JUNEAU CO., WI
BIOGRAPHIES

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

Upon arrival in WI, Mr. Hinton interested himself in lumbering, remaining in that business three years. He then engaged in farming and in 1880 removed to New Lisbon and opened a mercantile business. Soon after, was appointed Deputy Postmaster. He continued his business until he enlisted March 14, 1864, in Co. B, 39th WI Infantry and went to the front after organization of his command. After he had acted as a recruiting officer with good results, four companies were mustered for immediate service and went to the front under Col. Pier, doing camp duty in Arlington Heights, then going to Alexandria. Thence they moved to White House Landing and consolidated with First MN Infantry.

Their first duty was as escort for trains of supplies for Cold Harbor, and after Grant commenced his grand flank movement, the Companies went to fight at Petersburg. At Cold Harbor, Mr. Hinton was ill but did not know what was the matter and was sent back to Alexandria, sick with measles. After he recovered, he rejoined his Regiment, stationed then at Ft. Scott, in front of Petersburg, and was in his first action at Hatcher's Run. During the time he was at Alexandria, Mosby was raiding and threatening Washington, the Provincial Battalion was organized of the convalescents for possible service.

Mr. Hinton was made Capt. of a Company, which was first stationed at Ft.Lyon, then at Ft. Ethan Allen and Ft. Woodbury. They disbanded after the guerrilla chief had finished his civilities. Mr.Hinton was in movement to the Weldon railroad, his command being foremost in the charge on Ft. Mahone, April 2, which gave the key of Richmond to the Federal troops, he and his brother, Thomas were wounded. A bullet passed through the elbow of his right arm, he has the missile now in his possession. He left the field, was picked up by an ambulance and taken to the field hospital, where his arm was amputated and afterwards moved to Fairfax Seminary Hospital. Both himself and brother received honorable discharge May 18, 1865 from Seminary hospital by order of Secretary of War, which permitted them to be relieved of military duty without waiting to be discharged with the Regiment.

In December 1865, Mr.Hinton received appointment as Postmaster of New Lisbon, WI, which office he held until 1885. In 1866, he was elected Register of Deeds, re-elected in 1888.

contributed by Lois Palecek
Soldier Album of Personal Records, Vol. 2, pages 571-2 (1890)   --- 977.5 S68, MI State Library, Lansing, MI

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

His father, Jabez MEAD, was a native of NY, where he was born 1802, and when a young man went to PA where he married Hannah ORR. They removed from PA to Paulding CO., OH in 1843 and to Juneau Co., in the fall of 1854, the family settling on the farm where the subject of this sketch now lives. The country was then wild and unimproved, giving but little promise of its present condition of alliance. Jabez was twice married, first wife, the mother of the subject of this notice, died in 1848. His second wife was Mrs. Minerva KNISS.  There were 8 children by 1st marriage (6 sons and 2 daughters) all but the eldest, brother, Smith MEAD, being now living in 1892. Only 3 of the family are residents of Juneau Co. - Cephas, Elizabeth and George.

By the 2nd marriage there were also several children. The father died at Luverne, MN in 1887 where he was then living. The subject of this sketch accompanied his father to Wis., being at that time 22 years of age. He purchased a part of his fathers farm a few years afterward, and also bought other land, and followed farming pursuits, meeting with encouraging success, until 1865, when he enlisted in the army. He joined Co. K, 15th Reg. Wis. Vol. Inf. with which he served in a faithful and efficient manner until June 1, 1866. He was mustered out of service in Madison, Wis., June 14, 1866. He and his regiment were engaged in fighting bushwhackers and Indians and in guarding public property, with headquarters the most of the time at Fort Rice, Dakota Territory. He was wounded, but sustained injuries to his health, which were incurred by the hardships and exposure of army life, for which his only consolation is the sense of duty performed, and the consequent uplifting and enlightenment of suffering  humanity. He was Town Treasurer 5 years in succession, has been chairman of the town Board of Supervisors, and has served as School District Clerk for 25 years.

He was first married in 1859 to Selitha SHIRLEY who died in 1864 leaving 2 children - Oscar S. and Helen V. Married again in 1868 to Mary A. MARSHALL, daughter of John MARSHALL. 8 children - Robert E., John C., May E., Joseph M., Minerva B., Charles W., Lucy A. and Ruth V.

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

The subject of this subject was about 20 when he came to Juneau county, and has witnessed many important changes taking place since his advent on the scene. Then everything was primitive and wild. Deer and other game browsed unmolested, and the Red men roamed the forests at will. Railroads in Wis. were then unknown, and the family moved with teams from their home in Racine to Juneau county.

He served in the army, enlisting in Co. B. 49th Reg. Wis. Vol. Inf. and has never recovered his previous health. He caught a severe cold in Madison, and the continued exposure and hardships of army life only added to his indisposition. In 1876, after years of prosperity, Mr. Northcott visited his old home in England, renewing his acquaintance with relatives and friends.

He has a fine farm of 240 acres, 160 of which he entered as Government land. He is a representative farmer and stock-raiser of Juneau county. **

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

The subject of our notice was but 7 years of age when his parents settled in Monroe county, which was in 1853, the family being among the earliest pioneers of that county. They removed from their old home in Fond du Lac county to their new home with an ox team, and for some time had but one neighbor within a distance of 4 miles. Wandering tribes of Indians were frequently seen, and abundance of game, including bear and deer, were near at hand. Amid these primitive scenes and with surroundings the oldest t son spent his boyhood days, witnessing, as he grew to manhood, all the varied changes from solitude to civilization. ** After his 17th birthday, on March 26, 1864, he enlisted in Co. E, 38th Reg. of Wis. Vol. Inf. When not actively engaged in open conflict in the field, he served in the trenches in front of Petersburg, until the end of the war. His first experience was in Virginia when after the mine explosion at Petersburg, a portion of the union troops made a desperate assault upon the Confederate lines, but were forced to retire, owing to the desperate resistance of the enemy and the lack of prompt assistance from the Federal forces. Seventeen men were lost out of his company in this engagement, including the brave captain, near whom Mr. Norton was standing, when the fatal bullet struck the noble leader. Mr. Norton also participated with his regiment in the battle of Weldon Railroad, in Aug., 1864; and was in the battles of Pebble's Plantation and Hatcher's Run, and arrived at Ream's Station with his command, just in time to witness the close of that engagement. He was in the desperate conflict at Fort Mahone, in which his regiment lost 80 men in ht final effort against Petersburg. He entered that city with his command on April 3, the morning after the evacuation and he followed, with his regiment, the Confederate General Lee until the final surrender of that commander at Appomattox. Mr. Norton's regiment was mustered out of service at Madison, Wis., Aug. 11, 1865. While he was in many engagements and was for many months almost constantly under the fire of the enemy, he yet escaped unharmed. **

Immediately after the war, he spent a couple of years on a claim in Minn., but he afterward sold this property and returned to Wis. Here he located in the vicinity of his former home, to which his parents moved tin 1853. In 1876, he located on his present beautiful farm of 84 acres.

