USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 51
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Herbert Orin Lewis was reared in his father's home and educated in the public schools of Fond du Lac, being one of the graduates of the high school of that city. After leaving school he accepted a position in the Wells Banking House as bookkeeper and continued in the service of this financial institution from February 1, 1892, to October 15, 1900. His close confinement in dis- charging the duties devolving upon him as head bookkeeper in this banking house resulted in temporary impairment of his health and necessitated a change of occupation. He severed his connection with the bank and for the following three years was engaged in light farming and later for three years followed the vocation of a commercial traveler. He then became a public accountant for one year after which he served as the secretary and treasurer of the Fond du Lac Printing and Binding Company for some time and subsequently returned to his present business, that of public accounting.
Herbert Orin Lewis was united in marriage on the 29th of August, 1900, to Miss Harriet Elizabeth Searl. Mrs. Lewis is a native of Wisconsin, her birth having occurred in the township of Byron. Her parents were natives of New York and at an early date established their home in Fond du Lac county. To Mr. and Mrs. Searl four children were born, all of whom lived to years of maturity : Ida C .; Emma, the wife of Martin Holte; Harriet Elizabeth and William A. The father of this family died some years ago, in his eightieth year. His widow, Mrs. Searl, survives him, at the age of eighty. To Mr. and Vol. II-22
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Mrs. Herbert Orin Lewis three children have been born: Herbert Murray, Ruth Evelyn and one who died in infancy.
Mr. Lewis votes with the republican party. He is a member of the United Commercial Travelers. During his business life he has been generally recog- nized as one of the most reliable and efficient business men of this city his social standing being of the very highest degree among the people who have known him from his early boyhood. He is in every way a creditable and valua- ble asset to the community in which he lives. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are both members of the Baptist church of this city.
JAMES LEWIS COLE.
James Lewis Cole carries on general farming and stock-raising on section IO, Metomen township, and keeps a herd of Holstein cattle for dairy purposes. He was born in Green Lake county, this state, August 9, 1847, and is a son of Phineas and Eliza (Stowell) Cole, both of whom were natives of New York and were of English lineage. They were married in the Empire state and in 1846 removed westward to Green Lake county, Wisconsin, where the father took up the occupation of farming. He sold his property in that district, how- ever, in 1851, and came to Fond du Lac county, purchasing land in Metomen township. Subsequently he removed to Nebraska, where he died at the home of his son William in 1895. His widow afterward returned to Wisconsin and passed away at the home of her son James in 1899.
Brought to Fond du Lac county when but four years of age, James Lewis Cole pursued his education in district school No. 9, in Metomen township, and remained on the farm with his father until the time of his marriage, during which period he became famliar with all of the duties and labors that fall to the lot of agriculturists. When married he rented land upon which he lived for ten years and his first purchase made him the owner of one hundred and sixty acres on section 15, Metomen township, whereon he lived for twenty years. On the expiration of that period he took up his abode upon a forty- acre tract which he had purchased on section 10, Metomen township, renting his other farm to his son. He has ever been diligent and industrious in the care and development of his property and now carries on general farming and stock-raising, both branches of his business proving profitable. His herd of seventeen head of Holstein cattle enables him to carry on a dairy business quite extensively and successfully, the product of the dairy finding a ready sale on the market. He has other business interests also, being a stockholder in the German National Bank of Ripon and in the Badger Farmers Company of Ripon.
In 1870 James Lewis Cole was united in marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Reynolds, a daughter of Edwin and Dorcas (Dame) Reynolds, both of whom were natives of Vermont and of English descent. Mrs. Cole's grandfather on the maternal side was a Quaker. Her parents came to Wisconsin in 1851. settling in Fond du Lac county, where her father took up the occupation of farming although he was a shipbuilder by trade. He remained at that place until ten years prior to his death, when he retired from active business and re- moved to Brandon. He was a prominent factor in local politics, serving as justice of the peace, and also as township assessor for several years. Both he and his wife died in January, 1901. Mrs. Cole was born in Vermont, Jan- uary 27, 1850, and by her marriage has become the mother of three chil- dren. Dora Belle, born September 27, 1871, is the wife of Delbert Hamley. an automobile agent at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Sarah, born December 29, 1874. is the widow of William Ferber, of Newcastle, Wisconsin. Hiram, born Jan- uary 14, 1879, is living on the old home place. He was married in 1901 to
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Miss Mary Graham, of Brandon, Wisconsin, and they have three children: Marion, born January 8, 1903; James, born December 7, 1904; and Robert, born October 15, 19II.
