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 82
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Notwithstanding his remarkable energy, his buoyant optimism and his irrepressible spirit of enterprise, he never shared in the harvest of wealth which he clearly saw was coming to Eau Claire, but he helped to sow the seed for that harvest. Ilis in- elinations were entirely for business projects and it is said that he started or suggested more enterprises than any other man the city has known. Ile cared nothing for public life, yet when Ean Claire county was erected by the legislature in 1856 he was elected the first county treasurer.
He is described as a man of cheerful disposition and un- daunted courage. Disaster could not crush him, and when it came he continued to work with an ardor and energy that were the admiration of his friends. He was revered by his family and he will always live in the hearts of the workingmen, with whom he was a great favorite. A mechanic himself, he took a personal interest in their lives and affairs and liked to get their ideas on all matters pertaining to their welfare. When the civil war broke out his employees and other workingmen came to him and said they would form a company and go to the front if he would be their captain. This he wished to do and was only hin- dered by the fervent solicitations of his wife and children.
A handsome bronze statue commemorates Adin Randall in the park which he gave to Eau Claire. The memorial was a gift to the city from Mr. O. H. Ingram, and, unquestionably, is a tribute of high regard from a wonderfully successful man to the memory of a truly remarkable one. But there is a legend in Eau Claire which tells of a secondary reason for the erection of this statue. It is said that when Mr. Ingram came to Eau Claire, in 1857, he was, at first, disposed to return to Canada, where he had interests too promising to exchange for the wilds of Wis- consin. But Mr. Randall talked to him of the advantages of Ean
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Claire, took him up the Eau Claire river, showed him the vast forests of pine, and ultimately persuaded him to locate here. If this be true, Mr. Ingram would, naturally, hold him in kindly remembranec, and for this one act, had he done nothing more, Adin Randall was worthy of perpetuity in Eau Claire, for he secured to the city the greatest constructive business man the community has ever known.
Edgar H. Randall, a well known business man of Eau Claire, has been a resident here since 1856. He is the son of Adin Ran- dall, who was born in Brookfield, Madison county, New York, October 12, 1829, and came to Wiseonsin in 1854, settling first at Madison, this state, where Edgar, our subject, was born on May 5, 1855. Adin Randall followed his trade of carpenter and joiner for one year in Madison, and in the fall of 1855 came to Eau Claire and in the spring of 1856 moved his family here, con- sisting of his wife and two children. Soon after his arrival he engaged in the lumber business with the firm of Gage & Reed, whose mill occupied the site where the Mississippi River Logging Company's lower mill on the Eau Claire river was located. Hc soon after sold his interests to J. G. Thorp and purchased the land on the west side of the river south of Grand avenue west, extend- ing from Half Moon lake to the river, and platted it as Adin Randall's first and second addition to the city of Eau Claire, but it was generally known at that time as "Randall Town." He built a saw mill, which he equipped with machinery for planing and making sash, doors and blinds. In 1861 he moved to Chip- pewa Falls and ran the big mill there. In 1863 he built a dam and saw mill at Jim's Falls, which he conducted until 1865, when he sold it to Freneh & Giddings, and then bought a mill at Reed's Landing, which he fitted up and operated until he died, April 26, 1868. Ile gave Randall Park and Lake View cemetery to the city ; also half of the high school lots and the lots for the First Congregational church.
On March 8, 1852, Adin Randall married at Brookfield, N. Y., Miss Clamenzia E. Babcock, daughter of Rawson and Mandana Babcock, and they reared a family of six children, viz .: Burdett M., Edgar II., Nellie G., Dora M., Eva and Adin W. Randall. The mother of these children passed away on November 1, 1885.
Edgar H. obtained his education in the public schools of Eau Claire, learned the trade of sign painter, and sinee 1876 has been engaged in sign business in this city. Mr. Randall married, on . August 4, 1887, Miss Helen M., daughter of John A. and Mary J. Bride, of Otter Creek township, Eau Claire county. To Mr. and
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Mrs. Randall have been born three children. viz .: Adin A., born Angust 30, 1888; Everett IL., born April 12, 1890, and Helen Fern, born March 3, 1893.
