USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 88
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MICHAEL K. REILLY.
Michael K. Reilly, practicing law in Fond du Lac as a member of the firm of Reilly, Fellenz & Reilly, was born in Empire township, Fond du Lac county, July 15, 1869. He was one of the ten children of Michael and Margaret Reilly, both of whom were natives of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The paternal grand- parents both died in the Emerald isle. They were the parents of four children : James, Thomas, Michael and Ellen. The mother was married twice and by her first husband, Mr. Phelan, had two children: William, who was one of the prominent early residents of Fond du Lac and an exceptionally brilliant man ; and Michael, who died in Ireland. The family of the maternal grandparents of our subject also included several children, among whom were Margaret and Anastasia, who became the wife of Terrence Fox.
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Michael Reilly, father of Michael K. Reilly, was reared to the occupation of farming and on coming to America in the early '50s settled in Fond du Lac, where he followed the stone mason's trade, which he had learned in his native country. After working at the trade for several years he took up his abode upon a tract of land in Empire township and there carried on general agricultural pursuits until advanced age forced him to put aside business cares. He died upon his farm in 1903, when eighty-one years of age, and his wife passed away in 1899 at the age of seventy-three. Both were of the Catholic faith. Of their ten children two died in early life the others being: Richard; Thomas W .; John; Michael K., of this review; William T .; James P .; Mary, the wife of J. M. Dowd; and Martha, the deceased wife of Joseph Carberry.
Michael K. Reilly was reared upon his father's farm in Empire township and began his education in the country schools of the neighborhood. He afterward attended the Oshkosh (Wis.) Normal School and subsequently was graduated from the University of Wisconsin, in 1894, on the completion of a classical course. He also was graduated from the law department in 1895 and the same year was admitted to the bar. He then spent one year in the law office. of J. M. Clark of Milwaukee and for two years he practiced in Oshkosh as a member of the firm of Williams & Reilly. Since that time he has been in Fond du Lac, where he practices under the firm style of Reilly, Fellenz & Reilly. He has been accorded an extensive clientage of a distinctively representative character, and his presentation of his cause shows a comprehensive knowledge of the subjects under discussion and of the law applicable to the points in litigation. He served as district attorney of Fond du Lac county in 1899 and 1900 and was city at- torney of Fond du Lac from 1905 until 1910.
Aside from the offices which he has filled in the strict path of his profes- sion, Mr. Reilly has acted in other positions of public trust. He is at present a member of the Fond du Lac school board and in 1910 he was a candidate for the congressional nomination in the sixth district, having the strong support of his home locality. He is an earnest advocate of democratic principles, was chair- man of the democratic city committee from 1904 until 1911 and was temporary chairman of the democratic. state convention in 1910. In addition to all this and to his activity in his chosen profession, he is president of the American Chemical Company.
Mr. Reilly's religious faith is that of the Catholic church and he holds mem- bership with the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Modern Woodmen, the Equitable Fraternal Union and the Benevolent Protec- tive Order of Elks. He lives with his sister, Mrs. Dowd, at 39 East Johnson street and is a well known and representative resident of Fond du Lac, whose success is the expression of his individual ability and his utilization of the oppor- tunities which have come to him.
LUCIUS DWIGHT HINKLEY.
Lucius Dwight Hinkley was one to whom life meant opportunity-oppor- tunity for the acquirement of material success, for the winning of an honorable name and for a practical recognition of universal brotherhood. There are few men whose hands have reached out so continuously to help their fellowmen and yet there was not the least shadow of ostentation in his generosity, not the least desire for praise for his kindness. It was not the promptings of stern duty that caused him to aid his fellow travelers on life's journey but a sincere and deep-rooted interest in humanity. Most profound sorrow was felt at his passing but such a spirit could never be lost to the world. and he must have stepped into a greater, more beautiful life when the door closed upon him and
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shut him from mortal vision. For almost sixty years he was a resident of Wau- pun. His birth occurred in Rockville, Connecticut, November 8, 1834, and he came of English stock through a long line of Puritan ancestry. He took great interest in genealogical research and followed the family line back to Egbert, the earliest Saxon king of England, having in his possession papers showing clearly the descendants through succeeding generations to the present age. The first of the name in America was Samuel Hinkley, who came from Kent, Eng- land, in 1635 as a passenger on the ship Hercules and settled at Barnstable, Plymouth county, Massachusetts. The land which came into his possession remained the property of his descendants for two hundred years. Thomas Hinkley, son of Samuel Hinkley, was a lawyer by profession, ranking as one of the prominent representatives of the legal fraternity in New England. He also did much in shaping the policy of the Massachusetts colony and was colonial governor from 1681 until 1692. He joined with the forces who were obliged to protect their interests against Indian hostility and participated in the fight in the Narragansett swamps on December 18, 1675.
