E

    HENRY LOBDELL EATON, deceased, was during his lifetime a very prominent citizen of Richland county, and his compeers showed their appreciation of his sterling manhood by electing him to various positions of honor and responsibility, in none of which he did prove recreant to the trust reposed in him. He was born in Columbia, Herkimer county, N. Y., on Oct. 17, 1834, and he was the son of John L. and Betsey (Runyan) Eaton, both of whom were natives of Richfield Springs, Otsego county, N. Y. The mother died when the subject of this memoir was about ten years old, leaving besides himself, a daughter, Ellen Josephine, now deceased, who became the wife of J. M. Thomas, a resident of Martin City, Mo. The father died in 1879 at the age of seventy-one years. The subject of this review received his education in a select school of his native state, and was also taught by his father, who was a very well educated man. He was married in New York on Dec. 3, 1856, to Miss Helen Mar Fish, and a year later Mr. and Mrs. Eaton came west, soon thereafter locating at Lone Rock, the railroad having just been completed to that point. John Runyan, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Eaton, then lived in Bear Valley with his sons, Philip, Lewis and Frank. John Runyan had been a moulder at Richfield Springs, N. Y., but came to Wisconsin about 1850 for the purpose of obtaining farms for his sons, Richland county being chosen for that purpose. The old gentleman remained with his sons until his death at the advanced age of over ninety years. Upon coming to Richland county Mr. Eaton purchased 320 acres of very fine land, the place being known as the "Cline farm," which the owner was anxious to sell because of an enmity that existed between him and the Indians, the feud having progressed to such a state that the red men would kill deer by poisoning them and then endeavor to induce their pale-faced enemy to eat of the venison thus procured. At the outbreak of the Civil War Mr. Eaton was quite anxious to join the army, but his physical condition was such as to render him unfit for military service, and he therefore performed the duties of a patriotic citizen at home. In 1864 he was chosen to represent Richland county in the lower branch of the state legislature, and one year later was re-elected, thereby serving two terms in that capacity to the entire satisfaction of his constituency. In 1870 he was elected to represent the district of which Richland county formed a part in the state senate, and during one of the legislative sessions he served as president pro tem. of that body, his incumbency of the position being occasioned by the illness of Milton H. Pettit, the regular presiding officer. In 1875 he was nominated by the Republican party, of which he was always a consistent member, for lieutenant-governor of Wisconsin, but he was defeated at the ensuing election by Charles D. Parker, Democrat, along with the remainder of the Republican ticket, the only exception being the office of governor, to which Harrison Ludington, Republican, was elected by the slender plurality of 841. During the administrations of Garfield and Arthur he served as inspector of customs four years, and he later was a member of the civil service commission, located at different times at Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Vincent. Fraternally, he was a member of the Masonic order, having taken both the Chapter and Commandery degrees. Mrs. Helen Mar (Fish) Eaton, wife of the subject of this review, was born in Litchfield, Herkimer county, N. Y., and is the daughter of Elias West and Alma (Parker) Fish, the former of whom was a native of Connecticut and the latter of New York, both parents being of English descent. The father spent his life at Litchfield, Herkimer county, N. Y., where he was engaged as a manufacturer, and he died in 1870, at the age of sixty-two years. The mother died on Feb. 3, 1881. Mrs. Eaton is the youngest of three children that were born to these parents, the others being Samuel Parker, who died in New York in 1871, and Isaac Wallace, who resides on the farm where his mother was born, at Litchfield, Herkimer county, N. Y. To Mr. and Mrs. Eaton there were born two children, a son and a daughter. Benjamin Fish, the son, was born in 1860, and died in 1879, at Washington, D. C. The daughter, Alma Cornelia, born in 1865, married Frederick E. Carswell, of Richland Center, and is the mother of four children: Helen Louise, Fanny Mar, Harry Eaton, and Benjamin Frederick.
