USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 5
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Fond du Lac county has always been the home of Henry Harm, the greater part of whose life has been passed in the vicinity of his present residence. He was given the advantages of a common-school education, and under the direction of his father early learned to till the fields and care for the crops. He is very diligent and enterprising and everything he owns has been acquired through his individual effort, as he early began making his own way in the world. Of recent years his attention has been largely given to the breeding of stock, and
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it is his ambition to make his place one of the model stock farms of the county. He owns a fine herd of dairy cows and a Guernsey bull. His place is well kept, its appearance readily manifesting the competent supervision and capable direc- tion that invariably result in lucrative returns.
On the 13th of March, 1890, Mr. Harm was married to Miss Minnie Zin- zow, a native of Germany, who came to America with her parents when a child. Her mother passed away four years ago at the age of seventy-five years, and the father, who is now eighty-four years old, makes his home with our subject. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Harm numbers seven, Ida, Dora, Helen, Lydia, Fred, Edward and Minnie. They are giving their children good educational advantages and the fourth daughter, Lydia, has learned the dressmaker's trade.
The family are members of the German Evangelical church, and politically Mr. Harm is a republican. He has worked tirelessly for many years, applying himself with unremitting persistence to the realization of his ambition, and is now meeting with the success he so justly merits. Mr. Harm is held in favorable regard by his neighbors and fellow townsmen, who have found him to be strictly honest and honorable in his transactions, and accord him their respect and confidence.
ROBERT M. BYRNES.
Robert M. Byrnes, whose home is in Empire township where he engages in the scientific cultivation of one hundred and eighty acres of productive land, is one of the well known citizens of that district and is prominent both as an agriculturist and as a private citizen. He was born in Fond du Lac county, July 13, 1857, and is a son of Maurice and Rose Annie (Reilly) Byrnes, both natives of Ireland. The father's birth occurred near the city of Dublin in 1822, and he came to America when he was a young man. His first residence was in Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked in a turpentine refinery. He married in that city and afterward removed to Wisconsin, located in Fond du Lac and worked as a teamster for a few years. He was also active in other lines of activity there but eventually purchased a farm in Empire township and cultivated sixty acres of land for some time. He then sold his original holdings and bought eighty acres in the same township. This farm he also later sold and purchased the land which his son Robert now cultivates. He lived in Empire township, and was prominent in agricultural circles, until his death in 1877. His wife survived him until November, 1891, and passed away upon the home farm, sixty years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Byrnes were the parents of six children, Thomas Henry, John Edward, James Reilly, Robert M., Pierre and Frank. The latter two are now practicing physicians in Chicago and well known among their medical brethren. Thomas Henry and John Edward died in 1912. James R. is a retired farmer living in Osage, Iowa.
Robert M. Byrnes was educated in the district school of his native town- ship and was familiar with farm work from his early youth. He assisted in the operation of the home farm and upon the death of his father applied the practical knowledge he had gained, to its development and cultivation. He was associated in this enterprise with his brother John until the latter's death in 1912 when Robert undertook the management and control of the property. Mr. Byrnes carries on his work along progressive lines, and by the application of scientific principles he has made extensive improvements upon his property. He plants his acres in the grains and vegetables best suited to the soil and climate, and makes his farm profitable by intelligent management. During his brother John's life a fine house was built upon the land and many barns and outbuildings were erected.
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On June 15. 1887, Robert M. Byrnes was united in marriage to Miss Jane Tuite, a daughter of Nicholas Tuite. To this union were born two children, Rose Jane and Robert Frank. Mrs. Jane Byrnes passed away on the Ist of November. 1891, and two years afterward Mr. Byrnes was again married. His. second wife was Miss Theresa Bruns, a daughter of Frank Bruns, of Lamar- tine, Wisconsin. By his second marriage Mr. Byrnes has four children, Emmett M., Jeannette, Mildred and Virginia, all of whom are living with their parents. on the home farm.
