USA > Wisconsin > Eau Claire County > History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present; including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county > Part 81
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
Henry Cleaveland Putnam. No history of Eau Claire would be complete without the record of Henry C. Putnam, for he was one of the pioneers of the city before it became a city, and the activities of his suecessful life were closely identified with the growth and prosperity of this community. More than that, the history of his family is coeval with the history of this country from early colonial days, and members of both branches of his family were notable in American history.
Like many American families, the Putnams have English ancestors. They are also more remotely descended from Charlemagne through the counts of Boulogne. The original name of the family was Puttenham, contracted in America to Putnam. Puttenham, Vale of Anlesbury, England, was their ancestral home. It is mentioned in the survey under William the Con- queror, 1085 A. D., and recorded in the Domesday Book. From or soon after the latter part of the 12th century the Puttenhams were undisputed lords of the manor of Puttenham, which re- mained among their possessions until the middle of the 16th cen- tury and now belongs to Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild. Sir George de Puttenham was one of the courtiers at the court of Queen Elizabeth of England and wrote a book on "Poesie" for the lords and ladies of the court.
. . .
Hanry G. Putnam
831
BIOGRAPHIY
The American line is clearly traced back to John Putnam, who was born in 1582 in England, settled at Salem, Mass., in 1634, and died in 1662. The second generation is represented by John, Jr., the third and fourth by Eleazer, and the fifth by Henry, who, with his seven sons, took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, where he and three of the sons were killed. Of his surviv- ing sons, Eleazer was the father of Dr. Elijah Putnam, who re- moved in 1792 from the vicinity of Boston to Madison, N. Y., where he practiced his profession and was a widely respected citizen. His wife was Phoebe Wood. Of their sons, Hamilton, born in Madison in 1807, married Jeanette Cleaveland, a de- scendant of Moses Cleaveland, who removed in 1635 from Ipswich, England, to Woburn, Mass., and from whom all the Cleavelands in this country are descended, as are all the Putnams from John Putnam. Hamilton Putnam was a merchant at Madi- son in early life, but removed in 1842 to Cortland, N. Y., where he engaged in farming.
Henry C. Putnam was the son of Hamilton and Jeanette (Cleaveland) Putnam, and was born in Madison, N. Y., March 6, 1832. His parents moved to Cortland, N. Y., in 1842 and there he received his early education in the public schools and the old Cortland Academy. At the age of sixteen he began the study of engineering at a private school in Cornwall, Conn., and made sueli progress that in 1850 he was given a position as civil engi- neer on the Syraeuse & Binghamton Railroad. Ile remained in the service of that corporation for two and one-half years, after which he went into the South and was employed for two years on railroads in South Carolina and Georgia.
In August, 1855, Mr. Putnam eame to the state of Wisconsin, and, with headquarters at Hudson, he engaged in surveying and locating government lands. In 1856 he became an engineer for what is now the Prairie du Chien division of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad.
On May 23, 1857, he settled in Eau Claire and. made it his permanent home. In that year he also entered permanently into the business of surveying and locating pine lands, at first for eastern capitalists and soon for himself, and within a few years became largely interested in timber properties.
In addition to his ability as an engineer and his knowledge of forestry he was gifted with rare business acumen, and his inter- ests steadily increased until he became one of the most prominent business men in the state.
832
HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
He was a man of varied capacities and of marked ability in each. Admittedly one of the most thorough and practical author- ities on forestry in the United States, he was also devoted to the study of geology from his youth, and read in nature's book the secrets of her long life. Ile developed the artistic side of his mind by study and made an interesting collection of old prints and engravings. He was a man of fine business aenmen, a suc- eessful banker and an able public official. He was agent in Wis- consin for the Cornell University and located for the university the large body of fine timber lands on the Chippewa river and its tributaries, from the sale of which the university afterwards derived such a large sum of money, and which placed that institu- tion among the wealthiest in this country. He was a member and for some time vice-president of the American Forestry Asso- ciation, and between the years 1880 and 1883 he examined the forests of the western states and territories, and also of British Columbia, under the direction of Professor Sargent, of Boston, and his report on the condition and resources of those forests was embodied in the tenth census of the United States. In 1883 he was engaged by the Northern Pacific Railway Company to make a special examination of the forests tributary to their lines and to make a report thereon. Both this report and that pre- pared for Professor Sargent are still regarded as models.
