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    JAY G. LAMBERSON is now living in a measure retired from business at his beautiful home in Richland Center, but his numerous and extensive interests demand a good share of his attention, so that it is eminently proper to class him among the active men of affairs of the county of Richland. He was born in Elkhorn, Walworth county, in the then territory of Wisconsin, on Aug. 27, 1846, and while a boy came to Richland county with his parents. He is the son of Nicolas and Sarah (Fitch) Lamberson, the former of whom was a native of New York and the latter of Connecticut. They came to Wisconsin while it was yet a territory. Nicholas Lamberson was a son of Lawrence Lamberson, a wealthy man in the Empire State who reared a large family of boys. The Lamberson family is of Holland extraction, the early American ancestors being among the first settlers in New York, at about the time of the planting of the Dutch colony there. Nicolas Lamberson, the father of the subject of this review, was a farmer by occupation, and he lived in Walworth county, Wis., a number of years, removing to the village of Sextonville, in Richland county, in 1856. Later he went to Pike's Peak, at the time of the excitement over the discovery of gold at that place, and he died there in 1859, his wife surviving him nearly half a century and dying in Richland Center in 1896. J. G. Lamerson spent his younger days in acquiring an education and also doing a boy's work at home. On Dec. 29, 1863, he enlisted as a private in the Sixth Wisconsin Battery and drove the lead team of the fourth gun throughout the term of his enlistment, which extended until the close of the war, and he was mustered out at Madison on July 3, 1865. He saw service during this time in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Upon being mustered out he returned to Sextonville, entered the high school there and graduated, after which he engaged in teaching in the town of Sylvan, and later at Richland City and Sextonville. In 1868 he engaged in mercantile trade in the latter place, carrying a general stock and doing a thriving business until 1878, when he retired to devote his time exclusively to his farming and live stock interests. In 1890 he removed to Richland Center, which place has been his residence since that year, with the exception of the time he was in the state legislature, when he maintained a residence in Madison. He was elected in 1890 to represent Richland county in the Assembly, and being reelected in 1892 and again in 1894, he served three terms in that capacity, and he is the only member from Richland county that ever served three terms in the Assembly in succession. While a member of the legislature, during his last term, he was chairman of the committee on State affairs. Mr. Lamberson was married in December, 1872, to Miss Jennie Ward, a native of DeKalb county, Ill., and to this union there have been born four children: Mabel married Dr. B. W. Sippy, who is a lecturer in the Rush Medical college and a prominent physician in the city of Chicago; Elbert Ward is a hardware dealer in Richland Center; Lelia Maud and Laura Blanche were twins, the former of whom died on Jan. 10, 1903, and the latter is a teacher in California, being a graduate of the Chicago University. All of the children attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Mr. Lamberson is what may be called a self-made man. Starting in life with good mind and sound body as capital, he has, by perseverance and industry, accumulated considerable property, now owning over 1,500 acres of land in the county, mostly worked by tenants, and he is among the best class of business men. He early appreciated the advantage to be derived from a good education, and devoted his best efforts to the obtaining of the same, which, having been secured, he put into practical use, and his indomitable energy combined with good judgment, has mad him a successful man in all his undertakings. Courteous and affable in his manner, he is deservedly popular among his fellow-men.
    FRED P. LAWRENCE occupies an enviable position among the merchants of Richland Center, and the confines of that pleasant little city have been the scene of his honorable and successful business career. He is a native son of Richland county, having been born in the justly celebrated Bear Creek valley, in the town of Ithaca, on Mar. 4, 1860. He is the son of C. A. and Maria (Carpenter) Lawrence, the former of whom was a native of New York city, and the latter was born at Sing Sing in the same state. The mother is a descendant of Capt. John Underhill, who came to New England with Governor Winthrop in 1630, and the Lawrence family is of English descent and of old New England stock. C. A. Lawrence came to Richland county in 1855, and he followed farming in the town of Ithaca until 1867, when he removed to Richland Center and resided in that place until his demise. During his lifetime he filled several local offices. Mrs. Lawrence, the mother of the subject of this review, came to Richland county in 1856, and was one of the early school teachers, teaching a total of twenty-nine years in the county. She is now living at Richland Center at the advanced age of seventy-three years. C. A. Lawrence and wife were the parents of three children, the names of whom and other facts concerning them are as follows: Helen married F. O. Barren and resides near Richland Center; Minnie married Rev. J. C. Laughlin and resides in Pittsburg, Pa.; and Fred P. is he to whom this review is especially dedicated. The latter was reared in Richland County, attended school at Bear Creek one year, and upon moving to the county seat continued in school until fifteen years of age. In 1875 he commenced clerking in the store of A. H. Krouskop, and continued in that position for three years, after which he went into the hardware business, in the employ of Strang & Doudna, continuing with that firm about fourteen years. In 1898 he engaged in the general merchandise business for himself, in which he has continued in the same location since, and the success which he has continued in the same location since, and the success which has attended his efforts is very flattering. Mr. Lawrence was married on Feb. 16, 1882, to Miss Grace A. Chandler, daughter of D. O. Chandler, an early settler in the town of Willow and later a prominent merchant of Richland Center, and to this union there have been born two children: Almira, who married B. C. Davis and resides at the parental home. In his political affiliations Mr. Lawrence has always adhered to the Republican party, and at the present time he is serving his second term as alderman from the third ward in the common council of the city of Richland Center. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order, having attained to the Royal Arch degree, and he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias.
    GILBERT L. LAWS, of Lincoln, Nebraska, some of whose reminiscences of the early days in Richland county, are found in the historical part of this volume, was born on a farm near Olney, Richland county, Ill., Mar. 11, 1838. His parents were James Laws, born Nov. 27, 1802, near Wilmington, N. C. and Lucinda (Calhoun) Laws born Oct. 1, 1808, at Abbeyville, S. C. James Laws was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, his father being a native of Scotland and his mother of Ireland. After coming to America, Mr. Laws interested himself in the politics of his adopted country, first as a Whig and later as a Republican. In his religious faith he was a Campbellite, joining the church under the preaching of the founder of that denomination, Alexander Campbell. Mrs. Laws was also of Scotch-Irish stock, and was the daughter of Hugh Calhoun, a cousin and schoolmate of John C. Calhoun, the distinguished statesman. Mrs. Laws' mother belonged to the Johnson family of South Carolina, and she was also of the Campbellite faith and was an active and consistent Christian to the close of her life. Gilbert L. Laws received his education in the public schools, Haskall Academy of Mazomanie, Silsby Academy of Richland Center and Milton College of Milton, Rock county, and occupied his life in the varied pursuits of farming, lumbering, teaching and editorial work, and later, and for many years, was engaged in the real estate business. He also served in the Civil War, enlisting as a private in Company H, Fifth regiment of Wisconsin volunteers, Mar. 2, 1861, and took part in the engagement at Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862, where he was wounded in the left arm and also left ankle, the latter making necessary the amputation of the foot. He was discharged for disability, July 29, 1862, having been promoted during his service to the position of third sergeant. In politics, Mr. Laws is an independent Republican, and has filled many offices of public trust. He served as postmaster during his residence in Wisconsin, also chairman of village board, county clerk and chairman of county board, and since going to Nebraska, has been called to fill the following important offices: secretary of state, secretary of the state board of transportation, register of United States land office, and member of Congress, from the third district. He was married on Oct. 25, 1868, to Miss Josephine Lawrence, daughter of Isaac and Pauline (Fancher) Lawrence of Richfield, N. Y. Josephine (Lawrence) Laws was born in Patterson, Putnam county, N. Y., April 24, 1844. Her father, Isaac Lawrence, was born in Patterson, N. Y., Oct. 23, 1800, and her mother Pauline (Fancher) Lawrence, in Richfield, N. Y., Sept. 22, 1807. They came to Bear Valley, town of Ithaca, Richland county, in 1855 and located on a farm. This was Mrs. Laws' home until 1868, when she moved to Richland Center, remaining there until 1876, when she moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the family has since resided. Mrs. Laws Received her education in the district school of Bear Valley, Professor Silsby's academy at Richland Center, and at the University of Wisconsin, and, before her marriage, taught school in Bear Valley, Wyoming Valley, Richland Center and Madison. To Mr. and Mrs. Laws have been born five children, vis.: Jennie Cary, Jan. 16, 1870; Gertrude Hardenberg, Feb. 24, 1871; Theodosia Calhoun, July 27, 1873; Charter La Fayette, Oct. 29, 1875; Helen Lawrence, Sept. 22, 1886. The family is affiliated with the Congregational church. Mr. Laws is also an occasional attendant of the Unitarian church, and is a member of the following fraternal societies: Lincoln Lodge, No. 19, A. F. and A. M.; Farragut Post G. A. R.; Lodge No 80, A. O. U. W.; Layman Club, and Candle-light Club, all of Lincoln Neb.
