History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical, Part 69

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

USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical > Part 69

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onto. In 1844, Mrs. Mitchell married Mr. Ogilvie; their children are R. B. Ogilvie, of Chicago; James, of Whitby, Ontario, Canada; Wil- lian the subject of this sketch; George (deceased); Margaret, married James Waddingham, of Toronto; Jacob, of Dane; David, of Verona; Helen, married Victor Emmanuel Mason, of Verona. Mr. Ogilvie was a farmer; he died in 1876, aged seventy, and his wife in 1902, aged eighty-four. Mr. William Ogilvie came to Verona in 1868, when he was twenty years of age; he began by working by the month, but as soon as he was able he purchased land for himself, adding to his pos- sessions from time to time until he became one of the large land-hold- ers of the vicinity, having a farm of six hundred and twenty-two acres; besides his general farming he was an extensive and very successful stock buyer and raiser. Mr. Ogilvie was prominent in the councils of the Democratic party in his vicinity, and was their candidate for sheriff in 1888; he held local offices at various times. He was married in 1879, to Miss Agnes Mason, a , native of Verona; she died in 1890, leaving five children, Lottie, John, Robert, Allen and Nellie, all at home. The father died in 1894 and the farm is now operated by the two sons, John and Robert, who were reared on it and educated in the schools of the vicinity and at the agricultural college of the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, and they have added dairying to the earlier interests.

Thomas William Oldham, whose promising career was ended a few years ago by death, had been a resident of Dane county but a comparatively short time; but his stay had been long enough to acquaint the people generally with his splendid qualities and excel- lent traits of character, and his untimely demise was mourned by a large number of devoted friends, Mr. Oldham was born in Wor- cestershire. England, on August 19, 1868, and was the son of Joshua and Isabella (Laurie) Oldham, both natives and life-long residents of the mother country. They were the parents of nine children, seven of whom still reside in England, and the other two are de- ceased. Thomas W. and Harry, both of whom migrated to America. The latter died in New York city while preparing to take pas- sage on a return trip to his native land, the sad event occurring in August, 1898. The subject of this review received an excellent education, first attending a grammar school in England and then adding to the knowledge thus gained by college courses. both in his native land and in Germany. He was educated with the inten- tion of becoming a lawyer, but at the age of eighteen years he came to America and studied agriculture with T. L. Hacker in the town of Cottage Grove. He remained with Mr. Hacker until

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he was married, and then purchased the Kelley farm in the town of Verona, where he resided for about five years. In 1893 he pur- chased and removed to the Payne farm, in the town of Fitchburg, where he continued his occupation of general farming with gratify- ing success until his death, February 8, 1898. He was a man of superior ability, and aside from the scientific knowledge of ag- riculture which he was rapidly acquiring, he took a deep interest in topics of a general nature, and had his life been spared he would doubtless have achieved distinction as a leader in the affairs of life. In political matters he espoused the cause of the Republican party, his religious views were in accord with the Episcopal faith, and fra- ternally he was a member of the Madison Camp, Modern Wood- men of America. He was married in November, 1888, to Miss Helen A. Latham, further particulars of whose family are given on another page in the sketch of her brother, John C. Latham. Mrs. Oldham's father was a leading physician in England and she was reared in a city, never having been on a farm until after her mar- riage. But upon the death of her husband she displayed the ster- ling qualities so characteristic of the English people in times of emergency, and remained upon the farm and successfully managed its affairs until she disposed of it two years later. She then pur- chased the splendidly equipped home in the city of Madison, where she now resides with her three children, Leslie Latham, Wilfred Stanley, and Helen Evelyn Laurie, giving them the excellent edu- cational advantages that are afforded there.