He was married in 1872 to Amanda LAWRENCE, daughter of Bradley V. LAWRENCE (she is also sister to Mrs. O. B. CHESTER and Mrs. Emma MACOMBER) Mr. and Mrs. Norton have 3 children - Grace L., Harry Lawrence and Charles Purley. **

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

In 1878, just after leaving school, Mr. PFAFF took up the study of law in the office of Bleakman & Bloomingdale, but pursued it only a short time. He resumed work at this trade, and also taught night school in German. He was married Jan. 30, 1883, to Martha RUNKLE, a native of Germantown, Wis.

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

In the early part of May, 1849, he and his family sailed from Liverpool for New York, arriving at the latter place in due time, whence they started for Wisconsin, going via the Hudson river to Albany, thence by canal to Buffalo, where took the steamer Niagara, which was then one of the finest boats on the lakes, bound for Kenosha, at which place he and his family arrived in safety in about four days.

He located temporarily about ten miles out of  Kenosha, working for a time at whatever he found to do, until he decided where to make a permanent settlement.  Portage, at that time, promised quite an important future, and he accordingly moved to Columbia county, where he entered forty acres of  land near Cambria, and worked in Portage, at his trade.  He remained in Portage from May 10, 1850, to 1857, when he removed to Mauston, where he worked at his trade for two years.   In the meantime, he entered the land on which he now lives in 1854, and made a permanent settlement on it in 1859.   He has, however, worked at his trade in different places, although this has continued to be his home.

Mr. Price's parents came to America in 1856 and located in Springvale township, Columbia county, Wisconsin, where they lived until their death: the father died in 1881, aged eighty-one, and the mother in November, 1888, aged seventy-nine. They were both eminently worthy people, and were mourned by a large family and numerous friends. At the time of the mother's death, she had ten living, children, and eighty grand and great-grandchildren, and the descendants have increased considerably since then.   There are living, in 1892, three brothers and five sisters of Mr. Price, all but two brothers residing in Columbia county, Mr. Price being in Juneau county, also Mr. Edward Price, while Richard, the other brother, lives in Fairmount, Minnesota.

Mr. and Mrs. Price have had eleven children, one of whom died in early infancy, while three others died in early childhood, seven still surviving, in 1892:  John, the eldest, resides in Wonewoc, where he and his brother Richard are engaged in the hardware trade; John was born September, 15, 1848; and Richard, May 24, 1850; George, the next in order of birth, was born June 10, 1852; Sarah, was born July 31, 1856; Thomas, born April 14, 1858; Anna, born October 18, 1860; Charles William, born May 6, 1863; Jeremiah, born June 20, 1864; Francis, born August 5, 1865; Mary, born August 19, 1867.  Mr. Price was bereft of his faithful wife by death on October 8, 1891; she had been an invalid for a number of   years. She was a devoted wife and mother, and sincere in her friendships, and was greatly lamented by all who knew her. Her parents never came to this country; they had ten children, but most of them have now passed away.  Mr. Price is now past sixty-seven years of age, and is still in the enjoyment of good health, considering the hardships of pioneer life which he endured.

Politically, he has been identified with the Republican party since its organization.  He and his wife united with the Baptist Church at Portage, in 1857, and have been worthy and useful members of that denomination.  Thus has industry and upright dealing gained its deserved reward of a competence and the respect of all good men.

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

These gentlemen are representatives of one of the well-known early families of Juneau county. Their father, John Price, Sr., emigrated to America from England in 1849, and settled in Portage City, Columbia County, Wisconsin, where he engaged in the manufacture of wagons. In 1857 the family removed to Juneau county, and, after a residence of two years in the village of Mauston, settled on a farm in the township of Lisbon, where the father still resides.  To him and his wife were born ten children, seven of whom are living; the mother died in the fall of 1891.          John Price, Jr., was reared to the occupation of a farmer, and received a superior education; his elementary studies were pursued in the common schools of New Lisbon, and later he took a four-years course in Wayland University, Beaver Dam; he then turned his attention to teaching, and became one of the most popular and successful educators in the county; for a time he was engaged in conducting teachers' institutes with Superintendent A. 0. Wright., and did very efficient work.

In 1866 he purchased the Wonewoc Reporter, of which he was proprietor and editor until 1890, when he sold his newspaper to William Devoir; he conducted this journal with marked ability, and is now correspondent for leading papers in the State, including the Milwaukee Sentinel and the Evening  Wisconsin.  He has been a prominent factor in advancing the educational interests of the county, and was instrumental in securing the establishment,of a high school in Wonewoc.

He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge of Wonewoc, the chapter at Madison, and the commandry at Reedsburg.  He was united in marriage in 1873, to Miss Hattie Babcock, a daughter of Clinton Babcock. Mrs. Price died in 1885, leaving a son named Clinton G.  Mr. Price was married again in 1888, to Miss Georgia Nuttall, daughter of Joseph Nuttall, deceased.  In politics he affiliates with the Republican party, and is an ardent supporter of its principles.

Richard Price was born at Portage City, Wisconsin, May 24, 1850, and was but seven years of age when his family removed to Juneau county;  he grew to mature years surrounded with the rural scenes and occupations of the frontier.  In the autumn of 1874 he engaged in business in Wonewoc, as before stated.  He was married to Miss Amanda Bell, a daughter of M. Bell, an early settler of Juneau county, and they are the parents of two children:  George W. and Charles E. Mr. Price shares his brother's political opinions.  They are both men of excellent business qualifications, and are recognized as among the leaders of commerce in Juneau county.

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

He was united in marriage Dec. 25, 1890, to Miss Irma GROTE, daughter of Judge GROTE of Mauston.  Sylvanus RICHARDS, the father of Jay E., is deceased, but the mother survives, and is a resident of Mauston.

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

Mauston's oldest resident lives at the Colonial Nursing Home operated by Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Newberry who refer to him as the "gnarled oak" because of a resemblance to that sturdy tree. History that most men must pry from books is surprisingly fresh in Mr. Stalker's mind. He recalls the Civil War which began when he was nine, and he has a vivid recollection of early days in Mauston.

Henry Stalker was born June 17, 1852, in Richland county, and came to Mauston when he was a lad of eight. "In those days," he said, "the Indians were thicker'n the whites and they camped all the way from what is now the bridge to the city limits."  His father and mother, Albert and Clariss Stalker, were pioneer settlers in Wisconsin. Albert Stalker came from New York long before the war, lured here by government land; and he first homesteaded on an  acreage now absorbed by Milwaukee.  Later Albert moved to Janesville and finally to Mauston.  The family was living here during the Civil War, Mr. Stalker recalled, and both his father and John Easton went into the Union Army despite the fact that they were somewhat crippled.  Among many historic events that took place in Mauston, Mr. Stalker remembers the big fire which razed the business section between what is now the Gail theatre and the post office.

