Untitled From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin, publ. 1901 - page 133-134

GEORGE PAGE, a well-known citizen of Grant county, an ex-soldier of the war of the Rebellion, and a retired farmer, is a native of Great Yarmouth, County of Norfolk, England, and was born Oct. 26, 1819. His early life was passed at sea, and was quite an eventful one, which will be detailed, as far as space will permit, below.

Richard and Mary (GREENLAND) PAGE, the parents of our subject, were also natives of Norfolk, where they passed all their lives. They reared a family of four sons and three daughters, of which family George is the only survivor. As a lad he was employed as errand boy in a large shop or store in his native town, but as it was early decided that he should become a sailor he began the study of navigation when but twelve and a half years old, and has still in his possession many of his exercises in books which bear the date of 1830. Before he was thirteen years old he went to sea as a cabin boy, and eventually became an able-bodied seaman. The first two years of his sea life were spent in coasting around England, Scotland and Ireland, and he then shipped for a voyage up the Mediterranean sea, passed through the Grecian Archipelago and the Dardanelles to Constantinople, and then back through the Dardanelles to Smyrna, Turkey in Asia; thence he sailed for Falmouth bay, England, for further orders. On the homeward voyage the vessel was caught in a dense fog in the Mediterranean, and ran ashore at Apes Hill, off Gibraltar, and the next day was pronounced to be seaworthy, however, and proceeded on her voyage. From Falmouth Mr. PAGE went to London, and thence made two voyages to St. John, N. B., but on returning, on the second voyage, his vessel was wrecked, through the ignorance of carelessness of the pilot, when but nine miles out of Liverpool.

Mr. PAGE then made a third trip across the Atlantic, but this time he came to stay, relinquishing ocean life. He left Liverpool about the middle of December, 1836, reached the banks of Newfoundland in thirteen days, and fourteen days after, near the middle of January, 1837, reached New York. He was at that time seventeen years old. Soon after his arrival he sailed for New Orleans, La., and was there employed on a steamer plying up and down the Mississippi river and confluent streams, being thus engaged about three months when he was taken seriously ill; he made his last trip down the "Father of Waters" to the Crescent City on a flat-boat, and while thus prostrated was robbed of all his cash and all his clothing save what he had on at the time. What rendered this robbery the more shameful was the fact that the culprit was a comrade in whom he had placed his confidence, and whom he had considered to be a faithful friend.

When Mr. PAGE recovered his strength he again started up the Mississippi, branched off into the Ohio river at Cairo, Ill., and landed at Mount Vernon, Posey Co., Ind., in the vicinity of which city he spent about nine years in farming. Here another episode of his life took place, one of the most important, his marriage to Miss Nancy Jane ALTIZIER, a daughter of Elias and Thyraza (TAYLOR) ALTIZIER, the former a native of Virginia, of German descent, and the latter of Tennessee. Mrs. PAGE was born May 3, 1824, in Posey county, Ind., where the family had lived for many years, and where her father died; her mother died later, at the home of her daughter, in Webster county, Iowa. Elias ALTIZIER was twice married, and to each union were born four children, Mrs. PAGE being the eldest living of the last marriage; one is deceased, and the other two are Eli J., a resident of the State of Washington; and Sarah Ann, Mrs. RENSHAW, of Lancaster, Wisconsin.

Mr. and Mrs. PAGE came from Indiana to Wisconsin, arriving at Platteville, Grant county, April 11, 1846, but remained a short time only, and then settled in Ellenboro, same county, where he purchased and improved a good farm, and became a prominent citizen. He served as assessor and tax collector at different times in Ellenboro. He was enrolling officer during the early part of the Civil war, but decided to enter the army, and enlisted Oct. 1, 1864, in Company C, 25th Wis. V.I. He joined his regiment at Atlanta, Ga., marched with Gen. W. T. Sherman in his famous expedition through the State to Savannah, usually called the march to the sea, and took part in several other important military operations under that redoubtable, grim warrior. After the war Mr. PAGE marched with the victorious Union host from North Carolina through to Washington, D. C., participated in the grand review, and received an honorable discharge in June, 1865. Although never wounded, Mr. PAGE was permanently injured in health while in the army, and soon after his return he disposed of his farm, and with his estimable wife retired, to live in quiet in Lancaster.

During all Mr. PAGES's long residence in this country, but two of his family have come to America. His brother William came several years after our subject had arrived, and died in St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 12, 1883, leaving a widow and four children; another brother, John, who was a sea captain, made a brief visit to George, returned to great Yarmouth, and died a number of years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. PAGE were, for a long time after the close of the war of the Rebellion, active in the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic, but their declining years precluded their continuing their work in this organization. They are members of no church, but they are strict believers and church goers, ever governed by principles of charity, love for their fellow beings and strict justice to all. In politics Mr. PAGE is a Republican in sentiment, but has not sought favor from the party in whose interest he exercises his franchise. Contented with the felicitous society of his wife, for he has no children, he passes his time at his happy home, honored and respected by all his neighbors.



This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck