History of Barron County Wisconsin, Part 122

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1922
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1767

USA > Wisconsin > Barron County > History of Barron County Wisconsin > Part 122

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Harvey Lowell, who experienced pioneer life in Illinois and Michigan, and in Sauk, La Crosse and Barron counties, in this state, was born in New York State, of an old American family. He came to Illinois as a young man and there married Sarah Brandon, who was born in that state, descended, like himself, from a long list of sturdy American ancestry. In the forties he moved to a

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farm in Jackson County, Michigan, from where, in the fifties, he came to Baraboo, in Sauk County, this state. His next location was in La Crosse County, this state. Then in the late seventies, he and his wife came to Sum- ner Township, this county, and here spent the remainder of their lives. They were most worthy and God-fearing people, whose chief thought, next to their duty to their Creator and their fellowmen, was the welfare of their children. Four of the sons, Eugene Silas, Charles William, Nelson and Albert Lowell, were Civil War veterans and became prominent and influential men in Barron County, and several representatives of the family make the county their perma- nent home. Harvey Lowell died Jan. 7, 1896, at the age of about 84 years. His wife died in October, 1908, at about the sam age.

Charles William Lowell, a solid and substantial citizen of Sumner Town- ship, is one of the earliest pioneers, still living in the county. He has developed several good farms, and has had his part in the wonderful growth and progress of this part of the state. He has been acquainted with the men who have made the county, and has borne an enviable reputation during all the 45 years that he has lived here. His influence has always been felt in the right direc- tion. In temperament he is kindly and genial, he has been a hard worker, and he has always been ready to lend a hand whenever help and encourage- ment have been needed. He was born in Baraboo, Sauk County, this state, Dec. 4, 1856, the son of Harvey and Sarah (Brandon) Lowell, the pioneers. He came to La Crosse County with his parents, and in 1875 came to Barron County, and secured 80 acres of wild land. He erected a log building, and started farming with a yoke of oxen and a cow. In 1880 he bought a place in Section 22, Sumner Township. Of this tract, ten acres had been broken, and a log building had been erected. A few years later he moved to Canton Village and erected a house there. In 1901 he bought 40 acres in Section 7, north of Canton, and to this he added 50 acres in Section 18, Sumner Town- ship. There he remained about 20 years, building up a good place. In 1912 he bought eighty acres of partly improved land in Section 1, Stanley Town- ship, only a few miles from Rice Lake. A year later he bought a tract of 40 acres in Section 21, Sumner Township. Buildings had been erected, and some 14 acres broken. This property he sold in the fall of 1920. Mr. Lowell is a stockholder in the Farmers' Co-operative Store of Canton and in the State Bank of Canton.

Arnt Olson, merchant, restaurant man and secretary of the Brill Cream- ery Co., was born in Norway, Oct. 22, 1884, son of Hans and Caroline (Hagen) Olson. The parents were also natives of Norway, who came to America in 1885, located in Eau Claire, Wis., remained there until 1901, moved to a farm in Washburn County, this state, and in 1903 moved over the line to a farm in Oak Grove Township, this county. There the mother died, Aug. 11, 1913, and the father then moved to Brill, where he died, Jan. 16, 1919. Arnt was educated in the schools of Eau Claire and graduated from the high school there in the class of 1902. Then he went to Washburn County and taught school in the Long Lake districts for four years. In 1907 he came to Brill and entered the employ of George N. Keesey in his general mercantile com- pany. In this employment he learned the mercantile business thoroughly. In 1919 he opened a place of his own, just north of Mr. Keesey's. Here he car- ries a general line of groceries, tobacco and candy, and sells ice cream and soft drinks. He and his sister conduct in connection a first-class restaurant where they give most excellent service. The viands are of the best and well prepared, Miss Olson being a most capable woman in the kitchen and in the dining room. Mr. Olson is an officer of the local lodge of Yeomen. He is do- ing good work as secretary of the Brill Creamery Co., in which he is a stock- holder. He is also a stockholder in the Rice Lake Northeastern Telephone Co. Mr. Olson was married Nov. 11, 1913, to Rebecca Monroe, who was born in Brill, Jan. 29, 1890, daughter of Duncan and Ellen (Ahern) Monroe. This union has been blessed with five children: Thelma Caroline, Alice E., Robert

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MR. AND MRS. JOHN J. QUINN

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H., Dorothy Joyce and Ruth Ellen. The family faith is that of the Presby- terian Church.

