History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical, Part 100

Author: Keyes, Elisha W. (Elisha Williams), 1828-1910
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Madison, Wi. : Western Historical Association
Number of Pages: 998

USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 100

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

Benjamin F. Williamson, a retired farmer and a long-time resi- dent of Dane county, was born at Bedford, Westchester county, N. Y., February 13, 1834, son of William and Sarah (Carpenter) Will- iamson, who were born and reared in the same state. William Will- iamson was engaged in agricultural pursuits and reared his eleven children on the farm. Five of these still survive, of whom William R. resides in Madison, Thomas in the town of Blooming Grove, Henry in Missouri, and Benjamin F. is the subject of this review. The Williamsons are descended from Scottish ancestry, and have been residents of America since before the Revolution. The educa- tional advantages of the subject of this review were good and he secured a very good education in the district schools of his native state and the Bedford academy, as did also his brothers and sisters, several of them becoming teachers. In 1863 he decided that the west offered better advantages for a young man and accordingly he began to look about for a location. Relatives of the family had previously come to Wisconsin, and in the year above mentioned Benjamin F. arrived in Dane county and purchased eighty acres of land in the town of Blooming Grove, where he began general farming. He re- sided on this place three years and then purchased eighty acres ad- joining, upon which he moved. He remained on this farm until March 1. 1906, when he bought a home in Hudson Park, a beautiful suburb of the city of Madison, and there he expects to reside the re- mainder of his life. Despite his many years of strenuous labor he is well preserved, and for one of his age is very active. Mr. William- son was married on January 23, 1856, and the lady whom he selected as his helpmate through life was Miss Caroline Carpenter, who was born in the state of New York, March 22. 1837. She is the only sur- vivor of four children that were born to James and Mary (Haviland) Carpenter, the parents being also natives of the state of New York. They were Quakers. One of Mrs. Williamson's brothers enlisted in a New York regiment during the Civil War and died while in the service at New Orleans. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williamson : Mary C. married Pliny F. Pierson. of St. Paul, Minn., and is deceased; Franklin J. is deceased: Sarah C. resides with her parents ; Carrie E. is the wife of Dr. Jos. F. Gill and resides in the city of Madison : William resides in Fitchburg : Anna May and Robert H. are deceased : Lucy B. is the wife of W. A. Sykes and re- sides in the city of Madison; and Benjamin H. is deceased. Mr. Williamson is independent in his political views and has never entered public life in the role of an office seeker.

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

J. S. Williamson, of Oregon, was born in Anthony township, Ly- coming county, Pa., July 27, 1845. He is the son of A. Williamson, born in Union county, Pa., December 8, 1818. and Mary (Emery) Williamson, also a native of Lycoming county, born August 18, 1819. They were married Noveniber 15. 1841, and spent their earlier mar- ried life in their native state where their children were born and reared, coming to Wisconsin in 1869. They settled first in the town of Oregon, where they purchased an improved farm of two hundred acres ; some years later they moved into the village of Oregon which was their home for seventeen years, until the death of Mrs. William- son. October 18, 1900, since which time, Mr. Williamson has made his home on the farm with his son. Mr. Williamson was engaged in the lumber business in Pennsylvania, and his son, the subject of this sketch, was associated with him in that line before coming to Wis- consin ; here, however, he engaged in farming first with his father, and later, after the removal of his father to the village, operating the farm for himself. He now owns one hundred acres of the original plot, the remainder having been sold to Mr. Fincher the husband of his daughter Laura. Mr. Williamson was married, March 21. 1872, to Miss Phoebe J. Bethei, the daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Welch) Bethel, of Oregon township, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Williamson had four children, Laura, (Mrs. Fincher ). of Oregon; Mary E. (deceased) ; Cora B. and Raymond A., both at home : all the children were born and educated in Oregon. Mr. Will- iamson is a Republican and has served as assessor. His church af- filiations are with the Christian church, but his wife belongs to the Seventh-day Adventists.

