USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 64
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Carl Meseka is one of the progressive land owners of the town of Deerfield. and while his residence happens to be just beyond
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the imaginary line that separates Dane from Jefferson county, his large farming interests on this side of the division mark makes it decidedly proper that the record of his successful career be pre- served in this volume. The place of his birth is in Germany and the date thereof is June 6, 1844, his parents being Gotfried and Minnie (Minskuer) Meseka, who were also natives of the Father- land. The father worked as a laborer during his life and died in the land of his nativity, after which the mother came to the United States and is now living near her son, whose name introduces this review. Carl Meseka received his education in the schools of his native land and followed the occupation of a farmer there until 1813, when he migrated to America, The state of Wisconsin was the objective point in his journey, and he made the trip by the way of Chicago and Milwaukee, finally locating in Jefferson county, just over the Dane county line. He located on his present farm in 1894, and the same consists of two hundred acres of fine tillable land, well improved, with good buildings erected thereon. All of these evidences of prosperity are the reward of the unflagging industry and careful management, so characteristic of our citizens of of German extraction, and especially pronounced in Mr. Meseka. He has followed the business of general farming, which is of course un- erstood to include stock-raising, and in the latter line he has given particular attention to the breeding of a good grade of cattle. Since coming to America Mr. Meseka has attended strictly to his life's vocation, and has not been enticed away from his noble calling by the seductive song of the political siren. He does not "belong" to any party, but in the exercise of the right of franchise he supports the men and measures that meet his intelligent approval, regardless of the label that may be stamped thereon. And this is as it should be. His religious faith is expressed by membership in the Bavarian church at London. He was married in Germany to Miss Minnie Beam, who was also a native of that country, and to this union there have been born eleven children, the birth of the three older ones having occurred before the migration of the parents to America. The names and other facts concerning these children are as follows: Tennie is now Mrs. Strausburg of Lake Mills, Wis .; Bertha is the wife of Mr. Myers and resides at Fort Atkinson; Herman is the oldest son; Lizzie is now Mrs. Rhoda, of Fort Atkinson; Anna resides at Janesville; Amelia is the wife of Mr. Hultz, of Lake Mills; Ida and Anna reside at Fort Atkinson: and Charles, Albert and Willie remain at home.
Anton Metz, of 15 N. Fairchild St .. Madison, is a Bavarian by birth. His father, Henry Metz, died in Germany when the subject of
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this sketch was quite young. His mother, Mrs. Rosina (Schmidt) Metz, now resident at 442 N. Mifflin St., came to the United States in 1880, and lived in Cambria county, Penn., for three years, coming to Madison in 1883, which has since been the home of the family. She had a family of seven children, most of whom had received their education in Germany, and all of whom. with the exception of one son, Alex., who lives in Milwaukee, still remain in Madison; the three brothers in that city are Anton, Joseph and Paul, and the sisters, Mrs. Nussman and Agnes, who lives with her mother. Mr. Metz learned the business of plumbing and gas fitting and located in 1897 at 8 S. Carroll St., where he remained three years; in 1900 he moved to his present location 115 W. Mifflin St. Mr. Metz is a successful business man, owning both his store building 115 W. Mifflin St. and his resi- dence on N. Fairchild. He belongs to. the German Catholic church, to the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic knights and the Michael's Benevolent Society. In politics he is independent. Mr. Metz was married September 3, 1895, to Miss Frances Post, daughter of Law- rence and Mary (Hellen) Post. Mr. Post is a native of Pennsyl- vania, and his wife of Germany. Their daughter, Mrs. Metz, was born in Perry township, Dane county. Mr. and Mrs. Metz have five children, three boys and two girls, Henry, Marie, Ethel, Wil- liam Joseph and George.
