USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 49
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Burr W. Jones, of the law firm of Jones & Schubring, and one of the leading attorneys of Madison, was born in Evansville, Rock county, March 9, 1846. He is the son of William and Sarah (Pren- tice) Jones, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New York. His father died in 1855 and his mother contracted a second marriage with Mr. Levi Leonard, one of the early settlers of Rock county. There were but two children in the family, the subject of this sketch and one sister who married A. J. Pettigrew, and is deceased. Mr. Jones' early life did not differ greatly from the life of other farmer boys of the period, and his ambitions in the direction of his later career were first stirred while attending the Evansville Seminary, and he then decided to obtain a collegiate education and to enter professional life. That was before the days of luxury in Wisconsin and ambitious boys who desired the advan- tages of a higher education found themselves under the necessity of helping themselves through college, and Mr. Jones was twenty- five years of age when he was graduated from the law school, hav- ing been delayed, like so many students of that time, by staying out a number of terms to teach school. He graduated from the classi cal department of the university the year previous, 1870, and had for classmates, several men who have attained more than ordinary eminence, in the profession of the law. After finishing his law course, Mr. Jones entered the office of Colonel Vilas for a short time, but within the year opened an office of his own in Portage. He soon after returned to Madison and entered the office of Judge Alden S. Sanborn, one of the pioneer lawyers of Wisconsin. This association lasted only a short time and afterward Mr. Jones prac- tice alone until 1874; at that date he formed a partnership with Gen. A. C. Parkinson and later one with F. J. Lamb. He subse- quently practiced alone for some time, until forming his connection with Judge E. Ray Stevens which continued until the appointment of Mr. Stevens to the bench. Mr. Jones has not entered very largely into political life, his political affiliations with the Demo- cratic party in a state largely Republican, as well as his own tastes, which are those of a scholarly gentleman, have probably combined to exclude him from positions in national political affairs which he is eminently fitted to occupy. In 1872, at the very beginning of
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his legal career, he was elected district attorney on the Democratic- ticket and re-elected in 1874. In 1882, he was elected to congress from what was then the third district, a Republican stronghold which was at the time indulging in a party conflict. During his two years of service he demonstrated his ability to fill the position, but a union of the divided Republican forces prevented his return and substituted Robert M. La Follette, although the fact that he- ran far ahead of his ticket spoke for itself of his congressional rec- ord. In 1891, he was elected city attorney and held the office for- some time and was also chairman of the state tax commission for 1897-98. He has served his own party as chairman of the state Democratic convention in 1892 and as delegate to the national Democratic convention in 1896, and has repeatedely declined to act upon other similar occasions. He is an eloquent speaker and his. services have always been in demand above his power to accept for campaign work and other occasions when the persuasive voice. of the orator is needful. Mr. Jones has chosen to place the empha- sis of his legal work along two lines,-primarily, upon the legiti- mate work of the attorney, and the laurels won in his legal battles when the ablest counsel of the northwest have been arrayed against him, have been fairly obtained and well-deserved, for his learning is extensive and accurate, his judgment in legal matters. nearly infallable and his courtesy, under the most trying of circum- stances, unfailing ; secondly,-upon his work as a member of the faculty of the law school, which position, as lecturer on Domestic Relations, on the law of Evidence and on Corporations, he has filled most acceptable for more than twenty years In this connection he has produced a three-volume work on Evidence which is a stand- ard authority. As a man of many interests, Mr. Jones is one of the. leaders of Madison and has identified himself with the city in many ways looking toward the advancement and prosperity of the com- munity in which he ranks among the twenty-five heaviest tax-pay- ers. His literary tastes are those of the student, and lie frequently appears upon the programs of the Madison Literary Club, of which he is a member; and he is one of the most prominent members of his profession, in the city, considered socially. Mr. Jones was mar- ried December 4, 1873, to Miss Olive Hoyt, the daughter of L. W. Hoyt,-one of the early settlers of Dane county, and the sister of Frank W. Hoyt .- a leading banker of the city. She was born in Milwaukee but reared in Madison. One child, Marion B., was born to them. Mrs. Jones was an ideal hostess, and will be especially remembered in this respect by the young men of the law depart .