    A. L. EDSON is one of the younger merchants of Richland Center, both as regards age and length of time engaged in mercantile pursuits, but the high standing which he has attained and the extensive patronage which is being given him is a sufficient augury of his success in his chosen field of industry. Mr. Edson is a native of Richland county, having been born in the town of Willow on Aug. 15, 1870, and he is the son of Henry W. and Frances D. (Gundy) Edson, the former of whom is deceased. Henry W. Edson was a native of Herkimer county, N. Y., and his people were of Scotch descent. He came west in the early fifties and first settled in Columbia county, Wis., where he resided about ten years and then came to Richland county at the time of the Civil War. He was a carpenter by trade and worked at that occupation during the greater part of his life, and his death occurred on Feb. 6, 1882, when he was seventy-two years old. He was twice married, and to the first union there were born four children: John, who is a resident of the state of Missouri; Alfred, who was killed in the Civil War in April, 1863; Ezra, who was killed by an accident in his youth; and Silence, who died in 1865. The second marriage was to Miss Frances D. Gundy, a native of Crawford county, Pa., and to this union there were born four children, of whom the subject of this review is the eldest, the others being Peter, who resides in Phoenix, Ariz.; Viola, deceased; and Eli, who resides in Richland Center. A. L. Edson, whose name introduces this review, was reared and educated in the towns of Willow and Ithaca, his parents having removed to the latter place during his boyhood. At the early age of sixteen he began his independent career by working at various occupations, and he has been a resident of Richland Center since 1904, inaugurating his mercantile business there on December 1 of that year. Mr. Edson was married, Oct. 4, 1904, to Miss Bessie Cunningham, a daughter of William Cunningham, of Sextonville, Richland county. Our subject is a Republican in his political affiliations.
    EDWARD HUMPHREYS EDWARDS, the senior member of the popular mercantile firm of Edwards & Kelly, at Richland Center, was born at Dodgeville, Iowa county, Wis., on Jan. 22, 1870, and he is the son of Edward and Ellen (Thomas) Edwards, both of whom were born in North Wales. The father came to America and located in Waukesha county, Wis., when a young man, about 1850, and he was one of the first settlers in Iowa county, to which place he removed soon thereafter. In early life he was a miner by occupation and mining interests brought him to the lead district of Iowa county, but he later became interested in farming, which occupation he then continued to follow until the time of his death. He also took an active interest in politics and served as city and town assessor at Dodgeville, nine years. He died on May 5, 1896, aged seventy-six years, and the mother still resides at the old home in Dodgeville. Edward Humphrey Edwards is one of nine children that were born to these honored parents. He was reared and educated at Dodgeville and received his early training in habits of industry by doing a boy's work on his father's farm. When he had reached the age of eighteen years he commenced working in a general store at Belmont and remained there one year, receiving as compensation for the twelve months' employment the sum of seventy-five dollars. At the end of that time he returned to Dodgeville and clerked in a general store there three months, after which he came to Richland Center and was employed by H. H. Chandler & Co. during the succeeding eleven years. He then entered the employ of Clark & Elliott and remained with that firm until 1905, when the present partnership of Edwards & Kelly was formed, the new firm purchasing the stock of goods and business of Mr. Edwards' late employers. It consists of a general store, located on the corner of Church and Main Sts., and the stock is complete with dry goods, boots and shoes, carpets, men's ready-made clothing, ladies' ready-made garments, and novelties, the basement of the store being entirely devoted to carpets, rugs, and trunks. Formerly a grocery stock was carried in connection, but the new firm dispensed with that department to make room for ladies' ready-made garments, of which they carry a complete line. The store has a frontage of thirty-two feet and extends 120 feet back, with the carpet, rug and trunk department in the basement, as stated. Mr. Edwards was married on Oct. 23, 1893, to Miss Alle DeVoe, of Richland Center, a daughter of A. J. DeVoe, and to this union there has been born one child-Helen Dorothy, aged nine years. Our subject has fraternal connections with the orders of Free Masonry, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, and the Mystic Workers of the World.
    WILLIS EKLEBERRY is the owner of a well improved farm of 120 acres in section 31, town of Bloom, where he has resided since 1879, and he is recognized as one of the progressive and successful agriculturists of the county, having here gained independence and definite prosperity through his own well directed efforts. He was born in Wyandot county, O., Dec. 2, 1848, and is a son of John and Eliza (Compton) Ekleberry, both of whom were likewise native of Wyandot county. The former was a son of Ezekiel and Mary (Trowbridge) Ekleberry, the former of whom was born in Zanesville, O., and the latter in Pennsylvania, the respective families having been pioneers of the old Buckeye State. John Ekleberry was reared to manhood in Ohio, his marriage being solemnized in his native county. For a number of years he was engaged in the mercantile business and later he gave his attention to agricultural pursuits. His death occurred in 1877, his first wife having passed away in 1853. He married a second time, Sarah Hammon becoming his wife. Five children were born of the first union: Marshall, who met his death while serving as a soldier in the Civil War; Joel, who is a farmer of the town of Forest, Richland county, Wis.; John W., who is a farmer of the town of Bloom, this county; Willis, who is the subject of this sketch; and one child who died in infancy. The father was prominent and influential in his community, was a stanch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party and served many years as justice of the peace. Willis Ekleberry was five years of age at the time of his mother's death, and thereafter he remained in the home of his parental grandparents until he had attained to the age of thirteen years, in the meanwhile availing himself of the privileges of the common schools. He went as a youth to Bucyrus, O., and he was employed as a mail carrier and at other occupations, remaining five years and then returning to Wyandot county, also residing for some time in Seneca county, where his first marriage was solemnized. In 1879, in company with his brother Joel, he came to Richland county, his brother locating in the town of Forest and he himself purchasing the Joseph Pippin farm, which has since been his home. The place had a log house and stable and a small portion of the original eighty acres had been cleared. He later secured an adjoining tract of forty acres and he has cleared and improved his homestead, developing the same into one of the valuable farms of the town of Bloom. He has been energetic, industrious and progressive and is one of the representative farmers of the county, devoting his place to diversified agriculture and the raising of excellent grades of live stock. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party and he has served as chairman of the town board and a member of the school board. He was a postmaster at Ash Ridge during the first term of President Cleveland's administration. His wife and daughters hold membership in the German Baptist church. In Seneca county, O., Mr. Ekleberry was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Ann Barkman, a daughter of William Barkman, who died Aug. 16, 1880, being survived by her only child, Ella, who is now the wife of Elgin Martin, of Bloom township. Mr. Ekleberry's second marriage was to Miss Mary Alice Stewart, daughter of Charles and Mary Stewart, pioneers of Richland county, where both died, Mr. Stewart having been a soldier in the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Ekleberry have five children, namely: Mabel, Jay, Mary, Glennie and Myrtle J.
    CHAUNCEY W. ELLIOTT, a valued member of the town board of Richwood, where he is also serving as township assessor, is one of the progressive farmers of this section of the county, where he is held in unqualified esteem. He was born in Knox county, O., Oct. 27, 1850, and is a son of John and Sarah (Dudgeon) Elliott, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the latter in Connecticut. They were married in Knox county, O., and remained residents of the old Buckeye State until 1855, when they removed to Iowa, being pioneer settlers in Bremer county, where they passed the remainder of their lives, the father's death occurring in 1876, at the age of fifty-six years, and the mother passing away in 1881, aged sixty-eight years. the paternal grandparents of the subject of this review were James and Jane Elliott, both of whom died in Knox county, O., as did also the maternal grandparents, Hugh and Lydia (Farnum) Dudgeon, the former of whom was a native of Ireland. John Elliott was a soldier in the Mexican War and his active career was devoted to agricultural pursuits. He was a Democrat in politics until the time of the Civil War, when he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party. Both he and his wife were