USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 38
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time being represented in about fifty dollars in gold: At that period gold still commanded a premium in the United States, but as he was not aware of this fact and was not familiar with local customs, he failed to realize the advance which due him on ex- changing his gold for the currency of the country. From New York Mr. Hansen made his way to Chicago and thence to Madison. making his advent in Wisconsin's capital city on September 12. 1870, and securing work as a day laborer on the construction of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, whose line was at that time being extended into Madison. Young Hansen had not been ac- customed to wielding a shovel, and his hands showed a full com- plement of well developed blisters ere he had worked long in his new field of endeavor, but he persisted in his efforts until some- thing better offered. He finally secured work at his trade, enter- ing the employ of T. E. Bird. of Madison, with whom he remained until the spring of 1873, after which he was engaged in work, for short intervals, in Rockford and Chicago, Ill., and Janesville and Baraboo, Wis., returning to Madison in 1874 and engaging in busi- ness for himself, as designated in the earlier part of this article. It is most gratifying to note the success which has resulted from his earnest and well directed endeavors, his factory being now one of the largest of the sort in this section of the state, while his repu- tation as a business man and as a loyal citizen: is of the highest. His career has been a somewhat varied and eventful one, but he has pressed steadily forward to a definite goal and has gained that independence and prestige which such application and worthy effort ever justify. In politics Mr. Hansen gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and he always manifests a deep interest in the civic and material welfare of his beautiful home city, though never seeking office of any description. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. October 30, 1875, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hansen to Miss Margaret Wil- son, who was born and reared in Dane county, Wis., being a daugh- ter of Thorbjon Wilson, an honored pioneer of this part of the state. The children of this union are three in number, -- Harry E., Daisy E., and Clarence S., the sons being associated with their father in business, as already noted. and being numbered among the prominent and popular young business men of the capital city. The children belong to Grace Episcopal church.
Henry Drury Hanson, Jr., the editor of the Oregon Observer, was born April 18, 1862, in Dunkirk, Dane county. His father Henry D. Hanson, Sr., was born in Lincolnshire, England, and came to the Uni-
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ted States in 1851, when twenty-one years old. His mother Sarah (Fillingham) Hanson, was also English by birth, and came to this country a year later. Mr. Hanson stayed for a few months in the vicinity of Buffalo, N. Y. and then came on to Rock county, Wis., where he became acquainted with his wife; they settled in Dunkirk, and bought sixty acres of land there, which he still owns and has in- creased to one hundred acres. Mrs. Hanson died July 20, 1904, after the family had, moved to Stoughton, where Mr. Hanson still resides. Henry D. Hanson, Jr., is one of a family of eight, three sons and five daughters, all of whom are living except one daughter. He was edu- cated in Hanerville school, and later attended Milton college. He was only sixteen when he started out for himself, and worked by the month for two years, and then attended Milton college for three; in March, 1884, he bought out a one-half interest in the Oregon Ob- server, and six months later his partner sold to E. B. Owen, and the firm was Hanson & Owen until July, 1885, when Mr. Hanson pur- chased the entire interest. The Observer is Republican in politics, and during his management of it, Mr. Hanson has built up the circulation from three hundred to one thousand subscribers, beside increasing the size of the paper. Mr. Hanson is a member of the Presbyterian church ; he was married June 16, 1897, to Miss Mabel Johnson, daughter of C. D. and Lucy Johnson, of Oregon village. Mrs. Hanson was born in Dunn township, and was a teacher in the Oregon schools before her marriage ; she has since served three years on the board of education. Mr. Hanson has served on the village board and as village treasurer. several times. . He is a Royal Arch Mason, and belongs to the I. O. O. F., the Modern Woodmen and the Eastern Star. Mrs. Hanson also belongs to the Eastern Star and is serving the second year as matron.