Robert Lee Rickman, inventor, president and manager of the Cement Products and Construction Company, of Eau Claire, was born November 8. 1863, in Bedford county, Tennessee, the son of Newton R. and Mary Jane (Alford) Rickman. The father was born in Williamson county, Tennessee, in 1815, and there and in adjoining counties spent his life engaged in farming. His death oceurred December 21, 1872.
In November, 1877, his mother removed to Somervell county, Texas, and the following year to Young county, Texas, where he lived on the farm until 1883. when he apprenticed himself to Mr. JJ. B. Norris, of Graham, Texas, to learn the trade of a tin- smith, after completion of which he took a course in a business college and then returned to Graham, where his former employer, Mr. Morris, started him up in business under the firm name of R. L. Riekman & Co. After continuing this business for five years Mr. Norris and he organized the J. B. Norris Hardware Company, of which he was vice-president and bookkeeper until he sold his interests in the spring of 1898.
On October 6, 1893, after a short attack of malarial fever, his mother, who had always been his constant companion and con- selor, died at the age of 73 years. Any success that he may meet with through life will be largely attributable to her influence over his early manhood.
In October, 1898, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he resided for more than a year, going from there in the spring of 1900 to Denver, Colo., where he remained for some two and a half years, during which time he perfected a "valveless" air drill and some other inventions. After being "fleeced" out of these inventions. he decided to take Horace Greeley's advice and "go west," and started for Vancouver, British Columbia, arriving there on June 30, 1902. After spending some time here, he de- cided to enter into the manufacture of eement products, and do a general contracting business, which he carried on until the fall of 1910. While engaged in this line of work he was eonvineed that the machines in use for the manufacture of cement bloeks, sewer pipe, briek, ete., were inadequate for the purpose and set about to evolve machines that would meet the requirements. In 1911 he closed out his interests in British Columbia and eame to Eau Claire for the purpose of building the machines which he had invented. He has built a large power sewer pipe and power
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block machine, which he has installed and has in successful opera- tion. These machines have large capacity and turn out an ex- cellent quality of material at a greatly reduced cost of labor. He is receiving many inquiries concerning his machines from all parts of the world, and hopes to be able in a short time to place these machines on the market.
Lucian V. Ripley is known today as an influential and sub- stantial business man of Eau Claire, but the history of his life's work is woven into the annals of the development of the great timber lands of America. The story of his life is an epic of the woods. Even as a boy he was familiar with the forest, the lum- ber camp and the hardy woodmen, among whom he was destined to become a leader. He was not one of those who began life with ample means to insure success; he started out for himself with only the woodcraft he had learned in his father's lumber camps for capital, and by his ability, hardihood and labor he achieved success and won the confidence of men of large affairs.
He was born in St. Clair county, Michigan, October 8, 1842, and is of English and German descent. Ilis parents were Volney A. and Maria (Klein) Ripley. Ilis paternal grandfather, Abner Ripley, was a native of England. He married Abigail Cornell, and to those two belong the honor of establishing this branch of the Ripley family in the United States.
Volney A. Ripley was born in New York and became one of the pioneers of St. Clair county, Michigan, where he was engaged in the lumber business for many years. His children were as follows: Lucian V., Marcus T., Charles, Mary and Joseph, who are living; Ida, Norman and Lillian are deceased. Joseph Rip- ley is now prominently connected with the enlargement of the Erie canal, and was one of the commissioners connected with the building of the Panama canal, and is the designer of the locks used upon the great interoceanic waterway.
Lucian V. Ripley grew to manhood in St. Clair county, Michi- gan, receiving his early education in the common schools and tak- ing up the lumber business with his father as soon as he was old enough. Disaster overtook his father's business in 1865 and the following year his father died. Lucian V. Ripley for a time struggled to build a new business out of the wreck of his father's enterprise, but the outlook was not promising, and in 1868 he began to locate pine lands for N. W. Brooks, of Detroit, a gentle- man who had early recognized young Ripley's ability as an ap- praiser of forest timber, and who had unbounded confidence in his judgment and integrity. He did a great deal of valuable
Lucien V. Ripley
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work for Brooks and soon others sought his services, and he has continued in that line of business to the present, operating largely in Michigan and Wisconsin, and also in states bordering on the Mississippi to the West, and in timber states East to the Atlantic ocean. For more than fifty years he has been a prominent fac- tor in the timber business of America, and that fifty years the most marvelous half eentury the world has ever known in the lumber industry as well as in other lines of exploitation, all of which have set the days of our grandfathers nearer to the dark ages than they are to us. In this great constructive period Mr. Ripley has been not only an active worker but a leader among the leaders. Everywhere he is regarded as an expert in esti- mating the value of timber lands, and he makes reports for in- vestors and corporations all over the country. The fact that Cor- nell University is one of his principal patrons is a clear indica- tion of his knowledge and ability as an appraiser.
