USA > Wisconsin > Sauk County > A standard history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, Volume II > Part 63
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John Tait grew to manhood on the old Tait homestead and his educa- tional training consisted of such advantages as were afforded in the Oak Hill School. He is now associated with his brother Thomas in farm- ing operations on the old parental estate and they are likewise extensively interested in stock-raising. Mr. Tait is a stalwart democrat in his politi- cal proclivities and he manifests a deep and sincere interest in all mat- ters connected with the general welfare of his home community.
November 20, 1912, occurred the marriage of Mr. Tait to Miss Cath- erine McCarthy, a native of Richland County, Wisconsin, where she was born August 20, 1889. Mrs. Tait is a daughter of John and Hannah (Drea) McCarthy, residents of Reedsburg. To Mr. and Mrs. Tait have been born three children, Kathleen, John and Mary. The Tait family stand high in the esteem of their fellow citizens and they take an active part in the social life of the community.
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THOMAS TAIT. Sauk County, Wisconsin, figures as one of the most attractive, progressive and prosperous divisions of the state, justly claim- ing a high order of citizenship and a spirit of enterprise which is certain to conserve consecutive development and marked advancement in the material upbuilding of this section. A substantial agriculturist who has done his share toward the improvement of Ironton Township is Thomas. Tait, a native of the farm on which he now resides. He was born March 18, 1884, a son of Thomas and Annie (McIntyre) Tait, the former of whom died in 1913 and the latter is now a resident of Mauston, Wisconsin.
Thomas Tait, father of the subject of this review, was born in the. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the year 1842. He resided in the Quaker City until he was twelve years of age and then accompanied his parents to Wisconsin. He ably assisted his father in the development of one of the finest farms in this section and in due time he became owner of the parental estate, on which he resided until his death in 1913, as noted above. He married Annie McIntyre, whose birth occurred in 1851. Mrs. Tait survives her husband, and she bore him the following children : Mary is deceased; John is mentioned elsewhere in this work ; Thomas is the subject of this sketch ; and Robert is a jeweler at Reedsburg.
The paternal grandparents of Thomas Tait, of this notice, were Thomas and Mary Tait, who settled in Ironton Township in 1854. They bought and sold land in Lavalle Township and prior to their demise were known as well-to-do farmers. He died in the latter township and she lived in Reedsburg when death called her. Their children were: Jane, Mary, Lizzie, Sarah, Robert and Thomas. The maternal grandfather of Thomas Tait came to Wisconsin and settled in Juneau County, where he died.
To the public schools of Ironton Township Thomas Tait, whose name forms the caption for this review, is indebted for his preliminary educa- tion, which was supplemented by a course of study in a business college at Stevens Point. For some years past he has co-operated with his brother John in the development of the old family homestead. They own a splendidly improved estate of 204 acres and in addition to agri- cultural work they devote a great deal of time to stock-raising.
In 1911 Mr. Tait married Miss Grace Giffers, of Tracy, Minnesota. This union has been prolific of three children, whose names are William, Neal and Dorothy. In his political affiliations Mr. Tait maintains an independent attitude, giving his support to the man rather than the party. Members of the Tait family have always been known for their uprightness and they have ever given a loyal support to all matters affecting the good of the community.
FRANK DAVID HULBURT, M. D. In point of years of continuous service one of the oldest physicians in Sauk County is Dr. Frank David Hulburt of Reedsburg. That fact alone might be a doubtful distinction. But Doctor Hulburt is generally recognized among his professional brethren as a leader and one of the ablest physicians in Central Wis- consin. His attainments and his work have placed him in that position. The regard he enjoys from his professional associates in Sank County
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is well indicated by the fact that for the past ten years he has served as president of the County Medical Society.
