USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 78
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
He resided in the interior of Virginia and was, as we have learned, in posses- sion of a very lucratice practice at the time of his appointment, and in accept- ing it he made a great sacrifice of professional emolument and domestic repose, and we question, when his appointment shall expire, by the recognition of Mich -. igan as a state, if the national executive can, by any offer he can confer on him, more than compensate him for this sacrifice. On arriving within the territory in the prosecution of his duties Governor Horner's address, as we learn from an eye-witness, was consummate. It was the combination of personal fearlessness, tact and prudence. One one occasion, as we learn from the same authority, he appeared in the midst of the Michigan troops who had threatened to assassin- ate him, mounted a stump and made an address which changed the lion of their natures into the gentleness of the lamb, and all separated on terms of amity. He had so far trenched upon the foothold of Governor Mason, the popular idol, as to make it somewhat questionable whether he has not gained a standing with the people equal, at least, to that gentleman's. Will not our whig friends of the Richmond Compiler, Fredericksburg Arena and the Culpepper paper in Vir- ginia, who with ourselves have done this gallant officer injustice, indorse the recantation of the wrong by copying this article?"
Governor Horner, as is seen by the above article, which appeared in a paper strongly opposed to him in politics, did much. to allay the hostile feeling then existing between the people of the territory and the state of Ohio, in reference to the boundary question. Subsequently he was appointed secretary of the territory of Wisconsin and received orders from President Jackson to make his head- quarters near the Mississippi river, in order to meet the apprehended difficulty between the Winnebago Indians and the settlers in the mineral region of Wiscon- sin. On his arrival he learned that the tribe was besieging Fort Winnebago. Taking with him a single guide he made a perilous journey of eighty miles to Fort Crawford, called upon General Zachary Taylor for a force of one hundred and twenty men and with them proceeded to the relief of the fort. Arriving there he demanded a council with the Indians and received a reply from the chiefs that they were "falling to pieces" from starvation, owing to the non- payment of annuities due them from the United States. Upon hearing this Governor Horner promptly took the responsibility of issuing an order to deliver the starving Indians one-half of the pork and flour in the military stores of the fort. This action prevented an Indian war and was highly approved by Gen- eral Jackson, and congress passed an act granting to Governor Horner one thousand dollars as a recognition of his services. As the secretary of the terri- tory of Wisconsin, his career was distinguished by ability and integrity, and he received many evidences of the confidence of the people and of the general gov- ernment. After his retirement from that office, he was appointed by President Jackson to the position of register of the Green Bay land office, and by succes- sive appointments by Presidents Van Buren and Tyler, held that office for thir- teen years. He also served for four years as probate judge of the counties of Green Lake and Marquette, in the state of Wisconsin.
Early in life Governor Horner distinguished himself by his advocacy of slave emancipation and the records of the Virginia courts show many evidences of his success as an advocate for bondsmen suing for their freedom. His sincerity in the cause was proven by his promptitude in freeing the slaves descended to him from his father's estate, which he did soon after becoming of age, an act as rare at that early day as commendable.
John Scott Horner was the original owner of the present site of Ripon, having purchased the land from the government at a public land sale in Green Bay, November 5, 1838. When the town was platted he gave to it its name in honor of the home of his ancestors in England. His last days were here passed in quiet retirement and on the 3d of February, 1883, at the age of eighty-one years, he passed away. In early manhood he had married Harriet Love Watson, a native of Virginia, who survived him for two months. Several of their chil-
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dren died in early life while five reached adult age: Andrew, who removed from Ripon to Albert Lea, Minnesota, and died there May 29, 1889; William H., who was a graduate of the law department of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor and for twenty years was a prominent attorney and jurist of St. Louis, Missouri, having been elected for a second term as judge of the circuit court when his death occurred October 23, 1886; Mrs. Elizabeth L. Burling, of Ripon; Mary, the wife of William Lucas, of Green Lake, Wisconsin; and Gustavus F., a prominent business man of Ripon.