    JAMES W. LAWTON is known as one of the leading farmers and stock-growers of his native town of Forest and is the owner of the fine homestead farm which was the place of his nativity, his birth having occurred Aug. 27, 1860. He is a scion of one of the honored pioneer families of Richland county, being a son of Isaac R. and Melissa (Southworth) Lawton, both native of Cattaraugus county, N. Y., where the former was born in 1829 and the latter in 1831. Isaac R. Lawton came to Wisconsin in an early day, with his parents and Jennie (Green) Lawton, who first located in Waukesha county, whence they came to Richland county in the early fifties, locating in Forest township, on the farm now owned by the subject of this review. Here they passed the remainder of their lives, both having been laid to rest on the old homestead. They maternal grandparents were Edward and Huldah (Stearns) Southworth, both of whom were native of the state of New York, where the latter died, Mr. Southworth having been a resident of McHenry county, Ill., at the time of his death. Isaac R. Lawton came to Richland county in 1855, in which year his marriage was solemnized, and Mar. 10, 1856, he located on a tract of 160 acres of land, in the town of Forest, and here he continued actively engaged in agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his active career, his death occurring April 26, 1903. His wife still survives, as do three of their four children. In politics Isaac R. Lawton was a stanch Republican and he served a number of years as justice of the peace. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Republic, and his proclivities in church matters were liberal. In 1864 he enlisted in the Forty-sixth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he served about five months, when he received his honorable discharge, on account of physical disability. Seven of his brothers were likewise soldiers in the Civil War, and all of them survived the great internecine conflict, the greater number having been in service during the entire course of the war. The subject of this sketch was reared to manhood under the sturdy discipline of the homestead farm and is indebted to the public schools of the locality and period for his early educational training. He has never severed his allegiance to the vocation to which he was reared, and is now the owner of a finely improved landed estate of 200 acres, devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade live stock, including Holstein cattle. He also makes a specialty of raising fine poultry and is a successful apiarist. His political influences and franchise are exercised in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and he has been called upon to serve in various public offices of local trust and responsibility. He has been treasurer and constable of his townhsip and represented the same on the county board of supervisors, having been chairman of the town board for one term. He is affiliated with the Lafarge Camp, No. 5168, Modern Woodmen of America, and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his wife are liberal in their religious thought and are prominent in the social life of the community. In 1883 Mr. Lawton was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Saubert, who was born in Vernon county, this state, Nov. 13, 1864, being a daughter of Carl and Christina (Glassel) Saubert, who took up their residence in that county in 1855. Mr. Saubert became a successful farmer and continued to reside in Vernon county until his death, in 1895, at the age of eighty-three years. His widow is now eighty-two years of age. OF their seven children five are living. Mr. and Mrs. Lawton have two sons: Alva Ray, who was born May 30, 1884, completed the curriculum of the public schools and was thereafter graduated in the agricultural department of the University of Wisconsin, being now a successful farmer in his home township. June 15, 1906, he was united in marriage to Vesta Greenwood, a native of Sauk county, Wis., daughter of Robert and Evaline (Miller) Greenwood, honored pioneers of Wisconsin. Jay W., who was born Mar. 7, 1891, is a member of the class of 1907 in the high school at Lafarge.
