USA > Wisconsin > Clark County > Biographical history of Clark and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies of each, and engravings of prominent citizens of the counties, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 39
USA > Wisconsin > Jackson County > Biographical history of Clark and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies of each, and engravings of prominent citizens of the counties, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 39
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HARLES W. HYSLIP, of section 23, Weston Township, was born near Tata- nagoush, Colchester County, Nova Sco- tia, July 6, 1834, the son of Richard (deceased) and Betsey (Crow) Hyslip; the former was a native of Scotland, but came to America when a boy; the latter was a native of Nova Scotia. Our subject was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools of his native place. He left home at the age of
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eighteen years, traveling from Londonderry to Boston on a sail vessel, and afterward was engaged as cook on a cod-fishing vessel. He then remained at home until in February, 1854, when he shipped from Halifax to Bos- ton, and for two years worked twenty miles from the latter place. He emigrated to this county in June, 1856, settling in Weston Township, where he has since resided, en- gaged in Inmbering and farmning. He settled on his present farm in 1868. He has been chairman of the Town Board four terms, and School Treasurer twenty years. Politically he affiliates with the Republican party.
Mr. Hyslip was married in the village of Bolton, April 5, 1856, to Nancy, daughter of Jefferson (deceased) and Barbara (Horn) Con- den; Mrs. Hyslip was born in Nova Scotia. Of their five children only one is now living, -Margaret E., now the wife of Lyman Tracy, of this town. They have had cight children, viz .: Ella, Editlı, Ethel, Homer, Edna and an infant girl. One of Mr. Hyslip's children, Benjamin F., was killed in a saw- mill in Eaton Township, this county, in April, 1865, at the age of twenty-seven years. He married Ada Tuttle, and had two children: Bessie (deceased), and William B. Two children died of diphtheria: one, Charles E., was eight years old, and William A. six months. Barbara Ann died of measles, at the age of one ycar and seven months.
HEODORE A. ANDERSON, a general inerchant of Greenwood, was born near Taylor's Station, Jackson County, Wis- consin, November 20, 1862, the son of Knud Anderson, a native of Norway, but now of Hemlock, this county. He camne with his parents to the United States when fifteen years of age, and settled at Racine, Wis-
consin. He was a pioneer of Jackson County, having settled among Indians and wild animals. He removed to this county in 1870, settling in Beaver Township, in the thick woods.
Theodore, our subject, worked in the woods and saw-mills several years, and also in driv- ing logs in Black River. He came to Green- wood in 1881, where he clerked in a store seven years. In 1888 he engaged in business for himself at Hemlock, but in May, 1890, removed his stock of goods to Greenwood, where he carries a full line of groceries, dry goods, boots, shoes, liats, caps, etc. He lias a capital stock of $2,000, liis annual sales amounting to $6,000, which is rapidly in- creasing.
Mr. Anderson was married July 1, 1886, to Mary Francis, daughter of Jolin Francis, of this township. They have one child, George M., born March 25, 1887. Mr. Anderson was School Treasurer of Warner Township one year, is a Republican politi- cally, and an enterprising, public-spirited and liberal citizen, and deserves a good patronage from the public.
AVID JUSTICE, a prominent merchant of Greenwood, was born in Monroe County, New York, March 29, 1846, the son of John Justice, who lost his life in the Union service in the late war, having been a member of Company D, Twenty-fifth Wiscon- sin Volunteer Infantry. The family came to Sparta, Monroe County, Wisconsin, in 1859, where thic father ran a tailor shop and clotlı- ing store. Our subject worked at various things when young, and afterward came to Merrill, Lincoln County, where he engaged in contracting and building in the summer, and in scaling logs in the winter. In 1885 he
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came to Greenwood, and built a saw-mill for his brother-in-law, E. E. Crocker, but after- ward worked at his present business for Mr. Crocker two years, when he bought him out.
Mr. Justice was married April 20, 1873, to Frances, daughter of Levi Crocker, of Mon- roe County, this State, and they have three children: Fred, born February 5, 1875; Ella, July 13, 1883; and Howard, December 28, 1888. Mr. Justice is a member of the I. O. O. F., subordinate encampment, and also the Modern Woodmen. He is an enterpris- ing and public-spirited citizen.
OHN BOWERMAN, of section 2, Eaton Township, Clark County, was born in Prince Edward County, Ontario, near Pictou, at the head of the Bay of Quinte, May 12, 1823, the son of Cornelius (deceased) and Martha (Morgan) Bowerman, both natives of Canada. Our subject's grandfather, Jona- than Bowerinan, was a Quaker from Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Bowerman had fif- teen children, twelve of whom grew to matu- rity, and eleven still survive, namely: Hannalı, John, Ichabod, Daniel, Thomas, Leonard, Sarah E., Melissa J., Bennett, Joseph and Phœbe. One daughter, Deborah, died in 1861, leaving a husband and seven children.
The subject of this sketch was reared to farm life, and received a limited education in a Quaker seminary. He came from Canada to Jackson County, in 1855, where he worked in a saw-mill and at various other employ- ments for one year. He then came to this county and settled seven and a half miles east of Neillsville, in what is now Grant Town- ship, which was then covered with heavy timber. His nearest neighbors were one and a half miles distant, and the Indians and wild animals were numerous. A bear would
often pick up a hog in his arms, cut his throat with his teethi, and then carry him off. Mr. Bowerman has killed many deer, and also caught many wild-cats, minks and foxes in steel traps. During the year 1889-'90 he caught twelve foxes, and also several coons. He came to his present farin in the fall of 1866, where he at once went to work in the thick forest, and now owns forty acres of cleared land, and a life-interest in forty acres more. He lias a fine house, a large barn, and all the other necessary buildings.
Mr. Bowerman was married in Angust, 1847; to Hannalı Honeywell, a native of Ot- tawa, Canada, and daughter of Ira Honeywell, deceased.
They have had eight children, four of whom are still living, viz .: Rufus I., Sarah E., Me- lissa J. and Martha M. Sarah married Moody Chandler, of this city, and has five children, - Eva, Irvin, Nettie, Ira and John. Melissa married David Warner, of Warner Township, this county, and has two children,-Mark and Clen. Martha married Edward Parker, of this city, and has four children,-Leland, Myrtle, Clinton and Irvin. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bowerman are members of the Metliodist Episcopal Church.
AXWELL HEASLETT, of section 26, Eaton Township, Clark County, was born thirty miles southeast of Quebec, Canada, April 16, 1844, the son of William and Mary (Maxwell) Heaslett, both natives of County Armagh, Ireland, the for- mer born in the year 1814, and the latter in 1815. They now live with their son, the subject of this sketch. Of their ten children, six are still living: William, Sarah, Andrew, Maxwell, Margaret and Robert. A daughter, Jane, was married and removed to Upper
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Canada, but has not been heard from for twenty years.
Maxwell Heaslett was reared ou a farm, and received but a limited education. He came to the United States in the fall of 1868, stopping first in Neillsville, where he worked in the pineries and in Hewitt's mill for two years. Since that time he lias worked in the pineries during the winters, and drove logs and farmed in the spring and summers. He settled on his present farmn of eighty acres in the spring of 1878, and lias since cleared thirty-nine acres.
Mr. Heaslett was married May 15, 1878, to Emma E. Hewett, who was born in Essex County, New York, September 3, 1858, the daughter of George (deceased) and Maria (Magoon) Hewett. The mother was born in Lower Canada, May 30, 1831, and now lives with her children; the father was born in Essex County, New York, August 31, 1808, and came to this county in 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Heaslett have two children: Ethel C., born Marclı 22, 1879, and Harry, September 17, 1880. Both Mr. Heaslett and wife were members of the Methodist Church, and the former is a Republican politically.
ILLIAM C. FRICKE, of section 26, Eaton Township, Clark County, was born in Hanover, Germany, in the town of Diepholz, February 17, 1820, the son of Christopher (deceased) and Christiana (Nolte) Fricke, both natives of Diepholz. They were the parents of five children: Will- iam, Henry, Frederick (the two latter reside in Buffalo, Scott County, Iowa), and Eliza- beth, deceased. One son also died in child- hood.
William C., onr subject, was a soldier in the German revolution in 1848-'49, having
fought against the king. He was in favor of a republic, and when he saw they had failed, he, with others, took passage on a ship for the United States. Stopping first in Milwaukee, in the fall of 1849, Mr. Fricke worked at the shoemaker's trade until the summer of 1850, when he removed to Newburg, Washington County, Wisconsin, where he worked at his trade until 1855. In that year lie went to Waco, Texas, remaining until 1857, and then returned to Newburg, where he worked at his trade until 1876. He then came to this county, and settled on his present farm of eiglity acres, sixty of which is cleared.