Fred E. Keesey, one of the leading citizens of Brill, where he is asso- ciated with his brother in the mercantile business and other enterprises, is one of the best known men in this vicinity. For nearly twenty years he and his brother have worked together for the same purpose, and the result is a business which is as strong and safe as any in Barron County. He knows the territory and the people with whom he has to deal, he is a good student of the market and is therefore a good buyer and a good seller, and his dealings have won for him the confidence of the entire community in his integrity and probity. In addition to his business qualifications, and his character as a citi- zen, he has the prestige of having served in the Philippine campaign during the Spanish-American War. Fred E. Keesey was born in Eau Claire, Wis., Feb. 3, 1877, son of Albert and Laura (Tuff) Keesey. He received his early education in the public schools of his native town, and then took a thorough course in commercial law at the old Eau Claire Business College. For sev- eral years as a young man he engaged in lumbering, logging and farming, all in this state, with the exception of a year that he spent lumbering in Idaho. In 1898 he enlisted in Co. M, 39th U. S. V., and served two years in the Philip- pines. He saw active duty, participated in the fierce conflicts of Calamba, Leipa and San Mateo, and many other minor battles and skirmishes, and es- caped without a wound. Upon his discharge he returned to Eau Claire, and from there went to New Auburn, where he was in the warehouse and mercan- tile business with his brother, and also farmed for a while. He joined his brother in Brill in July, 1902. From 1909 to 1911 he was town treasurer. He has also been notary public and a justice of the peace. He is a Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery Mason and also a Shriner. Mr. Keesey was mar- ried March 4, 1906, to Margaret McGlade, who was born in Section 12, Oak Grove Township, Barron County, Sept. 2, 1883, the daughter of James and Catherine (Kennedy) McGlade. This union has been blessed with three chil- dren: Mae C., born July 15, 1907; Marcus J., born April 18, 1909; and Laura Belle, born May 4, 1913.

John J. Quinn, an industrious farmer of Section 17, Doyle Township, was born near Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wis., Nov. 16, 1868, the son of Joseph and Johanna (Dowd) Quinn, natives of Ireland, who came to America in the forties, and located in Manitowoc, Wis., both being now deceased. He received a common school education and learned farming from his father. As a youth he was employed by Knapp, Stout & Co. for a few years, working in the lumber woods winters and in mills in the summers. In 1892 he bought his present place of 60 acres in Section 17, Doyle Township, which was then cut-over timber land. He at once put up a log house and barn and commenced clearing the land. For some fifteen years his father and mother lived with him and he then brought his bride here. In the nearly thirty years that he has lived here, he has built up a good farm. The comfortable home was erected in 1910 and the barn in 1917, and other buildings and sheds have been put up as necessity has required. The farm is well equipped and well stocked, and is excellently adapted to the general farming and dairying operations which Mr. Quinn conducts. He sells his cream to the establishment at Campia, in which he is a stockholder. Fraternally, he is active in the Catholic Order of Foresters. He is interested in everything that pertains to the good of the community and is faithfully doing his duty in life in every particular. He has been school clerk for many years and is vice-president of the Campia But- ter & Cheese Co. Mr. Quinn was married April 17, 1907, at Dobie, in this county, to Mary Kearney, born at Oak Grove Township on March 1, 1881, the daughter of Martin and Ellen (Kennedy) Kearney, natives of Ireland, and now prominent farmers of Oak Grove Township. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn have six children : Martin J. was born March 31, 1908; Alice M. was born July 20, 1910; Robert S. was born July 17, 1913; Eleanor was born July 4, 1914;

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Dominick was born Dec. 30, 1917; and Martha, born Feb. 12, 1919. The family faith is that of the Roman Catholic Church.

