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TAYLOR McCLARY is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Richland county, where practically his entire life has been passed, though he is a native of the Hoosier State, and he is one of the prominent and successful farmers and stock-growers of Eagle township. Mr. McClary was born in Boone county, Ind., Apr. 7, 1852, and is a son of Thomas and Susan (Kyte) McClary, the former of whom was born in Tennessee and the latter in Ohio. They came to Richland county, Wis., in 1853, when the subject of this sketch was about a year old, and here the father secured 16o acres of wild land, in Eagle township, where he reclaimed a farm in the midst of the native forest; both he and his wife remained on this homestead until their death. In politics he was a Republican and his wife was a member of the United Brethren church. They became the parents of six children, of whom four are living. Taylor McClary was reared on the home farm and was afforded such educational advantages as the common schools of the pioneer days offered. He has continued to be identified with the great basic industry of agriculture from his youth to the present and in the connection has worked his way to pronounced and gratifying success, being now the owner of a well improved farm of 180 acres, the greater portion of which he personally assisted in reclaiming from the forest, having made all the improvements in the way of buildings, which are of substantial and attractive order. His farm is eligibly located about four miles distant from the thriving village of Muscoda, which is just across the Wisconsin river, in Grant county. In politics Mr. McClary is a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Republican party and he and his wife attend and contribute to the support of the Union church at Basswood. Mr. McClary was united in marriage to Miss Julia E. Slater, who was born and reared in Eagle township, where her parents, George and Rebecca (Beard) Slater, were early settlers, here remaining until their death. Mr. Slater was born in Maryland and his wife in Virginia, and they were married in Indiana, whence they came to Richland county in 1851, locating in Eagle township, where he died in 1862, his wife long surviving him and being summoned to the life eternal July 5, 1880. Of their eight children six are living. He was a Republican in politics, having joined the party at the time of its organization, and both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. and Mrs. McClary have four children, Dora, Thomas A., Ethel and Wilbur. The daughters are married and their respective husbands are successful farmers of this county; , and the sons also own good farms in the same county.
ASA McCOLLUM was the first doctor at Sextonville. He was born in that part of the Northwest Territory, where is now the town of Windsor, Morgan county, O. His father was born in Scotland and brought to America by his parents when five years old, they settling in North Carolina, where he grew to manhood. He was a stirring patriot of that day and enlisted during the Revolutionary War in the American army, was taken prisoner by the English forces and sent to Nova Scotia, where he remained for some time. After he was liberated he was married to Lucy Fordyce, a native of Massachusetts, whose parents were loyal to the crown, and during the war had emigrated to Nova Scotia. After his marriage he returned to the states and immediately started for the Northwest Territory. At that time there was considerable trouble with the Indians and he and his wife consequently stopped at. Redstone, now Brownsville, east of the Alleghenies, three or four years, until the Indian difficulties were in a measure settled, and the red men were for a time more peaceable, and Mr. McCollum and wife then moved on and settled in the Northwest Territory as before stated. Asa McCollum made his home with his parents until eleven years old, when his father proposed to give him his time summers, and he could attend school winters, to which he agreed. He remained in that section of the country until eighteen years old, then joined an older brother in Illinois and engaged with him in surveying and farming three years, when his brother built a tavern in Vandalia. Asa continued to live with his brother one year longer and then returned to Ohio and engaged with another brother in a cabinet manufactory. They carried on that business there three years, when Asa sold out and went to Massachusetts, locating in Worcester county, where he commenced to work as a carpenter and joiner, and later as contractor and builder. There his health failed, and going to Boston he entered an infirmary, where he was located during the cholera epidemic. As soon as lie was able he was employed as an assistant, and there he commenced the study of medicine, not theoretically under an M. D., but practically amid actual surroundings, which gave him very valuable experience. He returned to Leicester, Worcester county, and soon thereafter a child in the neighborhood was stricken with that dreadful disease, cholera, and he was called upon to prescribe. This was his first case and in it he was successful. He soon afterward erected a large building, opened an infirmary, and there continued the practice of medicine until 1848, when lie came to Wisconsin and located at Fayette, in Lafayette county, practicing medicine there until 1851, when he came to Richland county and purchased land adjoining the village plat of Sextonville, and immediately commenced the practice of his chosen profession. In 1858 he purchased a drug-store and subsequently followed that business, being at the time of his death the oldest druggist in the state. Asa McCollum was born on Oct. 10, 1801, and died on Dec. 2, I891. He was married in 1828 to Miss Hadassap Kingsbury, who was born in that part of Oxford, now known as Webster, Worcester county, Mass., Sept. 10, 1802, and she died Mar. 23, 1897. They became the parents of six children: Lucy married Spencer Ellsworth and resides at Lacon, Ill.; Lauraine married Charles Shellenger; Van Buren, born June 7, 1835, died June 7, 1899, and is buried at Duncan's Mills, Cal.; Curtis; Julien Lee Roy, and Lewis Cass. As a physician, Asa McCollum belonged to the reformed botanical school. Politically he adhered to Democracy as it was before the days of the Civil War, but he never voted for a president after Buchanan, and was not in sympathy with the Democratic organization as it existed in postbellum days. Hon. Julien Lee Roy McCollum, son of Asa and Hadassap (Kingsbury) McCollum, was born in the town of Leicester, Worcester county, Mass., Jan. 4., 1842. He was but six years old when his parents emigrated to Wisconsin, and nine years old when they came to Richland county. Soon after their arrival here he went to Wiota, Lafayette county, to live with a brother-in-law, who was engaged in mercantile trade, and a short time thereafter accompanied the latter to Elkader, Ia. In both of these places he attended the public schools and assisted his brother-in-law in the store, and later attended Bryant & Stratton's business college in Chicago, from which institution he graduated and received a diploma. The instruction thus received was afterward supplemented by a course of study in the Sextonville high school, of which he was among the first graduates. When twenty-one- years old he engaged in the mercantile trade in company with A. H. Krouskop, near the mill in the town of Ithaca. In 1865 he went to; Lone Rock, where he followed the same business and dealt in live stock quite extensively. In 1877 he settled on his present farm, located in the Pine river valley, on section 12, town 9, range 1 east, now included in the town of Buena Vista. This is one of the model farms of the county, is under a high state of cultivation, and has upon it excellent improvements. For years Mr. McCollum was engaged in raising grain and stock and in dealing in live stock and railroad, ties. He was married in 1864 to Eliza, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (McCloud) Krouskop, and three children have blessed that union - Charles L., Dock C. and Elmer E. Mr. McCollum is a prominent man among the best class of Richland county citizens, and was elected to the assembly in 1875 and 1876, serving the people faithfully. He was also a delegate from his congressional district in the Democratic national convention of 1884. Elmer E. McCollum, the youngest son of Hon. J. L. R. McCollum, was born near the gristmill in the town of Buena Vista, Richland county, Wis., on Apr. 26, 1870. He was reared at the place of his birth and was educated in the Sextonville high school, after which he took a course in the Northern Indiana Normal at Valparaiso, Ind. He commenced his independent career in 1889 by purchasing his brother's interest in the mercantile business that was being conducted under the firm name of J. L. McCollum & Co., and in 1903 he purchased his father's interest in the same, thus becoming the sole proprietor. He has the only store in the village of Twin Bluffs, and carries a general line of merchandise, suitable to the community, and also buys produce, railroad ties, etc. For the past sixteen years he has served as postmaster at Twin Bluffs. Mr. McCollum was married on May 20, 1896, to Miss Lela Pease, a daughter of Dexter Pease, a prominent citizen of Richland Center, and to this union there has been born one child- Everett Elmer, born in 1901. Mr. McCollum is a member of the Masonic lodge at Richland Center, the Modern Woodmen of America at Twin Bluffs, and the I. O. O. F. at Sextonville.
WILLIAM S. McCORKLE, who will ,soon enter upon his second term as county judge of Richland county, having been re-elected. to that position in the spring of 1906 without opposition, is a native son of the county, having been born near Sextonville on Jan. 1, 1866. His father, Joseph C. McCorkle, who now resides in the town of Ithaca, near the station called Twin Bluffs, is a native of the state of New York, born in the town of Southampton, Suffolk county, L. I., Sept. 7, 1834, and there his younger days were spent. The McCorkle family are of Scotch-Irish descent and was founded in this country about three generations back. , probably about the year 1800. When eighteen years old Joseph C. McCorkle started on a whaling voyage, and also made a second trip of the same nature, being absent from home thirty-three months each time. He migrated to Richland county in 1862, and purchased a farm on section 6, town 9, range 2 east. Four years later he purchased timber land on section 12 of town 9, range 1 east, now included in the town of Orion, erected a small frame house and immediately commenced clearing a farm. He is now the owner of one of the choice farms of the county. He was married on May 14, 1862, to Letitia, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (McCloud) Krouskop, and the subject of this review is one of five children born of this union, the names and other facts concerning whom are as follows: Carrie B., the eldest, resides at home with her parents; William S. is the one to whom this review is dedicated; Jacob C. resides at home; Samuel C. is a practicing physician at West Allis, Wis.; and George K. is a book-keeper at Lake Nebagamon, Wis.; William S. McCorkle was reared on the farm near Twin Bluffs and received his education in the Sextonville high school, where he was graduated with the class of 1882. Two years later he entered the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and after four years spent in that noted institution of learning was graduated in 1888 with the degree of L. L. B. In the fall of the same year he engaged in the practice of the legal profession at Richland Center, first forming a partnership with T. J. Brooks, of Boscobel, under the firm name of Brooks & McCorkle, the partnership being continued until the death of Mr. Brooks. Mr. McCorkle then continued the practice of law alone, taking a high rank among his compeers and gathering to his support a large clientele. In the spring of 1901, in response to the request of friends in different parts of the county he consented to become a candidate for the position of county judge, and at the ensuing election he was chosen for the office over three worthy competitors. His incumbency in the position and the judicial fairness which he exercised in disposing of the different matters brought to him for adjudication met with such unanimous approval that, when the time arrived for the election of a successor, in April; 1906, there were no other candidates in the field and he was chosen to succeed himself without opposition. Judge McCorkle was married, Oct. 15, 1901 to Miss Edna E. Smith, of Amherst, Wis., and of this union there has been born one child, William S. McCorkle, Jr. In his political affiliations the judge is an adherent to the time honored principles of the Democratic party and for years has been one of the trusted leaders and tireless workers in that political organization in southwestern Wisconsin. Fraternally he has member ship in the order of Knights of Pythias and also in Mystic Workers.
JOHN B. McILHATTAN has passed practically his entire life in Richland county and by personal effort has advanced to a position as one of the extensive farmers and stock-growers of this section of the state, his fine farm property being located in Eagle township. He was born in Huntingdon county, Penn., Oct. 24, 1850, and is a son of James and Catherine (Bobb) McIlhattan, both likewise native of the old Keystone State, where the former was born in 1819 and the latter in 1823. They continued to reside in Pennsylvania until 1856, when they came to Richland county, Wis., and settled in Orion township, where the father instituted the reclamation of his pioneer farm, and where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1864. His wife long survived him, passing the closing years of her life in the home of the subject of this sketch, in the town of Eagle, where she died in 1903, at the venerable age of seventy-seven years. Of the seven children four are living. In politics the father was originally a Whig and later a Republican, and both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. John E. McIlhattan was six years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Wisconsin, and he was reared on the home farm, his educational advantages being limited to a somewhat desultory attendance in the district schools. He has effectually made good this handicap, however, having read widely and discriminatingly and being a man of broad general information arid marked business ability. As a young man he located in Eagle township, where lie bought twenty acres of improved land. As his resources increased he made further judicious investments in land, now having a finely improved estate of 231 acres, the greater portion of which is under cultivation. He has erected attractive and substantial buildings. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, having a good herd of dairy cattle and making a specialty of raising high-grade swine. Though a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Republican party he has never been a seeker of official preferment. He is affiliated with Muscoda Lodge No. 70, Free and Accepted Masons. In 1873 Mr. McIlhattan was united in marriage to Miss Emma Hessler, who was born in Eagle township, in 1855 being a daughter of Thomas and Delilah (Alling) Hessler. They have no children.
