History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, Part 119

Author: Western Historical Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 998

USA > Wisconsin > Walworth County > History of Walworth County, Wisconsin > Part 119

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

764

HISTORY OF WALWORTH COUNTY.

WAR HISTORY.

The town of Sharon, during the war, sent out 108 men. Their names and the part taken by them in the bloody fights will be found in the general war history. The town also raised her share of money.

SHARON AS IT IS.

The population of Sharon, according to the Federal census of 1881, was 1.956.

The principal farm products of 1880 were: Wheat, 9,750 bushels; corn, 97,600 bushels; oats, 32,700 bushels; barley, 12,820 bushels; rye, 395 bushels; potatoes, 5,900 bushels; apples, 14,000 bushels; timothy seed, 588 bushels: hay, 2,625 tons; butter, 36,225 pounds; cheese, 159,000 pounds.

In 1881, there were 5,294 acres of growing grain, 240 acres of apple orchard, 1,820 acres of mowing and pasturage, and 1,550 acres of growing timber; the number of milch cows was 821, valued at $17,175.

There were seven whole and seven union school districts. The number of scholars between four and twenty years of age was 645, of which number 596 attended school. There were twelve schools, one of which was graded. Sixteen teachers were employed. at monthly average wages of $40.50 for male and $26.11 for female teachers. There were twelve schoolhouses, valued at $9,900, including the sites.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCIIES.

WILLIAM P. ALLEN, Postmaster of Sharon ; was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1821, where he lived till 21 years of age. He then went to Portageville in his native State, where he engaged in teaching ; he has been a resident of Sharon since 1845. After coming to Walworth Co., was engaged for some time in teaching ; has been a resident of the village since 1850; was engaged here in merchandising for a num - ber of years ; has held several town offices for a long series of years. He has been Town Clerk during the great- er part of the time he has resided here; has been a Justice of the Peace the same length of time, and has been Postmaster since 1873. Mr. Allen, during his long residence in Sharon, has acquired and main- tained a reputation for uprightness and fair dealing, that has scenred for him, in an eminent degree, the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens. Mrs. Allen, formerly Miss Sophrona L. Lyman, was born in Jefferson Co. They have no children.

HERMAN ALLEN, farmer, Sec. 19; P. O. Sharon. He was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1834; son of John and brother of Wm. P. and L. E. Allen; he came to Sharon in 1845 ; moved to McHenry Co., Ill., in 1853, and engaged in farming; moved to Sharon again in 1870. He married Martha C. Silsburg, born in Schoharie Co., N. Y. ; his present wife was Amelia Welch. He had three children by first wife- Burleigh E., Alvah and Jnlitte; has two children by present wife-Mary M. and Dora. He purchased his farm, which contains 100 acres, of Lewis Pramer ; the farm was originally settled by Benjamin Wheeler.

SALMON G. ARNOLD, retired farmer ; born in Washington Co., N. Y., July 15, 1820, where he was brought up; came to Walworth Co. in June, 1851, and settled at South Grove in the town of Sharon ; was a very successful and prominent farmer, and well-known through the county ; never sought office, but held the office of Justice of the Peace with several other offices. Was a member of the M. E. Church. Re- sided on the farm at South Grove till the fall of 1875 ; he still owns the farm where he first settled. Mrs. Arnold was Miss Ann Eliza Hotchkiss, of Hampton, Washington Co, N. Y. They have five children - Mary, now Mrs. N. J. Davis ; Maria, now Mrs. H. Wilson ; Alice, wife of J. B. Wise ; Luther S. married Minnie Brigham, of Sharon ; and Willard G.

EDWARD BILYEA, carpenter and farmer, Sec. 34 ; P. O. Sharon ; was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., in 1831 ; came to Walworth Co. in spring of 1855, and engaged in work at his trade; he made a location at Douglass Corners that year, which was his home till 1871, when he settled where he now lives ; his par- ents, Nathaniel and Polly B., came to Walworth Co. in 1865, and settled in the town of Walworth, where they resided till their death ; his wife was Esther L. Ostrom, born in Schoharie Co., N. Y., and came to Walworth Co. with her parents, Daniel and Sarah Race Ostrom, in 1848, who settled in Sharon. They have two children-Cora R. and Floyd E. Mr. Bilyea's farm contains 60 acres.