Mr. Fricke was married August 9, 1852, to Eva Fretschie, daughter of Gotfried (deceased) and Justine (Dobig) Fretsche, both natives of Saxony, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Fricke have had twelve children, eight of whom still survive: Ida, Minnie, Oscar, Emma, William, Matilda, Louise and Berthia. One son, Rob- ert, died in Milwaukee May 1, 1880, at the age of twenty-four years. He was one of the best telegraph operators in that city. Another sou, Otto, died April 15, 1880, at the age of twenty years. Mr. Fricke was brought up in the Lutheran Church, but is not now iden- tified with any church. He has been a mem- ber of the Town Board twice, and also of the School Board several years. Politically he is a Democrat.
ILLIAM MORRISON, superintend- ent of the Neillsville Manufacturing Company, Neillsville, Wisconsin, came to this city in 1889, to superintend the building and running of this furniture fac- tory. The size of the building is 136 x 128 feet, four stories high, with an L sixty-four feet wide. They employ 400 men. The first order for goods was from Englaud for a large
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amount, and at present they are filling this order. The mill commenced operation this spring; they have a 250-horse-power steam engine, and a 70-horse-power engine for the saw-mill, which they run in connection with the factory. The latter is said to be the best in the world. Mr. Morrison inade the plans for the building, and from its commencement had the ground prepared, laid the foundation, and had it perfected after his own plans. He laid five heavy stone walls under the build- ing, and the floors on each of the four rooms are inade of 2 x 4 timber, set up edgeways, inaking the floor five inches thick. Each of the floors are separate, and in no way con- neeted with each other from the inside of the building. The only way to reach the upper rooms is by means of a stairway outside of the building, leading to each roomn. They have an elevator built in the corner where the building forms an 'L, and which is so constructed that a wagon can re- ceive or deliver goods from the elevator. The building is absolutely fire-proof, and contains the best machinery that can be pur- chased in the world. The rooms are heated with hot air driven through a large pipe into the building, and also have large fans con- nected to a furnace in an adjoining brick building. Their 250-horse power engine drives this large amount of machinery with an endless rope three-fourths of an inch in size. The engine-house is firmly constructed of brick, and stands some distance from the factory. The rope runs over the large drive wheel in the engine-honse to the main shaft of the factory outside of the building. There is also a drying house in the rear of the eu- gine-house, containing three large rooms, and in connection with each is a railroad track running to the lumber yard. After drying the lumber is taken to the factory, where all is inade in the best manner, and the facilities
for handling the same cannot be surpassed. They have a large galvanized pipe, thirty inches in diameter, running from the factory to the engine-honse, and all dust and shavings are drawn through this to the latter honse and used for fuel. Mr. Morrison has placed somne machinery of his own device in this factory, which is very necessary and impor- tant. There is not probably a better me- chanic in the United States than Mr. Morrison, and the people of this city should be proud of this institution.
He is a Scotch gentleman, born January 3, 1850, and was educated in his native land, where he also learned the furniture trade. Since the age of twenty-one he has always had charge of some work; has been an exten- sive traveler in India, China, Japan, and nearly all over the world. He married Miss Kate McIntyre, of Glasgow, Scotland, and they have a family of nine children: James, Jane, William, Alfred, David, Nellie, Kate, John and Asa. Mr. Morrison is a worthy gentleman, and is respected by all who know him.
ILLIAM ZASSENHAUS, Register of Deeds for Clark County, Wiscon- sin, was born in Germany, Decem- ber 28, 1838, the son of Frederick and Louise (Lnecke) Zassenhans, natives of Germany. The father was an extensive merchant at Mettinann, Germany, and continued the same until his death in 1866; the mother died in 1863. They were members of the Evangeli- cal Church, and had a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, four of whom are still living, viz .: Wilhelmine, Eigen, Wil- liam, Carl and Helena. All the children were natives of Germany except our subject.
