USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 16
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100
Chandler B. Chapman, president of the Southern Land Company and vice-president of the Oriana Stave Mill Company of Virginia, 11-iii
162
HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.
was born in Madison, December 15, 1870. His parents were Gen- eral Chandler P. and Sarah E. (Turner) Chapman, the former a na- tive of Ohio, and the latter of Jefferson county, Wis. Chandler B. Chapman for three years attended the University of Wisconsin with the class of 1891. For a time after leaving college he was em- ployed in the office of the city engineer, and then went into the abstract office with his father. In 1900 he gave up the abstract business and removed to Williamsburg, Va., where he had pur- chased several farms. In 1903 he returned to Madison and has made his home here since. During the Spanish-American War Mr. Chapman was first lieutenant and adjutant of the First bat- talion, First Wisconsin Infantry, and was also ordinance officer for that regiment. The troops were at Jacksonville, Fla., some four months, during which time the First Wisconsin lost seventy- six men through sickness. Mr. Chapman married. on June 18, 1896, Miss Frances Bunn, a native of Sparta, and daughter of Judge Romanzo Bunn. To this union was born one child, Sarah, who died in August, 1900, at the age of two years. Mr. Chapman be- longs to the Chi Psi college fraternity and he and his wife are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church.
Chandler Pease Chapman was born in Bristol, Trumbull county, Ohio, February 13, 1844. He came to Madison with his parents, Dr. Chandler Burnell and Mary (Pease) Chapman in 1846 and re- sided there until his death May 12, 1897. In 1861, at the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the Civil War as private in Company D, Sixth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and was appointed hospital steward under his father, the surgeon of the regiment. Having been discharged for disability in 1862, he returned to Madison and engaged in newspaper work. Later he became proprietor of the Dane county abstract office in which business he remained the rest of his life. Considering a thorough knowledge of law important to his success in his business he prepared himself for the state examination and was admitted to the bar. His study of probate and real estate law was especially thorough and his opinion on any point of law in these branches was especially sought after by most members of the Madison bar. He was prominent in the order of Free Masonry, a leader in the Presbyterian church, an active cur- ator of the Historical Society and recognized on the board of sup- ervisors and in other fields of civic usefulness as an energetic. clear-headed, public-spirited worker with whom it was an inspira- tion to be associated. He achieved his widest reputation, however, in connection with the Wisconsin National Guard which he re-or-
4
163
BIOGRAPHICAL.
ganized and placed on a footing equal in many respects to that of any state in the Union. His service in the state militia began in 1819 as captain of the Lake City Guard. In 1881 he became assist- ant inspector general (with rank of lieutenant colonel). January 2, 1882, under Governor Rusk, he was appointed adjutant general (with rank of brigadier general) and continued in this same office until January ?, 1889. The great work which he did in this capa- city is thus described by his successor Gen. Charles King in an arti- cle published in Outing (Volume 18, pages 34-112) under the title of "The National Guard of Wisconsin." "It was Chapman who moulded the scattered battalion and companies into regiments each in its own district; Chapman who strove from the outset to eradi- cate all the old militia parade ideas and to bring the Guard to a business basis ; Chapman who chose the regular army as the stand- ard for Wisconsin soldiery; and who first brought regular offi- cers in as instructors and 'Coaches' of the raw command. It was he, who little by little, weaned 'the boys' from their first loves, the tailed coat and plumed shakos and taught them to be men in the regulation dress of the regular service. It was he who de- vised the methods for the rapid mobilization of the Guard ; planned their service, uniform and equipment ; exploded the old inspection system and started the new one; instituted the regimental camps with 'regulars' as drill master and coaches; originated the annual conventions and has presided over their deliberations from that time to this (1891), and it was he who fathered the impulse that made practice with the rifle the most important item in the in- struction of our guardsmen, and who was the leader in the move- ment that secured to our state soldiery the admirable tract of land for our encampments and the rifle ranges pronounced by every ex- pert who has visited them unequalled in the whole country." Few aside from General Chapman's intimate friends realized the diffi- culties that had to be overcome in the re-organization of the Na- tional Guard. The popular idea of the "Militia" was shown plainly by Governor Rusk on an occasion when he was asked to co-operate in an effort to get a much needed appropriation from the legislature. His refusal to help was accompanied by the statement that "a few companies of my old veterans are worth more than the whole National Guard." It remained for the Milwaukee riots in 1885 to prove the value of the National Guard, and in this connection a bit of heretofore unwritten history may be interesting. A few think- ing men had feared a riot for some time, but the large majority believed that the trouble would soon blow over. The governor
·
164
HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.