Thomas Williamson, of Waunakee, is a native of England. born July 29. 1840. He came with his parents to Dane in 1851. Charles and Elizabeth (Jackson) Williamson were also born in England, the former October 14, 1814, and the latter December 29, 1819. The parents settled in Burke township, on a small farm, which they made their home until their death. Mrs. Williamson died in 1875 and her husband in 1901. They had three children, Anna, Thomas, and Lu- cretia, of whom the oldest daughter, Anna, has passed away. Politi- cally Mr. Williamson was a supporter of the Democratic party and both he and his wife were members of the Episcopal church. He served at one time as the constable of Burke township. Thomas Wil- liamson, the subject of this sketch, received his early education in Eng- land and afterward in the common school of Burke. He came to Vi- enna and began his life as a farmer there in 1868, an occupation which he followed all his life. He owns eighty acres on which most of the

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

improvements have been made by himself; he runs this as a general farm. He is a Republican in politics, but neither public interests nor private concern have caused him to ignore a fact that brings a failure of physical forces before the time to so many farmers, viz., that all work and no play sometimes results disastrously. He has probably inherited from his English ancestors a love of hunting, and for nearly fifty years been an enthusiastic follower of Duck and other game which haunt the Catfish where it flows into Lake Mendota, in the town of Westport. He is also a member of the Cherokee Hunting Club. Feb- ruary 1, 1863, he was married to Miss Eliza Whitstance, a native of England .- born December 20, 1846. She is the daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Andrews) Whitstance, both born in England,-the latter in 1809, -- who came to Sauk county in October, 1856, and settled in Baraboo. Mr. Whitstance died there in November of the same year and his wife in 1887. He was by occupation a farmer and both he and his wife were members of the Methodist church. Mrs. Williamson was one of a family of fourteen children, of whom five are living. She has herself been the mother of eleven,-Andrew Thomas, William Henry, Charles, John Paver, Eliza Ann (now deceased)), Sarah, Thomas, Lucretia, Henry, Cora and Frederick Marmaduke, of whom all are living except two.

H. M. Willoughby, of Belleville, was born in Tiffin, Ohio. Sep- tember 3. 1843, son of Wellington and Mary (Mollette), the former a native of New York and the latter of Tiffin, Ohio. The family came from Tiffin to Wisconsin in 1846, driving through what was then, much of the way, an almost unbroken wilderness. They located in section 27, town of Montrose, and remained there for some time ; they also kept a hotel in Belleville for some years, about the middle fifties. Mr. Willoughby died in 1884. He was not actively inter- ested in politics, but was nevertheless elected to local offices on sev- eral occasions. His son, H. M., the subject of this sketch, was brought up in Montrose township, attending the district schools and assisting his father in the work of the farm. During the war ( 186.4) he enlisted in Company H, of the First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery. He was in New Orleans and in the country eighty miles to the west, as far back as Berwick Bay, and was at the latter point when Lee surrendered. At the close of the war he was discharged and re- turned to Montrose, and resumed the occupation of farming. He gave up active work on the farm in 1890. and moved into the village of Belleville where he has held several offices on the village board, as treasurer, street commissioner etc. He is a Republican and cast his first vote for Lincoln. He was married in 1868, to Miss Stella

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

Marks, daughter of Reuben Marks, of Vermont. They have two children, Mae, married Merrill Perkins; Lena, married Matt. Hosley, of Waukesha. The family is connected with the Presbyterian church.

Willis H. Willoughby, of Belleville, was born in the town of Montrose, April 12, 1851. the son of W. Willougby, of whom men- tion is made in connection with the sketch of his eldest son, H. M. Willoughby. Willis H. was reared on a farm, and in common with the residents of rural and village communities, obtained his book knowledge at the public school. He began life for himself at the age of twenty-four by renting and running a farm for a year, after which he entered the empolyment of Mr. Ogilvie, of Verona, where he re- mained for two years, and then spent a season in Colorado, before returning to the town of Montrose ; he then bought a place one mile north of the village, and interested himself in general farming and stock raising. He was married, October 18. 1874, in Eagle, to Miss Fanny Howe, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth ( White) Howe, both natives of England, the former born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, July 13, 1824, and the latter in Lincolnshire, September 20, 1823. They came to America in 1850, and located first in Janesville, and in 1854. came to Belleville. In 1868 they moved on a farm near the village, which in 1875 they purchased and where they lived until Mr. Howe gave up active work and returned to the village, where he died. He was a wheelwright by trade. To himself and wife were born five children of whom three are living. Mrs. W. H. Willoughby, Mrs. C. R. Pease, of Clayton, Kansas, and Frank E., of Sterling, Ill. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby have three children, George. of Belleville, married Miss Jeste La Marr of Montrose township: Fred, married October 12. 1906, Miss Anna Voeglie, and resides in Green county; Frank, at home. In national politics Mr. Willoughby is a Republcan, but does not allow party lines to influence him in local politics.