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ment to whom her hospitality was frequently and delightfully ten- dered ; she was a charter member of the Woman's Club, was inter- ested in all its work and filled for a time the chair of the presiding officer ; she was an active participant in the social life of the city and her sudden death, April 19, 1906, was a shock to the whole com. munity.
Elijah Fred Jones has been the owner of a farm in Bristol town- ship for a number of years. The family is of Welsh origin and Nathaniel Jones, grandfather of Elijah, came from Wales to Utica, N. Y., in 1844. Later he came to Wisconsin and resided in Racine and finally upon a farm near Watertown. Richard Jones, son of Nathaniel, was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, November 22, 1828, came with his father to Utica, and to Wisconsin in 1846. For a time he worked out near Janesville and, upon obtaining one hun-' dred and sixty acres of farm land from the government, he located in Windsor. This farm was enlarged and improved in the course of years until Mr. Jones owned five hundred and forty-four acres, much of it improved by his own labor and care. Mrs. Richard Jones was Jane E. Caradine, who was also a native of Montgomery- shire, Wales. where she was born May 13, 1836. Her father, John Caradine, came to Wisconsin in 1846 and owned a large farm near Albany, W's. He lived there to the great age of ninety-two years. His wife died in Wales. Elijah F., son of Richard Jones, was born in Windsor, Dane county, Wis., July 19, 1861, attended the home schools and the Sun Prairie graded school and graduated from the Northwestern Business college in 1886. Farming always engaged his interests and he accordingly pursued a course of study at the agricultural college of the University of Wisconsin. He owns a well-equipped farm of one hundred and twenty-seven acres in the town of Bristol. turning his attention especially to dairy farming and stock raising. February 17, 1897, he married Miss Mabel Tay- lor, who was born in Bristol, January 27, 1872, daughter of James Taylor, a well.brown resident of Bristol, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere. Mr. Jones is a Republican in political sympa- thy. Besides h's other business interests he is secretary of the Ideal Creamery Co. of Windsor. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are both identified with the Methodist Episcopal church.
Jonathan Jores Congregational preacher and farmer of the vil- lage of Mazomanie, was born in Carmarthen, South Wales, April 3, 1833 His parents were Rov. Dan'el and Ann (Thomas) Jones of Carmarthen, where the father was a Congregational preacher. Daniel
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Jones was the father of eight children, of whom Jonathan was the fourth, and is the only survivor in America. The others were John, Thomas, Mary, Benjamin, Daniel, Elizabeth and David. Jonathan Jones started life for himself at the age of seventeen. In 1851 he started for America. The voyage took twenty-four days, and after landing in New York, Mr. Jones went first to a small town called Minersville, near Pottsville, Pa. In 1854 he entered Western Re- serve University, then situated at Hudson, Ohio, having had his preparation in the subscription schools of the old country. He was graduated in 1858 and the following year came to Mazomanie to teach in an institution which failed before he reached there. For a year he taught a private school and then went into the drug business. This business kept him occupied until he sold out in 1884. At present he is managing a large farm of four hundred and forty acres near Dodgeville, devoting his attention more especially to the dairy business. Politically Mr. Jones is a Republican, but has never aspired to office, though he has worked hard for and always voted that ticket. For the past twenty years he has preached in the Congregational churches of Spring Green and Wyoming and all his life has been active in the work of the Congregational church. His grandfather, after whom he is named, preached for over sixty years in the church in the village where the subject of this sketch was born. Mr. Jones has been twice married ; his first marriage occurred in 1861 to Miss Sarah Ella South- erland, of Bernly, England, who died February 14,' 1884. On April 7, 1886 he was united in marriage to Ellen M., daughter of William and Maria (Benedict) Tredeau, of Pittsfield, Mass. Mr. Tredeau was a native of France, and his wife of Pittsfield, where they both died. Mr. Jones has had no children by either marriage.
Thomas Jones, a wealthy farmer and dealer in real estate in Mount Vernon, is of Welsh descent. His birthplace was Wales and the date June 20, 1838. His parents, John and Jeanette (Williams) Jones, both born in Wales, came to the United States in 1841, landing in Pennsylvania. From there they moved to Beloit, Wis., and thence to Wiota, where they remained four years. Subsequently after four years more spent in farming in the town of Primrose, they settled in Mount Vernon where for many years the father owned and operated a hotel. After closing out his business interests he lived a retired life until his death about 1890. His widow died some ten years later. Thomas Jones received what education the schools of Mount Vernon afforded. About the time of the Civil War he made a trip through the western states of the country, remaining away about one year.
