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    ABEL RAGLES. --- Numbered among the venerable and honored pioneers of Richland county is this well known and successful representative of the agricultural industry in Ithaca township, where he has maintained his home for more than sixty years, having been one of the founders and builders of the county and having ever retained the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. Mr. Ragles is of German ancestry and claims the old Keystone State of the Union as the place of his nativity, having been born in Mercer township, Mercer county, Penn., Jan. 28, 1824, and being a son of Abraham and Mary (Sippy) Ragles, the former of whom was born in Maryland and the latter in Pennsylvania. They removed to Indiana when the subject of this sketch was a child and there the father passed the remainder of his life. The mother attained the age of more than ninety years, her death occurring March 17, 1901. Mr. Ragles passed his boyhood and youth on the home farm in Indiana and his educational privileges were those afforded by the district schools of the pioneer days. He was there reared to manhood, having been twenty-one years of age at the time of his removal to Richland county, Wis., in 1845. Here he took up a tract of government land, in Ithaca township, where he has ever since resided. He reclaimed land from the virgin forest and is now the owner of a finely improved farm, on which is located the little village and postoffice of Neptune. Mr. Ragles is one of a family of nine children, of whom only three are now living,-Rachel Ann, Abel and Ezra. The names of the children, in order of birth, are as follows: David, William, Rhoda, Betsy, Lucretia, Rachel Ann, Jacob, Abel and Ezra. In politics Mr. Ragles has been identified with the Republican party from the time of its organization, and he served for a quarter of a century as treasurer of his school district. He has never been a seeker of public office but has at all times given his aid and co-operation in the promotion of those enterprises and undertakings which have been projected for the general good of the township and county. In 1845 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ragles to Miss Priscilla Sippy, daughter of Dr. Joseph and Martha (Cogswell) Sippy, who were residents of Indiana at that time. To Mr. and Mrs. Ragles were born eight children, of whom six attained to years of maturity, namely: Thomas, who is a resident of South Dakota; Hubert and Clarence, who are successful farmers of Ithaca township; Robert B., who died in this township; William, who likewise is engaged in farming in Ithaca township; and Martha, who still resides in the same township.
    GEORGE S. RAWSON, one of the successful and representative farmers of Sylvan township, is a native of "Merrie old England," but has been a resident of America from his infancy. He was born in Yorkshire, England, Apr. 13, 1856, and is a son of Joseph and Johannah (Sleightholme) Rawson, both representatives of stanch England stock. The father was born Aug. 4, 1829, and the mother in the year 1832. They came to America in 1858, when the subject of this sketch was a child of about two years, and they first settled in McHenry county, Ill., where the father was engaged in farming during the next decade, at the expiration of which, in 1868, he removed with his family to Wisconsin and settled in Sylvan township, this county, where he bought eighty acres of wild land, which he reclaimed to cultivation. He sold his farm about ten years ago and now makes his home with the subject of this sketch. His first wife died in Illinois, in 1864, and he later married Ann Dunbar, daughter of Noah and Rebecca Dunbar, four children having been born of the first union and three of the last. John is deceased; George S., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth; Elizabeth is the wife of William Chetwood, of this county; Mary is the wife of Philip Grim, elsewhere mentioned in this work; Noah is deceased; Walter is a resident of Akan, Wis.; Lottie is the wife of John Alderman and they reside in Kansas. George S. Rawson received his education in the schools of Illinois and Wisconsin and has been identified with agricultural pursuits from his youth to the present time. He assisted his father in reclaiming his Richland county farm and initiated his independent career when twenty-one years of age. He then purchased fifty acres of his present farm, and he is now the owner of a find landed estate of 330 acres. He is an energetic and enterprising farmer and stock-grower and has achieved prosperity and independence through well directed effort, being numbered among the substantial and popular citizens of Sylvan township. In politics he maintains an independent attitude, and he has served several times as a member of the township board, held the office of assessor three years and was clerk of his school district several terms. He was reared in the faith of the United Brethren church but he and his family hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1878 Mr. Rawson was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Starkey, who was born in Ohio, Dec. 1, 1858, being one of the eleven children of Benjamin and Emily (Wheeler) Starkey, both of whom died in Richland county, whither they removed from Ohio in the early sixties. Mr. and Mrs. Rawson have two children, May and Clara, twins, who were born Jan. 30, 1884. May is now the wife of Randolph Popp and they reside on a portion of her father's farm; Clara is the wife of Dudley Popp, who likewise is a successful young farmer of Sylvan township.