Fred P. Harmon, postmaster of Belleville, was born in the town of Montrose, Dane county, August 15, 1857, the son of Ezra and Laura Ann (Smith) Harmon, both natives of Rupert, Vt., and belong- ing to old New England families. They were married in their native state and came to Wisconsin about 1850, remaining for a year in Exeter, Green county ; the following year they came to Montrose township, Dane county, where Mr. Harmon bought a farm and en- gaged in farming until the time of his death, in 1870, at the age of fifty-four. Mrs. Harmon survived her husband thirty-five years, passing away in 1905 at the ripe old age of cighty-three years. They rcared a family of four children, viz., DeWitt, who served in Company H. Wisconsin volunteer infantry, during the Civil War; he returned from the army sick and died about a month after reaching home;
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George F., of Paoli; Fred P., the subject of this sketch; Mary V. married Arthur Cady, of Detroit, Mich. Fred P. Harmon was reared in his native town, in the public and private schools. He spent his boyhood on the farm, and after arriving at manhood followed that vo- cation until 1885. The homestead, which he had purchased, he sold at that time, and in 1887 went into the business of butchering, which he followed until 1901. On May 2, 1903, he received the appointment as post-master of Belleville, a position which he has occupied up to the present time. In 1882, he was married to Miss Louise, daughter of Jacob Moss, (deceased,) of the town of Montrose, and one of the early settlers. Mr. and Mrs. F. P. Harmon have a family of seven children, Myrtie; Dora M .; Dewitt D .; Hazel; Lucille; Loyd; Mildred. Mr. Harmon's political affiliations are with the Republican party, and he has served as the assessor of Belleville and the town of Montrose.
The Harnan Sisters are the proprietors of the largest private hotel in the city of Madison, and as a select boarding place, their establishment is widely and favorably known. Being located at No. 122 West Washington Avenue, but a few steps from the Capi- tal Square, and with accommodations of the best, it ranks as a leader among the private hostelries of the city and receives an extensive pat- ronage from people of culture and refinement. The sisters who con- duct this model boarding place are the daughters of John and Mar- garet (Bergen) Harnan, both of whom were born near Dublin, Ire- land. After their marriage in the Emerald Isle the father and mother came to the United States about fifty years ago and first established their home near Pottsville, Pa., where for a number of years Mr. Harnan had charge of a coal mine. He then moved with his family to Wisconsin and located in Iowa county, near the village of Arena, where he purchased land and followed the occupation of a farmer during the remainder of his life. He died at Arena abont 1891, and his wife passed away in Madison in 1901. They were the parents of four children: Mary is the widow of Thomas Cass, and she with her sister, Dora, who is the second in order of birth, are the proprie- tors of the Harnan Hotel: John M. was graduated from the law depart- ment of the University of Wisconsin, and is now practicing his profes- sion in Colorado Springs; and Margaret, the youngest of the children, resides with her sisters. Thomas Cass, the husband of Mary (Harnan) Cass, died in 1894, no children having been born of the union. The Harnan sisters came to the capital city about 1885 and were employed in different hotels for a number of years, thus gaining a practical knowledge of the business, which has been of much value to them in
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the successful management of their own establishment. The fine building which they occupy was built under their personal direction, and in 1897 they opened the hotel, receiving a good patronage from the beginning, and the place has steadily grown in popularity under their careful management ever since. The religious faith of the sis- ters is expressed by membership in the Catholic church.