In 1885 he visited France, Germany and Switzerland to ex- amine the forests of those countries and to study the methods of replanting there employed. Subsequently he made a report of his observations to the British Association of Science, of which he was a member, and his report was pronounced the most prac- tical and satisfactory ever made to the association. Ile also made a map of Pennsylvania, which was adopted by the government in preference to those of the "scientific" timber experts.
Mr. Putnam was a stockholder and director in many enter- prises, among them being the Grand Ronde Lumber Company of Oregon, the Bow River Lumber Company of Calgary, B. C., the Brennan Lumber Company of St. Paul, the Rust, Putnam & Owen Company of northern Wisconsin, the Pioneer Furniture Company of Eau Claire, and several minor concerns. In 1876 he organized the Chippewa Valley Bank in Eau Claire, which was one of the solid financial institutions of its day, and proved a strong auxiliary to his extensive operations. as well as a boon to the then young city.
When the timber supply, and consequently the manufacture
833
BIOGRAPHY
of lumber, began to decline Mr. Putnam was one of the first to make an endeavor to furnish other kinds of employment for the working people of Eau Claire. To that end he organized the Eau Claire Linen Company, of which he became president and took stoek in the National Electrie Manufacturing Company and other new enterprises. These were not profitable for the capitalists, but they served to benefit the working people during a period of transition.
Out of the events of Mr. Putnam's eareer might be woven an epic of the woods, or the story of a master of industry, or the pleasing history of an altruist. With all his exploitation of the forests and the building up of massive business projects he still found time for the eultivation of his own mind and for beneficient thought of his city and his fellowmen. In the early days of Eau Claire he served it officially as surveyor and register of deeds, and during the fifty-six years of his residence in the city he was one of its most patriotic citizens.
Putnam Park, which is conceded to be one of the handsomest natural tracts in the United States, was donated to the city of Eau Claire by Mr. Putnam. This splendid park comprises 230 acres upon which much of the original timber still stands, adding greatly to its beauty and attractiveness. Also in his will he left the generous sum of ten thousand dollars to be expended on improvements upon the park, and his heirs are faithfully carrying out his wishes.
In religious belief he was a Presbyterian and a member of the First Presbyterian church in Eau Claire, of which he was a trustee for many years. Ile laid the cornerstone of the first building ereeted by that church in 1857. It was a wooden strue- ture, and when the society desired to replace it with a finer and more commodious edifiee, in 1891, he subseribed one-fourth the entire cost. Also he was the prime mover in giving Eau Claire its present splendid Y. M. C. A. building. He made the first dona- tion to the building fund, the handsome sum of twenty thousand dollars, stipulating that the city raise thirty thousand more so as to make a fifty thousand dollar fund, and so earnestly did he advocate the cause that contributions aggregating eighty thou- sand dollars came in. To him is due the credit, not only for its inception, but for the success of the movement that gave the eity this edifice of which its citizens are proud. He was a promi- lent Mason and was one of seven men who established the first Masonic lodge in the Chippewa valley. All good projects and
834
HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
movements found his ready and hearty support. The overtone of his business life was progress and of his moral life uplift.
On August 8, 1858, Henry Cleaveland Putnam married Jane Eliza, daughter of Henry and Mary (Hunniwell) Balcom, of Oxford, N. Y. Their children are Ernest B. Putnam, a business man and banker of Eau Claire and Sea Breeze, Fla., and Sarah Lynn, now Mrs. James O. Hinkley, of Chicago.
Mrs. Henry Cleaveland Putnam.
"A woman mixed of such fine elements, That were all virtue and religion dead,
She'd make them newly, being what she was."
No truer tribute to the character of Mrs. Henry C. Putnam could be written than the above lines from the gifted pen of George Eliot. Mrs. Putnam possessed one of those perfectly rounded characters which could stand the closest scrutiny, so that those who knew her best admired her most. Though a quiet, home-loving woman, her intellect and character were so strong and her love for humanity so great that she was easily the best beloved and foremost woman of her city.