    WALLACE A. LAWTON is a worthy representative of one of the well known pioneer families of Richland county and is now the owner of a well improved farm in Orion township. He was born on the parental homestead, near Viola, Forest township, this county, Sept. 26, 1858, and is a son of Richard and Melissa (Southworth) Lawton, both natives of the state of New York, where the former was born in 1829 and the latter May 31, 1831. Of their three children the subject of this sketch is the eldest; James Walden resides on the old homestead in Forest township; and Carrie May is the wife of Thaddeus Huffman, residing near Rock Bridge, this county. Richard Lawton was sixteen years of age at the time of accompanying his parent on their removal to Wisconsin, about 1845, and the family first settled near Waukesha, where he was reared to manhood, there remaining until about 1855, when he came to Richland county, and passed the greater portion of the first year at Kickapoo Center, after which he located on a tract of wild land north of Viola, Forest township, where he developed the farm which ever afterward continued his home, his death occurring in April, 1903. His widow still remains on the homestead and is held in the same high regard in the community as was her honored husband, who endured his full quota of the trials and vicissitudes which fall to the lot of the pioneer. Wallace A. Lawton passed his boyhood days on the farm, early beginning to aid in its work and securing his rudimentary education in the district school, after which he completed a course and was graduated in the high school at Richland Center. He supplemented this discipline by a thorough course in the Brown and Holland Business College in the city of Chicago, in 1883, becoming an expert stenographer. After leaving this institution he was employed as a stenographer about eleven years, principally in the office of the Winona Wagon Works, at Winona, Minn., and he then returned to his native county and purchased his present farm of 113 acres, in the town of Orion, the place having substantial improvements and being under effective cultivation. Mr. Lawton devotes his attention more particularly to the raising of poultry and fruit, but utilizes his land to good advantage in the propagation of the various products best suited to the soil and climate. He has achieved success through his personal efforts and is a progressive and able business man. That he commands the esteem and confidence of the community is evident from the fact that he has held various local offices of trust, having served seven terms as township clerk and eight years as treasurer of his school district, showing at all times a lively concern in all that touches the general welfare of his native county. He is a Republican in his political allegiance and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. On Jan. 1, 1880, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Lawton and Miss Elizabeth B. Reed, who was born and reared in this township, being a daughter of George W. and Sarah (McCulloch) Reed, honored pioneers of Orion. Mr. and Mrs. Lawton have five children: Burke R. is a student at Lawrence University, Appleton, this state; Georgia M. is the wife of Harry Ghastin and they reside on the home farm of her father, having two children,-Harold Leslie and Ruth Mildred; Leslie I., third child of Mr. and Mrs. Lawton, is attending a college at Berrien Springs, Michigan; and Alice Helen and Dorothy M. are the younger members of the attractive home circle.
    HENRY WEBSTER LEATHERBERRY has passed his entire life in Richland county and is one of the popular and successful business men of Hub City, where he has a well equipped general store. He was born in Henrietta township Nov. 1, 1864, being a son of Thomas Jefferson Leatherberry, who was born in the dominion of Canada. Thomas J. Leatherberry came to Richland county in 1852, in company with his parents, and they first settled on Fancy creek, in the town of Marshall, and later on Pine River, town of Henrietta, securing a tract of heavily timbered land, in section 8 and 9. The parents there passed the remainder of their lives, having lived up to the full tension of the pioneer days and having been honored citizens of the county. Of their children, Thomas J. is the eldest; Peter is a resident of Richland Center; Elizabeth lives at Lafarge, Vernon county; Margaret resides in the town of Sylvan, Richland county; Lucinda resides in Vernon county; Hudson and William are residents of Ladysmith, Rusk county; and Daniel resided in Juneau county. Thomas J. Letherberry aided in reclaiming the home farm and remained at home and cared for his parents in their declining days. His first purchase of land was that of a tract of forty acres on Pine river, in the town of Henrietta, and he developed the same into a good farm. He finally traded the property for 160 acres in sections 14 and 15, same township. A small clearing had been made on the place and a log house and stable had been erected. He reclaimed 100 acres to cultivation and made the best of improvements on the place, which continued to be his home until the autumn of 1905, when he sold the property and located in Hub City, where he is now living retired, his devoted wife having been summoned to the life eternal in December, 1899. He is a Republican in politics and served as a member of the town board and held other local offices. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is one of the well known and highly esteemed pioneers of the county, in whose civic and industrial development he has been intimately concerned. Concerning the eight children of Thomas J. and Maria Leatherberry the following brief data are entered: Leroy, who is a machinist by trade, is now a commercial traveler, maintaining his home in Houston, Tex.; George is deceased; Henry W. is the immediate subject of this sketch; Joshua is a successful farmer of the town of Henrietta; Etta resides at Lafarge, Vernon county; Josie is a resident of Bloom City; Grant resides in West Lima; and Lillie is a resident of Clark county. Henry W. Leatherberry was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and was afforded the advantages of the local schools. He remained at the parental home until his marriage, in 1892, when he located in Richland Centre, where he remained two years. In 1895 he took up his residence and machinery business and finally opened a general store, which he has since conducted most successfully, having erected the commodious building utilized for the accommodation of the enterprise. He formerly owned the farm which his grandfather purchased from the government, but he never lived on the place, of which he eventually disposed. He is now the owner of a well improved farm of fifty acres, in the town of Rockbridge. Mr. Leatherberry is a stanch supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party and he has served as postmaster of Hub City since 1897. He is recognized as one of the progressive business men and public-spirited citizens of his native county and is held in unqualified esteem by all who know him. In March, 1892, Mr. Leatherberry was united in marriage to Miss Della Clark, of Richland Center. She is a daughter of John and Melissa (McMann) Clark, who were born in Ohio and who were early settlers of Richland county, having located near Bloom City, Mr. and Mrs. Leatherberry have three children,-Albert F., born Jan. 21, 1895; John Clarence, born Dec. 20, 1901; and an infant, born May 20, 1906.
