Biographical history of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo Counties, Wisconsin : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies of each; engravings of prominent citizens of the counties, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families, Part 64

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 938

USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > Biographical history of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo Counties, Wisconsin : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies of each; engravings of prominent citizens of the counties, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 64
USA > Wisconsin > La Crosse County > Biographical history of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo Counties, Wisconsin : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies of each; engravings of prominent citizens of the counties, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 64
USA > Wisconsin > Trempealeau County > Biographical history of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo Counties, Wisconsin : containing portraits of all the presidents of the United States, with accompanying biographies of each; engravings of prominent citizens of the counties, with personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 64

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).

-- ETER SORERSON, of section 30, Ban- gor township, was born in Barry town- ship, La Crosse county, May 1, 1860, a son of Knud and Bertha (Olsen) Sorerson, natives of Norway. The father came to the United States when a young man and lived one year at Blue Mound, Wisconsin, after

ACOB HATZ, of section 7, Bangor township, La Crosse county, was born in Switzerland, March 6, 1832, a son of John and Anna (Ruedi) Hatz. The mother died in Switzerland in 1855, and the father which he came to this county and settled on lived with our subjeet until his death, which occurred in May, 1588. The parents had two children: Jacob and Christian, both residents of this township. The mother had four children by a former marriage, one of whom still survives, Catharine Florine, also of this township.

Jacob Hatz, our subject, came to the United States in 1856, settling in Bangor township, and the first year purchased a farmi of 160 acres where he now lives. His first house was a log cabin, 20x16 feet, in which he lived until the fall of 1873, when he , fall of 1888; and Oluf is working in Hagard- moved into his present fine brick residence, er's saw-mill.

36 x 27 feet, two stories high. 'He has two frame barns, one 38 x44 feet with eighteen- foot posts, and the other 36 x 26 feet, sixteen- foot posts; also several out-buildings and | married July 18, 1884, to Josephine Olsen,

section 25, Barry township, just across the line from our subject's residence. The father died here in 1834, and the mother in 1871. They were the parents of eight children, six now living, viz .: Ole, Mary, Samuel, Peter, Edward and Oluf. Edward is now a soldier in the regular army, and is stationed in Mon- tana; Ole now lives with his brother Peter; Mary is conducting a boarding house in La Crosse; Samuel married Clara Peterson, and is now working in Crosby's planing-mill, where he had two fingers sawed off in the

Peter Sorerson, the subject of this sketch, still owns 205 acres of the old homestead, and has been a farmer all his life. He was

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a native of Barry township, La Crosse county, and daughter of liogan Olsen, de- ceased. After the father's death the mother married Rosmus Olsen, and now lives in Hamilton township. Mrs. Sorerson's sisters and brothers are all in La Crosse: Alma married Sebastian Boma; Minnie is the wife of John Fehig, and Anton married Anna Severson. Mr. and Mrs. Sorerson have three children: Adolph, Julins and Emma. Polit- ieally Mr. Sorerson is a Republican, and religiously a member of the Lutheran Church.

J. BEADLE, of Onalaska, was born in Hillsdale, Michigan, September 12, 1857, the son of John Beadle, a native of Lyons, New York, who settled about 1840 in Michigan, and was engaged in trade in Hillsdale for a number of years, and after- ward moved to Sarenae, that State. Mr. Beadle's mother, whose name before marriage was Sophia Rogers, was also a native of Lyons. and died April 23, 1891.

Mr. Beadle learned the harnessmaker's trade at Lowell, Michigan, under the super- vision of his brother, D. C. Beadle. Next he was employed for about eighteen months by E. A. Lockett, in Chicago, on Randolph street. Ile returned to Sarenac for a short time and then came to La Crosse and to Onalaska, where he has been engaged in

trade in harness, etc. He built the Beadle ' residence is beautifully located and he has Ilotel.