Mr. Byrnes votes the democratic ticket on national issues but in local affairs casts an independent ballot. He is actively interested in all movements looking toward the welfare of his native section. He was township supervisor for two terms and has also been director of the school board. He affiliates with the Roman Catholic faith and is a regular attendant at St. Michael's church. He is well known in Empire township, having been a resident of this district all his life. His scientific farming, his genuine and well deserved success and his gen- crous and lovable personality have gained for him many friends.
ADON BROWNE.
Adon Browne, known as one of the hardest working farmers in Fond du Lac county, has applied his energies intelligently and capably as is evidenced by the appearance of his well kept fields, and the condition of his homestead generally. The greater part of his life has been passed in the vicinity of his present home, although he is a native of the state of New York. His father, Asa Browne was born and reared in Wales, but in his early manhood he came to America, locating in Pennsylvania. There he followed farming and also engaged in railroad contracting. He married Sarah Evans, a native of the Keystone state, and they later removed to New York, where their son Adon was born on the 20th of October, 1852. After a residence in that state of about two years, they removed to Washington county, Wisconsin. Another two years marked their removal to Fond du Lac county, where they located in 1855. The father here purchased eighty acres of wild land near the Sheboygan county line, and began pioneering. For a brief period the family lived in a crudely constructed log cabin with a bark floor, but this was soon replaced by a larger and more com- modious log structure, and there our subject passed his boyhood. In 1879, Mr. Browne returned to the east, passing the remainder of his life in Virginia, where his death occurred in 1891, at the age of seventy-four years. He was survived by the mother, who was seventy-two when she passed away in 1895. They were the parents of ten children. During the early days of the Civil war, Mr. Browne joined one of the Wisconsin regiments and went to the front, remaining in the service for two and a half years.
Adon Browne was only about a year old when his parents came to Wiscon- sin, and was three when they settled in Fond du Lac county. He was reared in practically the same manner as other children of the pioneer period. His edu- cation was acquired in the district schools in the vicinity of his home, and when not engaged with his lessons much of his time was occupied in performing the usual tasks assigned country lads. Money was scarce at that period and amuse- ments few, and the youngsters early had instilled in them an appreciation of the duties and obligations of life. Thus long before he had attained his maturity Adon Browne was able to do a man's work about the farm, performing his tasks with intelligence and thoughtfulness. With the exception of four years when he hired out by the month to other farmers, he worked for his father until he began farming for himself. At the age of twenty-four years he and his brother David invested their accumulated savings in a small tract of land, which they
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
cultivated on the cooperative plan. The place was too small to prove profitable for two, and so Adon sold his portion to his brother and purchased eighty-five acres of wild land on the west shore of Long Lake. This tract formed the nucleus of his present homestead. Much work was involved in clearing the land and preparing it for cultivation, but Mr. Browne belongs to that class of men to whom all achievements are possible. He worked from morning till night, but his activities were well organized and systematically pursued and each day marked a definite accomplishment. His first buildings were frame, but they were plain and simple, constructed purely for utility. Time brought the success that invariably rewards the diligent man, who works with a definite aim, and another hundred and seventy-five acres were added to his original holding. The progress of the age was indicated in his improved and modern equipment, as well as in the comfortable house and large barns, and today he owns one of the most attractive and valuable properties in Osceola township. He is respected in his community as he is an efficient and capable business man and a worthy citizen. In the advancement of his own interests he has promoted those of his fellow townsmen, and he has also directly forwarded the general development by cooperating in the progression of its public utilities.
In 1876, Mr. Browne was married to Miss Mary Calvey. She was born in Sheboygan county but is of Irish extraction, her parents, Edward and Celia Calvey, having been natives of the Emerald isle. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Browne: Mary, who died in infancy; Mary; Laura, who is deceased; Christina; Mabel; Eva; Joseph; Edith; and Clement.
