USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 68
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· Isaac S. Newton, of Middleton is one of Dane county's early set- tlers. He was born August 27, 1825, at Litchfield, Conn., the home of his ancestors for generations. Ranson and Lucina (Woodard) Newton, his parents, were both born there in 1802, grew up and married there and engaged in farming in the vicinity during their entire lives. The mother lived to the age of ninety-nine years and nine months, dying February 18, 1901; the father died at the age of eighty-three. Ranson Newton's father was prominent in Con- necticut politics and served in the state militia; his grandfather was a sea captain of English origin, the hero of many a thrilling wreck. He died at the age of eighty-eight. Ranson Newton and his wife had two sons; Frederick, who came to Wisconsin, set-
MR. AND MRS. ISAAC S. NEWTON.
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tled in Vernon county in 1852, and served in the Civil War; and Isaac, who came to Dane county in 1850. Isaac Newton received his early education at Litchfield and was married December 1, 1848. to Miss Emily Morse, daughter of Abram and Elizabeth (Marsh) Morse, both of whom were of English descent and lived in Connecticut. Mrs. Newton's grandfather, Jantes Marsh, was born on April 19, 1763, in England and died May 12, 1845 in Litchfield, Conn. Her father. Abram Morse, first saw the light of day on April 28, 1786, in Connecticut and died November 15, 1860, in Iowa. After spending little more than a year in farming at Litchfield, Mr. and Mrs. Newton determined to try their fortunes in the west, where Mrs. Newton's parents had preceded them; and accordingly they came to Verona in 1850, took up eighty acres of wild government land, which they cleared, and there made their home for many years. Two children were born to them, of whom the second, Eugene M. Newton, died in infancy. Their first son, Daniel T. Newton, is the proprietor of the Home- stead Farm at Bridgewater, S. D., and raises and deals in fine cat- tle. He married first Cornelia Stephens, after whose death Alice L. Chandler, whose home was near Bangor, Me., became his wife. She died in 1885, leaving one daughter, Blanche. He then married Dell M. Chandler, of New Bangor, and they have one daughter, Helen Ruth, who makes her home with her father. Daniel Newton graduated at the University of Wisconsin with the class of 1872 and from the law school in 1873. He is a Repub- lican and practiced law for six years in Freemont, Nebraska, and then removed to South Dakota where he was elected to the state legislature. In 1886 Isaac Newton left Verona for South Da- kota but retained his farm at Verona. He obtained one hundred and sixty acres of government land and made his home at Bridgewater for seven years. Preferring to spend his declining years near his old home he returned to Dane county in 1893 and has since lived in Middleton. Mrs. Newton, who was born Feb- ruary 23, 1830, died December 22, 1896. She was well known as an exquisite worker in embroidery and hand painting and in the latter art once received a first prize for work done without the aid of a teacher. Mr. Newton has been a life-long farmer. He was the first man to introduce Devon cattle into Dane county and has taken many prizes for his stock at the Wisconsin state fair, of which he is a life member. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never desired public office, choosing to make lands and farming his chief interest. Beside his home in Middleton and one hundred
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and twenty-seven acres of fine farm land at Verona, he still owns his original homestead farm in Hutchinson county, S. D.,
Thomas Nicholas, of Waunakee, was born in Hertfordshire, Eng- land, Febuary 2, 1826. He was the only child of James and Catherine (Jones) Nicholas, natives of England. His mother died the year of his birth and his father six years later; he was reared by a brother of his father; James Nicholas, and received his education in England, coming to New York at the age of twenty-five, (1851). He was a young man with his way to make in the world, and he followed the the tide of immigration that was at that time setting toward the north- west. He came to Vienna township, March 23, 1855, bought eighty · acres of land, improved it, added to it year by year, until at the pre- sent time he owns a good property of two hundred and thirty-seven acres. He is a Republican in his politics and his church affiliations are with the Episcopal church, through his parents who belonged to it. In 1860 he married Mary Eatwell, born in Berkshire, Eng., 1832. Her father died in that country, and her mother contracted a second marriage, and later in life, came to this country, and made her home with her daughter and husband, the subject of this sketch, until her her death at the age of ninety-two. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas have had have had seven children of whom only three are living, George, a farmer of Dane township; Anna; Frank, a farmer, lives in Vienna on the old homestead.