At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Beadle married Miss Abbie K. Jones, daughter of Hon. Thomas E. Jones, who was once a mem- ber of the Legislature from lonia county, Michigan. He was of Welsh ancestry. Her mother's name before marriage was Abbe Jackson, and she was born in Monroe, Michi-

gan. Mr. and Mrs. Beadle have two children : Max W. and Belle. In polities Mr. Beadle is a Democrat, and in business he is a man of energy and ability.

CONRAD MILLER, farmer, Barre Mills, Wisconsin .- Foremost among the prom- inent business men and extensive far- mers of Barre township, stands the name of Conrad Miller, who was born in Hanover, Germany, September 10, 1830. His parents, Diedrich and Elizabeth (Wares) Miller, were both natives of Germany and there passed their entire lives, the father dying in 1837, at the age of seventy-six years, and the mother when about seventy-eight years of age, and after Conrad had left for the United States. The father was a very snecessful agrienl- turist and keenly alive to the best farm- ing interests. In 1864 Conrad Miller and family came to the United States and in the fall of that year settled on a farm one mile north of where he now lives. He re- mained there six years and then bought his present farm, which then consisted of 200 acres. To this he has added from time to time until he now owns 396 aeres, eighty acres of which is young timber. His farm is well improved and classed among the best farms of Barre township. Mr. Miller has also bought another farm of 350 aeres within the past few weeks. Ilis fine two-story briek large and commodious barns and ont build- ings. His principal erops are corn, oats hay, wheat and barley, and he is numbered among the best farmers in his loeality. He has a fine orchard, and raises small fruit in abun- dance. Ile raises an excellent grade of stock, horses cattle and hogs.

He was married in 1854 to Miss Dora

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Seidenberg, and they became the parents of three children: Mary, wife of William Stello, residing in Barre township; Deidrich, mar- ried Lonisa Schrader, who bore him two children, -- Dora and Rose; Sophia was the wife of Louis Spraine and died September 15. 1889, leaving one child, Dora. Mrs. Miller died in 1870, when thirty-nine years of age. She was a devout member of the Lutheran Church. In 1871 Mr. Miller took for his second wife Miss Dora Brockman, a native of Germany. William is the only child born to that union. He is now with his father and assisting on the farm Mr. Miller, his son William, and three of the neighbors own the Barre Mills Creamery, which is doing a successful business and is of great advantage to the farmers in the neighborhood. Mr. Miller and his wife and children are members of the Lutheran Church, and are esteemed and worthy citizens.

NUD HALDORSON, of section 31, Bangor township, was born in Blue Mound, Wisconsin, August 29, 1556, a son of John and Gartru (Oldstadt) Haldor- son, natives of Norway, and now of Bohe- mia, La Crosse county. They emigrated to the United States in 1556, settling at Blue Monnd, Wisconsin, and the same fall came to this county and settled where our subject now lives. The parents had eight children, five of whom survive: Jane, of Vernon conn. ty, Wisconsin; Albert, also of Vernon county ; Ole, a resident of Barnes county, South Dakota; Knud, our subject, and Peter, of Bohemia valley, this county.

daughter of Henry Lang, of Washington township, La Crosse county. They have three children: John, Emma and Julius. Mr. Haldorson has held the office of School Treasurer seven or eight years, but never seeks official honors. He is a member of the Lutheran Church at Barry Mills, Bostwick valley.

ANIEL DAVIS, an old soldier and pio- neer of this county, was born in Oneida county, New York, March 22, 1836, a son of James Davis, a native of Connecticut. Our subject learned the carpenter's trade when a young man, and in 1854 came to this county, settling in the village of Bangor, which he has since made his home. He served in the late war, in Company D, Four- teenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, four years and six days, and participated in the battles ot Shiloh, Corinth, Champion Ifills, Vicksburg, Black River Bridge, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Nashville, Franklin, and Mobile Bay. Ile was under both Gen - erals Grant and Sherman, and endured un- told hardships and privations, and now draws a pension. After the war he returned to this county, where he has since worked hard at his trade. Ile has never married, and is now a jolly old bachelor. During the war he was a personal friend of Sherman, and was in many battles under that great General. His family relations are mostly in New York.

