History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical, Part 5

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

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Lewis Baker, of Waunakee, is a native of Prince Edward's Island, born February 25, 1827. His father, Robert Baker, was born in Baltimore, Md., in 1778 and his mother in Dover. Kent county. Eng .. in 1785. Mr. Baker's paternal grandparents were Quakers, and on account of religious persecution, left Baltimore during the Revolu- tionary War. They found a refuge in Prince Edward's Island,

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

where they reared their family ; there his father married, spent most of his life and died in 1864; his wife, Ann (Moice) Baker died in 1864. In 1812. Robert Baker went to Baltimore, and under an injunction was detained three years. During this time he found employment with his uncle in a shoe factory. He and his wife had eight children, of whom four are living. Mr. Baker's maternal grandparents were Episcopalians. The subject of this sketch re- ceived his education in the common schools of Prince Edward's Island. In 1852 he went to Maine and engaged in the lumber busi- ness. 'Three years later he came to Madison and located at Pheas- ant Branch, where he remained one year and then went to Wood county, where he again engaged in the lumber business. In 1860 he came to what is now Waunakee and settled on eighty acres of land. The village of Waunakee, named by Simeon Mills of Madi- son, was in 1821 platted by Mr. Baker and Mr. George Fish and that part north of Main street was located on Mr. Baker's land. He has increased his acreage to four hundred and has made all the im- provements upon his farm. For the past ten years his son, Theodore W., has been associated with him in farming and the breeding of Aberdeen Angus cattle; he has also for twenty-five years been a breeder of road and carriage horses. While Mr. Baker in an active · Republican, he is not an aspirant to office, but has served on both the school and village boards. He is liberal in his religious views. He was married February 14, 1854. to Mrs. Sophia Taylor, born in Prince Edward's Island 'n 1825, of parents who were resident there. Their children are Emeline, wife or R. B. Parker, of Cleveland, Ohio: Lilly, wife of W. R. Rudd, of St Paul. (deceased, 1899) ; Hattie. died at age of five years ; Theodore W., farmer and in part- nership with his father; Lewis R., a veterinary surgeon and em- ployed by the government ; resides at Kansas city. Kansas. Mrs. Baker, wife of the subject of this sketch, died June 13, 1900.

Loren Baker is a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of the town of Medina and came to Dane county with his parents, Gaylord and Adeline (Sperry) Baker, when he was ten years of age. Gaylord Baker was born in Watertown, Jefferson county, N. Y. in 1821. the son of Stephen and Margaret (Lemon) Baker ; and his wife was born in Ohio, October 18. 1825. Mr. Gaylord Baker was educated in Jefferson county, N. Y. and came to Jefferson county, Wis .. in 1845 and to Medina in 1864. He obtained a farm of one hundred and three acres in Medina township and there his wife still lives. Mr. Baker died in 1902. Six children were born to them, of whom but four are living. Mr. and Mrs. Baker attended the Universalist

BIOGRAPHICAL.

church. Loren Baker was born in Watertown, Jefferson county, Wis., December 13, 1854, attended the common schools in Dane county and the Marshall Academy and assisted his father in the work of the farm, which is now his home. He has a fine farm of one hundred and fifty acres with well-kept buildings and modern improvements. He makes a specialty of fine coach-horses and Dur- ham cattle and carries on a general farming business. Mr. Baker is a Republican, as was his father, but is not active in politics al- though interested in the welfare of the community. In 1888, he married Miss Alice Wood, who was born in the town of York, Dane county, Wis., the daughter of G. D. Wood and Lovina (Van Dass- beck) Wood, who came to Dane county from New York state. Mrs. Wood died in 1881 and Mr. Wood now res des in Portage. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have four children ; Truman, Lewis, Melvina and Hattie. The family received their education in the home schools and attend the Baptist church. Mr. Baker is a member of the local branch of the Modern Woodmen.