    ALEXANDER RAY, the efficient and obliging postmaster at Lone Rock, was born at Mauchchunk, Carbon county, Penn., on Dec. 17, 1844, and is the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Mullen) Ray, the father being a native of Scotland, and the mother was of Irish descent. The father died when the subject of this review was less than a year old, and about 1894 his mother died in Carbon county, Penn., where she had lived all of her life. Our subject was one of a family of four children who were born to these parents, the names of whom and other facts concerning them being as follows: Elizabeth resides in New York city; William resides at Jeddo, in Luzerne county, Penn., being a stationary engineer in the coal regions; Alexander is he whose name introduces this biographical sketch; and Joseph, who was a locomotive engineer on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, was killed in a wreck in 1899. When ten years old Alexander Ray came to Wisconsin with a Mr. Wyker, to whom he had been apprenticed to learn the tailor's trade, and after remaining in Janesville a short time the journey was continued to Richland City, in Richland county. But disliking the tailor trade our subject ran away from his master in 1855, and upon being apprehended and brought back, he left again, finally going to work for a man named Atkins on Willow creek. He remained with the latter until the spring of 1861, and then hired out for the summer to Aaron S. Lee, who was destined to be the future father-in-law of the youthful Alexander. On Sept. 16, 1861, Mr. Ray enlisted in the Sixth Battery of Wisconsin light artillery, organized at Lone Rock and known as the "Buena Vista Battery," and rose to the rank of corporal in that organization. He went with it from Lone Rock to Racine, where the battery remained until the following March, and then he accompanied it throughout all of its noted career, it first becoming a part of the Army of the West. He was stationed with the battery at New Madrid, Mo., and participated in the battles of Corinth, Raymond, Jackson, and Champion's Hill, Miss., the siege of Vicksburg, battle of Missionary Ridge, the fight at Nashville, Tenn., and several minor skirmishes. At the expiration of his term of service he re-enlisted in the same organization and served as a veteran until the close of the war, being finally mustered out by orders of the war department on July 3, 1865, at Madison, Wis. He then returned to Richland county and engaged in farming, which he followed until 1870, when he entered the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad and remained thus engaged one year. He then engaged in the hardware and tinner business for W. G. James at Lone Rock and continued thus employed in Wisconsin, Dakota and Iowa until 1895, when he returned to Lone Rock. On July 16, 1897, he was appointed postmaster at the Lone Rock office and has held that responsible position since. Mr. Ray was married on Jan. 1, 1868, to Miss Elizabeth Lee, a daughter of Aaron S. Lee, one of Richland county's pioneers, and to this union two children have been born - Jessie, who assists her father in the postoffice, and Mildred. Our subject is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, being the present quartermaster of Henry Dillon post, No. 24, and he is also treasurer of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically he has always affiliated with the Republican party. Aaron S. Lee, who is mentioned above as the father-in-law of the subject of this review, was born in Hudson, N.Y., on Aug. 1, 1825, and is the son of Cornelius and Hulda (Stone) Lee, both of whom were natives of the Empire State, the family on both sides being of old New England stock. The father served with the New York state troops in the War of 1812, after which he followed farming and butchering in his native state until 1865, when he came west and settled in Richland county, Wis. He spent the remainder of his life at Sextonville and died in 1874. Six children were born to him and his wife, the names and other facts concerning whom are given as follows: Eliza married Alonzo Pennoyer and resides in California; Aaron S.; Rhoda married Jacob Coffin and is deceased; William resides in Catskill, N.Y.; Mary married Walter Cass and is deceased, her husband residing in Sauk county; and Harriet, who married Clayton Bush (deceased), resides in New York state. Aaron S. Lee was reared in New York and lived there until 1855, when he came to Richland county and settled in the town of Ithaca, following farming there until 1870. He then removed to Lone Rock and has since been engaged in farming and also in the insurance business, following the latter employment since 1877, and representing several prominent companies. Of late years he has made his home retired in the village of Lone Rock. Mr. Lee was married at Catskill, N.Y., on Mar. 25, 1847, to Miss Maria Elizabeth Coffin, of Greene county, N.Y., his wife being a descendent of old Empire State stock, and to this union five children were born: Emma died at the age of three years; Cornelius died in Richland county in 1905; George is a resident of Lone Rock; Elizabeth A. married Alexander Ray, whose name introduces this family review, and resides in Lone Rock; Lewis is a resident of Fredericksburg, Ia. Mr. Lee has always affiliated with the Republican party, and has served two terms as town supervisor. He has also officiated as town clerk three years, as mayor of Lone Rock one year, member of the town board six years, and as deputy sheriff of the county two terms. Fraternally he has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1871; having passed through all the chairs of the local organization, and being the present warden of the same. In his religious faith he is a communicant in the Methodist Episcopal church. Although eighty-two years old Mr. Lee is hale and hearty and by his appearance gives promise of reaching many more milestones on the journey of life, which consummation is hoped for by a host of warm and earnest friends.
