USA > Wisconsin > Sauk County > A standard history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, Volume II > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
Edwin Steidtmann was reared on the home farm north of Prairie du Sac and attended the schools of the country until he was fourteen years of age, at which time he went to high school for two years. Fol- lowing this he taught school for one year, was then identified with the drug business for a like period, and returned to his duties as a school teacher for another term. The following three years were spent ill Louisiana, where he was engaged in farming, and he then returned to Sauk County and for one year conducted a newspaper, the Sauk County News, a venture in which he was associated with E. C. Brown. Return- ing once more to agricultural operations, he located in Merrimack Town- ship, and while there held the office of town clerk and chairman. For some time Mr. Steidtmann had been interested in the progress being made by the automobile industry, and, after due consideration, he became associated with C. H. Lehmann and Roland Steuber in the automobile
802
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
business at Prairie du Sac January 1, 1916. He is well known in the business circles of this thriving community, where he has established a reputation for absolute integrity and fidelity to engagements. In addi- tion to his automobile business he still has agricultural holdings in Sauk County and is interested in Texas lands.
Mr. Steidtmann married Miss Rosina Lehman, daughter of Carl Lehman, a farmer of Sauk County, and they have three children : Lynda, who married Addison D. Weese and lives on the old family homestead in Sauk County; Violet, who will finish her education at the Baraboo High School in 1917; and Olivia, who is attending school at Prairie du Sac.
GOTTLIEB HENGSTLER. This is a name which has a distinctive place in the annals of Sauk County. The Hengstler family and their relation- ship has been identified with this section of the state since the forests were first cleared and the task of improvement begun which has trans- formed a large area into a landscape of splendid farms, homes, towns and industries.
The late Gottlieb Hengstler came to Sauk County when a boy and lived a life of purposeful energy and effectiveness until his death. He was born in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, August 22, 1845, a son of Charles Hengstler, one of the oldest and most prominent of Sauk County pioneers. He began his education in Pennsylvania, but when nine years of age accompanied the family to Sauk County, and here he attended such limited schools as were in existence and also assisted his father in the wagon-making trade.
About the time he was grown, in 1865, he bought his father's old homestead with the exeception of forty acres. That gave him 120 acres, and he retained that land and brought it to bountiful production. He also bought and sold other tracts, including the forty acres where his son Charles now lives. Gottlieb Hengstler was not only a hard worker but a good manager, and he made ample provisions in the way of im- provements and solid comforts. He put up first-class buildings on his farm, cleared much of it and was busily engaged with its work until his death on June 8, 1914, when nearly sixty-nine years of age.
In politics he was always affiliated with the republican party. For some years he served as township supervisor and for forty-one years he performed the duties of clerk of the school board without pay. Public spirit was one of his strongest characteristics, and the welfare of the local schools particularly received his attention. He attended the Methio- dist Episcopal Church.
On October 1, 1870, he married Miss Janet Dickie, who survives him and resides on the old farm. Mrs. Hengstler represents some of the solid Scotch element that figured prominently in the early life of Sauk County. She was born August 11, 1850, in the Old American House at Milwaukee, a daughter of John and Mary (Strathern) Dickie. Her parents were both born in 1828, in Scotland, and both natives of Ochil- tree. They were married in Scotland in 1849 and two weeks after the wedding they set out for America. For several years they lived in Mil- waukee, where her father followed the trade of shoemaker and in 1855
803
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
they arrived in the wilderness of Sauk County, where her father bought forty acres in Freedom Township near the iron mines. This was school land and he at once applied himself to its development and improve- ment. Later he owned 160 acres, and had it fruitfully developed, most of it under the plow and with good buildings. John Dickie died here February 4, 1904, and his widow on January 5, 1912. Their children were: Janet, Jane, Barbara, Thomas, William, Mary, Sarah, John, Robert and Marian. The parents were members of the Presbyterian Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Hengstler became the parents of five children : Charles F., the oldest, was born October 9, 1871, was educated in the district schools and the North Freedom Schools, graduated from the Baraboo High School, and is now owner and farmer of eighty acres, half of the homestead originally acquired by his grandfather. He is a republican in politics, is now serving as township clerk and has been a member of the school board and is director and treasurer of the Baraboo Mutual Insur- ance Company. He married Edith Haynes, of Sauk County, and their three children are Genevieve, Bernice and Gordon, these being the only grandchildren of Mrs. Hengstler. George, the second child, was born August 1, 1873, was educated in the public schools, and married Julia Doppler, of Sauk County. John D., born April 22, 1881, is a graduate of the Baraboo High School and also of the LaCrosse Business College and is now purchasing agent for the Russ Manufacturing Company of Cleveland. He married Miss Mame Clark, of Baraboo. Eugenie, who was born November 10, 1887, was educated in the local schools and is now the wife of Peter Brennan, who handles the work of the Hengstler homestead farm. Mary, the youngest child, was born in 1891 and received her education in the district schools and the North Freedom High School. She is still at home.
