an interest in some twenty establishments, the most notable of which were the Bank of Eleva, Wis. ; the Bank of Melrose, Wis. ; the Churches Ferry State Bank, Churches Ferry, N. D., and the J. 0. Melby & Co. Bank, Whitehall, as well as the mercantile stores of Larson, Melby & Co., Eleva, Wis.; Larson, Stevning & Co., Stephen, Minn.; Larson, Ringlie & Co., Binford, N. D., and Aneta, N. D. ; Larson, Gravlie & Co., Adams, N. D. ; Larson, Lander & Co., Fairdal, N. D. ; Larson, Dokken & Co., Knox, N. D., and several others. To all of these concerns he gave considerable personal attention. His health, never robust, continued to fail, and in 1912 he went to Norway, in hopes that the land of his birth might bring to him restored vigor. But these hopes were not realized, and on Aug. 30, of that year, he died at Christiania, Norway. His body was brought back to Whitehall for burial. An obituary notice said of him : "Among the many hardy Northmen who have come to this country to share the blessings of our prosperous land, few have availed themselves of its privileges and opportunities more successfully than 0. P. Larson. No one could spend an hour with Mr. Larson without realizing the intense energy of his mind, and his keen and almost intuitive analysis of any question or situation presented. For more than thirty years, always in delicate health, he wrestled with business problems, and the question of making his physical strength respond to his ever active mind, and as a sedative to his restless mental faculties and a stimulus to his lagging physical abilities, he traveled almost constantly. In pursuance of health and business he visited nearly every state in our Union. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean at least 24 times. He exemplified in the highest degree the power of mind over matter. He has left behind him sons and daughters eminently fitted to successfully carry on the many business enterprises which he estabhshed." Mr. Larson married Lina Waller, June 26, 1878. She was born in Snartingsdalen, Norway, Aug. 14, 1856, daughter of Ole Jacob Johansen and Martha Waller. Mr. and Mrs. Larson have had six children: Martha, Ohver, Lewis, Clarence, Julia and Manda. Martha married Bent Lander, a merchant of Fairdale, N. D., and they have two sons, twins, Bernhart and Reinhart. Oliver died March 27, 1900. Lewis is a merchant at Binfoi'd, N. D. He married Florence Ringlie, and they have one child, LuciUe. Clarence is a banker at Eleva. Julia married Christian F. Zoylner, a business man of New York, where they reside. Manda resides at home. Mrs. Larson was the help, encouragement and inspiration of Mr. Larson in all his undertakings. A lover of her home, and taking the greatest delight in domestic duties and the rearing of her children, she has nevertheless found time for much church and charitable work, and has taken an especially important and active part in the affairs of the Ladies' Aid Society. Few ladies have traveled more than she, her journeys with her husband for the benefit of his health having taken her to Norway half a dozen times, and to Colorado, the Pacific Coast states, and the gulf states. When but a mere child she lost her father in 1876, and was reared by her mother, receiving a good education, which her travels and experience has since deepened and broadened. In 1877 she came to America with her brother, Oliver Waller, and her sister, Kristina Waller, who became Mrs. Martin Nelson. She took up her home near Independence, with another sister, Ingeborg (Mrs. Sever Amundson), who had come to America some years previous, and there lived until her marriage to Mr. Larson.

Daniel Levi McCallum, who for a number of years was proprietor of a small but well cultivated and improved farm in Gale township, was born on the same farm. May 19, 1866. His parents were Charles Rodney and Abigail (Lindsey) McCallum, natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch descent. The father, a farmer, came to Trempealeau County in 1859, locating on the farm above mentioned, where he resided until a few years before his death in July, 1900. He was a veteran of the Civil War and an industrious and respected citizen. For many years before his death he had been a widower.

