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M. L
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01076 9260
WISCONSIN
ITS STORY AND BIOGRAPHY
1848-1913
BY
ELLIS BAKER USHER
President Wisconsin Archaeological Society; Member of the American Historical Association, The Mississippi Valley Historical Association, The Wisconsin State Histor- ical Society and the Amer- ican Political Science Association
VOLUME VII
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1914
COPYRIGHT, 1914 BY THE LEWIS PUBLISHING CO.
Sauthe ... $27.50 (8 mois)
1219064
ROSWELL MILLER. Some of the citizens of whom Wisconsin is most proud and whose achievements have added most to the progress of the state as a whole have been the group associated at different times and in varying capacities wth the "Milwaukee Railroad." On the whole, there is a fine flavor of individual character and self attainment about these men, and practically all were graduates of the rough school of practical experience. A remarkable vigor and initi- ative, characteristic of solders and the pioneers, seemed to possess them all. In the building and developing of the Milwaukee System, they did a work which makes them in a particular sense Wisconsin men, though their residence here was more or less brief. It was only some five or six years that the late Roswell Miller had his home in this state, but his name and works belong to Wisconsin history.
Roswell Miller was born in Hartford, Pennsylvania, October 28, 1843. His father was Adam Miller, a Presbyterian clergyman, who presided over the same church in Harford for fifty years. The home was therefore one of culture and high ideals, though its comforts were measured along the strict line of economy, and as there were fourteen children, most of whom grew up, there was necessarily much sacrifice of the individual for the good of the whole.
Under such circumstances it is not a surprise that Roswell Miller before he was sixteen years of age, started out to earn his own liv- ing. One of the interesting periods of his early life was that spent in Auburn, New York, where he had a position which gave him regular wages and where he lived with an aunt. It was her testimony that the boy spent all his evenings in reading Latin and preparing for the broader career, rather than in the ordinary pursuits of boys of like age. He was just eighteen years old when the war broke out. He enlisted and joined the Third New York Artillery, and served all through the war. He early attracted the attention of General Burn- side, and served on that General's staff. In order to make up for his early deficiencies in education, in 1865 Roswell Miller entered the freshman class of Hamilton College, with the class of 1869. To his great regret his money was not sufficient to enable him to com- plete a college course, and he left Hamilton at the close of the fresh- man year. During this brief time in college he gained the respect of his instructors, by his studious habits and fine scholarship, and it was with regret that the college authorities saw him leave. From college he went to New York City, and found a place in the whole- sale drug house of Scherfflien & Company. He remained with that
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concern in different positions of increasing responsibilities until his old commander, General Burnside, sought him out, and gave him his first introduction to the railroad business.
General Burnside found him a place on the Indianapolis & Vin- cennes and the Cairo & Vincennes Railway. He served in different capacities, as a practical railroad man, and finally was secretary and general superintendent successively of the Cairo & Vincennes Line. From that position he went for one year, from May, 1882, to April, 1883, as vice president of the Western Indiana Railroad. Iu April, 1883, Roswell Miller became identified with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, and for practically thirty years the progress of that road and the best achievements of Mr. Miller's career were close- ly associated. During the first year he was assistant to the general manager. From March, 1884, to April, 1885, he served as assistant general manager, and with the death of General Manager S. S. Mer- rill in 1835, Mr. Miller was chosen his successor, a position for which his previous training and his ability thoroughly qualified him. His work as general manager of the Milwaukee System continued until June 30, 1888, when he was elected president. Mr. Miller had his residence in Milwaukee after he became president until 1889, when the general offices were removed to Chicago, and he lived in that city for a number of years. Mr. Miller was succeeded as active president of the company by A. J. Earling, in 1903. At the same time, Mr. Miller was sent to New York as chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, and it was in that executive position that he continued until his sudden death on January 3, 1913.