Lloyd M. Baldwin, of Belleville, is the son of Julius and Clara (McLaughlin) Baldwin ; the former came to Wisconsin with his pa- rents about fifty years ago ; they came from Canada. settled in Dane county and engaged in farming. Mr. Julius Baldwin still owns the old homestead in Oregon township where his father settled, although he gave up the active management of it a few years since and made his home in the village of Brooklyn. Mrs. Clara (McLaughlin) Baldwin is a native of Ohio, daughter of W. W. Mc Laughlin, who came from Ohio to Wisconsin nearly seventy years ago, when his daughter was a baby. He settled in the townl of Brooklyn, Green county, and there spent his life. He was one of the very earliest of the pioneers who faced the hardships inci- · dent to life in an unbroken forest wilderness, far from a base of supplies, and with only the most rudimentary means of communi- cation and transportation. The difficulties of the situation were increased for him by the death of his wife which occurred before he left Oh o for what was then the new northwest. He was a man who was actively interested in public affairs and was frequently called upon to fill local offices. Mr. L. M. Baldwin is one of a family of seven children. all living except one ; they are Charles. of Madison : Clinton, of Brooklyn ; Lloyd M., the subject of this sketch ; Mimmie married P. A. Haynes, of Brooklyn : Myra, (deceased) ; Boyd. on the old homestead in Oregon ; Daisy at home in Brooklyn. Mr. L. M. Baldwin passed his boyhood on the farm and amid the usual surroundings., advantages and disadvantages of rural life : when he

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

was twenty-one he began life for himself as a clerk in Gray's gen- eral store of Brooklyn. After four years of commercial life he engaged in farming for two years and then returned to his former employment and position, where he remained three years longer ; he again took up farming as an occupation, this time going west and settling in Spink county, S. D. which was his home for eight years, at the end of which he returned to Brooklyn and stayed one year before engaging in his present business as a meat dealer and butcher in Belleville. There he has a finely equipped market, and since beginning his enterprise in 1902 has built up a flourishing trade, not only in the village, but, by means of his wagon, he sup- plies a large demand among the rural population. He was married, first, to Miss May L. Gray, of Oregon, who was born in the town of Brooklyn, Green county. She died in October. 1891. After her death, Mr. Baldwin married Mrs. Rosa Upton, a native of Dane county. They have one child, Harold Lloyd, aged two years. Mr. Baldwin is a member of the M. W. A. and Loyal Americans.

George Baltes, of Dane, is a man whose varied interests have made him a prominent factor in the life of his community from his majority to the present time. He comes of German ancestry. His parental grandfather, George Baltes, and his wife were both natives of Germany; the former, born in 1804, came to Roxbury township. Dane county, in 1847. There he became the owner of a large farm of two hundred acres, where he resided unt'l his death in 1882, and where his wife continued to make her home up to the time of her death. The maternal grandparents came to Springfield township in 1846, where both died of the cholera in 1853. Peter Baltes, father of George Baltes, the subject of this sketch, was born in Germany in 1840, and came to this country with his parents in 1847. He was educated in the common school of Roxbury, and followed the occupation of both the farmer and the blacksmith. He died in 1896, and his wife, Theresa Dahnn, born in Pennsylvania in 1845, (now Mrs. Taylor of Waunakee), and six of his nine child- ren survive him. George Baltes was born May 17, 1867, in the town of Springfield, Dane county, and was educated in the public school at Springfield Corners. He began his independent life as a farmer, and st'll. although his active interests are directed into other lines, owns a farm of two hunded and twenty acres in Columbia county. He followed at different times the occupation of cream-gatherer,- a pursuit developed by the exigencies peculiar to a dairy country,- and that of a saloon-keeper, and for twenty years operated a thresh- ing-machine. At the present time he divides his attention between

BIOGRAPHICAL.

the duties of a hotel-keeper and those of a manufacturer of lumber. Mr. Baltes political affiliations are with the Democratic party, and he has served the public in the capacity of treasurer of Springfield township. He and his family are members of St. Martin's Catholic church. His marriage occurred October 4, 1886, in Springfield, Dane county, to Miss Ationie Raemisch, daughter of Frank and Louise (Ruhl,) Raemisch both natives of Germany and among the pioneers of Mazomanie township, Dane county. Mrs. Baltes mother died in Sauk county, in 1905, but her father is still living and resides in Baraboo. Mr. and Mrs. Baltes have two children, Peter and Henry.

