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 90
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In 1900 Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Miss Mand A. Wilcox, daughter of Wellington Wilcox. now a resident of Sparta. They have one child, Jesse Roger Williams.
William G. Williams, a prominent banker and business man of Sparta, was born on February 16, 1848, in the town of Kingston, Green Lake county, Wis. His parents were Robert and Margaret (Griffith) Williams, who came to this state from Wales in 1845, and settled in Green Lake county, where they engaged in farm- ing, and the father was a local clergyman. They were among the first settlers of that section of the country. Mr. Williams died at the age of fifty-three years, and Mrs. Williams is now living in Milwaukee in her eighty-third year. Five children survive them, two sons and three daughters, our subject being the eldest of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were residents of both Milwaukee and Monroe county, Wis .. for many years.
William G. Williams acquired his early education in the public schools of Dodge county and in Milwaukee, and in 1859 removed with his parents to Angelo township in Monroe county, and has since been one of the leading citizens of the community. his energy, enterprise and persevering industry having gained for him a degree of success of which he may justly be proud. He served the position of register of deeds of Monroe county for many years, and also held the position of elerk in the land office, resigning the latter position on account of ill health. He was afterward appointed assignee for M. A. Thayer & Company, both from Sparta and Tomah, and a year later he assisted in the establishment of the Monroe County Bank, of which he was made vice president at the opening in 1894, and as such has since continued. Although he is a thorough business man, Mr. Williams stands well in social circles of Sparta, and is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge.
On November 2, 1875, he married Miss Anna Jones, daughter of Stephen Jones, of Adrian. Monroe county. Their children are Everett L., Ethel. Ralph S .. and Eunice. Margaret T. died April 17, 1897.
William J. Williams, a well known farmer of Leon township, was born in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, March 12. 1861. son of William P. and Martha T. Williams, both natives of Wales. The father came to America in 1852 and located in Waukesha county where he married. He later, with his wife and three children, went to Bangor, La Crosse county, making the trip overland by ox team. He acquired 100 acres of land and there made his home until 1873. when they moved to the Leon valley in Monroe
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county and purchased 324 acres three miles south of the village of Leon, and there lived for thirty years, when he went to reside with his son, who had purchased a farm close to Leon. Here they passed the balance of their long and useful lives; the father died November 21, 1907, in his seventy-fourth year; his widow survived until January 23, 1910, when she passed away at the age of seventy-five years and eight months. They were married in 1857 and raised a family of five children, all of whom are now living, viz. : Richard Thomas, born June 15, 1859; William J., subject of this sketch, born March 12, 1861; Martha Jane, born July 30, 1864; Lizzie Ann, born November 5. 1867, and Sarah Ellen, born February 19, 1873. At the time of their marriage their finances were limited, but by hard work, industry and economy, they succeeded in accumulating a substantial for- tune in due time and Mr. Williams was recognized as one of Leon's most successful farmers, a man of quiet. unassuming manner, public-spirited, charitable. and a devoted Christian. He and his most estimable wife were members of the Congregational church, and contributed liberally to its support. He was a close student, and practically knew the Bible by heart. He was a Republican in politics. but never sought political preferment, and being a man of good judgment. he served for twenty-five years as school clerk and for fifteen years as supervisor. During his active lifetime he was a successful breeder and raiser of good cattle, horses and hogs, with which his farm was plentifully stocked. Mrs. Williams, mother of our subject, was one of a family of fourteen children, all of whom are deceased. Her father emigrated from Wales and also located in Waukesha county, where he spent his life a successful and influential farmer.
William J. received his education in the district schools and assisted his father on the farm. In 1899 he purchased a farm of 140 acres, where he now resides, paying for the same $45 per acre. Since making his substantial improvements he has refused $100 per acre. From a small beginning in raising a few colts, our subject has developed into a successful horse breeder and trader. Some years ago he formed a copartnership with John L. Jones. and under the firm name of Williams and Jones. did an extensive business in buying and selling eattle, shipping some years as high as 100 carloads of cattle to Eastern markets. Mr. Williams, with his brother Richard, owns 600 acres of land in Minnesota, where the brother conducts a large logging camp. he having
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been a successful lumberman and contractor for thirty years, and now resides at Duluth, Minn.
John J. F. Winters, who is one of the wide-awake and pro- gressive farmers of Sparta township, was born at Burlington, Racine county, Wis., April 28, 1859. son of John and Minnie (Benson) Winters. of Baden, Germany, and Berlin, Prussia, respectively. The father was born in 1830. and when a young boy came to the United States, stopping first at Milwaukee. When fourteen years of age he moved to Burlington, where in 1857 he was married, and in 1860 moved to Monroe county, Wis- consin, and settled on a farm of eighty acres, which he purchased in section twenty-four. Sparta township, which was at that time but a wilderness inhabited by Indians and wild game. To his original purchase he continued to make additions until he acquired 360 acres. He carried on general farming. and for fifty years made this his home, until 1910, when he removed to the city of Sparta, where he now resides, enjoying the well- carned fruits of his years of toil. Mrs. Winters. mother of J. J. F., was born in 1840 and died May 4, 1910. She was a woman of strong personality, brilliant and intellectual. well versed in matters of ancient history. on which she was considered an authority, was often consulted on the subject, and made her- self felt in the community in which she resided. She was promi- nent and active in religious circles and assisted in the building of the Advent church at Sparta. The paternal grandfather, George Winters, a native of Germany, came to America in the early fifties and located at Burlington. Racine county. The maternal grandfather, Frederick Benson, who was a native of Berlin, Prussia, came to America in 1852 and also settled in Burlington, and engaged in farming, and there died in 1859.
John J. F. Winters was raised on his father's farm and attended the district schools. He helped to clear the home farm with his own hands, and has been a hard worker since boyhood. In 1912 he purchased the old homestead. which, added to his original purchase, makes him a farm of 560 aeres, of which 270 are improved and under the plow, the balance being in wooded land and pasture. The commodious residence. large barns and ontbuildings, including the silo, have all been erected by Mr. J. J. F. Winters, and for twelve years last past he has been engaged in raising Guernsey cattle, both registered and grades. being the first breeder of this stock in the town of Sparta. Ile also makes a speialty of Poland-China hogs and Brown Leghorn chickens. Mr. Winters is the eldest of a family of three children.
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The others are: Eliza, widow of Daniel Evans, of Oswego, Ore., and George, of Sparta. Mr. Winters has always taken an active interest in the affairs of his town and county. He has been a member of the board of supervisors, chairman of the town board and treasurer of his town, and in politics he is a Republican. For twenty years he has been prominent in Masonic circles, is a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and the Knights Templar. Hle is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. There are few men living in Monroe county whose early experience were equal to those of Mr. Winters. Coming to this county when but one year old, he grew up in that part of the county, which was then in a wild state, and relates that some of his early playmates were Indian boys and girls, and how he joined with them in their sports. The Indian children were trained to the use of the "bow and arrow," Mr. Winters joining them in target practice, and soon became efficient in their use.
Albert W. Withers, the son of William and Martha Withers, was born in New York, on Jannary 16, 1847. His parents were both natives of England, where the father was born in 1795. He emigrated to America in 1844, and located in New York, and remained there until 1854, when he came west to Wisconsin and located in Monroe county, and was one of the early pioneers of Ridgeville township, and settled on an eighty-aere tract which he purchased for $100, which was all the money he had at that time, and immediately set to work to clear and improve it, and finally, by hard work and perseverance, established the family home, and cultivated the land to a point where they were able to realize quite a comfortable livelihood. During those pioneer days in Monroe county, La Crosse was the nearest trading point, and Mr. Withers often walked there to purchase provisions and clothing for the family. He was the father of sixteen children, five of whom are now living (1912). Besides general farming, Mr. Withers made somewhat of a specialty of stock raising. After years of labor, his farm was made one of the most productive in the county. He was a broad-minded, energetic man, and highly esteemed as one of the best class of pioneers. He was a devoted member of the Methodist church, and contributed liberally to its support. The little church which he built on his farm in those early days still stands, in a fair state of preservation. His death occurred December 10, 1876. His widow, mother of our subject, is still (September 30, 1912) living, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years, much esteemed by the citizens of the locality in which she lives.
