USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 12
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(Hopson) Bailey, both of whom were native of Connecticut and the former of whom was lost at sea. After his marriage Orvin Brown began farming on his own account. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of government land, in sections 8 and 17, Cottage Grove township, adjoining his father's farm on the east, and located one-half mile west of the present Cottage Grove sta- tion. It should be noted that his father, Roswell Brown, for many years conducted a general country store on his farm, and that his house was also one of the early hotels, or taverns, of this part of the county. Both the tavern and store were conducted on strictly temperance principles, which could not be said of the average pioneer establishments of the sort. Orvin Brown continued farm- ing upon the old homestead until the death of his wife, in 1881, when he removed to Sun Prairie, having disposed of the farm. Following is a brief record concerning his children: Maria L., who was born February 22, 1849, married T. L. Heacker. after whose death she became the wife of Otis Baker, who is also de- ceased, his widow being now a resident of Sun Prairie; Ida A., who was born December 15, 1850, is the wife of R. B. Gibbons, postmaster at Cottage Grove; Norman B., who was born October 2, 1854, and who married Alice Starks, is now a resident of Ells- worth, Pierce county, Wisconsin ; Roswell E., who was born Janu- ary 11, 1857, married Ione Brant and they reside at White Lake, South Dakota; Samuel F., who was born March 24, 1858, and who married Nettie Kelley, resides in the city of Madison, Wisconsin ; Stella C., who was born April 13, 1862, is deceased; Kittie G., who was born May 31, 1864, is likewise deceased; and Herbert L. is the immediate subject of this sketch. The mother of these children died October 28, 1881. She was a devoted member of the Baptist church, have been baptized in the church of her native town, Ticonderoga, New York, May 2, 1843, and from the same she se- cured dismission by letter, May 2, 1846. She became an active worker in the churches of this faith in Cottage Grove and Sun Prairie, her death occurring in the former township. Orvin Brown · died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Gibbons, in Cottage Grove, February 16, 1894. Herbert L. Brown, whose name initiates this article, was born on the homestead farm. in Cottage Grove town- ship, February 16, 1867, and after availing himself of the advan- tages of the district schools he continued his studies in the Madison Academy. He was fourteen years of age at the time of his moth- er's death, after which he passed most of his time in the home of his sister, Mrs. Gibbons, until his marriage, which occurred in 1890.
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He then engaged in the buying and shipping of live stock, estab- lishing his home and headquarters in the village of Cottage Grove. Two years later he removed to the city of Madison, and for one year he had the management of what is known as the Picnic Point farm, on the shores of Lake Mendota. He then returned to Cot- tage Grove and engaged in the general merchandise business, in which he continued three years, at the expiration of which he sold the store and resumed the stock business, in which he has since continued with marked success. He is known as an enterprising and reliable business man and public-spirited citizen, and is held in high esteem in his native county. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and he has served as township clerk and also as justice of the peace. He is affiliated with the Woodmen of America and both he and his wife are zealous members of the Presbyterian church in Cottage Grove, in which he is an elder and was a mem- ber of the building committee for the erection of the church. Octo- ber 8, 1890, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Venice L. North, daughter of William and Sarah (Slagg) North, both of whom were born in England. They now reside in the village of Cottage Grove, their daughter. Mrs. Brown, having been born in the town of Albion, this county, June 6, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have two sons, William H., who was born June 18, 1895, and Ros- well Edward, born July 30, 1906.
Edmond James Browne, journalist, of Black Earth, comes of a long line of New England patriots. Abraham Browne came with his wife from Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, in 1630 and became the first settler and surveyor of Watertown, Mass. The old homestead there is still the abiding place of his descendants, who from generation to generation have filled the various town offices, Jonathan Browne, born Aug. 24, 1724, was a captain in the battle of Lake George and during the Revolutionary War was in the com- missary's department of the Continental army. Francis Browne. the date of whose birth was Nov. 16, 1755, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and saw service at Lexington, Bunker Hill and many other engagements. Another Francis Browne, born Decem- ber 4, 1786, was one of the earliest advocates of the abolition of slavery. Guilford D. Browne, born at Acworth,N. H., August 8, 1828, was for twenty-eight years a member of the west Wisconsin conference of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife was Mary Elizabeth Fisher, born in Bath, Me., December 27, 1827. To this union, on December 5. 1863, at Agawam, Mass., was born Edmond James Browne, the subject of this sketch. Guilford D. Browne
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died January 5, 1898, and his wife passed away on March 3, of the same year. After passing through the courses of the common schools, E. J. Browne entered the printing business, his first labor, in 1881, being that of an apprentice in the office of the Mondovi, Wis., Herald. Since 1889 he has been continuously engaged in the editing and publishing of weekly papers in the following places in the state: Knapp, Dunn county; Eleva, Trempealeau county ; Prairie du Sac, Sauk county and Black Earth, Dane county. From 1893 to 1899 he edited the Sauk County News at Prairie du Sac and in September, 1901, established the Black Earth Times. While in Dunn and Trempealeau counties he was in partnership with a brother. In politics he is identified with the Republican party and his religious affiliations are with the Methodist Episcopal church. On May 12, 1891, Mr. Browne married Miss Hannah L. Jackson of Eleva, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Little) Jackson. To this union have been born the following children: Lillie Elizabeth, February 16, 1892; Marshall Francis, September 14, 1893; Lottie May, October 6, 1894; Nellie Josephine, September 24, 1895; Ma- cinda Ann, October 21, 1897; Lizzie Amelia, August 24, 1900; and Charles Dudley, February 26. 1904. Macinda died at Prairie du Sac, February 13, 1899. Mr. Brown is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, and his wife a member of the Royal Neighbors.