The late Roswell Miller was noted for his reticence with regard to his personal accomplishments and the above record of facts must be left to tell its own story. One of his characteristics, and one which on the whole indicates his strong and rugged sense of duty rather than any eccentricity, was described by a Milwaukee paper at the time of his death, and may be quoted without further comment: "Mr. Miller as an officer of the Milwaukee Road was always averse to any personal distinction. He always held that it was the company and not the individual who should receive the honor for the wonderful success of this great road. Newspaper men interviewed him times without number, but without definite results. It would seem as if Mr. Miller had passed the word all along the line for none of his subordinates would give any information about him. That is another proof of the excellence. of the management of the road. Mr. Miller brought into the railroad business the discipline of army life and that probably is one of the secrets of his success as a manager and leader of men."
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Although a strict disciplinarian, Mr. Miller had the reputation among his friends and associates for a suave and genial manner, and was very popular in railroad circles and in the social clubs of which he was a member. He had membership in the military order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, with the Wisconsin Commandery, and in a number of clubs both in eastern and western cities.
Roswell Miller was married in New York City, November 16, 1893, to Mary Louise Roberts. Her father, Rev. William Charles Roberts, D. D., was senior secretary of the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian church. He was a Welshman, and his wife was a native of Mississippi. To the marriage of Mr. Miller and his wife were born three children ;- all now living, namely: Roswell, Jr., Dorothy and Charles Roberts.
ALONZO H. WILKINSON. One occasionally finds a man with a gift for handling money, with the financial instinet in other words, and when this is true that man is usually successful. If in addition to this gift he possesses integrity of character, then he is more than ever successful for other people are willing and eager to trust him with their money. Alonzo H. Wilkinson, of Bayfield, Wisconsin, is such a man. He has held some of the most responsible positions in the financial world of Bayfield, and is now the president of one of the largest and most impor- tant financial institutions of the city. In addition to his services in the business world he has held a number of important public offices in which his gift for finance was used for the benefit of the people.
Alonzo H. Wilkinson was born in Adair county, Iowa, on the 23rd day of July, 1875. His father, George Wilkinson, was a native of the state of Illinois, having been born in Peoria, in 1850. He died in 1898 at the age of forty-eight. His mother, who was Mary Lindsley, was a native of Neenah, Wisconsin, and she is yet living. Four children were born to George and Mary Wilkinson, of whom two are now living. The eldest of these, Alice, is the wife of William H. Hopkins, the younger is Alonzo H.
Alonzo H. Wilkinson received his education in Bayfield whither he removed as a small boy. Upon completing the course offered in the public schools he entered the business world as a clerk in the Lumber- man's Bank at Bayfield, Wisconsin. His ability was speedily recog- mized and he was advanced from clerk to teller, bookkeeper and eashier. He spent a number of years in this bank and here learned the banking business, at the same time gaining a reputation as a clear headed busi- ness man. In 1904 he in connection with a number of other men organ- ized the First National Bank of Bayfield and became cashier. In this position he remained until January, 1912, when he was elected to the position of president, a post which he still occupies.
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In politics Mr. Wilkinson is a member of the Republican party and has served his party as state central committeeman for two terms. In 1900 he was elected county treasurer and in 1902 he was re-elected to this office. He had already served as town treasurer, and has had three terms in that office.
Mr. Wilkinson is an active member of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, belonging to Bayfield Lodge, to Ashland chapter, No. 58, of the Royal Arch Masons, to Ashland Commandery, No. 22, of the Knights Templar, to the Wisconsin Consistory, and he has taken the thirty- third degree. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
On the 16th of June, 1901, Mr. Wilkinson was married to Miss Lillia Tate, who was born in Bayfield, Wisconsin, and has lived here all her life.