AMES STEPIIENS, of section 36, Bangor township, was born in Norway, seven Norwegian miles from Christiania, March 2, 1834, a son of Stephen Thompson, a native

Knud Haldorson, the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm, and received his educa- tion in the common schools. He was mar- ried, November 6, 1885, to Sophia Lang, a | of the same country, where he also died. In

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the old country our subject worked on a farm, and at times in floating logs and cord wood for his brother on Lake Mennsa. During the winter he received eight cents a day for his work, and in the summer twenty-four eents during hay harvest and thirty-five cents a day in the drive on the lake. He came to the United States in 1866, settling in Monroe county, Wisconsin, five miles east of his present farm, and in the spring of 1872 came to his present place. After reaching this State he was without money and worked as a hired hand a few years, the first winter receiv- ing $30 a month and his board. Ile now owns a farm of 200 acres, mostly ridge land, where he raises excellent crops of grass, oats, wheat and corn. He makes a specialty of graded Durham and Holstein cattle, and does a large dairy business. He has one of the finest wells in the county, it being at a depth of 250 feet, with abont fifty feet of water, and cannot be pumped dry by wind pumps.

Mr. Stephens was married, February 2, 1873, to Martha Olsen, a danghter of Ole Olsen, a native of Norway, and now deceased. They have one child, Caroline, born in 1974. Mr. Stephens has been a member of the School Board several years, is a member of the Lutheran Church, and a Republican, politically.

ILLIAM CUTHBERT, retired farmer West Salem, Wisconsin. A life-long experience in the channels of agri- enlture, and an intimate acquaintance with every detail of the calling have contributed to place Mr. Cuthbert among the substantial men of the county. Hle owes his nativity to Scotland, his birth occurring in 1847, and his parents, Alexander and Eliza M. (Ogg) Cuthbert, are natives of that country also.

The father was a very successful farmer and followed that pursuit in his own country un- til 1871, when he and his family crossed the ocean to America. They settled in La Crosse coanty, Burns township, Wisconsin, where they bought and improved forty acres of land. and there remained for twelve years. From there they removed to Sioux Rapids, Iowa, and there the parents are now living, the father retired from active life.

William Cuthbert attended school until sixteen years of age, when he learned the trade of mason and stone-cutter, at which he worked until he emigrated to the United States in 1869. Ile settled on Lake Superior, at Marquette, Michigan, and there worked at his trade until 1571, when he joined his parents in La Crosse county, Wisconsin. Ile purchased 160 acres of land; has since added eighty acres. and now has a farm of 240 aeres, in section 26, Burns township. On this he has erected a good two-story frame house, a basement barn and many substantial out-buildings. The place is well supplied with water, there being many springs on it, and the farm is in a good state of cultivation.

Mr. Cnthibert was married in 1870, at Marquette, Michigan, to Miss Isabella llem- stock, daughter of William and Anna (An- derson) Hemstock, natives of England. Mr. and Mrs. Hemstock emigrated from their native eountry to Canada, located on Geor- gian Bay, and their received their final snm- mons, the father dying in 1867, and the mother in 1884. To Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbert were born eight children, six now living: James C., William R., Mamie, Frederick B .. Mabel O. and Glen IT., all at home with the parents, and making a happy family. Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbert sadly felt the loss of their two oldest children, Charles and Annie, who "died in 1882 and 1883, respectively.

Mr. Cuthbert has been honored with th .

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office of Justice of the Peace, of Burns town- ship, for twelve years, and was a member of the School Board from 1>71 to 1891, when he retired from the farm and built a large two-story house, of modern architecture, in West Salem, to which town he had retired for rest for himself and to better educate his children. Mr. Cuthbert and wife are people of refinement and taste, and in their pleasant home, where they are surrounded by all the comforts and conveniences of life, and with their host of warm friends, they expect to pass the remainder of their days.