    EZRA REAGLES has resided on his present farm, in Willow township, for more than half a century, is a veteran of the Civil War, is ex-register of deeds of Richland county and is a citizen who is well known and held in unqualified esteem in the county which has so long been his home. He was born in Bath, Summit county, O., July 4, 1834, and is a son of Abraham and Mary (Sippy) Reagles, the former of whom was born in Beaver county, Penn., where his death occurred, and the latter having died at Bath, O. The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in Wabash county, Ind., and he came to Wisconsin in March, 1861, locating on his present farm, where he has ever since made his home. The tract was heavily timbered when he secured the property and it was reclaimed under his direction. It comprises 160 acres and is now one of the valuable places of Willow township, being under effective cultivation and equipped with good buildings and other permanent improvements. He first erected a log house, which later gave place to a more commodious one of the same type, and he has also erected two frame residences on the farm, the present dwelling being commodious and of modern design. Mar. 5, 1854, Mr. Reagles married, and his wife accompanied him on his removal to Richland county, her death here occurring thirteen years after her marriage. She died of consumption and left no children. Mar. 20, 1868, Mr. Reagles contracted a second marriage, being then united to his present wife, whose maiden name was Mary Elizabeth Lewis. She is a daughter of David and Catherine (Gilbert) Lewis, who were pioneers of Richland county. Of this marriage were born four children: Clyde, the eldest, died in 1894; Mary Olive is the wife of L. H. Jewett, who operates the cheese factory at Willow; Porter Ashland has charge of the homestead farm of his father; and Ella also remains at the parental home. Mr. Reagles himself is one of a family of sixteen children and is the youngest of the three who are living, Abel being a resident of Ithaca, this county, and Rachel being the wife of Alexander Turner, of Mercer county, Penn. Mr. Reagles is a stalwart supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party and he has been called upon to serve in various offices of local trust. He has been township assessor and treasurer, has held other minor offices and was register of deeds of the county for two terms. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren church and he is affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic and the Maimed Soldiers' League. Feb. 17, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company A, Thirty-sixth Wisconsin volunteer infantry, and he continued a member of this command until the close of the war, having received his honorable discharge June 20, 1865. In an engagement on the 18th of August, 1864, he received a severe wound in the left ankle, the injury being so serious as to necessitate the amputation of the foot on the 6th of the following month. He now receives a pension of forty dollars a month, the same having been raised to this amount in 1903.