George Nicholls, an enterprising farmer of the town of Pleasant Springs, was born in Oxfordsville, England, February 14, 1843. He was the only child of Samuel and Caroline (Clark) Nicholls, natives of Oxfordsville, England. Mrs. Samuel Nicholls died in 1852 and Mr. Nicholls married Phoebe Sparrow, who died in 1895, They were both members of the Church of England. At the age of sixteen George Nicholls came to America, landing in New York after a stormy passage of eighty-three days. For nine years he lived in Angola, Steuben county, Ind., and in 1868 came to Dane county and located in Pleasant Springs. He "worked out" for a time and then bought the place where he now lives, one hundred and ten acres of valuable land on section 29, on the east shore of Lake Kegonsa. When he purchased the property there was only a log house on it and it was only partially cleared. Mr. Nicholls has made all the improvements and now has one of the prettiest homes in the county. He is a Republican in politics and as such has served as school director. The faith of John Wesley is the one he has chosen, and he worships in the Methodist Episcopal church in Stoughton. On June 1, 1869, he married Josephine,
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daughter of George and Ann (Miller) Parish, natives of Oxford- shire, England. Mr. Parish came to the United States in 1846 and located near Albany, N. Y. In 1843 he came to Rutland, Dane county, and two years later moved to the town of Pleasant Springs, where he resided until his death in September, 1895. His wife still lives in Stoughton. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Parish-Samuel J. living at Fort Atkinson, Wis .; Josephine, wife of George Nicholls; Charles, a farmer near Iowa City, Ia .; Frederick, engaged in the real estate business in Omaha, Neb .; Angenetta, living in Steuben county, Ind .; Henri- etta, living in Hutchinson, Kas .; and Hattie, at Pleasant Springs. this county. To Mr. and Mrs. Nicholls have been born ten chil- dren, Edgar S., a farmer in the town of Pleasant Springs; Herbert, a farmer, who married Rebecca Heinz; Mary T., at home; Charles C., a farmer in Humbolt county, Ia .; Clark J., living in Steuben county, Ia .; Harry G., Wilmer P., Percy J., Bertha A., and Morris H., all at home. All the children have been educated in the schools of the vicinity and have attended the Stoughton schools.
Henry Harnden Noble, the well known and successful fire insur- acen agent of Madison, was born in Eau Claire. Eau Claire county, Wis., January 26, 1873. He is a son of James Harney Noble, a prac- ticing physician of Eau Claire, and present state senator from his dis- trict, and Jennie (Harnden) Noble. The mother's father was Gen. Henry Harnden, of whom individual mention is made in this volume. In 1875 the subject of this sketch came to Madison with General Harnden. His preparatory education was received in the public schools of the capital city, and after the completion of his courses in the same he entered the fire-insurance business where he has been successfully engaged ever since. For four years he managed the A. H. Main & Son business in this capital city and later was special agent under W. E. Main for Wisconsin and Minnesota of the Alliance Insurance company of London and the Svea of Gothenborg, Sweden. In December. 1901, he purchased the old Major Mayers' insurance agency, representing the Liverpool, London & Globe company. On June 18, 1898, Mr. Noble was united in marriage to Miss Luvia A. Willott, a native of Illinois and a daughter of George E. and Mary A. (Edgell) Willott. Mr. Willott has been a conductor on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway for thirty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Noble have one son, Henry Harnden, Jr. Mrs. Noble is a communicant of the Congregational church. Her husband is a member of the Free
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and Accepted Masons and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. .