Charles Meyer, of Middleton, owns and operates a large farm in section 23. William Meyer, his father, was born in Nothandorf, Hanover, Germany, and never left his native country. He married Miss Catharine Beneckan of the same place and after his death in 1891 his wife and children came to America. William Meyer was a wagon-maker and his oldest son, William, who lives at Reedsburg has folowed in his footsteps. Charles is the second son. The third, George, is a carpenter and lives in Alabama. Mary lives at Logans- ville, Wis. and Martha, the youngest, at Reedsburg. Charles was born at Nothandorf, January 14, 1861, attended school in Germany and then worked out. When the family came to Wisconsin, they lo- cated at Reedsburg and there Charles lived with them for three years. He then came to Middleton and was employed by . William Hofmann for two years. In February, 1888, he married Miss Lena Niebuhr of Middleton, daughter of John Niebuhr, and began to farm the Niebuhr property in section 23. Mr. Niebuhr came to America in 1864, at the age of thirty years, and located at Middleton. He obtained a nice farm near Middleton and also owned a farm near Verona. He died in 1889 and Mrs. Niebuhr in 1891. Mrs. Niebuhr had two children by a former marriage and Mr. and Mrs. Niebuhr had nine children,
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of whom six are living. Mr. Meyer is an energetic and prosperous farmer and when the Niebuhr farm came under his control he very greatly improved it. A fine barn was built in 1889 and a substantial brick dwelling in 1901. One hundred sixty acres are under cultiva- tion and much fine stock is raised. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have three children, all of school age; the oldest. John, attends the high school and Rosetta and Charles, Jr., the district school. Mr. Meyer is a Democrat politically and a member of the German Lutheran church.
Andrew Å. Mickelson, senior member of the firm of A. A. Mickel- son & Co., dealers in lumber and building materials at Black Earth, was born at Vermont, Dane county, January 20, 1860. His parents, Aine and Carrie (Grove) Mickelson, were both born in Norway, mar- ried in their native land, and in 1849 came to America. They first settled at Blooming Grove, Dane county, but after one season there removed to Vermont. Here the father secured a tract of government land, which he improved and added to until he owned two hundred forty acres. From 1870 to 1875 the family lived at Mt. Horeb, where Ar. Mickelson's brother, Gabriel, is now engaged in the lumber busi- ness. They afterward removed to the farm where Mr. Mickelson's death occurred in 1889. His widow is still living, aged eighty-eight years, and makes her home with her son, Andrew A. Arne Mickel- son was a consistent Republican in his political opinions, and in relig- ious matters affiliated with the Lutheran church. Of the children born to him and his wife, Michacl and Jorand are deceased; Bertha and Andrew A. are still living, the latter being the subject of this sketch. He received a fair education in the home schools, always lived at home with his parents, taking care of them in their deciining years. In March, 1895, he entered the employ of the Patron Mercan- tile Company, in the village of Black Earth, and remained with that concern until the following January, when he bought his present busi- ness. The firm handles all kinds of building material, and also deals in flour, etc. In 1902 Mr. Mickelson sold the old home farm, and since then has devoted all his time and energies to his business. He is regarded as one of the successful men of the village, is a director in the state bank of Black Earth, and a member of the school board. Politically he is a Republican. and has held several local offices, the duties of which he has discharged to the entire satisfaction of the . electors. In church matters he has followed the faith of his parents and belongs to the Lutheran denomination. On November 10. 1883. Mr. Mickelson was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Bergine, a n ?- tive of Norway, whose parents were Andrew and Mattic Bergine. To this marriage have been born the following children: Alfred, now
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with the Northern Electric Company, of Madison, in the capacity of bookkeeper; Carrie, deceased; Christina, at home; Carl, deceased ; Carl and Bertha at home with their parents, and Emma, deceased.
Layton B. Miles, a retired farmer living at 1117 West Dayton street, was born in the town of Kingsbury, Washington county, N. Y., November 30, 1831. His parents were Warren and Nancy (Bentley) Miles, both born in New York state. The father came with his fam- ily to Dane county, purchasing eighty acres of land in the town of Verona, about 1875. His death occurred on this farm some years later and the mother's end also came while she was a resident of the town of Verona. L. B. Miles secured what educational advantages the schools of his native county afforded and then came to Dane county to follow the vocation of farming. When the Civil War threatened to disrupt this country Mr. Miles enlisted on November 9, 1861, in Company B, Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, as a private. After two years in the service he received an honorable dis- charge because of physical disability. Upon his return from the war he again took up farming and remained at it until his retirement in 1900, when he removed to the residence in Madison which he now occupies. At one time he owned and operated two farms, one in the town of Verona and the other in the town of Madison, but now he has but the Verona place of about one hundred and thirty-nine and one-half acres, which he rents to his son-in-law, Charles Z. Pope. Mr. Miles has been three times married. His first wife was Mary Smith, by whom he had three children, Hattie, George, (deceased) and Ralph. His second wife was Lucinda Phillips whom he married in 1863. By this marriage he had six children: Grace. Warren, (deceased), Ed- ward, Harry, Carrie and Cora, (deceased). His third wife is Fannie M. Miles, who was the widow of Colonel Calvin W. Pope. Mrs. Miles has nine children living out of eleven born to her union with Colonel Pope. Mr. Miles was formerly identified with the Methodist church of Verona, but of late years has not been connected with any religious organization. In political matters he marches under the banner of the Republican party. He is one of the members of Lucius Fairchild post, Grand Army of the Republic. For over fifty-five years Mr. Miles has been a resident of Dane county. He is today one of the most esteemed and respected citizens.