THOMAS C. McILHATTAN is recognized as a representative farmer and stock-raiser of the town of Eagle, where he has a fine landed estate of 389 acres. He was born in Huntingdon county, Penn., May 23, 1855, and is a son of James McIlhattan, of whom specific mention is made in the sketch of the life of an elder son, John B., appearing in this work. In 1856 when the subject of this sketch was an infant, his parents came from Pennsylvania to Richland county, settling on a farm of forty acres, in Orion township, where Thomas C. was reared to maturity under the wholesome and invigorating influences of the pioneer farm, in whose work he early began to lend assistance. In the meanwhile he prosecuted his studies in the district schools, gaining a good practical education. He has continued to be identified with the agricultural industry, through the medium of which he has attained marked success and independence. In 1883 he located in Eagle township, and in 1891 he here purchased a farm of 120 acres, later selling forty acres of the tract and buying another 120 acres. In February, 1905, he added to the area of his farm by the purchase of 190 acres, selling one acre from the same, so that his landed possessions now aggregate 389 acres, as already stated in this article. In addition to diversified farming Mr. McIlhattan is a successful breeder of Durham cattle, Shropshire sheep and Poland-China swine. He is progressive and enterprising in his farming operations and as a citizen is loyal and public-spirited, though he has never sought or desired the honors or emoluments of public office. In politics he is a stanch Republican. Jan. 3, 1883, Mr. McIlhattan was united in marriage to Miss Mary Belle Manning, who was born on the farm now owned by her husband, Apr. 17, 1859, being a daughter of Erasmus D. and Elizabeth (Shauger) Manning, the former of whom was born in New York and the latter in New Jersey. Mr. Manning's father, Joshua Manning, passed the closing years of his life in New York state, and the mother later joined her son Erasmus in Sheboygan county, Wis., accompanying him later to Richland county and dying on the old homestead, in Eagle township, May 1, 1880. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. McIlhattan were William and Sarah (Lyon) Shauger, both native of New Jersey. They came to Sheboygan county, Wis., in 1849. Mr. Shauger was a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church and he continued to reside in Sheboygan county until his death, which occurred Oct. 18, 1885, at which time he was eighty-seven years of age. His wife died near Appleton, this state, in 1901. Erasmus D. Manning removed from Sheboygan county to Richland county in 1857, and in the following year he purchased a farm of seventy acres in Eagle township, - the tract being a portion of the farm now owned and occupied by the subject of this review. He was the owner of 190 acres at the time of his death, which occurred in 1897. He was a Democrat in politics, and served several terms as chairman of the town board, also having held the office of township clerk. His widow still survives him, as do also four of their five children. Mr. and Mrs. McIlhattan have three children. Harry L., who was born Oct. 18, 1883, completed a course in the normal training school at Richland Center and is a successful and popular teacher; Verna M., who was born Aug. 22, 1885, was likewise educated in the high school and training school at Richland Center and has been a successful teacher since completing her school work; William R., the youngest of the children, was born Dec. 31, 1895.
JAMES L. McKEE, who at present is one of the leading fire insurance agents of Richland Center, is numbered among the pioneers of 1854, having arrived in April of that year at Richland City. He was born in Beaver county, Penn., Sept. 3, 1829, and is the son of Thomas W. and Emily (Potter) McKee. The father was a native of County Down, Ireland, and came with his parents to America when he was six years of age. In following the ancestral line back we find that the name of the grandfather of our subject was James McKee, who was the son of John McKee, and the latter was the son of James McKee, of Tully West, who lived to the age of 120 years and was the great-great-grandfather of him whose name introduces this review. James McKee, the grandfather of our subject, migrated to America with his family in 1812 and settled on the farm in Beaver county, Penn., upon which our subject was born. The immediate locality was known as "Clifton Valley," and it was situated in Hopewell township. Thomas W. McKee, the father of James L., was a farmer by occupation and spent his entire life, after coming to America, in Beaver county, Penn., dying there in 1878 at the age of seventy-three years. The maiden name of the mother of our subject, as stated above, was Emily Potter, and she was born in Venango county, Penn., the daughter of James Potter, a native of Allegheny county in the same state. The latter followed farming principally during life, and was a man of considerable note in the locality in which he resided, serving as a Presidential elector at one of the earlier national elections. Mrs. McKee, the mother of our subject, died in 1874, at the age of sixty-six years, having become the mother of eleven children, of whom the following information is given: James L., who is the immediate subject of this review, and a sister, Mary, were twins, the latter becoming the wife of David Reed and now residing in Independence township, Beaver County, Penn.; Robert died while in early manhood; John died in childhood; John C. died in 1856, while a young man; Eliza married John T. Shannon and resides in Beaver county, Penn.; Margaret Potter (deceased) married George Matteson, and after the death of the latter was united in marriage to Daniel Hewett; Cyrus resides in Beaver county, Penn.; William is deceased; Emma married John McCormick, - who is now deceased, - and resides in Beaver Falls, Penn.; Thomas died in childhood. James L. McKee was reared on the Pennsylvania homestead and resided in his native state until he came to Wisconsin. He maintained his home under the parental roof until he reached the age of twenty-two years, receiving his education in the public schools of that day, which, compared with the educational system now in vogue, were decidedly crude. He taught four terms of school in Pennsylvania, and on Feb. 28, 1854, he came to Wisconsin, landing at Mineral Point, where he shouldered his carpet sack and walked to Helena, thirty-two miles distant, there working for a farmer a short time, but was compelled to desist on account of illness. He later settled at the present site of Gotham, being then an unmarried man, and he worked the first season on a farm for fourteen dollars per month. The following winter he taught school for twenty-five dollars per month, and in the summer of 1855 was married to Miss Mary B. Simons, a daughter of Col. Royal D. Simons, after which he returned to Pennsylvania for a visit. Upon his return to Richland county he located at Orion, where he worked in a store until Feb. 23, 1856, when he came to Richland Center, and has resided here ever since. In 1857 he engaged in a general mercantile business with J. W. Lybrand, under the firm name of Lybrand & McKee, and in the same year was elected school superintendent of the town of Richland, serving in that capacity one term. In 1859 he disposed of his interest in the mercantile business, and in November, 1860, was elected clerk of court of Richland county, in which position he served a term of two years. In November, 1862, he was elected county treasurer, and after serving one term in that capacity, in 1865 he again established a general mercantile business in Richland Center and continued the same until 1879, when he closed out to A. B. Weigley and for a few years lived a retired life. A life of inactivity, however, was not in accord with his energetic nature, so in 1885 he engaged in the insurance business, with W. C. S. Barron as a partner, and that association continued until the death of the latter, two years later, since which time Mr. McKee has carried on the business alone. The subject of this review has always taken a deep interest in educational matters and has filled the position of school director for thirty years, devoting the best of his ability to the duties thereof, and besides he has filled various other legal offices. Mary B. Simons, to whom he was married on June 21, 1855, was a native of Knox county, O., and her parents passed their lives in that county. She died Dec. 13, 1861, leaving no children, and on Nov. 19, 1863, Mr. McKee was married to Mrs. Kate Casebeer, nee Layden. Four children were born of this union, only one of whom is living. Molly and Emma, the two elder children, died in babyhood, Frank William is a practicing physician in Richland Center, and one died in infancy, unnamed. Mr. McKee cast his first ballot for John C. Fremont for president, and he has maintained an unswerving allegiance to the men and measures of the Republican party during all the years of its existence, he having signed a call for the meeting at which the party was organized in Beaver county, Penn., in 1854. Fraternally, our subject is a member of the Richland Center Lodge, No. 66, Free and Accepted Masons, and has affiliated with the order since 1861.
JOHN M. McKY is the owner of one of the finely improved farmsteads of Eagle township and he is a member of one of the pioneer families of Richland county, where he has made his home from his boyhood days. He represented Wisconsin among the soldiers who defended the Union in the Civil War and he is one of the influential citizens of the county, having held various offices of public trust, including that of sheriff. The Hoosier State figures as the place of Mr. McKy's nativity, since he was born in Tippecanoe county, Ind., Sept. 21, 1844, being a son of John and Sarah (Jackson) McKy, both native of Ohio, where the former was born July 17, 1818, and the latter Feb. 10, 1824. The paternal grandfather of the subject of this review was John McKy, who was born in Scotland and whose wife, Catharine (Booher) McKy, was born in Ohio. He was an early settler in Ohio and there passed the remainder of his life, his wife later removing to Indiana, where her death occurred. The maternal grandparents, Andrew and Delilah (Ryan) Jackson, were native of the state of Georgia, whence they removed to Ohio, the former dying in Dayton, that state, and the latter in the state of Indiana. John McKy, Jr., father of him whose name initiates this sketch, accompanied his mother on her removal to Indiana, in 1821, and there he continued to make his home until 1855, when he came to Richland county, Wis., and took up 160 acres of government land, to which he later added until he was the owner of 320 acres, having become one of the extensive and successful farmers of the county and having commanded uniform confidence and esteem in the community. He was originally a Whig and later a Republican in politics and he served as a member of the town board for a number of years. Both he and his wife were members of the United Brethren church and were people of sterling attributes of character. Of their nine children eight are still living. He enlisted in 1862 as a member of Company B, Twenty-fifth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he served three years, - until the close of the war. He died Sept. 1, 1891, and his widow passed away Apr. 7, 1899. John M. McKy, with whom this article has specially to do, is indebted to the common schools of Indiana for his fundamental education, having been eleven years of age at the time of the family removal to Wisconsin, and having thereafter continued his studies in the schools of Richland county, including the high school at Sextonville. That he made good use of the opportunities afforded is evident when cognizance is taken of the success which attended his efforts as a teacher. He was engaged in teaching in the district schools for eight terms and in the meanwhile continued to be identified with the work of the home farm, in whose reclamation he materially aided. At one time he personally owned 400 acres of land and his present attractive and well improved landed estate comprises 280 acres, devoted to general agriculture and stock-raising. In 1864, at the age of nineteen years, Mr. McKy went forth in defense of the Union, enlisting as a private in Company D, Eleventh Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he continued in active service until victory crowned the Union arms. He took part in the battle of Fort Blakely and in many skirmishes and minor engagements. He cherished the more gracious memories of his army days and signified the same by his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. McKy is a stanch supporter of the cause of the Republican party and for a number of years he was chairman of the town board of Eagle. He was sheriff of the county two years, giving an admirable administration and for three years he was supervisor of assessment. May 18, 1873, Mr. McKy was married to Miss Almira Ewers, who was born in Washington county, O., Aug. 2, 1848, a daughter of John and Mary Ann (Thomas) Ewers, both native of Ohio. The former was a son of Thomas and Rachel (McDaniel) Ewers, the former of whom was born in West Virginia and the latter in Pennsylvania. In 1856 John Ewers removed with his family from Ohio to Richland county, Wis., where he became a successful farmer, his wife having died in Sylvan township in the same year which marked their arrival in the county. He later contracted a second marriage, wedding Marietta Barnes, of Akan township. The four children of the first marriage are living and of the three born of the second union only one is living. Mr. Ewers died in Sylvan township in September, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. McKy became the parents of two children. Insco J., who was born Aug. 26, 1874, is a representative farmer of Eagle township. He married Miss Ida Kinder and they have two children, - Opal K. and John S. Mary Leora, who was born June 21, 1876, was graduated from the Muscoda high school and was also a student of the normal school at Platteville, and for several years was a successful teacher, later being employed as bookkeeper. She is now the wife of Thomas A. McClary, a successful farmer of this township, and they have one child. It may farther be stated that John Ewers, father of Mrs. McKy, was a miller by trade, and that for a number of years he operated mills in this county. He commanded high esteem in the community and served in various township offices.
MARTIN McNAMARA is one of the representative farmers of Henrietta township, where he has a well improved estate of 200 acres, and he has the distinction of being a native son of the Badger State, where he has passed his entire life thus far. He was born in the town of Blooming Grove, Dane county, Wis., June 8, 1863, and is a son of Hugh and Catherine (Moran) McNamara, both native of Ireland, where they were reared and educated, the former having been born in County Roscommon and the latter in County Mayo. They came to America as young folk and their marriage was solemnized in the city of Madison, Wis. For several years the father was variously employed in Dane county and he then purchased a farm in the town of Blooming Grove, giving his attention to its improvement and cultivation until 1866, when he sold the property and came to Richland county. Here he bought 180 acres of wild land, in the town of Westford. He was a man of indefatigable energy and good judgment, and in course of time he reclaimed one of the excellent farms of the township, remaining on the old homestead twelve years previous to his death, which occurred in 1896. His devoted wife was summoned to the life eternal in April, 1901, both having been communicants of the Catholic church. His political support was given to the Democratic party. This worthy pioneer couple became the parents of three children: John owns and operates the old homestead farm, in Westford township; Martin is the immediate subject of this sketch; and Mary remains on the homestead with her elder brother. Martin McNamara was but three years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Richland county, and here he has since made his home, having been reared on the farm and having been continuously concerned with agricultural pursuits. His early educational training was secured in the public schools of Westford township. He continued to be associated in the work and management of the home farm until 1894 when he bought 320 acres of land in the town of Henrietta, later selling 120 acres of the tract, so that his homestead now comprises 200 acres. He has made good improvements on his farm and is known as a progressive, able and successful exponent of the agricultural industry, also doing a considerable dairy business and raising excellent grades of live stock. He is loyal and public-spirited as a citizen, but has never sought office. He accords allegiance to the Democratic party and both he and his wife are communicants and zealous members of St. Patrick's Catholic church, of Henrietta. In May, 1893, Mr. McNamara was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Conley, who was born and reared in the town of Henrietta, this county. She was a daughter of Patrick and Catherine (Diamond) Conley, natives of County Galway, Ireland, and pioneers of the town of Henrietta, where both continued to reside until their death. Mr. and Mrs. McNamara became the parents of five children, of whom one died in infancy. Those living are Thomas, Catherine, Margy and Frances.