The family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church and are mem- bers of Sacred Heart parish of Dundee. Mr. Browne votes with the republican party, and has figured prominently in township politics. He served for eighteen years as overseer of the highways, while for a long period he discharged the duties of school treasurer and director and for four years he was supervisor. In the fulfilment of his duties as a public official Mr. Browne manifests the promptness, trustworthiness and general efficiency that characterizes him in all of his relations of life, as he considers that anything which is deserving of his attention is worthy of his best efforts.
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WILLIAM WHALEN.
William Whalen is living in Brandon, Wisconsin, and follows the carpenter's trade. He is successful by reason of his mechanical dexterity and his inborn handiness with tools. His life has been largely given to agricultural pursuits and for many years he operated a fine farm of three hundred acres, constituting his father's first purchase in Wisconsin, and was successful and prosperous as a general farmer. He was born in Columbia county, Wisconsin, June 27, 1865, and is the son of Kerin and Frances (Ryan) Whalen, natives of Ireland. The father came to the United States, locating first in Utica, New York, where he worked in a cotton factory for some time. He was married in that city and in the early '50s came to Lodi, Wisconsin, where he rented a tract of land and carried on general farming for several years. In the fall of 1871 he purchased a small farm, to which he kept adding at intervals until he owned over three hundred acres all highly improved and developed. He remained upon his property until his death, which occurred on December 9, 1902. His wife was born in Ireland in 1834 and came to the United States with her parents, locating in Utica, New York. She died on her husband's farm in Columbia county, Wisconsin, in 1906.
William Whalen attended district school and during his boyhood aided his father in the work of the farm, gaining in this way a valuable experience in the details of progressive agriculture. Two years before his marriage he pur-
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
chased his father's farm and carried on its operation until 1909. He was pros- perous and successful in his agricultural labors because his methods were prac- tical. He was careful to plant the most suitable grains and each year abundant harvests rewarded his energy and discrimination. His farm was one of the finest in the section at the time when he disposed of it and his labors have been factors in the development of the county. He is now residing in Brandon, Wis- consin, and has taken up carpenter work on a small scale. He never learned this trade but has natural talent and inclination for it.
In 1897 Mr. Whalen was united in marriage to Miss Mary Doudell, a daugh- ter of James and Mary (Martin) Doudell, the former of whom was born in New Jersey in 1845 and the latter in Columbia county, Wisconsin, in 1852. Both are of Irish parentage. The father came to Columbia county when he was still a young man and engaged in farming as a laborer for some time. He later purchased eighty acres, to which he has added eighty more, and is active in the management of his enterprise. His wife passed away in 1904. Mrs. Whalen was born in Columbia county, Wisconsin, October 14, 1874, and taught school for a short time before her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Whalen are the parents of six children: Francis, born September 7, 1899, in Columbia county, this state, who is living at home; Mary, who was born in 1900, and died in 1904; Eileen, whose birth occurred in Columbia county on March 21, 1903; Verna, also a native of Columbia county, born February 22, 1908; Zita, born July 17, 19II ; and Leon, who was born in Columbia county, June 26, 1905.
In his political views Mr. Whalen is a consistent democrat but has never been an office seeker. He and his wife are members of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Whalen belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Equitable Fraternal Union of Poynette, Columbia county. He is one of the enterprising citizens of the section in which he resides and was for many years engaged in a representative industry. By intelligent labor and careful management he brought his enterprise to a point of success where it was a not inconsiderable unit of the agricultural wealth of this district. His private life is marked by the same upright and worthy qualities which made his farming career so successful and he is numbered among Fond du Lac county's most valued and progressive citizens.
GEORGE L. FIELD.