    FRED D. REED merits consideration in this work as one of the representative farmers and popular citizens of his native township of Orion, where he was born Aug. 25, 1863, being a son of George W. and Sarah (McCulloch) Reed, the former of whom was born in the state of New York and the latter in Virginia. The father was reared and educated in his native state and as a young man, in 1848, prior to his marriage, he came as a pioneer to Richland county, making the trip on foot from Milwaukee to the site of the present home of the subject of this review. Here he took up 160 acres of government land, the tract being heavily timbered and settlers being few and widely separated. He bought a yoke of oxen and utilized the same in connection with the work of clearing his land. He developed one of the valuable farms of the county and has continuously resided on the homestead to the present time except for a period of about one year, which he passed in Iowa. He was born in 1825 and his wife in 1827, and both remain on the farm which has been their home for so many years, being numbered among the honored pioneers of the county. They became the parents of six children, all of whom are living. Fred D. Reed was reared to the invigorating discipline of the farm and was educated in the public schools of his native county, continuing to be identified with the management of the homestead until he had attained to the age of twenty-seven years, when he entered the employ of the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company, having held the position of station agent at Wheeler, Dunn county, about six years, at the expiration of which he returned to the home farm, of whose operation he has since had the control and active supervision, being recognized as one of the progressive and reliable farmers and stock-growers of the county. He is found stanchly aligned as a supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and he has served as chairman of the county board and as clerk of his school district. In a fraternal way he is identified with the camp of the Modern Woodmen of America at Twin Bluffs. Mar. 13, 1889, Mr. Reed was united in marriage to Miss Nora Gwinn, who was born and reared in Ithaca township, this county, being a daughter of David J. and Martha (Reagles) Gwinn, well known residents of that township and natives of the state of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Reed have three children, -- Earl A., Alice Pearl, and Harold E.
    JEFFERSON J. REYNOLDS is a prominent citizen of the town of Buena Vista, his place of residence being on section 35, town 9, range 2 east, where he settled in the spring of 1867, purchasing his farm of George Green. He was born in the town of Columbia, Herkimer county, N.Y., on Aug. 24, 1823 and he is the son of John and Abigail (Taton) Reynolds, both of whom were natives of the same county and state, the families of each being of old New England stock. The subject of this review is one of three children who were born to the parents named, the others being Ellen who married V. R. Brainard, both she and her husband being deceased, and Adelia married Joseph Thomas, and she died in Kansas. The father of our subject and himself settled in Richland county, as before stated, in 1867, and prior to that time they had been engaged in farming in the state of New York. Upon coming here they located upon the place where Jefferson J. now resides, and the father remained thereon until his death, in 1885, at the advanced age of eighty-four years, the mother having died several years previously. Our subject has always made farming his chief occupation, and his farm comprises a quarter section of very fine farming and grazing land, upon which he has placed some of the best improvements to be seen in the town of Buena Vista. Mr. Reynolds has been twice married, his first wife to whom he was wedded in 1845, having been Miss Mary Smith, of Litchfield, Herkimer county, N.Y., and to that union one child was born -Mary, who married J. Q. Black and now resides at Rome, Ga., where her husband is a merchant. Our subject's first wife died when this daughter was a small child, and on Feb. 26, 1879, Mr. Reynolds married Miss Mary O. Carr, a native of Palmyra, Jefferson county, Wis. She died on May 25, 1898, leaving two children: Orrin C., who resides on the home place, and Jennie, who resides at home with her father. Mr. Reynolds has always been a man of strong intellectuality, thoroughly abreast of the times, and his influence has always been felt in progressive movements of all kinds. Politically his breadth of mind has forced him to ally himself with different organizations, always advocating what he firmly believed to be the best interest of the country, and as an early Abolitionist, then as a Prohibitionist, and later as a Bryan Democrat he has consistently performed the duties of a good citizen.