John Myers Olin, whose name will be handed down to posterity as the father of the magnificent system of parks and pleasure drives in and about Madison, Wisconsin, is a successful lawyer of the above named city. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, July 10, 1851. His parents were Nathaniel G. and Phoebe ( Roberts) Olin, the former a native of Shaftsbury, and the latter of Manchester, Vermont. His early years were spent on the farm, and his opportunities for education were those furnished by the short sessions of the district school. When fourteen he attended Belleville high school for two years and also attended Daily's private academy, at Lexington, for a short period. Entering Oberlin College, he remained through the freshman year, and then entered the sophomore class at Williams College, graduat- ing with the class of 1813. with the degree of A. B., and was given the degree of A. M. three years later. He was next principal of the Mansfield, Ohio, schools for a year. From September, 1874, to the close of the college year in June. 1878, he was instructor in rhetoric and oratory in the University of Wisconsin. He was graduated from

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the law school of the University of Wisconsin in 1879 and at once began the practice of law, at Madison, which has since been his home. His first law-partner was Lars J. Grinde ( U. W., Law, 1874), who died in December, 1882 ; he then practiced alone until January 1, 1892, when he formed a partnership with Harry L. Butler (U. W. Law, 1889) under the firm name of Olin & Butler, which st'll continues. The firm has acquired a lucrative practice, and is recognized as one of the strongest law firms in the state. Mr. Olin is a profound stil- dent of the law, and is noted for the intense application with which he undertakes the conduct of a case. His zeal and energy in the interest of a client is untiring and he leaves no stone unturned in the exhaust- ive preparat on of his cases. In their trial he displays a marked capacity for logical and convincing statement, has an impressive manner and voice, and frequently rises to heights of impassioned oratory. The firm has shared for many years in much of the important litigation in both the state and Federal courts. Some twenty years ago he es- poused the principles of the Prohibition party of the state, and was its candidate for governor ; since then he has been classed as a Republican of a non-partisan and liberal type, standing for the best measures and men. In addition to his fame as a brilliant lawyer, Mr. Ofin is widely and favorably known for his public-spirited efforts looking to the beautification of Madison, and its environment. The plan of securing parks and pleasure drives for Madison originated in 1892, and Mr. Olin has been the prime mover and leading spirit in the work ever since. He has been indefatigable in the cause, and has given unstintedly both of his time and money. The Madison Park an 1 Pleasure Drive Association was finally organized in 1894, and was succeeded by the present organization of the same name but with enlarged powers, in 1899. Working through this splendid association, Mr. Olin, with the efficient help of other public spirited citizens, has succeeded in giving to the city a system of drives and beautiful parks, which are unrivalled by any city of its size in the country ; and best of all, the work of the association has promoted a spirit of liberal giving which has worked for the general uplifting of the community. These parks and drives are Mr. Olin's enduring monument, and his memory will ever be kept green by reason of them, while his present admirers are legion. In the fall of 1885. he was selected as instructor of Federal jurisprudence, sales, juries, and jury trials, in the college of law, of the University of Wisconsin, and continued in the work until the close of the school year of 1887. He was again chosen a member of the law faculty in June, 1894, and since then has lectured on real property, wills, and torts. His labors in this field are marked

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by his usual ability and thoroughness. Mr. Olin was married June 14, 1880, at Baraboo, to Miss Helen R. Remington (U. W., '76). Their home on Langdon street, near the University, and extending to the waters of Lake Mendota, is one of the ornaments of the city.

Andrew Olson is one of the prosperous farmers of Cottage Grove township, where he has won independent and definite success through his own efforts and ability. He was born in the northern part of Nor- way, October 8, 1849, and is the son of Ole and Cary (Anderson) Knutson, taking his surname from the Christian name of his father, as is the custom in his native land. He was reared to maturity in Nor- way, where he received limited educational advantages. He was in his. twenty-second year at the time of his immigration to America, and he made his way directly to Dane county, where he found employ- ment as a farm hand, being thus engaged about three years and then purchased a farm in Dunn township, where he remained about twelve years, at the expiration of which he sold the place and purchased his present farm of forty acres, in Cottage Grove township. He has made good improvements on the place and thrift and prosperity are in evidence on every hand. Mr. Olson attributes much of his success to the able assistance and co-operation of his wife, and they may well look with pride and satisfaction upon the results of their faithful efforts. Both are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church, and in pol- itics he is identified with the Republican party. In the autumn of 1872 Mr. Olson was united in marriage to Miss Anna Johnson, who was born March II, 1853, being a daughter of John and Betsey (Peterson) Johnson, of Dumm township. They have nine children, whose names, with respective dates of birth, are as follows: Ole, No- vember 9, 1873; John, January 10, 1875; George Cornelius, March 28, 1877; Bessie Anderina, February 17, 1880; Clara Matilda, May 6, 1882: Thea Sophia, March 23, 1884; 'Albert Oscar, March 19, 1887; Anna Luella. August 22, 1889; and Mabel Caroline, September 27, 1892. Ole, the eldest son, married Miss Oleta Caroline Lonsness, of Cottage Grove township; John married Miss Mabel Boyles of the same township; Bessie A. is the wife of Carl Ahrensmeier, of Elmside, a suburb of the city of Madison; and Clara M. is the wife of Ellsworth Hoover, of Dunkirk township.