Jens J. Noeset, who has long been prominent as a contractor and builder, with residence at Stoughton, was born in Norway, April 13, 1828. His parents were Johannes and Elie (Bardal) Nœset, both be- ing natives of Norway. His father was a farmer and mechanic by oc- cupation, and in 1845 migrated with his family to the United States, locating in Christiana township, Dane county, Wis., where he pur- chased land and began his life in America as a farmer. He remained upon this farm until his death in 1882, at the ripe old age of eighty- seven years, his wife having passed away in 1851. Jens J. Nœset re- ceived his primary education in Norway, and at the age of seventeen years accompanied his parents to America, where he was compelled to "pick up" what little of an English education he secured. He be- gan life in the new home as an oxen driver for his father, and contin- ued so employed until his father purchased a team of horses, being the first to be brought to Christiana township, or at least that part of it in which Mr. Nœset lived. For five years the subject of this review followed teaming for his father, in one year making forty trips to Mil- waukee, a distance of about eighty miles. It took about six days to make each trip. After his marriage in 1850, Mr. Nœset purchased his father's farm and followed agricultural pursuits for about twenty years, also working at his trade. In 1867 he moved to Cambridge, where he engaged in the hardware business, and in 1871, moved to Stoughton, which place has been his home since, for a number of years being connected with the wagon factory there. About 1884 he be- gan to devote his attention exclusively to contracting and building, and among the monuments to his genius in this line there are the Norwegian Lutheran Seminary, in Minneapolis; the East church and parsonage, on Koshkonong: the Lutheran Seminary, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and many other church buildings; the Norwegian Lutheran College building in Decorah, Iowa, which cost $100,000, and many public and private buildings throughout the state of Wis- consin. Mr. Nœset was originally a Democrat in his political views, but during the late years has assumed an independent attitude, and gives his support to the men and measures who meet his approval, regardless of the party label. He has honored the offices of village treasurer, member of the school board, and supervisor of the township. Religiously he is a Lutheran, and a member of the Norwegian Luth- eran synod of America, serving for more than thirty years as a men- ber of its general council, and for more than nine years as one of its
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trustees. After having lived eighteen years in America, Mr. Noeset made a trip to Europe, where he visited his mother country, as well as Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and other parts of the old world. He was married on March 22, 1850, to Miss Gertrude Ingebrechtson, of Christiana township. Mr. and Mrs. Nœset have no children of their own, but they have two adopted daughters, one of whom, Ingeb- jorg, is the wife of O. O. Melaas, a druggist in Stoughton, and the other, Karen, is married to Ole Frederikson, a farmer in Minnesota.
James Nolan, deceased, formerly a farmer of the town of Bloom- ing Grove and later a retired resident of the city of Madison, was a native of Ireland. His education was such as the schools of the country of his nativity afforded. He came early to the United States, settling in Connecticut where he was employed for some ten years in a bolt shop. Early in 1840 he left Connecticut and with but thirty- five dollars in his pocket started for Wisconsin. He entered land in the town of Blooming Grove and in the course of a year or two was able to bring his family from the east. This farm was the family home until 1890, when Mr. Nolan retired and moved to 9 East Doty street, where he lived until his death, which occurred December 24, 1902, in his eightieth year. He was one of the pioneers of the county, a hard and earnest worker and well-known and highly respected. He was one of the men of whom it can be said "He never made an enemy." Although he reached an advanced age he was wonderfully well-preserved in mind and body and was keenly alive to the possibil- ities of the times. Until his last sickness he had never been confined to his bed a single day. He did not "belong" to any party but voted as his convictions dictated. Mrs. Nolan died January 12, 1894, at the age of seventy-two. She also was a native of Ireland, and was left motherless when but an infant. In her seventeenth year, soon after her father's second marriage she cante to the United States, the pas- sage consuming more than three months. She was of a kindly, cheer- ful disposition,-one of the women who are an inspiration and help in the sick room. Generous and unselfish, she has been known to travel twenty miles through the snow to minister to the wants of suffering neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Nolan had twelve children,-Michael, lives in Madison ; Lucy, Mrs. James Farley of Madison ; William H., Sa- vanna, Ill .; James B,. Janesville : Thomas, Seattle, Wash .: Nora B., and Martha E., of Madison. The others died in infancy. These peo- ple were among the pioneers of the county and knew much of the hardships attendant upon an early settlement.