    WILLIAM RICHARDSON is not only one of the pioneer members of the farming community in the town of Henrietta but is also a representative of one of the pioneer families of the old Buckeye state, of which he is a native son. He was born in Geauga county, O., Oct 26 1829, and is a son of Zacheus and Sallie (Francisco) Richardson, the former of whom was born in Vermont, Oct 10, 1800, and the latter in Chenango county, N.Y., Nov. 11, 1808. Zacheus Richardson was son of Daniel Webster, and Elizabeth (Webster) Richardson and this worthy couple early removed to Ohio, settling in the midst of the dense forest of Geauga county, where they encountered the varied experiences typical of the pioneer era and where they passed the remainder of their lives, having reclaimed a farm from the wilderness. They became the parents of nine children, all of whom are now deceased,-, -Samuel, John, Daniel, Zacheus, Samuel (2d), Watson, Ruth Nancy and Dolly. Zacheus Richardson was reared to manhood on the pioneer farm in Geauga county, O., and he continued to be identified with agriculture pursuits throughout his active business career. In 1844 he removed to McHenry county, Ill., where he developed a good farm of 120 acres and where his death occurred in 1865. He was a Democrat in his political allegiance. His widow passed the closing days of her life with her sons, in the state of Nebraska, where she died in 1873. She was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church. They became the parents of seven sons and two daughters, concerning whom mention may be properly made here: Caroline, who is now living in Sharon Wis., is the widow of Henry Stephenson, who was killed in the battle of Chickamauga, in the Civil War, having been a member of an Ohio regiment. William, subject of this review, was the next in order of birth. Francis, who was a carpenter and contractor, died in Council Bluffs, Ia. Daniel is a carpenter by trade and is now one of the representative farmers, of the town of Rockbridge, Richland county. John is a successful farmer in Richland township. George, now living at Lafarge, was born in Geauga county, O., July 4, 1840, and was valiant soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted May 12 ,12, 1862, in a command raised by "Buckskin Joe," 120 miles west of Denver, Colo., the gallant frontiersman mentioned becoming colonel of the regiment. Mr. Richardson became a member of company G, Second Regiment of Colorado volunteer infantry, with which he served three years, after which he re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company E, Second Colorado cavalry. He served principally in the west and south west, having first proceeded with his command to New Mexico, and later having been at St. Louis, Fort Scott, Kansas and Fort Smith, Arkansas, hunting for bushwhackers. He finally returned with his command to Colorado, and at Fort Riley he received his honorable discharge May 12, 1865. He took part in a number of battles and skirmishes and was a gallant soldier. He had gone to Utah in 1859, and in the following year located in Colorado, where he was engaged in mining operations until his enlistment. After the close of the war he located in Lawrence, Kansas, and one year later returned to the east. In 1873 he came to Richland county, Wis., and purchased forty acres of land in the town of Henrietta, reclaiming the same and continuing to reside on the homestead for a quarter of a century. In April 1865 he married Melissa Freeman, a native of Missouri, and she died April 8, 1894, having become the mother of three sons and three daughters. David, the seventh of the children, is a carpenter by trade and is now a successful contractor and builder at Oakland, Cal. Andrew J., who served in the Civil War as a member of an Illinois regiment, is now in the soldiers' home at Santa Monica, Cal. Elizabeth married Daniel Butts and her death occurred in 1864. William Richardson had but little opportunity for attending school, having been reared on the pioneer farm of his father, in Geauga county, O. and having there-after removed with the family to McHenry county, Ill., where he remained at the parental home until he had attained to the age of twenty-four years. In that county, in the year 1854, he was united in marriage to Miss Charlotte Ingalls, who was born in the state of New York, being a daughter of Orrin Ingalls, who was a pioneer of McHenry county, whence he later went to Utah to look for a new location, being there attacked with cholera, to which he succumbed, his wife surviving him by several years. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson became the parents of seven children: Robert Emmett, who has charge of the homestead of his father, married Amenta Judson and they have three children, -- Rena, Ray and Harvey: Heber died at the age of eighteen years; Hattie is the wife of Jerome Dristoll, of Sauk county; Bertha; Bertha is the wife of Paxton Judson, of the town of Henrietta, and they have two children, Jennie and Heber; George; George, who is a successful farmer in Henrietta, married Della King and they have three children, -Charles, Ella and Glenn; Ella sixth of the children of the subject of this sketch, died in 1894. She was the wife of Ezra Stockwell and is survived by one daughter, Charlotte; William; William Warren, who resides at Union, McHenry county, Ill., married Jessie King and they have three children, - Myrtle, Marie and Norval. In October, 1854, Mr. Henderson came to Richland county and secured a tract of 120 acres of heavily timbered land, where he now resides, in section 21, northeast corner of Henrietta. In 1858 he took up his abode on this homestead, being one of the early settlers in this section of the county. He became inured to the strenuous labor involved in reclaiming a farm from the primeval forest and endured the hardships and privations common to the pioneer days. However, the fine appearance of his homestead to-day, shows conclusively that his labors have not been in vain, and he is now able to enjoy the rich fruitage of former toil. While he has not held office he has been true to the duties of citizenship and is a staunch supporter of the principles and policies of which the Republican party stands exponent. In a fraternal way he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