SAMUEL McNELLY has been a resident of Richland county since his boyhood and is to-day numbered among the enterprising and successful farmers of Willow township. He was born in Ohio, Mar. 9, 1852, and is a son of James and Lydia (Marshall) McNelly, both of whom were likewise natives of Ohio, whence they came to Richland county, Wis., in 1862, settling in Marshall township, where they passed the remainder of their lives and where the father reclaimed a good farm from the virgin forest. He died in 1900, at the age of seventy-eight years, and his widow passed away in September, 1905, at the venerable age of eighty-four years. They became the parents of fourteen children, eight of whom are living. Harvey is a farmer in Marshall township; Henry resides in Necedah, Juneau county; Samuel is the immediate subject of this review; Mahlon is a farmer of Marshall township. Samuel McNelly secured his rudimentary education in Ohio, having been ten years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Wisconsin and was reared to maturity in Marshall township, where he contributed his full share to the work of the home farm, attending school during the winter terms, and where he continued to reside until 1893, when he removed to Willow township, purchasing his present homestead, which comprises 120 acres, a portion of which he cleared himself, also making good improvements of a permanent nature, so that he has a well equipped farm and one that yields a satisfactory return for the labors expended. He gives his attention to diversified farming and stock-growing, having a herd of about twenty dairy cattle. He is a Republican in politics, is a loyal and public-spirited citizen, and he and his wife are members of the United Brethren church. In 1880 Mr. McNelly was united in marriage to Miss Emma Criss, daughter of James and Samantha (Wilner) Criss, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the latter in Ohio. The father died in 1900, at the age of seventy years, and his widow now resides in Marshall township, this county. Mr. and Mrs. McNelly have ten children: Julia, who was born Dec. 25, 1880, is the wife of Jesse C. Stoddard, of Willow township; Monroe, born Oct. 10, 1882, is a student in the University of Wisconsin; Stephen, born Sept. 30, 1885, is attending the high school at Richland Center; Laura, born June 6, 1887, is also a student in the public schools of Richland Center; and the other children remain at the parental home, - Florence, born June 17, 1889; Hettie, born Sept. 9, 1891; Gladys, born Sept. 14, 1895; Sterling, born Apr. 26, 1897; Ruby Mae, Sept. 16, 1899; and Farell, born Dec. 28, 1901.
WILLIAM ALLEN McNURLEN, agent for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company at Gotham, was born in Morrow county, O., Sept. 26, 1849, and is the son of William and Wilhelmina (Trumbeaux) McNurlen, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and of Scotch descent, while the latter was born in Tuscarawas county, O., and was a descendant of early pioneers of the Buckeye State. Her ancestors took an active part in early warfare with the Indians during the settlement of Ohio. William McNurlen, the father of the subject of this review, was born in Greene county, Penn., in 1814, and there he lived until he was twenty years old, when he removed to Ohio, and thence to Richland county, Wis., in 1854, during the month of July, making the latter journey with a colonization party. He had made a previous trip to Wisconsin and entered a tract of government land on section 18, in what is known as "Wheat Hollow," after which he returned to Ohio. The following year, he and his family drove through to their prospective abode in the Badger State, and took up their residence in the town of Buena Vista, two miles south of Sextonville. The father devoted himself to farming and was very successful in the pursuit of that industry, owning at one time over 500 acres of land. He and his wife spent the remainder of their lives in the town of Buena Vista, both now being deceased. The father was a stanch Democrat, but never sought office. The subject of this review is one of eleven children who were born to the parents mentioned above, and the names and other facts concerning them are given in this connection: Ellen married E. P. Scammon and is deceased; John was a member of the Nineteenth Wisconsin Regiment of volunteer infantry and died in the hospital at Norfolk, Va., in 1862, of disease contracted in the service; Thomas J. also served in the same regiment during the Civil War and now resides at Twin Bluffs; Rebecca J. married G. B. Dudley, who was a soldier and who is now deceased, and she resides at Sextonville; Andrew ran away from home and enlisted in the Thirty-sixth Wisconsin Regiment, and died of starvation in the Confederate prison at Salisbury, N. C., in 1865; Hannah J. married Monroe Burnham and is deceased; William A. is he to whom this sketch is particularly dedicated; Wilson S. resides on the old homestead in the town of Buena Vista; Lewis C. resides at Barron, Wis.; Chapman is a resident of Idaho; and Preston lives at Rice Lake, Wis. William A. McNurlen was educated in the public schools and remained with his father until he reached the age of twenty-one years, when he engaged in the live stock business, buying and shipping in partnership with James Martin, who is mentioned more at length elsewhere in this volume in the sketch devoted to his son, James W. This partnership continued four years, after which Mr. McNurlen continued the business alone, being also interested in farming. In 1877 he went to Georgetown, Colo., and was engaged in silver mining until 1881, when he returned to Richland county and entered the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company. He built the first depot building at Gotham and also kept a general store in connection with it. He commenced buying ties for the railroad company, which business he still continues to transact, and he looks after all the loading from Madison to Prairie du Chien. He also buys furs, a business in which he has been engaged over forty years, and he has done and still is doing an extensive traffic in that line. This is his twenty-sixth year with the St. Paul Railroad Company and he has never lost a day's pay in that time. Mr. McNurlen was married April 16, 1876, to Viola Sargent, who was born in 1857 in Fulton, Ill., the daughter and only child of G. L. Sargent, an old Mississippi river steamboat engineer, who was one of the first on the river prior to 1848. He ran the first steamboat on the Wisconsin river, and he spent the entire time of his active life at steamboat engineering. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. McNurlen was an Eastern man, who was an early distiller in the state of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent reside in Gotham, which place has been their residence for over forty years. Mr. McNurlen and wife are the parents of two children - Mabel, who resides at the parental home, and William G., who is in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company, at Chicago.
REV. JAMES J. MAGUIRE is the pastor of St. Mary's church at Richland Center, which position he has acceptably filled for the past eight years. He was born in Charles City, Butler county, Ia., on Feb. 14, 1871, and his parents, both of whom are deceased, were natives of Ireland. Thomas Maguire, the father of the subject of this review, migrated to America when a young man and became one of the early settlers of the Hawkeye State, where he and his good wife spent the remainder of their lives. When Father Maguire was but a child his parents took up their residence in Mason City, Ia., and in the public schools of that place he received his primary education. He then entered St. Joseph's College at Dubuque, Ia., later was in attendance at St. Francis Seminary at Milwaukee, Wis., and he completed his collegiate course at Kenrick Seminary, in the city of St. Louis, on June 8, 1895. He was then assigned as assistant to Father Dunne at St. Patrick's church, in Eau Claire, Wis., and during the years 1897 and 1898 he was stationed at Loretto, being the first resident pastor of that place. In 1898 he came to Richland Center, succeeding Father McAteer, who is now located at Wilton, Wis. During his eight years pastorate at Richland Center St. Mary's church has been in a very prosperous condition, and Father Maguire has earned the respect and confidence not only of his parishioners, but also of the citizens generally, regardless of their religious creeds or church affiliations. A comprehensive history of St. Mary's church will be found in the chapter devoted to the town of Richland, in this volume.
HARVEY MARSHALL. - It is signally consistent that a review of the life of this venerable and honored pioneer citzen be incorporated in this publication, for he has ably played his part in the development and upbuilding of the county and has resided on his present homestead farm, in the town of Marshall, for more than half a century, the township having been named in honor of him and his brother Joseph. The latter's daughter Maria was the first white child born in the township. Harvey Marshall was born in Carroll county, O., July 5, 1825, and is a son of John and Betsy (Gillingham) Marshall, the former of whom was born in the state of New York and the latter in Columbiana county, O., where their marriage was solemnized. The father was a tailor by trade and he removed to Ohio when a young man, securing a large tract of land in Carroll county and there developing a good farm from the wilderness. He was a man of strong character and impregnable integrity, true and sincere in all the relations of life. He was influential in public affairs in his county and held various township offices. He was originally an old-line Whig and later became one of the organizers of the Republican party in his section. He was kindly, generous and charitable, ever ready to aid those in affliction, and both he and his wife were devout members of the Baptist church. He attained to the patriarchal age of ninety-six years and his wife was eighty years of age at the time of her death. They became the parents of eleven children: James died in childhood; Thomas married Lydia Ann Turnipseed and they reside in Jefferson county, O.; Moses, who is deceased, married Catherine Queen and was a successful farmer of Richland county, Wis.; Joseph, who married Margaret Dinsmore, died on his farm in the town of Marshall, this county; Samuel, who married Angeline Burgett, is a farmer of Rockbridge township; Harvey is the immediate subject of this sketch; John died in Carroll county, O.; Lydia married James McNally and both died in Rockbridge township, Richland county, Wis.; Fannie became the wife of Robert Butcher and they died in Vernon county, this state; Maria is the widow of Joseph Burgett and resides in Alexandria, Minn.; and Charles, who married Sarah Berkley, died on his farm in Forest township, Richland county, Wis. Harvey Marshall was reared to manhood in his native county and early began to aid in the reclaiming and other work of the home farm. Such were the exigencies of the locality and period that his educational advantages were of the most limited sort, but he has learned well the lessons taught by the wisest of all headmasters, experience, and is a man of broad information and mature judgment. He remained at home until 1853, when he set forth for Richland county, Wis., where he arrived on the 10th of May, in company with John Fogo and Edward Penick and their respective families. They came up the Mississippi river by boat to Dubuque and thence to Galena, where they hired a team and wagon to transport them to Muscoda, Wis., from which point they were compelled to cut their way through the woods to their destination. Mr. Marshall settled on his present homestead, in section 15, town of Marshall, first securing 120 acres of government land, heavily timbered, and later by adding forty acres. He now has a fine landed estate of 520 acres, in sections 10, 15, 16, and 21. When he raised his first log house, in a little clearing in the forest, every man in the town of Marshall was present to aid, as were also residents of other townships. Indians were more numerous than white settlers and wild game of all kinds was plentiful. Mr. Marshall lived up to the full tension of the pioneer epoch and his reminiscences of the early days are most graphic and interesting. He has effected the reclamation of 200 acres of his land and has been true to all the duties of citizenship, not hedging himself in with his personal affairs, but doing all in his power to further the progress and industrial and civic development of this now opulent and beautiful section of the Badger state. He has been very successful as a farmer and as a grower of high-grade live stock and his homestead is one of the model farms of the county. He is a stanch advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party, but has never been a seeker of official preferment, though he has consented to serve in various local offices. He has been a member of the Christian church for sixty years and has ordered his life in accord with the faith which he has thus professed. He is well known throughout the county and his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. Mr. Marshall was united in marriage to Miss Ann Wanless, daughter of George Wanless, of Carroll county, O., and her death occurred in January, 1874. The children of this union were seven in number: George married Lydia Drake and is now a successful farmer in Vernon county; John, who is a farmer of the town of Marshall, married Elizabeth Barker; Charles, who married Nettie Turnipseed, is now a resident of the Canadian northwest; Simon, who married Martha McKee, is a farmer in Marshall township, as is also Benjamin, who married Lillian Rhenhart; Elizabeth is the wife of Thomas Mark, of Juneau county; and Susan is the wife of Oliver Sumner, a farmer of Viola township. Mar. 8, 1876, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Marshall to Mrs. Samantha Russell, who was born in Columbiana county, O., being a daughter of William and Maria (Hart) Milner, both of whom died in that county. The name of her first husband was Hugh Russell and he died in Jefferson county, O. Mr. and Mrs. Russell became the parents of six children, of whom four are living, - Rebecca, wife of George Burnside, of Sharon, Penn.; Mary, wife of Frank Beckwith, of Cayuga county, O.; Emma, wife of Samuel McNally, of Rockbridge township, Richland county, Wis.; and Julia, wife of George Bullard, of Ardmore, Ind. Ter. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall have no children.
