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From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin, publ. 1901- page 919-920
LIEUT. W. H. OETTIKER, a valiant ex-Union volunteer and a thriving hardware merchant of Platteville, Grant county, was born near Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Penn., in August, 1841, and is the oldest of the four children that constituted the family of Jacob and Mary (BRIGHENSTEIN) OETTIKER, natives of Switzerland, who came to America when young, and for some years lived in Allegheny county, Penn., where the former engaged in merchant tailoring.
In 1848 the OETTIKER family came to Wisconsin by boat from Pittsburgh, Penn., down the Ohio river to Cairo, Ill., thence up the Mississippi river to Galena, Ill., and thence by wagon to Lafayette county, Wis., where Jacob OETTIKER purchased 160 acres of Government land, on which he reared his four children to farming and on which he resided until advancing years called for a surcease from labor, when, in 1894, he purchased a home in Platteville, where he is now living in retirement, at the extreme age of ninety-nine years, his wife being seventy-nine. Of the children, John and Jacob own good farms, and live in Lafayette county; Dr. James OETTIKER practices in Platteville; and W. H. will now be further spoken of.
W. H. OETTIKER received his education in Wisconsin, at the common schools, and until twenty years old lived on the home farm. In 1861 he enlisted, at the call to arms, in Company E, 11th Wis. V.I., and was assigned to the Western Army. He saw service at Vicksburg under General Grant, at Peach River, Jackson, and dozens of other desperate and hard-fought battles, and in 1864 was commissioned second lieutenant, and served as such until the close of the Rebellion; he then re-enlisted, and for one year served on the frontier in subduing refractory Indians.
After his final discharge Lieut. OETTIKER returned to Lafayette county, and in 1867 married Miss Eva LIBERT, an accomplished young lady of Grant county, and at once settled down to farming on the Lieutenant's homestead in Lafayette county, where they lived about twelve years. In 1879 the Lieutenant sold his farm and removed to Platteville, where he embarked in well-drilling and pump-making, but later sold out his business and bought a farm near the city, resumed agriculture, and re-engaged in well-drilling and pump-making until 1899, when he again sold out. He then entered upon his present prosperous trade in hardware having the largest store and carrying the best-assorted stock of heavy hardware in the city, and also handling all kinds of water pump supplies. The four children born to Mr. and Mrs. OETTIKER are Mary, William, Evalina and Katie, all born in Lafayette county, and all still single, with the exception of Evalina, who is the wife of Charles SMITH; she has no children. In religion the family have been reared in the Presbyterian faith, but are not members of any congregation. In politics the Lieutenant is an active Republican, and fraternally is a member of Sherman Post, G.A.R., of Platteville. The family are all held in high esteem, and associate with the best people of Platteville.
This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck