USA > Wisconsin > Walworth County > History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume II > Part 26
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"This was a sacrifice indeed, view it as you may. It was an act of dauntless courage, backed by a heroic sense of integrity, for it required much more than ordinary courage to give up one's cherished possessions and to severely flagellate one's self without flinching. Mr. Burton was now left to face the world empty-handed. To begin is a task, but not a severe one, for it is the common lot of all; but to begin over again is what tests the mettle of which we are made. The world smiles benignly upon the beginner, but not so friendly on him who seeks to retrieve fortune lost."
Mr. Burton has always been a student and has familiarized himself with the world's best literature, and at the same time has kept well abreast of the times on current events and latest discoveries in the world of science and in- vention. He owns a private library of fourteen thousand volumes which is said to be the finest in the state of Wisconsin. This library represents the careful and constant accumulations of over thirty years. It contains two thousand four hundred and sixty volumes on Abraham Lincoln and Lincoln- iana. Everything that has ever been published about the martyred President may be found in the splendid collection that has been gathered by Mr. Burton, who has always been an ardent admirer of the Great Emancipator. Mr. Burton has written an oration on Abraham Lincoln which is a classic. Re- garding him as the best man of history, studying his character from every actual and imaginary point of view, and being absorbed with his theme, it is not surprising that his eulogy possesses the strong individuality which en- titles it to live with the best thought of the age. This splendid effort has been widely praised by critics. In order to give the reader some idea of Mr. Burton's masterly style, we quote from this oration a few random paragraphs :
"The character of Abraham Lincoln stands so high above all possible wrong doing that honesty was never mentioned or thought of as a virtue in him.
"He was not only the best product of pure American civilization which his country produced. but he was, all in all, the best public man and sincerest statesman who has ever figured in the destiny of this nation or in the history of the world.
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"To all right-minded Americans he is the ripe and rounded product of what every man would like to be, and he will therefore remain, through all time, the symbol of perfected character. The whole world loves Lincoln be- cause he did what the world knows was right, and he avoided doing what the world knows to be wrong, and it is therefore doubtful if any human being will ever again hold a similar position of greatness in a similar and trans- cendant epoch, or ever fulfill the world's expectations so completely, as did Lincoln.
"His fame grows so steadily, so perfectly, so naturally, and so mightily, and the very fiber of his character comes out so brilliantly as the searchlight of time reveals him from every possible point of view that the fear among thoughtful men is, that, with the lapse of centuries, his fame may pass the boundary line allotted to flesh and blood and become obscured by entering the realm of the mythical, where he may be lost to the world of struggling men among the gods and the myths which always inhabit the past.
"The great dream of the centuries seems to have blossomed in his event- ful life, and the more we learn of it the more we come to realize and to know that in him was the perfect man in the sane and soundest sense of the word, physically, mentally and morally. Poverty made him good; suffering made him great ; circumstance made him President ; fidelity made him beloved ; courage made him heroic, and martyrdom made him immortal.
"You may search the minutest records of recorded time and you cannot find another character who made so few mistakes during the chaos of such trying ordeals, or who possessed on all great occasions that sublimity of faith and courage of action, as mark and make the character of Abraham Lincoln : neither can you find another man who could control, and even guide to glory. all his impetuous subordinates in the heat of conflict and yet without offense compel them to unconscious obedience in the fulfillment of a destiny which he alone could read in the dusk of deathless performance.
"The record of this world does not show another character who was schooled in almost continuous failure in youth and early manhood, in order that he might the better serve as the successful and great commander in the most momentous epoch of human progress. Nowhere in the library of na- tions can you find another character so varied in all experiences and yet where every experience was clearly given for the perfect formation of a character unique and matchless.
"I have seen Abraham Lincoln and heard his voice. This is to me a happy recollection. With other men it was literary achievement; the
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triumphs of war; the aggrandizement of conquest ; the glory of new discovery or the flight of imagination in the kingdom of art or song; but with Lincoln it was character, character, CHARACTER. This is why his name grows with each succeeding year. * As a patriot he was ambitious, but an ambition that never crowded or even approached the limit of his patriotism, therefore absolutely safe in all emergencies; as a martyr, beautiful beyond that of saint or scientist, and as a memory he was and is the dearest, the gentlest and the most God-like."