Samuel Miles is one of the sterling pioneer citizens of Dane county, having long been engaged in farming in Dunkirk township and being at the present time a resident of the city of Stoughton, where he is living essentially retired, enjoying the rewards of
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his former toil and endeavor. Mr. Miles claims the old Empire state of the Union as the place of his nativity, having been born in the town of Peru. Clinton county, New York, April 3, 1833, and being a son of Moore and Mary Ann (Cummings) Miles, both of whom were likewise natives of that county, where the respective families located in the pioneer days. Mr. Miles was reared to maturity in his native county, where he remained until 1852, when, at the age of nineteen years, he came to Wisconsin, being employed in connection with the lumbering industry in the pineries of the northern part of the state until 1855, when he came to Dane county and purchased seventy-three acres of wild land, in Dunkirk township. He reclaimed and improved the land, and eventually he purchased two other farms, in the same township, one comprising one hundred and sixty acres and the other forty acres. He made all the improvements on these farms also and he continued actively identified with agricultural pursuits until 1896, since which year he has lived retired, in Stoughton. As a farmer he was energetic and enterprising, and his success was un- reserved and was won by his own zealous efforts. In politics he maintains an independent attitude and while he is not a member of any religious body he affiliates with and gives his support to the Seventh-day Adventist church. Mr. Miles has been twice mar- ried. By his first wife he has four children: George W., Nettie, A. D. and Jennie. Nettie is now the wife of Florens Long. His second wife was Henrietta Van Buren Hall, of Dunkirk township, this county, and their marriage was solemnized November 6, 1887. She died in 1904. No children were born of the second marriage.
J. H. Miller, president of the bank of Verona, was born near Evansville, Wis., January 14, 1854. His parents, Charles and Catherine (Butts) Miller, were both natives of Pennsylvania, born near Stroudsburg. They came to Wisconsin in 1847, and settled near Milton, Rock county. He died at Evansville, in 1895, aged seventy years, and his widow now resides at that place. He was a farmer and one of the pioneers of that section and was a man of considerable prominence. He had twelve children, of whom J. H. Miller. the subject of this sketch was the oldest; the others are Willis, of Evansville: Paulina, married J. E. Colton, of Colton. S. D .: Aurora, married W. E. Moore, a farmer and president of the bank of Rio, in Columbia county ; Stanton, president of the Citizens bank of Belleville; Ulysses, of Milton : Chester, of Evans- ville ; Kate, married G. W. Wilder, of Chicago, Ill .: Charles, of Stoughton; Ernest, of Evansville; Fred, of Cooksville; Retta,
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died from injuries received from a fall, at the age of thirteen years. J. H. Miller was reared in Evansville, educated in the public schools and in Evansville seminary, and later took a course at the Northwestern business college, of Madison. For a year after graduation he was employed as a clerk in Evansville and Brook- lyn, and in 1881 came to Verona and settled on a farm in section 33, which he still owns, although he has changed his residence to section 28. He is a large land-owner, having at the present time six hundred and forty acres. He continued in the active superin- tendence of his farming property until 1905, since which time he has leased the entire farm. February 1, 1904, he organized the bank of Verona, and has been its president since that time ; he was the founder and president of the Mt. Vernon telephone company, organized in 1900, and is also interested in the oil business. Mr. Miller was married in 1848 to Miss Carrie Moore, of Albany ; they had four children, of whom two, Mabel and Charles, have died. The oldest. John, and the youngest, Stanley, make their home with their father; after the death of his wife, Mr. Miller married Miss Sophia Holverson, of Evansville. To them were also born four children, Carrie, Ernest, Willis and George. Mr. Miller is a mem- ber of F. & A. M., No. 5, of Madison.