Lucius Hinkley, the father of Lucius Dwight Hinkley, was born in 1779, and was a son of one of the Revolutionary war heroes, Scottaway Hinkley, who not only did active duty at the front but also made the first blue cloth used by the Revolutionary army. He married Laura Waterman, whose ancestors were among the first settlers of Norwich, Connecticut. The surviving brothers and sisters of Lucius D. Hinkley are: J. W., of Green Bay; Myron, of Mount Vernon, Iowa; Mrs. Jane Wilson, of Waupun; and Mrs. Livingston, of Plain- field, Wisconsin.
Lucius Dwight Hinkley spent the first fourteen years of his life in the state of his nativity and in 1848 accompanied his parents on their removal westward to Waupun, where he ever afterward made his home. He assisted his father in the development of a farm but turned his attention in another direction following the outbreak of the Civil war. He studied with interest the attitude of the south and when convinced that the war was not a mere holi- day affair he offered his services to the government, enlisting September 6, 1861. He became first sergeant of Company K, Tenth Regiment of Wisconsin Infan- try, and was mustered in on the 5th of October. With his command he went to the front and on the 12th of August, 1862, he was commissioned second lieutenant, while on the 24th of March, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He participated with his regiment in all of the long marches and arduous campaigns, taking part in the battles of Perrysville, Stone River and Chickamauga, until the end of the second day of the last named engage- ment, when he was captured by the enemy. He was then sent to Libby prison and was confined there until May, 1864, when he was transferred to Danville, Virginia, and thence to Macon, Georgia. While being removed he escaped near Augusta, Georgia, and tramped in the darkness of fourteen nights endeavor- ing to reach the Union lines. Only a few miles lay between him and the accom- plishment of his purpose when he was recaptured and carried to Charleston. From there he was sent to the prison at Columbia, South Carolina, and on the night of November 20, 1864, he made another attempt to escape which, how- ever, was frustrated by the vigilance of the guard. He was fired upon and his left arm was shattered, rendering amputation at the shoulder necessary. On the 14th of December he was exchanged and soon afterward was honorably dis- charged.
Mr. Hinkley then returned to Waupun and from that time until his demise was closely and prominently associated with its business interests save for a brief period in 1870 and a short time spent in the office of the secretary of state at Madison. Following his return from the capital city he engaged in the insur- ance business in Waupun and in 1870 went to Chicago, where he was identified with the Republic Insurance Company. In 1871 he accepted a position as clerk of
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the prison but in 1874 reentered business circles in Waupun as a partner in the Althouse-Wheeler Company, which controls one of the oldest and most promi- nent productive industries of this part of the state.