DAVID HUSTED WRIGHT. Seldom is it given to a man to complete so great a span of years filled with usefulness and honor as has been the lot of this venerable Madison citizen, David Husted Wright. One of the world's greatest writers has said that true wisdom consists in the ability to settle when the time arrives into a green and smiling age, and few men have done that more gracefully than Mr. Wright, who is now ninety- three years of age, and who has spent sixty-nine years of this time in Dane county, No one living in Madison today can tell the story of the birth and growth and development of a little village into a beautiful city so well as David Husted Wright, and the materials for his narrative would be altogether those of personal recollection. Though he did not witness the birth of the city he was a resident here when it was no more than a struggling village, and has lived and worked and grown with the growth of the place until he has very nearly become a part of it. At this time there is not a house standing that was here when he came to Mad- ison, and he himself has had a hand in the erection of some of the most important structures in the city. He was a pioneer carpenter and con- tractor in Dane county. For years he played an active part in shaping the future of the town. He was especially concerned for the welfare of the children, and his work on the school board will not soon be forgotten. His prominent place in fraternal affairs in more than one of the greatest secret societies, has brought him before the notice of the people not only in the state of Wisconsin, but over the United States, and it is for the principles of brotherhood and true Christian charity, for which he has always stood that have won for him the friendship and love of a very large circle of friends and acquaintances. Known in the city of Mad- ison as "The Grand Old Man," and one who is greeted on every hand as "Unele David," he still walks the streets with firm step and unclouded mind, and is a Wisconsin man whose long life has been equalled with worthy achievements and character.
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David Husted Wright was born in Otsego county, New York, in the town of Westford, July 9, 1820. His parents were Bezaleel and Catherine (Kipp) Wright. His father was born in Connecticut July 5, 1796, and the mother was born in Dutchess county, New York, on January 22, 1799. Their marriage was celebrated in Otsego county, New York, on the twentieth of December, 1816. Twelve children were born to their marriage, and eight, four sons and four daughters, lived to maturity. Two of this large family are now alive: David H. and Elcata Amanda, the latter the widow of Judge D. H. Johnson of Milwaukee. Bezaleel Wright started his career on a farm in the earstern part of New York State, and in 1850 came west with his family to Wisconsin, locating in Dane county, in the township of Verona. There for a number of years he continued to follow his occupation of farming, reached a degree of considerable prosperity and was finally able to retire and spend the last fifteen years of his life in ease and comfort at Madison. In politics he was a Democrat, and was a life-long member of the Methodist church. His death occurred in 1879, when in the eighty-third year of his ago. Some fourteen years before his wife had passed away, when sixty-six years of age.
David Husted Wright grew up on his father's farm in New York, leading the healthy, happy, but hard-working existence of a farmer's boy in the days when boys often did the full work of a man. He attended school in winter and through the long summer days was hard at work on the farm. His father was, however, a firm believer in education, and the boy for that reason received a better education than most country boys of his time. At Marion Academy, at Wayne, New York, he supple- mented the advantages received in the common schools, and pursued his studies with such industry that he was himself qualified for a teacher at the age of twenty. During the winter of 1843-44, he had his first experi- ence along this line, and in the spring of this year, 1844, came west and first became identified with Madison. During the winter of 1844-45, he taught school at Madison. Recently when Mr. Wright celebrated his ninety-third anniversary, in June, 1913, a representative of the Wiscon- sin State Journal visited him at his home, and reported some interesting reminiscences, recalled by the pioneer from his early recollections. Briefly stated his remarks concerning his early observations and expe- riences in Madison were as follows:
"I have seen three state capitols go up on the spot where the present one stands. When I came here in 1844, they had not yet completed the first one. Then in 1858 they started the second one, and now the third and best looking is in course of construction. The growth of the Univer- sity has been wonderful. The first University session was held in a little red brick building on the spot where the high school now stands. The building was donated by Simeon Mills, and used as a young ladies' sem- inary for a time. I was superintendent, principal and the entire staff
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of instruction in the Madison city school during my first year here. Later I was a member and president of the school board. But the great- est change of all perhaps has come in the city streets. The square was laid out by the points of the compass, and then the other streets to match. ยท I recollect when practically all of them were Indian trails. I helped cut the timber down in State Street to make a roadway."