The name Hulburt entered Sauk County annals in pioneer times. Doctor Hulburt himself was born December 23, 1858, at Loganville in this county. His parents were David B. and Josephine M. (Van Scoter) Hulburt. The late David B. Hulburt was one of Sauk County's most prominent men both in business and in politics. He was born at Port- land in Chautauqua County, New York, December 8, 1829, was reared on a farm, and was liberally educated. He attended the public schools at Fredonia, New York, and graduated from the Normal Department of the Fredonia Academy. For a number of years he taught school, and in 1857, accompanied by his wife and one child, located at Loganville in Sauk County. That was his home until 1907, when he removed to Reedsburg and lived retired until his death September 19, 1912. Many interests occupied his time and attention. He owned 200 acres of land constituting a model farm adjoining the Village of Loganville. He was also one of the first merchants to have a stock of goods at Loganville.
His abilities were by no means confined to the walks of private life. In the early days he served as postmaster of Loganville and during the Civil war was enrolling officer. For over twenty years he filled the office of county surveyor and was also township superintendent of schools. He had the ability to express himself both instructively and entertainingly as a public speaker. For four years he sat in the Lower House of the State Legislature and served one term as state senator. It was David B. Hulburt who introduced in the Legislature the bill for the "one mill tax" to increase the common school fund. While in the Senate he was chairman of the committee on party caucuses and was also chairman of several congressional conventions. He was known as a man of very temperate habits, and, while broad minded, was very positive and ag- gressive when he had at once decided upon a course of action.
David B. Hulburt was married February 10, 1856, to Josephine M. Van Scoter. She was born November 27, 1835, and died August 17, 1908, aged seventy-two years, eight months and twenty days. She was the oldest of the four children of Doctor Thomas and Abigail (Jones) Van Scoter, the Van Scoters being of old Dutch stock in New York, while her mother was English. Josephine Van Scoter was liberally educated in literature and music at Fredonia, New York, where her · father practiced medicine for many years. Doctor Van Scoter died in Fredonia and his widow subsequently came west to Rockford, Illinois, and was matron in the Female Seminary there.
Doctor Hulburt grew up at Loganville, was graduated from the public schools there at the age of sixteen, and at the same time was granted a certificate to teach school. In a short time he went to New Boston, Illinois, and entered the drug store of his uncle, George Lytle, who soon made him head clerk. He spent 31/2 years in that store and then returned to Loganville. In 1882 he was granted a certificate as registered pharmacist, and became prescription clerk in the drug store of the late Moses Young at Reedsburg.
Doctor Hulburt had begun the study of medicine in 1880. He sub- sequently entered Rush Medical College at Chicago, where he completed 1
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his course and was given his degree Doctor of Medicine February 19, 1884. Doctor Hulburt began practice at Loganville, but after two years, in 1886, removed to Reedsburg, which has been his home and professional headquarters now for over thirty years. For five years up to 1891 he was physician for the Sauk County Asylum for the Insane. He has held for many years the post of local surgeon for the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company. He has probably had a more ex- tensive practice in Sauk County than any other physician. He is an active member of the Wisconsin Central and the Wisconsin State Medical societies and the American Medical Association.
Doctor Hulburt is affiliated with Lodge No. 157, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and with the Reedsburg Lodge of Knights of Pythias. Like his father he is liberal in his religious views. Politically he is a republican and served several terms as alderman and one term as mayor of Reedsburg.
Doctor Hulburt was married February 13, 1887, to Miss Mina Markee. She was born in Reedsburg March 25, 1866, only daughter of Asa Engle and Caroline M. Seeley Markee. Her parents were very early settlers in the old Town of Reedsburg, where her father for many years was a merchant. Mrs. Hulburt's mother is still living. They have two children : Arthur M., the older, was born July 17, 1894, was gradu- ated from the Reedsburg High School, spent one year at Valparaiso University in Indiana in a business course and one year in the University of Wisconsin, where he pursued a civil engineering course. He is now local agent at Reedsburg for the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. Milton F., the younger son, was born June 2, 1897, is a graduate of the Reedsburg High School and is now continuing his higher education in the University of Wisconsin.