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On his return he became interested in real estate and since that time has been engaged in dealing in it as a diversion from the farm life. Today he is the wealthiest man of his town and pays taxes on more real estate than any other citizen of the vicinity. Politically he is a Republican, but although he is ever ready to lend his influence, finan- cial or otherwise, for the advancement or success of the tenets of his party, he has never aspired to office. In religious matters his con- victions are with the Free-will Baptist society. Mr. Jones never mar- ried. Although not a native of the country he was one of its earliest settlers, and remembers Madison when it was nothing more than a cluster of log buildings, and Indians and wild animals roamed the woods which have now given place to building lots and streets. Of his father's family of four sons and two daughters there is but one sur- vivor besides himself,-a sister, Mary, the widow of Eldred Hale. Mrs. Hale, with her four children, Ada, Laura, Thomas and William, makes her home in Mount Vernon.
Herman O. Jonas, deputy United States marshal, with head- quarters in the Federal building at Madison, is a native of Dane county, where he was born September 23, 1864. He was a son of August Carl and Wilhelmina Dorothy Rica (Gundlach) Jonas, both natives of Germany. The father, who was born March 31, 1823, came to the United States in 1853 and to Madison in 1855, was a merchant tailor. The maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who was a soldier in the body guard of Emperor William, came to this country in 1856, after the death of his wife, settling on a farm near Arlington, Columbia county. Herman O. was the fourth of the five boys in the family. Dr. A. F. Jonas, probably the most renowned sur- geon west of the Mississippi river, is professor of clinical surgery at the Omaha Medical college. He was the founder of the New Metho- dist hospital at Omaha. His wife, who died in 1895, was Miss Metha Helfritz of St. Annsgar, Ia., and was herself a medical practictioner. At one time she was professor of Latin in the University of Iowa. The other two brothers are Frank W. and Benjamin G. who have been engaged in the dry goods business in Madison since 1883. After con1- pleting his educat on, which was such as the schools of Madison af- forded, Herman O. Jonas went into the mercantile business. Twelve years he was in Chicago in a wholesale concern and in 1893 returned to Madison. On July 2, 1900, he was appointed deputy United States marshal for the western district of Wisconsin and has efficiently filled the position since that time. He was united in marriage on August 26, 1900, to Miss Clara E. Edwin of Verona, Dane county. She was the daughter of L: P. and Ella ( Malone) Edwin of Verona, where 31-iii
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Mr. Edwin is superintendent of the county poor farm and asylum. Mrs. Jonas died August 17, 1904, at the age of twenty-nine. She was a member of Christ Presbyterian church, of the Eastern Star, of which organizaton she was an officer, and a graduate of the Whitewater nor- mal school. Before her marriage she had been a teacher and for a time acted as private secretary to her father. She was deeply inter- ested in Sunday school work, and devoted much time to her class. She was a most estimable woman and her loss was deeply felt by all her friends. Mr. Jonas is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Woodmen of the World. He is a man of fine physique, excellent car- riage and a genial manner which makes him many friends.
John C. Kading, who is one of the representative farmers of Cross Plains township, is a worthy scion in the second generation of one of the sterling pioneer families of Dane county. He was born in Springfield township, this county, October 15, 1858, and is a son of John and Mary (Windland) Kading, both of whom were born in Meck- lenburg, Germany, where they were reared to maturity. Both came to America and here their marriage was solemnized. They came to Dane county about 1855, and for several years the father worked by the day, in that township and also in Berry and Springfield townships. In 1868 he removed with his family to Cross Plains township, pur- chasing one hundred and twenty acres of partially improved land, in section 6, and here passing the remainder of his life. He was a Dem- ocrat in his political adherence and was a worthy and valuable citi- zen. He was a member of the Lutheran church, as is also his widow, who now resides in the village of Black Earth, this county. Of the fourteen children the names of those living are as follows : August H. John C., Christian C., Mary, Emma L., William F., Gustave H., Charles W. and Anton 1. John C. Käding, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and was afforded the advantages of the public schools of his native county. For seven years after the death of his father he continued in charge of the home farm, and in 1888 he purchased the place on which he now lives, in section 6, Cross Plains township, not far distant from the old homestead. At one time he owned two hundred and seventy acres, but he has disposed of all but one hundred and fifty acres, which he finds sufficient to demand the maximum efforts he can put forth and adequate to render good financial returns. The farm is under a high state of cultivation, is improved with good buildings and is one of the model places of this part of the county, being devoted to general agri- culture and dairying. Mr. Käding takes a loyal interest in all that
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makes for the wellbeing of the community but is free from all ambi- tion for public office and is independent in political attitude. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. In June, 1888, Mr. Käd- ing was united in marriage to Miss Lena Miller, a daughter of Joachim and Johanna (Weiss) Miller, who were born in Mecklenburg, Ger- many, whence they came to the United States about 1855, being num- bered among the pioneers of Dane county. Mr. and Mrs. Käding have four children: Johanna M., Elma A., Sylvia E., and Leslie, J.