WILLIAM H. MASH. There are many names identified with the early settlement and agricultural development of Sauk County that are yet among the leading ones here, and that of Mash is particularly well known in Delton Township and also in Excelsior Township, in which latter William H. Mash owns one of the valuable farms. He was born in Delton Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, June 18, 1869. His father, William Mash, was born in Huntingdonshire, England, in 1842, and in 1854 was brought to the United States and to Sauk County, Wisconsin, by his parents. The grandparents of William H. Mash died in Excelsior Township, both at the age of eighty years, the grandfather in 1887 and the grandmother in 1886.
William Mash, father of William H., was reared in Sauk County and became a farmer. He died in the same year as his mother, 1886, when aged forty-four years. He was married in Sauk County to Miss Emma Spaulding, who was born in Delton Township, Sauk County, in 1850. Two sons were born to them, William H. and Frederick, the latter of whom resides in Delton Township, as also does the mother. The maternal grandfather was Oliver Willard Spaulding, and both he and his wife were born in Vermont. They came to Sauk County and afterward made their home here, coming in 1848, among the earliest pioneers and settling
804
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
in Delton Township on the farm now owned by William Terry. Mr. and Mrs. Spaulding had eight children, namely : Henry, Charles, Emma, Nettie, Albert, Hattie, John and Frank.
William H. Mash attended the public schools. He has been a farmer all his life and is one of the well informed, practical kind who thoroughly understands the business. He owns 159 acres and devotes it to general farming and stockraising, and as his operations are carried on with forethought and good judgment he has met with much success.
Mr. Mash was married in 1893 to Miss Hulda Dahlke, who was born in Germany, December 25, 1872. Her parents, John and Henrietta (Henke) Dahlke, came to the United States in May, 1873, and located in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they remained four years and then settled on the farm in Excelsior Township, Sauk County, on which they now live. They had eight children born to them, but three of whom survive: Hulda, the fourth in order of birth, Otto and Emma. Bertha, August, Nellie, Mary and Julius, are all deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Mash have no children.
In his poltical views Mr. Mash has always been a republican and has done his full duty to party and friends and at times has been called upon to serve in township offices. During his term as township supervisor many important matters came before the board, and his excellent busi- ness judgment assisted greatly in satisfactorily settling them. Mr. and Mrs. Mash are active members of the Lutheran Church and liberal con- tributors to its Christian activities.
RUDOLPH BRAUN. To really comprehend the wonderful changes which sixty years have effected in Sauk County, one should listen to the interesting reminiscences of such an old resident as Rudolph Braun, one of Troy Township's most highly esteemed citizens and substantial farm- ers, who has lived through this entire period and has done his part in developing this section and improving conditions here. He has watched whole families come and go, has seen fine farms developed from a wilder- ness, in the shelter of which once lurked savage beasts, together with deer and other wild game, has noted the growth of new and useful industries and the building of towns and cities, churches and schoolhouses, and has lived to see, also, farm life sheared of much of its isolation and hardship through modern inventions and discoveries. Then, too, there is one period of his life to which Mr. Braun may refer with justifiable pride, for during three long years he served his adopted country as a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war and acquitted himself with credit.
Rudolph Braun was born in 1846, in Prussia. His parents were Johan and Eleanor (Knabe) Braun. The father was born in Prussia and the mother in Saxony, Germany. In 1852 they crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel, and after landing in the United States came directly to Sauk City, Wisconsin. The father was a reliable workman at the carpenter trade and this he followed for the first ten years in Wisconsin, and then secured a small tract of land near Sauk City, on which he started a vineyard, and during the rest of his life devoted his attention to the growing of grapes. His death occurred in 1892 and that
805
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
of the mother two years later. They were good people, industrious, frugal and kind, and their memory is tenderly preserved by their sur- viving children, four in number, the eldest, Robert, having died in 1912. The others are: Balthasar, who is a resident of Wisconsin; Rudolph ; Emma, who is the wife of Joseph Schadde, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Bertha, who is the wife of Carl Bartch, and also lives in Minne- apolis.
