History of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, Part 102

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. cn; Western Historical Co
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical
Number of Pages: 754

USA > Wisconsin > Lafayette County > History of Lafayette county, Wisconsin > Part 102

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HUGH LEACOCK, farmer, Sec. 23; P. O. Darlington ; is a native of Ireland, and was born Dec. 25, 1812; he emigrated to America, and worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania ; lived in that State fifteen years ; he came to Wisconsin and settled in La Fayette Co., on the farm where he now lives, in 1849, and began making a farm ; he is one of the early settlers on this prairie ; he has been engaged in farming since he came here ; he owns a farm of 80 acres. In 1831, Mr. Leacock was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Moor ; she was from Ireland but was born in Scotland ; they have four children-Marga- ret J., Mary, Sarah A. and Elizabeth. They attend the M. E. Church.

T. C. L. MACKAY, Register of Deeds of La Fayette Co. ; is a native of Pennsylvania and was born in the city of Philadelphia June 12, 1836; his parents were Col. Æneas Mackay and Helen Legate Mackay ; his father served in the war of 1812, and was an officer in the regular army ; he was born in 1794, and died in 1850 ; his wife Helen L. Mackay, died in 1864 ; they had eleven children, four of whom survive. Thomas C. L., came to La Fayette Co. in 1854, and engaged in farming ; in 1860 and 1861, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Legislature ; in 1863, he was elected Register of Deeds for this county, and has held that office for fifteen years ; he has also held the office of Justice of the Peace, Assessor and Superintendent of School. Mr. Mackay was united in marriage, Nov. 20, 1861, to Miss Delia Dunn, from Elk Grove, this county ; she is a native of Illinois; they have three children- Charles D., Aeneas and Elvira.

HENRY S. MAGOON, now of Darlington, was born in Monticello, La Fayette Co., Wis., Jan. 31, 1832. His parents, Richard H. Magoon and Elizabeth Kinney Magoon, were married Jan. 21, 1831, the first marriage in the town of Monticello ; and Henry S., their eldest, was the first child born in that town. Henry's father, Richard H. Magoon, was born in New York in 1799; removed to Illinois, near Belleville, in 1817; there taught school, studied surveying, and in 1821 surveyed for the United States Government the western and southern boundary lines of the State of Missouri ; studied law and began the practice of his profession in 1823-24; emigrating to Wisconsin in 1828, he erected a lead fur- nace at Blue Mounds, in Dane Co., began smelting, and sold same in 1829, to Ebenezer R. Brigham ; set- tled in Monticello, La Fayette Co., Wis., in the autumn of 1829 ; there built lead furnaces, opened a farm in 1830, and opened a store in 1831-the first lead furnaces and the first store in Monticello; closing finally his furnaces and store in 1842, he continued there to reside upon his large farm, which he extensively improved and beautified, till 1854, when he removed to Scales Mound, Jo Daviess Co., Ill., and died in 1875, aged 76. He was a Lieutenant in the Black Hawk war ; Paymaster General for Wisconsin militia, for several years, while Wisconsin was a Territory ; a man of energy and brain, of integrity and unconquerable will, esteemed by the old settlers, his grave is in Darlington Cemetery, in the county and State he loved to his death. The mother of Henry S. Magoon, our subject, makes her home with her son at Darlington ; she is the youngest daughter of Hon. Lewis Kinney, once a Judge and in business a promi- nent citizen of Ohio; she was born in Richland Co., Ohio, Oct. 3, 1812; came with her parents to La Fayette Co., Wis., April 1, 1828; although now feeble with years, yet she still is a woman of remarkable energy and intelligence, avaricious of reading, her knowledge of literature and current events being varied and exact. Her son, Henry S. Magoon, in 1837, at the age of 5 years, attended the first boarding-school in the county, at Gratiot's Grove Village, which village, situated two miles south from Shullsburg, then contained many people, but now no vestige remains. The school, a model of its kind, was kept by Mr. and Mrs. Rev. Jeremiah Wood; here Henry evinced such a passion for study and books, that at 8 years of age he was familiar with arithmetic, with the outlines of Biblical, English and American his- tory, had studied the life of Napoleon, whose genius he idolizes, had read Plutarch's Lives, and made some progress in Latin ; his health becoming feeble from over-study, the boy, keenly against his