members of the Universalist church. Of their ten children seven are living. Chauncey W. Elliott passed his boyhood and youth on the home farm of his parents, in Bremer county, Ia., and the common schools of the Hawkeye State afforded him his early educational training. He remained in Iowa until 1871, when, at the age of twenty-one years, he came to Richland county, where he has since maintained his home. In 1875 he bought forty acres of his present homestead farm, which now comprises 280 acres, and he is also the owner of another well improved farm of 260 acres, in the same township, so that the aggregate area of his landed estate is 540 acres. He is one of the extensive and successful farmers and stock-growers of the county and is held in unequivocal esteem in the community which has been his home for more than thirty years. On his home farm he operates a well equipped feed-mill, having established the same about nine years ago. Mr. Elliott has demonstrated his mechanical ability by utilizing some of the timber grown on his farm and transforming it into a modern five-horse power gasoline launch. It has a carrying capacity of twenty-five passengers and will do service on the Wisconsin River, as Mr. Elliott believes in the old adage, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." He exercises his franchise and influence in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party and he is a member of the town board, in which position he is serving his third consecutive term, also being assessor of his township. In 1874 Mr. Elliott was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Dewey, daughter of David Dewey, an honored pioneer of Richland county. They became the parents of four children, of whom the first, Carrie, died at the age of twenty years. Claude, who was born Dec. 9, 1877, is a successful farmer of Richwood township. March 13, 1901, he married Miss Mae Haskins, daughter of Rev. Edward Haskins. Corliss, who was born Sept. 27, 1879, is likewise engaged in farming in Richwood township. Bertha, who was born Oct. 28, 1883, is the wife of Wade H. Hillberry, a farmer of this county, and they have one child, Ardath.
    WALLACE W. ELLSWORTH, of the firm of Ellsworth & Brainard, dealers in general merchandise at Lone Rock, was born in Herkimer county, N. Y., on July 7, 1852, and is the son of Loring D. and Olive (Gillett) Ellsworth, both of whom were natives of the same county and state. The Ellsworths were pioneers of the town of Litchfield, Herkimer county, as were also the Gilletts, both families being of old New England stock. Loring D. Ellsworth invested in real estate in Bear Valley in 1866, but continued to reside in Herkimer county, N. Y., until 1876, when he removed to Lone Rock, in Richland county, Wis. He made the latter place his residence only one year and then went to Spring Green, where he lived retired for several years and then removed to Spencer, Ia., where he and his wife both died, he in 1898, at the age of seventy-two years, and she in 1904. They were the parents of three children: Etta, the eldest, married M. Dye, a Civil War veteran, and removed from New York to Spring Green, Sauk county, Wis., and later to Spencer, Ia, where she now resides, Mr. Dye being deceased; Wallace W. is the subject of this sketch; Eli was at one time in the mercantile business at Lone Rock, in partnership with his brother, Wallace W., and he died on Dec. 25, 1904, at the age of forty-eight years. The subject of this review was educated in the public schools of his native county in the state of New York, and upon reaching manhood began his independent career as a farmer, which occupation he followed until after his removal to Wisconsin. He came west in 1874 and purchased the farm which his father owned in Bear Valley, continuing to reside thereon until 1889, when he entered into a partnership with his brother, Eli, under the firm name of Ellsworth Bros. He later purchased his brother's interest and continued in business alone until 1899, when the present business association was formed. Mr. Ellsworth was married in 1873 to Miss Eva Perkins, who died in 1879, leaving no children. Our subject was again married in 1884, to Miss Maggie Greene, of Herkimer county, N. Y., whose parents still reside in the Empire State, and to this union there have been born two children-Claud G., who is a clerk in his father's store, and Kenneth L. Mr. Ellsworth is one of the Richland county asylum trustees and poor-commissioners, having served in that capacity since the building was erected, and he was also a member of the building committee. He is now serving his tenth year as one of the trustees. He has served as supervisor of Lone Rock, and also as mayor of the village ten years. Mr. Ellsworth has always given his allegiance to the men and measures of the Republican party.
