USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 24
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ANDREW B. AMBELANG.
Andrew B. Ambelang, who has conducted a saloon at Fond du Lac in associ- ation with William A. Becker since 1904, is also the proprietor of the most pop- ular cafe in the city. His birth occurred in Cascade, Wisconsin, on the 6th of August, 1875, his parents being Morris and Magdalene (Reindrand) Ambe- lang, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Sheboygan county, this state. Morris Ambelang, who came to Wisconsin at the age of thirty, was a shoemaker by trade and passed away in the year 1909. Unto him and his wife were born ten children, as follows: Andrew B., of this review; George, who is a barber and jeweler of Cascade, this state; Mary, who is the mother of one child, Morris, and the wife of Guy Chaplin, a building contractor, and the pro- prietor of a billiard hall at Plymouth where he makes his home; Joseph, who is a machinist residing in Bellevue, Ohio, and who married Miss Selina Reidy, of Madison, Wisconsin; Herbert, who is a resident of Montana; William, who died in infancy ; Fred, who is employed by a fire protection concern in the in- stallation of sprinklers and who wedded Miss Ethel Mason, of Fond du Lac, by whom he has one child; William, the second of the name, who is a student in the College of Milwaukee; Charles, who is in the service of the same concern which employs his brother Fred, with whom he resides at Kenosha; and Lyle, who attends the high school at Waldo.
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Andrew B. Ambelang attended a parochial school in Sheboygan until four- teen years of age and subsequently worked at the shoemaker's trade there for one year, later spending three years at that occupation in Cedarburg. On the 4th of July, 1898, he joined Company E, Fourth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, from which he was honorably discharged on the Ist of March, 1899, at the close of his term of enlistment. He then resided in Cedarburg for a year and after- ward spent about three years in Milwaukee, being employed as a traveling shoe salesman out of that city for three seasons. Subsequently he was employed as a bookkeeper for two years and on the expiration of that period, in 1904, opened a saloon at Fond du Lac in association with William A. Becker. This part- nership has been maintained with mutual pleasure and profit to the present time. Mr. Ambelang is likewise the proprietor of the most popular cafe in Fond du Lac and has won success in his business undertakings.
In 1912 Mr. Ambelang was united in marriage to Miss Anah Diener, a daughter of August Diener of Fond du Lac. The two little girls, Ruth and Jean- ette, are the life of the home. In politics Mr. Ambelang is a democrat, while in religious faith he is a Catholic. His fraternal relations are with the Eagles and the Order of Moose and he is also a member of Arthur McCourt Camp of Span- ish-American War Veterans.
LOUIS F. McLEAN.
Louis F. McLean, who has for six years been identified with the commercial interests of South Byron, where he is engaged in the hardware and implement business, was born in Winneshiek county, Iowa, on the 10th of August, 1867. He is a son of William A. and Sarah McLean, natives of Canada, the father's birth having there occurred on February 22, 1836. William A. McLean first came to Fond du Lac county in 1852, and here for many years he was actively and successfully engaged in farming, but he is now living retired in South Byron. The family of Mr. and Mrs. McLean numbers three: Louis F., our subject; Hattie J., who married E. M. Cowles, of Leroy, Wisconsin, now farming in Byron township, and has become the mother of four children; and Charles H., a real-estate dealer in Great Falls, Montana, who married Gertrude Ripley, of Oakfield. The father is a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in Company K, First Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
The early life of Louis F. McLean was passed on his father's farm, in the work of which he assisted while pursuing his education in the district schools. He laid aside his text-books at the age of twenty and for a year thereafter worked for his father. Soon after attaining his majority he started out for himself and for two years farmed as a renter. At the expiration of that time he became associated with his brother-in-law in the creamery business, . being identified with that industry for nine years. He subsequently turned his at- tention to commercial activities and in 1906 engaged in the hardware and im- plement business in South Byron. He has been very successful in the develop- ment of this enterprise and enjoys a good trade, drawing his patrons from both the village and the surrounding country for a radius of several miles. Practical and enterprising in his methods, he exercises good judgment and fore- sight in the selection of his wares and keeps a large and varied assortment of shelf and heavy hardware, cutlery and such sundries as are usually to be found in a store of this kind, his stock invoicing six thousand dollars. He also owns a hundred and sixty acres of land in South Dakota.