GEORGE F. BRIGHAM, station agent, Sharon ; was born in Chantanqua Co., N. Y., in 1827 ; was a telegraph operator in the early history of telegraphy ; he learned the art of telegraphing in Fredonia, N.

765

HISTORY OF WALWORTH COUNTY.

Y., more than thirty years ago, when the science was in its infancy. The practice of dispatching trains by telegraph was first attempted on the N. Y. & Erie R. R. and he as operator sent the first dispatch in that experiment, thus inaugurating a system of running trains, which is wonderful, and almost startling to. contemplate. In 1863, he went to Chicago, where he was employed in the U. S. telegraph office for sev- eral years ; he came to Sharon in 1866, and has had charge of the station here since that time ; he has long been a student and laborer in the interests of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Through his labors, a - society has been organized of that church, in Sharon, and a neat and comfortable chapel was built ; he took orders as Deacon, in Milwaukee, in 1876, and since that time has officiated as pastor of the church ; his wife was formerly Miss Aurilla A. Douglass, born in Genesee Co., N. Y. They had six children, four of whom are living, viz., Edmund D., Fannie A., George F., Jr., and Henry.

J. W. BROWNSON, of the firm of Wolf & Brownson, Sharon. Mr. Brownson was born at Gaines- ville, Wyoming Co., N. Y., in 1842 ; his father, John W. Brownson, emigrated to Wisconsin and settled in the town of Sharon, in the spring of 1852. The parents of Mr. Brownson had three children-Ellen, now Mrs. J. A. Treat ; J. W. and Charles A. The latter is the present County Judge of Racine Co. J. W. enlisted in September, 1861, in the 13th W. V. I., and served until December, 1865. The firm of Wolf & Brownson has existed since 1866. Mr. Brownson was married to Miss E. Allen, daughter of Henry Allen. They have one daughter-Laura ; they lost their first child-Allen.

JOHN S. BURGET, blacksmith, resides on Sec. 34 ; P. O. Sharon ; he was born in Fulton, Scho- harie Co., N. Y., in 1828 ; his parents were Storm A. and Sally (Banner) Burget; his father was of Dutch decent ; his grandfather, Millbury Burget, was born in Holland, and came to the United States with several brothers ; he was Fife Major during the Revolutionary war ; was at the battle of Saratoga, when Gen. Burgoyne was taken prisoner, and after the war was pensioned as a Revolutionary soldier ; his father was a native of Schoharie Co., N. Y., and resided in that State till his death. Mr. Burget came to Walworth Co., in May, 1858, and settled where he now lives ; his wife was Mary Welch, born in Schoharie Co. They have two children-Addison and Storm Abram.

ACKLEY CARTER, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Darien ; is a brother of William and Orange Carter, of Darien, born in the town of Darien, Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1808 ; he came to Walworth Co., with his brother, Orange, in the spring of 1839 ; he, however, located in Milwaukee, which was his home for many years ; he was engaged in the grocery trade while in Milwaukee ; he settled on Sec. 21, in the town of Sharon, in 1849 ; he went to California in 1850, and engaged in mining ; returned in 1856, and soon after removed to Dakota Co., Minn., where he lived ten years ; he bought his present farm in 1867 ; was married to Melissa Hough, born in Genesee Co., N. Y. ; she died December, 1878. Mr. Carter has two children- Edwin B. and Annette.

CHARLES W. CRANDALL, painter and grainer, Walworth ; son of Welcome B. Crandall, who was born in Brookfield, Madison Co., N. Y. ; married to Emily Dowse, aud came to Walworth Co. and settled in the town of Walworth in 1855. Mr. Welcome B. Crandall had five sons, four of whom are living-Roswell, Charles W., William and Paul, all of whom are residents of the town of Walworth but William. John was a member of 13th W. V. I., and died at Columbus, Ky. Charles W. enlisted in 22d W. V. I., and served about one year, when he was discharged for disability. Paul was a member of the 40th W. V. I. Charles W. was born in 1833 ; has followed the business of painting constantly since 1865, also for several years previous to the war ; he married Frances Dennison, born in the State of New York. They have two children-Hattie and Fannie.