Thomas Wilson, of Belleville, R. F. D., was born December 20. 1849, on section 29, town of Montrose. He is the son of Thomas and Jane (Cherry) Wilson, both natives of Londonderry county, Ireland. the former of the parish of Tamlaght Fanlaggan, and the latter of the parish of Myrroc. They were married in Ireland and had had one child when they came to America in 1844. They came via New York, Erie canal, Buffalo, and the lakes and landed in Milwaukee, and then came on to Dane county and settled on the place where their son Thomas now resides. They bought eighty acres of government land and afterward made additional claims. Although Mr. Wilson was a farmer and followed that occupation all his life, he was naturally of a

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mechanical bent and was always handy with tools of all kinds. He made himself a part of the life of the new community, and served as a justice of the peace for twenty years. He and his wife are both buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in the town of Montrose. Thomas is the youngest of three children ; his brother, James D., lives in Verndale, Minn. and his sister Nancy died at the age of four years. He was brought up on the farm and educated in the district schools of the town of Montrose and private schools of Belleville; he taught school for fifteen winters, at the same time managing his farm, which now consists of over one hundred and seventy acres. This is run for gen- eral agricultural purposes, for stock raising and dairying. Mr. Wil- son was married March 23. 1880, to Miss Nettie Balfour, daughter of Thomas and Matilda J. (Oliver) Balfour, the former born near Ster- ling Castle, Perthshire, Scotland, and the latter a native of Wisconsin. Mrs. Wilson's father was one of the pioneers of this country, and now makes his home with his daughter ; her maternal grandmother was one of the Red River colony. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have had twelve children and all except the oldest, George Walter, who died at the age of four years,-are living. They are Nellie, a graduate of the White- water Normal and a teacher at home: Thomas Grover; John Ralph; William Balfour; Rose Janette, a student at Belleville high school ; Mattie May; Charles Henry; Pearl Evangeline; James Walter; Robert Oliver. Mr. Wilson is the oldest native resident of the town of Mont- rose; he is a member of the I. O. O. F., has been justice of the peace for twenty years, supervisor and assessor several times, and politcally is a stanch supporter of W. J. Bryan.

Joseph Wilt, a representative of one of the oldest homes in Dane county, came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1844 and settled upon the farm now owned by Charles and Albert Wilt in the town of Me- dina. Joseph Wilt was born in Alsace, Germany, March 14. 1817, embarked for America with his parents, Francis Joseph and Mary Ann (Diss) Wilt, in 1830, and for fourteen years resided in Medina county, Ohio. In 1844 the family came west and obtained one liun- dred and sixty acres of farm land in Medina townshtp. Francis J. Wilt and his wife spent the remaining years of their lives upon this farm and their son Joseph succeeded them in its management and ownership and made it his home until his death. To it he added forty acres and improved it in many ways, making it a well-stocked and valuable piece of property. Mr. Wilt was a Democrat but did not desire office or take any very active part in politics. On June 23, 1851. he was married to Catherine Mary (Groshong) Wilt. widow of John Wilt, also a son of Francis J. Wilt. One son was born to

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

Mrs. John Wilt by her first marriage, John Francis, deceased. Mrs. Wilt was born in Niles, Cayuga county, N. Y., in 1830, the daughter of William Groshong, a native of North Carolina, and Betsey (Sav- age) Groshong, who was born in Massachusetts. They came to Wis- consin from Ohio in 1846, lived in Jefferson county and after the death of Mr. Groshong in 1847 the family moved to the town of Medina. Of their twelve children but two are living. To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wilt were born eight children. The oldest son, Andrew, and the oldest daughter, Mary, died. Charles, Albert, Clara, Will- iam, Kate and Eleanor make up the family. All have attended the home schools and the Methodist Episcopal church. Albert and Charles own and operate the old home farm and make a specialty of a fine grade of Holstein cattle, of which they generally have a herd of about forty. They are both independent in politics and active in all which concerns the welfare of the community.

James A. Wood, a well known and successful farmer of the town of York, lives upon the fine farm of one hundred and ninety-eight acres which was his birth-place. His father, James D. Wood, came to York with his parents, Jonathan and Charlotte (Powers) Wood, from Oneida county, N. Y., in 1854, and located on a farmi. James D. Wood married Miss Elvira Harrington, a native of Erie county, N. Y., and four children were born to them: Manley J., who married Miss Rosaline Brown and has two children : William B., deceased, whose widow was before her marriage Miss Amelia Tracy and who has three children, Guy, Katie and Winnie : Mary E. married Walker Johnson ; both of whom are dead leaving two children, Elsie May and Gladys Mary ; James A., the subject of this sketch, was born in York. June 20, 1870, received his education in York and has always been interested in farming. He has a splendid farm with modern equip- ment and is particularly interested in the breeding of a fine grade of shorthorned cattle and also Clyde horses. Like his father he is a Republican and actively interested in the concerns of the town, and for two years he served as its treasurer. April 4, 1895, he married Miss Priscilla Ellen Knapton, daughter of Isaac Knapton, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere. Mrs. Wood is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Marshall. Mrs. Wood, the mother of James A., is still a resident of York and has been a widow since April 9. 1889. She is a member of the Baptist church. She is of American ancestry, her grandfather having lived in New York and served his country throughout the Revolutionary War. Her father. Barney Harrington, was born in Vermont, but spent his life in New York, and her mother, Roxie (Perkins) Harrington, was a native of Massachusetts.