ASA ENGLE MARKEE was for many years engaged in business at Reedsburg and the family have long been prominent in that city. He was born in Ohio, June 20, 1838, a son of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth (Engle) Markee. His parents moved to Sauk County prior to'the Civil war, and his father followed the business of milling. At one time he conducted the flour mill at Reedsburg, but subsequently removed to Vernon County, where he died. His wife died in Ohio about 1846. Asa Engle was the oldest of their four children. His brother James was a soldier in the Civil war and is also deceased, as are also Levi and Mary.
Asa Engle Markee acquired his early education in Ohio and was a young man when his parents came to Sauk County. For a time he clerked for the firm of Harris & Hosler and then engaged in mer- chandising at Reedsburg, which he continued until his retirement. He died July 3, 1916. His home was at 147 South Pine Street, where his widow, Mrs. Markee, has lived for forty years. The late Mr. Markee was a republican and a charter member of Reedsburg Lodge No. 157, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and was a regular attendant at the Congregational Church.
He was married July 3, 1862, just fifty-four years to the day before his death, to Miss Caroline M. Seeley. Mrs. Markee, who is still living in Reedsburg, represents one of the oldest families of the city. She was
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born in Medina County, Ohio, February 5, 1842, a daughter of Austin and Mary (Kent) Seeley. Her father was born in Lake County, Ohio, November 5, 1820, and her mother, also a native of that state, was born March 25, 1822. They were married in 1838 and on February 1, 1849, the family arrived in Reedsburg, being the first family to permanently locate in this town. Austin Seeley was a carpenter by trade, and though he owned a farm he always followed carpentry as his regular occupation. He died at Reedsburg in 1880 and his wife passed away February 27, 1895. Mr. Seeley was a republican and during the war he gave his in- fluence to the Union cause and rendered some special service as chair- man of the Board of Supervisors. His wife was a member of the Con- gregational Church, and when that church was disbanded in Reedsburg she and two other ladies were the only members left of the original or- ganization. Mr. and Mrs. Seeley had three children: Morris E., who was born May 3, 1840, served as a Union soldier and is still living at Reedsburg; Caroline M .; and Ada L., wife of Robert Tate, of Lavalle, Wisconsin.
Mrs. Markee has always taken a great interest in the growing of flowers and for about twenty years has conducted the only greenhouse in Reedsburg. She and her husband were the parents of three children : Fred, who was born in 1863, was connected with a business house at Madison as a clerk and later was a traveling salesman and died at Reeds- burg in 1902; Mina is the wife of Dr. F. D. Hulburt, of Reedsburg ; and Frank K., born in 1873, died July 5, 1895.
SIMON COBLEIGH. No name is held in higher regard in Delton Town- ship, Sauk County, than that of Cobleigh, and it belongs to an old pioneer family that has had much to do with developing this section. Of New England birth and training, they brought with them the steady habits and sturdy citizenship that have been marked characteristics ever since. The Cobleighs have been capable farmers for the most part, but other vocations have not been neglected, while their sterling char- acter and general intelligence have made them the men to whom others have turned for leadership in public matters.
Simon Cobleigh, of Delton township, was born on the farm in this township on which he lives, January 5, 1855. His parents were Simon and Orrel Elizabeth (Way) Cobleigh. The father was born in Vermont, July 10, 1810, and died in Delton township, Sauk County, December 30, 1887. He was married in Connecticut, February 22, 1839, to Orrel Elizabeth Way, who was born in Connecticut, June 15, 1820, and died in Sauk County, March 26, 1889. In 1841 they moved to Mississippi and lived there for ten years, in 1851 coming to Wisconsin and settling in Sauk County. The father bought 120 acres of undeveloped land in Delton township and resided on the tract until the close of his life. Like other pioneers Mr. and Mrs. Cobleigh had to endure hardships but both lived to enter upon days of peace and comfort. They were among the organizers of the first Methodist Episcopal church in the township and continued a liberal support and carefully reared their children in this faith, there being five in number, as follows: Sidney, Mary, Albert, Norris and Simon. Sidney has made his home in Montana for a num-
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ber of years. He is seventy-six years old and resides on his farm of 320 acres. Mary, who was born August 12, 1844, died in infancy, in Missis- sippi. Albert was accidentally killed in a runaway in Delton township. Norris was born December 9, 1850, went to Minnesota, was a pioneer in Redwood County, and is now one of the well to do and substantial men of Redwood County. The father of the above family was a leading man of Delton township for many years and he frequently served in such offices as on the township and school boards.