JAMES W. MARTIN is probably the best known "Red-Poll" stock breeder in either the United States or Europe and the live-stock products from his farm, near Gotham, in Richland county, have brought merited fame not only to himself, but to the community in which his life has been spent since infancy. He was born at Barnesville, Belmont county, O., Sept. 29, 1855, and is the son of James and Hulda A. (Heed) Martin, both of whom were natives of the Buckeye State. The mother's people were slaveholders in Virginia and were of Quaker descent, but in an early day they freed their slaves and moved across the river into Ohio. Their freed slaves came with them and some of them remained with the family until death caused a separation. The maternal grandmother of our subject was a sister of Gen. Winfield Scott. The Scott and Heed families could trace their ancestry, respectively, to William Penn and to one of the Pilgrim Fathers who came over in the Mayflower. James Martin, the father of the subject of this review, was a son of John Martin, who came from the north of Ireland when a young man, and after landing in Baltimore came to Guernsey county, O., where he located in 1804. He was a farmer by occupation and followed the basic industry of agriculture until the time of his death. He was a strong adherent of the Presbyterian religious faith, and he lived to the advanced age of eighty years, his family being almost universally long lived. He became the father of nine children, four of whom are still living. James Martin was an early settler in the town of Buena Vista, Richland county, and he was born in Guernsey county, O., Nov. 29, 1827. There he grew to manhood and was reared to agricultural pursuits. In 1850 he went to California overland, with a party consisting of thirty-seven people, having six teams. When about half way across the plains, the party divided into six squads, but three days thereafter he, with two others, took a mule from the team, loaded their baggage on the animal, and thus finished the journey, being on the road five months and making the greater part of the way on foot. He engaged in mining until the following December, when he started on the return trip, this time by water and across the isthmus. After returning home he managed his father's farm one year, then took a contract of quarrying stone for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. He was thus engaged about one year, when he became a sub-contractor, under his uncle, in grading the Baltimore & Ohio road west of Wheeling and the Ohio river. It took about two and one-half years to complete this work, and while so engaged he was injured by an explosion of powder, one of his legs being broken and his back injured. He then went to Barnesville, in Belmont county, where he purchased a flouring and saw-mill, which he operated until 1856, when he removed to Richland county and bought land of Nathaniel Wheeler, on section 28, town of Buena Vista, where he followed farming. He shipped a carload of horses the first year he came, and within a few years began to buy and ship cattle. He occupied the farm mentioned twelve years, when he purchased land on section 29, in the same town, and made that his home until 1883, when he removed to Richland Center, still continuing, however, to manage his large farm of 600 acres, well stocked, and provided with good buildings. He was for several years prior to his death (which occurred in 1887 at the age of fifty-nine years) extensively engaged in dealing in live stock as well as farming. He worked hard all of his life and was successful being busily engaged up to the time of his death, the sad event occurring very suddenly. He was married in 1854 to Miss Huldah A. Heed, who was born in Belmont county, O., and who now resides in Los Angeles, Cal. To this union there were born four children, of whom the subject of this review is the eldest; Nellie married Edwin Roberts, who is deceased, and she lives at El Paso, Tex.; Mack died at El Paso, Tex. in 1892, at the age of twenty-six years; and Hattie died in infancy. James W. Martin was reared in the town of Buena Vista and received his preliminary education in the public schools, after which he took a course in the University of Wisconsin at Madison. After leaving the University he was engaged in stock-buying until 1875, when he went west and for several years traveled over Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, and Montana, engaged in ranching, handling and shipping cattle. In 1887 he returned to Richland county, and since that time has been engaged in breeding Red-Poll stock, having bred some of the very finest cattle. He received a diploma at the St. Louis exhibition for breeding the best bull; and many of the champion bulls of the Pacific coast and of the Gulf coast, and the champion male and female cattle on exhibit at St. Louis were calves of a cow that has been on Mr. Martin's place for twenty years. He usually has from 100 to 150 of these fine-blooded stock on his farm, and his herd is undoubtedly the best known in the world. He has refused $10,000 for ten cows, and he has crossed the ocean five times and brought cattle here from Europe. Mr. Martin is also a breeder of Berkshire hogs, and he sells a great many of the latter for breeding purposes, his son, Harley, who is secretary of the Red-Poll Cattle Club of America, attending mostly to the breeding of the hogs. Our subject also breeds a few Percheron horses, and a short time since sold a recently-foaled colt for $350. He also has a fine lot of Scotch collies, and in fact everything on his place is pedigreed, excepting one team of work horses. Mr. Martin was married, Jan. 1, 1879, to Miss Dora Ragan, of Prairie du Chien, a daughter of Rasom Ragan, who was an early settler at Sextonville, Richland county, where Mrs. Martin was born. Her parents came from the state of New York in 1860 and later removed to Prairie du Chien, where the father was a railroad man. Her parents are both dead, as are also her two brothers. To Mr. and Mrs. Martin there have been born three children: Harley A. resides in the town of Buena vista; Ula M. married James Gwin and resides in Buena Vista; and Archie resides at home with his parents. Mr. Martin has served as president of the agricultural society of Richland county; is a member of the Red-Poll Cattle Breeders' Association, and a director of the same for several years; is a director of the Berkshire Hog-Dealers' Association, a member of the Percheron Horse Association, and the Shropshire Sheep Breeders' Association, and he is president of the Wisconsin Live Stock Breeders' Association, and vice-president of the Wisconsin Draft Horse Breeders' Association. He is also a director of the International Live Stock Exhibition at Chicago. His stock farm is located near Gotham station, in the town of Buena Vista, and comprises 400 acres of excellent land. Mr. Martin is a member of the Masonic order, having attained to the Royal Arch degree.
DAVID E. MEAD is one of the most extensive farmers and dairymen in the town of Buena Vista, where he spent all of his mature life, the greater part of which has been devoted to the basic and honorable industry of agriculture. He was born in the town of Franklin, Sauk county, Wis., on Feb. 9, 1856, and he is the son of Edmund and Polly (White) Mead, both of whom are deceased. Each of the parents was born near Elmira, N. Y., where they were reared and were wedded, but in 1850 they migrated to Wisconsin and settled on the place which is now owned and occupied by their only surviving child, whose name introduces this review. They remained on this place two or three years and then removed to the town of Franklin, in Sauk county, where the father built a mill, in 1852, which he operated until 1856, and then returned to his former abode and followed farming until his death, reaching the advanced age of seventy-six years. The mother also died a number of years ago. Aside from the subject of this review there were two daughters born to these honored parents - Jane and Mary - but they are also deceased, and D. E. Mead is the only surviving member of the family. The latter was educated in the public schools and early followed in the footsteps of his father by adopting farming as his occupation, which he continued to follow until he had reached the age of thirty years. In 1866 he engaged in the hardware business at Lone Rock and continued in that branch of the mercantile business until 1901, when he sold his stock and returned to the old homestead, where he has since resided. His farm comprises 640 acres of land in one body, lying partially in each of the counties of Richland and Sauk, and aside from the usual line of agricultural employment Mr. Mead is engaged extensively in stock-raising, making a specialty of the Durham breed of cattle, of which he has a fine herd. He was married on Dec. 14, 1885, to Miss Jane Carter, who was born on Honey Creek in the town of Franklin, Sauk county and whose parents, George Carter and wife, were early settlers in that locality, where the father still resides. Mr. and Mrs. Mead are the parents of two children - Harry and Winnie.
GEORGE MEHAN is one of the well known pioneer citizens of the county and is the owner of a well improved farm in the town of Henrietta. He was born in County Meath, Ireland, in November, 1833, and is a son of Patrick and Elizabeth (Hughes) Mehan, the former of whom passed his entire life in Ireland. In 1845 his widow came with her children to America, making the long and wearisome voyage on a sailing vessel and landing in New York city. In 1846 they came westward and located in Lake county, Ill., where they remained three years, at the expiration of which they came to Richland county, Wis., settling in section 23, town of Henrietta, where they secured a tract of government land, the same being densely timbered. They made due preparation for comfort according to the pioneer standard, erecting a log house and then beginning to clear the land; the house is still standing and is in a fair state of preservation, being one of the landmarks of the early days. The devoted mother continued to reside on this homestead until her death, which occurred in 1875. She became the mother of six children, one of whom died young, in Ireland. Five accompanied her to America, namely: John, who died in the state of Washington, having been a farmer by vocation; Eliza and Patrick are likewise deceased; James died in the state of Washington; and George is the subject of this sketch. The last mentioned attended the parochial schools in his native land, having been thirteen years of age at the time of the family immigration to the United States and thereafter having slight opportunity to attend school, as he was reared in the midst of the forests of Richland county and worked assidiously from his boyhood days. He initiated his independent career when nineteen years of age, doing much clearing of land for others. In February, 1864, he showed his loyalty to the land of his adoption, by enlisting in defense of the Union, becoming a private in Company A, Fifty-second Wisconsin volunteer infantry. He went with his command to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., later being in service at Kansas City, Fort Leavenworth and in Arkansas, taking part in several spirited skirmishes and doing much scouting. He served until the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge in August, 1865. About 1862 Mr. Mehan bought forty acres of wild land in section 23, town of Henrietta, and he improved the place and continued to reside on the same until 1891, when he removed to his present homestead, which comprises 160 acres, of which about eighty acres are under cultivation. He has been successful as a farmer and has ever retained the confidence and good will of the people of his community. He is a Republican in his political proclivities and both he and his wife are communicants of the Catholic church. In September, 1861, Mr. Mehan was united in marriage to Miss Mary Byrne, who was born in County Cavan, Ireland, a daughter of John and Bridget (Royle) Byrne, who came to America in 1843, when Mrs. Mehan was twelve years of age. Her father had been a farmer and stock shipper in Ireland. The sailing vessel on which the family took passage was the "Lord Saunders," and the same was partially wrecked en route, nine weeks having been passed on the ocean. They landed in New Orleans and a year later removed to Fairfield county, O., where they remained until 1859, when they came to Richland county, Wis., settling in Westford township, where Mr. Byrne reclaimed a good farm, and there passed the remainder of his life. His widow died in Sauk county. Of their eight children Mrs. Mehan is the eldest; Alice is the wife of James Giblin, of Sauk county; Bridget is the wife of Daniel O'Hara, of Spaulding, Neb.; Francis is a farmer in Sauk county, Wis.; Ann is the wife of Frank Byrne, and they reside in Kansas; Ellen lives at Ironton, Sauk county; Catherine died in Ohio; and Philemon died before the immigration to America. To Mr. and Mrs. Mehan have been born six children: Elizabeth Ann is the wife of John Slaney, mentioned in this publication; Mary Alice and Bridget are deceased; John is a traveling salesman and resides in Baraboo, Wis.; and George and Jane remain at the parental home.
EDWIN E. MICKEL is one of the representative farmers of his native county and also makes a specialty of raising high-grade live stock. His finely improved landed estate is situated in Willow township and comprises 200 acres of most arable land. Mr. Mickel was born in Richland Center, this county, Dec, 1, 1863, and is a son of George N. and Maria P. (Hodges) Mickel. A sketch of the life of his father appears in this work, so that farther review of the family history is not demanded in the present connection. Mr. Mickel was afforded the advantages of the public schools of his native town, where he was reared to maturity. At the age of twenty-five years he located on the farm owned by his father, eventually purchasing the property and having since given his attention to the management and work of the same. He raises the various cereals and other crops best adapted to the soil and climate, and he has won a high reputation as a breeder of high-grade live stock. He has a herd of twenty-two Holstein cattle, all eligible for registration and including one bull, which is formally registered. He also has a thoroughbred Hambletonian stallion and is a breeder of Yorkshire and registered Poland-China swine, stock from his farm being in much demand for breeding purposes. His homestead is improved with excellent buildings and is one of the model farms of Willow township. He is a Republican in his political allegiance and Mrs. Mickel is a member of the Congregational church. On Dec. 28, 1898, Mr. Mickel was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Jewett who was born and reared in this county, being a daughter of Frank and Lucy (Lewis) Jewett, who are well known residents of Rockbridge township.
GEORGE N. MICKEL, one of the honored pioneers of Richland county, was born in Rensselaer county, N. Y., in May, 1829, and is a son of Andrew Mickel, who was likewise born in the same county and who was a volunteer soldier in the War of 1812. When the subject of this sketch was twelve years of age his parents, with their six sons and six daughters, removed from Rensselaer to Lewis county, N. Y., the latter having been sparsely settled at the time, the nearest school house to the home they there established having been three miles distant. Here the father died and two years later the mother contracted a second marriage. Shortly afterward George N., who had received a common-school education of a somewhat limited order, initiated his independent career, proceeding to Collinsville, Lewis county, where he engaged to work for his board and schooling, in the employ of Dean Hoadley. About one year later he went to Forestville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he passed a year as clerk in the store of Dr. Sexton. He then passed two years in an apprenticeship at the shoemaker's trade, in the shop of William Gardner, of that place, becoming a competent workman. Thereafter he worked at his trade in Lewis county until 1852, when he opened a shop of his own, at Peach Orchard, Tompkins county, N. Y., where he continued in business until 1854, when he sold out and removed with his family to Illinois, locating in Livingston county, where he remained two years. At the expiration of this period, in 1856, he came to Richland county, Wis., stopping a short time with friends in the little village of Neptune, where he left his family while he proceeded onward to seek a location in Minnesota. He took up land in McLeod county, that state, and on the property he erected a small house, in which he passed the winter. In the spring he returned to Neptune to arrange for the removal of his family to the new home, but he was detained by reason of the illness of certain members of his family, and in the meanwhile some person "jumped" his claim in Minnesota. Under these conditions he decided to establish a home in Richland Center. There he engaged in the work of his trade, which he continued to follow until 1861, when he went forth to do service as a soldier of the Union. He enlisted in Company D, Eleventh Regiment of Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he proceeded to the front. He was severely wounded at the battle of Cache river, in Arkansas, July 7, 1862, and was sent to the hospital at Jefferson barracks, near St. Louis, where he gradually recovered, receiving his honorable discharge Feb. 3, 1863, on account of disabilities resulting from wounds. He returned to his home and as soon as he had sufficiently recuperated his energies he formed a partnership with his brother, Chester G. Mickel, and opened a general store in Richland Center. His health continued much impaired and after about three years he disposed of his business interests and returned to New York state, where he remained nearly a year, visiting relatives and other old-time friends. He then returned to Richland Center, where he continued to reside until 1881, when he purchased a farm in section 27, Willow township, removing to the same and there continuing to reside to the time of his wife's death in 1901, since which time he has lived in Richland Center. In politics he is a Republican. Mr. Mickel was a man of sterling integrity and his entire career was marked by a high sense of honor and responsibility and by that liberality and tolerance which ever beget strong and lasting friendships. In 1853 he was united in marriage to Miss Maria P. Hodges, and they became the parents of five children, namely: Adella, who was married to C. B. Castleman in 1888; Edwin E., who was married to Mabel Jewett in 1898; Bert P., who was married to Eva Chapman in 1900; Minnie, who was married to W. W. Hansen in 1896; Grace, who was married to Ralph Calkins in 1902. Maria P. Hodges, wife of G. N. Mickel, died at their home near Loyd, June 17, 1901. She was born in Somersetshire, England, July 23, 1836. Mrs. Mickel was a loving and devoted wife and mother and won the esteem of all who knew her. Bert, the second son, died in San Pedro, Cal., May 28, 1906, and was buried there.