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MR. AND MRS. JAMES D. WOOD, SR.

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

David H. Wright, Sr. Probably every city of any size has its "grand old man" and Madison is no exception. David H. Wright, Sr., is the man who has gained this appellation in the capital city. He has lived sixty-two of his eighty-six years in Dane county's judicial center. having come here May 7, 1844. There is not a house standing at the present time which has not been erected since his arrival. There is but one other man living who can claim longer residence in Dane county than Mr. Wright and that is the Hon. George Stoner. Mr. Wright was born July 9, 1820, in Otsego county, N. Y. His parents were Bezaleel and Catharine (Kipp) Wright, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of New York. In 1850 Bezaleel Wright brought his family west and set- tled on a farm in the town of Verona. Upon his retirement he came to Madison and spent the remaining days' of his life with his

Son1. His death occurred in November, 1879, in his eighty-third year. His wife died some fourteen years earlier, in her sixty-sixthi year. having been born in the last year of the eightenth century. Of their eleven children, of whom there are four survivors, the subject of this sketch was the eldest. David H. Wright received his early education in Marion academy, Wayne county, N. Y. After learning his trade, that of carpenter, he came to Wisconsin and the first year after his arrival taught a school here. For more than fifty years after 1845 he worked as a carpenter and many of the residences and public buildings of the city are monuments to his skill. It was Mr. Wright who built the old Methodist church, since replaced by a more modern structure, and the old first and third ward schools, also replaced. In the early fifties he served as president of the school board and was a member of the board of trustees while Madison was still a village. For some nineteen years he was state carpenter, maintaining the position through the efficiency and thoroughness of his workmanship. He was united in marriage on July 2, 1848, to Hannah V., daughter of William and Adaline (Stewart) Pyncheon. On the paternal side Mrs. Wright was a direct descendant of William Pyncheon of carly Massachusetts fame. Through her mother she was related to Gen. Hart Stewart, one of the earliest settlers of Chicago. By this marriage Mr. Wright had four children. Dr. Arthur L. Wright is chief surgeon of St. Anthony's Hospital at Carroll. Ia. He for- merly conducted a hospital of his own. He has one son, Robert. Ellen M. is the widow of James E. Nichols of Chicago and has three children, Minnie. Amy and Arthur. James S. Wright is pri- vate secretary to his brother, Dr. Arthur L. Wright at Carroll, Ia.

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

He has three children, Jesse, Charles and Harry. Dr. Charles L. Wright married Anna Gussman and had one child, Dorothea. He died in 1896 at the age of thirty-one. Mrs. Wright died March 25. 1867. She was a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Wright's second marriage occurred February 2, 1870. to Sarah E., daughter of Warren and Nancy (Bentley) Miles. of New York, both deceased. By this union he has had two children. David H., Jr., shipping clerk for the Gisholt Machine company, married Olive Wise, since deceased, and had one son, David H., III, who lives with his grandfather. Mary Florence, the other child, was graduated with the class of 1906 from the Madison high school. Both Mr. Wright and his wife are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Madison. In former years Mr. Wright was a member of the board of trustees of the church. He is prominent in Masonic circles. being Knight Templar Mason and a thirty-third degree member of the Scottish Rite, and Past Grand Master. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a past grand master of that order. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge of Madison. Kindly, courteous and affable, M.r. Wright is a most revered and estcemed citizen who acts as a connecting link between the golden past and the magnificent present of Madison.

