From History of Grant County, Wisconsin, 1881, p. 920 - 921.

HON. JOHN HAWKINS ROUNTREE, Platteville; the ancestral record of this eminent and venerable pioneer settler of Grant Co. is as follows: His great-grandfather, Randall Rountree, emigrated from Ireland in 1720 and settled in Virginia, where he resided until his death; his grandfather, Thomas Rountree, moved from Virginia to the vicinity of the Mammoth Cave, Warren Co., Ky., with his family, in 1795, where he remained until he died; John Rountree, his father, also settled in the same place, which was his place of residence until his decease; in this same locality John H. Rountree was born March 24, 1805; the education received by "the Major" at this period he himself describes as "very common-school," the school house being one of those primitive affairs so common in earlier times, composed of unhewn logs, with holes cut for windows, while a broad fire-place, with its huge open chimney, furnished the heat for the room in frosty weather; Maj. Rountree moved from Kentucky to Hillsboro, Montgomery Co., Ill., in February, 1824, where he was appointed as Deputy Sheriff, and served as such until he reached his 21st year, when he was elected Sheriff, an office that he held until his resignation upon his return from his trip to Wisconsin in 1827; May 24 of this year, he reached New Diggings (now a portion of La Fayette Co.), and afterward came to Platteville, then just coming into notice; there he has since resided, a period of 54 years. Aug. 7, 1828, Maj. Rountree was married to Mary Grace Mitchell, of Galena, Ill., and the next day, with his bride, moved to his log cabin in Wisconsin; Mrs. Rountree died in 1837; Sept. 3, 1839, he was again married, to Miss Lydia H. Southworth, of Platteville; after a long and pleasant companionship, extending over nearly a half century, this lady passed on before, her death occurring June 16, 1881. The numerous positions held by Maj. Rountree are the best evidence of his high standing among his neighbors for the numerous decades hidden beneath the swiftly-revolving wheel of Time; in May, 1826, he was commissioned as Major of Illinois Militia, and the same year elected Sheriff of Montgomery Co., in the same State; in 1829, he was appointed Postmaster at Platteville, and was several times re-appointed; also the same year appointed and commissioned Justice of the Peace for Iowa Co., Michigan Ter., of which Wisconsin then formed a part; in 1832, he was elected Captain of a company of mounted volunteers enlisted by him to serve in the Black Hawk war; in 1834, he was appointed Chief Justice of the County Court of Iowa Co., by the Governor of Michigan, which position he held until the Territory of Wisconsin was organized in 1836; in 1837, he was appointed Judge of Probate of Grant Co., which was organized that year; in 1839, he was commissioned as Aid to the Governor, with the rank of Colonel; in 1838, he was elected a member of the Territorial Council for four years, and, in 1842, was re-elected to the same position; in 1847, he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, serving in that body on the Committee on General Provisions, which embraced a large number of the most important articles under consideration, as well as upon several select committeees; in 1850, Maj. Rountree was elected to the State Senate, and the following year was appointed a Regent of the State University; in 1853, he was appointed Major General of Militia of the Second District of Wisconsin; in 1857, he was appointed Postmaster of Platteville; in 1863, was elected Member of Assembly, and, in 1866, was again elected to the State Senate - thus having served in the Territorial and State Legislatures longer than any other citizen. This lengthy recital of honors and official positions bears upon its face the highest testimonial that could be furnished of the unbounded esteem and confidence of the communities in which he has lived; in the sterling worth, integrity and ability of this veteran representative of pioneer times. When he first entered the present State, it was divided into two counties, and contained but a few thousand inhabitants, scattered over the vast territory; to-day it numbers its inhabitants by the hundreds of thousands. Maj. Rountree has been the witness of the growth of a new empire; took part in an Indian war; has seen the aboriginal inhabitants pushed back, foot by foot, until they now possess hardly a rod of land which they can call their own; he has seen the commencement, growth and prosperity or obliteration of every city and village, with the exception of two or three military posts, in the State - all the improvements, indeed, that in fifty years have converted a great and uncivilized wilderness into a series of powerful States; in his own immediate vicinity, the change has been no less great; in place of the rude miner's cabin is seen the stately mansion; the few hundred seekers seeking after mineral have been swallowed up in the many thousands whose cozy farmhouses dot the landscape in every direction. To but a few has such an experience been vouchsafed; Gen. Rountree may well be regarded as a landmark between the past and the present - one who has lived over the whole term of our local history, and served as a prominent factor in making it.

This biography generously submitted by Roxanne Munns. If you would like a better quality copy of the portrait, please contact her.