USA > Wisconsin > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present : including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county [microform] > Part 82
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Mr. Reich is one of the successful men of his county: has always been honorable and upright in his dealings, and enjoys the confidence and respect of the citizens generally. He has al- ways taken an active interest in the affairs of his town. has been a member of the town board. a member of the school board, treas- urer of the town and justice of the peace. lle belongs to the Knights of Pythias Lodge and the Modern Woodmen of America.
Coming to Monroe county in an early day. Mr. Reich has seen and done his full share in developing it from a comparative wil- derness to a place among the banner counties of the state. Hle relates many interesting incidents relative to the stirring scenes in and around Tunnel City. when the Indians were much more in evidence than the whites. and when the actual settlement of the county began on the arrival of the railroad. Ile was married in 1871 to Miss Henrietta Byer, also a native of Germany. and they
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have had three children, viz. : Amandus lives in LaGrange town- ship; Albert I. resides on the home farm with his father, and Alexander lives in Montana. Albert I. Reich has served seven terms as clerk of the township. He enlisted as private in Com- pany K. Third Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers. in 1898, and served with his regiment in Porto Rico during the Spanish-American war.
John Rhyme was brought up to the life of a farmer boy by his father and, like the majority of sons. has followed in his father's footsteps and is now the successful manager of his fine farm of 215 acres situated in section fifteen, Sparta township. On this place is a model residence equipped with many modern conven- iences. His barn. stables and other ontbuildings are also well con- structed and in good condition. Hlis farm is well stocked with a good grade of horses and Durham cattle. On October 9. 1865. Mr. Rhyme was born in Bloomfield township, Walworth county. Wisconsin, to Henry and Minnie (Vussler) Rhyme, both natives of Germany. and who after marriage came to the United States in 1862 and settled in Walworth county, where for two years the father was employed at farm work. He afterwards removed to La Crosse county with his family. and there purchased a farm in Farmington township, where he resided until February, 1905. when he removed to the city of Sparta, which has sinee been the family home. Mr. and Mrs. Rhyme reared a family of nine chil- dren. viz .: John, the subject of this sketch; Eliza. wife of Theo- dore Pfaff. lives in Burns township. La Crosse county: Bessie is the wife of Christ Johnson. of Bangor. Wis .: Emma is the wife of George JJones, of La Crosse county: Clara is the wife of Julius Johnson and resides in Sparta township. where Mr. Johnson is engaged in farming: Mary married Ernest Cissna, of Watonwon county. Minnesota : Fred. of Sparta : Augusta is the wife of Leslie Hall. and Frank. of Watonwon county. Minnesota.
John attended the common school of Farmington. La Crosse county, and acquired sufficient education to fit him for the prac- tical duties of life. and remained on the home farm near Farm- ington until February 15. 1898. when he bought his present farm. which is known as the Rowley farm, from Lucas Herrman. For the three years last past. Mr. Rhyme was a resident of Sparta. having rented his farm, but during the early spring of 1912 he decided to return to active farm work, and since then has lived on his home place. During the years 1910 and 1911 he was over- seer of the township in cutting down ridges and improving the highways, and much work in this line is due to his good manage- ment. His intelligence, integrity and many other estimable quali-
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ties have acquired for him a popularity not derived from any fictitious circumstances but a permanent and spontaneous tribute to his merit, and he numbers among his friends the best people of the county.
Bessie Herrman, the amiable and cultured daughter of Will- iam Herrman, of Burr Oak, Wis., became his wife December 10, 1890, and they have one son. Ralph John Rhyme.
Edward C. Rice, who has been a successful farmer of Wilton township, was born June 8, 1862, in Monroe county, Wisconsin, the son of Patrick and Mary (Nash) Rice, both natives of Ireland. Patrick eame to America in 1854 and remained for a short time in New York, then moved to Walworth county, this state, and located in Troy Center, where he worked as a farm hand for about one year, and then, loading his whole personal paraphernalia into a wagon drawn by an ox team, he started for Monroe county, traveling over stony hills and rough roads until he reached Wilton township, and there purchased an eighty-acre tract of wild land and immediately set to work to elear and improve it. This was in section twenty, and he later added another eighty aeres in sec- tion twenty-one, which was their home until 1890, then moved to Tomah and made their home the remainder of their lives. They were married in 1857 and had a family of seven children. Mrs. Rice died in 1903, and her husband on July 15, 1911. They were highly respected people and valuable citizens to the community.