Gen. Henry Harnden, one of the most widely known among Wis- consin's heroes of the Civil War, inherited from a long line of hardy and courageous ancestors the qualities which made him con- spicuous in an epoch which especially brought into notice men of brave and rugged character. His ancestors were among the very early settlers of Massachusetts, the earliest being Richard Harnden. General Harnden's father, Jonathan Harnden, the fifth of the Ameri- can line, was born in 1786 and his grandfather, Benjamin Harnden, born 1740, was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. Other members of the family also bore a notable part in that struggle for independence. On the maternal side there is a family history of sea- faring people, which accounts for Henry Harnden's five years of experience as a sailor. He was born at Wilmington, Mass., March 4, 1823, and received his early education in the schools of his native town. He escaped from the monotony of life in a mill town when he was eighteen years of age and sailed in a vessel bound for the coast of Africa. Before his return he made two trips around Cape Horn, visited many points on the west coast of South America, and landed once on the site of San Francisco, (1839) getting a glimpse of that California which Dana made familiar in his "Two Years Before the Mast." At the time of his return home the Mexican War was in progress and he followed the call of the adventurous in his blood to that scene of action, witnessed the debarkation of General Taylor's troops and assisted in the removal of the wounded of the battle of Palo Alto to New Orleans. Upon his return to Massachusetts he married, in 1848, Miss Mary Lightner, of Bos- ton, and two years later joined the army of gold-seekers who were wending their way across the continent to California. Upon this journey his party had several encounters with the Indians and other thrilling adventures. Soon after his return from this expedition, in 1852, he and his wife migrated to Wisconsin, settling in the town of Sullivan. Jefferson county, where he remained for a number of years, although at the breaking out of the Civil War he was operat- ing a mill at Ripon. He promptly responded to the call for volun- teers, closing up his business and advising his employes to follow his example in offering their services to their country; and it is
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upon record that they did so without exception. Henry Harnden enlisted as a private in Company D, First Wisconsin Cavalry, July 15, 1861, and was soon after promoted to the position of sergeant. On January 1, 1862, he was promoted to the position of captain of Company L. The history of the First Wisconsin Cavalry is Gen- eral Harnden's war history, and the esprit du corps which is so fre- quently commended in the official reports of its action was largely due to the fact that it contained a few men of General Harnden's type, the fervor of whose intrepid spirit commuicated itself to the whole body. One historian speaks of the advance of the First Wisconsin as "a line of glittering steel that came upon the enemy like the wind ;" Gen. R. B. Mitchell says in less picturesque phrase, "The First Wisconsin Regiment is, by long odds, the best regiment in the division at skirmishing." Another charge in which General Harnden was the leader is recorded as "the most brilliant of the campaign." The First Wisconsin Cavalry was assigned first to Camp Benton, St. Louis, and later to Cape Girardeau, and their early history was connected with the movements of the war in Missouri and Arkansas. At Scatterville, July 10, 1862, Company L under the command of Captain Harnden, attacked and routed a detachment from Colonel Allen's command, capturing some and putting the rest to flight. The regiment suffered greatly from disease during its stay in Missouri, at one time, Captain Harnden being in command, but three officers and sixty men were able to ride. In 1863 the regiment was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland. General Rosecranz writes under date of June 9, "The First Wisconsin will be here (Murfreesborough, Tenn.,) by Saturday," and from that time until the close of the war it is identi- fied with that army, and participated in all its marches and battles. The official records, as a rule, are not greatly given to compliment- ary phrasing, yet in those covering this period General Harnden is repeatedly noticed for gallant conduct in action. "On the 26 (23) five companies of the regiment (First Wisconsin) and a portion of the Fourth Indiana Cavalry charged a brigade of Confederate cavalry near Burnt Church routing them
There Captain Harnden was severely wounded while gallantly lead- ing the charge." Similar commendations which the limits of this article forbid quoting may be found repeatedly in the official docu- ments. The Wisconsin Roster briefly sums up General Harnden's war record as follows: "Enlisted. Rome, Jeff. Co., private. Q. M. Serg. Promoted Capt. Co. I, January 1, 1862. Wounded, May 23, 1864, at Burnt Hickory, Ga. Promoted Major, May 24, 1864.
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Wounded, April 16, 1865. Brevet General, U. S. Vol., March 13, 1865." This brief record covers four years of service, over thirty engagements, several severe wounds and a general line of conduct as a soldier that carried him from the position of private to that of brigadier general. Any person can read between the lines the full meaning of this record. The memorial presented to Mrs. Harnden by the G. A. R. upon the death of her distinguished husband per- haps expresses as well as so brief a document can the place, which General Harndon held in public esteem and in the hearts of his comrades of the field.