Mr. Stalker grew to manhood here, and in 1881 he married Sarah Good. Some six years later he invested $75 in 23 acres of brush land - a fact he never regretted. The tract was mostly sand, but that didn't bother Mr. Stalker. Instead he started manufacturing concrete blocks, an occupation he followed for many years. Now he can point to many buildings about town and over the county that were made with his blocks.  

Mr. Stalker never wore glasses until recently and has most of his lower teeth. He unquestionably has the hardiness attributed to pioneers.

Our venerable citizen has four children, two daughters and two sons. They include Mrs. Charlotte Siemoneit of Mauston, who served her father with his traditional strawberry shortcake, Mrs. Grace Litwiler of Waukegon, and G.E. Stalker of Chicago, and Guy Stalker of Montana.
(Thanks to Vicki Pierce and Harold Newkirk for this article which they got from The Mauston Star, Thursday 20 June 1946, Front Page)

Vine STARR and his first wife were the parents of 5 children, 4 sons and a daughter. The daughter, who was the eldest, married George BARSTOW, and removed to Fayette county, Iowa. She was accidentally killed by a reaper, many years ago. Orson, the oldest son, entered the army in the late war, and was captured and died in the Confederate prison at Tyler, Texas, from starvation. Our subject is the next in order of birth. Edmond was a member of Co. F 16th Regiment Wis. Vol. Inf., enlisting and serving with his brother, Alonzo A. He was wounded before Atlanta, July 22, 1864, while by the side of his brother, Alonzo A., and died in Andersonville prison on the 24th day of Aug. following, Joseph, the youngest is a resident of the town of Plymouth.

Alonzo A. lived at his fathers home until 1862, when he entered the U. S. service as a teamster. He continued in the service about 6 months, when he was discharged and returned home. In the autumn of 1863 he and his brother, Edmond enlisted in Co. F. 16th Reg. Wis. Vol. Inf. They went direct to Cairo, thence to Vicksburg, and from there to the Black river, where they were engaged in guarding a railroad bridge. On returning to Vicksburg the regiment took shipping and went to Columbus, KY. They returned to Cairo and went thence to Paducah, KY, and from there to Clifton, marching thence across the county, joining General Sherman's forces near Resaca. The first battle in which Mr. Starr was engaged was that at Kenesaw Mountain. He participated in the remaining battles of the Atlanta campaign, taking an active part in the desperate fighting that led to the evacuation of Atlanta by the army of General Hood. His regiment took part in the pursuit of Hood, and then went to a point near Marietta. On the account of sickness Mr. Starr did not accompany is regiment on the march to the sea, but was sent from Marietta to the hospital at Chattanooga, and soon afterward went into the convalescent camp near that city from where he went to Dalton, GA, doing provost duty there during the winter, and then started to rejoin his regiment in NC. He went to Baltimore, and thence to Annapolis, where he took shipping to Moorehead City, NC, taking cars from there to New Berne. At this place, hearing that the regiment was at Goldsboro, he and his comrades started out to meet their comrades without orders to do so, and were rejoiced to meet once more their old companions in arms. They then accompanied the regiment to Washington, where they took part in the grand review in that city, going thence to Louisville, KY, where they were discharged July 12, 1865. Returning home, he engaged in farming, which has been his life occupation.

He was married July 4, 1866, to Miss Eva HAMILTON, a daughter of Harrison Wesley HAMILTON. She was born in Ralls county,. Missouri. Her father went to Calif. in 1849, soon after the discovery of gold in that State, and died while returning home in 1852. The mother was left with 2 daughters, and in 1854 moved to Mauston, Juneau county. The elder daughter is Mrs. Mary SARGENT of Mauston, widow of Parker SARGENT, who died in 1884. She has a son, Henry G. SARGENT, whose home is at Minneapolis, Minn.

Mr. and Mrs. Starr have 2 sons, Earl H. and Hobart. The former Marion Emma NEWMAN, and has 1 child, a daughter, named Eva, born March 13, 1892.

In 1866 the subject of our sketch accompanied his fathers family to Juneau county. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Starr moved to Hillsborough, Vernon county, where they lived until 1871 and where their sons were born. **

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

In the order of their ages the surviving members of the family are: Mary, the eldest who was never married; Alexander, William, John, Margaret, Charles and George are mentioned in order of birth. The 3 sisters who died after attaining maturity, were Janette, Ellen and Isabel.

Alexander TELFER was the first of the family who came West from NY. In the summer of 1844 he went to McHenry county, ILL., and about one and a half years later was joined by his brother, William. In those days fever and ague was prevalent on the frontier and Alexander became a victim of this disease and resolved to go elsewhere, and accordingly went to Jefferson county, Wis., where a family from NY, with whom he was acquainted, had located. He remained with this family until the following spring, having almost recovered from his sickness. In the meantime, his brother, whom he had left in Ill., joined him, and combining their limited means, they purchased 40 acres of wild land, and erected a log house on it. The father and the remained of the family except the sister, Janette, who had married, joined the sons in Wis. The brothers generously deeded to their father the land and home they had purchased in Jefferson county, and Alexander secured employment where he earned money with which to buy an ox team, which was used in improving the new farm.

In 1851 Alexander and his brother Charles came to Juneau county, where they purchased a claim about 4 miles south of Mauston, on which they erected a log house; this was in Oct. After the erection of this house the brothers returned to the family home. In Dec. of that year, 1851, Alexander married Miss Olive NEFF, and the following Jan., Mr. and Mrs. Telfer removed to their new home in Juneau county.  In traveling to and from the two farms the brothers had used the ox team which Alexander had bought, but when Alexander returned he left this team and with another removed his wife and their worldly goods to their new home. The distance was about 100 miles and the journey was attended with some interesting incidents. Their route required them to cross the Wis. river at the Dells, the bridge bring 80 feet from the water below. In driving on this bridge, he had a most narrow escape. Only a low was used as a railing at the end of this bridge, and the darkness of night had already come on. In driving upon this bridge one wheel of the wagon passed outside of the log, and Mr. Telfer discovered his position just in time to save himself and team from destruction. The result was that the journey was left until morning, when the trouble was removed, and they proceeded on their way. On the farm near Mauston, Mr. and Mrs. Telfer lived nearly 2 years, when Mr. Telfer went to the town of Plymouth and entered the land on which he has ever since resided, which is on section 30.