Governor Horner from the period of his early residence in this state bore active part in shaping its history and molding its destiny. His life work has found place in the annals of the state. He is perhaps best described in his personal characteristics by one of his biographers, Dr. Edward Huntington Merrell, who said : "Personally Governor Horner was a marked man. His form was erect even in age, his presence being at once dignified and winning. His manners were those of the cultivated gentleman of the old school, and his home life, sur- rounded by his three sons and two daughters, was gentle, but firmly authorita- tive and wise. His moral instincts were keen, as evidenced by the manumission of his slaves, his exact justice as an officer and his intelligent patriotism. The poor were never turned from his door unfriended, and his hospitality to stran- gers was generous and free. His life was temperate, 'abstaining wholly from the use of ardent spirits.' I find in a writing left by him this quaint and ingenious confession : 'I have deplored the early and continuous use of tobacco and bear testimony to its injurious effect both on the mind and the body, and I attribute most of my sickness or failure in life to its effects.'" He was a sincerely religious man, a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, whose worship he steadily sustained, even in the primitive conditions of his Green Lake neigh- borhood.
LOUIS STRATZ.
Agriculture in its modern phases of development finds a worthy representa- tive in Louis Stratz, who is cultivating two hundred and ninety-nine acres of land in Lamartine township and is also carrying on stock-raising extensively. He is known as a skilful dealer in horses and has gained state-wide recognition in this branch of activity. He is a native son of Fond du Lac county, his birth having occurred in Lamartine township, June 13, 1862. His father, Martin Stratz, was born in Baden, Germany, and came to Wisconsin when he was twenty-one years of age. He settled on a farm of fifty acres in Lamartine township and began its development. When he retired in 1897, at the age of eighty years, he owned one hundred and sixty acres of the most productive and fertile land in Wisconsin, which he had brought by his unaided efforts to a high state of development. He is now living in Woodhull with his son-in-law, J. L. Fisher. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Miss Maria Lehmann, was also a native of Baden, Germany, and was married in that country. She died in Fond du Lac county on September 13, 1907. She was the mother of seven children : Joseph, of Oshkosh, who married Mary Gau, by whom she has six chil- dren ; John, who married Emily Elmer, of Monticello, by whom he also has six children; Minnie, who became the wife of Stephen Lizowa, of Lamartine, and died in 1880, leaving two children; Mary, the wife of Jacob L. Fisher, a mer- chant of Woodhull; Martin, who married Paulina Fischer, of Lamartine, by whom he has four children; Emma, the wife of Michael Giebel, of Lamartine, by whom she has five children; and Louis.
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Louis Stratz was reared at home and educated in the public schools of Wood- hull until he was sixteen years of age. He has always been a farmer and has been acquainted with the most progressive and efficient methods of tilling the soil since his early childhood. He remained with his father upon the farm until 1893, in which year he purchased two hundred and ninety-nine acres of fertile land in the township of Lamartine and cultivated and improved it along lines of development until it is now one of the model properties in Fond du Lac county. He specializes in the raising of high-grade stock and his stables contain thirty-five head of graded Holstein cattle. He is the most noted and largest horse dealer in the state of Wisconsin and in this capacity buys and sells more animals annually than any other one man. He has become an expert judge of horse flesh and his opinions and advice are eagerly sought.
On October 19, 1893, Mr. Stratz was united in marriage at Lamartine to Miss Maggie Schmidt, a daughter of Jacob and Christina Schmidt, of that city. The parents were pioneer settlers of Fond du Lac county and the father was for many years one of the representative agriculturists of that section. Mr. and Mrs. Stratz are the parents of four children: Leonora, born August 14, 1895; Albin, whose birth occurred on December 18, 1898; Della, born May 20, 1899; and Helena, born April 5, 1903.
Politically Mr. Stratz is independent of party lines and casts his ballot for the man whom he considers best fitted for the position. He was road super- intendent of Lamartine township for many years and in this capacity was a distinct influence in the improvement of the public highways of this section of Wisconsin. He is a stockholder in the Lamartine Peat Company and also in the Woodhull Telephone Company. He gives his allegiance to the Roman Catholic church. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished in an agricultural way and Fond du Lac county is richer in its citizenship and re- sources by his honorable and upright life.
JOHN C. FISHER.