    BENJAMIN F. ENDICOTT has been a resident of Richland county since he was five years of age and is now numbered among the representative farmers of Eagle township, where a fine property stands in evidence of the success which he has attained through his own efforts. Mr. Endicott was born in the state of Indiana, Jan. 2, 1854, and is a son of William Alexander Endicott, who was born in Kentucky, in 1828, and of Sarah Jane (Spain) Endicott, who was born in the same state, in 1829. The former was a son of William Endicott, who removed from Kentucky to Indiana in an early day, being one of the pioneers of the Hoosier State, where he passed the remainder of his life. William A. Endicott was reared and educated in Indiana, where his marriage was solemnized and where he continued to reside until 1859, when he came to Wisconsin, passing nine months in Grant county and then coming to Dayton township, Richland county, where he located on the farm now owned by John Peters. Three years later he removed to the Palmer farm, in Eagle township, where he remained one year, at the expiration of which he rented a farm in the same township and gave his attention to the operation of the same until he responded to this country's call and went forth as a soldier in the Civil War, enlisting in Company H, Thirty-seventh Wisconsin volunteer infantry, and taking part in all the battles in which his regiment participated until the time of his death, having been killed in an engagement in front of Petersburg, in April, 1865. His wife survived him by a number of years, continuing to make her home in Richland county until her death. Of the eight children five are living. In politics William A. Endicott was first a Whig and later a Republican, and both he and his wife were for many years zealous members of the United Brethren church, in which he was long a class leader. The subject of this sketch was reared to the life of the farm and his educational privileges were those afforded by the common schools of Richland county. As a young man he learned the carpenter's trade, to which lie gave his attention for a number of years. In 1872 he purchased forty acres of his present farm, in Eagle township, where he now has a fine place of 187 acres, well improved and under effective cultivation. He has found it expedient and profitable to diversify his farm enterprise by also raising good grades of live stock, including short-horn cattle and Poland-China swine, and he keeps a good dairy herd of cows. He has not only worked himself forward to the goal of independence and definite prosperity, but has also so ordered his life as to merit and retain the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. In politics he is a stanch adherent of the republican party, and he is now serving his third consecutive year as a member of the town board, of which he had previously been a member for a term of two years. He has been. a member of the United Brethren church since 1870 and his wife also is a devoted member of the same. Nov. 24, 1872, Mr. Endicott was united in marriage to Miss Ann Eliza Harsha, daughter of Francis A. Harsha, of whom specific mention is made in the sketch of the life of his son Joseph, on another page of this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Endicott have been born ten children, namely: Francis, Nancy, Mary, William, Olive, Clara, Eunice, Benjamin F., Jr., Fannie and Ella. The children have received good educational advantages, and all are living except Francis, who died in infancy. William is an architect and carpenter and now resides in the state of Wyoming; Olive is the wife of Mr. Rennie, of Menomonee, Wis.; Clara is a dressmaker by vocation; Eunice was graduated in the Richland Center high school in 1905 and is a successful teacher.