Mrs. Telfer was born in Cortland county, NY, Dec. 9, 1826. Her parents were Cornelius and Susan (MARTIN) NEFF. The former was a native of the Mohawk valley, NY, and the mother of Vermont. In 1843 Mr. NEFF emigrated with his family to Walworth county, Wis., and 3 years later to Jefferson county. Later in 1854, they came to Juneau county, where they lived with Mr. and Mrs. Telfer until death. The mother died in Feb., 1856, the father surviving her until 1876. They had only 2 children, Mrs. Telfer being the younger. Her brother, Martin NEFF, went to Calif. in 1849, where he died in 1855. Hence Mrs. Telfer is the only surviving member. Mr. and Mrs. Telfer have had 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter. Ellen, their only daughter, married Jerome BEARD. She died in April, 1887, leaving 2 children, a son and a daughter, who, since the death of their mother have found a good home with their grandparents. The elder of  the sons, George M., resides on a farm in the town of Plymouth. Archie A., the youngest of the family, was born in 1864, and is at the homestead with his parents. **

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

The subject of our sketch was 1 of 9 children, 5 sons and 4 daughters. Four of the brothers are still living (1892), their ages ranging from 56 to 80 years.   Our subject lived in his native State until he had attained the age of 20 and had learned the carpenter's trade. Having lost his mother when he was only 12 years of age, he was early thrown on his own resources and had taken care of  himself from the time he was 13. From that age to his 20th year was spent in perfecting himself in his trade, at which he became very skillful. He then began to look wistfully toward the West, the reputed direction of the Star of Empire, and from looking it was only a step to following. Gathering together his effects he started on his long journey, stopping at various places as he traveled westward and working at his trade. In 1853 he arrived at Racine, Wis., where he was for a time in the employ of J. I. Case, a well known manufacturer of that place. Later he was employed at various other points.

In Sep., 1864, he enlisted at Racine, in Co. D, 16th Reg., Captain W. F. Gibbs  in command. His regiment went directly to Nashville from Racine, and thence to Marietta, GA., where he joined his regiment, taking part in General Sherman's celebrated march to the sea, at the termination of which he and his regiment took part in the Grand Review at Washington. He was not wounded in battle but was quite seriously and permanently injured while engaged in destroying the railroad near Columbia, SC. He was a brave soldier and performed his duty faithfully and well during that terrible internecine conflict.

In Jan. 1860, he was married to Miss Almira HINTON, an daughter of Thomas HINTON, a well known and highly respected citizen. They have 3 children, 1 son and 2 daughters, George C., their only son, married Miss KNUDSON of Racine. Their daughters are named Minnie and Rubie. Mr. Weed has spent many years in New Lisbon, having come to that city in 1858.  **

Source: Biographical history of LaCrosse, Monroe and Juneau Counties, Wisconsin, The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago - 1892

An Account of The Early Settlers of Juneau County
Written by Don Leicht, Madison, it was compiled mostly from files at the State Historical Society.

Joel BOGERT arrived in what is now Juneau County on December 26, 1845. He spent the remainder of the winter watching a saw mill, with no companions except the Indians. It was a long dreary winter to him then and yet he had the pleasure of a frontiersman's life in the way of choice game and the enjoyment of the hunt. Perhaps he many times pictured to himself that he was then the only inhabitant of what was in time to be a lively village of over one thousand inhabitants. He worked in saw mills and engaged in the lumber business and finally settled down to farming in the town of Fountain. Bogert had one yoke of oxen and half of a wagon, the other half belonging to a man by the name of Rich. They lived about 12 miles apart and yet considered themselves neighbors. Bogert was a bachelor. His was a board shanty, 12x16, with a chimney on the outside. His furniture consisted of a dry goods box for a table and some 2x4 scantling laid down for a bedstead on which he had his bedding. He was married to Elizabeth KERR on November 12, 1857.  

W. H. H. CASH of New Lisbon, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, July 19, 1843, where he lived until the Fall of 1861, receiving a limited education at the public schools, and engaging in farming pursuits.  In 1861 he moved to Juneau county, Wis., and settled at New Lisbon, and occupied his time mostly in speculations in real estate.  In January, 1864, he became attached to the Tenth Wisconsin Artillery, in which he served in General Kilpatrick's cavalry division in Sherman's celebrated "march to the sea."  At the close of the war he returned to New Lisbon, where he has since been engaged in the produce and live stock business and in speculating in real estate.  As a strong and reliable Republican, he was brought forward in the fall of 1876 by his fellow-citizens as a candidate for the legislature, and elected by a handsome majority.  Mr. Cash is a man of fine habits, strong character, and sterling principle, and will, without doubt, in future years receive yet other honors at the hands of his fellow-citizens.

Source: A Few Good Men of Wisconsin including Biographical Sketches and Early County Histories  - 1878

WILLIAM H. SMITH is a native of the Badger state, having been born in Juneau county, Wisconsin, on the 28th of April, 1857, and being  a son of John and Bridget Smith, both of whom were born and reared in Ireland. The father of the subject left the Emerald Isle as a young man  and came to America to seek his fortune, believing that better  opportunities were here afforded for the winning of success through individual effort. He was employed for some time in connection with the great lumbering industry in Wisconsin, and through this means accumulated sufficient money to send home for the remainder of his family. He finally secured a tract of land in Wisconsin, and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he has since been successfully engaged, being now the owner of a well improved farm of two hundred and forty acres, in Juneau county, Wisconsin, where he is held in high esteem. He and his wife are the parents of the following named children: William H., who is the subject of this review; Elizabeth, who is the widow of Daniel Murphy and who resides in Brookings county, South Dakota; Thomas, who is a successful farmer of Parnell township, Brookings county, South Dakota; Margaret, who is the wife of Michael Mead, of Moody county, South Dakota, John, Jr., who resides in Mauston, Wisconsin; Ellen, who is a teacher in the schools of Brookings county; and Rose and Mary, who remain at the parental home, in Wisconsin.

The subject of this sketch was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and early became inured to the work involved in its improvement and cultivation, while he was accorded good educational advantages, prosecuting his studies in the public schools of his native county until he had attained the age of eighteen years, while thereafter he assisted in the work of the home farm until he had reached his legal majority, when he initiated his independent career.

He came to South Dakota in the spring of 1878, and in May of that year filed entry on a quarter section of land in section 18, Brookings county, and thereafter he continued to work by the day or month for one year, in the meanwhile instituting the improvement of his claim, to which he eventually perfected his title. In 1878 he built a sod house on his place, the same being equipped with a board roof, and his father sent him sufficient money to enable him to purchase two yoke of oxen. He had no yoke to use when he first began the breaking of his land, and his finances were such that he was compelled to borrow this essential accessory, which he carried on his back for a distance of ten miles when he returned it to the owner. He remained on his first claim for fifteen years, within which time he made good improvements on the property and began to ,win a definite success. He purchased his present home place in 1893, paying nineteen hundred dollars for a quarter section, in Parnell township, and since taking up his residence here he has made many substantial improvements having extensively remodeled the house, which is now one of the attractive and comfortable farm homes of this section, while he also erected a fine barn, thirty-two by sixty-four feet in dimensions and a granary eighteen by forty feet. He sunk a deep well, which supplies pure water in abundance, and this improvement was made at a cost of about five hundred dollars. Mr. Smith is now the owner of ten hundred and forty acres of land in Parnell township, this county, and also owns a half section of excellent land in Ransom county, North Dakota. He gives his attention to diversified agriculture and to the raising of an excellent grade of cattle and hogs, together with sufficient horses to supply the demands of his farm. He is energetic, has excellent business judgment, is ever fair and honorable in all his dealings, and it is pleasing to note that he-has not been denied the due reward of his labors. When he came to this state his cash capital was represented in the sum of sixty dollars, and a conservative valuation of his property today is placed at fifty thousand dollars. For the past several years he has owned and operated a threshing outfit, for which he has found a ready demand throughout the season. In politics he maintains an independent attitude, voting according to the dictates of his judgment and supporting men and measures rather than be guided along strict partisan lines. He and his wife are communicants of the Catholic church, as are also all of their children. Fraternally he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen of America.