made a personal investigation at South Milwaukee, and came home with his famous remark, "These men need bread, not bullets." Be- lieving this and perhaps fearing the effect of the order on the popu- lar mind he naturally refused to approve an order for ammunition which General Chapman wished to send in to the Rock Island arsenal. Practically speaking there was no ammunition in the armories; and when the troops were finally rushed in on a night call to save Milwaukee, there was not enough ammunition to serve three rounds apiece to the men. If the rioters had known it they had Milwaukee at their mercy and with this knowledge the scenes that had only a short time before been enacted at Cincinnati would have been repeated, and probably with more violence, at Milwaukee. General Chapman had, however, so firm a belief that there would soon be trouble that when refused permission to order the ammuni- tion that was so sorely needed, he wrote personally to the Rock Island arsenal asking that an ample supply be placed in the ex- press office ready for shipment on telegraphic order. This order was not long delayed, for the trouble in Milwaukee grew more serious, the sheriff became unable to cope with the situation and finally a hurried consultation resulted in a night call for the troops. In a few hours they were pouring into Milwaukee and the law abid- ing citizens breathed easier; but the few who knew the facts in regard to the ammunition supply worried through many anxious hours before the trucks finally rolled in laden with the heavy square boxes that meant so much to the city. It was unquestion- ably this forethought that saved the day, for without this ammuni- tion the troops could not have taken the march and fired the volleys that broke the back of anarchy in Wisconsin. In the autumn of 1892 General Chapman was stricken with paralysis and was there- after an invalid. Although he partially recovered his faculties and spent much time in genealogical research and in his duties as re- corder of the Loyal Legion, his public work was over. The fol- lowing with much of the subject matter of this article was taken from a memorial published in the proceedings of the Wisconsin Historical Society : "He will long be remembered throughout the state as a man of remarkable energy, splendid organizing abilities, marked individuality, yet with a heart as gentle as his career was spotless." In 1866 he was married to Miss Sarah Turner, daugh- ter of Peter H. Turner, a pioneer of eastern Wisconsin. Mrs. Chapman survives him with their daughter, Annie Turner, and son. Chandler Burnell.
Captain William Charleton is now living retired in Madison after
.
165
BIOGRAPHICAL.
a most eventful and useful life spent in agricultural pursuits and as a public official, and also as a defender of the flag during "the days that tried men's souls." He was born at County Armagh. Ireland, October 11. 1831, and is the son of Andrew Donaldson and Constantia (Jamison) Charleton, also natives of the same country. The father removed his family to America in 1843, and then con- tinued his migration westward, intending to locate in the state of Michigan. Being informed that his proposed destination was an unhealthy country he decided to come to Madison, Wis., then the embryotic capital of a future state. On May 4, 1844, he landed with his family at Milwaukee. in which place he remained until July, and then went to Walworth county, locating eight miles east of Whitewater. The father had previously selected a farm there, but it not being as large as he desired he came to Dane county and secured more land. in what is now the town of Verona. When they entered the town of Verona it had not yet been named, and only a few white settlers were to be found within the limits of that congressional township. Those who were there had settled at Verona Corners and were almost unanimously of the type known as Pennsylvania Dutch, although a settlement of Scotch people was found along the Sugar river in the west part of the township. In the town of Verona, William Charleton, whose name introduces this review, grew to manhood. He spent his early life on his father's farm, attended the pioneer institutions of learning, and was able to obtain a very good education. In 1852, having reached the proud age of twenty-one years, he decided to seek a home further west. He walked to Galena, Ill., and there took a boat for St. Paul. The government had just thrown open the Fort Snelling reserva- tion, which now comprises Hennepin county, Minnesota. The gov- ernment's price on the land was $1.25 per acre and Mr. Charleton with many other prospective purchasers, waited at St. Paul. the militia refusing to allow any one to cross the river. Where Min- neapolis now stands there were then but a few small shanties, and the home-seekers remained several weeks waiting to get to the land office-and then were astonished and chagrined to learn that the tract of land had been preempted on the steps of the capitol at Washington, and had been bought by a half-dozen men, who im- mediately raised the price to twelve dollars per acre. Mr. Charle- ton returned to Galena, a sadder and wiser man, and from that place walked home in two days, the distance being eighty miles. He then entered eighty acres of land in the town of Verona (a farm that he still owns) and began improving it. In those early days
166
HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.