    JOHN H. EVANS has the distinction of having the supervision of the largest farm in Eagle township and one which is further pronounced to be the best in the county, the property being owned by his father-in-law, John Annear, who is one of the honored pioneers of the county, now living retired. Mr. Evans is known as one of the able and progressive farmers and stock-growers of this section of the state and is a popular citizen of his township. He was born in Iowa county, Wis., May 31, 1865, and is a son of John H. and Lucinda (Gunderson) Evans, the former of whom was born in Wales, in 1813, and the latter of whom was born in Christiana, Norway, in 1826. The father was one of the very early settlers of Iowa county, Wis., where he took of his residence in 1838, and where was solemnized his marriage. He became a successful farmer, reclaiming his land from the virgin forest, and both he and his wife died in 1878, on the same day and at the same hour, the subject of this sketch having thus been doubly orphaned when but thirteen years of age. He passed his boyhood on the home farm and attended the district schools as opportunity presented. When eleven years of age he came to Eagle township, where he continued his studies in the public schools and where he was reared to manhood having continuously been identified with agricultural pursuits and being recognized as a scientific and practical farmer. Since 1900 he has had charge of his father-in-law's farm, which comprises 170 acres of choice land and which has splendid improvements of a permanent order. Mr. Evans has been very successful as a breeder of short-horn cattle and Poland-China swine, and his farming operations, as a matter of course, are conducted on an extensive scale. In politics he accords unqualified support to the cause of the Republican party, and he served four years as township treasurer, ably administering the fiscal affairs of the town of Eagle. Dec. 20, 1896, Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Mary Annear, who was born in Eagle township, July 1, 1874, a daughter of John and Aletha (Lucas) Annear, the former of whom was born in England, Oct. 26, 1847, and the latter in Indiana, Jan. 3, 1853. When Mr. Annear was a mere child his father died and his mother subsequently married a man named James Willie, and they came to Wisconsin in the boyhood days of Mr. Annear, first locating in Grant county, whence Mr. Annear came with his mother to Richland county and located in Eagle township, where he was reared to manhood. He became one of the most extensive and influential farmers and landholders of Eagle township and continued to reside on his homestead until 1901, when he removed to Richland Center, where he has since lived retired. He is a stanch adherent of the Republican party and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Of their eight children five are living. Mrs. Annear is a daughter of James and Mary (Peters) Lucas, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in Indiana, from which latter state they came to Richland county, Wis., in 1855, becoming pioneers of Eagle township, where Mr. Lucas accumulated a valuable landed estate of 680 acres,-the place on which the subject of this sketch now resides. Mr. Lucas died in 1900 and his widow now resides in Lineville, Iowa. Mr. Lucas was a soldier in the Civil War, was a Republican in politics and wielded much influence in public affairs in the town of Eagle, having been chairman of the town board for a number of years and having held other offices of local trust. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have two children J. Delos, born Oct. 28, 1897, and George Bernard, born Jan. 4, 1903.
    WILLIAM T. EVANS - In the town of Eagle, one of the best developed and most attractive divisions of Richland county, is located the fine farm of Mr. Evans, who is a citizen of worth and prominence and who is a native of the Badger State. He was born in Lafayette county, Wis., Nov. 6, 1853, and this date indicates that his parents were pioneers of that section. He is a son of David D. and Sarah (Shannon) Evans, the former of whom was born in Ohio, March 14, 1821, and the latter in Indiana, Jan. 30, 1832. David D. Evans was a son of Jeremiah and Mary (Thompson) Evans, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Ohio, in which latter state their marriage was celebrated. They came to Iowa county, Wis., in the early pioneer days and here passed the residue of their lives. The maternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch were Alexander and Clarissa (Curtner) Shannon, both of whom were born in Kentucky. They settled in Richland county, Wis., about 1853, and here continued to reside during the remainder of their lives. David D. Evans located in Iowa county, this state, in 1846, soon afterward removing to Lafayette county, where he was engaged in farming for a number of years, then returning to Iowa county, where he remained until 1864, when he came to Richland county and purchased a farm of forty acres in Akan township. He became one of the successful and influential citizens of the county and both he and his wife died in Eagle township. They became the parents of three sons and five daughters; two of the sons and three of the daughters are living. The father was a Republican in his political proclivities and he and his wife were members of the United Brethren church. William T. Evans was reared to maturity on the homestead farm in Akan township and was afforded the advantages of the local schools. In 1877 he bought forty acres of his present farm, in Eagle township, where he now has a fine landed estate of 210 acres, representing the tangible results of his own energy and ability. In politics he is arrayed as a stanch supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, being held in unqualified esteem in the community which has so long represented their home. In 1876 Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Dora Booher, who was born in Sauk county, Wis., Aug. 11, 1854, being a daughter of Peter and Catherine (Blickenstaff) Booher, both of whom were born and reared in Indiana, whence they came to Sauk county., Wis., about 1846, there passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Evans became the parents of seven children: Addie is the wife of Bert Stetler, a farmer of Eagle township; Howard assists in the work and management of the home farm; Robert is deceased; Charles was graduated from the high school at Richland Center, as a member of the class of 1903, and is now a student in the University of Wisconsin; Kittie is a graduate of the high school at Richland Center, as is also Alta; and Blanche is still attending the home school.