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own wish, was taken peremptorily from his books, placed at mine or farm, and further studies almost wholly interdicted till his 16th year; then placed at Mt. Morris Seminary, Ill., he there remained, most of the time, at study, until 1851, in which year he entered the Western Military College, Kentucky, where he graduated June 23, 1853; attended law-school at Frankfort, Ky., in 1854; Professor of Lan- guages in Nashville University, in Tennessee, in 1855-56 ; returned to La Fayette Co., Wis., and began the practice of law at Shullsburg, in the summer of 1857; District Attorney of La Fayette Co. in 1859 and 1860; removed his law office to Darlington in 1864; member of State Senate in 1871 and 1872; member of Congress in 1875-76. His library, law and literary, comprises over 4,000 volumes ; his tastes are literary and domestic ; his leisure hours from business pursuits are understood to be devoted to writing a history of Southwestern Wisconsin; now in the prime of life, a laborious student, with great energy and character, the first native of Wisconsin to become a member of the State Senate and Congress, he may yet attain other usefulness and distinction.

GEORGE A. MARSHALL, attorney at law, Main street, corner Louisa street, Darlington ; is a native of New Hampshire, and was born in Coos Co. Feb. 17, 1836 ; he grew up and received his education in that State, and in Vermont, and graduated at the University of Vermont at Burlington ; he came West to Wisconsin in 1861; studied law at Sheboygan, and was admitted to the bar June 9, 1862; he went to Galena, Ill., and practiced law there five years ; in 1867 he came to Darlington, and since then has practiced his profession here. He was elected District Attorney in 1869, and was elected County Superintendent of Schools in 1872 ; he was Circuit Court Commissioner from January, 1872, until Jan- uary, 1878. Mr. Marshall has made an abstract of titles to all the lands in La Fayette Co., and has the only complete set of abstract books in the county. Mr. Marshall was united in marriage at Waukesha, Wis., Nov. 20, 1862, to Miss Miriam H. Cutler, a native of St. Albans, Vt. ; they have two children-Mary Flor- ence and Francis Cutler.

A. C. MARTIN, proprietor livery, sale and boarding stable, Main street, corner Alice street, Darlington ; is a native of Orleans Co., Vt., and was born March 18, 1827 ; he grew up to manhood in that State and New Hampshire; he came West to Wisconsin and settled in La Fayette Co. in 1854, and engaged in farming three miles west of town; he continued farming until 1862, then came to town and engaged in the butchering and stock business ; he is now engaged in the livery business ; when Mr. Martin came here he had only $300 ; besides his business, he owns four good farms, beside city property ; his suc- cess in life is owing to his own efforts. He was united in marriage, Nov. 3, 1851, to Miss Adelia J. · Chapman, a native of the city of Boston, but she grew up in New Hampshire ; they have had four chil- dren, only one of whom survives, a son, Harry C., now engaged in studying law; he is a graduate of the State University of Madison.

ROBERT MARTIN, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 13; P. O. Darlington; is a native of the county of Cornwall, England, and was born June 24, 1818; he came to the United States in 1842, and came to Galena the same year ; he lived there five years. While living there, he married Miss Eleanor Williams, a native of Cornwall, England, June 24, 1845 ; they came to this county in 1847, and settled in the town of Elk Grove, and were early settlers there; he engaged in mining for some years ; in 1876, Mr. Martin bought the farm of 320 acres where they now live, and is successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have had eight children-Robert H., born July 13, 1847 ; Simon W., born March 14, 1849 ; William, the bachelor, born June 23, 1851; John T., born Nov. 30, 1853, and died April 8, 1865; George, born Dec. 25, 1855 ; Elizabeth E., now Mrs. D. B. Gordon, born Oct. 18, 1858; Charity A., born May 26, 1861, and died Sept. 19, 1874 ; Mary J., born Oct. 9, 1863.