He attended school until nineteen years of
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age, and graduated in chemistry and mining. He then served as a soldier two years and six months, after which he went to Australia, where he remained five years in the gold fields, which proved very satisfactory financially. In 1865 he returned to Germany on a visit, and after three months came to America, landing in New York city. He then set ont for the western world, stopping first at New Vienna, Dubuque County, Iowa, where he was engaged in farming for a short time. In 1866 he went to Superior City, Wisconsin, and engaged in exploring for minerals one year; next he went to the copper mines of Michigan, and engaged in mining ten years, with the exception of one year spent in the silver inines of Nevada. In 1877 Mr. Zas- senhaus came to Clark County, Wisconsin, and settled in the Township of Green Grove, where he started the first store and postoffice in the township, there being only four set- tlers there at that time. The land was covered with timber, consisting of pine, hard- wood, and the only railroad was at Colby, distant six miles. He conducted the store and postoffice until 1889, when he was elected to his present position, after which he sold his goods and rented his building. He was the first Chairman of Green Grove, which position he held two years, and has also as- sisted in the building of churches and the school-house. Since moving to the city of Neillsville, he has purchased stock in the large furniture plant of this city.
Mr. Zassenhaus was married in 1866, to Miss Maria Orth, a native of Germany, and the danghter of John and Wilhelmine (Lach- mann) Orth. They have a family of eight children, namely: Lonisa R., a clerk for her father in the register office; Joseph W., Ag- nes M., Helena, William, Mary, Clara, and Frederick W. Mr. Zassenhaus is a Republi- can politically, and a member of the Knights
of Pythias. He is one of the prominent men of Clark County, and takes an active interest in the growth and development of the county and State.
IMOTHY FISK LEE. a farmer of section 31, Fremont Township, Clark County, was born at Parishville, St. Lawrence County, New York, June 23, 1854, the fifth son of Aaron Lee, who died in 1885, at the age of seventy-six years. His grand- father was of the early families of Essex County, New York, but the Lee family were originally from the green hills of Vermont. Aaron Lea was a farmer, and his children were Andrew J., Josephns, Rntlı, Chloe A., Loren W., Noble I .. , Ellen A., Timothy Fisk and Oren D. All are living except Andrew J. and Josephus. Early during the last war Andrew J. enlisted in a company from St. Lawrence County, New York, and had served nearly his term of enlistment without injury when he received a wound which proved fatal a few days later. Of the remaining mein- bers of the family six came West, the young- est, Oren D., remaining with the parents npon the old farm, where he still resides with his aged mother. Her family name was Sampson, and it was a representative family in the early annals of Vermont. Six years after his marriage, or in 1881, the subject of this sketch came to Clark County and settled upon his present farm of 120 acres. His dil- igence is shown in the amount under cultiva- tion, the comfortable house, and the fine barn -one of the best in this part of the county. All this, notwithstanding the weakness of his eyes, from which he has suffered all his life. He is very fond of live-stock, especially horses. His ultimate design is to give at- tention to stock-raising and the training of horses.
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Mrs. Lee, whose maiden name was May Wright, was a daughter of Henry and Julia Wright, formerly residents of Essex County, New York. She has two brothers, but no sister. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lee are six children, born and named as follows: Aaron F., born September 16, 1874; Ernest W., born September 24, 1876; Gilbert E., born April 16, 1881, and since deceased; Vinton D., born January 14, 1884; Lindon D., born July 20, 1886; and Prudence Ruth, born June 26, 1889.
HARLES C. PETERSON, owner and manager of the Merchants' Hotel, Black River Falls, was born near Copen- hagen, Denmark, in 1844. He remained in his native land until he was sixteen years of age; he then started out in the world on his own responsibility, and emigrated to America, being the first member of his family to cross the sea. He landed in the city of New York, and continued his journey to Chicago; thence he went to Grand Haven, Michigan, and for some time was employed in the construction of a railroad along the Grand River. One year later he went to Muskegon, and there engaged as cook for a mining camp in that vicinity; this position not proving all that could be desired, he abandoned it and went to Pentwater; there he was married, and took the contract to keep a boarding-house for Charles Mears, a lumberman; he con- ducted this business successfully for a time, and then went to Manistee County, Michi- gan, where he opened a boarding house and hotel; he afterwards located in the town of Manistee, and for five years kept a hotel in that place.
We next find Mr. Peterson located in Wis- consin, again employed in the building of a
railroad, on the Green Bay and Winona branch. Later on he returned to his old oc- cupation, keeping hotel, and then for a time he was interested in the raising of live-stock, and also did a considerable amount of trading with the Indians in furs and berries. Ten years afterwards he came to Black River Falls, and invested in farm lands, and did some himbering. In November, 1890, he purchased his present hotel, and his long experience in this business enables him to anticipate the wants of the traveling public; he and his wife do all in their power to render their guests comfortable, and being of genial, kindly dispositions they meet with unquali- fied success.