The following extract from The LaRue County Herald, published at Hodgenville, Kentucky, under date of August 2, 1906, is deemed worthy of reproduction here, in connection with Mr. Burton's work relating to the martyred President :
"Mr. Jolin E. Burton, a successful business man and a man of letters, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, though a comparative stranger to the people of this section, is greatly admired by the people of LaRue county, and especially so by those who can appreciate the patriotic spirit which once brought Mr. Burton to Kentucky and which gave him a limited acquaintance with our people.
"When the Lincoln birthplace was to be sold Mr. Burton came to Ken- tucky as a prospective purchaser. He stood at the court-house door in Hodgenville the day the farm was sold and bid on it until he saw that it would go to an unlimited price and he permitted Mr. Collier's agent to buy it. He was not buying it for speculation, but simply wanted the honor of pos- sessing the place and he wanted to see that it would fall into the hands of those who would not attempt to handle it as a financial speculation. While in the town he was surprised to observe that the town made little or no attempt to impress upon the visitor the fact that it was the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, and it was his opinion that our people should give greater emphasis to the pride we take in that matter. Shortly after he went home he wrote to a friend here and repeated his surprise that the town had nothing to speak out to strangers and to tell them that Lincoln was born within two miles of the place, and in order to inspire our people with the true spirit in that respect he stated in his letter that if the people would secure sufficient funds to build a monument in the public square to the memory of Lincoln, he would contribute one hundred dollars to the fund. In this way Mr. Burton became the origina- tor of the idea of erecting the monument which will soon be built in the public square and which the Kentucky Legislature aided by giving two thousand and five hundred dollars. For the reason that our people are manifesting great pride in the monument to be erected and for the further reason that Mr. Burton first conceived the idea, we have reason to say that he is held in the
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highest esteem by our people and the Herald is glad to be able to print his picture herewith, as a formal introduction to those who failed to see him per- sonally when he was here.
"As an enthusiastic admirer of the lamented Lincoln, Mr. Burton does not yield to any man. He holds Lincoln as his ideal man of all men. He has met Lincoln and has heard his voice. He has studied his life and is thor- oughly familiar with his hero. He knows of everything that has been ac- credited to the life of Lincoln. When he hears of any incident connected with the life of the great man he 'runs the report down' and investigates it. And in this connection it can be said that Mr. Burton is the possessor of the rarest, if not the largest, private collection of works of biography upon Lincoln in existence, the volumes numbering over two thousand. He has portraits, paintings, photographs, autographs, mementoes and souvenirs of Lincoln by the hundreds. This is all the result of many years of study and labor on his part and fully illustrates the great admiration he possesses for the war Presi- dent."
In speaking of Mr. Burton's fine collection of Lincoln relics, The Chicago Evening Post, under date of December 8, 1908, says :
"The approaching centenary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, which is arousing public interest to all phases of the life of the great American, has brought to light one of his most devoted admirers and enthusiasts, John E. Burton, of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
"Mr. Burton has devoted his life to collecting all the published literature relating to Lincoln, and as a result of his labors has amassed a collection of over twenty-three hundred volumes, together with many pamphlets and still more precious autographic documents. This is said to be the largest and finest collection of Lincolniana in existence, surpassing all public and private collec- tions on this subject.
"Of the autograph documents one of universal interest is an authentic copy of the Proclamation of Emancipation, signed by Abraham Lincoln and William H. Seward. President and Secretary of State, and by John G. Nicolay, private secretary of the President. Of these there are only two in existence, the other being among thie treasures of the state department at Wash- ington. The original was burned in the Chicago fire of 1871. The genuine- ness of the signatures attached to this copy have been attested to by the late John Hay.