CHARLES S. MICKLE, owner and manager of the Gotham cheese factory, was born at Sextonville on Mar. 31, 1867, and he is the son of Peter Anthony and Evaline (Britton) Mickle, both of whom were natives of the state of New York, the father being born at Kinderhook, on the Hudson, and the mother near the St. Lawrence river. The paternal grandparents were natives of Holland and were early settlers of the Empire State. Peter A. Mickle came to Wisconsin when less than twenty years old, and he first settled in La Crosse county in 1846. He was a hunter and trapper by occupation and he built the first shanty that was used for human habitation at Sparta, a man named Inman being his partner in that early enterprise. The father came directly from New York to the Badger State, making the journey by the way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and landing at La Crosse. After one year he returned to New York, and then a year later came back to Wisconsin, journeying from La Crosse down through the counties of Bad Axe (now Vernon) and Richland, and he finally settled at Sextonville in 1848, continuing to make that place his home until his death, which event occurred on May 16, 1895, at the age of sixty-six years. He at first entered a tract of government land, but later sold his homestead, and during the Civil War he served four years in the United States service as a carpenter. During the later years of his life he was engaged in the well-drilling business. His wife was an invalid for twenty-five years preceding her death, and she died September, 1893, both she and her husband being interred in the cemetery at Sextonville. To the union of this pioneer couple there were born four children, as follows: Maud, died of scarlet fever at the age of eight years; C. S. is he whose name introduces this review; Scudder is a resident of Bear Valley, in Richland county; and Madge resides in Sparta, Wis. C. S. Mickle was reared at Sextonville and received his education in the public schools of that place. At the early age of twelve years he commenced working as a hired hand for the farmers in the community in which he resided, and during the winter seasons he worked for his board and went to school. He commenced farm work with a compensation of thirteen dollars per month and never received more than twenty dollars per month while he continued to work at agricultural pursuits. In the autumn of 1888 he commenced an apprenticeship in the cheese-making business at Bear Valley, and after one year took charge of a factory near Ithaca, the institution being known as the "Ithaca Union Cheese Factory," and he officiated as the manager for nine years, during the time making his home near Sextonville. He then removed to Gotham and purchased the factory which he now owns and conducts, buying the same from Frank Turner, and since first taking possession he has owned and operated it himself. He manufactures by the Chedder process and his output is what is known in trade parlance as "American cheese." His factory is located in the midst of a very good farming and grazing community, and during the year 1905 he manufactured 165,000 pounds of cheese with a market valuation of over $17,000. Mr. Mickle was married on Jan. 20, 1896, to Miss Catherine Ruetten, daughter of Hubert Ruetten, a highly respected citizen of the town of Ithaca, and to this union there have been born three children - Evaline C., born Nov. 29, 1897; Peter H., born Sept. 11, 1898; and Anthony Theodore, born Feb. 28, 1903. Our subject is a member of the I. O. O. F. lodge, No. 93, at Sextonville, and the lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America at Ithaca.
JAMES L. MILLER. --- Of the sterling pioneer family of which the subject of this review is a worthy representative detailed mention is made in the sketch of the life of his elder brother, Thomas M., in this work, so that a reiteration of the genealogical data is not demanded in the present connection. James L. Miller was born in Clinton county, Ind., Dec. 17, 1845, and four years later his parents removed to Richland county, Wis., and settled on a tract of land in the midst of the sylvan wilds of Eagle township. On this farm Mr. Miller was reared to maturity, duly availing himself of the advantages of the pioneer schools and continuing to assist in the work of the farm until 1864, when he enlisted as a private in Company D, Eleventh Wisconsin volunteer infantry, and went forth to battle in defense of the Union. He served about nineteen months, taking part in the battle of Fort Blakely and numerous skirmishes, and receiving his honorable discharge in September, 1865. After the close of the war he returned home and in Eagle township he has ever since been concerned with agricultural pursuits, in connection with which he has met with gratifying success, being now one of the prominent farmers and stock-growers of his township, and having a well improved farm of 143 acres, much of which he personally reclaimed from the forest. The buildings are substantial and attractive and everything about the place bears evidence of thrift and prosperity. In politics Mr. Miller gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and he served five years as a member of the town board, having been chairman of the same for three years of this period and ever showing a loyal interest in all that touches the wellbeing of the community. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Presbyterian church at Pleasant Hill. Dec. 16, 1875, Mr. Miller took unto himself a wife, in the person of Miss Izora Z. Wilson, who was born in Eagle township, this county, Mar. 1, 1856, being a daughter of James and Rebecca (Sheets) Wilson, both native of Ohio, where the former was born Feb. 16, 1833, and the latter June 9, 1839. Mr. Wilson came to Eagle township in 1854, and here his marriage was solemnized. He was a tanner by trade but after coming to Richland county he turned his attention more particularly to farming, having developed a farm of sixty-six acres. He is a Republican in politics and is one of the honored pioneers of the county. He was a member of the town board for several years, being chairman one year and having been town treasurer one term. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and they now reside in Richland Center. Of their eight children, seven are living. In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Miller; Emery and Marion E. are successful farmers of Eagle township; Edgar Clark is deceased; Harry A. completed a course in the high school at Richland Center, and was graduated from the training school in that place, being now a successful teacher; Carl E., who likewise was graduated from the training school remains at the parental home, as do also Edna and Leonard H.; John F. is deceased; and James B. is at home. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are members of the Presbyterian church at Pleasant Hill.
JESSE STODDARD MILLER, of Omaha, Neb., formerly one of the leading citizens of Richland county, was born in Medina, Medina county, O., Aug. 17, 1838. He is the son of Herman B. and Eunice (Stoddard) Miller, the former a native of Ontario county, N. Y., and the latter of New Haven, Conn. The parental great grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Benjamin Wheeler, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and the maternal grandfather, Samuel Stoddard, served in the War of 1812. His father, Herman B. Miller, settled in Richland county in 1854, where he took government land on Pine river, Henrietta township, being one of the earliest settlers and naming the town after his birthplace in New York. The family at the time consisted of six children, as follows: Jesse S., the subject of this sketch, Eleanor, Amos, Cyrus, Samuel and Ernest. Three of the sons, Jesse, Amos and Cyrus served in the Civil War. Amos enlisted in the Fifth Regiment of Wisconsin infantry, was wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, and died of his wounds, in January, 1864. Cyrus, although but sixteen years of age, enlisted near the close of the war, but saw no active service. Samuel, the fourth son, moved to Nebraska and died at Broken Bow, in that state. Mr. Miller received his education in the district schools. Upon the first call for volunteers for the Civil War, he enlisted as a private in Company K, First Regiment, for three months' service. He was in the engagement at Falling Waters, Va., and was mustered out Aug. 17, 1861. He immediately re-enlisted (Aug. 25, 1861) at Richland Center, and was commissioned captain of the "Richland County Plow-boys," Sept. 1, 1861, and assigned with the company to the Eleventh Regiment as Company D. He commanded the company in the following engagements: Bayou Cache, Ark.; Port Gibson, Raymond, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, Miss., and also the assault on and siege of Vicksburg. Captain Miller was promoted to the position of Major of the Eleventh Regiment, July 21, 1863, and was in command of the regiment in the following engagements: Jackson, Miss.; St. Martin, La., and numerous skirmishes in the Teche country, La., and at Ft. Blakely, Ala., April 9, 1865, the last engagement of the war. He was mustered out at Montgomery, Ala., June 16, 1865. Major Miller is, by profession, an attorney-at-law, and has practiced in all the state and federal courts, having successfully conducted many important cases. He is politically connected with the Republican party, and has served as the county attorney of Boone county, Neb., and as assistant city attorney and city prosecutor of Omaha, Neb. On Dec. 31, 1863, Major Miller was married to Miss Lydia M. Rowley, the daughter of Rev. Moses and Lydia (Barrell) Rowley, of Mazomanie. Their church affiliations are with the Baptist organization. No children have been born to them. Major Miller is a member of the following organizations: A. F. and A. M.; G. A. R.; Loyal Legion, and the State Bar Association of Nebraska.
SINCLAIR SYLVANUS MILLER. --- In this work will be found represented many of the prominent farmers of Richland county, and among the number is the subject of this sketch, who is the owner of a well improved farm in the town of Forest and who is a member of one of the honored pioneer families of this section of the county. He has the distinction of being a native of the old Buckeye State, having been born in Columbiana county, O., Jan. 9, 1844, and being a son of William and Lydia (Sinclair) Miller. His parents removed from Ohio to Indiana when he was a child and there maintained their home about ten years, at the expiration of which they came to Richland county, Wis., arriving in Forest township Oct. 9, 1856. The father here secured eighty acres of government land, the tract being heavily timbered, and in the midst of the forest he erected his pioneer log house. He died June 2d of the following year, leaving his wife and five children to face the problem of life in the new country. Of the children only the subject of this sketch is now living, and the mother passed to the life eternal in 1887. In his political allegiance William Miller was a Whig and both he and his wife were birthright members of the Society of Friends, to whose simple and noble faith they ever consistently clung. Sinclair S. Miller secured his early education in Indiana, having been twelve years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Wisconsin. By reason of the death of his father unusually heavy responsibilities soon devolved upon him, but he faced the same with all of fidelity and self-reliance, assisting in reclaiming the home farm and ultimately coming into possession of the same. The place is now one of the valuable ones of the county and has an orchard of 400 trees, all of which he planted, the orchard being one of the best in this section of the state. He sold the farm in 1903 and thereafter passed nine months in the state of Oregon. After his return to Richland county he purchased his present farm of 120 acres, in the town of Forest, where he is now a successful farmer and stock-grower, the farm being well improved and under effective cultivation. In 1865 he enlisted in the Forty-sixth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he served eight months, receiving his honorable discharge at the close of the war. By reason of such service he became eligible for and retains membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1889 Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Mrs. Nancy Margaret Miller, widow of his eldest brother, John Milton Miller, of whose seven children three sons and one daughter are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair S. Miller became the parents of four children, of whom three are living, --- Everett, Edith and Ephraim Thomas. The fourth child, John, died in infancy. Mrs. Miller was born in Indiana and is a daughter of William and Melissa (Thomas) Baker, who came from the Hoosier State to Richland county and settled in the town of Forest about 1856, both passing the remainder of their lives in this township. The mother was a daughter of Ephraim and Sallie Thomas, honored pioneers of the same township, where both remained until their death.
