History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume II, Part 4

Author: Beckwith, Albert C. (Albert Clayton), 1836-1915
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Indianapolis, Bowen
Number of Pages: 836


USA > Wisconsin > Walworth County > History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume II > Part 4


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).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74


Soon after coming to Lake Geneva, Mr. Moore was united in marriage with Mary Blair, the daughter of Isaac and Mary (Reddish) Blair. To this union one daughter was born, Helene, now the wife of Arthur Bullock, who is assistant cashier at the First National Bank of Lake Geneva, and Mr. and Mrs. Bullock have one son, Frank Arthur.


JOHN G. FLACK.


Another of the venerable pioneers and ex-agriculturists of Walworth county who have, through their industry and right living, succeeded in laying by a competency for their declining years and are now living in honorable retirement, enjoying the fruits of their earlier days of toil and endeavor, is John G. Flack, of Elkhorn.


Mr. Flack was born in 1828 in Lisbon, St. Lawrence county, New York. He is the son of James Adams Flack and Mary (Lyttle) Flack, both natives of the same vicinity in which the subject was born, and there they grew up and were married, the mother dying there in 1834, when John G. was six years old, and in 1843 the father brought his family to Walworth county, Wisconsin, coming by boat on the Great Lakes, on what was then known as a "propeller," landing at Racine, thence by wagon to Geneva, where James A. Flack took up forty acres of government land. However, he kept it but a short time when he sold out and bought another farm of eighty acres which he improved and continued to farm successfully until his health failed, compelling him to retire, and he spent the rest of his life with his son, dying in 1885. He served two terms as supervisor. He was a Republican,


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and in religious matters was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.


John G. Flack, being the oldest of a family of seven children, had plenty of work to do when a boy. He grew to manhood on the home farm and received such education as he could in the old log school house near his home. When twenty-one years old he began life for himself as a farmer, buying forty acres, which he kept about two years, then sold and purchased one hundred and sixty-eight acres in Geneva township, which he still owns. It had very few improvements when he moved there, but today it is one of the best improved and most valuable farms in the county. Here Mr. Flack carried on general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of full blood Merino sheep and Jersey cattle. In 1881, having accumulated a com- petency through his persistent efforts and good management, he retired from the farm and moved to Elkhorn, where he erected a beautiful home on his lot and here has since resided.


Mr. Flack was married in 1849 to Ellen M. Benton, daughter of Daniel and Sarah Benton, natives of Connecticut, where they spent their earlier years, finally emigrating to Walworth county, settling in Geneva township. Mrs. John G. Flack passed away on June 22, 1900. The union of the subject and wife was without issue.


Mr. Flack is a Republican, and he was at one time supervisor of Geneva township. He is a member of the Congregational church.


EDWARD C. REINERT.


The name of Edward C. Reinert is well known among the business men of the younger generation especially in Walworth county, and he is deserving of the large success that is attending his efforts, for he has applied himself assiduously to his tasks and has dealt honorably with his fellow men.


Mr. Reinert was born in St. Louis, Missouri, January 15, 1872. He is the son of Herman and Mary (Stevener) Reinert, both natives of Germany, from which country they came to America in their childhood.


The subject lived in St. Louis until he was thirteen years old, then moved with his parents to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He received his education in the public and Lutheran schools in St. Louis, and when a boy he began learn- ing the mason's trade, which he followed for four years, then began in a small way contracting for masonry, which he continued for several years. Then formed a partnership with Fred Coleman in the same business in Lake Geneva, which lasted five years, then Mr. Coleman went to California, and


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the subject continued the business alone for several years. In 1906 he entered into partnership with Herman Malsch and William Baumbach in the manu- facture of concrete building material, cement and masonry supplies, and con- tracting, under the firm name of Reinert, Baumbach & Malsch, and a sketch of this business is found on another page of this work; suffice it to say here that they have been most successful and are doing a large and growing busi- ness.


The subject has done much in the way of research work and investiga- tion for methods of improving their output and business. He is a Republi- can politically, and was alderman for four years in his younger days, and he is now a member of the local school board.


Mr. Reinert was married in 1895 to Martha Gartz, daughter of Christ- ian and Erverstine (Smith) Gartz. She was born in Lyons township, this county, and has lived in this county all her life. Her parents were natives of Germany, and emigrated to this country many years ago. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Reinert, namely: Clara, Edward, Edith, Ralph, Albert, Allen, Gertrude and Marian.


Mr. Reinert and family belong to the First Evangelical Lutheran church in Lake Geneva.