The name of George L. Field was long associated with banking interests in Ripon and figured prominently in connection with financial interests in that city. Honored and respected by all, no man occupied a more enviable position in business circles, not alone by reason of the success he achieved but also owing to the straightforward and progressive methods which he followed. While he attained a position of prominence it was due entirely to his own labors for he started out in life at the age of fifteen years, practically empty-handed, his sole possessions consisting of twelve dollars in cash and a new suit of clothing. He felt that opportunity lay before him and he knew that if industry, close ap- plication and determination could win success it would be his, yet there were many years of arduous and unremitting toil ere he reached a position among the prosperous business men of his adopted city.
Mr. Field was born in New Berlin, New York, on September 3, 1836, and pursued his education in the public schools and in an academy of that place, while spending his youthful days under the parental roof. His father, Arnold Field, was also a native of Chenango county, New York. He was only in moderate circumstances so that the boy felt it incumbent upon him to provide for his own support when a youth of fifteen. He went to Albany where he en-
Pro L. Field
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
tered the employ of Boardman, Gray & Company, with whom he continued for about five years. His salary the first year was one hundred and twenty-five dollars and, though he had to pay his board and meet all other expenses he man- aged to save four dollars. The next year brought him an increase in wages and from that point onward his progress was continuous. Attracted by the oppor- tunities of the west he came to Wisconsin in 1857 and secured the position of bookkeeper and teller in the Bank of Watertown. There his ability soon won him recognition in promotion to the position of assistant cashier and he remained at Watertown until 1863, when he came to Ripon and was made cashier of the Bank of Ripon. From that time forward until his demise he was closely asso- ciated with financial interests in this city. On the 19th of March, 1864, the Bank of Ripon was reorganized as the First National Bank and Mr. Field be- came its cashier and was also elected to the directorate. He thus had voice in the active management of the bank and some years prior to his death was elected president. . He was instrumental in shaping its policy and molding its destiny and the progressive methods of the bank, tempered by a safe conservatism, won success for the institution and gave Mr. Field prominence in banking circles in this state. He was at one time president of the Wisconsin Bankers' Association and was still further honored in his election to the vice presidency of the National Bankers' Association. His identification with the local bank covered forty-nine years and throughout that time the most malevolent never uttered a word against his business policy or the course which he pursued in connection with the insti- tution.
On the IIth of September, 1860, Mr. Field was united in marriage to Miss Imogene Harger, of Watertown, Wisconsin, and unto them were born four children : Helen Isabella, who died in 1869; Amy D., who on the 3d of May, ' 1894, became the wife of Dr. E. C. Barnes, of Ripon; Imogene E., at home; and Arnold Wilson, who died in 1892, at the age of twenty-one years.
Mr. Field gave his political allegiance to the republican party and while he never sought nor desired office he served as mayor of the city in 1869 and in many ways was its financial agent in conducting negotiations. In community affairs as in his business relations he ever stood for progress and improvement and his influence and aid were potent elements for the upbuilding of this city. Throughout his life Mr. Field was a communicant of the Episcopal church and during the entire period of his residence in Ripon he was a member of the vestry of St. Peters church, while from 1886 he acted as senior warden. His life, which has covered a span of more than seventy-five years, was well spent. For sixty years of that period he provided for his own maintenance and gradually worked his way upward to honorable success, and though business cares made close demand upon his time and energies he always found opportunity to aid in matters relating to the public good and to the moral welfare of the community. His life was fraught with many good deeds and acts of kindness and the ster- ling traits of his character commended him to the confidence and good-will of all who knew him.
EDGAR J. BURNSIDE.
Edgar J. Burnside has for twenty-eight years been engaged in the drug business in Ripon, during which time he has also been prominently identified with municipal affairs, having been alderman from his ward for' several terms, while in 1893 he was called to the mayor's chair. He was born in Green Lake county, this state, in 1862, and is a son of Daniel and Arsenith (Lake) Burnside. The parents were both natives of the state of New York, the father of Scotch and the mother of Holland Dutch and American extraction. They came to Wisconsin in 1846, locating in Green Lake county, where the father acquired Vol. II-3
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
government land and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He subsequently increased his holdings as his means permitted until he owned one of the best farms in the community, in the cultivation of which he engaged until his death in 1896. He was a public-spirited man and took an active interest in all matters affecting the welfare of the community, particularly those of a political nature, giving his sup- port to the democratic party. He was several times called to office in his town- ship and discharged his duties efficiently. The mother is also deceased, having passed away in 1894. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Burnside numbered five, two daughters, both of whom are deceased, and three sons: Ira, who is living retired in Ripon; Edgar J., our subject; and Charles, who is filling a govern- ment position in Washington, D. C.