    MAURICE H. LIEK was born at Elgin, Ill., Aug. 26, 1856. His parents, Jacob W. and Sallie J. (Mills) Like, were native of New York, the former born Sept. 26, 1819, and the latter Apr. 17, 1822. They were married in Pine Hill, Onondaga county, N. Y., Feb. 10, 1851, and came to Madison, Wis., about 1856, where they lived four years and then located in Richland Center, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Liek died Dec. 3, 1895 and her husband Aug. 1, 1900. He was a tailor by trade and while in Madison served as a private in company H, Tenth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, in 1861, and served for three years and three months. Mr. Maurice H. Liek was reared in Richland Center, and was employed by the C. M. & St. P. R'y Co. for twenty years. In 1901 he returned to Richland county and purchased a farm of 190 acres, which he has since run, principally for stock raising and dairying. He belongs to the Democratic party, was path-master for three years and was elected assessor of Dayton township in 1906. He married, Apr. 3, 1882, Miss Jennie Bean, who was born in St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 16, 1861. They have three children, viz.: Harry, born May 22, 1884, who was educated at the Richland Center high school, and is a farmer, having spent five years on a cattle ranch in Montana; John W., born Sept. 6, 1887, educated at Richland high school; Kittie, Joseph and Jennie. Mr. Bean died in 1861, in St. Louis where he had been employed on the police force for years. On the breaking out of the Civil War that city was a center of contending forces, and Mrs. Bean removed her little family in May, 1862, to Richland county, Wis., and located on a farm at the head of Brush Creek, in Dayton township, where she remained until 1888, since which time she has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Liek.
    ABRAHAM LINCOLN is one of the progressive farmers of Ithaca township, where he is also identified with the manufacturing of cheese, and he is one of the native sons of the Badger State who has attained to success and independence through well directed effort. Mr. Lincoln was born Blooming Grove township, Dane county, Wis., Oct. 19, 1860, and is a son of Levi J. and Fannie E. Lincoln, both native of Windham county, Conn., where their marriage was solemnized Aug. 22, 1852. The father was born Mar. 4, 1830, and his death occurred July 27, 1877. The mother was born Nov. 3, 1829, and her death occurred Sept. 13, 1889. They came to Wisconsin as pioneers of 1856, settling in Blooming Grove township, Dane county, where the father instituted the reclamation of a tract of a wild land, developing his farm and remaining there located until 1865, when he sold the property and removed to Ithaca township, Richland county, where he secured a farm and where he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, the estate having comprised 200 acres at the time of the father's death. These sterling pioneers became the parents of five children, whose names with respective dates of birth, are as follows: Oscar B., Aug. 31, 1854; Cora L., March, 1859; Abraham, Oct. 19, 1860; Edward L., Mar. 29, 1867 (died Mar. 9, 1871); and Pearl L., August, 1870. Levi J. Lincoln was a man of superior intellectuality and in his earlier life was a successful school teacher. He was held in unqualified esteem by all who knew him and his name merits a place of honor upon the roster of pioneers in both Dane and Richland counties. The subject of this sketch was fiver years of age at the time when his parents took up their residence in Ithaca township, where he was reared to maturity on the homestead farm, which he now owns and which is his place of residence. He was afforded the advantages of the district schools and also attended the high school at Sextonville for one year. He has been continuously identified with the great basic art of agriculture from his boyhood to the present time and has gained prestige as one of the successful farmers, stock-growers and cheese manufacturers of the county which has so long represented his home and in which his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. His political support is given to the cause of the Prohibition party, and he served three years as chairman of the township board. He and his wife are zealous and valued members of the Congregational church. January 17, 1897, Mr. Lincoln was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Anna Annear, daughter of John and Sarah A. (Lucas) Annear, whose marriage was celebrated in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, whence they removed to Richland county, Wis., in an early day, the father having been born in Yorkshire, England. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln have on child, Cora Oletha, born Jan. 10, 1898.