Mr. Ripley has been a resident of Ean Claire since 1882 and is one of its leading citizens. He is a man of cultured tastes. en- gaging personality and felicitous social qualities. At 72 he is a slender man of medium height, active and alert, giving the clear impression that in his prime he was as hardy as an oak and as supple as a willow. For some years he has been interested in farming as well as forestry and has a fine farm near Eau Claire.
On October 20, 1870, Lucian V. Ripley married Belle M. Bur- dette, daughter of Joseph Burdette, of St. Ignace, Mich. They have three children living, viz: Fred B .; Belle, who is the wife of Dr. R. R. Chase, one of the leading physicians of Eau Claire, and Alie Ripley, who resides with her parents.
John Roach,* who is one of the energetic and well-to-do farm- ers of Union township, was born in Ireland, and is one of a fam- ily of ten children born to Joseph and Mary (O'Neal) Roach, both natives of Ireland, where they were married. Of the others Nicholas, Joanna, Annie and Thomas were born in Ireland, while Mary, Ellen. Margaret, James and Joseph were born in Eau Claire, to which place the parents emigrated in 1856. Soon after arriving here the father purchased the farm on which John, our subject, now resides, and they were classed among the thrifty, enterprising and well-to-do farmers of the county. After a resi- dence in the town of Union of twenty-nine years the father died, November 29, 1885, and the mother passed away in 1865.
John Roach, the subject of this sketch, attended the common schools of Ireland, and in 1865 came to Eau Claire. Since the death of his father he has carried on the home farm, which now
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consists of 80 acres of highly cultivated land, improved with mod- ern buildings and equipment. He is engaged in general truck farming, and makes a specialty of raising high-grade Poland- China hogs.
Mr. Roach married Miss Frances A. Lawler, of Trempealeau county, Wisconsin, and they have an interesting family of five children : Mary, Catherine, Walter, Annie and Lauretta, all of whom were born in the town of Union, and all are members of St. Patrick's church of Eau Claire.
Joseph Roach, a member of the Wisconsin Refrigerator Com- pany of Eau Claire, was born here on March 16, 1859. His par- ents, Joseph and Mary (O'Neal) Roach, were born in Ireland, where they married and had five children. They emigrated to America and to Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, in 1856, and set- tled on a farm in the town of Union, where the balance of their family of ten children were born. (See sketch of John Roach.)
Mr. Roach obtained a good education in the public schools of Eau Claire county, and for twenty-seven years followed the oc- cupation of lumbering in its various branches. He is now asso- sociated with the Wisconsin Refrigerator Company, with whom he has been for seven years.
In 1880 Mr. Roach married Miss Hannah MeCaghey, of Sey- mour, Ia .. and they have five children, all living at home, viz: Joseph E., Albert T., Francis P., William R. and Anna S. M. Two of the boys are now (1914) employed by the Eau Claire & Chip- pewa Falls Electric Railway Company, and Elmer holds a posi- tion with the Phoenix Furniture Company, of Eau Claire. Albert holds a position at the N. W. Steel & Iron Works. Mr. Roach is a member of St. Patrick's church, of this city, the Knights of Columbus, Holy Name Society and the Modern Woodmen.
Patrick MeCaghey, father of Mrs. Roach, was born in Ireland and came to the United States in 1858. He married Mary Mul- doon, and they reared a family of eight children, viz: Margaret, Lucy, Mary, Hannah, Nellie, Rose, Frank and William, all of whom are married and have families.
Joseph Warren Ross, who is considered one of Eau Claire's pioneer concrete contractors and substantial business men. is a native of Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. Ile was born Decem- ber 16, 1859, the son of John and Mary H. (Hall) Ross. The former was born March 30, 1835, in Pennsylvania, and the latter September 25, 1835, in the same state. They are the parents of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, all of whom are now (1914) living and all married. The parents are both liv-
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ing at Osseo, Wis., where they are enjoying their deelining years in the comforts of their pleasant home, surrounded by a host of friends and acquaintances, who admire them for their ambition to perform for themselves the labors connected with their home. The grandfathers, named respectively George Ross and John Hall, were counted among the early settlers in the Keystone state.