Hon. Charles Valdo Bardeen (deceased), a resident of Madison from his appointment to the supreme bench, February, 1898, until his death, March 20, 1903, was born in Brookfield, Madison county, N. Y., September 23, 1850. Five years later his parents, Rasselas and Maria(Palmer) Bardeen removed to Wisconsin, locating in Dane county, where his boyhood was spent on a farm near the vil- lage of Albion, and his early education was obtained at the district schools. The vicinity of Albion Academy offered the opportunity for the beginning of his higher education and he was graduated from that institution in 1870. Following this he entered the Uni- versity of Wisconsin but was obliged to discontinue his studies on account of failing eyesight, and he went to Colorado where he re- mained for two years, being associated while there with Alva Adams, afterward governor of Colorado. Upon his return to Mad- ison he entered the law department of the university from which he was graduated in 1875 ; he was admitted to practice in the courts of Wisconsin and the United States in June of the same year. His first partner was Roger C. Spooner, youngest brother of Senator John C. Spooner, and they opened their office at Wausau. Carl H. Mueller afterward joined the firm and after the retirement of Mr. Spooner, the partnership was continued until 1877 as Mueller & Bardeen. Following this a partnership was formed with Gen. John A. Kellogg, which lasted until the death of Gen. Kellogg in 1882. In 1883 Judge Bardeen became associated with W. H. Myl- rea, afterward attorney general, and in 1885 Judge Louis Marchetti was added to the firm and this partnership was maintained until April, 1891, when Mr. Bardeen was elected to the position of judge of the sixteenth judicial circuit ; in 1897 he was reelected without opposition, having the support of the entire bar of the circuit for the office. In February, 1898, Governor Scofield appointed Judge Bardeen to a vacancy in the supreme court, occasioned by the death

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

of Hon. A. W. Newman, and in April following he was, without opposition, elected to fill the remainder of the term. He was a mem- ber of the society of Elks, and of the Masonic order, belonging in the latter organization to the Forest lodge, No. 130; Wausau chap- ter, R. A. M. No. 51; St. Omar commandery, K. T. No. 19, and was elected in 1892 grand high priest, R. A. M., of Wisconsin. He was married June 17, 1876, at Albion, Wis., to Miss Frances H. Miller, a classmate of Albion Academy. His wife and three children, Eleanor (Mrs. Maurice Johnson), Charles V., Jr., and Florence, survive him. The first-born, Bessie, died in infancy. Two broth- ers. Alden R. and Henry L., reside in Wausau, one, Claire B., in Milwaukee, and one brother. Frank, and a sister, Mrs. Arthur Yale, in Colorado Springs, where she is a practicing physician. These are the few fundimental facts in connection with the life of a man whose untimely death, in his very prime and in the midst of a most successful career, called forth from the bench, the bar and the press of the state such expressions of sorrow and appreciation as are ac- corded to few men 'n public life. From the superabundance of ma- terial thus supplied it seems difficult to select the fitting expres- sion in which the essence of a man's life and influence may be con- densed, and yet from these many sources,-from public associates and private friends, from official documents and political oppo- nents, from fraternal and society records, from the relations of the intimate family life,-the inferences drawn have a singular unanimi- ty. They agree upon his native ability .- the inheritance of a sturdy New England ancestry,-which built the successful achievements of his later life upon the strong foundation of that personal endeavor which lim ted circumstances necessitated. By sheer force of char- acter, he made his way to the front. They agree in their estimate of him as a student ; while disclaiming genius, as that term is too frequently applied, he is credited with the genius which is the pow- er of concentrated application. A "hard worker," a "close student," a "painstaking student," are terms constantly applied to him. As an attorney the emphasis of his associates is placed upon his thor- ough equipment, his accuracy, his clear-headed, fair-minded hon- esty, his candor and his fearlessness,-some of which qualities any successful attorney must possess, but which are seldom found in such measure and completeness were exhibited in the character of Judge Bardeen. In his official capacity both in the c'rcuit and su- preme court, his judicial temperament was fully recognized and h's opinions were characterized by a clarity, logical sequence, and con- scientiousness that well merited the opinion that a "few more years

BIOGRAPHICAL.

on the supreme bench would have raised him to an equality with the greatest jurists that Wisconsin ever produced, as even at fifty- two he was little below that mark". His work as a lawyer was not marked by orator cal flights and yet he was a most convincing speaker, and as a judge his instructions to a jury were models of legal diction, clearness and simplicity. And yet it is, perhaps as a man, as a friend, as a citizen, that his life appeals most strongly for an enduring recognition. The qualities which distinguished him in his professional 1 fe were even more in evidence in his association with his personal friends ; and while of a somewhat retiring dispo- sition, his genial temper. kindliness of heart and loyalty, united to a distinguished presence and pleasing personality, gave him a place peculiarly his own in the esteem of h's wide circle of intimate friends, as well as in the still wider circle of acquaintances. Per- haps out of all the tributes to his memory which the death of Judge Bardeen called forth there is no more just or appreciative one than that expressed by Rev. F. A. Gilmore, from which a few phrases may be culled ; "His life was normal. There are no gaps in it. All that he became was already foreshadowed in his youth.