"Other legal documents in Lincoln's handwriting proved that he be- longed to six different law firms. These date from 1838 to 1855, and discover the firms of Stuart & Lincoln, Logan & Lincoln, Harlan & Lincoln, Lincoln &
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Herndon, Lincoln & Lamon and Goodrich & Lincoln. Another among the treasures is the printed copy of the debates between Douglas and Lincoln, which has been owned by Lincoln and corrected by him. The penciled inter- lineations or notes in the handwriting of one of the chief actors in the dra- matic contest make the volume one of great interest. There also is a copy of 'The Constitutional Text-Book,' into which Lincoln had copied the thirteenth amendment. These relics are all the more rare, inasmuch as nearly all of Lincoln's books were burned in a fire in Philadelphia which destroyed a col- lection similar to this of Mr. Burton. Not all of Mr. Burton's Lincoln relics are books, however. The very book-case in which rest many of his most precious volumes is made from the flooring of Lincoln's bedroom in his Springfield home. It is of black stained oak, and very quaint in appearance.
"Mr. Burton, whose enthusiasmn in the work of keeping green the memory of Lincoln knows no bounds, was a disappointed bidder for the farm where the President was born On learning that its purchaser intended making of it a national park, however, he became reconciled, especially when the manager of the farm. William E. Burton, presented him the old drawing-knife used about the place, from which the wooden handles had long since rotted away and formerly owned by Lincoln's father.
"Reminiscent of, the terrible close of the life of the Great Emancipator is another of Mr. Burton's relics. This is one of the checks signed by John Wilkes Booth during his stay at Washington from November till the follow- ing April, in which he matured his plans for assassinating the President. Booth deposited twelve hundred dollars in a bank and drew out the money in various sums, issuing in all twelve checks. These have become historically famous as the 'blood money checks.' The one in the Burton collection is dated December 24. 1864, and reads: 'Pay to J. Wilkes Booth or Bearer Fifty Dollars.
"Mr. Burton has prosecuted his self-assumed task under the greatest dis- couragements. Once he has seen sold beneath the auctioneer's hammer every book in his collection, but he resumed the work, and after twelve years has a great historical collection.
"Mr. Burton owns the original autograph copy of the first 'Life of Lincoln' ever known. This was written and issued by John Locke Scripps. a former Chicago newspaper publisher. It is related that the book, which was read to Lincoln in proof, contained the statement that among Lincoln's favorite books was 'Plutarch's Lives.' The story goes on to say that Lincoln asked to see the final proof, and that Mr. Scripps went to Springfield and read it to him. Then, continues the tale. Lincoln said: 'The truth is, Mr. Scripps, I had
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never seen "Plutarch's Lives," but since you were here last I have purchased it and read it from cover to cover-and now your statement is true.'
"One of Mr. Burton's aims is to prepare and publish a complete national bibliography of Lincoln. This would occupy three volumes and would in itself be a work of years. The collection now in Mr. Burton's hands is the natural starting point for such a work."
The one hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's birth was celebrated at Lake Geneva, February 12, 1909, at which Mr. Burton was one of the principal speakers. His oration, like that quoted from above, was a masterpiece. Space will not permit us to give more than his peroration, although the entire address is well worth quoting :
"Lincoln had no crown; but all the crowns of Europe thrown into the melting pot and the furnace of character, would not mould one good enough. pure enough, nor big enough to fit his kingly brow."
Mr. Burton has delivered many other notable orations, but we can 110 more than give a few of his themes here. "Address of Welcome." delivered at the twentieth annual reunion of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Association of Walworth County, at Lake Geneva, August 26, 1908; "The Unique Soldier." delivered at Lake Geneva, September 2, 1886, before the Northwestern Re- union of the Grand Army of the Republic, assembled at Camp Spence Smith ; "The Secret of Luck," a lecture delivered March 22, 1893, before the Mead Association at Sheboygan, Wisconsin; "The Inspiration of Bibles," delivered at Ford's Theater, Lake Geneva, March 17, 1881 ; "The Birth and Death of Religions," delivered at the same place, June 2, 1881 ; "The Honest Dollar of America; a New Ratio and Its Benefits"; "The Old Trail to the Mother Lode; A Miner's Souvenir Sermon." The latter was issued on the latter's fifty-ninth birthday, October 19, 1906. Mr. Burton has the original manu- script of "Sweet Bye and Bye," secured after many years effort. He also has an original copy of "Home, Sweet Home."