Daniel Levi McCallum was the seventh born in a family of ten children. He was reared on his parents' homestead, of which he took full charge when 25 years old, later becoming the owner. It consisted of 80 acres of land, supplied with good buildings and other equipment. Here he carried on general farming until his death, which occurred Mai'ch 6, 1914. He was industrious and enterprising and his efforts were rewarded by prosperity. Mr. McCallum was first married to Mamie Wood, a native of this township, who died Nov. 18, 1903. She left one child, Vilas, who is now residing with his grandfather and guardian, William Wood, of Gale township. May 23, 1908, Mr. McCallum married for his second wife Lena Olsen, who was born in Norway, daughter of Ole and Mary Olsen. Her father came to the United States in 1888, locating in Jackson County, near Melrose, where the family lived two years, and where the father still resides.

His wife died in July, 1916. Of Mr. McCallum's second marriage there were two children : Arlene Beatrice and Nadine Clara, the former of whom is attending school. Mrs. McCallum has recently sold the farm with the intention of taking up her residence in Galesville. Her husband was a man devoted to his home and family. Politically he owned allegiance to the Republican party, but never aspired to official position. He was widely respected and had many friends, to whom his death caused grief.

Ben W. Davis, one of the leading business men of Galesville, where he operates a mill and is engaged in other lines of enterprise, was born in the house in which he now lives, July 28, 1867. His parents were Wilson and Mary E. Davis, the father born March 4, 1827, Kentucky, in which state during his earlier manhood he was engaged in farming. Later Wilson Davis migrated to St. Mary's Landing, Mo., from which place he went to Minnesota, finally coming to Wisconsin. With his father, Timothy, at one time congressman from Dubuque, he built a mill at Elkader, Iowa, which was the first of several that they erected. The second was built at Pickwick, Minn., in 1854, and this they operated for about 11 years, coming to Galesville in 1866. Soon after their arrival here they built the mill that- is now owned by the Davis Mill Company, starting it in 1867 and completing it in 1869. It was built of limestone found near the village and is seven stories high, measuring 98 feet from base to roof, and 50 by 70 feet ground dimensions. Its capacity is 200 barrels of flour a day. Wilson Davis operated the mill until his death in 1898, and was besides a director in the Bank of Galesville. He and his wife had four children : Augustine A., who resides in New York City, where he is engaged in the acetyline welding business ; Ella, wife of Alfred Campbell, a farmer of Hartland, Wis. ; Frank G., who is engaged in the retail lumber business at Tarboro, N. C, and Ben W., of Galesville. Ben W. Davis acquired his education in the school at Galesville, which he attended until he was 17 years of age. He then became a traveling salesman and followed that occupation until he was about 26 years old. Returning to Galesville in 1892 he became connected with the Davis mill in the capacity of manager and the business has since been under his control. In 1894, soon after assuming the management, Mr. Davis rebuilt and remodeled the mill. In 1898 it was burned down, but in the following year he again rebuilt it, its dimensions and capacity being each time enlarged, until its capacity has been brought up to 200 barrels a day. The company also operate an electric plant furnishing light for the city of Galesville. The principal brand of flour turned out is sold under the name of "Peach Blossom," and commands a good market throughout this section and in many of the western states. Mr. Davis gives most of his time to this business, but also has other interests, being vice-president of the Bank of Galesville, president of the Maxwell- Davis Lumber Company of Galesville, a stockholder in the Western Wisconsin Telephone Company. He is a member of the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen of America. In politics a Republican, he served as mayor of Galesville for nine years. As a business man and pubhc spirited citizen he has proved himself a worthy successor to his father and has taken active part in advancing the growth and interests of the city. Mr. Davis was married in June, 1894, to Leora A. Avery, who was born in Seattle, Wash., daughter of the Rev. J. H. and Lucy (Washburn) Avery, her father being a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. He and his wife have one child: Katharyne A., who resides at home and is attending Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis.