Robert J. Loew, a substantial farmer of Section 11, Doyle Township, was born in Washington County, this state, April 4, 1871, the son of John and Mary (Schwamb) Loew, the former of whom was born in Washington County, Town of Richfield, and the latter in Germany. The father died in 1878 on the farm in Washington County, and the mother now lives at Colgate, Wis. The subject of this sketch attended the district schools, learned farming from his father, and remained at home for some time after attaining adult years. For a while he worked on neighboring farms, in the logging woods, and on rail- road construction work. He started farming on a place of his own which, in 1906, he traded for city property in Hartford, in the same county. This he traded for 80 acres in McMillan Township, Marathon County, Wis. There he farmed for many years and became a well known and respected citizen. In 1917 he traded for eighty acres in Stratford, Marathon County, Wis. Two years later, in 1919, he sold out, and for a year worked as a stone mason, at Barron, in this county. In this employment he was impressed with the many advantages of Barron County as a farming and dairying region, so in 1919 he bought 80 acres in Section 11, Doyle Township. This land was but partly improved. He is now devoting his attention to developing it into a first-class place. He has already put an addition on the house and erected a silo. He successfully carries on general farming operations, has a good herd of cat- tle, and a suitable drove of Poland-China swine. His experience in various places is standing him in good stead here, and he has already got a good start in life. In 1921 he took his only son into business with him and is thus run- ning the place as Loew & Son. Mr. Loew was married April 7, 1898, at Ken- nan, in Price County, this state, to Ella Soldner, born in Boone, Iowa, on June 27, 1878, the daughter of John and Amelia Soldner, now living at Rice Lake. The father, who was a veteran of the Civil War, was born in New York State. The mother was born in Australia. Mr. and Mrs. Loew have three children : Irene H., born April 7, 1901; Loretta M., born May 11, 1904, and Austin J., born Aug. 31, 1906. The family faith is that of the German Lutheran Church. James G. Hathaway, pioneer, is one of the honored and substantial men of Doyle Township, to which he was brought as a youth so many years ago. A native of this state, he has watched the growth and progress of what was once a lumber region, and has lived to see the dense timber lands transformed into a fertile garden spot. He is a useful and patriotic citizen in all depart- ments of life. In public affairs he has been town supervisor, town chairman, member of the county board, and clerk of the school board. As a farmer, he has followed the latest approved methods of soil cultivation and animal care. As a citizen he has supported every movement which he has believed to be for the good of the community. He was born in Onalaska, Wis., Sept. 10, 1858, the son of James M. and Elizabeth (Gorton) Hathaway, natives of Ohio. The father drove to Wisconsin in 1856, and lived for a while in Black River Falls, Jackson County, afterward going to La Crosse County, and locating on 120 acres of land near Onalaska, where he built up a good place and farmed for a number of years. In 1875 he sold out there, and came to Barron County, where he took a homestead of 160 acres in Section 26, Doyle Township. He put up a log house and barn, and cleared up a part of the land. There he farmed for many years. In 1891 he sold this place and bought 40 acres of wild land in Section 9, among the heavy timber. He again built a log house and started to clear up the land. This made the third Wisconsin farm which he had developed. He died Aug. 19, 1914, and his good wife passed away Oct. 25, 1909. The subject of this sketch received a common school educa- tion, came to this county with his parents, and farmed with them for many years. In 1884 he bought 20 acres in Section 9, Doyle Township, and in 1898 he purchased eighty acres more in the same section. This land was all wild and he cleared, developed and cultivated it. In 1910 he bought his father's

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CAMILLE FORREST AND FAMILY

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farm of 40 acres in Section 9. There he has erected a good frame house, barn, and other buildings, and there he successfully carries on general farming and dairying. His cattle are of good grade, his herd being headed by a full- blooded Holstein sire. Cream is sold to the Campia Cheese & Butter Associa- tion, in which Mr. Hathaway is a stockholder. From early manhood, Mr. Hathaway has been interested in public affairs. In 1905 he was first elected town supervisor and has since served continuously with the exception of one year. For five of these years he was chairman of the town, and not only did the town most excellent service, but also sat on the county board with dis- tinction. For twelve years he has been the painstaking and conscientious clerk of his school district. Fraternally, Mr. Hathaway is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Hathaway was married Sept. 19, 1886, at Rice Lake, to Magdalena Houswirth, who was born in Switzerland, Sept. 9, 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway have had nine children: Ethel L., Eleanor D., Mabel E., Martin M., Albert L., Ray, Anna E., D. Freeman and Samuel G. Ethel L., born Sept. 24, 1888, is the wife of William Thalke, of Doyle Town- ship, and has two children, Viola and James W. Eleanor D., born June 2, 1890, married Walter W. Cole, of Billings, Mont., and has two children, Julian and Edna Fay. Mabel E., born July 22, 1892, lives in Montana. Martin M., born Nov. 19, 1893. Albert L. was born Oct. 28, 1895, and Ray, born Sept. 22, 1897. Anna E., born July 7; 1899, married Alfred Ruel, of Doyle, Wis., and has two children, Marjorie and William. D. Freeman was born Feb. 19, 1901, and Samuel G., Sept. 15, 1904.