While living in New York Mr. Wright had learned the trade of a car- penter and after one year spent with the schools in Madison, went to Chicago in the summer of 1844, and took up work with the Illinois & Michigan Canal, that waterway being then in course of construction. In the fall of 1845, he returned east and the winter of 1845-46 he spent in teaching school in Wayne county, New York. His love for the west was greater, however, and in 1846 he again found his way to Madison, and his residence since that time has had practically no interruption. At Madison on locating there the second time, he engaged in contracting and carpentering, a business which he was destined to follow for half a century. Many of the residences and public buildings in the city are substantial proof of his ability as a builder, and many of the old land- marks of the city, which have been torn down or moved away to make room for more modern structures, were the work of his hands. It was Mr. Wright who built the old Methodist Episcopal church, long since replaced by a larger and more commodious structure. He was also the builder of the First and Third Ward schools, structures which likewise have fallen before the march of progress. For nineteen years he served as state carpenter, holding his position against all competitors through his efficient and reliable work. It was not of much use for any other carpenter or contractor to contend with him in those early days while he was strong enough to handle all the work that came to him, since everyone throughont the county knew him, and when a job of carpentry was proposed, no other man was thought of to perform it except David Wright. When he was very busy or a contract was not to his liking, then there was an opportunity for his rivals, but he actually had the cream of the business for many years, as long as his strength was at its best. During the decade of the forties, Mr. Wright served as school com- missioner for the district for three or four years, he was again and again elected to various positions in the educational system. He served as a member of the board of trustees while Madison was still a village and during the fifties was a member of the school board six or seven years. During three or four years of that time he was president and in that capacity did a great deal for the schools of the city, not only in improv- ing the service then rendered, but in planning and laying the foundation for the greater system to follow. At that time two school houses, those for the First and Third Wards were built by him, and the interest which he took in their building was not dne to the fact that his men were employed in the construction, but to the fact that he was anxious that
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Madison should have as good facilities as any city of her size in the country.
The first vote cast by Mr. Wright for president was for Martin Van Buren, candidate of the Democratic party in 1840 against Harrison and Tyler. His support of Democracy was consistent up to 1860, when, like thousands of others, he became a Republican and voted for Abraham Lincoln. From the beginning of the war until the present time, for more than half a century, he has been an ardent Republican. In religious affairs Mr. Wright followed in the faith of his fathers, and for the past sixty-six years has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Madison.
In Wisconsin Masonry the name of David Husted Wright has many distinctions and is one of the best known in the various bodies of that ancient craft. His record is briefly as follows: He became an appren- ticed Mason February 16, 1854. On the fifth of January in the follow- ing year he took the degree of Master, and at this time is the oldest living member of the Madison lodge and the oldest past master. For thirty- six years he has served as secretary for Madison Lodge. He was made a Royal Arch Mason on April 16, 1859, in Madison Chapter No. 4, and on May 31, 1859, was made a Sir Knight, becoming a member of the Robert McCoy Commandery No. 51, Knights Templar. His member- ship with this commandery has been continuous for fifty-four years. On the sixth of August, 1863, Mr. Wright was one of the organizers of the Consistory of the state of Wisconsin, the seat of which Scottish Rite Body is in the city of Milwaukee. An exceptional honor was bestowed upon this venerable Mason on the seventeenth of September, 1901, when the consistory at Milwaukee performed the elaborate ceremonies con- nected with the awarding of the thirty-third degree. For the past forty- three years Mr. Wright has held the office of Grand Treasurer of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the state of Wisconsin, and for forty-two years has been Grand Treasurer of the Grand Council. In 1904 he was made Grand Master of the State of Wisconsin, holding that position through 1905. He was also Grand High Priest during the years 1866 and 1867. In addition to the offices just mentioned, he is also past Grand Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star. On September 9, 1912, Mr. Wright attended the Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of the United States, held at Indianapolis, Indiana, as a member of the Grand Chapter of the United States and as a delegate. Before becom- ing a Mason, Mr. Wright had been made a member on August 9, 1847, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, taking his first degree in Hope Lodge No. 17. In 1857, he became Grand Master and served as Grand Representative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge during 1855 to 1856, and from 1862 to 1863. During this time he was made district deputy of his district, and held that post many years. Mr. Wright is a life member of the Knights of Pythias, having had his membership in
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Monona Lodge No. 12, for forty years and having held all the offices. This long list of fraternal connections and official honors speaks for itself, for a man must be a real man to enjoy so many distinctions. The fraternal societies are careful to whom they award their high honors, and to have held so many and served so long is a splendid testimony to Mr. Wright's high character and ability.