J. H. Brumm is one of Middleton's well-known merchants, who was born in that village May 13, 1862, and has always made it his home. Of German descent, his father, J. E. Brumm, was born in Mecklenburg and his mother, Frederika Brumm, in Machtegeburg. J. E. Brumm came to America with his parents when a boy and has lived in Middleton since 1852. When twenty-two years old he bought a forty acre farm of prairie land in section 30 and lived there four years. He then bought another eighty acres in the same sec- tion, selling the first and made this his home for many years. finally selling it to his son William. He then bought a fine home in Mid- dleton, where Mrs. Brumm resided until her death May 16, 1906, aged sixty-four years and seven months, her husband having died in 1901 at the age of sixty-one. J. H. Brumm was educated with the other two sons in the Middleton grade and high school and started for himself in the general merchandise business in 1888. In 1890, a complete line of farm machinery was added to the stock as well as pumps and windmills. In 1905 the J. J. Rosenmeyer pickling factory was also purchased and the firm is now Brumm & Brumm. Mr. Brumm is a memeber of the Modern Woodmen
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and the B. P. O. E. chapter at Madison. He is a Republican and a trustee of the village of Middleton. October 6, 1885, he married Miss C. Lubcke, daughter of J. H. and Mary Lubcke. of Middleton, and they have a family of six children, who attend the Middleton schools; Wilbert, Fidelia, Gilsey, Anita, Birtie and Lorene. The family attend the German Lutheran church.
August F. Brunkow, of the firm of Brunkow & Mueller, brew- ers, of Pheasant Branch, was born at Doelitz, Germany, August 30, 1857. His father, William Brunkow, and his mother, Caroline (Zabel) Brunkow, were both natives of Doelitz, where Mr. Brun- kow was a laborer. They embarked for America in 1869 and lo- cated in Pottawatomie county, Kansas, where they obtained three hundred and sixty acres of farm land. This farm became their permanent home, where they still reside. Ten children were born to them: August F .. William, Minnie, Herman, Paulina, Ferdi- nand, Matilda, Albert, Frank and Theresa. Mr. Brunkow, Sr., is a Democrat but has never aspired for office. With his family he belongs to the German Lutheran church. August F., the oldest son, was sent to school in Germany and also in the country schools in the neighborhood of the farm in Kansas. When he had attained the age of nineteen years he commenced to learn the brewing in- dustry at Klinkert's brewery in Racine, Wis. and remained there seven years. Subsequently he was employed in the Best (now Pabst) brewery of Milwaukee. In 1884 the Pheasant Branch brew- ery was purchased by August Brunkow and his brother-in-law, John G. Mueller, and together they thoroughly overhauled and re- fitted it and put it in a most prosperous condition. The experience of Mr. Brunkow in the well-managed companies of Racine and Milwaukee proved invaluable and he and his partner have been able to establish a most successful business. They built a new malt house and put in a new thirty-five horse-power engine, etc., and now find market for all they can produce in the surrounding villages. and towns. Mr. Brunkow is a Democrat in his political sympathies but has never taken an active part in politics. He is one of the trustees of the German Lutheran church at Middleton and secretary of the board. He is deeply interested in the concerns of the church and has done much to promote its welfare. In 1892, he married Miss Louisa Mueller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Mueller and® they have two children, Pauline and Elenora, both of whom are attending school.