He was an honest, laborious, kind-hearted man; simple, direct, affable ; an able lawyer and an upright, conscientious judge. His life is an open book wherein the youth may read how the highest posi- tions are open to any man who adds to talent,-industry and hon- esty. He ornamented a profession which offers few prizes to mere genius unaccompanied by application. . He united a broad · grasp of legal principles, gained by labor and research, with ac- curacy and fidelity in investigation. With all his gifts and strength of character he had a charming and direct simplicity of manner and speech. He was enamored of truth, right and good- ness; he loved these deeply. Truth and right were for him the attributes of God. He trusted in God with a large and beautiful faith. . . I know of no severer test of a man's life than the way he faces death. He stood this last supreme test so well and bravely that in this he was perfect."

One of Judge Bardeen's strong characteristics was the great inter- est he took in young attorneys just starting out on their careers- the counsel he gave them, the aid and encouragement he extended them-was a part of the man, and many are the now well-estab- lished attorneys who look back upon his kindness to them.

Samuel J. Barry, (deceased), was a prominent farmer of Verona ; he was born at Waddington, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., March 16, 1834, a son of Samuel Barry, of Tipperary, Ireland. H's father

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

died when he was two years old and his mother ten years later. There were five children in the family, three boys and two girls. Mr. Barry was reared and educated in his native place, and in 1852, at the age of eighteen, he came to Madison ; he followed various. occupations for a while and in 1856, began farming for himself. He married Mary Jane Welch, by whom he had two children, Mrs .. Patrick Burns, of Fitchburg, and Mary, who married Thos. Lucas, of Madison. After the death of his wife, he married, April 30, 1872, Hannah, daughter of James Sullivan,-mentioned elsewhere,- by whom he had three children, Lillie Bertha, died, aged seven ;. Charles J .; George F. Mr. Barry came to Verona in 1871, and en- gaged in farming there until his death, February 12, 1905. His. wife and two sons survive him and operate the farm of two hundred and forty acres for general farming and stock raising. In 1862 Mr. Barry enlisted in Company B, Eleventh Wisconsin Infantry ; after serving three years he re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer; he was. in the army of the west, escaped injury during his four years of ser- vice, and returned after receiving his honorable discharge. He was a member of the G. A. R., an active Democrat, and a number of times the holder of local and town offices. He and his family are members of the Catholic church of Madison. George F., sec- ond son of Samuel J. Barry, and grandson of James Sullivan, of whom mention is made elsewhere, married Miss Frances Stack of Verona, and resides on the old homestead with his mother and. brother.

John H. Barsness, retired, of the village of Black Earth, was born at Barsness, Saagen, Norway, on April 4, 1836. His parents were. Herman Johnson and Christina (Peters) Barsness, natives of Nor- way, where the father was born in 1807 and the mother in 1800. The father was a brewer by trade. In 1856 he started for America with his family. The trip was made in a sailing vessel and it was. more than five weeks before he arrived in Quebec, Canada. From Quebec he traveled to Milwaukee, thence to Black Earth where he- purchased eighty acres of wild land. After some years spent in improving and clearing the place the father pulled up stakes and went to Polk county, Minn. The mother died November 30, 1881,. and the father followed on April 14, 1887. There were five chil- dren in the family, of whom John H., the subject of this sketch,. was the oldest; Peter, (died in 1866) : Inger, Martha and Inga. The family were all members of the Lutheran church. John H. Barsness attended the public schools of Norway and the district schools of this county. In 1858 he started out on life's journey ..

BIOGRAPHICAL.