Andrew Olson, a successful and well known farmer of Rutland, was born October 23, 1848, near Bergen, Norway. His father, Ole, was a farmer, shoemaker and carpenter in the village and there married Miss Ingeborg Knutson. Eight children were born to them ; Ole B., who is a farmer of Burke; Knute, a farmer of Rut-

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land; Andrew, Betsey and Ole N., who reside with their brother Knute; Otto a farmer in Dunkirk, and Martha and Ole, who died. The family came to America in 1870, where two of the sons had preceded them and located in Rutland. The boys were obliged to work in Norway and had small opportunity to attend school. An- drew left Norway in 1868, located in Stoughton and farmed there and in the town of Dunn for several years. In 1870 he enlisted as a private in Company E, of the Seventeenth Regiment of the regu- lar army and was stationed at Fort Stephenson, N. Dak. and at the Grand River Agency. At the end of two years he was discharged for disability. Since that time he has lived in Rutland, where he purchased first a farm of forty acres and later added to it one hun- dred acres, on which he now lives. In December, 1905, another forty acres was purchased, making in all a fine large farm. Mr. Olson is a Republican but not an active politician. He is a mem- ber of the First Lutheran church of Stoughton. In October, 1888, he married Miss S. Reppen, daughter of Hans and Carrie (Gist) Reppen, whose home was in Norway. Eight children have been born to them; Ida, Clara, Odin, Henry, Ernest, Emill, Adelina and Sedney.

Anton Olson has since 1889 resided upon the farm of one hun- dred and fifty-six and one-fourth acres in Christiania, where he at present carries on an extensive general farming and dairying business. He makes a specialty of fine milch cows of which he always has a large number and has a finely equipped property. About one hundred acres are under cultivation. Anton Olson was born in Hedemarken, Norway, February 9, 1859, and came to the United States in 1876 with his parents, Ole and Marie (Olson) Nelson. He purchased a farm in the town of Folten near Edger- ton, Rock county, where the family lived for three years and then moved to Christiania, where Mr. Oleson still resides. Mrs. Nelson died in 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson attended the United Lutheran church, of which their son Anton and his wife are also members. Three children were born to Ole Nelson and his wife : one died in infancy and Anton and Alena came to America with their parents. Alena married Taylor Johnson of Albion who died in. 1906. Mrs. Johnson has since then lived with her father in Albion. Anton at- tended school in Norway and when the family arrived in Christiania he worked out for some time until they became established. In March, 1886, he married Miss Anna Thostenson of Christiania. daughter of Thosten and Christina (Gunderson), who were natives of Nummedahl, Norway, and who settled in Christiania. Dane

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county, in 1844, upon a farm. Five children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Olson, all of whom are living at home: Oscar, Martin, Clara, Henry and Alma. For three years (1886-1889) Mr. Olson lived on a farm in Rock county, where he had seventy-five acres of land but he soon returned to Dane county, where he has always been interested. He is a loyal member of the Democratic party but has never taken any very active part in political mat- ters.