Rudolph Braun was six years old when his parents brought him to Sauk County and he remained with his people and helped his father until he was sixteen years old, at which time the whole country was in a state of excitement on account of the Civil war, then in its second year. Although but a boy in years, Rudolph had settled opinions, and had the courage of a man and this he proved by enlisting for war service in Company K, Twenty-third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and going to the front. During the succeeding three years he bore himself with the valor of a brave soldier and, although often in great danger, survived his three years of service and returned home after being honorably dis- charged without any serious injury.
Soon after Mr. Braun's return to Sauk County he was married, when nineteen years old, to Miss Katherine Hahn, and they became the parents of six children, all of whom survive, as follows: Clara, the wife of Robert Hoppe, lives on a farm adjoining that of her father; Bernhardt, who lives with his family on a farm in Sumpter Township; Ida, the wife of Fred Brooks, lives in Westfield Township; Isabel, the wife of George Loerpabel, lives in Oregon; Udo, who lives with his family in Westfield Township; and Alfred, who lives with his family in Troy Township. Mrs. Braun died August 16, 1905. At the time of his mar- riage Mr. Braun bought 160 acres of undeveloped land in Sumpter Town- ship, Sauk County, which he subsequently cleared and improved, and he lived on that property for fifteen years. At that time he sold and bought his present fine farm containing 294 acres in Troy Township. For many years he has carried on general farming and stock raising.
On May 6, 1913, Mr. Braun was united in marriage to Mrs. J. E. Snediker, of Angola, Indiana. Mr. Braun has always been a fair-minded citizen and has worked for the good of his neighborhood, but has never joined any political organization, casting his vote according to his own judgment. He has served as a school director for ten years, but other- wise has never accepted a public office. Mr. Braun is one of the men of whom it is said that "his word is as good as his bond."
WHITING DAY STANLEY. The name Stanley has been prominently identified with the commercial life of Baraboo for over half a century. A prosperous concern that was established by members of the family in early days is now carried on by two brothers, one of whom is Whiting Day Stanley. This is known as the Stanley Company, grocers, and their store has been a landmark in the business district and a center for patronage to the people of Baraboo and the surrounding country for so many years that the old residents could not well think of Baraboo with- out the Stanley store.
The two brothers now comprising the firm Stanley Company are sons
.
806
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
of the late William Stanley. William Stanley was a son of Whiting Day and Maria (Castle) Stanley, who came from Canandaigua, New York, to Dane County, Wisconsin, in 1847, locating on a farm. William Stan- ley was sixteen years of age when the family came to this state, and he reached his majority in Dane County. At the age of twenty-one, in 1853, he engaged in the mercantile business with his brother Lemuel, and they were partners until 1858.
On January 13, 1859, William Stanley married Louisa A. Hunting- ton, daughter of Herbert N. and Amanda M. Huntington. Louisa Hunt- ington was born in Oswego County, New York, September 16, 1839, and when a young girl of twelve years came with her parents to Baraboo. She finished her education in the Ladies' Seminary in that city.
In 1860 William Stanley engaged in the general merchandise business at Baraboo with his father-in-law, under the firm name Huntington & Stanley. From that time forward to the present the name Stanley has stood for the best in the commercial life of the city. William Stanley's business affairs prospered, and he also held many of the local offices in Baraboo, including membership on the school board. He was a republi- can in politics.
His old business associate and his father-in-law, Mr. Huntington, died in 1877, and was succeeded in the business partnership by Edwin M. Hoag. William Stanley died in 1898, after which the firm was changed to The Stanley Company.
The seven children of Mr. and Mrs. William Stanley were: Maria M., born January 26, 1861, and died October 14, 1863; Ida Louisa, born April 30, 1863, and died October 10, 1864; Herbert H., born June 6, 1866; Whiting Day, born August 11, 1868; Daniel C., born September 6, 1870, and died November 2, 1879; William Nelson, born June 21, 1872; and Mary Grace, born July 22, 1874.