Edward C. was the second child and obtained a good common school education, attending school until he was sixteen. He bought a farm of 195 aeres in section thirty-two. Wilton township, where he lived about three years, and then bought 160 acres in section seventeen of Wilton township, which he still owns, lived here ten years and then bought a home in the village of Wilton in 1911, their present residence.
Mr. Rice was a bright and prosperous farmer and a good Democrat. He is at present buyer for the Farmers' Live Stock Association of Wilton, has been chairman of the town board, was supervisor for three years and was a member of the school board for a long time. Ile is also interested in the Farmers' Creamery Association.
Mrs. Rice is one of a family of five children. three of whom are living. She was a successful teacher for several years in Monroe county schools, being a graduate of Wilton high school. Her father. James Kerrigan, eame from Ireland in the sixties and was married in 1867 to Margaret Fitzgerald. They were highly respected people and lived in Wilton at the time of his death in
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1905. Her mother is still living. The farm they owned. in sec- tion twenty-nine. Wilton township, contained 200 acres of land. They were devoted members of the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Kerrigan was a Democrat.
David R. Richards, of section twelve. Little Falls township. Monroe county. Wisconsin, was born April 24. 1860. and reared here on the old homestead which he now owns, and where he has always resided. He is the son of Thomas and Catherine ( Will- iams) Richards, both natives of Wales. and who emigrated to the United States March 9. 1842. They settled near Waukesha. Wis., and in 1854 came to Little Falls township and here made their home and reared their family. They endured all the hardships which the new settler usually undergoes in undertaking to subdue and fit a new country and place it in a finished condition, which that part of the country is at this time. They lived to reap the reward of their labors and enjoy the comfort of a prosperous and happy home. Thomas Richards ended his life's work on February 27. 1897. and the mother passed away on March 20, 1885, Their other children besides our subject were: Roger: Anna, is the widow of John Evans, of Madison, Wis .. and has two daugh- ters. Gertrude and Alice, and one son. Wilfred; John II. mar- ried Maggie Davis and lives in Langford, Marshall county. South Dakota. Their children are: Amelia. Margery. Ahna and Kendrick. Thomas W. died aged twenty-two.
David R. received his education in the district schools of his neighborhood. and at the age of twenty-two years assumed control of the home farm. As a young man. he helped to clear the land and since that time has made many improvements in the residence and outbuildings and brought the land to a high state of cultiva- tion. His farm of 530 acres is well stocked with good horses and short-horned cattle. and. with the ample supply of modern machin- ery and the improved methods employed by him in its operation, makes his one of the up-to-date country homes of the county.
Mr. Richads is a strong believer in the cause of temperance and is always interested in any movement tending toward the betterment of the community in general. In 1894-5 he was elected a member of the board of supervisors and has been re-elected until he is now serving his eighth term. He has been clerk of the school district for twenty-one years, and during the past year has devoted much time in the interest of township improvements. As chairman of the town board. Mr. Richards was the promoter of the scheme to cut down the Cataract and Winters Ridge, which
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for many years has proven the dread of every man who had occasion to travel over it. From the pioneer days to the present, there have been numerous efforts made to have this ridge cut down, but none were crowned with suecess until Mr. Richards beeame interested in the enterprise, put his shoulder to the wheel and, by private subscription, raised about $1,500 with which he, assisted by August Schlaver. accomplished the object for which others had been wishing for fifty years, building an entire new road and establishing a uniform grade of 10 per eent as against 18 per cent on the old road.