THOMAS M. MILLER has been a resident of Richland county from his boyhood days and is a representative of one of the early pioneer families of Eagle township, where he now maintains his home, being one of the successful farmers and stock-growers of the county. He was born in Clinton county, Ind., Feb. 25, 1844, and is a son of John and Jane (Hayes) Miller, the former of whom was born in Kentucky, Jan. 11, 1818, and the latter of whom was born in Ohio. They remained in Indiana until 1849, when they became pioneers of Richland county, Wis., settling in Eagle township, on a tract of fifty-three acres, which was a portion of the 520 acres which Mr. Miller's father, William Miller, had here secured in that year, John being given the homestead, of fifty-three acres mentioned and later adding forty acres to its area. Here he reclaimed a good farm from the virgin forest, becoming one of the honored and influential citizens of this section and here passing the remainder of his life. He died in November, 1865, and his wife passed away Feb. 17, 1875. He was a Republican in politics, joining the party at the time of its formation, and both he and his wife were consistent members of the Presbyterian church at Pleasant Hill. Of their eight children, four are living. William Miller, grandfather of the subject of this review, was born in Anderson county, Ky., in January, 1795, and he was a valiant soldier in the War of 1812. The maiden name of his wife was Charlotte Dawson, and she likewise was born in Kentucky, from which state they removed to Indiana in 1829, settling in Clinton county as pioneers. His wife died in that county, in 1849, and he finally came to Richland county, Wis., where he died in 1879, at the venerable age of eighty-four years. He was one of the charter members of the Presbyterian church at Pleasant Hill, which was organized in 1851, by Rev. William Smith, of Sextonville, this county. Thomas M. Miller, the immediate subject of this sketch, was five years of age at the time of the family removal from Indiana to this county, and he was reared on the pioneer farmstead in the town of Eagle, assisting in the reclamation and other work of the same and securing such educational advantages as were afforded in the schools of the locality and period. He has not wavered in his allegiance to the basic art of agriculture and he is now the owner of a well improved farm of 126 acres, devoted to general agriculture and the raising of live stock of excellent type. He is a Republican in politics, served two years as town assessor and was a member of the school board of his district for three years. He and his wife and their eldest daughter are members of the Presbyterian church at Pleasant Hill. Oct. 24, 1867, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca J. Slater, who was born in Indiana, May 18, 1850, being a daughter of George and Rebecca Slater, honored pioneers of Richland county. Mr. and Mrs. Miller became the parents of eight children, of whom Ann Elizabeth died at the age of two and one-half years, having been the first born; William R., the second, died in infancy; George F., the fifth child, died at the age of five years; and the eighth child died in infancy, unnamed. Those living are Edith I., John L., Joseph G., and Jesse Martin.
JAMES H. MINER, of Richland Center, Wis. The professional career of the subject of the present sketch has been characterized by a marked success and he is esteemed both by his legal brethren and with all with whom he is brought into contact as an able, dignified and high-minded lawyer. His life has been one of honest, persistent effort and a s a result of a faithful adherence to right and loyalty to his own manhood, he sees the evening of his days crowned with a most satisfactory success, and the respect, honor and esteem of all his associates. James H. Miner was born at Lockport, N. Y., Feb. 4, 1830, his parents being Luther and Eleanor Grant Miner. The geneology of the family taken from, and well established by semi-public records, published statements and family records and traditions, is most interesting as exhibiting with what accuracy records have been kept and how possible it is to trace back descent, even for several centuries when there is that in the lives of its members to justify the being remembered. In the time of King Edward the Third of England, on Henry Bullman, a man of prominence and a miner by occupation, at the head of 100 armed men, tendered his services to the king as a body guard on an invasion into France. The record in possession of Mr. Miner is as follows: Henry received the name of Miner from King Edward the Third of England for meritorious conduct in offering his services and going with his one hundred retainers, all armed with double-headed battle-axes, to accompany the king to war with France in 1339. He belonged to and owned mines in Somersetshire. After the return from the war, the king caused his secretary to return to said Henry his tanks for services and also changed his name from Henry Bullman to Henry Miner in signification of his occupation, at the same time giving him a coat of arms. This Henry died in 1359, and left four children, one of whom, Henry, married a Hicks, and left two children, of whom one married a Hobbs and left two children. Thomas, born in 1399, married a Crassley and had three children, and one of them, Lodevick, married a Dyer and had three children, the first born in 1436. Two of these children when into the Austrian army. The oldest married a Harvis and died in 1480, leaving two children, one of whom, William, married a Harcope. This William was a great military man. He had ten children, two of whom, Nathaniel and John, went to Ireland in 1541, when King Henry the Eighth was proclaimed the first king of Ireland. Nathaniel married a Fitz Maurice in the province of Leister. John married Josephine O'Brien and their posterity remained, so there, at this time (1683) families by the name of Miner and bearing the same coat of arms are found in that district. William, the oldest son of the above named William, married, had two children, died and was buried Feb. 23, 1585, at Chow Magna, England, carrying the same parental coat of arms. Clement, his son, succeeded to the heritage, married and had four children. He died Mar. 3, 1640, and is buried at Chow Magna, County Somerset. The oldest son married Sarah Pope Horton, and had issue, William and Israel. William was buried at Burlington, County Somerset. Thomas, the brother of Clement, is found in 1663, to have been living at Connecticut colony, in New England, where he had issue, John, Joseph, Thomas, Clement, Ephraim, Judah, Manassah, (the first-born male child in New London) Ann, Maria, Samuel, Elizabeth and Hannah. This Thomas born Apr. 22, 1608, immigrated to this country with Governor John Winthrop and others in 1630, landed in Salem and from thence went to Brooklin, Mass., thence to Tri Mountain, (Boston) then to Watertown, then with Governor Winthrop's son, John, and others went to Saybrook, Connecticut colony, and in 1643 to New London, (then called Pequuot), where he lived twelve years, and part of his children were born at that place. In 1655 he moved to Quamboug, where he died October 22, 1690, aged eighty-five. He married Grace Palmer, April 22, 1636. She died in 1690, having had twelve children, five of whom died young. Their fourth son, Clement, born in 1640 at Saybrook, married Widow Francis Witley, Nov. 26, 1662, and had six children. The second child, Joseph, born Aug. 16, 1666, married Elizabeth Comstock and had five children. The first child, Joseph, born Mar. 3, 1690, married Grace Turner, Feb. 26, 1713, and had eight children. The second son, Jesse, born Aug. 13, 1716, married Jane Watrous, Nov. 3, 1737, and had twelve children. The ninth child, Amos, born Aug. 6, 1755, married Mary Rowley, Dec. 14, 1780, and had nine children. The sixth child, Luther, born Apr. 19, 1791, married Jane Poppleton, May 20, 1814, and had one child, Jane Marietta, born Apr. 29, 1815, now (August, 1906) living in Sparta, Wis. Jane, first wife of Luther Miner, died, and on the 8th day of March, 1819, Luther Miner married Lena Eleanor Grant, and ten children were born to them. James Harvey being the seventh child. Amos Miner, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was the third son of Jesse Miner. He was one of the 1, 500 volunteer troops that took possession of Bunker Hill on the night of June 16, 1776, helped to throw up the entrenchments, was in the thickest of the battle on the 17th and among the last to leave the field when ordered to fall back. He gave vivid descriptions of many incidents of this memorable battle. He went on an expedition to Canada, was wounded while in the service and was granted a pension after the close of the war. After his death his widow obtained a pension. Following is the official record of the Revolutionary service of Amos Miner:
Department of Interior --- Bureau of Pensions --- Washington, D.C.
Battles engaged in --- Bunker Hill.
Residence of soldier at enlistment --- Roxbury, Mass., and Lebanon, Conn.
Date of application for pension --- May 1, 1818.
Residence at date of application --- Brighton, N.Y.
Age at date of application --- Sixty-two years.
Remarks --- Married, Mary……Dec. 14, 1780 and died Nov. 11, 1836.
Further information relating to this genealogy of the Miner family is found in Heraldica America. Miner family. Genealogy, New England history and genealogy, registry, 1859, vol. 13, page 181, published by John S. Drake, Boston. Also Heraldy in America, Pedigree of the Miner Family, by W. H. Whitteman, published by W. H. Dutton & Son, Boston, 1860, vol. 8, page 9, American Genealogy, Whitmore. New England Historical Genealogy Register for the year 1850, vol. 13, page 181, Historical Genealogical Society, Samuel G. Drake, Publisher, give s the pedigree of Miner. The Rev. A. A. Miner, an eminent clergyman of Boston, Mass., wrote to William P. Miner, the son of Luther Miner, in 1878, as follows: "Boston, Mass., Nov. 24, 1878, Wm. P. Miner, Esq. My Dear Sir: Yours of the 22d came duly to hand. I am of the sixth generation from Thomas Miner through the Connecticut branches of the family. Cothern's History of Ancient Woodbury, Ct., gives the best general account of the family, especially in a paper from Mr. Trumball, Connecticut. Its origin is traceable back to Henry Bullman, a miner by occupation, in England, who, in the time of the Edwards, furnished an escort to the king of a hundred men, on the occasion of an expedition to France for which he received the coat of arms, as you have it, and his name changed to Miner. Such facts, no doubt, you possess. A granddaughter of Thomas Miner, by the name of Grace, married a Grant, from whom, I understand General Grant is a descendant. Yours truly, A. A. Miner.
The history of the Miner family plainly shows it to have been a family loyal to government and furnished many soldiers to fight its battles and some became prominent and renowned military men, giving good grounds for believing that the blood of the Miner family contributed to the military genius of General Grant. Regarding the mother of James H. Miner, her maiden name of Lenah Eleanor Grant, she belonged the Clan Grant, the Highland family of Scotland, of whom Macauley, the historian, make mention. Her father was fond of relating how in his teens, his father placed him in an institution of learning in Scotland and provided him with a set of silver knee-buckles, which, however, he sold to obtain spending money while at school. On his return from school, this became known to his father, from whom he received sound flogging, in old blue Presbyterian style, whereupon you Peter Grant, being highly indignant and chagrined upon his humiliation, left home, sailed to America and landed in the state of Delaware. This must have been about 1760. He married a Miss Towser, in the state of Delaware, a Holland Dutch lady, and Lenah Eleanor was their third child. On Apr. 15, 1868 in the old homestead in the town of Somerset, Hillsdale county, Michigan, James H. Miner's parents, Luther Miner, then aged seventy-seven years, and Eleanor Miner, then aged seventy-three years, celebrated their golden wedding, having been married fifty years. Eleanor Grant was Luther Miner's third wife, and celebrating a Golden Wedding with a third wife can be considered an unusual occurrence. The father died Nov. 15, 1871. The education of the subject of this sketch, whose biography, most interesting in itself, has led to the printing of the highly valuable family records just given, received his education in the common schools of Hillsdale county, Mich, attending afterwards the Michigan Central College which was then located at Spring Arbor and afterwards became Hillsdale College. It was in the office of Judge Cole, of Potosi Grant county, Wis., that young Miner took up the study of law, and with him he remained until the judge was elevated to the supreme bench of Wisconsin. In April, 1855, having taken his examination at Lancaster, Wis., he was admitted to the bar and immediately began to practice at Richland Center, forming a partnership with D. B. Priest, an association which lasted thirteen years, when the last named moved to Viroqua and finally to Sparta, dying there in 1870. Mr. Miner always speaks of him as a man of the most elevated character, absolutely incapable of falsehood or deceit as a most able lawyer and an invaluable friend. From January, 1875, to June, 1877, Mr. Miner was in partnership with Eugene Wulfing, in 1878 with James H. Berryman, a connection which continued for ten years, and in 1893 his son, Grant L. Miner, was taken into partnership and the firm became as it is at the present time, Miner & Miner. In 1856 the subject of the present sketch was elected town superintendent of schools. He was elected district attorney in 1856-57, serving for years and elected county judge in the spring of 1865, serving four years, and was elected member of the assembly in November, 1869, serving one year. In August of 1876, was appointed by President Grant, postmaster, retaining the position five years. I 1868 was village president. Governor Smith afterwards appointed him one of the trustees of the Industrial School at Waukesha, an office he held for three years. He is now (1906) one of the directors of the board of the Richland Center free library. For several years Mr. Miner, whose active mind was not bound down by his professional work, took up the manufacture of lime, which had become at that time quite an industry, and also did some farming. He was one of the organizers of the Richland Center state bank, and also a member of its board of directors. Formerly he was a director of the Stevens Point & Pine River Valley Railroad, which was afterwards sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company.
CHAS. ALBERT MONSON is one of the well known and popular native sons of Richland county and is successfully established in the general merchandise business at Five Points, Akan township. He was born on the homestead farm, in this township, Oct. 24, 1868, and is a son of Ole Monson who was born in Norway, Apr. 7, 1845, being a son of Christian Monson, who was born in Norway, in 1814. His first wife, Agnet, died in Norway and in that land was also born his second wife, whose maiden name was Oline Rodal. Christian Monson immigrated to America with his family in 1852 and took up his residence in Akan township, this county, where he secured eighty acres of wild land, much of which he reclaimed from the forest before his death. At the time of the Civil War he showed his loyalty to the land of his adoption by enlisting in Company B, Twenty-fifth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he proceeded to the front, sacrificing his life in the cause. He died in Virginia, in 1864, and his wife died two years later, on the old homestead in Akan township. Ole Monson was about seven years of age at the time of his parents' immigration to America and he was reared to manhood in Richland county, where he received his early education in his native language, early being confirmed in the Lutheran church. He has continued to make his home in this county during the long intervening years and is one of the honored pioneers of Akan township, where he now owns 320 acres of land, much of which he individually reclaimed from the wild state. In politics he is a Republican and he has served as a member of the town board. He and his wife are zealous members of the Lutheran church. Jan. 18, 1868, Ole Monson was married to Miss Anna Mary Anderson Haug, who was born in Norway, being a daughter of Andreas Anderson Haug and Olave (Gaplen Haug, who settled in Akan township in 1866, here passing the remainder of his their lives, the father, who was born May 19, 1819, having died Apr. 9, 1886, his wife surviving him by several years. Ole and Anna Mary Monson became the parents of six children, namely: Chas. Albert, Aletha, Olaf, Christian, Oscar and Martin Nathan. Chas A. Monson was educated in the district schools of Akan township, the high school at Excelsior, and the Stoughton Academy and Business Institute. For some time after leaving school he was employed as a clerk in mercantile establishments,--at Excelsior, Boaz and Richland Center, and in 1898 he opened a general store at Five Points, where he has built up a large and prosperous business. In politics he accords allegiance to the Republican party, and he served four years as clerk of the circuit court, 1899-1903. He has been postmaster of Five Points since the spring of 1898. His father served eighteen months as a soldier in the Civil War, having been a member of Company H, Fiftieth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, in which he enlisted in 1864. Dec. 24, 1900, Chas. A. Monson was untied in marriage to Miss Lillie Anderson, who was born at Eagle, this county, June 12, 1881, a daughter of Barnhart and Hellene (Floaten) Anderson, both natives of Norway, whence they came to America in 1871, locating in Eagle, this county, where they still reside.