B. M. COREY, Sharon, born in Saratoga Co., N. Y., in 1810, where he was brought up ; married Maria L. Arnold, daughter of Jeremiah Arnold; she died at Glens Falls, N. Y., Sept. 25, 1843; he was married Aug. 30, 1846, to Mellisse Arnold, a sister of his first wife. They came to Sharon in June, 1848. Mr. Corey engaged in farming until the breaking-out of the war, when he enlisted in the 13th W. V. I. ; he served one year ; his oldest son. Charles H. (by his first wife) enlisted at the same time, in the same regiment, and died at Leavenworth, Kan., Feb. 21, 1862; Mr. Corey has two sons by present wife -George, born July 14, 1848, and Albert L., born Sept. 26, 1852; they reside at Marengo, III.

IRA DAVIS, farmer, Sec. 30; P. O. Sharon ; he was born in Vermont in 1808. His parents re- moved to what is now the town of Holland, Erie Co , N. Y., when he was less than 1 year old. When he was 13 years old he removed to the town of Machias, Cattaraugus Co., where he lived till 21 years of age ; he returned to Erie Co. aud was married to Betsy Ann Stevens, who was born in the town of War- ren, Otsego Co., N. Y., in February, 1819. In 1843, they removed to Racine Co., Wis., where Mr. Davis took up a farm, but removed to Sharon in December. 1844, and settled on his present farm, where he has since resided. His farm contains 154 acres. They have no children living. They have had two

766

HISTORY OF WALWORTH COUNTY.

sons, Lendol S., born April, 1844, and died March, 1847 ; Jesse S. was born October, 1846, married Emily Judge ; died April 12, 1881. He left a widow and one child, a daughter, Jessie.

HENRY DENNIS, retired farmer, Sharon : born in Union Co., Penn., in 1813. He removed to Medina, Ohio, in 1834. His father was Michael Dennis. Mr. Henry Dennis was married to Margaret Smith, born in Chester Co., Penn. They came to Walworth Co. in 1842, and settled on Sec. 31, where he resided until the spring of 1869. He then retired from farming and settled in the village. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis have seven children-Harrison, Morris, Eliza, Francis, Kate, Ellen and Clarence. Mr. D. has sold the farm on See. 31, where he resided for so many years. lle has a pleasant home in the vil- lage, which he built in 1868.

WILLIAM DOUGALL, farmer, See. 33; P. O. Sharon; born in Schenectady Co., N. Y., in 1807. His parents, John and Ellen Miller Dougall, were natives of Scotland and emigrated to the State of New York in 1800. His parents had five sons and one daughter. William is the only one who came West to reside ; his brother James, however, came with him to Walworth Co. but soon after returned to the State of New York. Mr. D. bought his farm of Mr. Wheeler Hunt; he returned to the State of New York the same year, and brought out his family. He married Miss Anna Kelly, born in Montgomery Co., in 1815 ; she died December, 1880. Mr. D. has six children-Thomas, Jane II., Hannah, John, George and Senath. He lost six children-Nettie, aged 24 years ; Rachel, aged 22 years; William, aged 32 years ; and three ehil- dren in infancy. His farm consists of 260 acres.

CHAS. C. HANFORD, grocer, Sbaron ; was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., in 1827 ; was reared in the same county ; was engaged for many years in the mercantile business at Scottsville ; came to Sharon in April, 1868. His health having become impaired by the long and constant confinement ineident to a mercantile life, he came for the purpose of engaging in the culture of hops, which at that time promised to be a renumerative business, and which would afford him the out-of-door exereise which he required. He was one of the very first to engage in the culture of hops in Walworth Co. He put out his first yard in April, 1868, and gathered his first erop in September, 1869. Ile engaged quite extensively in the business for several years. His present business was established in 1870, in the firm name of Hanford & Co., his brother engaging in business with him; this brother is now a resident of Iowa. Mrs. Hanford was formerly Miss Lois Parmelee, born in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y. They have one son, Marius P., born in Monroe Co., N. Y., in 1863.