RICHARD MAYNE, proprietor of livery, sale and boarding stable ; is a native of La Fayette Co., and was born in Wiota Aug. 6, 1851 ; he grew to manhood in this county ; he established his pres- ent business in Darlington in 1874, and has built up a good trade. He was united in marriage, April 16, 1875, to Miss Lucy Miller, a native of Wiota, this county ; they have one daughter, Cora Belle.

JOHN MATTHEWS, raiser of fine stock of all kinds, and proprictor of Ames Branch Stock Farm, Sec. 19; P. O. Darlington ; is a native of Lincolnshire, England; was born Dec. 25, 1820 ; he came to the United States in 1843, and came to Wisconsin and settled in La Fayette Co., in 1846 ; he engaged in farming and stock-raising; he has been engaged in raising fine stock for the past twenty-five years, and is one of the most extensive breeders in the State ; his herd of Durham cattle, his Leicester, Cotswold and Lincoln sheep and Clyde horses, are not excelled, and, for many years, he has carried off the first premiums at the State and county fairs ; when Mr. Matthews began life he had nothing, and, by his own efforts and good management, he has become one of the most successful farmers and breeders of fine stock in the State; his home stock farm consists of 200 acres of land, admirably adapted for stock-raising ;

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he also owns a fine stock farm of 600 acres in Kansas, well stocked with stock selected from the Ames Branch Stock Farm. Mr. Matthews married Miss Susan Hesherwood, a native of Lincolnshire, England; they have six children, five of whom survive-Mary J., Charles, Jessie, Emeline, Survene and David.

JOHN MEEHAN, bowling rooms, and dealer in wines and liquors, Darlington ; is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in the city of Philadelphia, April 16, 1841 ; he came to La Fayette Co. in 1852, and grew up to manhood here. When the war broke out, he enlisted, in 1861, in the 5th Ohio V. C., and served in that regiment over three years ; he was in the service over four years; he was slightly wounded by a shell while marching through Georgia under Gen. Kilpatrick. He has been engaged in business here for the past twelve years. He held the office of Secretary of the Agricultural Society two years, and is now a member of the Executive Committee of the society; he was appointed and served as Enrolling Clerk of the Assembly, at Madison, during the session of 1878. Mr. Meehan married Miss Mary Rockwell, Jan. 1, 1869; they have four children-Hugh, Mary A., Frank and Arthur.

J. B. MERRIAM, farmer, Sec. 29; P. O. Darlington ; is a native of Watertown, Conn., and was born in 1818; he grew up to manhood in New England, and came to Wisconsin and settled in La Fayette Co. in September, 1856, and since then has been successfully engaged in farming ; in 1865, he moved on the place where he now lives; he owns 245 acres of land ; he has held school offices. In 1854, Mr. Merriam was united in marriage to Miss Jane Johnson, from Cheshire, Conn. ; they have one son, George, at home, and one daughter, Nettie, now Mrs. F. W. Chapman.

J. G. MONAHAN, attorney at law, Darlington ; is a native of La Fayette Co. and was born in the town of Willow Springs Jan. 12, 1855; he grew up and received his education here ; he studied law with the Hon. H. S. Magoon, and was admitted to the bar Aug. 28, 1878; after being admitted he en- gaged in the practice of law at Mineral Point and was a partner of Hon. Moses M. Strong ; on the 17th of August, 1880, he was appointed by the Governor to the office of District Attorney, to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Hon. John J. Roche.