In the acquirement of his education Edgar J. Burnside attended public school. Upon terminating his student days he went to Markesan, Wisconsin, where he was employed in a drug store for three years and from there came to Ripon in 1882 and took a position in the store of F. S. Wilson, a druggist, with whom he remained for two years. At the expiration of that time he bought out the drug business of Akin Brothers, which he has ever since been conducting. As he has an attractive store, keeps a good assortment of drugs and sundries, and is courteous and accommodating to his patrons he has built up a large trade, and his is one of the thriving enterprises of the town.
In 1887, Mr. Burnside was married to Miss Blanche McArthur of this city and a daughter of Mrs. M. L. McArthur, who came to Ripon in 1880 from New York, where her husband had died some time previously. One daughter has been born of this marriage, Olive M., who is living at home and attending Ripon College.
The family are members of the Congregational church, and fraternally Mr. Burnside is identified with the Masonic order. His allegiance in political matters he accords the democratic party, and takes an active interest in all local affairs. He has held official positions during a large portion of the time he has resided in Ripon, and besides serving as mayor and alderman was for several years president of the school board. Mr. Burnside is a man who, despite the exactions of his private interests, always finds time to fulfill his duties as a citizen, and can be depended upon to cooperate in forwarding every movement that he feels will promote the development of the community or its public utilities.
JOHN R. MAXIM.
John R. Maxim, one of the pioneer settlers of Springvale township and one of its best known and most highly respected citizens, resides on a farm on sec- tion 27. His birth occurred in Mentor, Ohio, on the 27th of April, 1826, his parents being John and Polly Maxim, both of whom were natives of the Buck- eye state. The father, an agriculturist by occupation, died when our subject was but three years of age, being stricken with cholera morbus while in a hay- field and passing away within an hour. His wife, who survived him for a half century, died in Indiana.
When a child of three years John R. Maxim was given to the care of John Pattison, a Pennsylvania farmer. Though he attended school there but a short time, his knowledge was later augmented by reading, experience and observation. When a youth of fifteen he was bound in apprenticeship to a tailor and worked at the trade for a period of three years. Subsequently he spent seven years as a farm hand in Pennsylvania in the employ of James Dickson. In 1850 he came to Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, and purchased a farm on section 27, Spring- vale township, where he has resided throughout the intervening period of sixty- two years. He bought the place, comprising fifty acres, from John Hazen at a
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
cost of six dollars an acre, paying two hundred and fifty dollars cash and working out the remainder of the purchase price at thirteen dollars per month. In 1853 he returned to Pennsylvania to claim his sweetheart, was married and came back to his farm where in 1851 he had erected a house, sixteen by twenty feet, for his prospective bride. During the first summer after his marriage the primi- tive little home was not even plastered. The country was still largely wild and undeveloped, and Mr. Maxim undertook the arduous task of developing a farm from the raw oak openings. His well directed labors were attended with suc- cess and his property steadily became more valuable and productive. He still owns his original tract of fifty acres but has sold later acquisitions to his son Frank. At the age of eighty-six years he is active and energetic, shunning idle- ness and keeping busy in order that his faculties may not be impaired by disuse. He considers it both a duty and pleasure to keep the lawn mowed and takes care of a fine garden. His wife likewise enjoys good health. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1903, which occasion was marked by a joyous family reunion as well as the presence of many friends. The esteem generally accorded the couple found tangible evidence in many gifts and tokens of remembrance.
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