    JAMES B. ROCKWELL is one of the prominent and successful farmers of his native township of Forest, where he was born May 23, 1860, being a son of Horace L. and Elizabeth C. (Leece) Rockwell, the former of whom was a son of James L. and Sybil (Crane) Rockwell and the latter of whom was a daughter of John L. and Flick Leece. James L Rockwell was born in the state of Connecticut, in 1808, and his wife was born in the state of New York, in 1818. The maternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch were native of West Virginia. One of the maternal great-grandfathers of Mr. Rockwell was a patriot soldier in the Continental line in the war of the Revolution, having served under General Nathaniel Greene in his southern campaign. Horace L. Rockwell removed from Pennsylvania to Indiana, where he remained until 1853, when he came as pioneer to Richland county, where he bought 120 acres of land, near Lone Rock. In 1856 he took up his residence in the town of Forest, where he secured 160 acres of wild land, which he reclaimed to cultivation. He was one of the honored and influential citizens of the county, taking an active interest in public affairs. In politics he was originally a Whig, but he espoused the cause of the Republican party at the time of its inception, having been one of the organizers of the same in Forest township. He served as a member of the town board and for many years was incumbent of the office of the office of the justice of the peace. For thirty years he was a minister of the Baptist church but at the time of his death he held member ship in the Christian Church. He died in 1894 and his wife passed away in 1901. Of their six children four are living. James B. Rockwell, the immediate subject of this sketch , was reared on the home farm and was afforded the advantages of the public schools including a term in the high school at Richland Center. He put his scholastic attainments to practical use by engaging in teaching in the district schools, being thus engaged for one year , since which time he has given his undivided attention to agriculture pursuits, along which line he has gained marked success. He is the owner of a well improved farm of 180 acres and in addition to diversified agriculture he makes a specialty of breeding Norman horses and Shropshire sheep. He has always been a stalwart supporter of the principles and polices of the Republican party and at the present time he is serving as a member of town board. Both he and his wife hold membership in the United Brethren church. May 6, 1884, Mr. Rockwell was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Fetty, who was born and reared in Marshall township, this county, being a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Fetty. Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell have six children , namely: Ethel, Theodora, Gilbert, Ross, Grace, Leo, and James, deceased, Ethel was graduated in the high school at Viola and is a successful and popular teacher in the public schools of her native county. Gilbert and Ross are now students in the Viola high school.
    ANDREW ROGNHOLT is one of the progressive and popular farmers given to Richland county by Norway, and he is a representative citizen of Akan township, where he is known as a successful farmer , stock-grower and raiser of tobacco. He was born in Kristians-Amt, one of the most picturesque districts of southern Norway, Aug. 4, 1865, being a scion of stanch old stock in that section of the fair Norseland. He is a son of Nels and Bertha Rognholt, the former of whom was born in 1819 and the latter in 1824. Both passed their entire lives in Norway, where the father died in 1899 and the mother in 1904. Of their four children two are living. Andrew Rognholt was reared and educated in his native land, having the advantages of good schools and being brought up to the discipline of the farm. In 1886, at the age of twenty-one years, he immigrated to America and came to Wisconsin, locating in Rock county, where he farmed on land which he rented, thus continuing until 1892, when he came to Richland county and bought eighty acres in Akan township. This property he sold in 1899, in which year he purchased his present fine farm of 120 acres, upon which he has made many improvements of excellent order, making it one of the model places of the township. He gives his attention to diversified agriculture and stock-raising and is one of the most extensive growers of tobacco in the county, having been one of the first to engage in the cultivation of this product in his township and having erected on his farm the first tobacco shed in Akan. He is enterprising and public-spirited and is a man of superior mentality, animated by sterling integrity of purpose and commanding the confidence and esteem of his fellow-men. In politics he renders loyal support to the cause of the Republican party, and while he has never been a seeker of public office he is rendering efficient service as clerk of his school district. He also acts as director for the Farmers Insurance Co., and director and clerk for the Five Points Cheese Factory. Mr. Rognholt in religious matters serves as clerk for the Richland menighed of the Lutheran church in Richland county. In 1886 Mr. Rognhold was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Olson, who was born in Norway, and they became the parents of eight children, all of whom are living except one, their names, in order of birth, being as follows: Nels, Tillie, Bertha, Olga, Mary (deceased), Carl, Clara and Oscar.