ALEXANDER MOORE, deceased ; was born at Grey Abbey, on the border of Scotland, in 1802 ; he grew up to manhood and was a baker by trade ; he emigrated to the United States ; lived in St. Louis a short time and, in 1832, he came to the mining region with old John McNulty, or " Coon Mc- nulty " as he was more familiarly called ; they arrived here the year of the Black Hawk war, and engaged in mining at Stump Grove ; they were among the earliest settlers in this county. Mr. Moore entered land from the Government and opened the farm where they now live, and built their house over forty years ago. Mr. Moore was twice married; his first wife was Eliza Davidson, a native of Ireland ; she died, leaving one daughter, Elizabeth Burns, now living at Storm Lake, Iowa; Mr. Moore married Margaret Collin, Feb. 27, 1854; she was born in County Wicklow, Ireland; Mr. Moore was successfully engaged in farming until his death, which occurred June 4, 1878, leaving an estate of between 400 and 500 acres of land, and at the time of his death he was the oldest settler on this prairie. Mr. and Mrs. Moore had eight children-Henry A., Grace A., Hugh, Cora I. and Lilly M. are living, and they have lost three- Joseph S., James D. and Margaret E.

HENRY A. MOORE, farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. O. Darlington; is a son of Alexander and Mar- garet Moore, and he was born in La Fayette Co. Nov. 11, 1856 ; he grew up to manhood here and engaged in farming; he owns a good farm of 120 acres. Mr. Moore married Miss Ann Eliza Nethery, from Shullsburg, La Fayette .Co., July 4, 1878 ; they have one son-James A. Moore.

JOHN MORROW, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 1; P. O. Darlington; is a native of the North of Ireland, and was born in County Cavan Oct. 27, 1827 ; he came to Montreal, Canada, in 1847 ; remained there five years and came to York State the year the Suspension Bridge was built ; he saw the first wire stretched across the river ; in 1857, he came to Wisconsin and located in Green Co., and, in 1860, came to La Fayette Co., and since then has been successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising ; he had nothing when he came to this State; he now owns 380 acres of land, well improved and paid for ; his success in life is owing to his own efforts and good management. Mr. Morrow married Miss Ellen McDermot, a native of the West of Ireland, Feb. 22, 1854; they have eight children-Mary E., Thomas, James A., Henry, Ella, John, Julia, Charlie ; they have lost one son-Frank ; and one daughter -Anna.

EDWARD MOSLEY, contractor, stone.mason and farmer, Sec. 30; P. O. Darlington ; is a native of Nottinghamshire, England, and was born Jan. 10, 1828 ; he grew up and served appren- ticeship to the stone-mason's trade ; he came to the United States in 1851, and came to Jo Daviess Co. the same year; in 1860 Mr. Mosley went to England, and after his return he located in La Fayette Co .;

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he engaged in contracting and building in Darlington, and also in manufacturing lime; he located where he now lives in 1874, and owns a farm of fifty acres. In 1861, Mr. Mosley was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Wortley, daughter of George Wortley, of Shullsburg, this county ; they have seven children- George E., Ann E., Eliza, James, Ellen, Emeline and Attey.

PATRICK MURRAY, farmer, Sec. 22; P. O. Darlington ; is a native of Ireland, and was born in County Cork in 1822 ; he came to this county in 1850, and engaged in mining for three years; being a man of intelligence, he was not satisfied to work as most miners did, and spend their money as fast as they earned it, so he began making a farm, and in order to get the first forty acres fenced. he for two winters walked back and forth from the timber, ten miles distant, every day, to split rails for his fence, making twenty miles daily, sometimes through deep snow ; he worked four years, and, as he says, " did not see the face of a dime during that time," as there was no money; he can tell a great many interesting incidents of the trials of the early days here ; he owns a fine farm of eighty acres, and does not owe any man a dollar. In 1858, he married Miss Catharine Flynn, a native of County Cork, Ireland; they have two sons, John, 21 years of age, and Joseph, 18 years of age.