WILSON R. HER RON, Sharon ; son of James Herron, who was born in Hebron, Washington Co., N. Y., and removed to Walworth Co. with his family in 1844, and settled on Sec. 29, town of Sharon, where he lived till 1868, when he removed to the village, where he resided till his death, which occurred July 20, 1876. He was born October 4, 1792. Ilis wife, Hannah ( Whitney ) Herron, was born October, 1791, in Washington Co., N. Y., and died July 17, 1874. W. R., the youngest of the children, was born in Washington Co. in 1831 ; he came West with his parents, engaged in farming till 1858, when he came to the village, erected a store and engaged in general merchandising. This building he occupied till 1867, when it was removed and he ereeted upon its site the store now occupied by Lyman Bros. He continued in trade till 1872. In 1874, he re-opened business at the same place. and sold out in 1877. Since that time he has been variously engaged ; bought wool for several years, etc. Mr. Herron repre- sented the 2nd Assembly District in the Legislature in 1874 and 1877. He is at present Chairman of the Board of Sharon, a position he has held for several years. His wife was Miss Adelia Loucks ; born in Montgomery Co., N. Y. They have two children-Belle and Fred W.

MANNING R. HOARD, retired, Sharon ; was born in Bristol Co., Mass , in 1818, where he lived till 8 or 9 years of age, when he removed with his parents to Allegany Co., N. Y. His parents were Manning and Prodeney Hoard. Mr. Hoard lived in Western New York till 23 years of age, when he went to the State of Illinois, and came to Walworth Co. in the fall of 1843; settled on a farm in the town of Sharon. His brother, David E. Hoard, came at same time, and settled on the same scetion. Mr. Hoard engaged in farming for a number of years, and then settled in the village. His wife was Miss Lydia A. Burton, daughter of Philip and Naney (Quackenbush ) Burton. Her father was born in New Jersey; removed to Montgomery Co., N. Y., and thence to MeHenry Co, Ill. Mrs. Hoard was born in Montgomery in 1826. They have two children-Louise, now Mrs. C. B. Wolcot, and Mareus E.

DAVID E. HOARD was born in Seloharie Co., N. Y., about 1820. He came to Walworth Co. and settled in the town of Sharon in 1843, on See. 26. In 1859, he engaged in the lumber trade with J. A. Treat, buying the lumber interests of Mr. D. Wheeler. Ile continued in the lumber business until his death, which occurred in 1873. His wife was Miss Burton, a daughter of Philip Burton ; she died several years previous to the death of her husband ; Mr. Hoard married a second time ; his widow survives

767

HISTORY OF WALWORTH COUNTY.

him ; he had five children by his first marriage, two of whom are living-W. E. and Andrew J. The former was born in the town of Sharon in 1851 ; he succeeded to the Inmber business of his father at his death in 1873; he was married to Emma, daughter of F. P. Arnold. They have one son-Ralph ; they lost their first child, a daughter. F. P. Arnold, Esq., father of Mrs. Hoard, was born in the town of Gainsville, Washington Co., N. Y., in 1826 ; he was educated at the Poultney Academy, Vermont ; he studied law in his native town, and came to Sharon in 1850, and was admitted to the bar at Elkhorn in 1851 ; he represented the Second Assembly District in the Legislature of Wisconsin in 1862, and was Chairman of the Town Board of Sharon for sixteen years. Mr. Arnold was a man who possessed the respect and esteem of all; as a lawyer, he always counseled the settlement of differences without resort to litiga- tion, thus disregarding his own interest to produce an amicable settlement between neighbors ; his influence is still felt in Sharon, and a lawsuit to adjust a difference is an uncommon occurrence; he was an honest citizen and a good man, and his memory is held in marked respect by all who knew him; he died Jan. 19, 1872; he was married in Washington Co., N. Y., to Jane Willis, born in 1830; he had five children, four of whom are living-Cassius, Emma S., wife of Mr. W. E. Hoard ; Ella, wife of William Pearson ; and Laura. He lost one daughter, Jennie ; his wife is now Mrs. Royal Perkins, of the town of Sharon. H. B. HOWELL, proprietor of a livery stable in Sharon, was born in Wyoming Co., N. Y., in 1827. In the fall of 1855, he went to Green Lake ('o., Wis., and came to Sharon in the spring of 1856 ; he was engaged for a time in farming, then in the farm and stock business till 1870, when he purchased the livery business of Elias Griffin, and has followed that business since that time ; his wife was Hannah LeFevre, daughter of George LeFevre ; they have two children-James and Rae.