Mr. Cuthbert is one of the progressive men | of the county, and gives his hearty support to all public enterprises. Ile and Mrs. Cuth- bert are members of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics he affiliates with the Republi- can party. Ile has by his energy and indus- try accumulated a good competency for himself and family while yet on the sunny side of middle age.

ILLIAM T. SMIT HI, liveryman. There are few features of enterprise which contribute a larger quota to the convenience of the residential or tran- sient public than the well-appointed livery stable, and recent valuable acquisition to the town of West Salem is the livery, boarding and sale stable belonging to Mr. Smith. He was born in Onalaska, Wisconsin, September 20, 1867, to Samuel and Sarah (Smith) Smith, natives respectively of New Hamp- shire and New York. They came to La Crosse county, Wisconsin, abont 1852, and settled on Ilalf-way creek, at which time the now flourishing town of La Crosse eon- sisted of about three houses. Mr. Smith entered 120 acres of land, which he improved and on which he resided until 1889, when

his death occurred, at the age of sixty-four years. His widow survives him and resides on the old homestead. William G. Smith attended school at Half-way creek until he was twelve years of age, when he entered the graded school of West Salem, where he at- tended for one year. For two years succeed- ing this he worked for a cousin, remained one year at home, then spent four years in the employ of G. L. Willey, a farmer. He had by this time accumulated some means and could think of no better use for it than educating himself, and he accordingly en- tered the University of Galesville, Wisconsin, after which he went West to visit friends and for the purpose of prospecting through Northern Minnesota and Dakota, and was absent six months. Upon his return to La Crosse he began the study of medicine with Dr. E. C. Swarthouse, but at the end of six months opened a eandy store in La Crosse; but a few months later traded this for 160 acres of land. At the end of about one year he traded this for his present establishment, which he is managing with fair prospects of success. The stable is situated about the eenter of the town, is well appointed, and as Mr. Smith was reared on a farm he thor- oughly understands the care of horses, and ; anyone leaving their animals in his charge can rest assured that they will be carefully attended to.

Mr. Smith is a strong Prohibitionist, the principles of which he upholds on all occa- sions, and he is a rising young man of the county, with a bright future before him.

IIARLES N. ATKINSON, assistant to the superintendent of the Southern Minnesota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, was born

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in Corydon. Iowa, November 16, 1855, a son While a resident of Indianapolis, Mr. Atkinson became a member of the Light Infantry in 1585, and was actively interested in the work of that organization. He is now of John W. and Mary E. (Robinson) Atkin- son. The father was engaged in the retail dry-goods trade at Corydon from 1854 to 1861. when he enlisted in the Fourth Jowa Vol- " an honorary member of the Gateway City unteer Infantry, and served with that regi- Guards, of La Crosse, organized July 6, 1889: O. N. Holway, Captain; J. J. Esch. First Lieutenant; D. S. McArthur, Second Lieutenant. March 23, 1891, the following officers were elected: J. J. Esch. Captain : Burt C. Smith, First Lientenant; D. S. McArthur, Second Lieutenant. January 4, 1892, the election resulted as follows: Charles N. Atkinson, Captain; Burt C. Smith, First Lieutenant; J. P. Salzer, Second Lieutenant. The company has fifty six members, and is well equipped with arms and uniform. Mr. Atkinson is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. ment until it was mustered out May 3, 1565; he participated in all the battles of his regi- ment, and made all the long, weary marches that were a necessity in the conflict. When the war was ended, and he returned to the ocenpations of peaceful citizens, he re-em- barked in the dry-goods business at Corydon, adding a wholesale department, and conduct- ing both until the time of his death, which occurred June 2. 18 -; the mother is still living, in Beatrice, Nebraska, aged fifty-seven years. Charles N. received his education in the public schools of his native town and at the Baptist University of Burlington, Iowa.