On the 26th of July, 1882, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Mary Buckley, who was born in Wisconsin, being a daughter of Edward and Ellen Ruckley, who were early settlers of that state, where they remained until 1880, when they came to Brookings county, South Dakota, and settled in Trenton township, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have nine children, all of whom are still members of the home circle, namely: Nellie, John, Nora, Hugh, William, Edward, Charles, George and Fabian.

"History of South Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904) pp. 757-58

In December, 1881, Mr. Cross came to South Dakota and engaged in the grain trade at Lake Preston, Kingsbury county, where he remained for a period of six years, during which time he built up a large and flourishing business, realizing from the same handsome financial profits. Later he took up a homestead in Clark county, but after living on his land about two years, removed to Palisades, where for a period of one year he operated the first hardware store in the town. From Palisades he came to Garretson, where he also engaged in the hardware business, being the first to bring a special line of that kind of merchandise to the city, and it was not long until he forged to the front as one of the most enterprising and public-spirited merchants of the place. He devoted his attention exclusively to hardware for a period of eleven years, at the expiration of which time, in March, 1901, he disposed of his stock and the summer following erected the handsome stone building now occupied by the Minnehaha State Bank, which institution he organized and in the management of which he has since been a leading and influential factor.

Mr. Cross has been president of the bank ever since its organization and under his able management and judicious control it has become one of the popular and reliable monetary establishments in the eastern part of the state, doing an extensive business in all lines of banking, and by its presence adding greatly to the high reputation Garretson enjoys among her sister cities of South Dakota. Mr. Cross is not only an accomplished business man as the term is generally implied but having made a close and comprehensive study of monetary questions, he is especially well informed concerning the same and may be considered an authority on all matters relating to finance and banking. He has been prominent in the public affairs of Garretson ever since becoming a resident of the same, has served with great acceptance as mayor of the city, and for some time past has been a member of the common council. Fraternally, he is identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, being a charter member of Lodge No. 74, at Garretson, and at different times an honored official of the organization.

Mr. Cross has been remarkably fortunate in promoting his various business interests, being the possessor of a fortune of no small magnitude, including in addition to a number of valuable city properties and private capital a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres, admirably situated in one of the richest agricultural districts of Clark county.

Mr. Cross was married at St. Charles, Minnesota in the year 1890, to Miss Florence E. Blair, of that state, the union being without issue.

"History of South Dakota"   by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904)  pp. 963-64

LEWIS NELSON - The lands beyond the sea have sent their full quota of  energetic and industrious men to Volga township, Brookings county, and many have won honorable stations as citizens, farmers and business men, winning their way under discouraging circumstances and the disadvantages attending a stranger in a strange land. One of this class is the subject of this brief life history.

Mr. Nelson was born in Norway, September 7, 1840, a son of Nelson Torson, a shoemaker, who died in Norway in 1874, at the age of about seventy-five years. His mother died in Norway when our subject was about fourteen years of age. Lewis Nelson, the subject of this sketch, worked at blacksmithing and wagon making in Norway. In 1864 he came to America and settled in LaSalle county, Illinois, where he followed his trade until 1873, when he moved to New Lisbon, Juneau county, Wisconsin, and entered the mercantile business. Four years later he sold out his store and resumed his trade, which he followed until 1879 when he moved to Lake county, South Dakota, and took up a claim. In 1880 his family located on the claim and Mr. Nelson went to Volga and worked in a blacksmith and wagon strop. Later he purchased the shop from his employer and moved his family to Volga, where he has since made his home and has been and is still doing an extensive and thriving business.

The lady who presides over the household affairs became the wife of Mr. Nelson in 1863. She was in her girlhood, Miss Anna Hanson, and is a daughter of Hans Hanson. Mrs. Nelson was born in Norway and came to this country with her father. She died in 1889, leaving five children, only three of whom are now living, as follows: Lena, Virginia and John Hendrick; the deceased are Nils and Leon. Mr. Nelson is a member of the Lutheran church. Politically he has always been an enthusiastic Republican.

"Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography, including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and   representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1898.    pp. 395-96

Following the removal of the family to Wisconsin, Dr. Towle of this review there acquired the greater part of his education and afterward engaged in teaching for sixteen terms. He has practiced medicine for a half century and, entering the Bennett Medical College of Chicago, he was graduated therefrom in 1891. He has kept in touch with the advancement of the profession through wide reading and study and is thoroughly informed concerning modern methods. He was in active practice at Mauston, Wisconsin, until 1879, when he removed to Lake county, South Dakota, remaining there until 1904. He practiced and conducted a drug store there and for eight years was postmaster of Towle, which was later named Oldham. In 1904 he removed to Sisseton where he is accorded a liberal patronage. He also established the Sisseton Hospital, which is well equipped for all kinds of surgical work and for the care of the sick.

On the 3d of April, 1867, Dr. Towle was married to Miss Adelia Northrup, a niece of William P. Lyon, who was associate justice of the supreme court of Wisconsin. She was born in Wisconsin and died in 1888. In the family were five sons, of whom three are living: Wilson J., now of Minneapolis; Austin, living at Lily, South Dakota; and Junior, living in Hettinger, North Dakota. The wife and mother was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and she had many excellent traits of character which endeared her to her friends. Twenty-three years after losing his first wife Dr. Towle was again married in March, 1911, his second union being with Mrs. Lucinda McDermott. She is a member of the Episcopal church.

Mr. Towle holds membership with the American Yeomen and in politics he is independent. While in Juneau county, Wisconsin, he was elected county superintendent of schools and he was also appointed register of deeds to fill out an unexpired term. He is a member of the State Eclectic Society and is an able practicing physician whose skill is manifest in the excellent results which have attended his efforts to relieve suffering and restore health.

"History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) pp.239-240.