A. J. Kaiser, of Marshall, was born in Lake Mills, Jefferson county, March 11, 1868. His parents were Carl Kaiser, born in 1829, and Henriettta (Gray) Kaiser, born in 1838, both natives of Germany. They came to Wisconsin and settled in Jefferson county in 1856; after living there for twelve years, they came to Medina township, Dane county, and located on a farm south of Marshall, where, in 1876, Mr. Kaiser died. His wife survived him many years, dying in the village of Marshall, in 1902. They had ten children, of whom nine are living. In politics Mr. Kaiser was a Republican, and served in the Civil War, enlisting as a private in Company K, Third Wisconsin Cavalry in 1861. He took part in a number of important engagements, and was discharged in 1864, on account of injuries which he received from his horse fall- ing upon him, and from the effects of which he finally died. Mr. Kaiser's maternal grandfather also served in the war; he enlisted in Company K, Third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, in 1864 and remained in service until the close of the war. He came to Jef- ferson county in the same year with Mr. Kaiser (1856) and re- turned to Germany in 1877 where he died in 1885 ; his wife also died in Germany. A. J. Kaiser was educated at Marshall, finishing his education at the free high school, under Prof. Wm. Hodge. He began his life as a clerk, serving two years in that capacity, first in Marshall and then in Madison, and then in company with his brother, G. L. Kaiser, engaged in the agricultural implement busi- ness ; in 1898 he entered the general mercantile business, which he carries on his own building. In politics he is a Republican, and he is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church and he be- longs to the E. F. U. and M. W. A. He is reckoned among the successful business men of his community. On July 11. 1893, he was united in marriage to Miss Grace Irene Cowan, who was born in Columbia county, April 10, 1876. She is the daughter of Horatio Cowan, born in Massachusetts, May 2 1835, and Cecelia (Narracong) Cowan born in Oneida county, N. Y., June 10, 1844. They have three children, Keith Horatio, born October 29. 1894; Gor-
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don August, born July 27. 1897; Cathryn Grace, born March 9, 1901. Mrs. Kaiser is of Scotch ancestry. Nelson Cowan, a native of Scotland, in company with two brothers, came to the United States and settled in Massachusetts, where he married Miss Alida Blue. They made that state their residence until their death. Their son, Horatio, father of Mrs. Kaiser, came to Columbia county, Wis., about 1856, and to Marshall in 1891 ; he was a shoe- maker by trade, and was in business in Lodi for many years. He was a successful business man. a Republican and a member of the fraternity of Free Masons. His wife belonged to the Presbyterian church. Mr. Cowan died in Marshall in 1892. Mrs. Kaiser's ma- ternal grandfather, Jonas Narracong, was a native of New York state. He was born in 1846, came to Jefferson county, Wis., in 1846, and settled at Watertown ; he helped to build the mill there and operated it for five years. From Watertown he went to Lodi, in 1854, and followed his business there for many years. His last move was to Black River Falls where he died. His wife was Sallie Ann Hunt, who died in Lodi. They had four children, all living. The father of Jonas Narracong was David Narracong, a native of New York. He was also a miller; he came to Lodi in 1854, and died in Sauk county.
