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From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin, publ. 1901- page 963-964
JOHN HALE (deceased), who passed his last years retired in the town of Lima, Grant county, was born in England in March, 1815, son of John and Esther HALE, natives of that country, who lived and died in their island home.
Our subject was one of three sons. He worked in the coal mines of England and Wales up to 1841, when he came to America, locating in the lead mining district of Grant county. Here, two years later he married Miss Isabelle McCULLOUCH, who was born in Scotland in 1819. After their marriage they settled for a short time at Hazel Green, and he then purchased a farm in the town of Lima, engaging in its tillage for many years. Mrs. HALE died on this farm in 1864, leaving nine children: (1) John, born in 1844, was a soldier during the war of the Rebellion, going out on the first call for volunteers, and was severely wounded in one of the many battles in which he participated, but survived. In 1866 he migrated to Montana, where he married, and died leaving two children. He lost his life by suffocation in a mine while engaged in the rescue of one of his companions. His widow died a few years ago, leaving two sons, both residents of Montana. (2) Margaret, born in 1846, is now the wife of Alex GRAHAM, who is engaged in the dairy business in Minnesota. (3) Robert C., born March 28, 1848, is mentioned below. (4) Sarah M., born in January, 1850, is now the wife of Thomas CALOWAY, of Kansas, and all of their children are in that State. (5) Elizabeth J., born in March 1852, married John CALOWAY, a farmer in the town of Lima. They have six children. (6) Lafayette, born in 1854, lives in Kansas, where he is a prosperous farmer. He married Jane POLAND, and has a family of seven children. (7) Alvin H., born May 21, 1856, resides on his fruit farm near Platteville. He married Nellie JOHNSON, and has one living child, Stephen O. (8) George F., born in February, 1860, when a young man went to Kansas, where he married and engaged in agriculture. He became very prosperous, and in 1894 moved to Oregon, where he owns a large fruit farm. He has no children. (9) Jacob A., born in April 1862, is married, and lives in Iowa. They have one son, Virgil.
In 1864 John HALE, our subject, married Mrs. Sarah GRAHAM, the widow of Gustavus GRAHAM, who died in California. Mr. GRAHAM, a native of New York, in 1835 married Miss Sarah QUICK, who was born in 1815, a daughter of Jacob and Sarah QUICK, both natives of New Jersey, and residents of Sullivan county, N.Y., where they died. Mr. and Mrs. GRAHAM came to Wisconsin the year of their marriage, and settled on a farm in the town of Lima, where he lived and reared his family. In the fall of 1849 he went to the mines of California, where he died within a year of consumption. Mrs. GRAHAM was left with six small children to battle the world alone. (1) Robert H., the eldest of her family, was born in Grant county in September, 1838, and is now a resident of Platteville, where he is engaged in mining. (2) Alex, born in 1840, married Mr. HALE's daughter Margaret and lives in Minnesota. (3) William, born in 1842, lives in Iowa. (4) Mary J. died in childhood. (5) Louisa is now the wife of Orlando McQUISTEN, a resident of Montana. (6) Emma M., born in 1848, is the wife of Edwin BULLOCK, a hardware merchant in Kansas. (7) Sarah A., born in 1850, is now the widow of Joseph VAN MEETER, and lives in Chicago with her three children. Mr. HALE had no children by his second marriage. In 1864, after his marriage to Mrs. GRAHAM, he purchased the interest of the GRAHAM heirs in the family homestead, and here he and his wife lived happily and contentedly, surrounded by every comfort, and putting every day of their lives to the best possible use.
Mr. HALE began as a poor boy in his adopted country, and by his own efforts made a country, and by his own efforts made a standing among the people of Wisconsin that could not be questioned. As a Republican he was elected to several local positions in the town of Lima, and he was a member of the Christian Church, with which his widow also unites.
Robert C. HALE, the second son of our subject, was born at Hazel Green in 1848, and received a good district-school education. When a young man he made a purchase of land in Minnesota. Improving this somewhat, he sold out and returned to Grant county, where he found good business openings. In 1873 he married Mrs. Martha (CONDREE) REED, of Wayne county, Ohio, and settled on a small farm in the town of Lima, where he bought a portable mill, manufacturing sawed lumber for a number of years. In 1886 he purchased a farm in the town of Lima, on which he has put up a bank barn and made many other valuable improvements. This place, which contains 200 acres, has become a fine farm. Mr. HALE is largely interested in stock raising, having seventy-five sheep, one hundred hogs, and a large number of cattle. Three children have come to Mr. HALE and his wife: (1) William F., born in January 1875, is a farmer in the town of Lima, where he owns 160 acres of well-cultivated land. He is unmarried. (2) John J., born in 1877, gradated from the State Normal at Platteville in 1898, has taught school, and is now a clerk on one of the Mississippi river steamboats. (3) Jessie M., born in 1880, prepared herself for teaching in the State Normal at Platteville, and now holds a State certificate. In politics Mr. HALE is a Republican, and is a member of the Republican town committee. He has held the office of chairman of the town for four years, for twelve years was school clerk, and six years school director. He belongs to the Odd Fellows, and in religion he and his wife are members of the Congregational Church.
This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck