History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, Part 136

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 958

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ROBERT G. OWENS, of Jones & Owens, Dodgeville, was born in Llandudno, Carnarvon- shire, North Wales, April 27, 1838; his parents, Owen T. and Winnifred Roberts Owens, came to America in 1849 with a family of four children ; settled in Dodgeville, where, after a year in the lead mines, the father died in 1850, of cholera ; in 1855, the son whose name heads this sketch went via the New York & Niear- agua route to California; was in the gold mines there until 1861 or 1862, when he returned to Dodge- ville. The firm of Jones and Owens was formed in May, 1863 (see sketch of H. W. Jones) ; Mr. Owens, like his partner, inherited no property, and has earned every dollar. He is an Odd Fellow, a Republican. and was a Village Trustee. Has a handsome three-story brick residence that is now in process of con- struction on the southern outskirts of the village, which will be the finest residence in Dodgeville and the home of Mr. Owens and his sister. The mother died in 1879.

WILLIAM OWENS (deceased), was born, in 1813, in Flintshire, North Wales. Married Mary Griffith, of the same shire, and came with five children to America in 1847 ; located in Dodgeville, where he worked in the lead mines until 1858, when he settled on the Owens homestead of 126 acres ; he died Oct. 30, 1878, leaving six children-Margaret (Mrs. D. L. Roberts), Thomas, Elizabeth ( Mrs. W. H. Jones ), Peter, John and William ; of these, the three eldest were born in Wales, and the others in Dodge- ville. John Owens, born June 28, 1850. Is a Republican. Married Miss Mary A., daughter of Evan W. Williams ; they have one daughter-Edna Mary. William Owens was born March 19, 1854. The family belong to the Salem Church (Welsh Congregational) ; the father was a Deaeon in this church and a Democrat in politics ; he served three years as a Supervisor of his town.

REV. WILLIAM OWENS, Dodgeville, was born in Carnarvonshire, North Wales, Sept. 17, 1821 ; eame to America and Dodgeville in 1847 ; engaged in mining, having spent his early life in the Welsh slate quarries ; in 1849, he joined the Wiseonsin Conference of the M. E. Church, and was placed in charge of the Welsh Mission; a year later, he was sent to Cambria, Columbia Co .; was there until 1852; was then for two years with his former charge ; went to Cambria again, and, returning in 1856, has since lived in Dodgeville as a local minister ; has owned a small farm on Sec. 26 since 1857. Married Jane Owens, of his native shire ; they have eight children-William, Jennie, Ellen, Mary, David, Edward F., Thomas and Fannie ; Ellen and Mary were born in Cambria, and the others in Dodgeville. Mr. Owens is a Republican, and was Town Treasurer in 1875. His wife came to America in 1830, and to Wisconsin in 1845 ; her father, Ellis Owens, died at Mill Creek.

RICHARD T. PARRY, Dodgeville, Cashier of Reese's Bank ; was born Feb. 13, 1836, in Anglesea, Wales ; was educated there ; came to America in April, 1855, and, in the fall of 1856, to Miu- eral Point ; in the fall of 1857, his parents, Richard and Catharine (Owens) Parry, joined him and bought a farm in Dodgeville ; here R. T. spent two years, then married and settled on a farm of his own in Sees. 5, 6 and 4. In the fall of 1862, he enlisted in Co. E, 30th W. V. I., and saw service in enforcing the draft in Wisconsin, in building Ft. Wadsworth, Minn., and, later, in Paducah and Lexington, Ky. ; after his honorable discharge at the close of the war, he resumed farming in Dodgeville; in 1868, he sold his farm and settled in the village of Dodgeville, serving a year as Assessor of the town and as Deputy Regis- ter of Deeds; he then bought another farm ; during the winter of 1870-71, he was Transcribing Clerk in the State Senate; sold his farm in 1877, having accepted his present position in 1876. He married Elizabeth Jones, a native of Pottsville, Penn. ; they have three children-George, William Sedgwick and Anna B., all born in Dodgeville. Mr. Parry is a Republican and a member of the W. C. Church, his wife being a member of the Congregational Church.

JOSEPH PEARCE, smelter, Dodgeville ; was born in Camborne Parish, Cornwall, Eng., Jan. 2, 1819. He married, in the church of his and her native parish, Miss Jane Treloar ; they were wedded May 1, 1845, and a weck later embarked for America, arriving in Dodgeville July 14, 1845 ; during the first three months, his wife stopped with the family of Henry Prideaux ; they then com- mencing housekeeping in the old log cabin of Ed Thomas ; in 1847, Mr. Pearce built his brick house, it being the third or fourth in the village of that material ; his early life was spent in the mines of old Corn- wall, and, after mining lead until 1851, he went to California, and, after three years and eight months of gold mining, returned to Dodgeville ; he owns 150 acres in the village, and is both a farmer and smelter, having associated with William Mundy in 1877 in the latter business (see sketch of T. R. Mundy) ; Mr. and Mrs. Pearce have three children-Joseph (of Penberthy, Pearce & Co.), William James (now a med- ieal student in Chicago) and Bessie (the wife of J. H. Melbourne, of Michigan). Mr. P. is a Republican

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a Freemason, and has been two terms each on the Village and Town Boards ; Mrs. Pearce is a member of the M. E. Church.

JOSEPH PEARCE, Jr., of Penberthy & Pearce, Dodgeville; was born Feb. 18, 1851, in Dodgeville ; his father, Joseph Pearce, Sr., settled here early, and is now mining, farming and smelting; the son attended the village schools, and learned the tinner's trade; he began his present business in 1874, and has charge of the hardware department of this store. Mr. Pearce married Sarah Ryall ; she was born in England, but has spent most of her life in this town ; they have two children-Joseph E. and Annie A., both born in Dodgeville. Mr. and Mrs. Pearce are members of the M. E. Church ; he is also a member of the Temple of Honor.

JOHN H. PENBERTHY, merchant, Dodgeville ; was born July 9, 1835, in Cornwall, Eng. ; his father, James Penberthy, came with his family to America and to Dodgeville in 1846; in 1852, he removed to Canada West, and died at Bruce Mine; his widow and seven children were in Dodgeville, where J. H. labored manfully to assist in the support of the family ; the burden was a heavy one on his young shoulders, and, hearing " glad tidings " from his old friend, James Roberts, then in Cali- fornia, he wrote to him asking that he send a remittance that would enable him to join him ; the gener- ous friend promptly sent the money, and during the year 1856 he reached the Golden State: after four years of successful mining. he returned to Dodgeville, aod for two years carried on the lumber trade in Dodgeville and Jonesdale, Wis. ; began mercantile business in 1863, and spent part of 1864 and 1865 in the mines of Montana ; he carried on mercantile business alone in Dodgeville from 1866 to 1875, then associated with Joseph Penberthy and Joseph Pearce, Jr. (now J. H. Penberthy & Co.); the firm carry a general stock of merchandise, including hardware. Mr. P. has held local offices, and is a Republican. He united with the M. E. Church of Dodgeville in February, 1851; was ordained local Deacon by Bishop Sampson in 1871, and local Elder by Bishop Harris Sept. 28, 1880. He married Miss Elizabeth Rogers, born Oct. 22, 1836, in Cornwall, Eng., and a resident of Dodgeville since 1837.

HENRY PENGELLY, of Pengelly Brothers, Dodgeville; was born in Pottsville, l'enn., March 23, 1849; his parents both natives of Cornwall, England, came to the United States in 1848, and to Dodgeville in 1856; here the father, William Pengelly, engaged in farming; he died October, 1861; he left four children-William, Henry, John and Mary ; the mother is now a resident of the village; the oldest son is farming in Kansas, where Henry spent part of the year 1874; he had previously spent a winter in Colorado. 1u 1864, he began work for the Ellwood Brothers, and continued in their employ for about, twelve years; he and his younger brother formed the partnership in 1876, and have since been in the livery business; the brothers have spared no pains to succeed, and have built up and added to their establishment, now owning five good teams, with the accompanying " rigs." Henry Pengelly married Miss Mary Hopkins, a native of Painesville, Mo. ; they have three sons-William, James and George, all born in Dodgeville. Mr. P. is an Odd Fellow and a Democrat : is now serving his fourth term as Con- stable.

THOMAS PERKINS, hardware dealer, Dodgeville; was born in Calstock, Cornwall, En- gland, Feb. 20, 1845 ; is a son of James and Mary Anne (Jenkins) Perkins, who came to America in 1846; resided in New York State until 1848, then came to Mineral Point, and a year later to Dodgeville, where they still live. Thomas Perkins was one of the party from this locality that went to Montana in 1864; he returned in the fall of 1865, and the next year began his present business ; is himself a prac- tical rinsmith ; he employs two hands ; carries a full line of hardware, stoves, tinware, etc. He married Anne Kelly, a native of the Isle of Man ; they have a daughter-Mabel, born in Dodgeville.

REV. SEM PHILLIPS, of the Welsh Congregational Church, Dodgeville; is a son of Thomas and Sarah Phillips, and was born Jan. 21, 1826, in New Church, Carmarthenshire, South Wales; was received as a member of the Bwlchnewydd Church ; spent three years in the preparatory schools of Ffrwd-y-fal and Narveth; graduated in the college of Brecon ; was ordained in 1878, at Llangynid ; after- ward transferred to Llantrisant ; came to America in 1866 ; was placed in charge of two congregations in Steuben, Oneida Co., N. Y .; and, in July, 1872, came to Dodgeville, where he has since resided in charge of the vi lage church, and the Holyhead, and Bethel-in-the-Woods Churches. The Revs. D. M. Jones, Evan Owens, J. D. Davis and Benjamin Jones were his predecessors.

FRANCIS PRIDEAUX, of Prideaux & Hooper, merchants, Dodgeville ; was born in No- vember, 1832, in Cornwall, England ; his father, Francis Prideaux, came with his family to America in July, 1837, and began mining in Linden. Iowa Co. In 1841, he went to Weston, Ill., where he died June 14, 1847 ; his widow, formerly Sarah Sims, then returned to her relatives in Dodgeville. In 1851,

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young Prideaux went to the mines of Lake Superior, and went in 1855 to California, where he spent ten ycars and three months in the gold mines ; returning, the firm of Hocking & Prideaux was formed ; and, in August, 1868, the former sold out to William Hooper. Mr. Prideaux married Jan. 10, 1867, Miss Susan A. Treloar, whose father, William T., was one of the pioneers of Dodgeville, where she was born ; they have seven children-Eddie F., William M., Annetta B. and Kittie E. (twins), Oscar C. and Alvin and Orlin (twins). The firm carry a general stock : dry goods, clothing, hats and caps, boots and shoes, everything in the grocery line, uotions, etc., etc. Mr. Hooper was born in 1837, in Cornwall ; came with his parents to America in 1848; resided in Dodgeville up to 1863; then spent a year in the Montana gold fields. Married Miss Alice Treloar, who was born in Mineral Point, Wis .; she died July 23, 1879, leaving five children-Elizabeth M , William J., Albert H., Charles and Alice E., all born in Dodgeville.

WILLIAM H. PRIDEAUX, smelter, Dodgeville; is a son of Capt. Henry Prideaux, and was born May 11, 1837, in Camborne, Cornwall, England. The family came to America and to Iowa Co. in 1838, Capt. P. engaging in the mining and liquor business since, with the exception of four years spent in California. In 1862, he again went West, and remained until 1865, in the mines of Colo- rado, Montana, Idaho and California. During the past six years, he has been Street Commissioner of the village. His son, our subject, attended the noted old pioneer school, taught by " Papa " Jenkins, and, when grown to manhood, went to the Montana gold hills, spent three years, and returned in 1866. Prior to this, or when 18, he taught two terms of school, and kept a small confectionery store several years ; he also spent several years at teaming ; began work for Hendy, Mundy & Co., in 1867, and for the past ten years has smelted for this firm, and when not engaged at this has taken contracts for digging cellars, etc .; is a Republican, and served a term as Town Clerk, by appointment ; is now serving his third term as Sec- retary of the Iowa County Agricultural Society ; married Elizabeth Corin, a native of Camborne, born May 19, 1841 ; married Ang. 19, 1858. They have eight children-Amelia (Mrs. L. Ryall), Henry L., Willie F., Flora J., Celia C., Lizzie I., Frances J. and Sarah E .; all were born in Dodgeville.

REV. JAMES T. PRYOR, was born in Cornwall, England, Sept. 4, 1814, and married, Feb. 5, 1838, Miss Mary Harris, of the same county. They sailed March 13, 1842, for America. arriv- ing at Mineral Point, Wis., July 15, 1842; resided there until the fall of 1849, then went to Dubuque, Iowa, returning to Mineral Point in 1850. Here he engaged in the retail grocery trade, in connection with a tailor shop. In 1851, he was admitted on trial, in the Wisconsin Conference of the M. E. Church ; was ordained Deacon in 1853, and Elder in 1855. Upon the division of the Conference, he became a member of the West Wisconsin Conference, with which he is still associated. During twenty-five years he was in the effective ranks, and was, during four years, Presiding Elder of the Prairie du Chien District. His healthı having failed, he was granted a superannuate relation, and in 1875, settled, and has since resided in Dodgeville, in impaired health. Of their six children, only the eldest, J. Thomas Pryor, is now living. Joseph, the fifth child, enlisted inCo. H, 7th W. V. I., in 1861 ; died at Falmouth, Va., July 6, 1862, of typhoid fever.

J. THOMAS PRYOR, cashier in Orville Strong & Co.'s bank : is a son of Rev. James T. and Mary Harris Pryor, and was born July 11, 1839, in Redruth, Cornwall, England ; came to Iowa Co. with his parents in 1842 ; received a common-school and a partial academic education. Beginning when a little more than 15 years of age, he was engaged in teaching most of the time until 1866, during the last seven years, in Dodgeville Village. In 1866, he was ordained a local Deacon, admitted on trial in the West Wis- consin Conference M. E. Church, he was stationed at Spring Green, Sauk Co., Wis. His health failing during his second year's service, he was granted a location at his own request ; returned to Dodgeville in the fall of 1868, and was employed in the County Register's office, under Mr. Kearton Coates ; in January, 1869, was appointed Town Clerk, and the next spring elected to the same office. In the fall of 1869, he took charge of the schools in Dodgeville, and continued in that capacity until 1873; in 1874, was appointed Dep- uty County Treasurer, re-appointed in 1875, and in the spring of 1876, again elected Town Clerk of Dodge- ville; in the fall of 1876, was elected County Clerk, and again in 1878, declining a nomination in 1880; is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the following societies: Dodgeville Lodge, No. 119. A., F. & A. M., and Towa Chapter, No. 6, R. A. M., Mineral Point; Mineral Point Commandery, No. 12. K. T .; Dodgeville Lodge, No. 71, A. O. U. W., and Dodgeville T. of H., No. 212. He married Miss Mary J. Harris, a native of Cornwall; they have three children-Mary Caroline, Ellen Josephine and James William ; another son died in infancy.

JOHN RALPH, wagon-maker, Dodgeville; was born in Cornwall, England, Dec. 10, 1840. His parents, William and Mary (Richards) Ralph, came to America in 1850; were two years in the Michigan copper mines ; then went to Hazel Green, Wis., where the parents died. The son, our subject,

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grew to man's estate in Hazel Green ; enlisted in 1861 in the 25th W. V. I., and, as one of the regimental band, was mustered-out in 1862. In the spring of 1864, he re-enlisted in the 5th Iowa Cavalry ; served till the elose of the war in the Southwestern army in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee; took part in the decisive battle of Nashville, and when finally discharged returned to Hazel Green ; came to Dodgeville in 1867, and has sinee been engaged at his trade here. He was united with Dodgeville Lodge, No. 147, 1. O. O. F., in 1872, and has held all its official positions ; also those in the Iowa Encampment, No. 27 ; was a charter member and has since been Recorder of Dodgeville Lodge, No. 71, A. O. U. W. Is a Republican. He married Miss Frances Gribble, who was born near Hazel Green, Wis .; they have six children-Frank A., Justin, Myrtella, Minerva, John and William ; the two eldest were born in Hazel Green, and the others in Dodgeville.

JOSHUA REESE, Sec. 14; P. O. Dodgeville ; born in Carmarthenshire, Wales, June 3, 1816. His early life was spent at mining. In September, 1841, he engaged in the mines of Pennsylvania, Sugar Creek, Minersfield, Blossburg, ete., for several years ; then spent a few months in Rhode Island. In 1845, he came to Iowa Co., and worked in the lead diggings until 1856, when he settled on his present 180 aere farm. All was timber, except 3 or 4 acres, on which stood a log house. Mr. Reese has done good work here, erecting a storehouse, granary, stables, etc. He married Anne Jones, also born in Wales ; they have five children-Anne, Evan, David, Henry and Mary, all born in Dodgeville. Mr. R. is a Democrat.

S. W. REESE, attorney and counselor at law, Dodgeville ; is one of the solid men of Iowa Co .; born Nov. 29, 1829, in Montgomeryshire, North Wales ; attended the common schools there, and, later, the select schools of Shropshire, England. In 1845, he came to the land of the free, locating in Cincinnati, Ohio ; came to Dodgeville in 1852, and was employed as clerk by that veteran merehant, B. F. Thomas. In 1856, he began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar two years later ; has continued in active practice since. In 1871, he opened the first bank in Dodgeville, which proved a most successful business venture. No more firm advocate of Republican principles can be found in the State than Samuel W. Reese. His first vote was east for Gen. Scott, and he has been a stalwart Repub- lican since the organization of the party ; has been Chairman of the town and President of the village several years, and was elected District Attorney in 1876. He married Miss Alice N. Ennor, by whom he has four children-Emma, William, Eddie and John, all born in Dodgeville.

SAMUEL F. ROACH, See. 19; P. O. Dodgeville ; was born April 16, 1824, in Pembroke- shire, North Wales. His early life was spent as a farmer. In 1845, he landed at Quebee, and came thenee to the Blue Mounds, where he moved lead three years; then, after farming for a time, went to Madison, where he dug wells during the winter of 1848-49. In the spring, he went overland to California, and remained until the spring of 1852, when he spent a month in his old home. The second trip was made by water, he remaining just two years; returning, he bought a farm west of Dodgeville, where he lived nine years ; sold out, and went again to California; spent three years; returned, and bought his present farm of 160 acres. His last trip to California, in 1879, was over the Union Pacific R. R., which gave him an opportunity of noting the wondrous changes in the West made since his overland trip in 1849. Mr. Roach was married, in 1853, in Dodgeville, to Margaret Owens, a native of North Wales; they have four children-Francis, Sarah A., Martha and Margaret, all born in the town of Dodgeville, and have lost four children-Elizabeth, aged 7; David, aged 10; Emma, aged 8, and an infant. Mr. R. is a member of the W. C. Church.

RICHARD ROACH, Sec. 33; is the third son of John and Blanche (Curnow ) Roach, and he was born Feb. 18, 1838, in St. Ives, Cornwall, England. He came to America with the family, in 1844, (see sketch of Thomas Roach), and has sinee resided in Dodgeville. He owns 240 aeres of good land, and has good buildings and improvements. Married Feb. 17, 1871, Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Josenh and Mary (Thornton) Elam ; she was born in Dodgeville, in August, 1847 ; they have five children-George H., Sarah, Sybella, Josephine, Edward A. and James E., all born on the Dodgeville farm. Mr. Roach is a Republican.

THOMAS ROACH, Sec. 33; is a son of John and Blanche (Curnow) Roach, of the parish of Towednack, Cornwall, England, where their son, our subjeet, was born July 14, 1839. The family came to America, Mineral Point, in 1844; here, the father, who was a carpenter, built a house of his own, and lived in it three years ; he then pre-empted the present Roach homestead, and built a temporary shanty by setting posts in the ground, a small doorway was cut, but it was floorless and windowless ; here they spent the months of July and August, then a good log house was built, whieli was the home of the family eight years. There were five children-John, Samuel, Richard C., Thomas and Mary A. The father died in

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May, 1875, and the mother in April, 1873. Thomas Roach married in December, 1874, Miss Rebreca, daughter of William and Sybella Bennett; she was born in St. Ives, Cornwall, England, and came to America and Dodgeville. They have three children-John, Luman and Mariannie. The wild, rough tract of thirty years ago, has been made into a fine and productive farm of 240 acres, a good house of frame and stone has been built, and other improvements made. Many an Indian arrow and spear head has been found on this farm, also stone knives, bowls, tomahawks, etc.

A. B. ROBINSON, Dodgeville; was born April 25, 1819, in Sussex Co., Del. In May, 1835, he located in Knox Co., Ind., where he learned the trade of tanner ; worked at this business in Edwards- port, Ind., until 1850, when he removed to Highland, Iowa Co., Wis., and began the livery business, after a time spent in the mercantile business; in June, 1859, he came to Dodgeville, and has since kept a livery stable here ; going in 1874, to Bon Homme Co., D. T., he was one of the victims of the grasshopper plague of that year, and, leaving his son in charge of the farm, returned to Dodgeville. Mr. R. is an old stager as well, having run the stage line from Highland to Mineral Point, and the Lone Rock and Richland Center line from 1854 to 1858. In 1849, he joined Wabash Lodge, No. 20, I. O. O. F., Vineennes, Ind., and was a leading spirit in founding, and a charter member of, the Dodgeville Lodge, as he says, " I am just one day older than Odd Fellowship in the United States, and am one of the few living men who have voted for eleven Presidents of the United States, in a space of less than forty years." His first vote was east for Gen. Harrison, Nov. 3, 1840, and his last for Gen. Garfield, Nov. 2, 1880. He married February, 1852, in Edwardsport, Ind., Miss Rhoda Goodman ; they have four children-Edward J., Millie A., Laura B. and Mary F .; all except the youngest were born in Highland, a daughter, MI. Leonie, died in Dodgeville, aged six years.

A. L. ROBBINS, insurance agent, Dodgeville ; was born in Wadsworth, Medina Co , Ohio, Feb. 22, 1850. His parents, L. D. and Juliette (Byam) Robbins, afterward settled in Dane Co., Wis., the father dying in Belleville. The son attended the select school at Mt. Horeb, and the city schools ar Min- eral Point. He married November, 1871, Miss Georgiana Barker, who was born in Johnstown, Wis. ; while in Mt. Vernon and Belleville, he worked with his father at wagon-making, but, sinee his location in Dodgeville, has devoted his time to the insurance business, acting for Madison Mutual, Continental, Com- mercial and West Chester, of New York, the Heekla, of Madison, and the St. Paul Fire & Marine Compa- nies, office, Strong & Co.'s Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins have three children-Lizzie A., Ella B. and Nellie, all born in Dodgeville. Mr. R. belongs to the Dodgeville Lodge, I. O. O. F., the Iowa Encampment, No. 27, of which he is Distriet Deputy, and the A. O. U. W. Is in politics a Republican.

JAMES ROBERTS, druggist, Dodgeville; born Oct. 2, 1835, in the parish of Camborne Cornwall, England ; his parents. Thomas and Ann (Rule) Roberts, came to America, with their chil- dren, in 1846, and settled in Dodzeville; here they both died. In 1852, James Roberts went, via the Nicaragua route, to California, and was in the mines of the Golden State until 1859; he then returned to Dodgeville, and was in the smelting business with Bennett, George & Co. until April, 1864, when he again went West, and was in the Montana gold mines until November, 1865. Ile began his present busi- ness in the fall of 1866; he carries a large and full assortment of everything usually found in a village drug store. Is a Methodist, and belongs to the I. O. O F. and A. O. U. W. of Dodgeville. He married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of James and Mary A. (Jenkins) Perkins, of R druth, Cornwall; they have eight children-Edith A., Henry F., Luella M., Alfred, Clarence J., Jennie T., Hattie R. and Nel- lie, all born in Dodgeville.

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History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, Part 136

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 958

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 958