John J. Dalton attended the country schools in Juneau county, Wisconsin. and received instruction in the Mauston high school for two winter terms. When old enough he engaged in school teaching, after which he turned his attention to newspaper work, being connected with the advertising department of the Milwaukee Sentinel. In succession he was engaged in business college promotion and for four years was a commercial traveler. After that period he turned to the real-estate, banking and insurance business and later became president of the Sully County State Bank of Onida, South Dakota, his varied experience well fitting him for this important position. Mr. Dalton is recognized as a conservative and progressive man. The State Bank of Onida is one of the strong institutions in its district and its financial standing is largely due to the far seeing policy inaugurated by Mr. Dalton.

On June 21, 1905, Mr. Dalton was united in marriage, at Maquoketa, Iowa, to Miss Olga N. Hodoval, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hodoval, of Maquoketa. Mr. Dalton is a member of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic church, of Pierre, South Dakota. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

He has always taken an interests in the government of his state and district and has ability as a politician and the character to follow his honest convictions. He sat in the senate for two terms, representing the twenty-fourth district, and while a member of that body not only ably represented the interests of his constituents but aided in passing a number of laws, which have proven of great benefit to the state as a whole. In 1909 Mr. Dalton was elected alderman of Pierre, representing the second ward in the council. He is progressive and has done valuable work in promoting the interests of the city. Thoroughly public-spirited, he stands high in the estimation of his fellow citizens and has gained the confidence of all who know him.

"History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) pp. 983-84

The last named received his education in the public and high schools of Elroy, Wisconsin, and in the Elroy Seminary. After leaving school he became a clerk in the post office at Salem, South Dakota, where he located in 1881. He served for four years as deputy postmaster and for the same length of time as postmaster. For four years he held the office of county treasurer of McCook county and for six years was mayor of Salem. In 1889 he entered the banking business, becoming cashier of the McCook County State Bank and so continuing for four years. In 1893 he established the Canova State Bank at Canova, South Dakota, and remained as owner and president of that institution until 1907, when he sold his interest therein and devoted the following two years to travel. In 1909 he removed to Rapid City and organized the Merchants Loan & Trust Company, of which he became president and executive head. He has since remained in control of that institution and the success and solidity of the bank is a tribute to his ability as a financier. He is able to maintain a nice balance between that conservatism which safeguards the interests of depositors and the progressiveness that is necessary in keeping abreast of the times. As a result of his wise policy the Merchants Loan & Trust Company enjoys the confidence of the business public and also pays good dividends. Mr. Randall is interested in a number of other business enterprises and is one of the foremost men in the commercial and financial life of Rapid City. He also owns extensive farm and ranch lands and raises many horses and cattle annually.

The marriage of Mr. Randall and Miss Alma C. Runkel was solemnized on the 26th of June, 1884. Mrs. Randall is a daughter of Henry and Marie (Schatzel) Runkel, of Mauston, Wisconsin, and the mother of four children. Phillip L. was educated in the Sioux Falls high school, the Bishop Scott Academy of Portland, Oregon, and Mankato College at Mankato. Minnesota, and is now the efficient cashier of the Merchants Loan & Trust Company. May is a graduate of the Seattle (Wash.) high school and gave her hand in marriage to Ward Stanley, of Hot Springs, South Dakota. Marguerite is an alumna of the Rapid City high school and Gertrude is attending high school there.

Mr. Randall is an independent democrat and has taken a very active part in state and local political affairs. He has for many years been a member of the county and state committees and in 1892 was a delegate to the national convention of his party. Although he has served his community in various public capacities, he has never had any ambition for greater political honors. Fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has never outgrown his love of outdoor life and finds needed recreation in hunting and fishing. He is a lover of fine stock and devotes much time to the breeding of blooded horses and cattle upon his ranch and he has made a study of all phases of modern agriculture, using the latest methods in the cultivation of his fields. He was one of the first to see the close connection that exists between good roads and prosperity for a community and was an advocate of improved highways at a time when spending money for that purpose was looked upon as useless waste by the majority of the people. His attitude upon the good roads movement is characteristic of the man, as he was always interested in anything that he believes will work toward the public good and is willing to support quell a movement even if it is for the time being unpopular. When he came to South Dakota he had no capital other than a keen mind, great energy and unlimited ambition and determination and the success that he has achieved along material lines is an effective rebuke to those who maintain that it is impossible to prosper financially unless one has special advantages to begin with. In gaining the success that is measured by wealth he has not forgotten that there are other values in life and has in all of his relations with his fellow men closely observed principles of fair dealing and integrity, thus gaining the sincere respect of all who know him.

"History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915)  pp. 1232, 1235 

CHARLES M. HAMMOND, stock raiser and agriculturist, residing on section 34, township 118, range 67, is one of the successful men of his calling in Faulk county, and enjoys a wide acquaintance and an enviable reputation for honesty and integrity. He is a native of Mauston, Juneau county, Wisconsin, and was born August 17, 1866.

On the father's side the family is of Welsh descent and on the mother's side of Yankee. The grandfather of our subject bore the name of John Hammond, and the father of our subject, T. Jefferson Hammond, was a native of New York. He served four years in the Civil war and had two brothers in the same service. He settled in Wisconsin after his marriage and engaged in farming. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Clara Boyden, was born in New York state, and was the daughter of Moses Boyden, a distiller. She had five brothers in the Civil war, one of whom was killed in the battle of Gettysburg.

Our subject was fifth in a family of eight children, and was raised on a farm and attended the country schools. At the age of sixteen he left home and started for himself. He went to Spink county, South Dakota, in 1882, and worked two months by the day in Ashton, and next went to Elkton and worked at grading on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. He stayed at Elkton two years, but most of the time was employed on a farm, and in 1884 went to Hamlin, where he worked on a large wheat farm until 1885 and then went to Faulk county and located a homestead on section 34, township 118, range 67, where he made his home. He and his wife together had about six hundred dollars in money and he paid four hundred and forty dollars for a team and thirty-five dollars for a cow and purchased a plow, seeder and drag on time. He is now the possessor of three hundred and twenty-six acres of land, of which one hundred and eighty is under cultivation and the remainder is grass land. He has a pasture of three hundred and twenty acres and engages mostly in raising cattle and horses. His first five or six years in Dakota were devoted to grain raising with little success and he has changed to stock raising. He keeps nineteen milch cows and carries about fifty head of cattle the year round. He lost five or six head of cattle during the severe storm of the winter of '97. A good well, with windmill attached, furnishes an abundance of water and facilitates the work of the place. His residence, erected in 1897, upright 14 x 28 feet, with lean-to 24 x 20 feet, is a model of convenience and comfort, and is one of the best in the locality. His barns, one 24 x 36 feet and one 46 x 64 feet, contemplated for the near future, including attached buildings, are substantial and convenient. The old shanty which served them the welcome purpose of a home has been converted into a granary. Success has attended his every effort and he is now one of the well-to-do farmers of his township.