The life of John C. Fisher, who owns and operates a well improved and valuable farm of a hundred and twenty-five acres in Lamartine township, has been in no way extraordinary. It contains the usual number of hardships and rewards, failures and achievements encountered by the average man whose suc- cess has been won through his individual effort. He is one of Wisconsin's native sons, his birth having occurred at Alto, Dodge county, on the 16th of December, 1865, and he is of German extraction. His father, Paul Fisher, was born in Baden in 1828, and there passed the first twenty-five years of his life. The call of the new world, together with the stories he had heard regarding the wonderful achievements of his fellow countrymen, proving irresistible he emi- grated to the United States in 1853, coming direct to this state. Soon thereafter he bought a hundred and twenty acres of land on Alto township and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He subsequently sold sixty acres of his hold- ing, but continued to apply himself to the improvement and cultivation of the remainder of his tract until he passed away in 1894. His early experiences were very similar to those of the other pioneer farmers, and many were the hard- ships and obstacles he encountered. He was not easily discouraged, however, and persistently applied himself to the achievement of his purpose with the determination that invariably brings success. The mother, whose maiden name was Sophia Murke, was born in Austria, whence she came to Ripon, Wisconsin, at the age of twenty-four years, and there she was subsequently married to Mr. Fisher. Their family numbered eleven, our subject being the fourth in order of birth. The others are as follows: Peter, a farmer, who married Augusta
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HISTORY OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY
Barron, of Ripon, who passed away in 1900, leaving one child; August, a tele- graph operator, who passed away in 1908 leaving a widow, formerly Miss Paulina Baron of Ripon, and four children; May, whose death occurred at the age of sixteen years; Jacob L., a general merchant at Woodhull, this state, who married Miss Mary Stratz of Lamartine; Rosella, who became the wife of George A. Fisher, a farmer of Lamartine, by whom she had seven children; Joseph, a farmer, who married Clementine Smith and has four children; Theo- bald, the proprietor of a creamery in Eland, Wisconsin, who married Lena Mor- ris, who passed away in 1903; Katie, a resident of this state and the wife of J. T. McMahon, who is a blacksmith; Anna, who married Charles W. McGregor, a farmer of Lamartine; and Lena, a nurse in the Catholic hospital at Appleton.
Reared on the farm where he was born John C. Fisher acquired his educa- tion in the district schools of Rosendale township, which he attended until he was a youth of sixteen years. Having early been trained to agricultural pursuits he subsequently obtained employment as a farm hand in this vicinity, following that vocation for thirteen years. About eight years of this time he was located in South Dakota, but preferring Wisconsin as a place of permanent residence he later settled in Fond du Lac county and in 1897 bought sixty acres of land in Lamartine township. The cultivation of this tract proved so remunerative that he was later able to increase his holdings until he now owns a hundred and twenty-five acres of fertile land. He is a man of definite purpose, whose ideas are well organized and systematically executed, as is evidenced by the general appearance of his property. He takes much pride in his farm and an- nually adds to its value by installing further improvements. Since acquiring the place he has erected an eight-room residence, a new barn and some outbuildings, and various modern conveniences, and labor-saving equipment. He has every machine or implement required by the modern agriculturist or stock man, and everything about his farm manifests the competent supervision and capable management of a man of intelligence and good judgment. In connection with diversified farming Mr. Fisher engages in stock-raising and owns thirty-five head of cattle and five horses, and engages in dairying to some extent.
At .Lamartine on the 15th of October, 1894, Mr. Fisher was united in mar- riage to Miss Louisa A. Fisher, a daughter of George and Barbara Fisher, farm- ing people of this township who located here during the pioneer period. Of this marriage there has been born one son, Paul W.
The family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church. Although he takes an active interest in all local affairs Mr. Fisher has never identified himself with any political party, but gives his support to the men he considers best quali- fied to serve the highest interests of the community. He is highly regarded and has several times been called to public office, having served with efficiency as road supervisor for fifteen years, while for a long period he was a member of the school board. Mr. Fisher takes an interest in the development of the various local industries, particularly those directly affecting the interests of the agricul- turist, and is one of the stockholders of the Lamartine Creamery Company. He is respected by his neighbors and fellow townsmen, whose confidence he has won through his uprightness in his business transactions and his capable manner of discharging his public duties. He has many friends in the community of long years' standing.