Lewis Ziesch is a prominent farmer and stock raiser of the town of Windsor and a native of Dane county. He is the son of Ludwig Ziesch, who was born in Germany and came to Dane county in the early days. Ludwig Ziesch was a farmer in the town of Middleton. His second wife was Miss Elizabeth Schultz, also a native of Germany, who now lives in the town of Burke. Two children were born to the first marriage and four to the second. Lewis Ziesch was born in the town of Middleton, March 14. 1870, attended the home schools and early engaged in farming. His property consists of ninety-six acres on which he carries on a general farming business and also raises fine Poland China hogs. November 27, 1898, he married Miss Nellie Blanchar, a daughter of Horace Blanchar. Mr. and Mrs. Ziesch are identified with the Congregational church. Mr. Ziesch is a Republi- can. Mrs. Ziesch's father, Mr. Blanchar, was born in Chatauqua county, New York, son of Willard Blanchar, attended the Windsor and Beaver Dam schools and the University of Wisconsin. He is the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty-seven acres in the towns of Burke and Windsor but has retired from active business. He is a Republican and has served the town as supervisor for many years. December 31. 1867, he married Miss Emma Rose, who was

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

born in New York, daughter of Oliver and Edna ( Stanley) Rose, who came to Dane county from New York and settled in the town of Fitchburg. Mr. and Mrs. Blanchar had one son, Edward, who is a banker at Oregon. Mrs. Blanchar died in 1872 and in 1874 Mr. Blanchar married Miss Jennie Thompson, a native of Norway. Ten children were born to them; Nellie, who is Mrs. Ziesch ; Florence ( de- ceased); Nettie, Edna, John, Willie, Archie, Maud, Russell and Ernest.

A. G. Zimmerman, judge of Dane county since January 6, 1902, is of German ancestry and was born in Elgin, Iowa, and located in Wisconsin in 1868. His early education was received at the public schools and he was an unusually bright and self-reliant student, as even with the meager advantages offered in the district schools he was the proud possessor of a teacher's certificate at the age of fifteen years, and two years later began his work in the field of pedagogy, which is, perhaps, as good a preparation as can be made for later work in any of the learned professions. After teaching for a time he again became a student and was graduated from the Northern Indiana College in 1885 with the degree of B. S. After having been instrumental in the organization of the high school at Bloomington, Grant county, he officiated as its first principal and occupied the po- sition for four years ; meanwhile he studied law by himself, preparing on the junior work and on presenting himself at the Unversity of Wisconsin in 1889 was able to enter the senior law class. He re- ceived his degree of LL. B. from the University of Wisconsin in June, 1890, but began his practice as an attorney in company with Gilbert E. Roe, under the name Roe & Zimmerman, several months before upon passing the state bar examination. The following year he be- came a member of the firmi of La Follette, Harper, Roe & Zimmer- man, which partnership lasted four years and upon its dissolution Mr. Zimmerman practiced alone until his election to the position of county judge. Always actively interested in public questions he entered the field of practical politics in 1895 as a delegate to and the chairman of the Republican convention which nominated Dr. A. A. Dye as mayor, and he followed up that entrance by attending as del- egate most of his party conventions that have occurred since that time, whether state or congressional. In 1897 he appeared as a can- didate for the office which he now holds but was defeated by Judge J. H. Carpenter, who had held the position since November. 1885. by 219 votes. In 1900 he was made a member of the Republican state central committee and chairman of the congressional committee : up- on presenting himsef as a candidate for the position of county judge a second time he was elected by a plurality of one thousand six hun-

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HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

dred and seventy-five votes, and entered upon his duties in that office January 6, 1902. He was re-elected without opposition in 1906.

Rev. Alois Zitterl, pastor of the Church of the Holy Redeemer, Madison, was born June 12, 1845, in St. Oswald, Upper Austria. Here he received a thorough classical education at the college of Linz, Austria; came to the United States in August, 1866; took his theo- logical course in St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee county, Wis., and was ordained a priest by Archbishop Henni in December, 1868. The present is his third pastorate, his first being that of St. Martin's church in the town of Springfield, Dane county, and the second, that of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Milwaukee county. His present pas- torate dates from March, 1877. The church of the Holy Redeemer was first constructed in 1867, and was reconstructed in 1880 at a cost of more than $7,000. The present value of the property (including five lots, parsonage, Sister house, church, school, etc.) is in the neighbor- hood of $100,000. During each of his pastorates, Father Zitterl has built a parsonage, and has been eminently successful during his long period of faithful service in his present charge. He is much beloved by his parishioners, who number more than four hundred families, all Germans. The large parochial school connected with his church is taught by the sisters of Notre Dame; it is a large commodious struc- ture erected in 1892, its course being graded like the city ward schools, and its graduates being admitted to high school.

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History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical, Part 100

Author: Keyes, Elisha W. (Elisha Williams), 1828-1910 Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Madison, Wi. : Western Historical Association Number of Pages: 998

Author: Keyes, Elisha W. (Elisha Williams), 1828-1910
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Madison, Wi. : Western Historical Association
Number of Pages: 998