In politics Mr. Cole votes independently. He has never been an office seeker. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist church and govern their lives accordingly. They are highly esteemed wherever known and most of all where best known. They have both practically been lifelong residents of Fond du Lac county and the estimable qualities which they have displayed in busi- ness, social and church relations have gained for them a place among the repre- sentative citizens of their community.
ERNEST F. LERCH.
Ernest F. Lerch is the owner of two hundred and twenty acres of land located on section 34, Byron township, where he is engaging in diversified farming and stock-raising. His birth occurred in Lomira, Dodge county, this state, on the 26th of August, 1866, his parents being Philip J. and Pauline (Bodamer) Lerch, who are mentioned at greater length elsewhere in this work. Their family numbered three, our subject being the eldest son and second in order of birth.
In the acquirement of his early education, Ernest F. Lerch attended school in district No. 10 of Dodge township, this course being supplemented by two years study in the high school at Mayville. At the age of twenty years he laid aside his text-books and assumed the duties of manhood. Having been reared on a farm, he was familiar with the various operations connected with the tilling of the fields and care of the crops and has ever since directed his energies along agricultural lines. He was associated with his father until the latter's retirement in 1895, since which time he has continued alone. As he is diligent and enterprising and directs his undertakings along well defined lines he is prospering. His farm is comprised of two hundred and twenty acres, the greater portion of which is in a high state of productivity, while his buildings are substantially constructed and in good condition. He is a man of practical methods and progressive ideas as is evidenced by his excellent equipment and the many modern conveniences and labor-saving devices in- stalled about his premises. In connection with diversified farming he engages in stock-raising and has twenty-eight head of cattle and eight horses.
At Lomira, Dodge county, on the 5th of November, 1891, Mr. Lerch was married to Miss Emma Kimmel, a daughter of Frederick and Mary Kimmel. The parents are well known pioneers of that county, where for fifty-four years the father was identified with the building interests, being a mason and car- penter contractor. He is now living retired at the venerable age of eighty-one years, while the mother is seventy-seven. They are both natives of Germany, his birth having occurred in Wurtemberg on the 7th of February, 1831, and the mother's in Darmstadt, Hessen, on the Ist of September, 1835. He came to America in 1854, and his future wife the year following, and they were married in Wisconsin on the 23d of June, 1859. Nine children were born to them, six of whom are living. as follows: Mrs. Charles Maass, of Hartford; Mrs. William Birk of Chicago; Mrs. Ernest F. Lerch; Mrs. Philip J. Lerch, Jr., of Byron; and Walter and Frederick, who are living on the old family homestead. In 1909, Mr. and Mrs. Kimmel celebrated their golden wedding. The most notable feature of the event was their mode of travel to and from the church, which marked the full lapse of time from their marriage day to their fiftieth anniversary. They went to church in a lumber wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen, which had been trained for the occasion by their grandsons,
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Walter and Ernest Lerch, this having been the usual method of traveling in the rural sections of Wisconsin when they located here. Their return home, however, was made in approved modern style by automobile.
Mr. and Mrs. Lerch have two sons, Walter J. F. and Ernest C. The family are Lutherans in faith and hold membership in the church of that denomina- tion at Brownsville, Dodge county. Mr. Lerch votes the republican ticket and has several times been called to public office, having served as township clerk for seven years and as road supervisor for six, while he was census enumerator in 1900. He is a man of progressive spirit and has been identified with various local enterprises. He is a stockholder in the Oakfield Mutual Fire Insurance Company and was a member of its board of directors for nine years, having held this office until 1907, and he also owns stock in the Brownsville State Bank. He is very proud of his farm, which is endeared to him by the associations of many years, being a portion of the old family homestead, and each year witnesses its further improvement. Mr. Lerch is numbered among the foremost citizens of his community toward the progress and development of which he and his family have actively contributed for many years.