    ELIHU EWERS, one of the representative farmers of Marshall township, has resided on his present homestead since he was a child of about two years, being of the third generation of his family in the county, where his father and grandfather were early settlers. He was born in Washington county, O., May 19, 1852, and is a son of William and Rachel (Wadsworth) Ewers, the former of Scotch lineage and the latter representative of stanch old Pennsylvania-stock. Both were native of Belmonty county, O., where the respective families were founded in the early pioneer days. William Ewers was a son of Thomas and Rachel (McDonald) Ewers, the former of whom became a prominent and influential citizen of Belmont county, where he operated a gristmill and also a distillery. William Ewers was reared to manhood in his native county, where his marriage was solemnized. After passing a short time in Washington county, that state, he came with his parents and his wife to Richland county, Wis., in 1854, the trip being made overland with teams and wagons. They settled in sections 29 and 31 Marshall township, where the father and son each secured 160 acres of government land. William later sold eighty acres of his original tract and afterward accumulated considerable more land, in section 31, reclaiming a large portion of his land from the virgin forest and becoming one of the leading citizens of the community. His parents continued to reside on the homestead until their death, as did also he and his wife. Their home was in section 31 and both were laid to rest in Union cemetery. They were members of the Universalist church and in politics he was a Republican from the time of the organization of the party until he was summoned from the scenes of life's activities. He was one of a family of eleven children of whom five are living,-Benjamin, who is a farmer of the town of Marshall; Amanda, who resides in the town of Sylvan, being the widow of Elihu Bailey; Achillis is a resident of Reedstown, Vernon county; George resides in Mason City, Ia.; and James is a resident of Milton, Ind. Those deceased are Jesse, Eden, Elwood, Henry and John. William and Rachel (Wadsworth) Ewers became the parents of six children: Joseph, who was a farmer and merchant of Dayton township and who held various town offices, is now deceased; Emily, who became the wife of William Ferguson, is likewise deceased; the subject of this review was the next in order of birth; Josephine died at the age of twenty-one years; Arlie is the wife of William Householder, of Richland township; and Laura is the wife of Frank Briggs, of Marshall township. Elihu Ewers passed his boyhood days as did the average youth of the locality and period, early beginning to aid in the work of the farm and attending school during the winter terms in the primitive log schoolhouse of the district. He has remained on the old homestead during all the intervening years and the place is endeared to him through the memories and associations of the past. He has well upheld the prestige of the family name as an able exponent of the agricultural industry, being an energetic and successful farmer and stock-grower and a citizen who commands uniform esteem in the community. His estate comprises 480 acres of excellent land, of which about 200 acres are under cultivation, while the owner raises a great deal of high-grade live stock. He has erected a number of buildings on the farm and evidences of thrift and prosperity are shown on every side. He is a Republican in politics, but has never sought or held office. In October, 1883, Mr. Ewers was united in marriage to Miss Ina Cooper, who was born in Ohio, being a daughter of James and Sarah (Rhinehart) Cooper, who came to Richland county in 1870, settling in the town of Rock Bridge, where they still reside. Mr. and Mrs. Ewers are the parents of eight children: Blain, Eva, Gula, Gifford, Forest, Alvin W., Stella and Robert. Eva is the wife of Louis Brown, residing near Sabin, this county. Gula and the other children remain at the parental home.
If you have resources for Richland County or would like to volunteer to help with look-ups, please e-mail Tim Stowell
You are visitor since 1 Aug 2011 -- thanks for stopping by!

There were 733 visitors at our previous host from 17 Mar 2006 to 1 Aug 2011 and 656 visitors to a previous site from 7 Jul 2001 to 17 Mar 2006.
Another 201 before the old site was removed.

Last updated: 1 Aug 2011
Top of Page
1906 Richland County Bios
1906 Richland County History
Richland Co., WI Page