W. W. NARAMORE, of the firm of Naramore & Kane, dealers in agricultural machinery, Darlington, is a native of Stephenson Co., Ill., and was born in the city of Freeport, Aug. 31, 1852; he grew up and attended school there, and completed his education at Eureka College, in Woodford Co .; he was engaged in business at Warren; he associated with Mr. Kane, and established their present business in November, 1879, and they are building up a good trade. Mr. Naramore was united in marriage to Miss Lila Sherman, a native of Stephenson Co., Ill., January 3, 1877 ; they have two children, Hally Sherman and Floyd.

H. C. NASH, contractor and builder, Darlington, is a native of New York State, and was born in Saratoga Co. Aug. 13, 1822; he grew up to manhood there, and learned the trade of carpenter and joiner ; he came to Wisconsin, and located in La Fayette County, at Wiota, in 1848; he built the first house that was erected in Darlington ; since then he has been engaged in contracting and building, and he has built more buildings in this city and county than any other one man. In July, 1845, Mr. Nash was united in marriage to Miss Alosia Bennett, a native of New York State; they have four children- Cleora, now Mrs. Peterson, Walter, Emma and John W.

R. NICHOLS, proprietor livery and boarding stable, Main street, corner Alice street, Darling- ton, is a native of Cornwall, England, and was born Jan. 13, 1821; he grew up to manhood there; he came to the United States in 1847, and came to Wisconsin the same year and engaged in lead mining; he was also in the copper mines in Lake Superior at an early day ; he was engaged in the hotel business at " Hazel Green," Grant Co., for many years ; he came to Darlington in 1863, and established his present business, and the following year he built on the corner he now occupies, and has since then carried on the business here; in 1870, he went to Mexico, and was engaged in mining there ; he was in a hostile country, and had several narrow escapes from the Indians; he remained there two years. Mr. Nichols married Miss Mary Edwards, from Cornwall, England ; they have four children, Henry, engaged in business in Chicago, Henrietta, Ellen and Elisha.

ARTHUR J. O'KEEFE, attorney at law, of the firm of Magoon & O'Keefe, Main street, Darlington, is a native of the State of Wisconsin, and was born in the city of Milwaukee Jan. 29, 1852 ; soon after his birth his parents removed to Portage, Wis., where he attended the public schools, and after graduating from the high school of that city and from Aubery and Atwell's Commercial Col- lege, he completed his education at St. Gall's Academy, Milwaukee; he entered the law office of Hon. Angus Cameron, present United States Senator, and pursued his law studics three years; in 1874, attended the University Law School, and graduated from the law department in 1875 ; after graduating he went to Iowa, and practiced law there, and was elected City Attorney of Lansing; in January, 1878, he came to Darlington, and associated with Hon. H. S. Magoon, and since then has practiced his pro- fession here; he has held the office of City Attorney here, was a candidate for District Attorney in 1880, and is now Court Commissioner for La Fayette County. Mr. O'Keefe was united in marriage to Miss Mary Reilly, from Cohoes, N. Y., . Oct. 5, 1874; they have four children, Nellie, Edna, James and Arthur.

PHILO A. ORTON, attorney at law and banker. The subject of this biography is a son of Philo A. Orton, Sr., and Nancy C., nee Collins; he is a native of the Empire State, and was born at Hamilton, Madison Co., March 24, 1837 ; the Orton family, of which he is a member, were among the early settlers of New England, Thomas Orton, the pioneer, coming from England in 1640, and settling in Connecticut; he married Mary Pratt, of Windsor, Conn., and they both died at Farmington, in that