there was very little money in circulation, there being nothing but a little gold and silver coin, and it was almost impossible to raise the money with which to pay taxes. Mr. Charleton cut wood and hauled it to Madison, where he sold the same for $1.25 a cord, and then was obliged to take his pay in flour and groceries. Just after the completion of the railroad from Milwaukee to Madison he hauled a load of wheat to the latter place, and he was among the first to patronize the new market. But with all the drawbacks and hardships of those early days, the neighbors were congenial and were ever ready to divide with each other, and Mr. Charleton says that he sometimes regrets that the good old days are gone. In addi- tion to attending and improving his pioneer farm he commenced teaching school in the town of Springdale and followed that occu- pation during a portion of each year until the breaking out of the Civil War. Mr. Charleton enlisted, on November 8, 1861, in Com- pany B of the Eleventh Regiment Wisconsin Infantry as a private. The first engagement in which he participated was on August 2. 1862, at Wilkinson's Plantation in Mississippi. By his soldierly conduct he won the esteem of his superiors and by successive pro- motions he reached the grade of second lieutenant on January 23, 1863, and served as such in the desperate battle of Port Gibson on May 1, 1863, also at Willow Springs, Jackson, Miss., Champion's Hill, Black River Bridge, and throughout the entire siege of Vicks- burg, his company being continually on guard for fatigue duty. During the siege of Jackson that followed the fall of Vicksburg he was very active, and on July 14, 1863, was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. In February, 1864, he re-enlisted as a veteran and took part in all the subsequent service of his regiment until the final assault at Fort Blakeley, Ala., on April 9, 1865, when he was severely wounded while leading his company against one of the fortifications. He was sent to the hospital in New Orleans and four weeks later came to Madison, but he joined the regiment again in August, was promoted to captain of his company on Au- gust 23, and served with his command until mustered out at Mobile, Ala., September 4. 1865. Mr. Charleton then returned home and at the autumn election was chosen as one of the Dane county repre- sentatives in the general assembly, serving during the session of 1866. The following autumn he was elected county treasurer and served two terms, and again in 1875 he was chosen as a member of the general assembly. He also served one term as sheriff of the county, during the years 1878-9. He joined the Republican party when it was first organized in the capitol park at Madison, in July,
167
BIOGRAPHICAL.
1854, and affiliated with that political organization until within the past few years, during which he has assumed an independent posi- tion, supporting men and measures that meet his conscientious ap- proval, regardless of the party guidon they may happen to bear. He has served eighteen years, on the county board of supervisors, having been first elected to that position in 1860, and after the close of the war served continuously until 1828; and was again elected to the same position in 1896. While holding public office at inter- vals he studied law and became very proficient in the knowledge of it, but he never practiced the profession, except to give advice to friends, as he did not like the methods employed in the regular practice. He says, however, that the fault lies more with the cli- ents than with the attorneys, a fact that is quite generally recog- nized. Mr. Charleton remembers well the first church built in the town of Verona, and he attended the first meetings ever held therein. He also listened to the first sermon delivered in the town by Matthew Fox, an uncle of Dr. Philip Fox of Madison, and fre- · quently listened to the latter's father, who was a Methodist mis- sionary. Rev. M. A. Fox organized the first church in what was then known as the "Scotch Settlement" on Sugar river, and the Methodists were organized about the same period. Our subject remembers well one Sabbath when the Rev. M. A. Fox preached. The church was too small for the large audience, so the meet- ing was held out of doors in Mrs. Robinson's yard. While the reverend gentleman was talking one of the good lady's hens flew toward him, and Mr. Fox remarked to Mrs. Robinson, "The Fox has scared your hens." In the Charleton family there were eight children, but only four are now living, one of whom is the subject of this review. Mr. Charleton was married on June 2, 1869, the lady of his choice being Miss Elizabeth Eleanor Fargo, born in Erie county. Pa., April 15, 1837, the daughter of Robert and Eleanor (Randall) Fargo. These parents are deceased, as are also all of their eleven children, Mrs. Charleton having passed away February 3, 1899. As regards the ancestry of Mr. Charleton it was commonly supposed to have been Scotch-Irish, but upon investi- gation it was found that he was Norman-French, his ancestors hav- ing been in the north of Ireland for about four hundred years. and they were there at the time of the Irish conquest. They came to England with William, the Conqueror, and went to Ireland during the reign of Henry the Second, with Strongbow. John Charleton, an ancestor of our subject, was one of the first seventeen members of the Order of the Garter. Six children were born to William
168
HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.