David Wright was married July 2, 1848, to Hannah B. Pyncheon. She was born in Michigan, a daughter of William and Adeline (Stewart) Pyncheon. On her paternal side Mrs. Wright was a descendant of William Pyncheon, of early Massachusetts history. On the maternal side she was related to General Hart Stewart, one of the earliest settlers of Chicago. Four children were born of this marriage, two of whom are still living. Dr. Arthur L. Wright, a prominent physician and surgeon, surgeon for the Northwestern Railroad, a friend and associate of Drs. J. B. Murphy and all the leaders in the surgical profession in America, died at Cherbourg, France, July, 19, 1913, while on his way to London to attend the meeting of the International and Medical Congress. He was at the time of his death vice-president of the American Medical Association. His career is given at greater length on other pages of this history. The daughter, Nellie W., is the widow of James Nichols and makes her home in Chicago. James S. who followed the profession of his father, is a contractor and builder at Ames, Iowa. Dr. Charles L. Wright died in 1892 in Carroll, Iowa, after a successful career as a physi- cian. The mother of these children died March 25, 1867. On February 2, 1870, David H. Wright married Sarah E. Miles, who was a native of New York State. Two children were born to this second union, namely, David H., Jr., and Mary F., the latter the wife of Claude Abel. Both of the children are living in Madison. At his ninety-third birthday, July 9, 1913, the Wisconsin State Journal paid Mr. Wright the honor of recording that event on the first page, and among some of the interesting things mentioned in the two column article published at the time, and already quoted, these two paragraphs are of interest : "Hale and hearty, David H. Wright is today celebrating the ninety-third anniversary of his birth at his home, 24 East Gorham Street. Surrounded by relatives and friends, the pioneer citizen of Madison is spending almost the entire day relating interesting incidents of the growth of this city from a back- wood, territorial capital to the modern city of today.
" 'I don't know whether I will live to be one hundred or not,' Mr. Wright said. 'I never drink alcoholics or use tobacco, but I wouldn't exactly attribute my long livelihood to that. My son, who is a physician, two years ago, pronounced me as near physically perfect as a man aged forty' " In the course of that delightful day of anniversary, some friends called at the Wright residence, and took Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a drive in an automobile around the city streets and parks, and on their return some thirty or forty of his Masonic friends and others of
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the old neighbors were found in possession of the home, and extending its hospitality to the venerable citizen of ninety-three. The house had been turned into a bower of flowers, some of the bouquets having been sent from friends in other states. Mrs. Wright and her daughter, Mrs. Claude Abel, served a generous repast to the large company, and it was a day of celebration and felicitation such as seldom occurs in human history. This is the quiet, uneventful life of the oldest resident of Mad- ison. It is a life spent largely in the service of others,-giving, not receiving. The kindly heart and generous hand of this patriarch of Madison will be sadly missed when it comes his turn to go, but not many men can build their own house and live in it for fifty-one years, and when the call comes, Mr. Wright can feel that he leaves behind him memories that extend over a period of years that few men can lay claim to. He is now stronger than some men twenty years his junior, and his interests not only in the things of the past but in those of the present make him one of the most noteworthy figures in his home city.
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