    SIMON B. LOOMIS is one of the venerable and honored pioneers of Richland county and is now living retired from active labor, on his attractive homestead farm, in the town of Buena Vista, being remarkably well preserved in both mental and physical powers and being favored in that he is surrounded by a circle of loyal and appreciative friends, so that his lines are "cast in pleasant places" as the grateful shadows of his life begin to lengthen from the crimson west, where the "sunset gates are open wide." He is a man of distinctive intellectuality and his life has been marked by conscientiousness and independence, so that it has counted for good in all its relations. Mr. Loomis was born in Herkimer county, New York, Sept. 18, 1823, and is a son of Chester and Tabitha (Ellis) Loomis, the former of whom was a son of Simon Loomis, a patriot soldier in the Continental line during the Revolutionary War. The parents of the subject of this sketch were both natives of Connecticut, whence they removed to Herkimer county, N. Y., in 1812. In the old Empire State the father became a successful farmer and there he died at the age of seventy years, his devoted wife attaining to the age of eighty-seven years. Of their eight children the subject of this review is the eldest; two sons and two daughters are living. The names of the children are here entered in order of birth: Simon B., Rosanna, James, Emily, Chester, Rodney, Daniel, and Julia. Simon B. Lewis was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and his early scholastic privileges were those afforded in the little pioneer school house near his home, in Herkimer county, where he was reared to maturity. That he made good use of his educational opportunities is indicated by the fact that at the age of seventeen years he engaged in teaching school, being successful in his pedagogic labors and continuing his own studies with much fervor. When but nineteen years of age he was ordained a minister in the Methodist Protestant church, thereupon turning his attention to active work in the church. When his superiors in the denomination instructed him not to talk upon the subject of temperance at his Sunday meeting and to avoid the discussion of the slavery question, he showed his independence and his loyalty to his convictions by withdrawing from that communion and uniting with the Wesleyan Methodist church, in which he was a minister from 1845 until 1850, in which latter year his liberal views and tolerant spirit led him to become independent of the restrictions of established churches and creeds and to continue his labors in behalf of mankind in an individual way. For seventeen years he was an independent preacher of Litchfield, N. Y. In 1864 he brought about the establishment of a newspaper at Ilion, that state, designating the same "The Loyal Citizen" and making the paper a stalwart supporter of the Union cause. The paper is still in existence and is known as the Ilion Citizen. He continued editor and publisher of this journal until 1867, when he came to Richland county, Wisconsin, and purchased four hundred acres of land, in Buena Vista township, where he has since maintained his residence, having sold all but 160 acres, which he retains as his homestead. He reclaimed a large portion of his land from the wild state and his place at the present time is one of the valuable farms of the county. He has lived essentially retired for a number of years past but is still called upon frequently to officiate in a ministerial way, having been formerly the regular preacher in the Bear Creek church. In politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Prohibition party. In 1845 Mr. Loomis was united in marriage to Miss Christy A. White, a daughter of Gregory and Charlotte (Lovelace) White, who passed their entire lives in the state of New York. Mrs. Loomis died Sept. 5, 1887, at the age of sixty-six years. They became the parents of the following named children: Charlotte V., wife of Charles Layton, of St. Paul, Minn.; George, a resident of California; Irving, of Richland Center; Vernor, a resident of Kilbourn, Columbia county, Wis.; and Carl, of St. Paul. May 24, 1903, Mr. Loomis contracted a second marriage, being then united to Miss Rachel Buffington, who was born in Westchester, Penn., Sept. 12, 1846. Their pleasant home is a center of gracious and refined hospitality and they are held in unqualified esteem and affection in the community.