Mr. Burton's religious training was in accordance with the Methodist Episcopal church. For sixteen years he was a member of this church, but drifted into agnosticism, and became an admirer of such men's work in this field as Ingersoll and Voltaire. He has been all his life a worker in the Republican party, but in the Bryan-Mckinley campaign both his judgment and sympathy were in favor of bi-metalism. Mr. Burton is a Royal Arch Mason, and his daily life would indicate that he endeavors to carry its sublime pre- cepts into his actions among his fellow men.
The Wisconsin State Historical Society at Madison reviewed Mr. Bur- ton's work in the development of the state's resources, he being credited as the
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chief promoter in opening and developing the Goebic iron range of northern Wisconsin and Michigan and voted him a life membership and vice-president of the society and sent him an official request, in 1888, to have his portrait hung in the state historical gallery. An excellent oil painting was accordingly made by Frank B. Carpenter, the painter of Emancipation-Proclamation fame. This was not only in recognition of Mr. Burton's efforts in developing Wis- consin's iron interests, but also for his contribution of many specimens to the society collection which he had gathered in Cuba, Yucatan, Honduras and Mexico.
On December 7, 1869, John E. Burton married Lucretia D. Johnson, of Killawag, Broome county, New York, his schoolmate at Cazenovia. She is the representative of an excellent old family and is a lady of culture and re- finement, having long been a favorite with a wide circle of friends. This union has been blessed by the birth of four children, namely : Howard E., Warren E. and Kenneth E., all young business men of much promise, engaged principally in mining in Colorado; and Bonnie E., who married Prof. Edmund D. Denison.
John E. Burton is a man of strong convictions and unswerving honesty. He is very practical, and yet is an idealist. The large success he has won in business enterprise is a manifestation of the practical man; his love of books, his idealization of the strong and masterful men of history, his work in the subtle realm of thought are evidences that there are times when he is an intellectual dreamer. And notwithstanding his strenuous career, his stupen- dous business affairs and his public work he finds time to court the muses and has produced some exquisite verse on diverse themes, and had he devoted his life exclusively to literature, he would have, no doubt, taken a very high rank among his famous compeers as a man of letters. He has no use for the tawdry tinsel of society, or for the sham and hypocrisy of the world. If he has been assiduous in gathering gear, it has not been entirely "for the glorious privilege of being independent," but for the gratification he would derive from using wealth for the accomplishment of something that will be helpful to others.
Mr. Burton is a gentleman of pleasing personality, courteous in his rela- tions with his fellow men and his individuality, which is very distinct, is im- pressed upon any work with which he is connected, and in the accomplishment of a purpose he is willing to assume any amount of labor required or any responsibility incurred. He is a broad-minded, manly man, a gentleman with- out ostentation whom to know is to respect, admire and honor, for he is a splendid specimen of well developed, well rounded, symmetrically poised, virile manhood, with a commanding presence, moving among his fellows as one born
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to leadership. With duties that would crush the ordinary man, he has his labors so systematized that he experiences little inconvenience in doing them. Everything moves with the regularity of clock work at his Milwaukee office or in the field of his vast mining operations. He is a vigorous as well as inde- pendent thinker, a wide reader, and he has the courage of his convictions upon all subjects which he investigates. He is also strikingly original and fearless, prosecutes his researches after his own peculiar fashion, and cares little for conventionalism or for the sanctity attaching to person or place by reason of artificial distinction, tradition or the accident of birth. He is essentially cosmopolitan in his ideas, a man of the people in all the term implies and in the best sense of the word a representative type of that strong American manhood, which commands and retains respect by reason of inherent merit, sound sense and correct conduct. Measured by the accepted standard of excellence, his career has been eminently useful, and his life fraught with great good to his fellows and to the world.
CHESTER A. FERRY.