Knud Olson, the pioneer harness dealer of Stoughton, is one of the well known are honored citizens of this part of the county. He is a native of Norway, where he was born March 25, 1836, and is a son of Ole and Leve (Erickson) Knudson, his surname being derived from the Christian name of his father, as is the custom in Norway. Mr. Olson was afforded the advantages of good schools in his native land, where his father followed the vocation of farming. In 1852, at the age of sixteen years, he set forth, with all of courage and self-reli- ance, to make a home in America, the voyage comprising seven weeks He landed in the port of New York city, and then came to Wisconsin by way of Albany, Buffalo and the Great Lakes, to Milwaukee. From Wisconsin's present metropolis, which was then a small town, he pro- ceeded to Janesville, Rock county, where he served a thorough ap- prenticeship at the trade of harnessmaking and where he remained five and one-half years. In 1858 he took up his residence in Stough- ton, where he worked at his trade several months, in the employ of J. O. Cold. From 1864 to 1866 he traveled through the west, espe- cially in Montana, where the gold excitement was then at its height. In January, 1866, he settled permanently in Stoughton, where he has thus made his home for forty years. He has established a successful business as a dealer in harness and saddlery and has a well equipped shop in which high-grade goods are manufactured and repaired. For several years he was also special carriage trimmer for the old shop of the Mandt wagon works, in that connection giving employment to several men. Mr. Olson has stood for the highest type of loyal citizen- ship, has retained the implicit confidence and esteem of the community and has been called to various offices of public trust. He served eight years as assessor of Stoughton, was village trustee several years, prior to the incorporation of the city, being president of the board of trus- tees one year, and for several years he represented his ward on the board of aldermen of the city. For three years he held the office of city treasurer, and he has ever been found faithful and efficient as a public official. In politics he is an uncompromising Republican

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and his religious faith is that of the Lutheran church. For more than twenty years he has been a trustee of Christ church, of this de- nomination, in Stoughton, his wife likewise was a devoted member of the same. In 1860 he was united in marriage to Miss Guri Chris- tiansen, daughter of Knud and Barbara (Synsistegard) Christian- sen, who came to Wisconsin from Norway and settled in Rock county in 1852. Mrs. Olson died in 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Olson became the parents of six children, of whom four are living,-Levi, a resident of Milwaukee; Caroline, widow of Nelson M. Lovejoy, of Stoughton; Bennette and Annie G. The two deceased were named Annie and Maria Josephine, the latter of whom was the wife of E. J Young.

Nels F. Olson, manufacturer of and dealer in carriages, wagons, harrows, plows, etc., in the city of Stoughton is one of the pro- gressive business men and popular citizens of this place, and he has built up a prosperous enterprise through his own efforts and ability. He was born in Trondhjem, a seaport town of Norway, November 13, 1858, and is a son of Ole and Bertha (Nelson) Ol- son, who came to America in 1882, locating in Dane county, where he was engaged in farming until 1895, since which time he and his wife have resided in Stoughton. Of their six children five are living, namely : John, Nels F., Annie (wife of Alexander Nelson), Sever F. and Bertha (wife of John L. Johnson). Nels F. Olson, the immediate subject of this sketch was reared and educated in his native land, where he remained until he had attained to the age of nineteen years, when, in 1877, he came to the United States, making his way from New York city to Hancock, in the upper peninsula of Michigan, where he was employed in the copper mines for eighteen months. He then came to Dane county and located in the village of Cambridge, where he learned the trade of general blacksmith, remaining in that place three and one-half years. He then located in the village of London, this county, where he was associated in business with Charles Wolffor during the ensuing three years. In 1886 he located in Stoughton, where he worked at his trade, as a journeyman, for one year, passing the following eighteen months in Utica, this county, and then returning, in 1889. to Stoughton, which has since represented his home and business headquarters. He has built up a prosperous business and has his shops well equipped for all branches of work handled. He is a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, and from 1895. to 1898, inclusive, he represented the second ward of Stoughton in the city council. He is identified with Stoughton Lodge, No. 60, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and with the Scandinavian

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Workingmen's Association. Both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. In 1889 Mr. Olson married Miss Denie Ole- son, daughter of Andrew Oleson, of Cambridge, this county, and they have two children, Merrill and Edna.