Charleton and wife, of whom Amsley and Eleanor are deceased ; William, Jr., resides at home ; as does also Fannie; and Florence and James are deceased. Mr. Charleton is a member of the Pres- byterian church. He is a member of the G. A. R.
James Willis Chase is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of Dane county, where he has passed his entire life. He is one of the extensive farmers and stock-growers of Bristol township, is the owner of the well equipped grain elevator in the village of Sun Prairie, where he is also interested in the lumber business, and is one of the well known and popular citizens of this section of the county. Mr. Chase was born on the old homestead farm, in Bristol township, this county, September 27, 1852, being a son of Moses and Sarah (Ives) Chase, the former of whom was born in the village of Craftsbury, Orleans county, Vermont, in 1820, while the latter was born in Erie county, New York, in 1830. John Chase, grandfather of the subject of this review, was a scion of a family founded in New England in the colonial days, and he passed the closing years of his life in Orleans county, Vermont, . having been a farmer by vocation. The maternal grandfather, Riley Ives, came from the state of New York to Wisconsin in an early day, settling in Palmyra, Jefferson county, and continuing resident of this state until the close of his life. Moses Chase was reared and educated in Vermont and came to Wisconsin about 1850, settling in Bristol township, Dane county, where he reclaimed a valuable farm, the same being now in the possession of his son, subject of this review. He removed to Spokane, Washington, in 1898, and is there living retired, having acquired a competency. He is a Republican in his political proclivities, and he and his wife have long been members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They became the parents of nine children, and three sons and two daughters are now living. James W. Chase secured his rudi- mentary education in the district schools, after which he attended the high school in Sun Prairie and later was a student in the Uni- versity of Wisconsin for one term. He was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm, and has never abated his allegiance to the great basic art of agriculture, through his identification with which he laid the foundation of his notable success. He now owns two fine farms in Bristol township, the area of his landed estate being five hundred and twenty acres, and he resides on one of the farms, being engaged in diversified agriculture, including the raising of tobacco upon a large scale, and in the raising of live stock. In 1897 Mr. Chase erected the grain elevator in Sun Prairie, and has
.
169
BIOGRAPHICAL.
since conducted the same, his eldest son, Frederick W., being now associated with him in the enterprise, under the firm name of J. W. Chase & Son. Mr. Chase owns a half interest in two tobacco houses and is also engaged in the lumber business in Sun Prairie, as a member of the firm of Chase, Gross & Mann. His homestead farm, on which he resides, is one of the most attractive places in this part of the county, having the best of improvements, including a residence, one of the oldest brick houses in the section, which is located one and one-half miles from Sun Prairie. Mr. Chase has attained marked success as the result of his own well directed ef- forts, being one of the substantial and influential citizens of the county and commanding the esteem of all who know him. In political affairs he is found stanchly aligned as a supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and he served four successive terms as supervisor of Bristol township, while he also served one term as assessor. He has been treasurer of the Bristol Mutual Insur- ance Company during the greater portion of the time since its organization. In a fraternal way he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. His wife is affiliated with the Catholic church. In the year 1875 Mr. Chase was married to Miss Bern- ardina Myer, who was born in Germany, in 1852, being a daughter of Francis and Bernardina Myer, who emigrated from Germany to America and took up their residence in Bristol township, this county, about 1854, here passing the remainder of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Chase have been born ten children, all of whom are living, namely: Frederick W., Edith, Emma, Benjamin, Kate, Philip, Sarah. George, Charles, and Beatrice.