Simon Cobleigh, who bears his father's honored name, was born four years after his parents settled as pioneers in Delton township. They were people of refinement and desired advantages for their children, but in his early boyhood the schools were not to be compared with those of the present day in the same section, and his opportunities were some- what limited thereby. Being the youngest of the family, he remained at home and gave his father assistance on the homestead, which property he subsequently acquired through purchase. He has ever since carried on general farming and stockraising, increasing his facilities later on by the addition of more land and now owns 280 acres. All of his prop- erty is well improved and his surroundings indicate extreme comfort.
Mr. Cobleigh was married June 13, 1889, to Miss L. DeEtte Shaw, who was born in Merrimack township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, July 28, 1868, and is a daughter of Henry W. and Mary A. (Nelsen) Shaw. The father of Mrs. Cobleigh was born at Mazomanie, Wisconsin, in 1841, and was brought to Merrimack Township by his parents in 1842. They were Samuel and Eliza (Waggoner) Shaw, who moved later to Portage and then to Milwaukee, where both subsequently died. He was a tailor by trade and was engaged in the tailoring business at these different places. To Samuel and Eliza Shaw the following children were born: Henry W .; Angeline, who is deceased, was the wife of Frank Terrill; Levantia, who was the wife of Evan Owens, now deceased, and they lived in Racine County; Melvina and her husband, William Bertell, once of Clark County, are deceased; Frances, deceased, was the wife of C. E. Newcomb; and Charles A., who is a mechanic in Milwaukee.
Henry W. Shaw was educated in the district schools of Merrimack township and later bought the farm which his father had owned. He served three and one half years in the Civil war, enlisting September 11, 1861, in Company K, Fourteenth Wisconsin, Sherman's army, and took part in all the engagements from Missionary Ridge to Atlanta and in the march to the sea. A few years after purchasing his father's farm he moved to Iowa and lived there for six years and then came back to Sauk County and bought a farm in Delton Township. On that farm he lived for twelve years and then desired a change and on March 15, 1890, moved to Mulino, Oregon, and bought a farm there and resided on it until 1911, when his wife was taken sick. His daughter, Mrs. Cobleigh, . went to Oregon and brought her mother back home with her, where she died on April 14 of that year. The father remained in Oregon until in September, 1914, when he came back to Sauk County and resided with his children until his death, September 17, 1915, at the home of his daughter Mrs. William Premo. The mother of Mrs. Cobleigh was born in Illinois in 1844. Her father, John Nelsen, was a pioneer in Baraboo,
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Wisconsin. He was engaged in the butcher business and was a mer- chant at the time of his death. Both he and his wife died at Baraboo. Mrs. Cobleigh is the eldest of her parents' children, the others being as follows: Francis N., who remains on the Oregon farm which belongs to the family; Nellie J., who is the wife of William Premo; Eliza M., who died in infancy ; Mabel, who is the wife of Christian E. Kramer, of Baraboo; Belva, who is the wife of Edwin Faust, of Oregon; and Charles L., who resides near Portland, Oregon.