From that time forward he bent his energies toward administrative direc- tion and executive control. He studied closely the situation relative to the business, was ever watchful of opportunities and made his advance along safe, substantial lines leading directly toward success. He came in time to be recog- nized as one of the most prosperous residents of Waupun yet the most envious could not grudge him his success, so honorably was it earned and so worthily used. Entering financial circles, he figured prominently for many years as presi- dent of The National Bank, being thus connected at the time of his demise. His business capacity contributed directly to the welfare and upbuilding of Wau- pun and in other ways, too, he manifested his deep interest in the upbuilding and progress of the city. For a number of years he was president of the library board and at all times was closely and helpfully associated with educational interests. Progress was his watchword and he sought advancement as eagerly for the city as he did in individual ways. His prominence in business and his public-spirited citizenship made him widely known throughout the state but his relations with military organizations brought him perhaps an even wider acquaint- ance. He was always prominent in Grand Army circles, rarely missing a meet- ing of either the state or national organization, and he was especially devoted to the Tenth Wisconsin Association, attending its yearly reunions and as its treasurer making generous contributions to its work. His interest in the old soldiers was deep and sincere. It is said that no needy Civil war veteran ever sought his aid in vain. He also belonged to the Loyal Legion, his membership being with the Wisconsin Commandery at Milwaukee, to which city he had gone to attend one of its meetings when death called him. It would be diffi- cult to find any more widely known among the Grand Army comrades than was Mr. Hinkley. He wrote one of the most vivid descriptions of a night in camp that has ever been penned and it indicates, too, that while he regarded himself preeminently as a business man, there was in his nature a literary strain that had he devoted himself to writing might have gained him considerable distinc- tion along that line. He wrote: "Twenty years ago next New Year's eve I attended a watch meeting. There was a watch meeting at the Methodist church last New Year's eve and perhaps some of you know what it was like. The people gathered in the evening in their warm and lighted church, and sometimes they prayed and sometimes they sang; and one talked and another talked, as the last hours of the year went by. And when the hands of the clock showed that the old year was dead and a new one beginning, they had a final prayer and perhaps they shook hands and congratulated each other that they had seen the opening of another year, and some probably made good resolutions, to be kept or broken as their good angels, or chance, or other influences might determine. But the watch meeting I shared in was not just like that. There were watchers enough, and perhaps some of them prayed, and some perhaps resolved on better lives for the future, if future there were for them. But there was no warmed and lighted church-only the cold canopy of the sky-no festooned greenery of Christmas decoration, though in places the green boughs of cedar hung darkly overhead-no glitter of lamp light on gilded inscription, proclaiming 'on earth peace and good-will to men. But instead the glimmer of moon and stars on bronze guns and the shining steel of bayonets. Watchers enough. Sixty thou- sand men were gathered there, and over yonder, across the narrow debatable ground, sixty thousand more were watching and waiting too. And all along the picket lines, across the open fields and through the cedar thickets, sentries by hundreds paced slowly up and down and peered sharply through the gloom toward those other watchers only a little distance off. No hymns to be heard here, but occasionally the sharp challenge, 'Halt, who comes there?' at some
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suspicious sound, or to the inspecting officer on his rounds, or to the relief at its hourly appearance. And behind them are grouped their wakeful reserves, all watching and silent too, except as they review in low tones the events, the rumors and surmises of the day, the fate of comrades, known or imagined, and conjecture as to the near tomorrow. And then came the long lines of weary men lying blanketless on the cold ground, with no cover from the frosty air of the December night, lying wakefully in spite of weariness with hands grasp- ing their arms, or perhaps moving restlessly about, to wear away the slow hours of the chill night-but all watchers. And behind all, the tents of the command- ing general, and here are watchers, too. Perhaps, with corps commanders topo- graphical maps are studied, new positions are planned and the strength and dis- position of divisions are discussed. And all the night through sabres clank, and the clatter of hoofs is heard as returning messengers dismount at the front, bringing reports from subordinate commanders, telling what shattered rem- nants remains of the battalions that stubbornly bore the shock, what morale has been restored to the broken columns that yielded under the pressure, what fugitives have been brought back to the ranks, what shamed battalion which faltered yesterday will tomorrow redeem their honor and their prestige, what movements, sentinels and scouts discovering the hostile lines, what counter- movements can be made to meet or take advantage of them. These were some of the tales that filled the hours which you may be sure did not drag slowly there. Little time there to watch the progress of the swiftly flying minutes, or to make good resolutions for the coming year save perhaps the one brave, prompt resolve to make tomorrow witness telling blows for Union and country. Little time had the commander for regret over his chief of staff, whose headless body reeled from the saddle by his side some hours ago. Little time had any there for sorrow over friends and comrades who today dropped out of sight and out of existence. And there were other watchers-in hospital tents, in the few farm houses near and under surrounding trees, the thousands of groaning wounded watched the passing of the dreary night while surgeons handled their instruments with monotonous regularity and rough assistants, grown callous by familiarity with the sight of mangled limbs and the sounds of pain, hastily bound up throbbing wounds or administered stimulant and passed rapidly to the next. And among all there were some who did not watch, perhaps a few of the wearied ranks forgot cold and discomfort in the brief oblivion of sleep. And all around, lying cold under the light of moon and stars, in the level fields or hidden in the dark shades of the cedar thickets, out beyond the lines of pac- ing sentinels and before the grim muzzles of the now silent cannon, lying by hundreds wherever the charging lines had met, or wherever the hissing bullets had sought them out, were the silent forms of soldiers who had fought their last fight. For them toil and hardship were ended. No more of the sentinel watch for them. No more of the hopes and fears of the varying conflict or the uncertain tomorrow. And the reveille of bugle and drum will be unheeded by them whose only awakening will be at the sound of the archangel's trumpet.