JAMES CHAFFIN.
We are apt to give prominence to the careers of men who have been suc- cessful in an energetic and conspicuous way at the expense of those who have lived their lives quietly and peacefully, always working for good and worthy causes in an unassuming manner. James Chaffin, who died on a farm near Ripon, June 17, 1891, was a man who during a comparatively quiet and incon- spicuous life did much to promote the growth of this section of the country and to contribute toward its prosperity and wealth. He was born June 4, 1831, in Wheeling, Virginia, and was a son of L. and Elizabeth (Hoover) Chaffin, both residents of that city. James Chaffin's parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. Chaffin were the parents of six children: Elizabeth D., who died at the age of nine years; John, Adam, Joseph, James, and Aaron, all of whom are now deceased.
James Chaffin came from Wheeling, Virginia, to Ohio when he was only one year old and received his early education in the public schools of that state. He learned the carpenter's trade and at the age of eighteen years left Ohio for Wisconsin where he settled in Berlin, about the year 1850. Here he engaged in farming and carpentering for some time but later removed to California where he spent three years in the gold mines. He returned to Wisconsin at the expiration of that time and bought one hundred and sixty acres of rich farm land three miles north of Ripon. Here he lived, giving his entire time and attention to the improvement and cultivation of the soil for twenty years. During that time he built up a model farm which he operated intelligently and scientifically. He was successful in this line of activity and after twenty years of practical farming upon his holdings near Ripon he sold his land and pur- chased eight hundred acres of the Corliss estate and another forty acre tract, making in all eight hundred and forty acres. He lived upon this farm and was personally active in its development until June 17, 1891, at which time his death occurred.
On November 12, 1860, James Chaffin was united in marriage to Miss Amelia Morse, a daughter of Louis and Lucy Morse, natives of Canada who came to Denmark, Lewis county, New York, where the daughter was born, June 26, 1844. Beside their daughter Amelia, Mr. and Mrs. Morse were the parents of seven children: Lewis, Aurelia, Sophia, Mary, Selina, Alexander and Albert.
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To Mr. and Mrs. Chaffin were born five children: James Hezekiah, whose wife died February 2, 1912, leaving him four children, Herbert, Genevieve, Clarence and James; Henry L., who is the father of three children, Nellie, Pearl and Roy; Sherman; Sadie A., who married David E. Fuller, of Ripon township, Wisconsin, by whom she has six children, Fern, Helen, Lois, David C., Sherman H. and Dorothy; and Aaron, who is the father of two children, Louis and Lee.
Mr. Chaffin gave his allegiance to the democratic party and was always active in political affairs. He held the position of county supervisor for some time and also served as county clerk. His work in public affairs was distin- guished by a strict honesty and an intelligent interest in the welfare of the people he served. He was active in religious circles and was a member of the Universalist church. He led a quiet, honorable and dignified life always doing the work which was at hand to do, striving to attain success, yet never failing to help a fellow traveler along the road.
MARQUIS D. MOORE.
The business record of Marquis D. Moore is one which reflected credit upon the community in which he lived, and illustrates most forcibly what can be accomplished by steady application, industry and economy, as combined with integrity and honesty of purpose. It proves that neither wealth, nor social position, nor the assistance of influential friends, is necessary for advancement to an honorable and useful position ; it proves that if a young man has ambition and strength of character, he can overcome the disadvantages of early poverty and can climb to more exalted heights than may be attained by those who in childhood were surrounded by all the pampering influences that wealth can bestow. He aimed to follow the "Golden Rule" so that his path was never strewn with the wreck of other men's fortunes. The excellence of his product and his honorable dealings were the salient features in the success that placed him in the foremost rank among the business men of the northwest.