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Albert W. was raised on his father's farm until his seventeenth year, receiving a thorough training in farm work, and attending the district schools. Ile then came to Tomah and apprenticed himself for three years to learn the wagon-making trade. At the end of that time he went to Sparta and worked at his trade one year. then moved back to Ridgeville and established a wagon shop of his own. He later purchased a farm near Oakdale, which he successfully carried on, engaged in general farming until 1901, when he returned to Tomah and entered the employ of the Crossette Manufacturing Company, where he has since been engaged.
On October 9, 1872, he was united in marriage to Miss Dora M. Kolster, of the town of Tomah. They have had four children, three of whom are living, viz .: Ida. Myrtle and Cora.
In polities Mr. Withers affiliates with the Republican party. and takes an active interest in its councils. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and in religious matters belongs to the Congregational church.
Herbert Wood,# one of the energetic, enterprising and wide- awake farmers of Monroe county, came from a prominent New England family, his ancestry on the paternal side coming to this country shortly after the landing of the Mayflower and settling in New England. Ilis parents, F- and Mary (Pierce) Wood, were natives of Massachusetts, where they resided until 1856. In that year they came west to Wisconsin, and settled at Tomah, where our subject was born, November 23, 18 -. The father purchased from the government 640 acres of land, three and one-half miles south of the city of Tomah. The farm was unbroken and practically a dense wilderness, and largely popu- lated by Indians and wild beasts. There were no roads in the county and traveling was difficult, and he immediately set to work to clear and subdne the land and establish the family home. By hard work, thrift and economy, the land was improved with a good residence and outbuildings, and soon brought to a high state of cultivation, and besides successfully carrying on general farming, he made a specialty of high-grade cattle and hogs. There were five boys in the family, three of whom are now liv- ing, viz .: Herbert, Milton C. and Leonard A. Mr. Wood was a strong anti-slavery man, was a Whig until the formation of the Republican party, and forever after was a member of that polit- ical party. He was a high-minded. publie-spirited man. a devoted Christian, and for over twenty years a deacon in the Baptist church, and occupied a prominent place among the citizens of
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the community. He died December 5, 1899, and his wife, mother of our subject. February 15, 1907. The maternal great-grand- father, Fuller, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. and served under Washington, and was with his command at Valley Forge. The paternal grandfather of our subject was cap- tured by the British at Sackett's Harbor in the War of 1812, and held a prisoner by them for twenty-two months. He hell the rank of orderly sergeant, and at the time of his death owned 160 acres of land in Monroe county.
Herbert was raised on his father's farm, and attended the district schools up to his twentieth year, and then taught school one winter. Ile remained on the farm with his parents until their death, succeeding his father on the homestead, which he acquired by purchase. He is a Democrat in political sentiment. and takes an active part in the councils of his party: he has held the office of clerk and treasurer of the township, and on Angust 1. 1911, was chosen secretary of the Tomah Creamery Association. He is a member of the Congregational church. and of the E. F. U.
Mr. Wood was married November 28, 1891, at Tomah, to Miss Ida A. Glaede. Four children have been born to them, three of whom are now (1912) living, viz. : Gladys, born November 23, 1903: Edwin, born March 22, 1906. and Rogers, born January 29. 1910.
Nelson M. Woodworth, who has lived in Monroe county, Wis- consin. for more than half a century, was born December 28, 1848, in the town of New Lyme, Ashtabula county, Ohio. His father, Story Woodworth, was born in Pennsylvania, August 14, 1809, and in 1838 married Miss Candace Jyne. in Ohio, who was born in New York state. December 14, 1816. They had a family of six children, viz .: Enther J .. Sarah M., Mary L., Nelson M., Phila E. and Abel Woodworth. In 1855, when our subject was a boy of six years, the family moved to Jefferson county, where they remained for a time, then came on to Sauk county, where they remained four years, thence to Monroe county, locating at Cataract, where the father was engaged in farming, and expe- rieneed the hardships of pioneer life for a great many years; they came here when the country was practically a wilderness, and thus struggled the while against the difficulties they encoun- tered until as a result of their hard work and perseverance they passed their last days in a comfortable and happy home.