Gen. Edwin Eustace Bryant was born in Milton, Franklin county, Vermont, January 10, 1835. He was educated at academies and at
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New Hampton Institute, Fairfax, Vermont, and then taught for five years in common schools and academies, meanwhile pursuing the studies of languages and law. He came to Wisconsin in the spring of 1857, locating at Janesville, where he was admitted to the bar the same year. He commenced the practice of his profession at Mon- roe, Wis., in the fall of 1857. In 1859 he purchased the Monroe Sentinel, in connection with General Bintliff. He was married June 29, 1859, to Louise S. Boynton, by whom he had four children, -Elva L., Fronimay, Mertie and William Vilas. In the Civil War he enlisted in June, 1861, as a private in Company C, Third Wisconsin Infantry, but was promoted to the sergeant-major be- fore leaving the state; next served as lieutenant, and was made adjutant of his regiment in 1862. In 1864 was appointed by the secretary of war as commissioner of enrollment for the third dis- trict of Wisconsin, and in 1865 was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Fiftieth Wisconsin Infantry, serving with that rank for a year in Missouri, as judge advocate of courts martial and military commissions. In 1868 he was appointed adjutant general of the state and private secretary to Governor Fairchild, serving in those capacities from 1868 to 1871 ; was the law partner of Sen. William F. Vilas from 1872 to 1883; member of the assembly, 1878; assistant attorney-general of the United States post office department, 1885- 89 ; dean of the college of law, University of Wisconsin, 1889-1904; president of the state commissioners of fisheries, 1893-99; vice- president of the state geological and natural history survey. 1897- 99. General Bryant was the author of numerous books on prac- tice and pleading, military history and the postal service. He was an accurate and forceful writer, and his law works are adopted as the standard by the profession, as well as being used as text books in various law schools. He died at his home in Madison, Aug- ust 11, 1903.
Gen. George E. Bryant, one of the heroes of the Civil War, and now superintendent of public property, was born at Templeton, Worcester county, Massachusetts, February 11, 1832, son of George W. and Eunice (Norcross) Bryant. H's ancestors for sev- eral generations resided in New England. the paternal branch being Irish, and the maternal. English. Representaitves of both branches. fought in the Revolutionary War. General Bryant's father was a mechanic and farmer, in moderate circumstances, but gave his son a good education, and after preparing for college in the Black River Academy at Ludlow, Vt., young George took the full course at Norwich University, Vt., a military college, where Generals Dodge
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and Ransom were classmates, and Admiral Dewey was a room- mate. He then studied law in the office of Norcross & Snow, of Fitchburg, Mass., and was admitted to the bar in 1856. He at once came west and located in Madison, Wis., forming a partnership with Hon. Myron H. Orton, which continued until the outbreak of the Civil War. He had been elected alderman of the city of Madi- son in 1861. He was captain of the Madison Guards, a volunteer organization which had been formed in the winter of 1857-58. Its services had been tendered to Governor Randall as early as Janu- ary 9, 1861, and this tender was accepted by April 16, 1861. being the first company accepted in Wisconsin for active service. It was assigned as Company E of the First Wisconsin Volunteer In- fantry and participated in the battle of Falling Waters. Mr. Bry- ant served three months as captain of this company, and afterwards three years as colonel of the Twelfth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. From July 21, to November 4, 1864, he commanded the First brigade, Third division of the Seventeenth army corps,-"a brigade, which was never driven from a position, and never failed to take one when ordered." When mustered out of service in November, 1864, he was very ill, and in his own words, he "hardly expected to reach Madison alive." He returned to his farm near Madison and engaged in raising fine blooded stock. He is a well known to breeders of horses and cattle, especially through his fre- quent articles in the agricultural press upon the origin and worth of the "Morgan" and "Clay Pilot" horses. He served twelve years as judge of Dane county ; was state senator, 1875-76, and member of the assembly, 1899-1900; in 1878 became secretary of the Wis- consin state agricultural society, and served for five years; was a delegate to the national Republican convention in 1880, where he was one of the "306" who remained steadfast to General Grant; was quartermaster-general with the rank of brigadier-general for s'x years, during the terms of Governors Ludington and Smith. He has been a delegate to many state and other conventions, and in the Republican state convention of 1890 nominated Gov. Wm. D. Hoard. He has been a member of the Republican state central committee for many years, and for several years its chairman. In 1882 he was appointed postmaster of Madison by Pres dent Arthur, when he established the free-delivery system and raised the office from the second to the first class; he was appointed to the same position under President Harrison. Since 1900 he has been state superintendent of public property.