Mr. and Mrs. Cobleigh have three children : Rollo S., who was born in 1890, married Lilah Harrison, of Fairfield Township, and they have two children, Gerald Larelle and Gwendolyn Hazel. Wayne James was born January 11, 1894, and died in the Northwestern Hospital at Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 1, 1915. Perry N. was born June 24, 1897, and resides at home. Mr. Cobleigh and family are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Delton Township. In politics he is a republican. For thirty years he has been a member of the township school board and it may be noted that Delton Township has high grade schools. Mr. Cobleigh has served in numerous township offices that carry heavy responsibility with them, for a number of terms being township treasurer and at present is supervisor. He has interests in addition to those definitely agricultural, and since 1896 has been a director in the Baraboo Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
FRANK A. Foss. In tracing the lives of men who have met with success in their undertakings in any community it will be found that each one possesses in common certain qualities, and among them are included ambition, industry and perseverance. To these, as in the case of Frank A. Foss, are often added sound judgment, unswerving integ- rity, and a thorough appreciation of responsibility, that produce a man of force, usefulness and undoubted achievement. Oftentimes it happens that a man will find a royal road to fortune through the influence of others or by the weight of his money, but for those who have not these advantages to forge ahead and achieve distinction requires just those dominant characteristics outlined above. Reedsburg is fortunate in having such a man in its midst and its business prestige is affected ad- vantageously by the fact that he is connected with such an important enterprise as the Stolte, Dangel & Foss Company, of which firm he is a member.
Mr. Foss was born in Dellona Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin, July 30, 1866, being a son of John and Minnie (Springer) Foss, natives of Germany. John Foss was born in June, 1839, and was eleven years of age when brought to the United States by his parents, Christopher Foss and wife, who first settled at Milwaukee and came overland from that city in an ox cart, settling in Dellona Township. Here they bought a farm, in the clearing and cultivation of which they spent the rest of their lives. They had four children, namely: Louis, Christopher, John and Mary, of whom all are deceased except John.
John Foss received the greater part of his education in the schools of his native land, and when little more than a lad began instructing others. as a teacher in the public schools of Milwaukee. In this manner he se-
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cured the capital necessary to give him a start as an agriculturist, and eventually he became the owner of a farm in Dellona township, a prop- erty which he cultivated and improved and upon which his son Albert now resides. His long and faithful labor brought him a substantial reward in the shape of a good income, and in 1896 he was able to retire from active pursuits and to take up a quiet and peaceful residence at Reedsburg, where he still makes his home, Mrs. Foss having died in 1914, at the age of seventy-three years. In politics Mr. Foss is a democrat, and his religious connection is with Saint Peter's Lutheran Church, of which Mrs. Foss was also a member. They were the parents of five children, all of whom are living.
Frank A. Foss attended the public schools of Dellona township and Kil- bourn High School, and was sixteen years of age when he entered the employ of Harris & Hosler. He became one of the most trusted employes of this Reedsburg concern, gained experience through coming in contact with all departments of the business, and in 1893 became one of the organ- izers of the new concern of the Stolte, Dangel & Foss Company, which took over the stock of the concern with which he had been connected for eleven years. To the furtherance of the interests of this enterprise he has continued to steadfastly give his attention, and his work and fidelity have been prominent factors in the advancement that has enlarged the scope of this company until it is now the largest department store in Sauk County, occupying a two-story building that runs for an entire block on Walnut Street, from Main to Second Street, and employing fifty people. In connection with the general business done a large cold storage plant is operated, and one of the recent acquisitions of the company has been an automobile department, of which Mr. Foss has direct charge, as he has also of the hardware and implement sections. While Mr. Foss has given his attention almost solely to this business to the exclusion of other enter- prises, his name is well known and highly respected in business circles of the city and county, and his judgment is esteemed as accurate, valuable and timely. He is a republican, and has served efficiently and with fidel- ity as a member of the city council, holding the office of alderman for nine years.