'On fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread, And glory guards with ceaseless round The bivouac of the dead.'
"And our watching did not end when the dipper slowly revolving round the pole star showed that it was past midnight. Nobody said 'Goodnight' or 'Happy New Year' and shook hands and started for home. Sober and silent we watched still through the first small hours of 1863 till the gray light of the morning began to show in the cast. And men made little fires to boil their coffee and roast their bacon, and then, with a sudden, tremendous roar of artillery, the
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watch meeting ended. Captains shouted 'fall in,' 'fall in,' and soldiers sprang to their ranks. The night was over and another day of battle was begun. And this was our watch meeting in 1863."
Mr. Hinkley was married three times. In 1870 he wedded Miss Lola Gillette, who passed away eight years later. In 1882 he married Miss Jennie Weed, who died in 1884, leaving a daughter who, however, passed away at the age of five years. In 1889, at Fox Lake, Elizabeth Weed became the wife of L. D. Hink- ley and still survives him. Like her husband she comes of an ancestry honor- able and distinguished. Her father, Smith Weed, was born in Saratoga county, New York, in 18II and died in December, 1872. The Weed family, like the Hinkleys, was of English origin and its first American progenitor came to the new world in 1626. From the same ancestry was descended Thurlow Weed and Smith M. Weed, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Hinkley. The family was represented in the Revolutionary war by Levi John Weed, Jr., and by Nathaniel Weed, the grandfather of Mrs. Hinkley. Her father, Smith Weed, was mar- ried in 1842 to Mary Garfield, of Hague, New York, a daughter of Nathaniel and Polly (Cook) Garfield, the former a descendant of Edward Garfield who came from Teddington, Middlesex, England, in 1635. From the same ancestry was descended President James A. Garfield. Smith Weed became a merchant of Ticonderoga, New York, where for thirty years he successfully carried on business. In 1855 he removed westward to Fox Lake, Wisconsin, where he resided until his death. He had a family of six children, three of whom are yet living, including Mrs. Hinkley, who had accompanied her husband to Milwau- kee in November, 1907, and was engaged in shopping while Mr. Hinkley went to call upon some friends. He met his death in an elevator accident and his passing brought a sense of personal bereavement to almost every citizen of Waupun and to many throughout the state for he had a very wide acquaintance. The large concourse of people which gathered at his funeral indicated how high was the regard in which he was held in this city that had been his place of residence for almost six decades. The Althouse-Wheeler Company closed its shops and its employes in large numbers attended the services. No employer was ever held in more kindly regard by those who served him than was Mr. Hinkley. Not only did he maintain justice in all of his relations with his men but often displayed toward them a most kindly consideration, often manifest in material assistance when such was needed. The Grand Army post attended the services in a body and over the casket was draped the flag which he dearly loved. In the battle of life he had fought nobly and with high purpose and he had come off conqueror in the strife. Success was his in large measure and yet it was not prosperity alone for which he sought. He thoroughly enjoyed solv- ing complex business problems and in harmonizing seemingly diverse elements. The Waupun Leader said of him: "The tragedy of last Wednesday when L. D. Hinkley received fatal injuries in an elevator accident in Milwaukee, brought a loss to this community which is deeply felt by all ranks of our citizens. His was an ideal life in home, in business, in social relations and the memory of it forms a precious legacy to his family and an example to all who felt its wide influence. Honorable, upright, of a generous public spirit shown in innumerable ways, he was the foremost figure in the city's life, well known and universally beloved. The heart of our people goes out in deepest sympathy to the wife and relatives whose great grief came with no note of warning and which took from the city and state a man whose impress for good was felt with whatever he was asso- ciated." Death gives the perspective which places the individual in his true relation to his generation and to the community in which he lived. The life and work of Mr. Hinkley are even more greatly appreciated now than when he was still an active factor in the community for the public has learned how far- reaching and how beneficial were his efforts. He was a man who cherished not only a high ideal of duty but who lived up to it. He constantly labored