Lewis Miller, a farmer in the town of Middleton, was born at Greenport, Columbia county, N. Y., October 21, 1828. He is a son of Wilhelm and Margaret (Ford) Miller, both natives of Columbia county. Wilhelm Miller was a fisherman on the Hudson river until 1855, when he came with his family to Dane county, where he passed the remainder of his life. He and his wife were members of the Dutch Reformed church. They had four children, but Lewis and Kate were the only ones who came with their parents to Wisconsin. Kate married Samuel Post and she and her husband are both de- ceased. Lewis Miller received a limited education in the home schools of his day and worked on the farm with his father after coming to. Wisconsin until he bought forty acres of wild land of his own and be- gan farming for himself. Later he sold this farm and bought a small tract of land in the town of Middleton, where he now lives. He is extensively engaged in bee culture and sells large quantities of honey every year. He also does a large business as a truck farmer, in rais- ing vegetables and small fruits. Politically Mr. Miller is a Repub- lican, but he is by no means what could be called an active politician. On August 23, 1853, he was united in marriage to Miss Esther, daughter of John Frazer, of Columbia county, N. Y., and to this union were born the following children : William, who married Clara
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Richardson and is now farming on the old homestead; Almeda May, deceased ; Maria V., wife of Richard Rowe; Margaret, wife of Robert M. Hawes; Lewis, a carpenter in the city of Madison; Henry and Ada May, both deceased, and one who died in early childhood. Mrs. Miller dicd in March, 1890, and Mrs. Rowe now lives with and keeps house for her father. Her husband, Richard Rowe, is a native of Dane county, where he lived until he was eighteen years of age, when he became interested in mining operations. For some time he was thus engaged in Colorado, his wife being with him part of the time. While in Colorado he worked at Alpina, Tin Cup, and various other places, and when gold was discovered in the Klondike he and his son, also named Richard, went to the new gold fields, and are now en- gaged in mining at Windham Bay. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe have four children. Nina Esther is the wife of Forest L. Donkle, of Mon- mounth, Ia .; Richard is with his father, as above mentioned; Lillian Augusta, and Eugene Allen are attending the schools at Middleton.
Hon. Simeon Mills, early Madison pioneer, was born in Norfolk, Litchfield county, Conn., February 14, 1810, son of Martin Mills. His paternal grandfather was Constantine Mills, a soldier of the Revolu- tionary War; his mother was the daughter of Clement Tuttle, also a Revolutionary soldier. In 1811 his father moved to Ohio -and was one of the pioneer settlers in the northern part of that state. Here Simeon Mills was inured to farm labor in a new country, and received a good common-school education. When twenty he taught school for a brief period and then engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was married in 1834 to Maria Louisa Smith, daughter of Church Smith, a native of Berkshire county, Mass. After making his first journey west to Chicago, in 1835, he located the following year in Wisconsin, and when the territorial capital was finally located at Madison, in the Four Lakes Region, he decided to make that point his home. On the morning of June 10, 1837, the capitol building commissioner, A. A. Bird, with thirty-six workmen, among whom was Darwin Clark, ar- rived from Milwaukee. Says Mr. Thwaites in his "Story of Madison": "The late Simeon Mills, long prominently identified with the educa- tional interests of Madison, arrived in the afternoon of the same day, having walked out of Chicago, via Janesville and Winnequah. Mills began serving as deputy postmaster on the Fourth of July, conducting the office in connection with a general store which he had opened on his arrival." He secured the contract for carrying the mail between Madison and Milwaukee until July 1, 1842, and is said to have per- formed the difficult service without the loss of a single trip during the term of his contract, employing a man to do the work, on horseback.