Possessing a strongly sympathetie nature she intuitively inter- ested herself in the welfare of all who needed her assistance. During the fifty years she lived in Eau Claire her life was filled with good deeds and kind words, and at her death it was truly said that "She held a place in the affections of the people of this community such as is held by no other person."
No stronger evidence of the usefulness of her life and the enduring place she still holds in the affections of the people of this city can be given than this ineident, which came under the observation of the writer years after Mrs. Putnam's death. A simple country woman, whom she had many times befriended, in deep distress and with apparently no one to help her, in despair burst into tears, exclaiming, "Oh, if Mrs. Putnam were only here, she would help me, she always did." Numerous ineidents like this attest the fact that Mrs. Putnam was truly beloved in the community she loved so well, and that her truest monument will always be found in the heart and memory of its people.
Mrs. Putnam's maiden name was Jane E. Balcom. She was the daughter of Henry Baleom, of Oxford, Chenango county, New York, who was descended from a long line of worthy an- cestors in America. He was the sixth in descent from Henry Baleom, who was born in Baleombe, Sussex county, England,
Jane & Putnaul
835
BIOGRAPHY
in 1630, and who was the first of the family to settle in America. In 1665 he was a resident of Charleston, S. C., where the records show he was a large property owner. Henry Balcom, the fourth, was born in Sudbury, Mass., in 1740, and was a revolutionary soldier. At the outbreak of that war he and his wife patriotically melted their pewter plates into bullets, and he acted as seout for General Stark in the battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777. Henry Balcom, the sixth, was born in Oxford, N. Y., in 1798. Ile became prominent in public affairs, was a member of the state legislature and took great interest in the construction of the Chenango canal. Ile was a man of fine sensibilities, purity of motives and exalted character-traits transmitted to his dangh- ter, the subject of this biographical sketch. Ile married Mary Hunniwell, daughter of Lyman and Doreas (Lynn) IIunniwell.
The Balcom arms has a erest emblematie of the name and bears the motto: "The Righteous are Bold as a Lion."
Jane E. Balcom was born in Oxford, Chenango county, New York, in 1832. In 1857 she came to Eau Claire, where she met Mr. Henry C. Putnam. They were married in 1858, and here she lived her quiet, beautiful life for fifty years, the only breaks being a visit to Europe and several winters spent in Washington, D. C. In Eau Claire she reared her children, maintained an ideal home and showered blessings from her bountiful hands.
The marvel of it is that she sought no public recognition, never appeared before a public audience, and yet she won the confidence, respect and affection of all classes to a remarkable degree. While gentle and self-effacing, her attitude toward the world was broadly sympathetic and the inherent strength and honesty of her moral nature made a strong impression upon all who came within the radins of her influenee. Her unobtrusive charity won her the love of a wide circle of people who looked to lier for comfort and aid in their hour of need, and her advice and counsel, no less than her benefactions, were sought by many.
Hler beneficences were never heralded, yet the wide scope of her sympathies is revealed in the history of a single day of her life, which her daughter confided to a friend. On that day a young man who was about to begin his business career came to her for advice and encouragement. Later a man who was in business difficulties came to her for suggestions and assistance. In the afternoon eame an unfortunate girl to tell of her shame and desertion, and to ery her griet out in the presence of her com- prehending heart. All classes came to her and all hearts were
836
HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
lightened by her presence. Many felt honored and were made happy by her smile of recognition and she was called "Rich in experience that angels might covet."
For fifty years she was to Eau Claire a devoted and efficient promoter of the welfare of the city and its people. She started the first library in Eau Claire and the present library building and its architectural beauty were largely due to her initiative and fine taste. The mortuary chapel in the Forest llill cemetery was built by her heirs at her request and dedicated to the use of her townsfolk.
Perhaps the clearest light upon the character of this strongly gentle woman may be revealed by what she herself wrote in the front of her Bible: "If you would increase your happiness and prolong your life, forget your neighbor's faults. Remember their temptations. Forget fault-finding and give a little thought to the cause that provoked it. Forget the slander you have heard. Forget all personal quarrels and histories. Obliterate every- thing disagreeable from yesterday ; start with a clear sheet today and write upon it, for sweet memory's sake, only those things which are lovely and lovable."