In Byron township on the 28th of November, 1890, Mr. McLean was mar- ried to Miss Carrie Felch, a daughter of Henry and Harriet Felch. The father, who passed away in 1883, was one of the well known pioneer farmers of Min-
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nesota. Mr. and Mrs. McLean are the parents of three children, Walter, Orson and Fearne.
Fraternally Mr. McLean is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Equitable Fraternal Union. He is a republican in his political views, giving his indorsement to the progressive faction of that party. He has several times been called to public office, having served as school treasurer for fifteen years and as township treasurer for seven. Mr. McLean is one of the enterpris- ing business men and public-spirited citizens of South Byron, in the progress and development of which he takes an active and helpful interest.
DAVID O. WILLIAMS.
David O. Williams, lawyer and assistant postmaster of Fond du Lac, Wis- consin, is a man to whom his fellow townsmen may well point with pride. He was born June 17, 1865, in Manchester, Green Lake county, Wisconsin, of a family whose members have been well known in the country of Wales for gen- erations. The sturdy race from which Mr. Williams is descended is one marked by the longevity of its members, many of its men and women having attained to more than the scriptural three score years and ten. William Williams, his paternal grandfather, was a native of Wales and spent his life in that country, throughout his active years being employed as a quarryman. He died at the age of seventy-six years. His wife, Ann (Williams) Williams, like her husband lived and died in her native land, her demise occurring when she was eighty-six years old. There were three children in their family, as follows: William; Robert W., the father of David O. Williams; and Elizabeth, wife of Morgan Jones. Robert Hughes, the maternal grandfather, was a native of Anglesey, Wales, and like William Williams also a quarryman by occupation. He married Alice Williams and they lived to the ripe ages of ninety-six and eighty-five years respectively. They were the parents of the following: Owen; Thomas : John; Benjamin and David, twins; Lydia; Ellen; Margaret; Elizabeth; Martha ; and Alice, who by her marriage to Robert W. Williams became the mother of David O. Williams. Anglesey, Wales, was the birthplace of Robert W. Wil- liams, and the family residence was near the city of Beaumaris. He and his wife, Alice (Hughes) Williams, were the parents of four sons and one daugh- ter, as follows: William H., of Preston, Minnesota ; Robert H., of Manchester, Wisconsin ; Ann J., wife of John H. Roberts of Chewelah, Washington; David O., of this review ; and Daniel T., of Manchester, Wisconsin.
In 1850 Robert W. Williams left his native land and with his family made the voyage to America. His life previously had been spent upon a farm and in the new land he naturally sought a region which would yield good returns for his labor, his choice being Manchester township, Green Lake county, Wiscon- sin. He improved the farm upon which he settled and developed it, at the same time adding to its acreage until he owned three hundred and fifty acres. He, like other members of his ancestry, attained a patriarchal age, dying in 1908 at the age of eighty-three years. He is survived by his widow, who makes her home in Fond du Lac. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Williams were Pres- byterians and he was an elder in the church which they attended. In addition to his responsibility as a landowner and the father of a family of five children, Mr. Williams bore his share of public duties, holding the position of township supervisor.
The boyhood of David O. Williams was passed upon his father's farm and in the neighboring district schools he acquired his primary and elementary edu- cation. This he supplemented by study at the Oshkosh Normal School while he himself was a teacher, passing on to his pupils the knowledge which he prev-
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iously had derived from advanced text-books and older teachers. After his student days were over Mr. Williams continued in the profession of teaching, acting as principal of the high school at Waldo, Wisconsin, and at another time filling a like position at Shawano, Wisconsin. Contemplating the study of law he withdrew from the principalship he held and entered the Illinois College of Law, from which institution he was graduated in 1904. That same year he was admitted to the bar and entered upon his career as a practicing attorney in Fond du Lac, and the years which have followed have brought to him honors and preferments and a substantial prosperity. During the four years from 1901 to 1904 inclusive Mr. Williams served as clerk of the circuit court, and since he has taken up his residence in Fond du Lac he has filled the offices of court clerk, court commissioner and park commissioner.