    NICHOLAS LOUIS occupies a position of prominence as one of the sterling citizens and successful farmers of Ithaca township. He was born in the historic old town of Bingen on the Rhine, Germany, Apr. 22, 1832. His father, Peter Louis, was born near the same town Mar. 10, 1800, and the mother whose maiden name was Anna Elizabeth Drickwart, was likewise born in the same locality. The family came to America in 1840, landing in New York city on the 3d of July and thence proceeding to Fairfield county, O., where they remained fourteen years, the father having there followed the cooper's trade. In 1854 he came to Wisconsin and became one of the pioneers of Richland county, settling east of Richland City, where he conducted a cooper shop for the ensuing three years. He passed the closing years of his life in the home of his son-in-law, Anthony Rick, where he died Dec. 31, 1869, being buried in the cemetery of St. Luke's Catholic church, in Franklin, Sauk county. His wife was born in 1793 and their marriage was solemnized in 1827. She died Oct. 20, 1852, and was laid to rest at Lancaster, O. The three children of this union were all born in Germany. Catherine, who was born in March, 1830, died in July, 1896, at Newton, Ia. She first married George Shockley, to whom she bore four children, and after his death she became the wife of Daniel Durch, four children being born of this union also. The subject of this sketch was the next in order of birth. Anna Elizabeth, who was born in 1834, died in 1877, having been the wife of Anthony Rick, who died in 1903, both being buried in St. Luke's cemetery, at Franklin, Sauk county. They had one child. Peter Louis, father of these three children, served three years in the Prussian army, and thereafter was identified with the vineyard industry of Rhenish Prussia until his immigration to America, as already noted. Nicholas Louis, whose name introduces this article, secured his first three years of schooling in his native land and thereafter continued his studies in the schools of Ohio, where he was reared to maturity. He made good use of his opportunities, has been an appreciative reader of good literature and speaks , both the German and English with much fluency. He accompanied his father on the removal to Wisconsin and is thus worthy of consideration as one of the pioneers of Richland county. He secured his present farm, in Ithaca township, in 1879, the place comprising fifty-two acres, most eligibly located, in section 15. The house is most attractively and picturesquely situated between two large hills, and the permanent improvements on the place are of substantial and attractive order. Mr. Louis has done much work as a carpenter, and he drew the plans for the Catholic church and parish school at Keyesville, superintending the erection of both buildings and being a communicant of that church. In politics he is an independent Democrat and he has held various offices of local trust. He served five successive years as a member of the board of supervisors of his county, was justice of the peace one term and has also been a valued member of the school board of his district. July 11, 1857, Mr. Louis was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Weidenfeldt, who was born near Cologne, Germany, Mar. 25, 1836, being a daughter of Rinar and Clara (Spelter) Weidenfeldt, the former of whom was born in 1792 and died in 1880, and the latter of whom was born in 1801 and died in 1858. They were numbered among the pioneers of Wisconsin, having come to America in 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Louis became the parents of seven children, concerning whom the following data are entered: Clara, born Apr. 11, 1858, first married Frederick Deidenhaff, of this county, and they became the parents of nine children, all of whom are living: after the death of her first husband she married, in 1904, Christ B. Beaver and they reside in Rockbridge township; John, who was born Aug. 19, 1859, married Catherine Kocham, and they have five children; Elizabeth, born Oct. 14, 1862, is the wife of Henry Nusbaum and they have six children; Peter, who was born Sept. 26, 1864, and who is a successful farmer of Ithaca township, married Delilah Beaver and they have six children; Anna Maria, born July 3, 1869, is the wife of Joseph Brier and they have one child; Albert, who was born May 16, 1872, married Agnes Schauf and they have two children; and Paul, born Aug. 29, 1877, remains at the parental home and is associated with his father in the work of the farm. Mr. Louis has in his possession two prized heirlooms, one being a large and beautifully designed and finished linen napkin which was made by his mother in 1810, the flax having been prepared and spun and the napkin woven by her. The other heirloom is a cherry cane with a bone top, the same having been presented by a Mr. Hoffman to an uncle of Mrs. Louis' father. Mr. Hoffman was a fine mechanic and was engaged in the erection of church altars in the city of Paris just prior to the French Revolution and the cane was manufactured by him in 1792 while in France. The same was given to Mr. Louis by his father-in-law at the time of the latter's death, in 1880.
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