On March 24, 1887, Mr. Richards was united in marriage with Miss Hannah E. Cody, daughter of Daniel W. and Alvira S. (Tompkins) Cody. natives of central New York. . Mrs. Richards' ancestry dates back to the Puritans who came over in the May- flower. When she was five years of age. she moved with her parents to Illinois, and seven years later came to Wisconsin and settled at Cataract. in Monroe county. Her father, Daniel W. Cody, was the first stage driver from Cataraet to Black River Falls, and for twenty years prior to the establishment of the rural free delivery he carried the United States mail between Sparta and Cataract. He was also engaged in farming, owning 200 aeres adjoining the village of Cataract. Mrs. Richards has one brother, Orville S. Cody, of Cataract. To Mr. and Mrs. Richards have been born four children : Forrest O., born March 4, 1890, graduate of Sparta high school class of 1909, also a graduate of the agricul- tural department of the Wisconsin State University: Edna R., born August 16. 1893. graduate of Sparta high school class of 1911. and now attending Downer College. Milwaukee: Annie E., born November 2, 1899, and Erma I .. born November 23, 1903.
In social affairs Mr. Richards is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
Thomas Richards, deceased. pioneer of Little Falls township, was born in Wales, June 16, 1817. a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Price) Richards. His father died when he was an infant of nine months. His mother lived to be fifty-two years old. Thomas, Jr., was reared by his maternal grandparents, who were well-to-do farmers ; he early became accustomed to various branches of agri- culture and the labor necessary to be performed. llis education was received in the select schools of the country. After he reached maturity he worked in the coal mines three or four years, but finally determined to emigrate to America. In 1842 he sailed from Liverpool for New York. and was at sea twenty-nine days.
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After arriving at port, he continued his journey to Canada, where he remained for two months, thence came to Wisconsin and settled in Waukesha county and engaged in farming. When the gold fever of 1849 swept the country, the attraction became irresistible and he started for the Pacific coast. JJoining some friends. he went by team to St. Louis, Mo .. thence by river to New Orleans; thence he sailed for Panama, crossed the Isthmus, walking twenty miles of the distance, and sailed from the western coast for San Francisco: this voyage consumed forty-nine days. They landed at San Francisco, and Mr. Richards went at once to Sacramento, then to the American river; there he engaged in mining for the precious ore, but did not remain long. He went into the moun- tains for two months. but still fortune did not smile upon him, and his next point was Trinity river: there he met with fair suc- cess. After two and one-half years spent in the golden state. Mr. Richards returned to Wisconsin. On the coast of South America he was wrecked and had to wait ten weeks to get a boat bound for the United States. He landed in New Orleans, came by boat to Cincinnati and thence by rail to Chicago. These three years were filled with various experiences, such as will probably never be repeated in the history of the country. and in reviewing them they appear in the distance more as a romance than as the stern reality they were to the "forty-niners."
Mr. Richards moved to Monroe county in 1854 and settled in Little Falls township on a tract of wild land. where he devoted his time and energies to agriculture and was the pioneer cheese maker of Monroe county : he made a specialty of the dairy busi- ness. which he carried on with great profit. The old farm of Mr. Richards contained 250 acres, and he later invested in other lands and became the owner of between five and six hundred aeres of Monroe county's choicest soil.
At the age of twenty-five years. Mr. Richards was married to Miss Catherine Williams, a daughter of Roger and Magdalene Williams, and of this union were born five children, viz. : T. W .. Roger IL .. Anna. David and John II. Mr. Richards represented the people of his township in various local offices, and discharged his duties to the satisfaction of the public. He affiliated with the Republican party and was an ardent supporter of prohibition. Ilis long and useful life brought him the respect and admiration of his fellow citizens, a record which is its own commentary. Ile died February 27. 1897. at the age of eighty years: Mrs. Richards passed away March 20. 1885, deeply mourned by her family and friends.
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THOMAS RICHARDS
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Clyde C. Richardson# ranks among the younger class of suc- cessful farmers of Monroe county, Wisconsin, where he was born on February 4, 1878. to Joel F. and Martha (Keith) Richardson, both uatives of Ohio. The father, before his marriage, came on a prospecting tour to the Leon Valley and after a time returned to his home, was married and came back to Monroe county and located in the Leon Valley, where his grandfather had preceded him and located some years before on a farm of 150 aeres, on which he resided until it was purchased by JJoel F. He was kind- hearted and generous and held the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. His death occurred in 1884; his widow, mother of our subject, still survives (1912) at the age of sixty-one years.