Ludwig N. Hammer, secretary and treasurer of the Hammer-Enghagen Company, conducting a general mercantile business in Galesville, was born in Heedmarken, Norway, Jan. 26, 1857, son of Nels Burson and Thrine Hammer. Both parents died in their native land, where the father followed the occupation of millwright. Ludwig N. was the sixth born in a family of eight children and attended both common and high school in Norway. Remaining with his parents until he was 16 years old, he then left home and for some years worked at different occupations, chiefly as clerk in stores. At the age of 23 he left Norway for the United States, locating in Frenchville, Wis., in 1879. In 1881 he came to Galesville as clerk for Wilson-Davis, and remained in their employ until 1889, when he became associated with W. H. Jordan. In 1895 Mr. Jordan sold his intei-est to Mr. Enghagen, since which time the business was conducted under the style of Hammer & Enghagen. The firm moved into their present quarters in the spring of 1916. They carry a large stock of goods and enjoy a wide and growing patronage. Feb. 15, 1917, the firm incorporated as Hammer-Enghagen Company, with a $50,000 capital. The officers are: P. J. Enghagen, president; Carl Svensen, vice-president; L. M. Hammer, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Hammer is a stockholder and director in the Bank of Galesville, and also owns business and residence property in the village. He was president of the Business Men's Association for a number of years and is at the present time one of is trustees. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Gale College and has served on the village council several terms. In pohtics he is an independent Republican, supporting his party at national elections, but exercising his own discretion on other occasions. Mr. Hammer was married Nov. 7, 1885, to Lena Trondson, who was born in Trempealeau County, Wis., daughter of Anders and Agnethe Trondson. Her parents were both natives of that province in Norway in which Mr. Hammer was born. After coming to the United States they lived for some years in Trempealeau County, Wis., later moving to Duel County, South Dakota, where, after a number of years spent in farming, he died. His wife also died in that county. Mr. and Mrs. Hammer have had seven children, of whom two, Nora and Arthur, are deceased. The survivors are : Joseph, a bookkeeper in the Bank of Galesville ; Hulda, who is engaged in teaching; Margaret, residing at home, who is a graduate of the high school class of 1916; and Ruth and Rolf, who are attending school. The family are affiliated religiously with the Lutheran church.

Benjamin F. Gipple, a pioneer merchant, was born in Scipio, Cayuga County, N. Y., April 26, 1827, of substantial Pennsylvania-Dutch ancestry. He spent his early life in the East, and after learning farming from his father, was apprenticed to a builder, who taught him the carpenter's trade. In 1856 he came West, and located at Hokah, Minn., where he was employed for a year at his trade. In 1857 he went to La Crosse, and started work for

Mons Anderson, at that time conducting the largest mercantile establishment in the Northwest. In this concern his promotion was rapid, and in a short time he was given charge of all the sales force of the large establishment. During his years in this employ, he gained experience and won the confidence of the people to the extent that he was enabled to open a store of his own. Subsequently he owned stores in Montello, Marquette County, and in North Bend, Jackson County, in which latter place he served as postmaster. In 1889 he came to Galesville and opened a stoi'e which he conducted until 1908, when he retired. He died Jan. 7, 1911. It was one of the deep regrets of Mr. Gipple's hfe that he could not serve in the Civil War. He enlisted twice, and was twice rejected, and was subsequently drafted, but was again rejected, the rejections being due to an injury which he had received early in life. While Mr. Gipple was not a practicing attorney, he took a deep interest in the law from the time of his earliest boyhood, and was well versed in legal procedure. He was a justice of the peace for some fifty years, and in this time handed down hundreds of decisions which met with the praise and approval of many distinguished jurists.

Mr. Gipple married Mary Ann Snure in May, 1849. She died Aug. 6, 1862. To this union were born six children, five of whom are living at this date. He married Emily Ruth Bradshaw June 2, 1865. She was born in Indiana Oct. 9, 1843. There were born to this second marriage three sons, Benjamin F., Bert Allen and William B., and one daughter, Mayme, who died at the age of 31. Mrs. Gipple died March 21, 1917.