General Bryant married Sus'e A. Gibson, a native of Fitchburg,
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Mass., September 2%, 1858, and they are the parents of three chil- dren : Hattie E., George E., and Frank H. As a citizen he com- mands universal respect, as one who has been faithful to every trust imposed,
Sivert Bryngelsen, a retired farmer of the village of McFarland, was born in Alräen near Bergen, Norway, December 3, 1828. His parents, Bryngel and Martha Bryngelsen, were both natives of Norway. Five of the father's brothers were in the Swedish war and Sivert was named after one who lost his life in that contest. In 1855 Sivert came to this country and though he claimed Mil- waukee as his home from 1855 to 1866, he spent most of the time as a sailor on the lakes. At the end of that time he came to Dunn township and located on his present place. Eighty-five acres of land which he purchased bordered on Lake Waubesa. He has platted his property and sold several lake-shore lots, realizing handsomely, on his investment. Like so many of his fellow countrymen he be- longs to the Republican party and the Lutheran church. In No- vember, 1859, he married Martha, daughter of Elling Olson and Anna (Sjure) Ellingson Boe Sogn, natives of Norway. Mrs. Bryngelsen first saw the light of day in Norway on September 13. 1830 and received her education in the common schools of her na- tive land. She and two sisters, Gertrude (Mrs. Nesbeth) and Anna (Mrs. Anderson), both living in Minnesota, and a brother Ole, liv- ing in the same place, are the only survivors of a family of nine. To Sivert and Martha Bryngelsen have been born five children,- Brown Marthin, December 30, 1860; Edward Olai, September 18, 1862 ; Anton Marthin, September 28, 1864, married, and employed in a furniture factory in Evansville. Ind. ; Martha Barnelle Serene, March 8, 1869; and Bernert Peter Johann, October 15, 1822, died July 18, 1877.
Sjur Sjurson Bue, a retired farmer of Deerfield. was born in Ber- genst ft, Norway, November 23, 1829. His parents were Sjur Arnson and Ingebor Anderson, natives of the same stift. In 1850 Sjur came to Dane county. After two years of common labor he grew restless and went to Australia. For three years he worked in the gold mines around Melbourne, Victoria, and after getting his stake he started for England and Norway. In 1857 he returned to Wisconsin, married, bought one hundred and twenty acres of land from h's father-in-law and settled down. Here he continued to reside until 1903, when he sold all but a couple of acres, and retired. In February, 1865, Mr. Bue enlisted in Company H. Forty-ninth Wisconsin Infantry. Nine months later the company was mus-
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tered out without having seen any actual service. He has repre- sented his town on the town board several terms as a Republican ; in religion he upholds the tenets of the Lutheran faith. In Novem- ber, 1857, he married Martha, daughter of Andrew and Marthana (Johonson) Enderson, natives of Norway. Mrs. Bue was born October 6, 1838, and was educated in the common schools of Nor- way and the Deerfield schools. Twelve children have blessed this union, only two of whom are now living,-Ingebor Malene, born October 11, 1858, now Mrs. Andrew Brictson of Deerfield, and Sarah Mathena, born November 4, 1860, now Mrs. C. E. Vollin of Jackson county, Wis. The other children were Andrew Sjur, born January 18, 1865, died April 8, 1886 ; Emma Burthea, born Septem- ber 12, 1867, d'ed November 3, 1878; John, born January 8, 1868, died November 6, 1878; Thea Carena, born January 13, 1870, died November 2, 1888 ; Arroen Marthena, born May 29, 1872, died April 11. 1892 ; Hannah Maria, born September 14, 1875, died in Novem- ber, 1878; Albert Julius, born March 29, 1878, died in November, 1878; John Albert, born October 30, 1880 and died the same day ; Hannah, born May 15, 1883, died July 15, 1883 ; and Charles Albert, born June 2, 1884, died June 30, 1884. Mr. Bue has practically cir- cled the globe and tells many interesting tales of his travels.