"Brig. Gen. Henry Harnden, late Commander of the Department of Wisconsin, G. A. R., enlisted as a private in the First Regiment, Wis- consin Cavalry, August, 1862. He passed with conspicuous merit through the office of corporal, quartermaster, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, lieutenant-colonel, colonel to that of brevet brigadier general. He distinguished himself during his military service on very many oc- casions. In the spring of 1862, at the head of less than two hundred men he charged a largely superior force of the enemy, at Scatterville, in Missouri, capturing a large number of prisoners and a large quantity of munitions of war. At the battle of Burnt Hickory, he made a bril- liant attack with a force of about six hundred upon body of Confed- erates numbering several thousand, driving them into confusion and defeat. Though badly wounded, he bade his men 'Go on' and not mind him. He participated in over thirty battles and was wounded several times ; yet amid it all no man ever saw him flinch for a moment from the discharge of any duty involving the honor of a soldier or the responsibility of a commander. The various names by which he was called by the troops in his command such as 'Old Puritan,' 'The Fighting Captain', and 'Old Honesty', bespoke the profound faith and regard in which he was held by the men who placed their lives and the honor of their country in his keeping. The famous General McCook repeatedly selected him for the execution of the most danger- ous and difficult expeditions and gave frequent expression to his con- fidence in Gencral Harnden's bravery, coolness and remarkable trust- worthiness. The crowning glory of his long and arduous military ca- reer was the capture of the fleeing president of the confederacy, Jeffer- son Davis. At the close of the war he retired to his farm covered with well-carned renown and enshrined in the affection of every man who had served with him. One year ago his comrades of this department selected him with great unanimity as their commander. He was old and onfeebled with wounds, yet he gave to this new expression of their trust the same full measure of devotion and adherence to duty that had
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so richly characterized his whole life. His heart beat high and warm for his old comrades and he entered upon the discharge of his duties with the most inspiring zeal. In March last he obeyed the summons of the Great Commander to 'come up higher'. His death was in full keeping with the brave life he had led, and he was followed to his grave by a guard of honor from his old regiment and a large concourse of mourning friends. In this brief and inadequate recital of a few inci- dents in the life of a brave and self-sacrificing patriot and citizen, we are deeply impressed with the high standard of patriotic and political duty which governed his life. Men like General Harnden stand forth as grand expositors to the youth of our country of the value of Amer- ican institutions. He was a product of those institutions and gladly made every sacrifice in their defence. We, his comrades, cherish his memory and deeply mourn his death. To his family we extend the sincere sympathy of men who knew him when 'tried by fire' and who glory in the fact he was never found wanting." Although General Harnden was, perhaps, best known to the general public in connection with the dramatic episode of his capture of Jefferson Davis, yet that was but one of a long succession of thrilling incidents connected with his varied career. General Harnden's account of the capture, pub- lished in 1898, in a dainty little volume, is an important historical doc- ument in the consideration of the closing events of the war. Upon his return from the field he entered actively into the interests of civil life ; he was elected a member of the assembly from the third district of Jefferson county, and in the legislature of 1867 was chairman of mil- itary affairs. He was appointed by Governor Fairchild as one of the trustees of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home and was financial agent of the board. He was appointed United States assessor of the second col- lection district of Wisconsin and later United States collector of in- ternal revenue, which latter office he held for ten years. His later life was spent in Madison. His death occurred March 17, 1900, and he is survived by his wife and three daughters, Mrs. W. E. Main. Mrs. Rhoda Clark and Miss Flora. One daughter, Laura, passed away be- fore her father. The personal characteristics by which General Harnden will be remembered by his intimate friends include a wonder- fully genial and kindly nature, which is not often found in connection with the strong will and indomitable purpose which made him a great commander. Many men have encircled the globe but few are able to reproduce for the pleasure of their friends the life of other lands with the vividness which characterized General Harnden's narratives. He was par excellence, a story-teller, and as such will long be remembered in the social circle and by the camp-fire of his comrades, as in the
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larger world his memory will be revered for the greater deeds in the defense of the institutions of his country.