Mr. Foss was married in 1890 to Miss Helen Harris, who was born at Spring Green, Sauk County, July 30, 1866, a daughter of William Ham- ilton Harris, a Sauk County pioneer and a veteran of the Civil war. Mrs. Foss was educated in the schools of Spring Green and Baraboo, and is one of the popular ladies of Reedburg's social circles. She and Mr. Foss have had three children : Madeline, who graduated from the Reeds- burg High School and the Milwaukee Normal School and taught school for two years, and is now the wife of J. A. Lund, of Reedsburg, and has one son ; Lyle, who died in infancy ; and Lloyd, a junior in the Reedsburg High School.
William Hamilton Harris, father of Mrs. Foss, was born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1832, a son of Jonathan Whitaker and Abigail (Gra- croft) Harris, the former born in 1799 and the latter in 1804. In 1846 the parents of Mr. Harris came to Sauk County and settled at Harris- burg, buying a farm in section 18, Troy Township, where they built a small cabin for their first home. After improving their farm Mr. Harris
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erected good buildings, and here his first wife died September 14, 1860. On May 7, 1861, he married for his second wife Catherine Shords, of Baraboo, and in 1863 sold his farm and went to that city, where he resided until his death, October 3, 1872, being laid to rest at the side of his first wife in Harrisburg Cemetery, Troy Township, on the old home farm which bore his name. By his first marriage he had fifteen children : Phoebe Ann, Sarah Jane, Mary Ruth, Elizabeth Eleanor, John Wesley, James Madison, William Hamilton, Joseph C., Steven Michael, Charles Gracroft, Abner Logan, Wesley Harrison, Abigail Emeline, Lucy Ade- line and Joseph Henry.
William Hamilton Harris was educated in the public schools and was fourteen years of age when brought to Sauk County, where he was reared on the farm. On entering upon man's estate he adopted the voca- tion of farming, and was so engaged until August 2, 1862, when he enlisted at Harrisburg in Company K, Twenty-third Regiment, Wiscon- sin Volunteer Infantry, being mustered into the service on the 30th of that month at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin. Among his numer- ous battles were Chickasaw, December 25-31, 1862; Fort Hindman, January 11, 1863; Cypress Bend, February 19; Fort Gibson, May 1; Champion Hill, May 16; Black River Bridge, May 17; Vicksburg, May 19-July 4; Jackson, July 12-23; Carrion Crow, November 3, where wounded and taken prisoner; Sabine Cross Roads, April 8, 1864; Cain River, April 23; Jackson, October 5; Dallas, December 24-25; Green- ville, February 16-23, 1865; and siege of Mobile, March 25-April 12. He was discharged as first sergeant and mustered out of the service at Mobile, Alabama, July 4, 1865. After the war Mr. Harris returned to Sauk County and resumed farming, his property being situated 31/2 miles from Spring Green. He was active and prominent in public affairs, was a leader in the ranks of the republican party, and in 1886 was elected sheriff of Sauk County, holding that office in 1887 and 1888. He then resumed farming for a time, but finally went to Spring Green, where he established himself in the hotel business, and continued to be engaged therein until within two years of his death, which occurred January 21, 1906. Mr. Harris was married March 22, 1859, to Miss Dorothy Benson, of Columbia County, Wisconsin, who was born January 1, 1836, and was brought as a child to Portage. Mrs. Harris' mother, who died at Whitehall, Wisconsin, in 1909, had reached the extraordinary age of 104 years. Mr. and Mrs. Harris were the parents of the following children : Leo, who resides at Yellowstone Park; Naomi and William, residents of Sauk County ; Helen I., who is now Mrs. Foss; Jennie B., the widow of Alfred G. Thompson, resides at Minneapolis, and has two children, Harris and Florence; Eva G., who is the wife of A. E. Giffert, of Reedsburg, and has four children, Juanita, Dorothy, Audrey and Albert; Bertha L., who is the widow of E. R. Hungerford: Irvin, of Canada, wlio married Bertha Meyer, and has one child, Ruth; and Alma Ruth, who is the wife of I. L. Hager, of Reedsburg, and has two chil- dren, Frances Evelyn and Lewis Hamilton.
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