In 1891 Mr. Nelson M. Woodworth moved to Little Falls township and purchased a farm of 170 acres in section two.
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
where he has since carried on general farming and dairying, and is considered one of the most thrifty and prosperous farmers of the county and an influential and wide-awake citizen. He has been lavish in his expenditure of time, energy and money in improving his farm, erecting commodious and substantial build- ings, with the most modern appliances and equipments, making it one of the most attractive homes in the country.
Mr. Woodworth was married in 1878 to Miss Ida Moseley, daughter of Alonzo and Eunice (Hunt) Moseley. She was born January 16, 1861. and has spent her entire life in Monroe county. Mr. and Mrs. Woodworth have an interesting family of eight children, viz .: Blanche, Wade HI., Bertha E., Spencer W., Bessie 1., Mildred E., Wallace M. and Rachel M.
Samuel Wruck,* who was born June 28, 1865, is a native of Sheldon township, and the son of Andrew and Euphraseno (Kruger) Wruck. both natives of Germany. They came to America in the early fifties, with a family of five children, and first located in Sauk county. Remaining there but a short time. they moved to Monroe county and settled in Sheldon in 1854, and homesteaded a quarter-section of will land in section five, where the father established a home for himself and family. IIe cleared the land and brought it to a good state of culti- vation. In those early days there were plenty of Indians, and even after the massacre in Minnesota the Indians often camped on their farm, but always treated. them kindly, never subjecting them to any kind of cruelty. Wild game was plentiful. and venison was the principal means of subsistence: the father had learned the trade of carpenter, and while living on the home- stead he worked at his trade for a man at Sparta, receiving from $8 to $10 per month for his labor, and used to carry a sack of meal on his back when returning from work. Mr. Wruck used several ox teams in carrying on his farm work, as was usual in those days, and was considered an authority on many points of agriculture. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Eighteen Wisconsin Infantry, and was killed in service while in line of duty. He was a Whig in politics until the formation of the Republican party, and ever after was a staunch supporter of the principles of that party. He was twice married, having no issue by the first marriage, and his second wife was Miss E -- Kruger, to whom eight children were born, seven of whom are now (1912) living.
Samuel Wruck. our subject, was reared on the farm and attended the district schools up to his eighteenth year, but was
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practically dependent upon his own resources at the age of fifteen. He was first employed at farm work and received the sum of fifty cents per week; he later went to Madison, Wis., for a time and afterwards to Montana, where he herded cattle on a ranch for one year. From there he went to North Dakota, and for nine years, off and on, was engaged in running a threshing machine. His next employment was in a grain elevator at ('astlo- ton, N. D., but subsequently he returned to Monroe county and purchased 220 acres of wild land in sections twenty-six and twenty-seven, in the town of Sheldon, where he has since resided. In 1898 he built a large and commodious barn, and in 1900 erected a modern residence ; he has a flowing spring which furnishes an abundant supply of pure water for his house and stock; his place is always well stocked and in addition to his general farmi- ing, he carries on quite an extensive dairy business. He is a Republican in polities, and takes an active part in promoting the interests of his party. In 1900 he was elected treasurer of his town, an office he has held for twelve years, and for several years has been a school director. He is one of the public-spirited and influential citizens of his town and enjoys the confidence of all who know him.
On October 5, 1892, he was married in the town of Wells, to Miss Anna Herzberg, and they have had four children, viz. : Ruth A., Grace L., Earl S. and Taft Claud.