Bert A. Gipple, journalist and man of afl'airs, editor of the Galesville Republican for twenty-five years, has taken an active part in every move that has for its object the upbuilding, development and betterment of the community. Few men are better known in the county. He is a native of this State, born in La Crosse, Wis., Dec. 16, 1870, son of Benjamin F. and Emily R. (Bradshaw) Gipple. At the age of seventeen he became shipping clerk in a wholesale house in La Crosse. In 1890 he began his journalistic career as a printer's assistant on the Galesville Independent. His first reportorial work was done under W. R. Finch, on the La Crosse Republican and Leader in 1892. In 1893 he took charge of the editorial department of the Prairie du Chien Union. Subsequently he was employed on the Mondovi Herald, and then returned to Galesville, where he worked on the Independent. In 1896 he took charge of the Cumberland Advocate in the absence of its publisher. Again returning to Galesville later in the same year, he opened a job printing office. He founded the Galesville Republican in 1897, and in 1908 on the organization of the Republican Printing Company he was the principal stockholder. The company absorbed the old Galesville Independent, and now has the only newspaper and job printing plant in the village. Mr. Gipple is a high degree Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge at Galesville, and the Chapter and Council at La Crosse. He was appointed Grand Steward at the communication of the Grand Lodge in 1916. He was a charter member of the Galesville Colony of Beavers. He was married July 28, 1893, to Emma J. Sagen, daughter of Ole N. and Ella (Trondson) Sagen, and they have one daughter, Dorris C. Mrs. Gipple was educated in the schools of Galesville, and in Gale College.

The daughter graduated from the Galesville High School in 1914, and from the La Crosse Normal School in 1916. She has the unusual record of having attended school for eleven years without being absent or tardy. At this date ahe is a teacher in the public schools of Sparta, Wis.

Carl McKeeth, who is doing a successful business in Galesville, dealing in farm implements, road machinery and automobiles, was born in Gale Township, six miles north of the village, Sept. 11, 1878. He is a son of John and Lorette (Bigelow) McKeeth, the father a native of New York State and the mother of New Hampshire. John McKeeth was formerly a well-known man in Trempealeau County, to which he came in 1856. He homesteaded a farm in the county, on which in time he made improvements, and being elected sheriff served in that office and as deputy for 16 years-. He was also chaii-man of Gale Township board for 20 years and for a number of years served as mayor of Galesville. During the Civil War he served in the First Wisconsin Battery, enlisting as a private. His death took place in 1908 and was regretted throughout the county. His wife passed away in 1900.

Carl McKeeth was the second-born in a family of three children. He was educated in the grammar and high schools of Galesville, and being 20 years old when the Spanish-American war broke out, he enlisted and served six months. On his return he engaged in business with his father, dealing in farm implements, road machinery, automobiles and other similar goods, this association being continued until the father's death, since which time Carl McKeeth has carried on the business alone. In his automobile department he is now selling the Maxwell, Chalmers, Marion, Hanley and Cadillac cars. He is the owner of a considerable business and residence property in Galesville. Oct. 17, 1900, Mr. McKeeth was united in marriage with Bird Converse, who was born in Caledonia Township, Trempealeau County, daughter of Henry and Sarah (Bender) Converse. Her father, an engineer by former occupation, is now assisting Mr. McKeeth in the store. Her mother is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. McKeeth have three children ; Gale, Ray and Verna, all residing at home. Mr. McKeeth is independent in politics and has served as a member of the village council. He belongs to the lodge of Beavers and he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.