Gentle as she was the strength of her character left its impress upon whomsoever she met and was an infinenee for permanent good. As the record of a single day in her life shows the won- derful trust and confidence of diverse people in this remarkable woman, so one instance out of the numberless reveals the deep and lasting impression she made upon all. This touching in- stance is supplied hy a letter and beautiful poem sent to her in 1897 :
My Dear Mrs. Putnam : I have looked for years to find some- thing in print that would express my feeling towards you. These verses seem to have been written especially for you. My sincere wish is that yon may live long and enjoy everything that is good and beautiful in this world, and may God's richest blessing be with you and your loved ones, is the wish of
Growing Old.
Softly, O softly, the years have swept by thee. Touching thee lightly with tenderest care; Sorrow and death they have often brought nigh thee, Yet they have left thee but beauty to wear. Growing old gracefully, Gracefully fair.
837
BIOGRAPHY
Far from the storms that are lashing the ocean, Nearer each day to the pleasant home light; Far from the waves that are big with commotion, Under full sail and the harbor in sight. Growing old gracefully, Cheerful and bright.
Past all the winds that were adverse and chilling, Past all the islands that Inred thee to rest, Past all the eurrents that Inred thee unwilling Far from any course to the land of the blest. Growing old gracefully, Peaceful and blest.
Never a feeling of envy or sorrow When the bright faces of children are seen ; Never a year from the young wouldst thou borrow- Thon dost remember what lieth between; Growing old willingly, Thankful, serene.
Rich in experience that angels might covet, Rich in a faith that hath grown with the years, Rich in a love that grew from and above it, Soothing thy sorrows and hushing thy fears. Growing old wealthily, Loving and dear.
Hearts at the sound of thy coming are lightened. Ready and willing thy hand to relieve; Many a face at thy kind word has brightened, "It is more blessed to give than receive." Growing old happily, Ceasing to grieve.
Eyes that grow dim to earth and its glory Have a sweet recompense youth eannot know ; Ears that grow dull to the world and its glory, Drink in the songs that from Paradise flow. Growing old graciously, Pnrer than snow.
In her early life Mrs. Putnam was an influential member of the Presbyterian ehureh. She was one of the first in Eau Claire
838
HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
to become interested in Christian Science and was instrumental in inaugurating the movement which has sinee resulted in the establishment of the Christian Seience church in this city. The reality of her religion was made manifest by her love of human- ity as expressed in her devotion to good works.
She died June 6, 1907, lamented even as she was beloved and in its issue of June 12 the Eau Claire Leader published this tribute to her from an unknown author:
Tribute to Mrs. H. C. Putnam. (By one who loved her.)
Like the unfolding flower, reaching up To the heavens, blue and far away, She blossomed; the beauty-tints, her thoughts and grace- Not fading, but the things that stay.
Like the nectar, sweet, because 'tis breath from God's own lips-the incense of His love-
So she, in fragrance of life perfumed, Wrought deeds-true nectar-wafted from above.
Unfolding sweetly like "the smile of God," ___ Blessed rose, whose beauty all may know- She reflected form, fragrance, and the unseen tints, Which in God's garden of purity doth grow.
The rose, "the smile of God," may droop and fade To mortal sense-a sense all bathed in tears-
But she, a blossom in the garden-spot of God, Can never fade through centuries of love-made years.
We see the garden, but where the flower? "Tis there: But "having eyes ye see it not,"
For in the larger thought of God she lives, Still unfolding, beautiful, and ne'er to be forgot.
The radiance of Mrs. Putnam's personality was diffused be- yond her own fireside, beyond her own circle of friends, out into the highways and byways of life, cheering, encouraging, blessing. Such a type of woman Wordsworth surely had in mind when he wrote these lines:
839
BIOGRAPHY
"The reason firm, the temperate will, Endurance, foresight, strength and skill, A perfect woman, nobly planned,
To warm, to comfort and command.".