Mr. Moore was a native of Massachusetts born in Hampden county, July 15, 1825. His parents were Warham and Lucretia (Bosworth) Moore. His pa- ternal grandfather was connected with the early settlement of Montgomery, Massachusetts. His mother was a daughter of Captain Bosworth, an officer in the War of 1812.
Marquis D. Moore was only five years of age at the time of his mother's death after which he made his home with an aunt at Martinsburg, New York, remaining there and attending the common schools until the age of sixteen, when he returned to Massachusetts and made arrangements for a home for himself with a man by the name of Rufus Strong, of Southampton, until he had attained his majority. He was to assist Mr. Strong in farming and lum- bering for his board, and schooling in the winter, and $200.00 when he became of age. Thus his boyhood and early manhood was passed. When he reached man's estate he began to work at the carpenter trade but could secure employ- ment along that line only in the summer months. Determined to have work during the entire year, he planned his winter's occupation in the summer and therefore was able to carry out his determination. He purchased a piece of timber land and in the winter cut timber and cordwood for the market. He also was employed as a cabinet worker in an organ factory at Westfield, Massa- chusetts. He was both industrious and economical and made it a rule to save part of his income each year, so when the opportunity presented itself he was enabled to enter into business on his own account. He embarked in the mil- linery and fancy dry-goods business in Westfield, Massachusetts and continued it successfully for about ten years.
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In 1864 he disposed of his business and came west locating at Fond du Lac and purchasing a half interest in a sawmill which had just been erected by C. E. Crane. About three years later he bought out the other half interest be- coming sole proprietor. Upon the incorporation of the Moore & Galloway Lumber Company Limited, in 1884, Mr. Moore was elected president of the company which office he retained up to the time of his death on the 14th of December, 1903, at the age of seventy-eight years. This company was capital- ized for two hundred and thirty thousand dollars and is one of the firms that still have timber holdings, cutting its stock and manufacturing large quantities of sash, doors, blinds and lumber of every kind which are shipped to Chicago and other markets. The company owns the three original mill sites of Sexmith & Davis, Galloway & Hunter and M. D. Moore & Company. In June, 1888, the firm was visited by a disastrous fire just as the milling season was at its height. The company then purchased the mill previously operated by C. J. L. Meyer, adding this to their already extensive business and continuing success- fully until fire visited them again and destroyed the Meyer plant on September 22, 1895. The company then erected a new sawmill on the original site of the C. E. Crane mill which is equipped with the most modern machinery. Un- like the majority of manufacturers in their line, this company employs no traveling salesmen, for the excellent reputation of their product is sufficient guaranty to insure them a most liberal patronage.
As one of the pioneer lumbermen of the Wolf river valley, Mr. Moore was widely known and uniformly respected as a reliable and conservative business man and one who strove most unselfishly to advance the community in which he lived for many years.
In 1853 Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss S. Elida Thatcher of Keene, New Hampshire, where she was born September 27, 1830. Her paternal grandfather, Benjamin Thatcher, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Moore became the parents of four children, Minnie E., Henry W., Edwin M., and Fred M. The sons are all interested in the milling business and are practical lumbermen continuing their father's business. Politi- cally Mr. Moore was ever a strong and zealous republican. He never sought political preferment but was deeply interested as a citizen in the welfare of his party. For over fifty years he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and devoted much of his time and attention to its interests. He gave generously to its support and labored earnestly for its welfare and the extension of its influence. At one time he was president of the board of church ex- tension for the Wisconsin conference, and in 1884 was its representative at the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in Philadelphia. Mr. Moore always took a deep interest in educational matters and as a member of the school board, of which he was president two years and exerted for many years a good influence in behalf of the public schools of the city.
Mr. Moore attained his position entirely through his own exertions. By personal attention to business, steady application, economy and a just regard for the rights of others-doing to others as he would be done by and making his word as good as his bond-he accumulated a fortune and was a most illus- trious type of a self-made man.
WILLIAM GUELZOW.
William Guelzow is a native of Germany and made his home in that country until thirty-three years of age. His life as an agriculturist in Wisconsin, which dates from 1894, when he purchased land, is an exemplification of the force of his national sturdy and vital characteristics enhanced by American conditions.