MORRIS ISAACS, farmer, Sec. 2; P. O. Darien; born in Wales in 1831. He emigrated to the State of New York with his brother Edward in 1853; the latter died the following year. Mr. Isaacs went to Delavan, Walworth Co., in 1855 ; he went to Minnesota in the fall of 1856, and returned to Walworth Co. in the fall of 1857, and bought his farm of William C. Allen, where he has since resided ; his farm contains 120 acres. Mrs. Isaaes was formerly Miss Mary Allen, daughter of Jacob Allen ; she is a native of the State of New York.

JOHN JEFFERS, farmer, Sec. 2; P. O. Darien. He was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1822; but was brought to this country when an infant by his parents, who settled in Oneida Co., N. Y. ; he was married to Miss Flora Ann Armstrong; they came to Walworth Co. in 1852, and purchased the farm which he now owns; he went back to the State of New York and returned with his family the fol- lowing year ; he has a fine farm of about 200 acres ; he represented the Second Assembly District in the Legislature of 1864, and again in 1871; he was President of the Walworth Co. Agricultural Society in 1876. They have had nine children, seven of whom are living-William A., Ann Eliza, now Mrs. Van Sehaick ; John W., Henry, Susan (now Mrs. M. B. Conant). Flora and Adeline. The names of the chil- dren deceased are Thompson and Edward.

LAVERNO V. KENYON, farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. O. Sharon ; son of James Nelson Kenyon, who was born in the State of New York, and was one of the earliest settlers in the town of Sharon ; be came to Walworth Co., from Steuben Co., N. Y., and purchased eighty acres of land of the Government, on See. 31, town of Sharon ; he lost his eye-sight by accident when he was 27 years of age, yet notwithstanding the fact that he was totally blind, he came West, settled on a new farm, which he cleared up with his own hands, and carried on the business of farming successfully. In fact, he is a wonderful example of what may be accomplished by determined will, when deprived of one of the most valuable blessings of life, the sense of sight ; he not only cleared up and cultivated his eighty acres, but eventually numbered among the most wealthy farmers of Walworth Co., owning 430 acres of land; he was married to Mary A. Benedick, born in the State of New York ; they have six children - Vestelina, now Mrs. Olender Salisbury ; Neumentia, now Mrs. Henry McCormick, a Professor in the State Normal School of Illinois ; Ferdinand Claudius, Brazillo and Laverno V., the latter owns the original homestead where he was born in 1860 ; he was married to Bessy Dullam, daughter of Thomas and Mary D., natives of England, and came to the United States in 1840; Mrs. Kenyon was born in Boone Co., Ill., in 1859.

JOHN LADD, Sharon ; Mr. Ladd is one of the prominent and well-known early settlers of the town of Sharon; in 1844 he, with an older brother, Luke O. Ladd, came to Walworth Co. and pur- chased a farm on Sec. 20 in this town ; his brother died Aug. 27, 1845. In 1849, Mr. Ladd returned to the State of New York, and was married to Miss Sarah Willmarth, born in Oneida Co .; on account of failing health Mr. Ladd retired from farming and settled in the village in 1874 ; he is now engaged in the drug business, under the firm name of Snowdon & Ladd. Mr. and Mrs. Ladd have six children-Samuel H., Scott M., John, Esther E., Orrin O. and Nathan B. They have lost their two oldest children- Willmarth, died at the age of 19 years, and Sarah, at the age of 4 years.

768

HISTORY OF WALWORTH COUNTY.