    WILLIAM D. S. ROSS is one of the old and highly respected citizens of Richland county, who is now spending the evening of his life in the quiet enjoyment of a comfortable home in the beautiful little city of Richland Center, and as he looks back over the years of a well-spent life, fifty years of which have been spent in the county of his adoption, he sees nothing in the retrospect but noble deeds and a career of usefulness. Mr. Ross is a native of Fleming county, Ky., born May 19, 1828, and his parents were Alexander and Nancy (Arnold) Ross. The father was a native of Virginia, born Feb. 28, 1793, and the mother was born in North Carolina, Sept. 13, 1792. The Ross family is of old Virginia stock, while the Arnold family have for generations been residents of North Carolina. Alexander Ross removed to Kentucky in early manhood, and in 1844 removed to Marion county, Ind., locating there on October 22 of that year, and there he spent the remainder of his life, dying in 1871, his wife having passed away in 1866. He was a Democrat up to the time of the Civil War, but ever afterward affiliated with the Republican party, casting his first Republican vote for Abraham Lincoln. The maternal grandfather of the subject of this review, Charles Arnold, was a native of North Carolina, served in the Revolutionary war, and later in life removed to Kentucky, where he spent the remainder of his days, living to the advanced age of ninety-three years. His wife also lived to an advanced age and died about the same time as her husband, in the late thirties. The Arnolds are a long-lived people, and several members of the family still reside at Mt. Carmel, Ky. To Alexander Ross and wife there were born ten children, as follows: Elizabeth, born Feb. 23, 1818, married William Mark, and she and her husband both died in Richland county; Rebecca, born Sept. 5, 1819, married James Ferris, and both died in Kentucky, where they spent their lives; John M., born in 1821, died in Hendricks county, Ind.; Mary, born Feb. 22, 1823, married Andrew Caldwell, and after the latter's death was wedded to Elijah Cooper, she and her second husband both dying in Indianapolis; Catherine. born Dec. 10, 1824, married Josiah Coughren and died in Marion county, Ind.; Lewis H., born Oct. 16, 1826, died in infancy; W. D. S. is he to whom this review is more dedicated; James A., born Sept. 20, 1830, came to Richland county about the same time as did the subject of this review, and he spent the remainder of his life here, dying a number of years ago; Samuel, born Nov. 30, 1832, died in Marion county, Ind.; and Priscilla, born Aug. 9, 1834, married William Miller and died in Richland county, her husband still living near Richland Center. W. D. S. Ross was reared in the place of his birth until he had reached the age of sixteen years, and then came to Indiana with his parents, locating in Marion county, that state, Oct. 22, 1844. He remained with his parents until he had reached the age of twenty-one, working in the woods, clearing land; in the process of which walnut trees were burned that would now be worth $100 each. In 1854 he made a visit to Richland county and selected land which was at that time owned by a man in Indiana. Mr. Ross soon returned to Marion county, Ind., and after some correspondence succeeded in purchasing the land, which was the southwest quarter of section 28, in the town of Richland. In the spring of 1857 he removed his family to Wisconsin and commenced improving his property. He followed farming until 1888, becoming one of the most successful farmers in the county, and in the latter year removed to Rocky Branch, in the same township. He is a Republican in politics and has been a member of the town board several terms. On Apr. 25, 1850 the subject of this review was married in Indiana to Miss Rachel Jones, a native of Kentucky, who died Jan. 4, 1877. To this union there were born eight children, viz.: Samuel T., born Oct. 26, 1851, in Marion county, Ind., now lives in Richland Center; Robert A., born May 13, 1855, is a farmer and resides near Richland Center; James A., born Oct. 12, 1857, in Richland county, now resides in Pasadena. Cal.; Alilia T., born Nov. 23, 1859, died Sept. 3o, 1868; Elmer, born July 25, 1861 died Sept. 18, 1868: Virgil M., born Sept. 27, 1863, resides at Gay's Mills, Wis.; Ulysses G., born Oct. 26, 1865, resides in Richland Center; and Nora Ann, born Jan. 15, 1868, married Michael Murphy, an attorney-at-law at Richland Center. On Aug. 28, 1878, Mr. Ross was married to Mrs. Indiana Wilson, nee (McClelland) who at the time was the widow of Edward Wilson, a native of Marion county, O. To this second union there was born one son -- John M., born Aug. 25, 1882, at Richland Center. This son is now a physician at Richland Center, Wis., having attended school at Milwaukee, a medical college in Chicago, and graduated at the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons, when