On the 28th of February, 1901, Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Mrs. Jennie S. Griffeth, widow of George Griffeth and daughter of Benjamin F. and Abby J. (Smith) Sweet. Mrs. Williams is a native of Fond du Lac, Wis- consin, to which place her parents came as pioneers from the east, her father being a native of Vermont and her mother of Connecticut. Her father, Benja- min F. Sweet, died in 1903, at the age of seventy-three years, while her mother is still living. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Williams are: Waldo; George B .; Benjamin F .; Henry L .; Ada, wife of Sherman Pebbles ; Mary, the deceased wife of Frank Avery; Alice, wife of Wallace Ewing; Anna, wife of J. H. Mc- Neel; Kathryn, wife of Robert M. Amory; and Ellis, who was killed in a rail- road wreck. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are the parents of three sons, Robert, Thomas and Burwell, the two latter being twins. The family home is at No. 140 East Second street.
As an upholder of the men and measures of the republican party David O. Williams is well known throughout the region of which Fond du Lac is the cen- ter. For about ten years he has been secretary of the county republican com- mittee, and now occupies the office of assistant postmaster of Fond du Lac. He is identified with various leading fraternal orders, being a member of Fond du Lac Lodge, No. 140, A. F. & A. M., Fidelity Lodge, No. 19, K. of P., the Equitable Fraternal Union and the National Fraternal League. Mr. and Mrs. Williams attend upon the services of the Presbyterian church, and give their hearty support to all measures for the public good. Mr. Williams fills a large place in the professional, social, political and fraternal circles of Fond du Lac and represents that estimable class of citizens that enrich their communities from which they in turn have reason to expect cooperation and esteem.
STEPHEN B. MAHONEY.
Stephen B. Mahoney is one of the well known and highly respected citizens of Fond du Lac, where he is engaged in the undertaking business under the firm name of McLane & Mahoney. He is a native of Wisconsin, his birth having oc- curred in Eden, December 20, 1876, and he is the son of James and Catherine (Tuohig) Mahoney. His parents were both natives of Ireland and were among the early pioneers of Wisconsin, having emigrated to America in 1844. Two years later James Mahoney established his residence in Eden, this county. In his family were twelve children. Patrick married Anna Curran, of Campbellsport, this state, and they reside at Eden. Myra is the wife of Timothy Buckley, of Chi- cago, and they have four children, Glindess, Geraldine, Florence and Malcolm. James married Nellie Crenen, of Clarksville, Iowa, and they have four children, Alice, Daniel, Emmet and William, the latter of whom is engaged in farming at Nashua, Iowa. Margaret married J. F. Cunningham, of Empire, Wisconsin, and they now live at Eden, this state. They have a family of four children, Laura,
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Edward, Helen and Marie. Michael married Mary Conley, of Fond du Lac, and they are the parents of one child, Catherine, and reside in Chicago. Mary, is the wife of John Killilia, of Eden. Daniel resides in Eden. Eliza is the wife of William Carr, of Eden, and they have three children, Lloyd, Hazel and James C. Nora married George H. Flood, of Eden, and they are the parents of two children, George H., Jr., and James. Stephen B. is the subject of this review. Catherine married John O'Brien, proprietor of a general store and grain elevator at Eden, and they have two children, John T. and Mary. William, who com- pletes the family, resides at home.
Stephen B. Mahoney was reared in his parents' home and received his ele- mentary education in the public schools of Eden, later pursuing a two years' course of study in the State Normal School at Oshkosh. He then engaged in business in Eden, purchasing a general store which he continued to operate for a period of two years. Later he was employed as a traveling salesman for the International Harvester Company and continued to represent that company for three consecutive years, after which he entered the employ of the La Crosse Plow Company and remained in that connection for one year. For the next five years he followed the occupation of a commercial traveler, handling various lines of goods carried by the general retail trade. On May 27, 1907, he associ- ated himself in partnership with D. W. McLane in the undertaking business in Fond du Lac and continued to devote his attention to the interests of that busi- ness as joint owner and partner until the death of Mr. McLane, which occurred in 1911. After the death of his partner Mr. Mahoney assumed full charge of the business, which he still continues under the firm name of McLane & Ma- honey.