Ole P. Naess came to Doyle Township in 1903 and bought 80 acres in Sec- tion 15; a tract which was then covered with heavy standing hardwood tim- ber. He put up a frame house, and a barn, and suitable sheds, and started clearing up the land. In the years that have since passed, he has built up a good place. The buildings are adequate, the land is well tilled and well fenced, and the equipment and stock are excellent. Mr. Naess successfully carries on general farming, and dairying, and sells the cream from his herd to the Campia Cheese & Butter Association, in which he is a stockholder. He is also a stockholder in the Consumers' Store at Rice Lake. He has been treasurer of the township three years. Fraternally, he is well liked in the Scandinavian Fraternal Association. Mr. Naess was born in Norway, Aug. 30, 1871, son of Peter and Male Naess, natives of that country, the former of whom is dead and the latter of whom is still living there. He received a common school education, and as a youth, worked with his father at the tailor's trade. He also did factory work and farm work. In 1891, at the age of twenty, he came to the United States, and located at Frankford, Michigan, where he worked in a sawmill for the summer. That winter he worked in the lumber woods with headquarters at Menomonie, this state. Then he went to Duluth, Minn., and after working on the lake docks for the Northwestern Fuel Co., for a while, entered the employ of the Street Car Company. It was from there that he came to his present location. Mr. Naess was married in Duluth, June 6, 1913, to Lena Orsund, born in Norway in April, 1880, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Orsund, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Naess have three chil- dren: Margaret G., born June 5, 1909; Gunda A., born July 18, 1912; and Ellen O., born Jan. 25, 1919. The family faith is that of the Norwegian Lu- theran Church.

Camille Forrest, now deceased, a worthy pioneer of Doyle Township, is a splendid example of the men of rugged strength who cast their lot in Barron County in the seventies, and by sheer force of hard work and untiring energy built up homes for themselves and for their families. His name is held in honored remembrance for what he was and what he was able to accomplish. He was born in Canada, July 18, 1839, and came of French stock. There he grew to sturdy boyhood. In after life, when he became a kindly and genial old gentleman, happy in the love of his own grandchildren, he would surround himself with their eager faces, and tell them tales of his own childhood in

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that far away time. One story in particular would he tell them of his trips to school in the cold weather. He was proud in the possession of a pretty tas- seled cap, which his mother had knit him of warm wool, and when he started out barefooted to school, he would wear his cap on his head, until his youthful feet became unbearably cold, when he would sit down, rub his numb toes, and then bury his feet in the warm depth of his cap, until circulation was restored, and he was able to resume his journey. With such experiences it is natural that he should have developed strength and vitality and endurance to help him through the hardships which he was later to encounter as a pioneer. As a young man he started out for the States, as so many of his fellow coun- trymen had done before him. For a while he lived in Michigan. There he married. Then he came to Barron County, and on May 17, 1874, took a home- stead in Section 6, Doyle Township. While getting his cabin built he lived with his brother, who had already settled here and was living in a cabin on Section 5. When the cabin was done, the family moved into it. He started clearing the land and to get in the crops. Like the other pioneers, he worked for several winters in the woods. Mr. Forrest was a true settler, and the story of his adventures in the new country would be interesting indeed. The fam- ily had but little to do with. Flour and salt had to be brought in from far away, oftentimes on the back. Things which the family needed had to be raised or made on the place or gone without. After the farm had been devel- oped a little, Mr. Forrest sold it, and moved a mile west of Section 1, on rail- road land, which is now partly included in the Village of Campia. There he started in new again. But he had a little more to do with, this time, and as the years passed he developed a good farm. Here for some while he success- fully carried on general farming and dairying. He became one of the most respected men of the community, known for his broad sympathies, his unfail- ing good cheer, and his gentle tolerance for the failings of others. He was honored by the adults and deeply loved by the young people. His death, June 12, 1918, at the age of 79 years, caused deep and sincere mourning. His mem- ory will long be cherished, and his name will live in the county's history. Mr. Forrest was married at Red Jacket, Michigan, to Mary Ann Ormond, who was born in that state on Aug. 25, 1852, and died Jan. 5, 1919. She was an esti- mable woman of many gracious qualities. She unflinchingly bore pioneer hard- ships, she was a faithful helpmate, and an ideal wife, mother, neighbor and friend. Mr. and Mrs. Forrest were the parents of thirteen children: Minnie, John, Josephine (died in infancy), Louis Napoleon, Emily (died in childhood), Anna, William (who died in infancy), Rosanna, Alma, Felix (who died in in- fancy), Edward (who died as a young man), George and Edna (who died in infancy). The family faith is that of the Roman Catholic Church and they are loyal in their support.