Lucian D. Wyatt, who has resided in section seven, Tomah township. since 1874, is a native of Streetsboro, Medina county, Ohio, where he was born March 6, 1843. He is a son of Ezra and Mary (Whipple) Wyatt. Ezra Wyatt was a native of New York, and moved in an early day to Ohio, in which state he died. Our subject is one of a family of eleven children. five of whom are living. At the age of eleven years he came with a sister and her husband, David Olds, to Oconomowoc, Wis., where he resided for a time, later making his home with another sister, Mrs. II. Campbell, in the town of Wellington, in Monroe county, attend- ing the district school until the age of fourteen, when he returned to Oconomowoc, where he was employed at farm work. At the age of eighteen, August 26, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, First Wisconsin Cavalry, and served three years in the army, and was discharged in 1864. His regiment operated largely in Missouri and Arkansas, and was afterwards sent to Tennessee, where it participated in several sharp skirmishes and engagements, at Chickamauga, Knoxville and other points. At the expiration of his term of service, Mr. Wyatt returned to Monroe county, and
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bought an eighty-aere farm on what is known as the Ridge. It was in 1874 that he bought 100 acres of land in section seven, where he now lives, and later bought a forty-acre tract in the town of Wellington. To the home farm he has added many valuable and lasting improvements, including a fine residence. commodions barns, two silos, granary, and other outbuildings. Hle is an extensive raiser of thoroughbred stock. Jersey cattle and Percheron horses. Cattle raising has been his specialty, and he is now chiefly engaged in the dairy business. He is a stock- holder in the Farmers' Co-operative Creamery Company; and the Farmers' Insurance Company.
On July 3, 1875, in the town of La Grange, Mr. Wyatt was married to Miss Viola Burdick, a daughter of Ezra and Mary Burdick. The children of this union are Ernst E .. Vera MI .. Ray L. and Ethel. Mr. Wyatt is a man well posted on the events of the day, and in polities he is a Republican. He and his esti- mable wife affiliate with the Baptist church.
The maternal grandfather of our subject. William Whipple, served in the Revolutionary War under Washington.
John J. Youngman, one of the leading business men of Sparta. is the son of John and Barbara Youngman, born at Milwaukee. Wis .. April 15. 1854. Ilis parents emigrated to America from Germany, settling in Milwaukee in the early fifties, where they were married and raised their family. Hle was a butcher by trade. and after following this occupation for some time in Mil- waukee, the family moved to New Lisbon, where the father met an untimely death by accident with a runaway team of horses in 1865. at the age of thirty-nine years.
John J. was educated in the public schools of Milwaukee, and brought up in the butcher business with his father. After the death of the latter. he was employed for a time by Samuel Holzer. at New Lisbon, then went to Mauston, in JJunean county, where he was employed by Thomas Jennings, afterwards to Tomah, and was employed by Edward Waggoner, and it was in 1870 that he first came to Sparta and entered the employ of Benjamin Stevens & Son. who then conducted a meat market on Oak street. His next employment was with Potter. Audis & Palmer, which posi- tion he held for two years, when he purchased the interest of Potter and associated with Hiram Davenport by disposing of a half interest to him, with the firm name Davenport & Youngman. This continued for about three years, when Mr. Davenport sold his interest to Mr. Youngman, who later sold to N. P. Lee. the style of the firm then changing to Lee & Youngman, and at the
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end of two years William P. Meyers purchased an interest. and a year later Mr. Youngman acquired entire control and associated with his brother, bonis JJ. Youngman, under the name of Young- man Brothers, and under this name the business was carried on from 1892 to 1901, when John J. sold out to his brother and retired from the business after a long and successful career. We next find Mr. Youngman engaged in the real estate business, han- dling principally farm lands, and this, together with looking after his own extensive property interests, has since given him ample employment to occupy his time. In 1907 he rebuilt his old home, where he has lived for the past twenty-seven years, with a beautiful modern residence, No. 316 Pine street, where he enjoys, with his family, the fruits of his past labors.
On October 3, 1874, Mr. Youngman was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Fitzgerald, daughter of Patrick and Mar- garet (Lynch) Fitzgerald, of Herseyville. Wis. Mrs. Youngman is the fifth child of a family of seven children, viz .: Patrick, deceased ; Mary, now the wife of William C. Hoffman, of Sparta ; Nellie is the wife of Irvin Childs, of Sparta: John resides in Chicago; Catherine, wife of Robert McGrath, of Great Falls, Mont .. and Thomas Fitzgerald, who resides in Canada. The par- ents of Mrs. Youngman were natives of Ireland, and came to Canada, where their family was born. They moved to Herseyville, Wis., during the Civil War, where both parents died at the age of eighty-five and seventy years, respectively. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Youngman are Mary, wife of James MeCabe, of Sun Prairie, Wis., and Jessie, wife of Joseph Milligan, of Proe- tor, Minn.
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