Cyrus Kass, who operates a good farm in Section 27, Trempealeau Township, was born in Holland Township, La Crosse County, Wis., Feb. 4, 1864. His parents, William and Katie (Dextra) Kass, came to the United States from Holland in 1856, leaving Rotterdam May 27 and landing at New York July 25. From the latter city they came West by rail to Dunleith, 111., and from there by boat to La Crosse. The parents were both natives of Holland, the father born in Friesland State - the home of the Holstein cattle - April 23, 1835, and the mother in the city of Leeuwarden, Friesland, July 28, 1832. They were married only about three weeks before sailing for America - on May 5, 1856. After reaching La Crosse County, Wis., they resided there near the village of Amsterdam, until 1868, and then came with wagon and team to Trempealeau County, William Kass buying 40 acres of land in Section 27, Trempealeau Township. The land was but slightly improved, but there was a small frame house on it, 14 by 20 feet in dimensions, and a one-story pole stable, with hay cover, which was, however, of little account. Lying immediately west of Mr. Kass' 40 acres was a tract of uncultivatable bluff land, and of this he homesteaded 120 acres to use as pasture land. A few years later he purchased another tract of 40 acres, some of which was cultivatable land, lying north of the original 40 acres, so that he now had a farm of 200 acres. For the first four years he used oxen on his farm, as, being more hardy than horses, they were better fitted for pioneer conditions. He and his wife endured many hardships, the usual lot of pioneers, but never allowed themselves to become discouraged or relax their efforts. While he was developing his farm Mr. Kass cut and hauled during the winters thousands of hoop-poles, which he sold in Winona for $8 to $10 a thousand, and in this way maintained his family. He also sold quite a number in Pickwick, Minn., having to start from home at 3 o'clock in the morning, and cross the Mississippi River on the ice with his ox team, returning late at night. In 1869 he built a log barn. For many years William Kass continued the improvement of his farm, he and his wife at the same time bringing up a family of six children, namely : John born July 30, 1857, who died on his parents' farm in February, 1889; Seba, born June 16, 1859, who is now living near Eau Claire, Wis., on a farm ; Mary, born Nov. 21, 1862, who died on the farm in Trempealeau Township in February, 1889; Cyrus, born 1864; Theodore, born March 10, 1866, who died in Trempealeau Township in February, 1889; Katie, born September 28, 1868, who is now Mrs. Fred Weiss, of Rock Island, 111. John, Seba, Mary, Cyrus and Theodore were all born in Holland Township, La Crosse County, and Katie in Trempealeau Township. The deaths in the same month of John, Mary and Theodore were caused by an epidemic of measles, and were a heavy blow to the surviving members of the family. Katie, the daughter born in Trempealeau Township, was educated in District No. 3, at Gale University, and at the Winona Normal School, from which institution she was graduated, subsequently teaching school for years. The other children in the family attended only the district school. The mother, Mrs. Katie Kass, died on the homestead Jan. 14, 1911, and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery, at Centerville. Cyrus Kass was brought up on his parents' farm and has always remained there. He learned farming from his father and is now engaged in it on the old home place, his operations including dairying and the raising of orchard and small fruits. He has 11 head of cattle and five horses, his cows being graded. He has also a herd of 60 sheep, Shropshire and Oxford crossed, and a herd of hogs. The house on the farm is a story-and-a-half upright, with two wings, and containing nine rooms. His hay barn, 32 by 48 by 16 feet in dimensions, has a basement in which he keeps his sheep. His other barn, for horses and cattle, measures 28 by 48 by 24 feet. Mr. Kass was married Oct. 30, 1906, to Stella, daughter of Peter and Julia (Wojcie) Chowski, of Winona, Minn. Their children are: Mary, born Oct. 8, 1907 ; John Cyrus, born June 26, 1909 ; William Henry, born April 27, 1911, and Stanley Peter, born Nov. 18, 1913. Mr. Kass is a charter member of Galesville Lodge of Beavers, and he and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is independent.

but is not active politically, not having served in public office, but having so far devoted his whole attention to the business of the farm, on which his father resides with him.