Louis Napoleon Forrest, an energetic, successful and modern farmer, who has a well developed place on the outskirts of Campia Village, is a native of this county, born in a log cabin, erected in Section 5, Doyle Township, by his honored uncle, Brosper Forrest, a pioneer. He first saw the light of day July 3, 1874, the son of Camille and Mary Ann (Ormond) Forrest, early set- tlers. He learned farming from his father and received his early education in a log schoolhouse. He first went into the woods as a youth of fifteen and thereafter spent winters in the logging camps. In 1901 he started out for himself by renting his father's homestead in Section 6, Doyle Township, from the man who had purchased it. Three years later he went to Rice Lake, and was there employed for ten years as a teamster. In 1916 he bought eighty acres of wild land in Bear Lake Township. There, like his father before him, he started pioneering. He built a frame house, a good barn, and other build- ings, and started a good farm. In 1918 he sold out, and then for a year, rented the old homestead again. In 1919 he purchased his present place on the out- skirts of Campia Village. Here he has built up as good a place as is to be found in the vicinity, and his farm is regarded as a model in every particular.

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He has a modern home, barns and other buildings, he has continued the clear- ing of the land, and he has put up fences, and purchased suitable equipment. He takes pride in the sightly appearance of his place, and everything about the farm bespeaks his thrift, good judgment and modern spirit. Mr. Forrest is interested in. everything that is for the betterment and progress of the commu- nity, and is well liked by all who know him. He and his wife delight in keep- ing open house to their friends and their children's friends, their hospitality is widely known, and their home is one of good cheer and affection. In addi- tion to operating his farm, Mr. Forrest is patrolman on the road between Campia and Angus, running through his native town, and not only is he most efficient in his work, but is also highly commended by travelers for his unfail- ing courtesy and helpfulness. Mr. Forrest was married on April 5, 1903, to Anna Mullen, who was born on the old homestead in Section 22, Oak Grove Township, this county, Nov. 3, 1880, the daughter of Frank and Margaret (Mc- Gough) Mullen, the pioneers. This union has been blessed with five bright children : Emil, Margaret, Viola, Lauretta and Grace. In the family there is also another boy, Robert Bollman.

Edward J. Yager has lived on his present place of 220 acres on the bound- ary line between Doyle and Cedar Lake townships, for some twenty years, since 1901, when, having reached his majority, he left his parental farm in Jefferson County, this state, and bought his present farm, then a tract of eighty acres, but now enlarged to 220 acres, which lies in Section 8, Doyle Township, and Section 31, Cedar Lake Township. This land was partly improved, and to its cultivation and further development he has since devoted his attention. He has added to the house, and now has a most excellent set of buildings, as well as good equipment throughout the place. He carries on general farming and dairying, and has a fine herd of Holstein cattle, which are the pride of the neighborhood. His Holstein cattle, of which he has some 30 head, are all full blood, and include about fifteen daughters of Sir Johann Piebe, a sire that has three daughters that produced over 1,000 pounds of butter in one year, and up to 26,000 pounds of milk. There are also five two-year-old daughters that have produced over 800 pounds of butter in a year. The present herd sire of Mr. Yager's is Count Walker Segis Pontiac, son of a "count" who has eight daughters that have produced over 1,000 pounds of butter per year. His daughters have broken the world's records over one hundred times. Mr. Yager's business holdings include stock in the Consumers' Store at Rice Lake; the Equity Exchange at Campia; and the Henricks Chemical Company of Min- neapolis. He has served on the school board of his district. Mr. Yager was born in Jefferson County, this state, May 12, 1880, the son of Andrew and Katherine (Scharf) Yager, natives of Germany, who came to America in 1866, at the close of the Civil War, and for many years farmed in Jefferson County, where they were reputable and respected people. He received his education in the schools of his native country. Mr. Yager was married at Palo, Michi- gan, Sept. 19, 1906, to Mary Kramer, born at Antigo, Wis., on July 3, 1886, the daughter of James and Rosa (Frolik) Kramer, natives of Bohemia, who are now living in Birchwood, Wis. Mr. and Mrs. Yager have four children: Theo- dore J., born June 15, 1907; Edward J., born Jan. 9, 1909; Frederick M., born May 16, 1912; and Emily, born Oct. 21, 1915. The family faith is that of the Lutheran Church.

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History of Barron County Wisconsin, Part 122

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1767

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1922
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1767