The gentleman of whom the biographer now writes is widely known as one of honored citizens of northern Walworth county, for Mr. Ferry has been actively identified with the agricultural interests of Troy township. His well- directed efforts in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of his own business interests and his sound judgment have brought to him prosper- ity, and his life demonstrates what may be accomplished by the man of energy and ambition who is not afraid of work and has the ambition to continue his labors, even in the face of seemingly discouraging circumstances. Mr. Ferry has been content to spend his active and useful life right here at home, and he is truly a product of pioneer days, for having been born here, some sixty- two years ago, he has lived through the wonderful epoch of change that has taken place in Walworth county, and he recalls many interesting incidents of his early life in the woods when practically everything was different from what it is today.
Chester A. Ferry was born in Troy, this county, April 21, 1849, and he is the son of Loren and Hannah (Rice) Ferry, the father born in Granby, Massachusetts, in 1819 and the mother in Syracuse, New York, in 1829. They grew up and were married in the East, coming to Walworth county, Wisconsin, in an early day and settled on a farm in Troy township, of two hundred acres. This land they improved into a good farm and here spent the
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balance of their days, the father dying in 1880 and the mother surviving him twenty-three years, dying in 1903. They were the parents of five children, three of whom are living at this writing. Politically, Loren Ferry was a Republican and for many years he was influential in local affairs, holding many of the township offices. He was twice married, and Charles, his oldest son by his first wife, served through the Civil war as a soldier in the Twenty- eighth Wisconsin Infantry.
'Chester A. Ferry grew up on the home farm and when but a mere boy he knew the meaning of hard work in the fields. He received a common school education in his district, and when a young man started in life for him- self as a tiller of the soil. He is now the owner of an excellent farm in Troy township, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has kept well improved and on which he carries on general farming and stock raising. He has a pleasant home and good buildings for his stock and machinery.
Politically, Mr. Ferry is a Republican, but has never been a public man. On October 2, 1880, he was united in marriage with Mary Jane Ritchie, a native of Belfast, county Down, Ireland, the daughter of William and Mary Ann ( Quale ) Ritchie, both natives of Ireland, where they grew up and were educated and married, emigrating to America in 1865 and settling at once in Walworth county, Wisconsin, locating in Troy, but later moved to a farm of forty acres. To this they added until they had about seventy-five acres, and here Mr. Ritchie died on August 9, 1904, his wife having preceded him to the grave on July 31. 1895. They were the parents of twelve children, ten of whom are living. To Mr. and Mrs. Ferry, five sons, all living, have been born, namely: William, Charles, Chester, Jr., Roland and Darwin.
HERBERT NEVIL LAWTON.
One of the progressive and well known agriculturists and stock raisers of Lagrange township, Walworth county, is Herbert Nevil Lawton, who was born on the farm where he now resides and which he owns on January 8, 1879. He is the son of James Howard Lawton, who was born near Man- chester, England, April 23. 1836, the son of Henry A. and Betty (Holgate) Lawton, both natives of England, he born in 1794 and she in 1795. In 1841 he came to New York and in 1842 the family followed. In the spring of 1846 they moved on to Walworth county, Wisconsin, from Oneida county, New
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York. Samuel Lawton, an older brother of the subject, came here in 1845. The grandparents of the subject settled in Lagrange township on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, to which they added until their place consisted of three hundred acres, and the father died on the farm he first bought, his death occurring in 1869, his wife having died in 1861. They were the par- ents of eleven children, of whom James Howard, father of the immediate sub- ject of this sketch, is the only one living. The subject's father was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools, and he took two terms in the Milwaukee schools and one term in the university at Milwaukee, also studied at Milton College, thus becoming exceptionally well educated. He began teaching school when sixteen years of age and followed this for several years, then turned his attention to farming, and he bought one hundred and twenty- eight acres of land where his son Herbert H. now resides. He made a suc- cess as a general farmer and he has lived retired since 1894. Politically, he is a Republican. He was register of deeds for one term and he has also been township superintendent of schools in Lagrange township. He has also been township treasurer and chairman of the township board for five terms. He and his wife are Universalists.
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