Joseph W. Ross came to Wisconsin with his parents and re- ceived his edueation in the common schools of Trempealean county , where he grew to manhood. He came to Eau Claire in the spring of 1891 and engaged in contraeting in concrete work, which he successfully carried on until 1904, when he es- tablished the Eau Claire Conerete Company, of which he is presi- dent and general manager. This eoneern manufactures all kinds of conerete building material, and under the careful manage- ment of Mr. Ross are doing a flourishing business. As a citizen he is publie spirited and enterprising and ready to contribute of his time and means to the advancement of the publie interest and general good. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Foresters.
Mr. Ross was married December 22, 1890, to Miss Mattie Louis Garfield. She died November 22, 1891, leaving besides her hus- band and infant daughter, Berniee Vida Ross, born October 18, 1891, who is a graduate of the Eau Claire high school and now in attendance at Lawrenee College at Appleton, Wis. On No- vember 20, 1897, Mr. Ross was again married, this time to Anthonette Skoien, of Pigeon Falls, Wis.
Isaac Rothstein, who has been a snecessful business man of Eau Claire sinee 1876, was born June 7, 1854, in the Province of Suwalki, in Russia, on the frontier near Germany. There he obtained a good education, mastering the languages of several nations, among them being German, Polish, Russian, Hebrew, Swedish and English, which aided him greatly in faeing the world independently, as he did in early life, among strangers and away from his relatives. He left his home in 1874, and after en- during many hardships for two years in Germany and Sweden he finally in the fall of that year sailed for Quebee, Canada. From there he came West to Milwaukee, and obtained a position at selling linens on the road, which he followed for some time, and in 1876 he came to Eau Claire and engaged in the groeery busi- ness with his brother-in-law, Julius Kohn, the firm being J. Kohn & Co., until 1884, when Mr. Kohn died, and Mr. Rothstein ear-
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ried on the business alone. The firm lost heavily in the floods of 1880 and 1884, but this did not affect the persistent efforts of Mr. Rothstein to make a success of their business, which was located at that time one-half block north of Fournier's Academy. In 1881 they built a store on Eau Claire street, where he con- tinned until 1890, when he purchased the hardware stock of George E. Aubner, and took his brother-in-law, William Keller, as partner, the firm name being changed to I. Rothstein & Co., handling furniture, crockery, hardware, etc. They occupied the store at 212 South Barstow street for five years, and during the panie of 1893 gave up that store and moved the business to 311 Eau Claire street, where it has since remained successfully handling all kinds of paper stock, wool, furs, iron, rags, rubber, hides, etc. Mr. Rothstein also has one of the modern homes in Eau Claire, having built his residence new in 1883. IIe belongs to the Independent Order of B'nai Brith, was a charter member, and is now (1914) its president. He is also a member of the A. F. & A. M., Ean Claire Lodge, No. 112. He was elected to the office of justice of the peace of the second ward, but declined to accept it. He cast his first vote for President Grant, and is a staunch Republican, publie spirited and generous.
In 1876 he married Miss Sofie Kohn, of this city, and their children are Gizlla, Dalli and Nathan G., a successful advertising man of Chicago, Ill., married Miss Ruth Hoffman, September 11, 1913, of Chicago, Ill., and Tilly.
William Rowe,* ex-mayor of Eau Claire and well known as one of the influential and substantial business men of the city, was born near Scranton, Pa., December 29, 1850. His parents, Henry B. and Lucinda (Bieseeker) Rowe, were both natives of the Keystone state, and on the paternal side Mr. Rowe comes of revolutionary ancestry. His paternal grandfather was Henry B. Rowe, Sr., and his maternal grandfather, John Biesecker, was a soldier in the war of 1812. His father, Henry B. Rowe, Jr., came to Eau Claire in 1857, where his family joined him in 1859. He was a carpenter and joiner by trade, which occupation he fol- lowed until the breaking out of the civil war, when he enlisted and served one year as a member of Company D, Eighteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Soon after his return from the war he engaged in the grocery business in Eau Claire, which he followed for about fifteen years. His death occurred in 1884 at the age of 52 years. His widow, mother of William, is now (1914) still living at the age of 85. They were the parents
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of three children, as follows: William; Emma J., who is the wife of George MeDermid, and Mary I., wife of William Hayes.