Gustavus L. Kaiser, son of Carl Kaiser, was born in Lake Mills, Jefferson county, July 21, 1859. His earliest instruction was re- ceived in the common schools of Lake Mills ; he afterward attended the Marshall academy and the Waterloo high school. His busi- ness life began at Lake Mills, where he was engaged in the selling of agricultural implements for Charles A. Kuhl. In 1888, he be- gan in the same business for himself, which he has conducted with marked success. He owns his home in Marshall with two acres of land about it, and the buildings in which he carries on his busi- ness. In politics he is a Republican, and has held the offices of supervisor of Medina township and as a member of the Medina high school board for three years; he has also acted as health of- ficer for two years. He and his wife attend and support the Methodist Episcopal church. He married, October 23, 1884, Miss Laura N. Parsons, who was born in 1862 in the town of Medina. She is the daughter of William K. and Anna (Hart ) Parsons ; he is a native of Pennsylvania and his wife of England. They settled in Marshall, where Mrs. Parsons died in 1883, and where Mr. Par- sons still makes his home. Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser have one son. Carl William, born November 17, 1885, who is now a student at the University of Wisconsin.
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George Kalbfleisch has a well improved and most beautifully situated farm of forty acres, in Blooming Grove township, the place being one of those valuable tracts which touch the shores of Lake Mo- nona and lying not far distant from the beautiful capital city of the state. The subject of this sketch has been a resident of Dane county for half a century, and is thus entitled to be designated as a pioneer. He has gained a competency through his own energy and application in the years past, and is now living practically retired, as he is near- ing the age of four score years. Mr. Kalbfleisch is a native of Ger- many, having been born in the province of Hessen, Germany, March 2, 1828, and being a son of Johann and Elizabeth (Trivet) Kalbfleisch, both of whom passed their entire lives in Hessen, the father having been a man of prominence and influence in the community and having served as mayor of his home village for twelve years. The subject of this review was afforded the advantages of the excellent schools of his native land. He was reared to manhood in huis fatherland, where he remained until he had attained to the age of twenty-seven years, when he decided to immigrate to America, starting forth with no knowledge of the English language and with but a mere pittance in the way of money. He reached the shores of the new world in the year 1855, working on shipboard to defray the expenses of his passage. He bravely faced the problem which confronted him upon his arrival in the United States and a few months later he was mar- ried. This action is one which he considers as one of the wisest ever charged to his credit, for he gained the affectionate co-operation of a loyal and able companion, whose presence has cheered and sustained him during the period of more than half a century which has indi- cated their wedded life. Mr. Kalbfleish's first employment after his arrival was that of a common laborer, and he thus continued to apply himself for three years, in the meanwhile gaining a knowledge of the language of the country and the methods and manners of the people. He took up his residence in Dane county, Wisconsin, in the same year which marked his arrival in America, and after three years of strenu- ous labor and most careful economy and frugality he was enabled to purchase a home in Madison, then a mere village. This home was lo- cated in what is now the sixth ward of the city. A few years later he removed the original dwelling from the lot and erected a new and com- fortable residence, which continued to be his home until 1867, when he traded the place for the farm where he now lives. He is now one of the substantial citizens of the county and all that is represented in his material success has been gained entirely through his own efforts and the assistance of his faithful wife. They are possessed of the most
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sterling characteristics, and have the high regard of all who know them. Mr. Kalbfleisch is a man of strong character, has always been temperate and industrious and has been a zealous supporter of relig- ious work and all good objects. He and his wife are devoted mem- bers of the German Lutheran church, and he has assisted in erecting three church edifices, having donated hundreds of dollars in the sup- port of religious and other worthy causes. In politics he is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, but he has never sought or held public office. November 18, 1855, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kalbfleisch to Miss Mary Elizabeth Long, daughter of George and Elizabeth Long, who were born in Germany, as was also the dauglı- ter. Of the five children of this union the following data are prop- erly entered: Barbara, born November 4, 1856, is the wife of Charles Hemmer, a successful grocer of Milwaukee; George, born December 29, 1862, is married and is a prosperous farmer of Blooming Grove township, residing near the parental homestead; Henry, who was born in 1865, was found dead on the ice on Lake Monona, March 21, 1901, the presumptions being that he was murdered; Ella is the wife of Frank Manacon, of Crookston, Minnesota; and August, the youngest, is married and resides with his parents, having charge of the home- stead farm.
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