GUSTAF A. HAUSMANN, D. D. S.
Dr. Gustaf A. Hausmann is one of the well known and successful dentists of Waupun, where he has been engaged in the practice of his profession since 19II. He was born on the 14th of November, 1888, at Elmore, Wisconsin, and is a son of Dr. William and Charlotte ( Fleishmann) Hausmann, the former
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a native of New York and the latter of Elmore, this state. The paternal grand- father, Edward E. Hausmann was a native of Bavaria, Germany. Dr. William Hausmann, the father, was an only child. He settled in Elmore, Wisconsin, at an early day and later located at Kewaskum, where he died in 1902. He was a physician and was the first student of Dr. Nicholas Senn, the noted Chicago surgeon. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Hausmann were born five children, namely: N. Edward, a practicing physician of Kewaskum; Elizabeth, the wife of Judge A. C. Backus, of Milwaukee; William, Jr., a dentist of West Bend, Wisconsin ; Karl F., a dentist of Kewaskum; and Gustaf A.
The last named was reared in his parents' home and received his early edu- cation in the public schools of Washington county. After passing through the lower grades he was later graduated from the high school at Kewaskum. He took up the study of dentistry in the Chicago College of Dental Surgery and after completing the required course was graduated from that institution in 19II. Immediately following his graduation he established himself in busi- ness in Waupun, where he has since continued in the active practice of his profession and has met with gratifying success. He was appointed as one of the dentists to attend to the dental work at the state penitentiary.
Dr. Hausmann was united in marriage on the 14th of November, 1908, to Miss Matilda Schoofs who was born January 13, 1889, and is a daughter of John and Barbara (Reimer) Schoofs, both of whom are natives of the Rhine province, Germany. The father emigrated to Wisconsin in the late '50s and has since continued a resident of this state. To Dr. and Mrs. Hausmann two children have been born: Gustaf N., who was born June 7, 1910; and Richard C., February 26, 1912. Dr. Hausmann is affiliated with the republican party and is one of the successful dentists in the city. He is a man always associated with movements of interest to the public intended to improve the conditions of the community in which he lives.
MATTHIAS WAGNER.
The commercial interests of Fond du Lac find a worthy and enterprising repre- sentative in Matthias Wagner, president of the Wagner Dry Goods Company, whose identification with this line of trade covers more than a half century. He began clerking in a dry-goods store in 1859 and since 1878 has carried on busi- ness on his own account. He was born in the Rhine Province of Prussia, Ger- many, near. Coblenz, December 15, 1839, his parents being Nicholas and Maria (Thelen) Wagner, who were born in the parish of Wanderraht, Germany, and were there buried. The father was a farmer by occupation and both he and his wife were of the Catholic faith. His death occurred when he had reached the age of sixty-six years while Mrs. Wagner passed away when but forty-six years of age. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Johann Wagner who married a Miss Heimerman and unto them were born four sons and a daughter, Johann, Nicholas, Matthias, Peter and Anna Maria. The maternal grandfather, Johann Thelen, devoted his life to general agricultural pursuits and reared a family of ten children of whom six reached adult age, Maria, Lena, Anna, Henry, Theodore and Peter.
Matthias Wagner, whose name introduces this record, spent the first six- teen years of his life in Germany where he acquired his education. He came to America in 1856 and established his home in Fond du Lac where he has since lived. He is therefore numbered among its old settlers, its history having been long familiar to him. He first entered the employ of Mr. Lange, proprietor of a cabinet shop and furniture store and subsequently was employed in a grocery and candy store. In 1859 he secured a clerkship in a dry-goods store, and find-
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ing that pursuit congenial he has since continued in that field of labor. Economy and industry brought to him the capital necessary to engage in business on his own account. In 1878 he formed a partnership with Fred Rueping, and for fifteen years business was conducted under the firm style of M. Wagner & Company. A change in the partnership led to the adoption of the firm name of M. Wagner & Sons, and in 1903 the business was incorporated as the Wagner Dry Goods Company. They employ a large force of clerks and conduct an ex- tensive business. They have a large and well selected line of goods such as the leading markets of the world afford, and their sales reach a gratifying annual figure, for the reliable business methods of the house commend them to the con- fidence and patronage of the public. In the conduct of the business Mr. Wagner has ever followed progressive methods and held to a high standard of commer- cial ethics.