Louis A. Harrison, the able and popular manager of the Brit- tingham & Hixon Lumber Company at McFarland, is a native son of Dane county, where he has pased practically his entire life thus far. He has gained success by determined and legitimate effort, having been dependent upon his own resources from his boyhood days. He was born in Dunn township, July 10, 1863, and is a son of Osman and Anna (Ottum) Harrison, both of whom were born and reared in Nor- way, while they were numbercd among the early settlers in Dane county, the father having been a woodworker by vocation. Louis A. Harrison early learned the lessons of practical industry, having com- menced to work and aid in his own support when but ten years of age, while his educational advantages were limited to a brief and irregular attendance in the public schools. The only financial assistance he has. ever received from his boyhood days to the present was an inheritance of seventy-five dollars from his father's estate. He has worked his way upward on the ladder of success and is to-day in charge of im- portant industrial interests, while he is also the owner of a good farm, in Blooming Grove township, in the immediate vicinity of McFarland. He resides on his farm, which is well improved and under effective cultivation, and his wife is the owner of an adjoining tract, making the place a very desirable one. For a number of years Mr. Harrison followed the vocation of draftsman and builder, having erected many bu'ldings in this part of the county, and for the past six years he has been manager of the business of the Brittingham & Hixon Lumber Company, which controls a large business. Mr. Harrison is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, is a member of the Order of Beavers, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Norwegian Lutheran church. In 1883 Mr. Harrison was united in marriage to Miss Betsey Swenson, who was born May 11, 1861, being a daughter of Swen and Segne Sundwick Swenson, who are now residents of North Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have eleven children, whose. names, with respective dates of birth, are as follows : Hatt'e, March 16, 1884; Tillie, February 9, 1887; Oscar, January 12, 1889 ; Willie, Jani- ary 31, 1891 ; Adolph, March 9, 1894; Laura, September 6, 1896; Hazel and Hester, twins, July 25, 1898; Oden, September, 1899; Idilla, September 2, 1901 ; and Luclla, June 29, 1904.
David Harrop, retired, of the village of Mazomanie, was born in Cheshire, England, January 20, 1825. His parents, Jolin and Ann (Murrissey) Harrop, were both natives of Cheshire, where John Harrop worked at his trade of mining, (three hundred feet under
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the ground) and in later life took to farming. They had eight chil- dren, two of whom died in infancy. The others were Harriet, Anna, Abram, John, Ann and David. The last is the only member living. David was educated in the church schools of England and there learned the tailor's trade. After a service of seven years he came to America, landing in Boston and going from there directly to Mazo- manie, where he arrived June 16, 1845. He was a member of the British Temperance Emigration society, through whose influence he got a farm in Iowa county after he had worked at his trade for a time. He now owns three hundred acres of farm land in Iowa county, be- sides a farm near Mazomanie village. Politically he is a Republican, but has never aspired to office. Mr. Harrop is a striking example of Christian manhood and a devout member of the Congregational church. His father and mother were both Methodists. On March 2, 1845, he married Mary, daughter of Robert and Martha Gorst, both natives of Cheshire, England. Robert Gorst was one of the founders of the British Temperance Emigration society. To David and Mary Harrop were born eight children, four of whom are now living; Martha Ann, wife of Frank Wilson, Iowa county, Ia .; John, manag- ing a farm and a mill in Arena, Wis .; Sarah Ellen, proprietor of the Hotel Cumberland, Cumberland. Wis .; and Wesley, farming the old homestead farm. Mrs. Harrop died November 10, 1905. The chil- dren all received the best education the schools of the vicinity afforded.
William Hartwig, an industrious and successful farmer of the town of Deerfield, was born in Blomberg, Germany, October 24, 1857. He was one of four children of William and Minnie (Plot) Hartwig, natives of Germany. His education was rather limited, being only what the public schools of the Fatherland offered, and the three years of soldier's life required of every German citizen. William's service was from 1877 to 1880. In 1882 he came directly to Wisconsin from the old country. For five years he worked as a farm hand; three years more he worked tobacco land on shares; two years longer he rented a farm and then he bought the farm of one hundred and two acres which is now his home. Politically he is independent; religiously he is affiliated with the German Lutheran church. On September 14, 1882, he married Mary, daughter of Christian Blanck, a native of Germany. Mrs. Hartwig was born May 8, 1859. Ten children were born of this marriage,- Hernian, August 22, 1883; Ida, April 29, 1885; Otto, April 2. 1887; Addie, October 23. 1888 ; Albert, December 22, 1891 ; Amelia. Janu- ary 26, 1893; Ella, May 23, 1895 ; Walter. June 11, 1897; Rudolph, July 3, 1899 ; and Willie, January 22, 1902. Mr. Hartwig started to
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