GEORGE W. LAMONT, farmer, Sec. 4, Allen's Grove; born in the town of Summit, Sehoharie Co., N. Y., in 1821, where he was brought up and where be lived, in Charlotteville, until 1856, when he came to Walworth Co. and settled in the town of Darien, purchasing the farm of Mr. James Sherwood, which he sold to Orange Carter in 1867 ; he then went to Chicago and engaged in the real estate business ; he afterward went to Janesville, Wis., and engaged in the mercantile business ; thence to Clinton, Rock Co .; he returned to Walworth Co. in January, 1881, and purchased his present farm of Mr. E. H. Whit- ney. He married Mrs. Harriet Simmons Morrison in September, 1844 ; they have had seven children, only two of whom, George H. and Ruth E., are living; the former lives in Nebraska, the latter is the wife of Mr. J. W. Hartshorn, of Clinton, Roek Co. Mrs. Lamont has one daughter by former marriage, now the wife of Archibald Woodward, Jr .; five children of Mr. and Mrs. Lamont died between the ages of 3 and 24 years. His farm contains 266 acres.

ABRAHAM B. LOWELL, farmer, Sec. 30 ; P. O. Sharon; he was born in the town of Sharon, Schoharie Co., N. Y., in January, 1805 ; his father, Abram Lowell, was born in the State of Connecti- ent, but was brought up in the State of Vermont ; he moved from there to Schoharie Co., N. Y., where he resided until his death. Abram B. Lowell was married in December, 1827, to Anna Seeber, who was born in Cherry Valley, Otsego Co., N. Y., in 1812; they came to Walworth Co. in 1844 ; Mr. Lowell brought with him from the State of New York, his wife and six children; he had no money with which to enter Government land, but he pre-empted eighty acres and began a struggle for a home with nothing but a strong arm and a determined will to aid him ; probably very few if any of the pioneers of Walworth Co., who afterward arose to a position of affluence, fought harder for a start in life than he ; he hired a man with an ox team to move his family and goods from South Grove to the spot where he decided to make his home. A hastily-made tent of rude construction, the sides being of bed quilts, fastened to poles which supported the roof, that was of straw, was the only home, the only shelter, he could provide for his family, and this afforded but a slight protection against a terrible wind and thunder storm that visited them on the first night after their arrival, during which the family were aroused, and those that were able were obliged to help hold the quilts down around the sides of the tent, which the wind threatened at every moment to overturn ; and the mother put the smaller ones on a box to keep them out of the water that run over the ground through the tent, and held the umbrella over them to keep them from being drowned by the torrents of water that came through the roof; and this was only a sample of the hardships that beset them during the first years of their life in this county ; he erected a log house the first season. He was a briek-maker, also a pump-maker by trade, and although the county was sparsely inhab- ited yet, an occasional job helped him to procure money with which to enter his land ; and even then, he was so hard pressed at one time that he was obliged to sell his only cow to raise money for that purpose ; but perseverance and hard work finally prevailed, and he veritably became the owner of 500 acres of valuable farming land, and is numbered among the wealthiest and most successful farmers of Walworth Co. His first wife, Anna Seeber Lowell, died in 1869 ; his second wife, Mrs. Sarah L. Northrop Owles Lowell, to whom he was married in September, 1869, died March, 1876; his present wife was Mrs. Mary S. Lamphear Ilett, to whom he was married November, 1876. Mr. Lowell had teo children by his first wife, nine of whom are living, seven of them having settled in Walworth Co. and two in MeHenry Co., Ill. He has twenty-five grandchildren ; his oldest child, Clarissa M., born May, 1831, married Mr. H. Zimbeck, September, 1854; Darius W., born May, 1833, married Miss A. P. White, November, 1869 ; Lorenzo D., born July, 1836, married Miss Sarah Miller, July, 1862 ; Celia E., born September, 1840, married Mr. George Horn, July, 1859 ; Emery E., born March, 1843, married Miss Caroline Whitlock, January, 1865 ; Abram A., born March, 1845; Atharida J., born February, 1847. married Mr. F. E. Kinyon February, 1863 ; Angevine D., born June, 1849, married Miss J. A. Kinyon, January, 1873; Reuben D., boro August, 1851, married Miss Etta Clement, March, 1877; Othello D., born October, 1855, died April, 1877.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, Part 119

Author: Western Historical Co Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 998

Author: Western Historical Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 998