On the 13th of November, 1865, Mr. Wagner was united in marriage to Miss Ernestine Trebschuh, who was born in. Hildburghausen, Saxony, Germany, as were her parents, Carl and Anna (Voght) Trebschuh, who in 1854 crossed the Atlantic and became residents of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Ten years later they removed to Fond du Lac where the father was engaged as a mason and paper hanger. He died in this city at the venerable age of eighty-three years while his wife reached the age of seventy-three. Mrs. Wagner was their only child, and by her marriage she has become the mother of two sons and a daughter, Carl H., Adolph N. and Anna Matilda, the sons being now in business with their father. The elder married Miss Julia Tuerwaechter and they have two chil- dren, Carl and Ernestine. Adolph N. Wagner wedded Lillian Weber, and they have three children, Gladys, Arthur and Edwin. Anna Matilda Wagner is the wife of T. H. O'Brien of this city and they have two children, Elsie and Alice.
In politics Mr. Wagner has always been independent, supporting men and measures independent of party. Fraternally he is connected with Fond du Lac Lodge, No. 140, F. & A. M., Darling Chapter, No. 20, R. A. M. and Fond du Lac Commandery, No. 5, K. T. He is loyal to the teachings and purposes of the craft and in his life exemplifies its beneficent and helpful spirit. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home and fortune in the new world. Coming to America at the age of sixteen years possessed of no capital save energy and determination, he has continuously worked his way up- ward and now, at the age of seventy-three, occupies a prominent and honorable position in the business circles of his adopted city, his life work being recog- nized as a valuable element in the commercial progress and prosperity here. His record has at all times been straightforward and his life history contains many valuable lessons which others might profitably follow.
THOMAS M. TURNER.
Thomas M. Turner is one of the well known business men of Waupun where he is engaged in the shoe manufacturing industry since 1905. He was born in Virden, Illinois, September 28, 1871, and is a son of William and Matilda (Mortimer) Turner, both of whom were natives of England, the father of Yorkshire and the mother of Somersetshire. They emigrated to America in the early '60s, settling in Macoupon county, Illinois, where the father en- gaged in farming until the time of his death.
Thomas M. Turner was reared at home and received his early education in the public schools of Illinois, and after passing through the lower grades was graduated from the high school at Virden. He then pursued a course of study at Lake Forest University of Lake Forest, Illinois, and was graduated from the law department of that institution with the class of '92, and was admitted to
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the bar of Illinois. Immediately following his graduation he engaged in the practice of law in Chicago in which he continued for the succeeding eleven years. In 1905 he gave up the practice of law and removed to Waupun, Wis- consin. Soon after the organization of the Palma Shoe Company he became one of the stockholders in that corporation, and in 1906 was made secretary and treasurer of the company, in which relation he has since continued, and takes an active interest in the management of the factory.
Mr. Turner was married in Chicago, July 15, 1899, to Miss Dorothy Green, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Green, residents of Alto, Wiscon- sin. The Green family was from Vermont and were early settlers here com- ing with their parents when young. To Mr. and Mrs. Turner four children were born, three of whom are living, George G., Mortimer W. and Arthur R., while Carl is deceased. Mr. Turner is a member of the Star and Crescent Lodge, No. 95, K. P., of which he is chancellor commander. He is secretary of the police and fire commission of Waupun and Mrs. Turner is a member of the Episcopal church.
Mr. Turner is one of the enterprising and respected citizens of his part of the state and always interested in every public. measure intended to advance and improve the conditions of the people in the community in which he lives.
FRANK SCHAEFER.
Farming has always been one of the principal sources of wealth in Fond du Lac county and the men who give their energies and activities to scientific agri- culture in this region are representative citizens. One of the most careful and systematic farmers in Lamartine township is Frank Schaefer, who is now actively engaged in the cultivation of an extensive farm in that section and who is also well known in the business circles of Woodhull as an enterprising and able stockholder in some of its most important business concerns.
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