Jacob Noll is the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and four- teen acres, in Blooming Grove township, and in his career since con-
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ing to America he has exemplified that provident and conservative energy which is so characteristic of the German-American, and which has enabled so many of such representatives in Dane county to attain definite success through personal effort. Mr. Noll was born in Baden, Germany. June 25, 1847, and in that portion of the great Ger- man empire his parents, John and Mary Ann ( Stoulte) Noll, passed their entire lives. Jacob Noll passed his boyhood and youth in the fatherland, in whose excellent schools he pursued his studies for nine years. In 1866, at the age of nineteen years, he immigrated to Amer- ica, making Madison, Wis., his destination, and here he secured em- ployment in the Hausmann brewery, being thus cugaged for a period of two years, after which he was employed on various farms in the county for a number of years, finally renting land and farming on his own responsibility, while in 1890 he purchased his present farm, to whose cultivation and improvement he has since given his undivided attention, bringing to bear his characteristic cnergy and also a thorough knowledge of the details of the industry. His political sup- port is given to the Republican party, and he and his wife are mem- bers of the German Lutheran church. March 24. 1872, Mr. Noll was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Teidt, daughter of William and Charlotte (Bremer) Teidt, of Verona, this county, and they have six children, whose names, with respective dates of birth, are as follows : Clara, January 3, 1873; Anna Maria, July 24, 1875 ; Max John, June 24, 1877 ; William Frederick, February 11, 1881 ; Louis James, March 15, 1886; and Ida Sophia, February 28, 1896. Clara is the wife of William Goertemoeller, who is express agent on the Chicago & North- western Railroad, having the run between Chicago and Miwaukee in which latter city they reside. They have four children. namely : Her- bert, born March 25, 1896: Esther, October 1, 1898; Ira, March 6, 1900; and Clara, ,November 21, 1904. William Frederick Noll fourth child of the subject of this sketch, married Miss Sophia Ushler, of Milwaukee, and they had one child, Clarence, born May 26, 1905, and died aged six months.
Ole A. Norness, superintendent of the electric light system of the city of Stoughton, has held that position since 1902. He is of Nor- wegian origin, son of Ole O. and Dora (Oleson) Norness, who were born in Norway, married there and came to the United States in 1868. They located in the town of Black Earth, Dane county, Wis. and there worked a farm on shares for one year. In 1869 they moved to Grant county and purchased a farm of eighty acres. After the death of Mr. Norness in 1884, his widow came to Stoughton to live with her child- ren, of whom there were five: Knut, Julia (Mrs. Christensen), Ole A.,
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Henry (deceased) and Anna. Ole A. was born near Boscobel in Grant county, October 10, 1871, attended school in Boscobel and also in Stoughton and for four years was engaged in farming. He was employed three years by the C. M. & St. P. R. R. Co. and worked for five years in the wagon shops of Stoughton. He became interested in electrical work and made a systematic study of electricity for sev- eral years with the result that he was able to pass the necessary ex- aminations to become an electrical engineer and in May, 1902, took charge of the Electric Light and Power Co. of Stoughton as superin- tendent. When the city assumed the management of the electric light plant he continued in office and still holds the position in which he renders most able and efficient service to the municipality. April 24, 1895, he married Miss Mary Froelich, daughter of John and Clara (Blaska) Froelich of the town of Marshall. Three children were born to the marriage; Percy L., Rector L. and Margaret L. The family be- long to Christ Lutheran church of Stoughton. Mr. Norness is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, of the Beavers and of the I. O. O. F. and is allied with the Republican party.
Cornelius M. O'Brien is one of the pre-eminently successful farmers of the town of Oregon, a statement that becomes the more important when coupled with the fact that his success has been due to his own efforts aided by the good counsel and encouragements of a faithful helpmate. Mr. O'Brien was born in Plymouth, Luzerne county, Pa., March 15, 1839, and his parents-Michael and Catherine (Murphy) O'Brien-were natives of Cork, Ireland, where the former was born in 1806 and the latter in 1808. The father was educated in one of the Dublin universities, then married and came to New York city, where he engaged in business. After some time spent in the American metropolis they decided upon a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, where an uncle of the mother lived, and they remained in the South American city a number of years, the father engaging in business there. While they prospered in Caracas, the climate had a very dele- terious effect upon the health of the wife and mother, and this caused them to return to New York where the father re-entered the mercan- tile business. The family fortunes were wrecked in the panic of 1837, and, in 1838, a removal was made to a farm in Luzerne county, Pa., where the parents spent the remainder of their lives, the father being the first to pass away. After his death the mother built a canal boat for her sons, and in its operation an income was received which sup- ported the family, but in 1848 the home was again darkened by the death of the mother. An elder daughter then took charge of the