Mr. Hammond was married November 14, 1885, to Miss Jennie L. Foster, a native of Door county, Wisconsin. Mrs. Hammond is the daughter of Abijah and Jane Foster, the former of Yankee and the latter of Irish descent: Her father was a wealthy miller and lumberman of Wisconsin, and had accumulated an estate valued at one hundred thousand dollars, at the time of his death. This estate was divided between a family of seven children. Both parents died when Mrs. Hammond was but a young girl, but she was given a good education and was a teacher in Wisconsin and later in Dakota, and was a teacher in the latter state when she married our subject. She is a lady of high attainments and presided over her household with true womanliness. Six children have been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, as follows: Hattie, born in 1886; Grace, born in 1888; Esther; Hannah; Blanch; and Thomas J. Mr. Hammond is a member of the Knights of Maccabees. Previous to 1896 he was a Democrat in political belief, since which time he has cast his vote with the Republican party. He takes an active part in local affairs, and was township assessor in 1897-98. He is strong in his convictions, and is well versed on the topics of the day, and stands firmly for the right, and well deserves his popularity and success.

"Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography, including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of South Dakota..." Pub. by G. A. Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1899.  pp. 651-652.

Thomas J. Dalton, who is the fifth in order of birth in a family of ten children, was graduated from the high school at Mauston, Wisconsin, in 1904. When twenty years old he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for a year. He thus earned money which enabled him to attend the State University of Wisconsin at Madison for one year and during that time he took quite a prominent part in athletics, being a member of the freshman football squad. Upon leaving school he became assistant cashier in the State Bank at Mauston and two years later was made cashier of that institution, his attention to his work and his ability winning him rapid promotion.

In 1910 Mr. Dalton disposed of his holdings in the Badger state and came to South Dakota, locating at Onida. In connection with his brother he established the Sully County State Bank and became the cashier of that institution. In 1913 he was made president, a position which he still holds. His experience in banking has made him thoroughly familiar with all details of routine work and he also understands the larger aspects of banking. The continued growth of the business of the institution and the high place which it occupies in the confidence of the people of Sully county is due in no small measure to his wise management and to the careful attention which he gives to all phases of the work. His brother Charles is cashier and R. J. Dougherty is vice president. In connection with his brother Charles, our subject operates a ranch near Onida and they have gained an enviable reputation as breeders of full blooded Hereford cattle. At the present time they have from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five head of pure bred animals. Charles A. Dalton practically has charge of the ranch, as our subject finds his time taken up with his duties as president of the bank.

Mr. Dalton was married on the 30th of March, 1910, to Miss Ellen Bradley, also a native of Mauston, Wisconsin. Her parents, Edward W. and Emma (Anderson) Bradley, are natives respectively of Indiana and of Nevada and are still residing in Mauston, Wisconsin, where the father is engaged in merchandising. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Dalton served in the Union army and died while incarcerated in Libby prison.

Mr. Dalton is independent in politics, voting for the man whom he deems best fitted for the office in question without regard to his party affiliation. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church, of which he is a devout communicant, and fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Columbus. He is still a young. man but has gained a success that many who are his seniors might well envy. He has not only won a high standing in business and financial circles of Sully county because of his business ability and energy, but he has also gained the esteem of all who have come in contact with him, as he possesses many admirable traits of character.

"History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915)  pp. 786-87

H. W. B. SOUTHER, county auditor of Moody county, South Dakota, is a native of Warren, Vermont, and a son of John P. and Caroline E. (Goodspeed) Souther. The father was a native of Massachusetts, and moved to Wisconsin about 1857 and stopped a short time at Baraboo, then settled on a farm one and one-half miles west of Mauston. They were the parents of four children: B. N. and W. H. live on the home farm in Wisconsin; a sister, deceased; and our subject, residing at Flandreau.

Our subject was born February 27, 1855, and was reared on the old farm in Wisconsin, and educated in the high school at Mauston. At the age of twenty-two years he went to Minnesota, and for a time engaged in farming. In. the spring of 1878 he, together with five others, drove across the country to Moody county, South Dakota, where he located on section 10, Coleman township. Here our subject added one to the scanty list of sod houses in the township and began to improve and cultivate his homestead. The same year he took a timber claim in Brookings county. After improving his homestead and getting it in a fair state of cultivation, he sold it and bought one hundred and sixty acres on section 9, Lynn township. This farm was partly improved and had a few small buildings on it. The barn was stolen and then Mr. Souther traded the others for a cow and calf. In 1886 he moved to Colman and for two years operated a general store, then sold out and put up a building in which he kept the post office until 1893, then resigned. In local matters he is always actively interested and has been clerk of the school board most of the time since coming to the district. He has also filled the office of justice of the peace and was notary public for eight years. He has for many years been township committeeman and is often a delegate to the county convention. Politically he is a Republican and on that ticket was elected to the office of county auditor in 1894 and re-elected in 1896. His efficiency as an official and popularity as a citizen was emphasized at the last election, when it is stated that although the county gave a Populist majority of two hundred and thirty-four he was elected by over one hundred majority.

Socially he affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, of which he is a blue lodge member at Flandreau and junior deacon of same; is also a member of the chapter - R. A. M., and of the commandery - K. T. He is a member also of the A. O. U. W. fraternity. and of the Imperial Mystic Legion, of which he is secretary.

Mr. Souther was married in 1887 to Miss Mary E. Souther, also a native of Wisconsin. To this union have been born two children: Edwin M. and Benjamin L. Mrs. Souther is a member of the Methodist church.

"Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography, including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle &   Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 396-397.

Mr. Carr has always been known as a good business man and reliable citizen. Notwithstanding his residence in Wisconsin he has retained a large and valuable property in Sioux Falls, and upon the assessment roll in the amount of taxes set against his name he is nearer the head of the list than he is alphabetically.

"History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey .  pp. 487-88

Dr. Sarles was born in Necedah, Juneau county, Wisconsin, November 14th, 1856. He was educated in the common schools, the Prescott high school, the River Falls Institute, and to the end of the junior year in Galesville University. Leaving school, he entered the office of Drs. Gage & Beebe in Sparta, in 1878; and after four years of study, including the full course in Rush Medical College, from which he graduated in February, 1882, he began the practice of his profession as the junior member of the firm of Gage, Beebe & Sarles, which, after ten years, became Drs. Beebe & Sarles, Dr. Gage retiring on account of ill-health. At present the firm is Drs. Beebe, Sarles & Beebe, which has the leading medical and surgical practice in that region.

Dr. Sarles is a member of the American Medical association, of the Wisconsin State Medical society--of which he is one of the board of censors, of the Central Wisconsin.