James Bull is now living retired in a pleasant home in Wingra Park, after a varied career, the greater part of his active life, how- ever, having been devoted to the noble occupation of farming. He was born in Derbyshire, England, on December 3, 1837, and his parents were Isaac and Sarah (Burrows) Bull, also natives of Britain. To these parents were born eleven children, seven of whom are now living, their names and other information concerning them being as follows: Sarah. married William B. Kerr and re- sides in Waukesha county, Wis .; Charlotte is now Mrs. McBean and resides in Pewaukee; Julia married Thomas Kerr and res des in Hartland, Wis .; Wm. Merton resides in Waukesha county ; James is the subject of this review; John resides in Kansas; and Joseph resides in Mason City, Iowa. James Bull, whose name in- troduces this memoir, received his primary education in England and after the migration of his parents to America attended school in Waukesha county, Wis., for a time. The date of the immigra- tion of the family was in 1844, and Waukesha county was its per- manent location, the father purchasing a farm there upon which he resided until his death in 1874. Our subject started his inde- pendent career at the age of eighteen years, first working on a rail- road for about three months, after which he returned home and
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worked for his father on the farm, remaining one year. He then came to Dane county and worked for an uncle near Mt. Horeb one year, after which he went to Rockford, Ill., where he worked as a farm hand for another year. Returning then to Wisconsin he en- tered into a partnership with his brother and together they farmed a rented place for a time, and later our subject went to Burke, where he was employed as overseer for the H. P. Hall dairy, for two years. He then crossed the lake to what is now known as Esther Beach and there worked a farm for two years, and while there helped to plant all the shrubbery, now so pleasant to look upon at Ethelwyn park. From there he moved to Waubesa lake, where he remained three years, and then moved on a farm in the town of Madison, where he remained one year. Returning then to Waubesa lake, he remained one year, after which he again went to Ethelwyn park and worked the farm there for two years. He then purchased the old Harvey farm, which contained thirty-six acres, adjoining Judge Bryant's place in the town of Madison, and re- mained there eight years. In the autumn of 1891 he sold his prop- erty and bought a home in Wingra Park, his being the fourth fam- ily to take up a residence in Madison's beautiful suburb, and he re- sided in this home thirteen years. He then sold his residence and purchased two lots near by, upon which he erected a house, and there he and his good wife now reside in the full enjoyment of a comfortable old age. He planted the first trees in Wingra Park on Grant street. While his career as related has been an active one, he found time to respond to his country's call for men in the dark days of the early sixties. On February 23, 1864, he enlisted in Company I of the Thirteenth Regiment Wisconsin Infantry, as a private and served until September 18, 1865, when he was mus- tered out of service by order of the war department, hostilities having been ended and peace once more established. During his service he participated in the battles of Decatur and Huntsville. Ala., though most of the time was devoted to guard duty, and he also played in the regimental band. Mr. Bull was married on November 25, 1863, to Miss Elizabeth Hindrich, born in Germany, January 14, 1842. Her parents were George and Mary Ann Hind- rich, both natives of Germany; her father dying when she was an infant, her mother afterward remarried and lived in Chicago. Mr. Bull maintains an independent attitude, politically, giving his sup- port to men and measures that meet his conscientious approval, and he and wife are members of the Methodist church.
Dr. James Davie Butler was born in Rutland, Vt., March 15, 1815.
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He was graduated from Middlebury College in 1836, and from And- over Theological Seminary in 1840. A distinguished scholar, and lifelong traveler, he made the first of his many European trips in 1842, at a period when such journeys were far less common than they have since become. He made a pedestrian tour through Ger- many, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Great Britain; met many distinguished scholars during his leisurely trip, and returned late in 1843. He made three subsequent trips to Europe and also journeyed around the world, to the Hawaiian Islands, to Cuba, and his Wanderlust, at one time or another, drew him to most of the known places on the earth's surface, and acquainted him with all manner of men and civilizations. He is said to have been a pas- senger on the first train to Portland, Oregon, over the Northern Pacific road. On his return from his first European trip he was successively pastor of the Congregational churches at Burlington and Wells River, Vt .. South Danvers, Mass., and Cincinnati, O. He was called to the chair of Greek in Wabash College, Crawfords- ville, Ind., in 1854, and in 1858 became professor of ancient lan- guages and literature in the University of Wisconsin, being then in his forty-third year, and Madison remained his home until the time of his death. Many of the older alumni of the university re- call with pleasure Dr. Butler's rare enthusiasm for learning, his sparkling wit, and the remarkable range of his information. He resigned his chair in 1868, and devoted the subsequent years of his long life to travel, study, the ministry and the lecture platform. His extensive travels and his scholarly attainments made him es- pecially successful as a public lecturer. He was of a genial and sociable nature, and few men had a wider circle of friends and cor- respondents, scattered in the four quarters of the globe. He was a prolific writer, being a well known contributor to the pages of the New York Nation, Lippincott's Magazine, Magazine of American History, the Bibliotheca Sacra, the Wisconsin Historical Collec- tions, and numerous other publications, while many of his public addresses have been printed and widely circulated. The long use- ful and scholarly life of Dr. Butler drew to a close in 1905, sur- rounded by his family and numerous friends, when he died at his home in Madison, at the ripe old age of ninety.
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