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household and kept the family together, but in a few years she died and the home was broken up, an 'aunt taking the younger children. The subject of this review attended school in his native county, and in 1853 came to Wisconsin with his elder brother, John O'Brien, with whom he had made his home after the marriage of the latter in 1851. They settled in the town of Oregon, Dane county. Cornelius attended a select school in Brooklyn for a time, and in 1861 bought eighty acres of his present farm, breaking thirty acres for the plow that year and twenty acres more the year following. In 1864 he added ninety- five acres to his landed possessions and established his home on his farm in April, 1865, residing in a building which he afterward used as a granary. In 1868, the small grubs covering twenty-five acres of his land were removed and the land broken, and in 1875 Mr. O'Brien built one of the largest and best farm houses in that locality. His next addition to his homestead was in 1895, when he purchased one hundred and five acres adjoining, but previous to this, in 1884, he pur- . chased sixty acres in the town of Fitchburg, on section 8, and later, in 1889, he bought one hundred and forty-three adjoining, which makes his total landed possessions at the present time four hundred eighty- three acres. This success has been achieved by giving his undivided attention and the employment of his unusual natural ability entirely to agricultural pursuits, and now in his declining years he looks back upon a well spent life, while the fruits of his early industry render him comfort and ease. Mr. O'Brien relates that he was driving mules on a canal in Pennsylvania when he first saw a railroad train, hauled by the original engines of the Pennsylvania system, then operating only between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. These same primitive engines were exhibits at the Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in 1893, and Mr. O'Brien again had the pleasure of gazing upon them, but with different emotions, we dare say, than when they attracted his attention in his old Pennsylvania home. In the O'Brien family there were ten children, and all but three of them are living, the exceptions being Margaret, Ellen and James, an infant. John resides in the town of Oregon; James resides in Wilkesbarre Pa .; Joseph in Spencer, Clay county, Ia .; the subject of this sketch is fifth in order of birth; Catherine is unmarried and resides in Dane county; Daniel resides in Lamars, Plymouth county, Ia .: Michael lives in the same place. Mr. O'Brien was married on January 4, 1876, to Miss Abigail Berry, daughter of Michael and Mary Berry, of St. Lawrence county, N. Y., and to this union there have been born four children. Emmet S. re- sides in the town of Fitchburg, and of the others, Philip G. and
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Louis R. reside at home and Emma T. is deceased. Mr. O'Brien is a Democrat and he and his wife are members of the Catholic church.
Birdie T. Oftelie, senior member of the firm of Oftelie & Sever- son, real estate dealers and insurance agents of Stoughton, has resided in Stoughton since 1903. Previous to that time he was a farmer in the town of Pleasant Springs, which was the original home of the Oftelie family in Dane county. The first representative of the family in that locality was Ole Oftelie, who was one of the earliest settlers of the town. He came from Norway to Pleasant Springs in 1846, when the country was almost unbroken, and purchased from the government two hundred acres of land which he improved and made his permanent home. Two sons survived him; Ole and Targe. Targe left home when a young man to enter a general store in Stoughton as clerk. After ten years in this employment he located at Marshall and en- gaged in the boot, shoe and harness business, which he carried on suc- cessfully until 1875, when he sold his business and returned to the old homestead in Pleasant Springs, which he occupied until 1905. At this time he went to Texas and thence to Los Angeles, Cal., where he has since resided. Mr. Oftelie married Esther Wettleson, daughter of a pioneer of Pleasant Springs and ten children were born to the mar- riage : John, Susie, Lena, the wife of Ole Springer, Oscar. Birdie T., Lizzie, who is Mrs. Andrew Schoe, Mamie, the wife of Edward Es- pelie, Jacob, Ezra and Joseph. Birdie T. was borr in Marshall. June 6, 1868, attended the Marshall school and the Albion Academy and en- gaged in farming during his first years in business. In 1903 he moved to Stoughton and engaged in his present business which has prospered and is constantly increasing. September 15, 1890, Mr. Of- telie married Miss Julia Erickson, daughter of Knudt and Gertrude Erickson of Dunkirk. Two children blessed the marriage: Kenneth and Esther. The family is identified with Christ Lutheran church of Stoughton. Mr. Oftelie is a loyal member of the Republican party and served the town of Pleasant Springs as assessor for seven years and as treasurer for one term. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias.
William Ogilvie, (deceased), was born in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, in 1849, of Scottish parentage. His father, George Mitchell Ogilvie, came to Canada about 1840, from Scotland. His mother, Margaret (Edgar) Ogilvie was twice married, her first husband was a Mr. Mitchell, with whom she left Lochlee, Forfarshire, Scotland, in 1841. Mr. Mitchell died at sea during the passage, and his widow came on to Canada with her two children, Janet, who is now married to George Wright, of Toronto, Can., and John, also a resident of Tor-
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