CHRISTIAN MONSON is one of the representative farmers of the younger generation in his native town of Akan, where he is now serving as township clerk, having also held other positions of public trust and being one of the prominent and popular citizens of this section of the county. Details regarding the family history may be found in the sketch of the life of his brother, Chas. A., appearing in this publication. Mr. Monson was born in Akan township, Aug. 25, 1875, and here passed his boyhood and youth on the home farm. After duly availing himself of the advantages o the public schools of the locality he continued his educational discipline in Stoughton Academy and Business Institute, at Stoughton, Dane county. After leaving school he continued identified with agricultural pursuits for several years and then he assumed the management of his brother's general store at Five Points, Akan township, where he also served four years as postmaster. Since leaving the store he has been successfully engaged in farming, owning a well improved place of forty-two acres, near Five Points. Mr. Monson is arrayed in the ranks of the Republican party and takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local order. He has served for the past four years as township clerk, being elected without opposition, and in the legislative session of 1905 he held a clerkship in the state senate. For nine terms he has served as deputy clerk of the circuit court for Richland county. He is a young man of much energy and ability and his course in all the relations of life has been such as to commend him to the confidence and respect of all with whom he has come in contact. He is a member of the directorate of the Utica Farmers' Fire & Lightning Insurance Company, having held this position since 1903. Jan. 1, 1906, recorded the marriage of Mr. Monson to Miss Anna Jacobson, who was born in Akan township, being a daughter of Ole and Taletha (Mortison) Jacobson, both native of Norway. Mr. Jacobson was one of the pioneers of Akan township, where he took up his residence in 1867 and where he gained prominence as a successful farmer and public-spirited citizen, having served as a member of the town board for many years and having here continued to reside until his death, which occurred July 12, 1905. His wife came to the county in 1877 and here their marriage was solemnized. She survives him, as do also nine of their eleven children. He was a devoted member of the Lutheran church, as are also the members of his family.
J. F. MOORE is one of the representative farmers o the younger generation in Richland county, where his entire life has been passed, being the owner of a well improved farm in Willow township and being ex-supervisor of the township. He was born on the homestead farm, near Gotham, Buena Vista township, this county, Nov. 4, 1875, and is a son of d. P. and Margaret (Knapp) Moore, the former of whom was born in the state of New York, in 1852, and the latter of whom was born in Indiana. She was forty-one years of age at the time of her death, and later Mr. Moore contracted a second marriage. D. P. Moore came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1855, being three years of age at the time, and the family settled near Gotham, this county, where he has since maintained him home, being one of the prominent farmers and influential citizens of Buena Vista township. Following is a brief record concerning the children of the first marriage: Dwight Edwin is a dentist by profession and is engaged in practice at Lone Rock, this county; the subject of this sketch was the next in order of birth; Erma is the wife of Christopher Shookman, of Thorp, Clark county; Laura is the wife of Harry Clough, of Black Earth, this state; William resides in Stanley, Chippewa county; Melvina is the wife of Alva Turk, of Madison; Hattie is the wife of Alexander cook, of Stanley; and Grace and Elmer are at the paternal home, as are also the three children of the second marriage, namely: Ray, Daisy and Bessie. J. F. Moore was reared to maturity on the home farm and has thus been familiar with the details of the agricultural industry from his boyhood days. He received his educational training in the public school at Gotham and Sextonville high school and he has resided on his present well improved farm, of eighty acres, in Willow township, since 1900. He is a Prohibitionist in his political allegiance and in 1905 he served as supervisor of his township. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mar. 10, 1900, Mr. Moore was untied in marriage to Miss Ella Mercena Hatch, daughter of Lester H. and Margaret (Rheinhardt) Hatch, who are well known residents of Willow township and both of whom were born in the state of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have two children, --Gladys, born June 10, 1901, and Robert, born Nov. 4, 1903.
DENNIS J. MORRIS, dealer in farm implements, buggies, surries, and harvesting machinery, at Richland Center, was born two and one-half miles north of Rochester, on the Tippecanoe river, just below the old ironworks, in Fulton county, Ind., on Nov. 28, 1853, and he is the son of Edward and Rachel (McMehan) Morris, natives of Washington Court House, Fayette county, O. The paternal grandparents were Asa and Elizabeth (McMehan) Morris, the former of whom was a native of Wheeling, now West Virginia, and the latter was born in the same part of the Old Dominion. Asa Morris was born in 1807, and he came from Virginia to Ohio in early manhood, settling in Fayette county when that portion of the Buckeye State was a new country. He came to Indiana in 1842, settling in Fulton county, near Rochester, and he remained there until 1854, when he removed to Richland county, Wis., and located in the town of Bloom. He afterward sold out there and went to Vernon county, where he died in 1868, at the age of sixty-one years, and he is buried in the cemetery at Viroqua. His wife died in 1882. In the Civil War, although considerably past the age of military requirement, Asa Morris enlisted, on Feb. 8, 1862, as a private in Company C of the Nineteenth Wisconsin volunteer infantry. His regiment was attached to the forces operating in Virginia, and he served with the command until June 15, 1863, when he was discharged from the service on account of disability. He was never in good health after being discharged. He and his good wife were the parents of nine children: Edward is the father of the subject of this review; Joseph is deceased; Mary Ann married Eli Mason, who is deceased, and she resides at Viroqua, Vernon county; Catherine married John Hurd and she and her husband are both deceased; Dennis and Sarah, twins, are both deceased; Adaline married John Hawkenberry and resides in Viroqua; Lena is deceased; and Henry resides in Viroqua. Edward Morris, the eldest of the above named children and the father of our subject, remained with his parents during their residence in Ohio, and in Indiana until 1854, when he came to Wisconsin and settled in the town of Bloom, Richland county. Oct. 7, 1854, was the exact date of his settlement there, and at that time it was a wild and unbroken country, but he entered a half section of government land and bought an additional eighty-acre tract. Nine years later he removed to the town of Rockbridge, remaining at the latter place six years, and he then settled in the town of Richland, on the farm now owned by his son, Dennis J. Farming has always been the chief occupation of Edward Morris, and he is counted among the successful men of Richland county, contributing his full share to the development of the region in which he lived. He retired from the active routine work of a farmer's life in 1883, and has since given considerable attention to business of other kinds. He owns two farms, one in the town of Dayton and the other in Richland. He was one of the promoters of and, during its existence, one of the trustees of the state bank at Richland Center, and he was also one of the stockholders in the original Pine River & Steven's Point Railroad, from Lone Rock to Richland Center. He has been a tax-payer in Richland county since 1854, and has held various local offices. In his political faith he is a stanch Democrat, and when he resided in the town of Bloom he usually represented his party organization in conventions. On Aug. 11, 1862, he enlisted as corporal in Company B, Twenty-fifth regiment, Wisconsin volunteer infantry, and first went to fort Snelling, Minn., to aid in the suppression of the Indian uprising. From there his company was sent to Alexander, Minn., on the Dakota line, and it was stationed at a point further north than any other company of the regiment. Its duty being performed in that region the regiment returned to Camp Randall, Madison, where it remained until February, 1863, when it was sent to Kentucky and performed post and picket duty in that state. On May 23, 1863, Mr. Morris was discharged from the service on account of disability, he being seriously afflicted with hemorrhage of the lungs, and he was unable to do manual labor for years thereafter. He and his wife now reside in Richland Center. Edward Morris was married at Rochester, Ind., on Oct. 7, 1851, to Miss Rachel McMehan, a daughter of Isaac and Phoebe McMehan, who were also early settlers of Richland county, locating about 1850 on the "John Brown" farm in the town of Richland and later removing to the town of Bloom where they both died and are buried in the Bloom cemetery. Dennis J. Morris is the eldest of a family of six children who were born to Edward Morris and wife, and these facts concerning the others are given a place in this review: Phoebe married Thomas McCasky and resides in the town of Marshall; Catherine married Allen Roy and resides in Richland Center; George is also a resident of Richland Center; Amy married Alexander Best and resides in Franklin county, Tenn.; and Isaac is a horseman of some note and resides on his father's farm in the town of Dayton. Dennis J. Morris was less than one year old when his parents came to Richland county, and there he was reared to manhood, receiving his education in the public schools. He began his independent career at the age of twenty-five years, as a farmer in the town of Richland on the place which he now owns. In 1879 he removed to Cresco, Ia., and followed farming there a couple of years, when he suffered the loss of his dwelling house by fire, and in 1881 he returned to Richland county, and after living upon a rented farm three years entered the employ of A. H. Krouskop as a buyer. After eighteen months in that capacity he resigned the position and made a trip to Indiana and Tennessee, buying a farm in the latter state. On Apr. 22, 1889, he took up a farm in Oklahoma territory, at the time of the opening of a reservation to settlers, his location being three miles south of Kingfisher, on Uncle John's creek. He settled there with his family and remained eight years, when he traded his farm for one in Howell county, Mo., where he remained two years, and then returned to Richland county in 1899. Upon his return to the old home county he purchased the place which he still owns, one mile from Richland Center, and farmed there three years. In 1903 he removed to Richland Center and engaged in the implement business, in which he has since been engaged, handling the Deering and Champion reapers and mowers and all the machines of the International Harvester company, the J. I. Case threshers, buggies, surreys, wagons, and all kinds of farming implements, binder twine, etc. His tore building, which he owns, is 28x70 feet, with two stories and a basement, equipped with elevators etc., and it is all occupied by his extensive business. The building is located at the corner of Main and Mill streets, in the city of Richland Center, and he also has a warehouse near the railroad track. Our subject was married on July 24, 1878, to Miss Emma Shireman, who was born in Richland county, the daughter of Ami and Tempa Jane (Jones) Shireman, early settlers of the county. These parents came from the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, and settled on Horse creek, in the town of Marshall, both being now deceased. Dennis J. Morris and wife are the parents of two children - Virgil Edward, who resides in Colorado Springs, and Jennie Ethel, who for the past here years has officiated in the capacity of deputy register of deeds of Richland county. Prior to assuming the duties of her present position she taught fourteen terms of school. The subject of this review is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen, and of the Mystic Workers, having held the position of foreman of the former four years. He represented the Richland Center organization as a delegate to the state meeting at La Crosse in 1905, and he was elected a delegate to the national meeting which was held at Colorado Springs on Nov. 21, of the same year. Mr. Morris is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and he served as the first trustee of the town of Harrison, Kingfisher county, Okla., occupying that position two terms. The office of trustee in Oklahoma is a very important one, as the man who occupies the position has all the business of the town to attend to, assessing the property, laying out and superintending the care of the roads, in a tract of territory, six by eight miles in extent, which at that time was the regulation size of the townships in that territory. Mr. Morris served as one of the delegates from Kingfisher county to an Oklahoma territorial convention. He is at present serving as alderman from the second ward in the common council of Richland Center, having been elected to that position by a large majority in the spring of 1905. Our subject is a stockholder in the First National Bank at Richland Center.
FRED H. MORRIS is a native of the Badger State and has passed practically his entire life in Richland county, being now one of the representative citizens of the village of Viola, where he is engaged in the live-stock and wool business and where he has valuable real-estate interests. He was born in Green county, Wis., Jan. 15, 1869, and is a son of Isaac and Ellen (Winters) Morris, the former of whom was born in Wales and the latter in England. The father came to Green county, Wis., about 1857, and there his marriage was solemnized. In 1870 he removed to Richland county and settle din Forest township, where he originally bought eighty acres of land, to which he gradually added until he was the owner of 240 acres, much of which he personally reclaimed from the forest. Of his ten children all but one attained to maturity and seven are still living. Both remained residents of Forest until their death and their memories are held in lasting regard by all who knew them. In politics Isaac Morris was for a number of years a Republican and later affiliated with the Democratic party. Both he and his wife were zealous and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The subject of this sketch was an infant at the time of his parents' removal to Richland county and here he was reared to manhood on the home farm, while his educational advantages during this formative period of his career were those afforded by the public schools of Forest township. He continued to be actively engaged I farming until 1902, accumulating 210 acres of land, in Forest Township, and becoming one of the representative agriculturists of this part of the county. He has sold both of his farms. In the year mentioned Mr. Morris took up his residence in Viola, where he conducted the only meat market in the village, finally disposing of the same and forming a partnership with Jasper C. Hull, with whom he has since been associated in conducting a large business in the buying and shipping of live stock and wool. He is the owner of a fine residence I the village and also owns the bank block, which he erected in 1905. In politics he is a Democrat and he takes a deep interest in local affairs, being a loyal and public-spirited citizen, and having served as a member of the town board. Mar. 15, 1891, Mr. Morris married Miss Gertrude Campbell, who was born in Bloom township, this county, in June, 1872, being a daughter of William C. Campbell, of whom special mention is made in another column of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Morris became the parents of two children, the elder of whom is living, --Clinton B., who was born Mar. 25, 1893; Ruby, who was born in December, 1894, died at the age of two years.