On June 4, 1902, Mr. Mahoney was united in marriage to Miss Juliana Julian Doyle, a daughter of John Doyle, of Fond du Lac. Mrs. Mahoney is a graduate nurse of the West Side Hospital of Chicago in the class of 1900. Mr. Mahoney is affiliated with the democratic party, and fraternally is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the W. C. T., the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Knights of Columbus and the Modern Woodmen of America. He and Mrs. Mahoney are members of St. Joseph's Catholic church of Fond du Lac and earnest workers in its behalf. Mr. Mahoney is an efficient and very suc- cessful man in his line of business and maintains an up-to-date and perfectly equipped undertaking establishment. He is universally known throughout the county and city as a man of unquestioned integrity and reliability in all his busi- ness transactions and is highly esteemed by all who know him.
SAMUEL H. LONGDIN.
Samuel H. Longdin is the vice president of the well known Longdin-Brugger Company, carriage trimmers and manufacturers of auto tops. This up-to-date and successful firm is engaged in the manufacture and repair of auto and car- riage tops and is one of the important industrial corporations of Fond du Lac. Messrs. Brugger and Longdin embarked in the business in 1898 and the com- pany was subsequently organized under the laws of Wisconsin, with a paid-up capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, the incorporators of the company being : Carl Brugger, president; Samuel H. Longdin, vice president; William Tre- leven, secretary ; and Levi Treleven, treasurer.
Samuel H. Longdin was born in Brown county, Wisconsin, in the town of De Pere, November 8, 1863, and is the son of John B. and Mary (Har- rison) Longdin. The father was a native of England, his birth having oc- curred in 1834. He was by trade and occupation a mason and during his life followed the pursuits of his craft. At an early day he emigrated to America
SAMUEL H. LONGDIN
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and settled in Brown county, Wisconsin, where he met and later was united in wedlock to Miss Mary Harrison, who was a native of Canada and who re- moved to this country with her parents when she was a small child, the family settling in Brown county, this state. Immediately following their marriage Mr. Longdin established his home in the township of De Pere, where he con- tinued to live during the remaining years of his life. In 1874 he died at the age of forty years. To Mr. and Mrs. Longdin were born four children. Fan- nie married Daniel Kies, a mail carrier of Green Bay, and they became the parents of three children, Carrie, Louisa and Susan. Samuel H. Longdin is the subject of this review. Nettie became the wife of Irwin Clopeck, an at- torney residing at Manitowoc, and passed away in 1900. Grace, who com- pletes the family, married William Treleven, secretary of the Longdin-Brugger Company, and they have three children, Nettie, Daniel and John.
Samuel H. Longdin was reared at home and educated in the public schools of De Pere, pursuing his studies through the lower grades and spending one year as a student in the high school. Immediately following the close of his school period he was engaged in work as a farm laborer for three years, after which he acquired a complete knowledge of the carriage-trimming business and continued to be employed at that work by one man for sixteen consecutive years. In 1898, in company with his associates, he organized the Longdin- Brugger Company, carriage trimmers and manufacturers of auto tops, and since that time has devoted his entire attention to the interests of that company.
In 1884 Mr. Longdin enlisted in Company E, Second Wisconsin Regiment, National Guard, and served as a private in that command for three years, when he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and later to that of first sergeant, and again promoted to the office of first lieutenant, mounted, at the time of the opening of the Spanish-American war. Early in the history of that conflict his company was ordered to service in the field and became a part of the Ameri- can army in Porto Rico, under the command of General Miles, and during the time of hostilities Mr. Longdin served as adjutant of the second battalion. At the close of the war with Spain he returned to Fond du Lac and was elected a life member of Company E.
Mr. Longdin was united in wedlock to Miss Anna Mogan, of Fond du Lac, a daughter of Michael and Catherine Mogan, and to them two children have been born, Leo and Gladys. He is politically affiliated with the republican party, and his fraternal relations are with the Knights of Columbus and the Tribe of Ben Hur. Mr. Longdin and his family are members of St. Patrick's church of Fond du Lac. Samuel H. Longdin is one of the substantial and highly respected business men of Fond du Lac and is regarded as one of the enterprising and influential citizens of his state and county.
ELLEN FLYNN.