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He has been successful as a general farmer and his one hundred acres are highly improved and in good condition. His farm is situated in Byron town- ship and is one of the attractive and model properties of Fond du Lac county. Mr. Guelzow was born in Germany, August 20, 1847, and is the son of Charles and Mary (Harker) Guelzow, both of whom were born in the fatherland. The father's birth occurred in 1803. He was a laborer in Germany and died in that country in 1869. His wife passed away some years afterward. To their union were born seven children: Mary, the widow of William Stick, a farmer in Germany; Minnie, who became the wife of Christ Breezow, also a native of Germany but now following farming in Illinois; John M., who married Miss Ida Koop, of Germany, and who died in 1870; Fredericka, who married Fred Bruhn, of Milwaukee; Caroline, who became the wife of Christ Harker; Au- gusta, who married Charles Williams, a native of Germany and who is now farming in Buffalo county, Wisconsin; and William, the subject of this sketch.
William Guelzow spent his early life helping his father. He went to school in his native country and remained at home until he was twenty years of age. At that time he enlisted in the regular army and served for four years, during which time his father died. After this event Mr. Guelzow started in life for himself, farming in his native country until 1880. In that year he crossed the Atlantic to America, locating in Milwaukee, where he worked as a foundry molder for fourteen years. At the end of that time he purchased one hundred acres of land in Byron township, which he is cultivating. He has improved his farm, built new barns and outbuildings and has made it one of the most completely equipped and intelligently managed enterprises in the district. He has attained success and his success is founded on intelligent labor and scientific efficiency.
In Germany, on September 19, 1874, Mr. Guelzow was united in marriage to Miss Fredericka Guelzow, also a native of the fatherland. Her mother died in 1888, having long survived her husband, who passed away in 1860. To Mr. and Mrs. Guelzow were born seven children : Herman, a baker in Portland, Ore- gon ; William, Jr., who resides at home; Minnie, who married Henry Schuster, a farmer in Washington county; and August, Richard, Ferdinand and Emil, all of whom reside at home.
In politics Mr. Guelzow is a consistent republican and served for ten years as road superintendent. He affiliates with the Lutheran church and is highly esteemed in the community in which he resides. He has been a force in local agricultural development and his success has been a factor in the general pros- perity. He possesses those qualities of steady and concentrated purpose, sturdy efficiency and keen intelligence which America welcomes so eagerly in her adopted citizens.
BENJAMIN WILD.
Benjamin Wild is the secretary and treasurer of the O'Brien Dry Goods Company, one of the high-grade merchandising establishments of Fond du Lac. His residence is located at No. 180 East Division street in that city. He was born in Milwaukee, November 13, 1855, and is the son of Benjamin and Eliza ( Bonell) Wild, of whom a sketch is published elsewhere in this work. At the age of four years he removed with his father's family to Fond du Lac and here he has since continued to reside. He was reared at home and educated in the public schools of Fond du Lac and in the St. Paul's Cathedral school. After laying aside his text-books he was associated with his father in a candy and bakery establishment in Fond du Lac and continued to be so engaged until that concern was merged into the National Biscuit Company. He later purchased
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an interest in the O'Brien dry-goods establishment and to the interest of this business he has since given his undivided attention.
Benjamin Wild was united in marriage to Miss Adelaide E. Jewell, on the 27th of May, 1880. She is the daughter of Rev. F. S. Jewell, D. D. (now de- ceased), who was a native of Missouri, and Mrs. Julia (Chapin) Jewell, who was a native of the east. Mrs. Benjamin Wild is a native of New York, her birth having occurred in Albany of that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Wild two children have been born: Mabel E. and Edith J., both of whom are at home with their parents.
Mr. Wild is a member of the Fidelity Lodge, No. 19, K. of P., and also of the Uniform Rank of that fraternity. In politics he is independent, giv- ing his suffrage to the man and the measure which in his judgment represent the best interests of the people. He has served as a member of the city council for two terms and has been a member of the park board for the past twelve years. Mr. and Mrs. Wild are both members of St. Paul's Episcopal church of this city.
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