JOHN S. MORRIS is a native son of Richland county and is numbered among the prominent and successful agriculturists of Richwood township. He was born on a farm in the town of Eagle, Apr. 14,1860, and is a son of Henry O. and Jane (Summerville) Morris, the former of whom was born in the north of Wales, in1819, and the latter in Ireland, in 1827. The father immigrated to America in 1846 and settled in Dodgeville, Iowa county, Wis. He was one of the argonauts who made the long and perilous trip across the plains to California at the time of the memorable discovery of gold in that state, and after his return to Wisconsin he settled in Dodgeville and later in Eagle township, Richland county, where he took up 160 acres of government land, eventually becoming the owner of 240 acres. He developed one of the valuable farm properties of the county and continued to reside on the old homestead until his death, which occurred Apr. 29, 1902. In politics he was a stanch adherent of the Democratic party and he was one of the honored and influential citizens of his township, having been a member of the town board for a number of years and having served six years as chairman of the same. He and his wife were zealous members of the Congregational church and he aided materially in the building of the first church of this denomination in Richwood town-ship. His wife was summoned to the life eternal in1902. They became the parents of seven children: Morgan died in 1860; Catherine is the wife of I. A. Davis, of Richland Center; Emma Jane died in March, 1900; the subject of this sketch was the next in order of birth; Anna is the wife of Andrew Burgun and they reside in Minnesota; Martha is the wife of Schuyler Peters, of Eagle township; and Mary is the wife of William Garner, of Richwood township. John S. Morris was reared on the old homestead farm and was afforded the advantages of the public schools of Eagle township. He has continuously been identified with agricultural pursuits and has been a resident of Richwood township since 1902. Here he owned at one time 620 acres of land, and at the present time he has a finely improved estate of 350 acres, a considerable portion of which he reclaimed from the forest. He is one of the progressive farmers and stock-growers of Richwood and is a citizen who commands unqualified confidence and esteem. In politics he clings to the faith of the Democratic party, but he has never been a seeker of public office. Mr. Morris has never married.
DAVID MULLENDORE is the owner of a fine landed estate of 300 acres in Forest township, having resided on this homestead since 1868 and being one of the prominent and popular citizens of this section of the county. He was born in Montgomery county, O., eight miles from the present city of Dayton, Aug. 18, 1844, and is a son of Aaron and Lavina (Werts) Mullendore, both of whom were native of that same county, where the former was born June 5, 1825, and the latter Aug.19, 1825. They remained residents of Montgomery county until 1851, when they removed to Madison county, Ind., where they made their home until 1855, when the father disposed of his farm and came to Richland county, Wis., settling on a pioneer farm in the town of Bloom, where he accumulated about 1200 acres of land. He later removed to the town of Forest, where he remained until about 1880, when he removed to California, where he is now living retired, and where his cherished and devoted wife died, Jan. 7, 1904. They became the parents of six children, all of whom are living. In politics Aaron Mullendore is an uncompromising Democrat and while a resident of Forest township he served as justice of the peace and as a member of the town board, having been one of the honored and influential citizens of the county in which he so long maintained his home. The subject secured his preliminary educational training in the district schools of Indiana and was eleven years of age at the time of his parents' removal to Richland county, where he continued to attend school as opportunity afforded, having been for a time a student in the graded school of Sextonville. He grew up under the invigorating discipline of the farm and has never severed his allegiance to the great basic industry of agriculture. His present farm is one of the best in Forest township, being improved with good buildings and being under effective cultivation. He also devotes considerable attention to the raising of high-grade live stock. As before stated, he located on his present farm in 1868, and much of the land he reclaimed from the forest, having made all the improvements since coming into possession of the place. Feb. 1, 1865, at the age of twenty years, Mr. Mullendore enlisted in Company A, Fiftieth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he served sixteen and one-half months, the captain of his company having been Hon. John C. Spooner, present United States senator from Wisconsin. In politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles for which the Democratic party stands sponsor and he has served as a member of the town board, though never ambitious for official preferment. In 1868 Mr. Mullendore was united in marriage to Miss Esther R. Pellett, who was born in Parke county, Ind., a daughter of Lorenzo and Anna Pellett, who came to Richland county and settled in the town of Forest in 1865, here passing the remainder of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Mullendore were born eight children, all of whom are living except the fifth, who died in infancy. The names of the other children are here entered in order of birth : Lavina, Wilda, Minnie, Bessie, Dow and Lena.
HARVEY MULLENDORE is a native son of Richland county and a representative of one of its sterling pioneer families, being numbered among the successful farmers of this section of the state, his place lying partly in the town of Marshall and partly in Sylvan. He was born in the town of Forest, this county, Dec.17, 1871, and is a son of Daniel W. and Catherine Ellen (Marshall) Mullendore, the former of whom was born in Indiana and the latter in Ohio, and both being members of families early settled in Richland county. Daniel W. Mullendore is a son of Aaron and Lavina (Werts) Mullendore, who came from the Hoosier State to Richland county about 1854, when he was a boy. Aaron Mullendore reclaimed a good farm in the town of Forest, where he lived many years, finally removing to California and now residing near Lemon, Los Angeles county, that state, where his wife died. Daniel W. Mullendore was reared to manhood upon the home farm, securing his early educational training in the pioneer schools. He continued to reside on his homestead farm, in the town of Forest, until 1902, since which time he has lived retired in Richland Center, though still retaining in his possession his farm of 260 acres. He is a Democrat in politics and he and his wife are members of the Christian church. They have five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest; Mantie is a telephone operator at Pomona, Cal.; Caroline is engaged in dressmaking in the same city ; Clinton, who married Myra Gribble, is a farmer in the town of Bloom; and Aaron has charge of the old homestead farm. Harvey Mullendore was educated in the public schools of Richland county and continued to assist in the work of the home farm until 1893, when he rented a farm in Bloom township, where he remained five years, after which he was engaged in farming in Jefferson county, Ill., for one year. He then returned to his native county and for the following two years was associated in the operation of his father's farm. He then purchased his present farm of 117 acres, of which seventy-two acres are in section 19, Marshall township, where his residence is located, and the remainder in Sylvan township. Thirty-five acres of the place are under effective cultivation and the remainder is pasture and wooded land, there being a considerable amount of valuable timber still on the farm. He is engaged in general farming, stock-growing and dairying, having (1906) about thirty head of cattle, mostly Jersey and Hereford strains, and about fifty head of high-grade sheep. In politics he exercises his franchise in support of the men and measures which meet the approval of his judgment, not holding to strict partisan lines. His wife is a member of the United Brethren church and the popularity of Mr. and Mrs. Mullendore in the community is of the most unequivocal order. Nov.3 1895, Mr. Mullendore was united in marriage to Miss Lina Gribble, who was born and reared in Forest township, this county, being a daughter of Irving and Sarah Jane (Bender) Gribble, well known residents of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Mullendore have one son Clarence.
GEORGE MULLER is one of the successful farmers of the town of Forest and is also associated with his brother in the operation of a well equipped sawmill. He was born in Muscoda, Grant county, Wis., Oct.14, 1854, and is a son of Amadeus Godfrey Muller and Pauline (Scott) Muller, the former of whom was born in the province of Alsace, France, and the latter in the adjoining province of Loraine, both being now a portion of the German empire. The father was born in 1812 and the mother in 1830. Amadeus G. Muller immigrated to the United States when a young man and he was employed at his trade in New York and New Jersey for some time, having been a skilled brass worker. His marriage was solemnized at Wheeling, W. Va., and in 1851 he removed to Wisconsin and located in Muscoda, Grant county. He purchased a farm of eighty acres, clearing a portion of the same and then selling the property, after which he bought another farm, of 160 acres, three miles south of Muscoda, there passing the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1894; his wife passed away Oct. 5, 1906. He was a member of the Lutheran church and his wife was a communicant of the Catholic church. Of their seven children four are living. The subject of this sketch was reared on the home farm and his early education was secured in the district schools. He learned the miller's trade and was employed at the same in Minnesota about six years. In 1880 he came to Richland county and purchased ten acres of land in the town of Forest, erecting on the same a gristmill, which he continued to operate until 1903, when he sold the property. In 1883 he also engaged in the manufacturing of lumber, in which he has controlled an extensive business and in which he still continues, being associated with his brother Amadeus and having also operated a saw mill at West Lima, Richland county, for nine years. His homestead farm comprises 120 acres and is one of the finely improved places of Forest township. In politics Mr. Muller gives his support to the cause of the Prohibition party and both he and his wife are members of the Christian church. In 1885 Mr. Muller was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Hoffman, who was born in the town of Forest this county, being a daughter of John and Polly (Blakely) Hoffman, who settled in Forest township in 1856, here passing the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Muller have nine children, namely: Edmond Beder, George Byron, Ivan Lee, Lewis Philop, Murl, Maud, .James Caleb, Opal, and Noel.
CHARLES W. MYERS has passed practically his entire life in Richland county, having been thirteen years of age at the time of accompanying his mother to this section of the state, and being now a representative farmer of the town of Bloom. He has witnessed the development of the county from the wilderness and has done his part in furthering the march of progress, being a loyal and substantial citizen and having been one of those who went forth from the county as a soldier in the Civil War. Mr. Myers was born in Allen county, Ind., Feb. 27, 1842, and is a son of John and Rhoda (Peckham) Myers, both native of Carroll county, O., where they were reared and where their marriage was solemnized. They became pioneers of Allen county, Ind., where the father reclaimed a farm in the midst of the forest and where he died in 1850, his wife long surviving him, and passing the closing years of her life in the home of the subject of this sketch, in Richland county, where she died in 1881. Both were devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their eldest child, Elizabeth, is married and resides in Fayette county, Ia.; John F. and Rachel Ann are deceased; Charles W., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth. His mother contracted a second marriage, becoming the wife of Henry Clayton, who died in Allen county, Ind., being survived by his only child, Theidosia, who. is the wife of Orlando Robins, of Richland Centre. In 1855 Mrs. Clayton came with her children to Richland county, Wis., in company with her father, Charles Peckham, and others from Allen county, Ind., making the trip with teams and wagons and bringing a considerable number of cattle. The mother of the subject of this sketch secured eighty acres of wild land in section 23, town of Bloom. Three acres were cleared and a log cabin was erected in this clearing. She remained on this homestead many years, effecting the reclamation of a considerable portion of the same, and finally sold the property. After passing six months in Iowa she returned to Richland county, where she remained until her death. Charles W. Myers secured his rudimentary education in a primitive log schoolhouse in his native county, and had but little opportunity for attending school after the removal of the family to Wisconsin. He was reared to maturity on the home farm and has continuously been identified with agricultural pursuits. In 1875 he bought l00 acres of land in section 34, town of Bloom, a small clearing having been made and a log house erected. He made excellent improvements on the place, the greater part of which he brought under effective cultivation, and on this homestead he continued to reside until 1902, when he sold the farm and bought a small piece of land in the town of Marshall, remaining there a few months and then buying his present farm, of seven acres, in section 26, Bloom township, where he is living practically retired. In March, 1865, Mr. Myers enlisted in Company D, Eleventh Wisconsin volunteer infantry, with which he was in service in Montgomery and Mobile, Ala., and in the city of New Orleans, serving from March to September, 1865, and then receiving his honorable discharge; he was mustered out in the city of Madison, Wis., and then returned to his home. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. In politics Mr. Myers is a stalwart advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and the confidence and esteem in which he is held in the community is shown in the official preferment which has come to him. He was town assessor six years, was chairman of the town board of Bloom for three years and served an equal period on the side board. He and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1864, Mr. Myers was united in marriage to Miss Jemima Snyder, who was born in Allen county, Ind., being a daughter of John E. Snyder, a native of Pennsylvania and an early settler in Richland county. To Mr. and Mrs. Myers have been born eight children, of whom six are living: Mary A. is the wife of Edward Essex, a farmer of Bloom township; Mahala is the wife of Frederick Wright, of Winnebago, Minn.; Ida May is the wife of Claude Benett, of Juneau county, Wis.; Delbert.. who married Miss Delilah Clark, is a farmer of Bloom township; Minta is the wife of Ralph Barnes, of Dayton township; John F. is deceased; Ethel is the wife of Lawrence E. Kidd, of Bloom township; and Sarah C. is deceased.
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