He hired out to the farmers of the vicinity for a few years and in September, 1864, enlisted in Company G, Sixteenth Wisconsin Infan- try. The regiment saw service with the Army of the West and later was with Sherman on his march to the sea. Mr. Barsness was taken sick and was invalided for some time. He received an honorable discharge from the army at Washington, D. C. in 1865, and returned to Wisconsin. Two miles south of Black Earth vil- lage in the town of Vermont was a place of one hundred and ten acres with a small clearing and a log house, which Mr. Barsness purchased and upon which he settled. This farm furnished him a means of livelihood until 1898, when he retired and went to Black Earth village to live. Politically he is a Republican. He has held the office of school director and been honored with other minor offices. He is a member of and an active worker in the Norwegian Lutheran church of Black Earth. On June 15, 1866, Mr. Barsness married Sarah, daughter of Ingabrecht and Sarah (Severson) Nel- son of Norway, and on June 15, 1906, they celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson lived and died in the old country, where the father was a farmer. Four of the children came to this country when Mrs. Barsness was twelve years old, set- tling in Black Earth. Twelve children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Barsness .- Christina, March 23, 1867; Nels, August 31, 1869, died February 11, 1884; Hannah Sophie, born September 27, 1871, died November 18, 1902 ; Peter, a practicing dentist at Middle- ton, born December 8, 1873; Hermand, working the homestead farm, born April 9, 1876; Edwin Samuel, June 20, 1878; Selina, September 7. 1887; Joseph, September 27, 1882; Nelsina, August 21. 1884; Ida Amelia in 1887; Melvin, July 29, 1889; and Nels Gerhard, July 27, 1892. Upon moving to Black Earth Mr. Barsness built himself a fine residence, which is today one of the most beau- tiful homes in the community.

Seth Bartlett, one of the well known citizens of the town of Madison, was born at Strafford, Orange county, Vt., Jan, 1, 1823. his parents being Jesse and Nancy (Strong) Bartlett, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New Hampshire. The Bartlett family is one of the old and honored families of the "Green Mount- ain State," the greatgrandfather of the subject of this sketch having been the first governor of Vermont. Jesse Bartlett was a carpen- ter by trade and was called the "great hewer." because of his pro- ficiency with the broad-ax. He was a fine singer, was a man of jolly disposition, and was noted for his great physical strength. In the early days of Minnesota he went to Minneapolis and all trace

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

of him was lost. His wife died on July 17, 1878. Their children were Lucinda, Ormal K .. Seth, Cynthia, Hannah and Jackson. Seth, the subject of this sketch, is the only one of the family now living. At the age of fourteen years he ran away from home and went to Boston, where he learned the trade of carpenter and cabi- net-maker. In 1846 he came to Madison, and there worked at his trade until the discovery of gold in California. He then drove his own team and made the trip overland to the new gold fields, living for a time at Hangtown, after which he went to Sacramento, where he helped to build a large hotel. After a few years in California he returned to Madison by water. forty days being required for the voyage. He then engaged in the livery and horse buying business, and during the war bought more horses for the government than any other man in the county. After the war he bought the place in the town of Madison where he now lives, and where he owns two hundred and seventy-six acres of fine land, upon which he has made all the improvements. In addition to his farming interests, and the raising of fine horses and cattle, he has speculated exten- sively in real estate, in which he has been very successful. Mr. Bartlett, while claiming affiliation with the Republican party, is one of those men who always places the general welfare above mere party considerations and votes for the best man, especially in local affairs. He has never aspired to public office, though he takes a commendable interest in all matters of public policy, and keeps him- self well informed on political topics. Beginning life for himself at an early age his opportunities to attend school were cut off, and all the education he has was acquired by self-study. He has been a great traveler, has spent several winters in Florida, and few men have a better general working education. Mr. Bartlett is one of the charter members of Madison Lodge, No. 5. Free and and Accepted Masons, and he is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Miss Hannah Ogden, daughter of Abram and Mary Ogden. of Michigan, and to this union was born one daughter, Jessie, now the wife of Walter C. Noe, of Madi- son, and the mother of four children, viz: Walter, Mary, Roberta and Edgar. Mrs. Bartlett was a member of the Congregational church and her husband was one of the liberal contributors toward the erection of the church. Mr. Bartlett also as an adopted daugh- ter, Miss Mary Linde, an accomplished young lady and a native of Germany. For a man of his years Mr. Bartlett is well preserved, due in a large degree to his cheerful disposition and his correct habits of living. He is well known and universally respected for

BIOGRAPHICAL.

his good sense, his public spirit, and his broad charity for the opinions of others.

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History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical, Part 5

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

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