Bibliography: Library of Congress. "Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910." Washington: Library of Congress, 1999. Aiken, Andrew J. "Men of Progress, Wisconsin." Milwaukee, WI: Evening Wisconsin Co., 1897. p. 127

BABCOCK, Joseph Weeks, a resident of Necedah, and representative in congress from the Third congressional district, was born in Swanton, Vt., March 6th, 1850, a descendant of the Pilgrims and inheritor of many of their sturdy characteristics. His father was Ebenezer Wright Babcock, and his mother Mahala Weeks, daughter of Hon. Joseph Weeks, who was a representative from new Hampshire in the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth congresses.

J. W. Babcock, who was the youngest of a family of four children, accompanied his parents on their removal to Iowa, in 1855, and there, on a farm in Butler county, he resided until 1861. He attended the local district school, acquiring a knowledge of the ordinary English branches, and upon the family's removal to Cedar Falls, he continued his studies in the public schools of that place, supplementing the instruction there received with a brief course in the neighboring college of Mount Vernon. At the expiration of his school days he entered the employ of his father, who owned and operated a lumber yard at Cedar Falls. When this business was later sold to Weston, Burch & Co. of Dubuque, young Babcock entered their service in a subordinate capacity. In May, 1872, he removed to Dubuque, where, for the ensuing six years, he was employed by the firm of Ingram, Kennedy & Day, now the Standard Lumber company. In 1878 he purchased an interest in the business of the firm of Weston, Burch & Co., his former employers, and the firm name of Burch, Babcock & Co. was [p.31] then assumed. In 1881 Messrs. Burch and Babcock purchased a controlling interest in the old firm of T. Weston & Co. of Necedah, Wisconsin, thereupon incorporating the business as the Necedah Lumber company, of which Mr. Babcock was elected, and still continues, secretary. The log cut of the company averages from twenty to twenty-five million feet per annum, and the corporation is known and recognized as one of the strong lumber concerns of the northwest. Mr. Burch, whose home is in Dubuque, Iowa, left the details of the active management of the business to Mr. Babcock, to whose indomitable industry and perseverance is largely due the success of the great enterprise. Cautious and conservative, he, at the same time, possesses energy and promptness of resolution, a sagacity and patience which enable him to master the details of business; and, added to these characteristics, his conduct in all things is governed by high moral principle. With those in his employ he has ever maintained a lively sympathy, and an unmistakable regard for their feelings and rights. That this is appreciated by his employes is evidenced by the fact that during his entire business career he has never had to encounter a strike among his workmen, although having hundreds of men in his employ. Among those concerned in the great lumber industry of the northwest, he was the pioneer in insisting that all employes should be paid in cash, and that the wages of those in his service should be as high as those paid by any one else for similar labor.

Activity in public affairs was inevitable in a man of such characteristics, and not long after he took up his abode in Necedah, he was elected president of the village. In 1888 he was elected to the Wisconsin legislative assembly, in which he served as chairman of the committee on incorporations; and, in 1890, he was re-elected, at a time when very few of the Republican candidates were successful in the state. As a member of the legislature his strong personality made itself felt by all with whom he came in contact, and he was ever ready to use his influence in the support of those measures which seemed to him designed for the public good. He was instrumental in securing the passage of a number of laws which have had a lasting and most beneficial effect upon the prosperity of the state.

In 1892 Mr. Babcock was nominated by the Republicans of the Third congressional district of this state, comprising the counties of Adams, Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Juneau, Richland, Sauk and Vernon, as their candidate for congress. He defeated the Democratic opponent by a majority of three thousand votes. He became a member of the Fifty-third congress, in which he served on the committee on the District of Columbia. In 1894 he was renominated for congress and again elected--this time by a majority of nearly eight thousand over the candidate of the Democrats and Populists. In the Fifty-fourth congress Mr. Babcock was appointed chairman of the committee on the District of Columbia, a position in which he gives eminent satisfaction. In 1896 he was re-elected by a majority of 11,523 over the fusion candidate. Though comparatively a young man, and though his life [p.32] prior to his entrance into congress had been almost wholly devoted to business affairs, he readily grasped the duties of legislator and almost immediately took an influential position in the house. While a member of the Fifty-third congress he was chosen vice-chairman of the national Republican congressional committee, and upon the resignation from congress of Hon. John A. Caldwell of Cincinnati, who was chairman of that committee, Mr. Babcock became his successor. For this position he was peculiarly fitted, by reason of his rare executive ability and systematic business habits, which he carried with him into politics, as was shown by the able manner in which he conducted the campaign of 1894, and again of 1896. In February, 1896, he was unanimously re-elected to the chairmanship of the committee.

In congress Mr. Babcock is both popular and successful. His constituents and those who call upon him regarding matters pertaining to public business find him accessible at all times, and ready to hear them and if possible give them the required aid. A thorough man of affairs, he is one of those clear-headed, constructive and able business managers whose persistent industry, comprehensive grasp of details and power to marshall them for practical results, make him invaluable in committee, where legislation is perfected and all important measures are prepared.

In the month of November, 1867, Mr. Babcock was married to Miss Mary A. Finch of Lyons, Iowa. They have one son, Charles Ebenezer, born in 1868, who is a graduate of the law school of the University of Michigan, and who is now in the office of the Necedah Lumber company. An adopted daughter, Amelia M., is now the wife of S. H. Reed of Necedah. The family are attendants of the Congregational church.

Mr. Babcock is one of that class of men who form the conservative element of society. He is the architect of his own fortunes; every advancing step therein has been the result of foresight, integrity and earnest labor.

Bibliography: Library of Congress. "Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910." Washington: Library of Congress, 1999. Aiken, Andrew J. "Men of Progress, Wisconsin." Milwaukee, WI: Evening Wisconsin Co., 1897. p. 32

Source: Betsey Heath Howes

Daniel SCHERMERHORN was born Aug 27 1793 in Charlestown, Montgomery Co. New York to Jacob Hendrick SCHERMERHORN and Alida (Aaltje) SCHERMERHORN. He married Mrs. Every Holliday Sept 4 1819. He died probably in  Juneau Co. Wisconsin after 1860. Daniel was the first from the town of Deerfield, New York to volunteer for the War of 1812. He held the rank of Sgt. and was stationed at Sackett's Harbor, New York. In 1817 he was a Lt. in the 157th Rgt NY infantry and in 1822 a Capt. in the 72nd NY infantry with the rank from Feb 17 1829. Later he became a Colonel. Daniel was the firat Postmaster of Deerfield in 1831. In 1847 he purchased land in WI (Font du Lac) and is found shortly thereafter in Baraboo Village. In the 1850 Census of Baraboo Village, Sauk Co WI he is living with his daughter, Imogene and her husband Delando PRATT. Both Daniel and Delando were representatives from Sauk Co to the Convention for Wisconsin Statehood. Daniel was a Justice of the Peace in Sauk Co. In 1855 Delando purchased land in Juneau and Vernon Co's and both Daniel and Delando moved to Juneau Co.  Daniel became a County Judge for Juneau Co and lived in a New Lisbon house with a family named Hess. In Wisconsin Daniel was a manufacturer of leather goods.