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State ; the father of Mr. Orton, in 1839, moved with his family to Eaton, only a few miles from Hamil- ton ; in 1850, he removed to the West and settled at Beloit, Wis., and five years later removed to Dar- lington, where he died July 12, 1872; his widow is still living with her son, in that place. Our subject spent a year in the preparatory department of Beloit College, giving especial attention to the study of mathematics, and branches of the physical sciences, supplementing these studies with a year's attendance at Madison University, New York, there fitting himself for a civil engineer ; this was during the years 1856 and 1857, a period ending in great financial depression, when railroad building came to a halt, and many of the older civil engineers were thrown out of employment. On this account, and also by reason of the fact that he had a partiality for the law, he, in the spring of 1858, commenced legal studies, and was admitted to the bar at Shullsburg, then the county-seat of La Fayette Co., in 1859 ; he has practiced in Darlington since that date, and has been quite successful, both professionally and financially, and occu- pies a leading position in the profession. In 1874, he engaged in the banking business, establishing a private bank, the firm being P. A. Orton & Co., which was succeeded by the present firm of Orton, Otis & Co., of which firm he is the senior member. His high standing as an attorney may be inferred from the fact that in 1861 he was the candidate, on the Democratic ticket, for Attorney General of the State; he was Prosecuting Attorney for LaFayette County in 1863 and 1864, and held the office of County Judge from 1870 to 1874 ; he was a candidate for Circuit Judge in 1870, and for member of Congress, in 1876, but the judicial and Congressional districts being strongly Republican, he was defeated; Judge Orton always acted with the Democratic party, until 1880. Early in the Presidential campaign of that year, he publicly announced that he would support the Republican nominees, and during the campaign worked hard for their election. He was united in marriage Jan. 27, 1862, to Miss Sarah M. Osborn, daughter of Capt. Sylvester W. Osborn, an old and honored resident of Darlington; they have two children, Susan and Robert Eugene.

SYLVESTER W. OSBORN, Postmaster, Darlington ; is a native of Delaware Co., N. Y., and was born July 1, 1812 ; he is a son of Samuel and Polly Webster Osborn ; he came to Ohio in early, boyhood, and grew up to manhood in that State. In 1835, Mr. Osborn was united in marriage to Miss Julia M. Gardner, of Kingsville, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, where he was engaged in the milling business; they came to Wisconsin and located in La Fayette Co. at Darlington, in April, 1851 ; he came to superin- tend the building of a flouring-mill for Messrs. Keep & Lynd, the first mill of the kind erected in the place ; he operated the mill for these parties until after the breaking-out of the rebellion, when he enlisted in the 16th W. V. I., and was commissioned Captain of Co. I; he participated in the battles of Shiloh and Corinth and after serving over one year, he resigned his commission on account of ill health ; he returned to Darlington and engaged in milling business in 1866. In February, 1877, he received the appointment of Postmaster, and since then he has held that position. Mr. Osborn was a member of the General Assembly in 1865, and served as Chairman of the Military Committee ; he has always been a strong oppo- nent of human oppression, and early became a member of the Liberty party, voting for James G. Birney for President in 1844 ; he attended the first Republican State Convention held in Wisconsin, and has acted with the party since that time. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn have four children, all married-Sarah M. is the wife of Judge P. A. Orton, of Darlington ; Julia M. is the wife of Dwight W. Hodge, of Buffalo, N. Y .; Homer S. is a physician at Mineral Point; and Charles Francis is a lawyer practicing his profession at Darlington.

CHARLES F. OSBORN, of the firm of Orton & Osborn, attorneys and counselors at law, Main street, Darlington ; is a native of Ohio and was born in Ashtabula Co. March 16, 1847; his parents came to La Fayette Co. in 1851 ; he grew up and attended school here; studied law and was admitted to the bar May 2, 1868; after being admitted he began the practice of law, and since associated with Judge Orton, he has successfully practiced his profession here. He holds the office of Mayor of the city, was elected to that position in March, 1880. Mr. Osborn was united in marriage Sept. 29, 1874, to Miss Juliet Stephens, a native of New York, and daughter of E. R. Stephens, one of the oldest merchants in Darlington. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn have two children-Sarah Melissa and Harry S.

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History of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, Part 102

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. cn; Western Historical Co Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical Number of Pages: 754

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. cn; Western Historical Co
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical
Number of Pages: 754