Sidney A. Chase is recognized as one of the progressive business men of the city of Stoughton, where he is a member of the firm of Beattie & Chase, wood and coal dealers. Mr. Chase was born in Rockton, Winnebago county, Illinois, September 30, 1846, be- ing a son of Alonzo F. and Martha A. (Adams) Chase, both of whom were born in New England, where the respective families were founded in the colonial era of our national history. The par- ents came from the state of New York to the west in 1844. locating in Winnebago county, Ill., where the father purchased one hundred acres of land, later disposing of the property and removing to Oak Park, Minn., where he likewise secured property, which he eventu- ally sold, taking up his residence in Wauseon, that state, where he passed the remainder of his life, as did also his wife. Of their two children the subject of this sketch is the elder, his sister, Matilda, being the widow of Charles M. Smith and being now a resident of
170
HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.
Sioux Falls, S. D. Sidney A. Chase was reared to maturity in his native county, where he received a common school education. While still a young man he located at Clinton Junction, Wis., where he engaged in the livery business, in which he there continued six months, after which he was a resident of Evansville, this state, for three years, and of Jefferson for one year. For the ensuing six years he followed various lines of enterprise, in Wisconsin and Michigan, and in 1877 he located in Stoughton, where he again es- tablished himself in the livery business, in which he continued suc- cessfully for fifteen years, after which he was clerk in a local hotel for two years. In 1894 he engaged in his present business of deal- ing in wood and coal. The firm of which he is a member controls an excellent business and is one of the substantial concerns of the sort in Dane county's second city. Mr. Chase was a soldier of the Union during the last year of the Civil War, having enlisted, Au- gust 1, 1864, as a private in Company B, One Hundred and Forty- sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and having been but fifteen years of age at the time. He continued in the service until the close of the war, having received his honorable discharge July 25, 1865. He is a stalwart supporter of the principles and policies of the Re- publican party but has never been ambitious for office, though he served one term as city assessor of Stoughton. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Republic. September 30, 1874, Mr. Chase was united in marriage to Miss Ida M. Simpson, daughter of Robert and Mary J. (Ranney) Simpson, of Yorkville, Michigan, and of this union were born two sons,-Henry, who is deceased, and Frank, who resides in Stoughton.
Andrew Christensen, of Stoughton, is established in a success- ful business as a mason contractor and is a loyal and progressive citizen. He was born in the town of Rudkjobing, Denmark. Aug- ust 11, 1864, being a son of Christ and Annie (Jensen) Hansen, who came to America in 1883, settling in Rutland township, Dane county, Wisconsin, where the father turned his attention to agri- cultural pursuits, in which he continued until his death, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife died at the age of seventy-two years. Prior to coming to America he had followed the trade of shipbuilding. Following is a brief record concerning his children : Rasmus was killed in a railroad accident near Oregon, this county ; Kate is the wife of Hans E. Christensen ; Lena is the wife of Hans Hansen ; Andrew is the subject of this sketch; Peter and Lewis were both sailors and were drowned at sea. Andrew Christensen
1/1
BIOGRAPHICAL.
was reared to the age of nineteen years in his native land, where he received his early educational training. At the age noted he accompanied his parents on their immigration to the United States. In Dane county he learned the trade of plasterer and bricklayer, and he continued to follow the same in Rutland township until 1900, when he located in Stoughton, where he has since been en- gaged in business, having been an independent contractor since 1897. In politics he is arrayed as a supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and in a fraternal relation he is affiliated with Kosciusko Lodge, No. 73, Free and Accepted Masons, and with the local organization of the Woodmen of America. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. February 27, 1900, Mr. Christensen was united in marriage to Miss Augusta Larsen, daughter of Rasmus and Lena (Frederickson) Larsen, of Rutland township, and of this union have been born two children, Vera and Stanley.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.