Clyde C., one of a family of five children, was reared on the home farm. where he remained until he reached his majority. He attended the district schools until he was eighteen, assisting in the farm work, and afterward spent one year in the Sparta high school. When he became of age, he and his brother pur- chased the old homestead, which they divided equally and worked with success. and our subject now. while vet a young man, is eon- sidered one of the most successful and influential farmers of Leon. He carries on general farming and stock raising, his specialty being hogs. and is quite extensively engaged in dairying.
On July 11. 1908, he was married to Miss Clara Hogen, and they have two children. Merlin. born April 20. 1909, and Vadis, born November 20. 1910.
Eli A. Richardson, secretary and manager of the Fruit Growers' Association of Sparta. is the seventh of a family of nine children. five sons and four daughters-six of whom are now liv- ing-born to E. B. and Sylvia (Sweat) Richardson, natives of Vermont and Ohio respectively. During the year of 1852 they came to Wisconsin and settled on a farm in Burns township, La Crosse county, and there reared their family and passed their lives. They were thrifty, progressive people and ranked among the leading pioneers of that community. Both are now deceased.
Mr. Richardson was born in Burns township. La Crosse county, on December 20. 1858. and, being reared on a farm. his experience was the same as that of most boys, receiving his edneation in the district schools and helping with the farm work, where he spent his early days. In 1879 he went to Colorado and lived at Lead- ville, in that state. during the great strike; from there he moved to New Mexico, where he remained for a time, his entire western trip covering a period of five years, then returned to Wiseonsin and again took up the farming business in La Crosse county, fol-
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lowing it for three years, whence he removed to Sparta in 1889 and engaged in the sale of small fruits, which he still continues, and is now considered one of Sparta's most progressive and sub- stantial citizens.
Mr. Richardson was one of the promoters of the Sparta Fruit Growers' Association (incorporated), which was organized in May, 1896, with I. S. Fisher president, W. H. Hanchett vice president. T. M. Bowler secretary and C. G. Hettman treasurer. The asso- ciation now has a membership of 300 and is instrumental in pro- moting the interests of the farmers and fruit growers of Monroe county. The extensive business of the organization is operated from their large jobbing house at Sparta under the general man- agement of Mr. Richardson, and gives a ready market for every- thing in the line of farmers' produce, which includes nearly all the products of the county which are handled even in carload lots from various localities.
Besides his exceptional business qualifications. Mr. Richardson is a man of fine social qualities, kind-hearted and genial, and popu- lar in the circles in which he moves. He is domestic in his tastes and craves no greater delight than he finds in his home and fam- ily. He is identified with numerous fraternal and social organiza- tions. being a member and Past Master of Valley Lodge, No. 60. Free and Accepted Masons, a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Fraternal Union. For four years he has been a member of the city council and was two years president of that body.
On November 11. 1886, Mr. Richardson was united in marriage with Miss Ehuina Gilfillan, daughter of Stephen Gilfillan, one of the influential citizens of Burns township in La Crosse county. Their children are Pearl E. and Sylvia I. Richardson.
William Richgruber. Among the wideawake and progressive farmers of Pleasant Valley is he whose name heads this biography. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark. November 3, 1853. to George and Mary (Halebery) Richgruber. he attended the common schools in his native town, and in 1879 came to America. first locating in Chicago. Ill., where he was employed as a stationary engineer in a glue factory. He remained there for some time. then came to Monroe county and purchased 200 acres of land in Pleasant Val- ley. four and one half miles from the village of Leon, where he has since remained successfully engaged in general farming. His "place is under a good state of enltivation and improved with sub- stantial buildings. He employs modern methods in his farming operations, and from his twenty head of milch eows does a profit-
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able dairy business. He is considered one of the substantial men of his locality and is public-spirited and enterprising.
Hle was married January 3, 1881, to Miss Matilda Sorensen and they have an interesting family of seven children, viz. : Albert, born October 7, 1882; William, born October 17, 1883; Agnes, born February 2, 1886; Mathida, born September 23, 1888; Anna, born October 5, 1892; Martin, born December 19, 1895, and Mabel, born March 1, 1898.