Rev. Lars M. Gimmestad, pastor of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod Church in Galesville, Wis., and also president of Gale College, was born in Nordf jord, Bergenhus Amt., the west central province of Norway, Jan. 20, 1868. He is a son of Mons M. and Anna (Vasenden) Gimmestad, both of whom were natives of the same province. The father, a stone mason and carpenter by trade, died in Norway in 1878, and his widow subsequently came to the United States, settling with her family of five sons in Redwood County, Minn., where she died in 1907.

Lars M. Gimmestad, who was the youngest member of the family, acquired his elementary education partly in Norway and partly in Redwood County, Minn. By the time he was 14 years of age he was practically earning his own living, which he did by herding cattle, and later working on a farm for an older brother. In the meanwhile he entered Luther College, at Decorah, Iowa, which he attended for seven years, continuing to work on the farm during his vacations. After graduating from this institution he entered Luther Seminary, at Minneapolis, where he studied theology for three years, during this period teaching parochial school and assisting other pastors. He was ordained July 22, 1894, at Eau Claire, Wis., and for one year subsequently was in charge of a congregation there. From that time until the fall of 1901 he had charge of congregations in Dane, Columbia and Trempealeau counties, becoming pastor of the church at Galesville. In the year last mentioned he took up his residence in Galesville in order to become president of Gale College, which at that time was transferred to Lutheran hands. This office he has since held, devoting most of his time to it, though still remaining pastor of the Lutheran congregation here, thus making twenty-three years of continuous service. Much of his life has been devoted to teaching, and he has administered the affairs of the college in an efficient manner, maintaining a high scholastic standard and a Christian atmosphere conducive to the moral and spiritual growth of the students. Politically he is an independent Democrat.

Mr. Gimmestad was married July 22, 1896, to Amalie Anderson, who was born in Dane County, Wis., daughter of Hans and Oline (Hanson) Anderson. Her parents, who were natives of Norway, came to America about 1873, locating first in Dane County. A few years later they removed to Eau Claire, Wis., where Mr. Anderson was employed in a shoe factory, and where he subsequently died. His widow is still residing in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Gimmestad are the parents of six children: Marie Helen, Agnes Olava, Herman, Laura Matilda, Bernard Oscar and Victor Edward. Mr. Gimmestad owns his own residence and also a number of acres of land in the vicinity of Galesville.

William E. Bartholomew, a well-known citizen of Galesville, who has resided in Trempealeau County for about 47 years, was born in Atwater Township, Portage County, Ohio, Sept. 4, 1846. His parents, Albert and Minerva (Potter) Bartholomew, were both of Welsh descent, but born in Eastern States. The father in early life was a farmer, but in later life engaged in business as a wagon maker. He came to Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wis., in 1850, and he and his wife both died there some years later. William E. Bartholomew was the youngest of five children. When left an orphan he was still a young child and for some years his home was with his older sisters and other relations, who cared for him until 1859. He then found employment on a dairy farm at $5 a month, and in five months, having saved enough money to pay his fare to Chicago,.he went to that city, arriving there without a cent. He succeeded, however, in making his way to Elkhorn, Wis., where he had a sister hving, with whom he took up his residence. For a number of years he worked for others, at first having charge of a horse-power used for threshing. In the summer of 1864 Mr. Bartholomew, not yet 18 years of age, enlisted at Spring Prairie Center, near Elkhorn, in Company I, Thirty-ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and served with the organization as a private for about four months. On his return to Spring Prairie he again worked out for others and continued to do so until his marriage in January, 1867, to Alice Bell, who was born in Geneva Township, Walworth County, Wis., daughter of Anson and Eliza (Chapman) Bell, who were early settlers in that county, but are both now deceased. After his marriage Mr. Bartholomew took his wife to Chickesaw County, Iowa, where he farmed for three years. He then sold his farm and came to Trempealeau County. Here he was engaged in farming until 1903, when, on account of impaired health he took up his residence in Galesville, and entered the employ of Dr. Jegi, having the care of his stable and other parts of his estate. His health improving, in the spring of 1914 he entered the employ of the Illinois Oil Company and has since continued with them. He is the owner of several lots in Galesville in addition to his own residence. In politics Mr. Bartholomew is a Republican, and in earlier years was a member of the village board. He and his wife have six children: Albert, who is a marble cutter and drafter in Madison, Wis.; Walter, a butter maker by trade, who is now engaged in the grocery business in Seattle, Wash. ; Mary, wife of N. P. Jensen, of Galesville, a deputy of the Order of Beavers ; Belle, wife of Julius Keholer, a barber of Galesville ; Edith, wife of Mert Jensen, form maker in a printing plant at Bobells, N. D. ; and Ida, wife of Lee Merrill, of St. Paul, who is bookkeeper in the purchasing department of the Omaha division of the North Western Railway.