ยท Ellen Flynn, who is well known and highly esteemed throughout the commu- nity in which she has resided for almost a half century, is the owner of an excel- lent and well improved farm in Eden township and operates the same in asso- ciation with her brother James. Her father, John Flynn, who was a native of County Clare, Ireland, emigrated to the United States as a young man and first settled in Connecticut, where he resided for a few years, working in the mines. In that state, on the 18th of October, 1856, he wedded Miss Bridget Sammons, a native of County Cork, Ireland, who came to the United States with her uncle and settled first in New York, subsequently removing to Connecticut. In that state four children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. John Flynn, namely : Ellen, of this review; James; Mary; and John. In December, 1864, the family came to Vol. II-11
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Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, settling in Eden township, where the father pur- chased the land which has since remained the home place. The tract was un- broken and covered with timber and it was necessary to clear the same before the work of farming could be begun. John Flynn, Sr., erected thereon a log house which remained the family residence until 1892, when it was replaced by a new and more modern structure. He likewise built barns and successfully car- ried on the work of general farming until called to his final rest on the 4th of July, 1893, when seventy years of age. In his passing the community lost one of its substantial and respected pioneer residents and his family a devoted and loving husband and father. His wife, surviving him for a number of years, died on the home place on the 10th of March, 1908. Two other children, Brid- get and Ann, had been added to the family in this county. All of the children acquired their education in the old log schoolhouse of the home district.
After the father had passed away John Flynn, Jr., operated the home farm until his demise in 1908, his death, which occurred as the result of an operation, probably hastening that of the mother. Since that time the farm has been the property of Ellen Flynn, who has supervised its operation. James Flynn, who married and removed to Spencer, South Dakota, returned home after the death of his wife and now lives with his sister Ellen. Miss Flynn is a communicant of St. Mary's Catholic church and is a woman of kindly heart and attractive disposition. She has won many friends throughout the community in which she resides and is well entitled to mention in this volume as a representative of an honored pioneer family.
WILLIAM L. HANSEN.
William L. Hansen is one of the well known citizens of Fond du Lac where he is engaged in the operation of a farm of eighty acres, to which he devotes his attention during the summer season and during the fall and winter months is engaged in the successful operation of an up-to-date and perfectly equipped threshing machine. He was born in Fond du Lac county, April 17, 1877, and is a son of August and Sarah (Edwards) Hansen. The father is a native of Ger- many and at the age of two years emigrated to America with his parents, who settled on a farm in Calumet county, Wisconsin. The mother is a native of Wisconsin, her birth having occurred in Eldorado. Mr. and Mrs. August Han- sen became the parents of twelve children, all of whom are living, as follows : William L., who is the eldest member of the family ; Frank, who is an agricultur- ist and married Miss Ida Batterman; Effie, who became the wife of George McArthur, a brakeman on the Soo Line; Pearl; Earl, who is unmarried and resides at home; Ira, who makes his home in Fond du Lac and is employed in a factory and married Miss Della Fischer of Iron Mountain; Guy, who is assistant engineer in the power house of the Eastern Wisconsin Railway & Light Com- pany and is unmarried; Claude and Maude, twins; and Hazel, Amy and Agnes, who are single and reside on the home farm at Oakfield.
William L. Hansen was reared in his parents' home and completed his ele- mentary education in the public schools at the age of sixteen. He was then employed on his father's farm for a period of five years, after which he obtained employment as a farm hand and continued in that occupation for two years and then removed to Fond du Lac where he was engaged in work in the railroad shops for one summer. At the end of that time he, in company with his brother Frank, purchased a threshing machine outfit, which they successfully operated for two years when William L. bought the interest of his brother and since 1904 has continued in the threshing machine business as sole owner of his modern outfit which he operates in all parts of eastern Wisconsin. In addition to his
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threshing business he owns and cultivates a very fine farm of eighty acres lo- cated in Fond du Lac county.
Mr. Hansen was united in marriage to Miss Isabella McArthur, of Fond du Lac, a daughter of John and Vica McArthur. The father during his active life was engaged in farming but for the past five years has lived retired and now resides at 235 Tenth street, Fond du Lac. To Mr. and Mrs. Hansen two chil- dren have been born: William, who died in infancy; and Glenn.
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