George H. Robertson, ex-county superintendent of schools, is a native son of Monroe county, and was born August 11, 1868, son of Methven and Euphema (Cassels) Robertson, pioneers of Monroe county. The father was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, March 24, 1823, a son of John and Christina (Methven) Robert- son, and came to America in 1842, settling in Massachusetts, where he was joined by his father and family in 1845. In 1857 they came to Wisconsin and located on a farm of 240 aeres of land in sections twenty-six and twenty-seven, town of Tomah, which the father purchased from John Hineman, and the following year bought eighty acres from Samuel McClure in section twenty-seven. They erected a log cabin, twenty-four by sixteen feet, and in this made their home until 1871, when Mr. Robertson, father of our subject, built a residence twenty-two by twenty-eight feet, with a wing twenty-four by twenty-eight feet, and later an addition six- teen by twenty-four feet and twelve by twenty-four feet. His father, grandfather of our subject, was a weaver by trade, which he followed until coming to Wisconsin, and was then engaged in farming until his death in the spring of 1880, at the age of eighty- five years.
Methven Robertson received a limited education and was em- ployed in the woolen mills until coming to his farm in Wisconsin. Ile owned 200 acres of well improved land. well stocked with Jersey cattle, horses and hogs. September 1, 1864, he enlisted in the Civil War in Company K. Forty-third Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battles of Johnson- ville and Nashville, and was discharged June 24, 1865.
He was married, in 1846, to Euphema Cassels, who was born in Scotland in 1828 and died in the spring of 1880. They had fourteen children, five of whom survive : Methven. David, George, Robert and Mary. The father died in 1899.
George received his preliminary education in the district school and the Tomah high school, graduating from the latter in the class of 1895. Before attending high school, he taught school six winters. After finishing high school he became principal of the
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Glendale school one year and of the Kendall school two years. In November, 1902. he was elected county superintendent, serving until 1907. In 1899. in connection with his brother-in-law, David S. Moore, he built the Glendale Hour and feed mill, which was operated under the firm name of Robertson & Moore; Mr. Robert- son, later purchasing the interest of Mr. Moore, carried on the business under the name of George HI. Robertson Company, under whose management the business prospered. Mr. Robertson has recently sold the milling business to A. J. Clark, but remains as its manager. Mr. Robertson was manager six years, manager and treasurer two years and manager and secretary one year of the Glendale Co-operative Creamery Association. In 1912 he was elected clerk of the town of Glendale, and is also clerk of the Glendale graded school.
In fraternal matters he is a member of the I. O. G. T. and the Knights of Pythias Lodge. Of the latter he is a past chancellor. Ile was married Angust 11. 1896. at Glendale, to Miss Sadie A. Moore, youngest daughter of David and Mary Moore. natives of Connecticut and Vermont. Mrs. Robertson is a highly educated and cultured lady, and a former teacher. One daughter has been born to this union. Laverne, born August 17, 1897, is now the second year in high school at Kendall.
Richard H. Rogers, who for nearly thirty years was a promi- nent and successful citizen of Monroe county, was born in Sara- toga county, New York, October 13, 1809. His father, Jeremiah Rogers, was a native of New York state, and at the age of sixteen years enlisted as a soldier in the War of the Revolution, serving until the end of that struggle. The mother of Richard Il., whose maiden name was Phoebe Hart, was also a native of New York state. When our subject was but seven years of age. he removed with his parents to Seneca county. that state, where they remained some twelve years, thence moved to Huron county, Ohio, where they spent the balance of their lives: the father died at the age of sixty years, and the mother at the age of sixty-five years. Jeremiah Rogers was a shoemaker by trade, and in politics was a staunch supporter of the Jacksonian principles.
Richard H. Rogers, following in the footsteps of his father, learned the shoemaker's trade, which vocation he followed until he was twenty-three years of age, whence he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and made a specialty of breeding fine sheep. He was successful, and became widely known as an authority upon all subjects pertaining to the breeding and care of sheep. In 1869 he sold his farm in Erie county. Ohio, and
RICHARD H. ROGERS
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came West to Wisconsin and settled in Monroe county. He pur- chased from S. Holbrook a tract of seventy-five acres of land of as fertile soil as lies within the county. He raised some fine specimens of registered stock, including sheep and cattle; from one ewe, weighing sixty-five pounds, he sheared twenty-four and a half pounds of wool. a record rarely equaled, and almost never excelled; his cattle were of high grade and full blooded. The buildings on the place are neat and substantial, arranged for comfort and convenience.
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