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In August, 1837, he was appointed justice of the peace of Dane county, probably the only one at that time between Milwaukee and Dodge- ville. When Dane county was organized in 1839, he was chosen one of the county commissioners and appointed clerk of the court, holding the latter office for about nine years. In 1846 he proposed to the new village trustees of Madison, to lease the water-power at the outlet of Fourth Lake for a period of sixty years; the proposition was accepted, but he soon abandoned the enterprise. He was one of the founders of the "Wisconsin Argus," his associates being at first, John Y. Smith and Benjamin Holt, and later, Horace A. Tenney, David T. Dickson,
and S. D. Carpenter. He was territorial treasurer at the end of the territorial era, and was elected the first senator for Dane county, when the state government went into operation in 1848. He then in- troduced the bill, enacted into law, which became the charter of the University of Wisconsin, and was a member of the first board of re- gents of the institution, being instrumental in purchasing the site and superintending the erection of its first building. In 1860 he became a member of the board of trustees of the State Hospital for the insane, and served in that capacity for seventeen years, being a very active and useful member. During his long life he was identified with many public improvements, and was a large factor in the prosperity of Madi- son. He invested his accumulations in lands and buildings, and their care and improvement constituted his chief private business. When the Civil War broke out, he was active in the enlistment of troops, and was appointed paymaster-general by Governor Randall, disbursing more than $1,000,000 the first year of the war. He was prominently identified with the growth and development of the State Historical Society, one of Wisconsin's most noted institutions. In 1893 he pub- lished a neat little volume, entitled "Readings from the Book of Na- ture," which attracted much attention in the scientific world, by reason of the law advanced for determining matter from sensation. General and Mrs. Mills were the parents of five children, only one of whom is now living,-a daughter, Genevieve M. His death occurred June I, 1895. The beautiful old homestead on Monona Avenue, now is oc- cupied by his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Arthur C. Mills, and her daughter. Elizabeth B., is one of the stately homes of Madison.
Erik E. Moe is a well known farmer of Perry, Dane county, Wis., who came from Norway in 1887. He was born in Lom, Gud- bransdalen, Norway. July 9, 1862, son of Erik and Thora Moe. both natives of Norway, neither of whom ever came to America. Mr. Moe died in Norway in 1900 and his widow still resides at the
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old home. Of their family of seven children, three came to the United States. Mary, who is Mrs. Nelson, resides at Lake Mills, Wis .. and Tina, who married Mr. Bolstead, lives in Perry town- ship, Dane county. Erik E. commenced to work out in Norway at the age of thirteen years but was able to earn very little and de- termined to try his fortunes in America. He embarked for the United States in 1886 and first worked in Klevensville, Dane county, as a farm hand. After five years spent at this employment he went to Madison and there was employed as a mason for two years. Realizing that his farming experience was his best capital he rented a farm in Perry and was soon able to buy it. His home- stead is a fertile property of one hundred and twenty-four acres, where Mr. Moe has erected buildings that are comfortable and substantial and has added much other farm equipment. May 8, 1895, he married Miss Johanna Larson, a native of Norway, daughter of Lars Skimling and Dorothy (Hange) Skimling, and two children blessed the marriage; Emma Tunita and John Leon- ard, both of whom are at home with their parents. Mrs. Moe be- longed to a family of six children, of whom three came to the United States. Christ and John went to Tacoma, Washington, where the former now lives and the latter died two years ago. Mr. Moe is a public-spirited man who always does his part to pro- mote any public work, but he does not participate actively in politics. He votes the Republican ticket. Mr. Moe is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
Thom M. Moe, one of the progressive land owners of the town of Dunn, was born in Bergen, Norway, February 14, 1854. His parents were Mars N. and Sevena Moe, the former a native of Ber- gen and the latter of Rumstal, Norway. Mars Moe brought his family to this country in 1869, his objective point being Dane county. For several months after the arrival here father and son worked at common labor and then jointly purchased the home where they now reside. The father, although more than ninety years of age, still keeps his interest in the affairs of his son and his neighbors. Thom M. Moe was educated in the public schools of Ordahl, Norway. A few years ago he purchased his father's interest in the Dunn township farm, and its sixty acres have been a source of prosperity to him. On December 23, 1879, he married Carrie, daughter of Thomas Wilkinson and Seneva Halversdaugh- ter (Espahem) Mittun, natives of Norway. Mrs. Moe first saw the light of day in the Fatherland on June 28, 1848, and received her education in the same excellent schools as did her husband.
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To this union have come five children, Minna Sophia, born Septem- ber 26, 1880, now Mrs. John Melaas of the town of Dunn; Tilda Cecelia, born November 6, 1881; Wilma, born June 21, 1883, now Mrs. Fred Brandt of the town of Blooming Grove; Theodore, born March 21, 1887, died April 26, 1889; and Harry Halvor Bugge, born November 6, 1888. It is an interesting fact that Thom M. Moe was born on the same day as the Hon. J. O. Davidson, gover- nor of the state of Wisconsin, and in the same community. The subject of this sketch and the distinguished executive had many a childhood romp together, climbing the same trees to look for bird's eggs and receiving their education at the same school. Politically Mr. Moe is a Republican. Since the elevation of his former play- mate to political office he has watched closely the moves of each party and done all in his power to help his friend. He is a mem- ber of the Lutheran church.
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