Whiting Day Stanley was born in Dane County, Wisconsin, August 11, 1868, but has spent nearly all his life in Baraboo. He and his brother Herbert took charge of the business in 1898, at the time of their father's death, and have succeeded in maintaining the old reputation of the house and in greatly extending its activities and enterprises.
Mr. Stanley is a republican in politics. He was married in 1895 to Flora Lawson. Their three children were William, Frederick and Flora. The mother of these children died in 1901. In 1905 he married Maud Hamilton, and by this marriage there are also three children, George, Lawrence and Margaret.
Herbert H. Stanley married in 1890 Ethel Hoadley. He has served as an alderman from the first ward for nine years and has taken a very active part in republican politics. Both the brothers are members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church.
LEWIS BIRGEN. Some of the earliest settlements of Sauk County were made in Honey Creek Township, and it is of one of the oldest families here that Lewis Birgen is a representative. Mr. Birgen is him- self a native of Sauk County and was born more than sixty years ago on the same farm where he lived until recently.
He was born in 1855, son of Michael and Elizabeth (Decker) Birgen.
1
807
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
His parents were both born in the Duchy of Luxemburg, Germany, were married there, and on leaving their native land for America came direct to Sauk County. They made the journey by railroad as far as Madison, where they bought a team of horses and then drove overland to their location in Honey Creek. Michael Birgen bought land from a specu- lator and founded a home in the midst of the heavy timber. He was a pioneer in every sense of the term. He cleared away the forest, grubbed out the stumps, broke the land with ox teams, and pursued a course of unremitting toil for many years until his home and financial independ- ence were established. In the early days he made many journeys with ox teams to Milwaukee, hauling his wheat to market or to mill, and it required a week to make the round trip. Michael Birgen continued to live on the old farm until 1878, when he went out to Dakota Territory, spent nine years on that portion of the Northwest frontier, and then moved to Iowa, where he died in 1905, at the age of seventy-seven. His widow passed away in 1907. They had nine children : Catherine, deceased; Anna, Mrs. John Medel, living in Minnesota; Lewis, who was the third in order of birth; Isabella and Mary, twins; Matthew, who is married and living in South Dakota; Susanna, Mrs. Julius Bower living in Montana; Peter, who is married and living at New Hampton, Iowa; and Katie, Mrs. John Clements, of New Hampton, Iowa. All these children were reared on the old homestead.
At the age of twenty-six Lewis Birgen married Miss Mary Steuber, daughter of Henry Steuber, who deserves mention as one of the first settlers of Sauk County. The Steubers came here in 1843, lived among the Indians and in the wild woods almost isolated from white compan- ionship for several years. He took up land in Troy Township and was a man of substance and ability and influence. He married in 1850 and died at the age of eighty-three in 1899, his wife having passed away in 1883.
When Lewis Birgen was twenty-two years of age he took the manage- ment of the home farm and has lived there continuously ever since. The original homestead comprised 180 acres, and he has since increased its extent to 200 acres, all well improved and cultivated. He has also replaced the old buildings by those of modern construction and the attrac- tive homestead stands as a monument to his industry and good manage- ment. He was a general farmer and did considerable stock raising and dairying. For several years Mr. Birgen served as a member of the local school board and has always been a friend and supporter of good schools.
His four children are all daughters, named as follows: Della, Mrs. John U. Schmidt, of Prairie du Sac; Eva, Mrs. Felix Ferber, of Honey Creek Township; Bessie, unmarried and living at home; and Mary, wife of Andrew Moely, and resides on the old homestead. The children were all born on the farm, grew up there, and acquired their education in the Honey Creek Township Schools. As a family they are active members of the Reformed Church in Prairie du Sac. In matters of politics Mr. Birgen is independent. In October, 1917, Mr. Birgen retired from active farming and moved to Prairie du Sac, where he has a fine modern home.
A. L. YOUNG, who has been in the grocery business at Baraboo for the past seventeen years, is the son of John Young, who took up land in the Vol. II-16
808
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
Town of Troy at an early day, and moved to the city where he was elected sheriff of the county in 1878. He had been an active republican for some years and in 1873 had served a term in the Legislature. For many years he had been advancing politically through service in numerous township offices. The son, A. L. Young, was a farmer on the old home- stead for some years, but left it when a young man, engaged in business in Baraboo, passed ten years in Missouri and Iowa in mercantile pur- suits, and since then has been a grocer at the county seat. His father died in Baraboo in 1905.