John Beck, the pioneer, was born in Ekeby, Sweden, in 1815, and was there reared. Apprenticed to a carpenter as a youth, he learned the carpenter, furniture-making and cabinet-making trades, and in following his occupation wandered about the Scandinavian countries for a while. Thus he met Christina Anderson, who was born in Kumla, Sweden, in 1815. Taking his bride to his home in Ekeby, he was there permanently employed for a considerable period. While there he was called to service in the Swedish regular army during the time when Denmark was disputing with Prussia and the Germanic Federation, the ownership of Schleswig-Holstein. Although participating in a number of bloody engagements, he escaped injury and wounds. Soon after, he determined to locate in the United States. Reaching Chicago in 1853, he found employment at his trade, and there remained until June 15, 1857, when he came to Ti'empealeau County and located on a farm in Gale Township, three miles from Galesville. He died there in 1878, and his wife moved to Grand Meadow, Minn. She died in 1896 at Northfield, Minn.

Andrew A. Beck, ice dealer of Galesville, was bom in Ekeby, Sweden, Aug. 2, 1843, son of John and Christina (Anderson) Beck, the pioneers. He was brought to Chicago in 1853, attended school there for a while, came to Gale Township in 1857, and attended school here, later taking a course in Gale College. As a boy he was employed by Captain Alex A. Arnold, and when the Civil War broke out, enhsted in August, 1862, in Company C, Thirtieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, which Captain Arnold organized at Galesville. Going in as a private, he was soon promoted to corporal. His company served about a year in enforcing the draft in Wisconsin, a similar period in fighting the Indians on the western plains, and a like interval in doing police duty in Louisville, Ky. For a time, because of a scalded foot, Mr. Beck was confined to a hospital. Mustered out at Madison, he returned to the home farm. After his marriage he moved to another farm near by. In 1879 he moved to the village, and a short time later established his present ice business. He has an ice house, 40 by 40 by 20, and during the summer months disposes of about 100 cakes of ice daily. He also continues his farming operations. By reason of his war service he has joined the G. A. R. and his wife is a member of the Relief Corps, and was a charter member of the 0. E. S. of Galesville. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias of Galesville. Mr. Beck was married April 29, 1871, to Hannah B. Ladd, born in Unity, N. H., April 29, 1847, daughter of Lorenzo D. and Laura (Bunnell) Ladd. This union has been blessed with one son, Roy Russell, born May 21, 1878.

Lorenzo D. Ladd, an early settler, was born in Unity, N. H., Aug. 23, 1813, and was there reared and educated. As a youth he devoted his life to farm industry in his native State, but in his young manhood he became a salesman, traveling from farm to farm, selling general merchandise. Later he sold books on the same plan. April 16, 1857, he arrived in Trempealeau, and in a few days located on a near-by farm, and while there served as justice of the peace. In 1873 he came to Galesville and became a general salesman. Here he attained a position of honor and respect in the community. He was a member of the Masonic order. He died July 4, 1893, being buried with Masonic honors. His wife, Laura Bunnell, was born in Clairmont, N. H., Sept. 18, 1817, and died Oct. 31, 1900.