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for the right and from his earliest youth devoted a large portion of his time to the service of others. He was not an idle sentimentalist but a worker. He was at the head of large business interests which he managed successfully yet it was his rule to set apart some time each day for the labors of love to which he was so devoted. His friends have missed him sorely but the memory of his up- right life, of his sincerity and simplicity will not be forgotten. With ability to plan and perform, he won substantial success and made for himself a most creditable position in business circles, but this was only one phase of his nature. He had many traits remarkable and worthy of all praise, including a large capacity for friendship and throughout the state there are hundreds who feel that
"He was a man. Take him for all in all I shall not look upon his like again."
JAMES D. CLARK.
James D. Clark, who is identified with the agricultural development of El- dorado township, is descended from one of Fond du Lac county's pioneer fami- lies. He was born in this county in 1855 and is a son of Cornelius and Catharine (Kelley) Clark, the father a native of Ireland and the mother of the state of New York. They located in Fond du Lac county in early life and thereafter made it their home. The father enjoyed the full rights of citizenship, giving his sup- port to the men and measures of the democratic party, and in 1870 he held the office of supervisor in his township.
This county has always been the home of James D. Clark, who acquired his education in the common schools of Fond du Lac. He was early trained to agricultural pursuits and has always devoted his energies to this vocation. Much of the land comprised in his present farm has been cleared and placed under cultivation by him during the period of his ownership and is now netting him returns that well repay him for his long years of hard labor.
Mr. Clark completed his arrangements for a home of his own by his mar- riage in 1884 to Miss Mary Costin, whose parents are residents of Fond du Lac county. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Clark: Cath- arine, who married Thomas Fox, of this county; Elizabeth; Grace; Lillian ; Donald and Roy.
The family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church, in the faith of which denomination the parents were reared. In his political views Mr. Clark is a democrat and gives his stanch support to the men and measures of that party, believing that its principles are best adapted to subserve the highest inter- ests of the people.
WILLIAM H. STRINGHAM.
William H. Stringham is farming an excellent tract of land in Lamartine township, Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, where he is successfully engaged in general agriculture. He was born in Binghamton, New York, on February 16. 1841, and is a son of Uriah H. and Rebecca (Aldrich) Stringham, natives of New York, the father's birth having occurred on September 8, 1811, and the mother's on the 26th of February, 1812. Uriah Stringham was a physician and followed that profession in Lamartine township, whither he had gone in 1851. He practiced successfully until his death, on the 23d of December, 1887. He had survived his wife who died on November 15. 1885, by two years. To their
MR. AND MRS. JAMES D. CLARK
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union were born seven children, namely: Evelyn, who was born March 27, 1834, and who died June 30, 1850; Rhoda C., whose birth occurred June 16, 1837, and who passed away June 30, 1850; Charles F., born December 26, 1839, who is likewise deceased; William H., of this review; Mary, who was born October 3, 1845, and died January 6, 1896, married Robert Morris, of Fond du Lac, a carpenter and millwright now living in Chicago, by whom she had three children, Wallace, James and Grace; Sarah, born April 16, 1847, whose death occurred December 16, 1849; and Edwin, who was born December 8, 1849, and who passed away March 26, 1870.
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