EDMOND J. TERRY. The most successful farmers in Sauk, as in other counties, are those who are not only industrious but also well informed. Many of these conduct all their operations according to modern and improved methods and they are the farmers that reap large returns. One of the prosperous farmers of Excelsior Township, Sauk County, is Edmond J. Terry, who was born on the farm he now owns, November 12, 1863. His parents were John and Alice (Welch) Terry.
John Terry was born in County Waterford, Ireland, and from there in young manhood came to the United States and for twelve years was employed in iron works in Connecticut. He was married in the City of New York to Alice Welch, who was also a native of County Waterford, Ireland, and in 1855 they came to Wisconsin, and in May of that year settled on the farm that their son Edmond J. now owns. At that time it was heavily timbered and in a wild state, but Mr. Terry worked hard and gradually cleared it and developed a fine farm, which he improved with substantial buildings. He resided on that farm until 1898 and then moved to Baraboo. He died in the following year on the old homestead, having reached the unusual age of ninety-six. His widow survived him and her death occurred in 1903, when aged eighty-four years. They were fine people, devoted members of the Catholic Church, and were well known all through this neighborhood. They had a family of seven children, namely : Mary, James, Alice, Ellen, Anna, John and Edmond, the last named being the only survivor.
Edmond J. Terry has always lived on the old home place. He attended school in District No. 3 and afterward began farming, first for his father and later for himself. He owns 160 acres of richly culti- vated land and in 1901 erected a fine modern residence, while in 1909, he built one of the best barns in the township, its dimensions being 34 by 80 feet. His stock is all high grade.
Mr. Terry was married in 1902 to Miss Ellen Mulloney, who was born in Richland County, Wisconsin, June 12, 1870, and is a daughter of Walter and Catherine (Harroll) Mulloney, who came to Richland County in the late '60s, developed a farm and became people of well known standing. Both lived to advanced age, the father dying April 6, 1914, aged eighty-nine, and the mother on March 18, 1908, when aged eighty years. They had six children, namely: James, Eliza, William, Johanna, Walter and Ellen, two of whom, Johanna and Walter, are deceased.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Terry: John, an affec- tionate child who died at the age of twelve years, in March, 1916; Cather-
809
HISTORY OF SAUK COUNTY
ine, born February 18, 1908; Walter, born February 26, 1909; and Helen, born July 20, 1910. Mr. Terry and his family belong to the Catholic Church. In politics he is somewhat independent, well able to do his own thinking on public matters, but nominally he is a democrat. He has never been a seeker for public office.
WILLIAM EDWARDS. In passing through a country, whether on business or pleasure bent, travelers are very apt to notice, with the leading, natural features, the extent and appearance of the lands and stock in the agricultural sections, and favorable or otherwise, these reports are carried over the country. Many a heavy investor has been influenced entirely in this way. In no part of Wisconsin are to be found better cared for farms or more thoroughbred stock than in Sauk County and, it is noted also that this county stands very high in education and good citizenship. Among the prosperous farmers and highly respected citizens of Fairfield Township is William Edwards, a worthy representa- tive of one of the old pioneer families here and the owner of the old homestead which has been in the family since 1853.
William Edwards was born on the present farm in Fairfield Town- ship, Sauk County, Wisconsin, March 22, 1863. His parents were Hugh and Gwen (Roberts) Edwards, the former of whom was born in Wales and the latter in New York, of Welsh ancestry. The father first came to Wisconsin at an early day in its settlement, remained for a time at Racine and then came to Sauk County, and here he bought 173 acres of virgin land in Fairfield Township. At that time these fertile acres were wild prairie, dense timber or low, swampy tracts, timber prevailing, and it took pioneer courage and brawn to clear and prepare sufficiently for cultivation. The story is an old one but it never lacks in interest, for the pioneer as the forerunner of civilization belongs to the history of Ameri- can settlement. Hugh Edwards was a hard-working, patient and thrifty man, and during his active years made many improvements on the farm he had produced out of the wilderness and was permitted to live and enjoy them into old age. He was eighty-eight years old when his death occurred in 1901 at Baraboo, Wisconsin. His wife had passed away many years before, in 1869, when aged but thirty-six years. She was the beloved mother of seven children: Hugh, Catherine, Edward, Rob- ert, William, Owen and Mary.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.