William Rowe spent his early youth in Pennsylvania and came to Eau Claire with his parents, where he received his edu- cation in the public schools and grew up with the city. He began his business career as clerk in the general store of W. II. Smith, serving in that capacity for seven years. In 1875 he formed a partnership with S. J. Smith and under the firm name of Smith & Rowe engaged in the retail grocery business in Eau Claire, following that line of trade for six years, after which for two years he sold logging supplies. In 1883 he became a member of the firm of Honer, Rowe & Co., wholesale grocers, continuing in business under this name until November 7 of the same year, when the Eau Claire Grocery Company was incorporated, and Mr. Rowe became its treasurer, a position he filled for nine years. at which time he became president of the company, acting in that capacity until 1907, since which time he has acted as house sales- man.
Mr. Rowe is a man of cultured tastes, engaging personality and solicitous social qualities. He is actively connected with the order of Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of the Royal Arch and the Eau Claire Commandery, Knights Templar. He is a member of the Sons of Veterans and of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. Ile has served several years as member of the school board, was alderman of the third ward for several terms, and served four terms as mayor of the city, two terms of one year each and two terms of two years each, a continuous service of six years from 1900 to 1906.
On September 27, 1876, Mr. Rowe was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Reay, daughter of William and Adeline (Humph- rey) Reay, of Hemingford, Canada, and by this union has three children : Clarence H., William A. and Wilfred L. Rowe.
Napoleon Santo, who was one of Fairchild's progressive busi- ness men, had been a resident of that village since 1890. He was born at Green Bay, Wis., May 26, 1847, the son of Joseph and Flora (Colville) Santo, the former a native of Canada and the latter of Portage City, Wis. Reared in this state, he became self- educated, and his first employment was in the shingle mills of Green Bay and Shawano counties, where he remained for seven- teen years. He came to Fairchild, Eau Claire county, in 1890. and from that time to his death, November 28, 1913. was engaged
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in various lines of business, in all of which he has been successful. He first engaged in the livery business, which he followed for five years, then ran a butcher shop for three years, and for the last fifteen years had been engaged in the cold storage and ice busi- ness, and for the same period had been the local agent in Fair- child for the Mitchell Brewing Company, of La Crosse. During his residence in Eau Claire county Mr. Santo accumulated con- siderable property, consisting of both farm land and village property.
Mr. Santo had been twice married; his first wife was Louisa Champaign, of Green Bay, Wis., by whom he had three children : Charles, Samuel, and Sarah, wife of Julius Lambert. He mar- ried for his second wife Miss Ida Allerdon, also of Green Bay, and by this second union has four children: Carrie, Clara, Pearl and Raymond.
Mr. Santo was prominently identified with the Catholic church and took a great interest in the affairs of his town and county.
Herman Schlegelmilch, one of the early men of the city of Eau Claire and one who did much to foster and build up the young city, was born in Suhl, Province of Saxony, Germany, May 19, 1830. He was educated in his native town and learned the trade of gunmaker in the famous factory at Suhl. Subse- quently he worked at his trade in Bromberg, Hamburg, Magde- burg and Luebeck. In 1853 he came to America and worked at his trade in New York, Bethlehem, Pa., and Chicago. In 1855 he started a business of his own in Beaver Dam, Wis., and remained there until 1860, when he went to Cedar Rapids, Ia., and em- barked in the grocery business. This venture did not turn ont to his liking and in October, 1860, he came to Eau Claire, where he worked at his trade until 1866. In that year he erected the first brick building in Eau Claire and in it opened a hardware store. This business proved very successful and was carried on by Mr. Schlegelmilch all his business life.
Mr. Schlegelmilch married Augusta Krueger, at Beaver Dam, Wis. She, like himself, was a native of Germany and a woman of superior qualities. They reared a family of five children, name- ly, Dora, Louise, Emilia, Herman F. and Eda. Mr. Schlegelmilch will always be remembered as one of the men who helped to make Ean Claire a thriving city. By his ability and high char- acter he gave an impetus to the business of the infant city and he took part in public affairs to advance the best interests of the city. He was alderman of the city when it was incorporated and also served for some time thereafter, and he had been one of
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