In 1872 he entered the service of the Chicago. Burlington & Quiney Railroad. and was in the employ of that company for seven AUGUST KRAEMER, farmer, Sigel, Wisconsin, is one of the industrions tillers of the soil in La Crosse county, Wisconsin, and a man of sound judgment and good practical sense. His parents, William and Carolina (Smith) Kraemer, were natives of Germany and came to the United States in 1866, settling in La Crosse county. There the father, who followed the occupations of a brick-maker and farmer, died in 1554. The mother is still living and makes her home in La Crosse county. Angust Kraemer came with his parents to the States in 1866, and three years later he purchased sixty acres of years; at the end of that time he accepted a position in a bank at St. Joseph, Missouri, where he remained two years; he then re- turned to the railroad business, taking a po- sition with the Indiana, Burlington & Wa- bash, at Indianapolis. Indiana. In March, 1891, he was appointed secretary to the gen- eral manager of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, and in May, 1891, was sent to La Crosse, as assistant to the superintend- ent of the Southern Minnesota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad. lle has made an excellent record as a rail- road man, having received steady promotion land, and he has sinee occupied and improved sinee the beginning of his service to the 'the same. He has a good, comfortable company.

Mr. Atkinson was married October 2, 1883, to Miss Carrie Cowen, a daughter of John G. Cowen, of Newport, Holt county. Missouri, a capitalist of that place.

house, a large stone-basement barn and other ontbuildings suitable for storing grain, keep- ing grain, ete. Ile also rents a portion of the farm of Mr. Keinholtz and his principal crops are barley, wheat, oats and corn. He keeps

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about ten head of cattle, three horses, and a stances, and has a comfortable home for his family. large number of hogs. He selected as his companion in life Miss Frederica Horgan. He was married in the old country in 1857. to Christina Boeme, whose parents lived and died in Bohemia, and their marriage has been blessed in the birth of seven children: Prock- op who married Christina Willing, resides daughter of John Horgan, and their nuptials were celebrated in 1874. Mr. Horgan came to the United States in 1864, and here his death occurred in 1883. The mother died in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Kraemer are the | in La Crosse, and is the father of two chil- parents of five children: Frederick. Oscar, ; dren, Prockop and Celia; Jacob, John and August, Caroline and Herbert, all at home. Mr. and Mrs. Kraemer are exemplary mem- bers of the German Reformed Church.

ROCKOP MICKSCHE belongs to that sturdy and independent class, the farmers of Wisconsin, and none are pos. sessed of more genuine merit or a stronger character than he whose name stands at the head of this sketch. He was born in Bohe- mia in 1823 and emigrated to the United States in 1858, settling first in Chipmunk's Cooley in Vernon county, Wisconsin, where he purchased a tract of land on which he resided for eight years and which he greatly improved. He then sold out and purchased 120 acres of land in Shelby township, La Crosse county, on which he is still residing. He built him a roomy and substantial frame house, erected some commodious barns and sheds, has a good wind pump, and also has a large slaughterhouse on the premises and does the slaughtering for the butchers of La Crosse. He also buys considerable stork. which he fattens for the La Crosse markets, and keeps abont 300 head of pigs constantly on hand, feeding and turning them off as fast as fattened. He is possessed of those advanced ideas and progressive principles regarding agricultural life which seem to be among the chief characteristics of those of his nativity, and as a result is in good eirenmn-

Frank, who are at home, and are managing the slaughterhouse; Christina, wife of Hugo Leffreys, of California, and Eva, wife of Alvin Albert, also of California, by whom she has one child, Isabel. Mary is at home with her parents. He has held a number of town- ship offices, and all measures of morality. education. temperance, etc., tind in him a strong advocate.