Fred Raddatz, who since 1895 has been proprietor of the popular Kneer House, is a native of Germany, where he was born October 2, 1860, his parents being Adolph and Louisa (Rick) Raddatz. In 1872, when only twelve years of age, Mr. Raddatz left his native country for the United States and upon his arrival he came to Eau Claire, Wis., and located at Fall Creek, and for four years worked on a farm. In 1876 he came to the city of Eau Claire, and for the next two years aeted in the capacity of teamster. He then found employment as runner for the Gallo- way House and by strict attention to business and persevering efforts he worked up to the position of clerk. Here he remained until 1895, when he became proprietor of the Kneer House, which he has since successfully conducted. His most estimable wife, Emma, is a daughter of the late Mathias Kneer.
Mr. Raddatz is one of the popular and influential men of Ean Claire and takes an active interest in all publie matters. He is prominently identified with various fraternal organizations, being a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight Templar. IIe is a member of the Knights of Pythias and has filled all the chairs of that order. Ile holds membership in the Maccabees, the United Order of Foresters, the Beavers and the German Singing Society. He is an exten- sive owner of real estate in Eau Claire, among which may be mentioned the Kneer House and adjoining property. In political affiliations he is a Republican.
Adin Randall. The beautiful city of Eau Claire elnsters around the junction of the Chippewa and Ean Claire rivers. These picturesque streams are not navigable and the uninitiated instinctively asks: What caused a city to grow up at this place ? The answer is, the great lumber industry of the last half of the nineteenth century, and that brings in the names of men-men of the woods, the river and the mill-the sturdy pioneers. Among these was a carpenter, a man of unusual energy and enterprise, a true pioneer, who saw so clearly the possibilities of the site of Eau Claire that he stood upon the forest-lined banks of the Chip- pewa and visioned the future city.
Adin Randall was born near Clarksville, Madison county, New York, October 12, 1829. School facilities were meager
840
HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
in those days and he had no great opportunity to take advantage of even the little education obtainable. While still a youth he learned the trade of carpenter and worked at it in New York state until he was twenty-five years of age. In 1852 he married Clamenzia Babcock, and in 1854 moved west and settled in Madi- son, Wis. There he became a building contractor and made a little money, with which he bought an interest in a saw mill in Eau Claire iu the fall of 1855.
It was in that year that Mr. Randall first came to Eau Claire. Quickly he saw the advantage of the location and, selling out his interest in the saw mill, he moved his family here in the spring of 1856. For a short time he was associated with Gage & Reed. but soon sold out his interest in the business and purchased the land which is now the west side of the city of Eau Claire south of Bridge street and between Half Moon lake and the Chippewa river. This traet he had platted under the name of the city of Eau Claire, but it was then, and for some time afterwards, known as Randall Town. This tract was then covered with brush and stunted trees, and all this part of the state and to the north- ward was primitive wilderness, but he talked Eau Claire to every- one and sounded the praises of this location wherever and when- ever possible. He built a small planing mill at the foot of what is now Ninth avenue, and he secured the right to operate a ferry on the Chippewa, between the east and west sides.
Acting upon the faith which he had in the future of Eau Claire-a faith that others now see realized-he began to antici- pate the future city. To that end he donated the land for Ran- dall Park to the corporation and also the site for the West Side cemetery. To the First Congregational church he gave the land which that society still owns and occupies, and to the Methodist church he donated half of the land which constitutes the present high school grounds. He planned to build his own residence upon the attractive site where the court house now stands, and he took pleasure in assuring the pessimists that the west side would one day have street cars running along its thoroughfares. But, stand- ing amid the brush and trees, they could not see the panorama that rose up before his time-penetrating eyes.
Few living can remember, but who has not read, of the period of hard times that came to this country after the elose of the Crimean war. Then, as now, a European confliet brought a war tax to America, but then the tax was paid in a different manner. A wave of depression swept over the country, money was more than scarce, it was hardly obtainable, and Mr. Randall was one
841
BIOGRAPHY
of the thousands whose plans and hopes were shattered by the financial convulsions that shook the very foundations of the West from 1857 to 1860. In order to carry out his plans he had mort- gaged the west side and being unable to meet the claims of the mortgagees they took the property.
In 1860 he sold out his planing mill and went to Chippewa Falls. He remained there but a short time, however, and then built a saw mill at Jim Falls, which he ran for two years. Having sold that mill he purchased a grist mill at Reed's Landing and made it over into a saw mill. This he operated until the time of his death, which occurred in April, 1868, when he was but thirty- nine years of age.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.