Mr. Peterson has been very prosperous in all his business dealings, and has accumn- lated a considerable amount of property. When one considers his youth in starting ont in the world, and that he was a stranger in a strange land, too much praise cannot be be- stowed upon him. He and his wife have eight children, six daughters and two sons.
ATTERLEE & TIFT are the proprie- tors and publishers of the Republican and Press, the oldest journal in the county, having been established in the year 1855. Neillsville at that time consisted of a small cluster of houses and gave but little promise of becoming the prosperous and thriving little city it now is. The present publishers of the paper are energetic, public- spirited gentlemen, and under their manage. ment the Republican and Press has become one of the leading publications of Northern Wisconsin. Their printing honse is well equipped for doing a general business, and work entrusted to them is executed in the highest style of the art. In 1890 they pub-
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lished in large pamphlet form a historical and descriptive work of Clark County ; it contains eighty pages and furnishes much valuable in- formation in regard to the climate, soil, and natural resources of the county.
Milton Satterlee was born near Freeport, Illinois, and has been engaged in the news- paper business for many years.
James H. Tift is a native of Wisconsin, born in Dane Connty. He learned the trade of a printer in Black Earth, Dane County, becoming foreman of the Democrat of Mad- ison, and came from that place to Neillsville.
LRICH ODERBALZ has been identi- fied with the business interests of Black River Falls since the year 1856, when his residence there began. He is a brewer by trade, and has been engaged in this busi- ness for many years, being one of the oldest brewers in the State. He is a native of Switzerland, born April 19, 1819. In 1852 he left his home and friends and native land and sailed to the shores of America, too full of hopeful anticipations to be discouraged by all the obstacles wlrich he must encounter in a strange land. He went immediately to Canton, Ohio, where he worked in a brewery for six months; the then spent about the same lengtli of time traveling down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; he visited New Orleans and went thence to Texas, but did not locate there; on his return to the North le settled in Galena, Illinois, where he resided until 1854; the two years following he was a resi- dent of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and then in 1856, as before stated, he settled in Black River Falls. During the time that he was in La Crosse he was employed in the cooper's trade, which he had also 'mastered in his
native land, it being a custom there to learn two trades at the same time.
On coming to Black River Falls, Mr. Oder- balz erected the brewery which he has since occupied, a period of thirty-five years; his dwelling was then a small, unpretentious building, but in 1869 he had built a fine brick structure which is a credit to the town.
September 14, 1857, our subject was united in the holy bonds of wedlock to Miss Anna Helfling, a native of Switzerland; she was seventeen years of age when she emigrated with her parents to America. Mr. and Mrs. Oderbalz have had born to thiem eiglit chil- dren: Mary L., the eldest, is a graduate of the high school of Black River Falls, and is employed by her father as book-keeper; Anna M. is also a well educated young woman, and is a teacher in the public school; the eldest son, George W., is the third child, and then comes Julia; Frank F. is also at home and is employed in his father's business; Chiarles died at the age of eighteen years; the two younger children are Emma and Edward.
Mr. Oderbalz has been a very successful business man, and he has given his children a good education, and is fitting thein to be useful members of society.
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AMES'D. PERRY, the present Judge of [Jackson'County, was elected to tliat posi- tion in the spring of 1889, succeeding his brother, Judge George M. Perry. He was born in the town of Albion, Jackson County, Wisconsin, December 11, 1852. His father, a pioneer of the county, is now a resident, of Manchester: the mother died in 1855, and from that time until he was twenty-one years of age he resided with a maternal uncle in Henderson County, Illinois. He attended the public schools until about fifteen years of
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age, and then becanie a student of Denmark Academy in Lee County, Iowa; later on he was for one terin a student at the Illinois Industrial University, after which he engaged in teaching; he followed this profession through seven terms of school, and then re- turned to Black River Falls; there he was employed by a maternal nncle, John Edmunds, as manager of a saw-mill; at the end of two years the uncle died, and he operated the mill fonr years longer; at this time he went to Melrose and took charge of a mill belonging to Mark Douglas; he remained there nntil his election to the office he now holds; he thoroughly understands the business of mill- ing, and is well posted in all the details of the industry.
While not a lawyer by profession Judge Perry is a man very capable, and has made a special study of the branches of law pertain- ing to his office; he has shown himself an efficient officer, and lias given entire satisfac- tion to the public. In his political opinions he sympathizes with the Republican party.
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