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ACOB RENNER, a prosperous and enterprising citizen of La Crosse, is a native of the Buckeye State, born in 1848, a son of George and Mary M. Renner, who emigrated from Germany to the United States about the year 1830. and settled in Ohio; they lived on a farm until the time of Mr. Renner's death, which occurred in 1966. Jacob Renner is the eighth of a family of ten children. The year following the death of his father, he, his mother and brother, Louis, came to La Crosse. The first employment he secured was in a lumber mill, but he after- wards engaged in teaming, following this Insiness for seven years. His next work was in a grocery store, and then he bought and kept a saloon for nine months; this occupa- tion, however, was distasteful to him, so he sold out, and went to work in the foundry owned by the John James Foundry Company ; he attended to the furnace there for about three years, and in 1884 embarked in the

Dietrich Sandman.

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house-moving business. In this he has been , same vessel in which he crossed the Atlantic more than ordinarily snecessful. He owns a tract of 129 acres in Shelby township, from which he sells quite an amount of wood and - hay.

Mr. Renner was married, September 22, 1872, to Miss Catharine Jungbluth, of Mil- wankee, Wisconsin, a daughter of Tobias and Mary Jungbluth. Mrs. Renner's parents are natives of the Fatherland, but emigrated to the United States and settled in Milwaukee, where they lived for a few years; about 1861 they came to La ('rosse. and are still residents of this eity. Mr. and Mrs. Renner are the parents of seven children : Frederick, Lonisa, Peter. Frank, Clara, George and Albert. Mr. Renner is a member of the Third Ward Aid Society, and interests himself in all the movements which tend to advance the com- munity.

Frederick Renner, a brother of Jacob, was a member of the First Ohio Heavy Artillery, and served with distinction for nearly five years in the Army of the Cumberland.

EDRICHI (or DEITRICHI) SANDMAN, late of Holland township, was an hon- ored and highly esteemed citizen of La Crossecounty for many years He was born at Ilanover, Germany, November 20, 1823, son of Jolin Henry and Anna Sandman. His parents were natives of Hanover, passed their lives and died there, the father dying when Dedrich was sixteen years old, and the mother some years later. He was reared on a farm, and attended school until he was fourteen. While a boy he was confirmed in the Lutheran Church.

In 1846 Mr. Sandman sailed from Bremen to New York, and lauded on American soil after a voyage of thirty six days. In the 35

was a family by the name of Sprchu, from Hanover, and Margaret Sprehin, then four- teen years old, in alter years became the wife of Mr. Sandman. From New York he went to Albany, thence to Buffalo, and across the lakes to Milwaukee. There he obtained em- ployment on a farm and worked by the month for seven years, saving his money all the while. In April, 1853, he came to La Crosse county with Fred Sprehn and ller- man Sandern, and bought land in Bostwick valley. One Sunday morning the three men raised the logs for a home, and they soon had their eabin comfortably fixed. Fred Sprehn then returned to Milwaukee, making the journey on foot in six days. He came back in the fall and brought with him his family.

October 14, 1853, Mr. Sandman was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Sprehin, at the Talmage House in La Crosse. Her parents were Fred and Sophia (Dinker) Sprehn, both natives of Hanover. Her father died in Bostwick valley in September. 1867. Ile and his wife had six children, four sons and two daughters. One of the sons, Lonis Sprehn, was a member of Co. D, Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry, and was wounded in his first battle, and died in Min- nesota. Fred Sprehn died in Bostwick valley, June, 1887. Mr. Sandman and his family lived in Bostwick valley until 1576, when he sold out and eame to Holland town- ship. flere he passed the rest of his life. Ile owned two farms, comprising 360 acres of fine land, each well improved with good dwelling-houses, barns, and other buildings. In his farming operations he was very she- cessful, as, indeed, he was at everything he undertook. His death occurred May 3, 1555. In politie, he was a Republican. He was an enthusiastic and active worker and was al- ways identified with the best elements of

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 938

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 938