Osmon T. Olson, (Asbjorn T. Olson, his baptizimal name) the obliging operator and station agent at McFarland, was born in the town of Pleasant Springs, Dane county, September 24, 1851. The parents were Tollef and Guri (Tofte) Olson, natives of Norway, who came to Wisconsin in 1849. Tollef Olson saw service in the Swedish war. After his arrival in Milwaukee he made the trip overland to the town of Pleasant Springs, where he worked land on shares for a couple of years. Cholera was raging in southern Wisconsin in the summer of 1852 and Tollef Olson fell a victim to its ravages, leaving a widow with three small children, the eldest only five years old, Esther (now Mrs. P. F. Nelson of 'McFarland), Ole, died at age of fourteen, having been an invalid all his life, and Osmon T., the sub- ject of this sketch. The struggles of the widow for several years were hard, but by 1859 she had accumulated enough to purchase a modest home in the village of McFarland. At the age of fifteen, when he had acquired all the learning to be had from the McFarland schools, Osmon T. Olson started life for himself. His first work was with a contractor's gang, building fences for the railroad company. The next seven years he put in at the carpenter's trade, studying tel- egraphy in his spare moments. So proficient did he become in this that in 1878 he was given a position as operator and two years later was given charge of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Com- pany's depot at M'cFarland and has held that position ever since. Few people ever led a more self-sacrificing life than has Osmon T. Olson. Time and again he has been offered and urged to take more lucrative positions, but he has always steadily refused to consider any overtures preferring to remain in McFarland while his mother lives. He says he realizes something of what he owes her, and has built her a beautiful home, where he lives with her. In politics he is independ- ent ; each man and issue is carefully weighed and the decision is made with his ballot. His religious affiliations are with the Lutheran church, and the Young People's Society is the only organization of any kind to which he belongs. Something of the esteem in which Mr. Olson is held by h's neighbors may be judged by the fact that he has twice been chosen their town clerk.

Otto M. Olson, a prominent farmer of the town of Dunkirk, is a native of Sogen, Norway, born December 23, 1855, son of Ole and Ingeborg (Knutson) Olson. Ole Olson was a skilled maker of spin-

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ning-wheels in Norway and continued that handicraft as a means of livelihood in Wisconsin. The family left Norway in 1868, embarked for the United States and continued their journey to Dane county, Wisconsin. Here Mr. Olson farmed on shares in addition to his other work and here he lived to the great age of ninety-five years, his death occurring in April, 1891. Seven children made up the family circle; Ole, Knut, Andrew, Martha, who married Otto Sperle, Otto M., Bet- sey and Olaf. Otto M. was thirteen years of age when he came to the United States and continued his education, commenced in Norway, at the district schools of the town of Dunn. He assisted his parents in the work of farming and has always made farming his business. In 1881 he purchased forty acres of good farm land in the town of Dunkirk, which is now his home, and later added an adjoining twenty acres in the town of Rutland. This he has greatly improved and has in a fine state of cultivation. Since 1899 he has been agent for the Farmers' Insurance Company of Albion and has been for five years treasurer of the Rutland Cooperative Creamery Company. In his po- litical affiliations Mr. Olson is a Republican and has served the town of Dunkirk as assessor for six years and as treasurer for three years. June 30, 1893, he married Miss Annie Rasmussen, daughter of Nels and Kate Rasmussen, farmers of the town of Burke. Three children were born to this marriage; Mabel, Agnes and Norma. The family are active supporters of the First Norwegian Lutheran church of Stoughton, of which Mr. Olson is a trustee.

Thore Olson, deceased, for many years one of the prominent farmers in the town of Pleasant Springs, was a son of Ole Thorson and Sarah Christopherson of Norway. His birth occurred June 4, 1838, at Guldbrandsdalen, Norway. In 1869 Mr, Olson and his wife came to the United States and settled in the town of Pleasant Springs. His first means of obtaining a livelihood after coming here was by raising tobacco on shares, which he did for eight years. In 1876 he purchased one hundred and ninety acres of land in the same town, later adding a tract of forty acres adjoining, the place being equally divided between the towns of Pleasant Springs and Dunn. Later in life he added to the amount of realty by the purchase of two hundred and forty acres in the town of Dunkirk. One hundred and twenty acres of this Dunkirk property are still in the possession of his estate, together with the Pleasant Springs and Dunn holdings. He followed agricultural pursuits all his active life, retiring in 1902. Besides his agricultural possessions he owned valuable real estate in the city of Stoughton, and upon his retirement he removed to that city where he died July 8, 1904, at the age of sixty-six, leaving a widow, nec Sarah

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Nichole, daughter of Peter and Johanna (Anderson) Nichole of Nor- way, and ten children. The children in the order of their ages are Tilla, wife of Lief Holte; Pauline, married Louis Felland; Maria, wife of Theodore Edwards; Theodore; Henry B .; Louise; Lenore ; Valborg ; Henrietta and Rupert. One daughter, Hannah, is deceased. Prior to his coming to America Mr. Olson had been a sailor on the high seas for eighteen years. He was a thrifty, industrious farmer and left his family a good competency.

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History of Dane County, Biographical and Genealogical, Part 69

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