but twenty-two years of age. By her previous marriage Mrs. Ross became the mother of six children: Frank, born in Marion county, Ind., May 3, 1857, is the present superintendent of schools and editor of the Ladoga Leader, at Ladoga, Ind.; Esther Ellen, born in Marion county, Ind., Feb. 5, 1859, married A. S. Markley, superintendent of bridges and buildings on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, at Danville, Ill.; George B., born June 15, 1861, died in June, 1902; Ida C., born Feb. 4, 1863, in Marion county, Ind., married Abel S. Markley, superintendent of bridges on the Pittsburg & Western Railway and resides at Danville, Ill.; William A., born in 1865, died in September, 1866; Julian W., born June 28, 1867, died in 1868. Mrs. Ross was born in Marion county, Ind., July 14, 1839, and is the daughter of William B. and Eleanor (Julian) McClelland, the former of whom was a native of Tennessee, and the latter of Henry county, Ind. Her paternal grandfather was also a native of Tennessee, and the son of an Irishman. William B. McClelland came to Indiana with his parents when about seventeen years old and there settled in the wilderness, spending the remainder of his life in that state and dying in Marion county about 1891, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife was a daughter of Renne Julian, who was one of the early pioneers of Indiana, and of Italian descent. Mrs. Ross was the eldest of twelve children born to these parents, the others being as follows: Charlotte, born June 15, 1841, married Albert Hockensmith and died in Indiana.; John F. resides on the old homestead in Marion county, Ind.; Margaret died at the age of seventeen; Charles May resides in Indianapolis, Ind.; James I. died in childhood; William E. resides in Crawfordsville, Ind. The mother died at the age of thirty-nine, and the father took for his second wife Mary Broadway, of Springfield, Ill., to which union two children were born: Nellie, who died in childhood and Juliet, who married Fletcher Roark and resides in Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are members of the Christian church, the former having been a deacon and also an elder for several years. Mrs. Ross is very active in church work and is a member of the W. C. T. U., having been the local president, secretary and treasurer of the same at different times. She is one of the directors of the library board and has filled that position since the organization of the library association. She is greatly interested in missionary work and is a zealous worker in the Sunday school.
    DANIEL A. ROTH, a progressive and popular farmer of Eagle township, has here maintained his home from the time of his birth, which occurred Nov. 22, 1858. He is a son of George F. and Barbara (Leffler) Roth, the former of whom was born in Indiana, Nov. 22, 1818, and the latter in Ohio, July 30, 1823. They came to Richland county and located in Eagle township in 1853, the father here securing eighty acres of wild land and instituting the development of the same into a farm. To this work he devoted his attention about a decade, then responded to the call of higher duty by tendering his services to his country, whose integrity was jeopardized by armed rebellion. He enlisted in Company I, Nineteenth Wisconsin Regiment of volunteer infantry and died while in the service, in 1862. His widow long survived him, continuing resident of Eagle township until her death, which occurred Feb. 4, 1893. Of the seven children only one is deceased. George F. Roth identified himself with the Republican party at the time of its organization, and both he and his wife were members of the United Brethren church. The subject of this sketch passed his boyhood days on the home farm and was afforded the advantages of the schools of his native township. He has continued his allegiance to the industry under whose influences he was reared and is now the owner of a well improved homestead of 200 acres, the greater part of which is under cultivation. He has erected good buildings, including a fine barn eighty by forty feet in dimensions, built in 1903. In addition to general agriculture he raises high-grade live stock. In politics he is aligned as a supporter of the principles and policies advanced by the Republican party and he is one of the public-spirited citizens of his native township. Oct. 28, 1883, Mr. Roth was united in marriage to Miss Rosa Richardson, who was born at Black River Falls, this state, Nov.11, 1857, being a daughter of John and Lucinda (Roundy) Richardson, who came from Maine to Wisconsin in an early day and who were residents of Sauk county at the time of their death. Of their four children two are living. Mr. and Mrs. Roth have three children, all of whom remain at the parental home: Harry Clyde was born Feb. 12, 1885; Katie V., Oct. 20, 1887; and Wilmer Glenn., Aug. 3, 1893.
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