SAMUEL H. STAFFORD.


A study of the career of the late Samuel H. Stafford, one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of Walworth county during the generation that has passed, cannot help but be instructive and encouraging to those who stand at the beginning of the path leading toward the steeps, for his life was conservatively lived so as to result in no harm to those with whom it touched and he permitted no obstacle to thwart him when pursuing a course which he knew to be right.


Mr. Stafford was born near Saratoga, New York, in 1811, and his death occurred in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1889. He was the grandson of Amos Stafford, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. The latter was a native of Rhode Island; his father served in the British army in the French and Indian war, and he died in Rhode Island of the smallpox, con- tracted while in the army. Amos Stafford, who was then quite young, was taken by his uncle John to Pennsylvania, where he was taught to hunt and trap, which he followed for a number of years in early life. In 1778 he had a very narrow escape from the Indians at the massacre of Wyoming. He was then nineteen years old and was serving as a reserve rifleman. His three


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comrades fell around him and he felt that his turn would be next. But he noticed that the fatal shots were preceded by a puff of smoke from behind a certain log, and as the head of an Indian appeared at that place a bullet sped thither and his life was saved. Retreating. he sought concealment in a wheat field, but the Indians accidentally came upon him and he was forced to run. One of the savages overtook him and was lifting his tomahawk to strike when Mr. Stafford cleared a brush fence at a single bound, then turning, shot his pursuer dead. Throwing away his musket, he plunged into a nearby river, which he swam, reaching the opposite side in safety, although a shower of bullets fell about him, and finally hid in a marshy spring, in which he re- mained all night, and he spent the next two nights in a hollow log. Once several Indians sat on the log and he could hear the bullets rattling in their pouches. For three days and nights he lay concealed without food or clothing, for the latter he had cast aside in swimming the river. Finally, not able to stand it any longer, he ventured forth, and in a short time met a band of men among whom was a Tory whom he knew and who exclaimed : "My God, Amos! how came you here stark naked?" His friend gave him food and clothing and two days later he reached the American camp in safety and was the first to tell the news of the terrible massacre of Wyoming. After the war he located at Saratoga, New York, at what is yet known as Stafford's Bridge, and there his death occurred in 1813.


Samuel Stafford, the immediate subject of this sketch, grew up at Saratoga, New York, and there, in 1841, he married Eliza Gay, who was born there in 1811. They came west in 1842, locating first at Kenosha, Wis- consin, but soon they moved to a farm near Bloomfield and from there to Lake Geneva. Here Mr. Stafford engaged in the general merchandise business until the beginning of the Civil war, when he retired and gave his attention to the care of his private estate. He had met with a large measure of success in his business operations, and owned valuable farms in this county, one in Lyons township, one in Bloomfield township, and one in the northern part of Geneva township. For many years he was a leading business man in Lake Geneva, and he took much interest in the life and public affairs of the town. His family consisted of three children, namely: James Wellington, born in 1842, died in 1861, when eighteen years of age. He was a youth of much promise, intellectual and a fine character. Samuel Harvey, born in 1844. died in 1910. Mary Alice married George Van Slyck, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.


After the death of Samuel Stafford his widow made her home with her daughter, Mrs. VanSlyck, until her death, April 5, 1905, at an advanced age.


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CHARLES JULIUS KULL.


The material advancement of the northern section of the United States is the wonder of the world, and it has been largely secured through the sturdy and intelligent manhood of descendants of the pioneers from New York and other Eastern states, with their moral and intellectual and physical stamina. The work of the pioneers is nearly complete, and every year sees more new graves filled with those who laid the foundations of an empire and helped build it for all time and eternity, and soon, too soon, will the last of these sterling men be called to the Silent Land; but their memory will forever remain green among those who lived among them and appreciated their efforts.


Charles Julius Kull, well known citizen of Lake Geneva, is the son of one of these worthy pioneers,-indeed he has come down to us from the pioneer epoch himself, having lived here nearly sixty years, or all his life, during which period he has seen the primitive conditions give way to advanced civili- zation, and he has played well his part in this movement. He was the son of John Michael and Margaret (Runkel) Kull, a sketch of whom and the Kull ancestry appears on another page of this volume, under the caption John M. Kull.


Charles J. Kull, of this sketch, grew to manhood on his father's farm, where he was born, and as the farm was a large one, he had plenty of work to do early in life. He attended school two years at Lake Geneva, after passing through the schools of his native district. On March 16, 1885, he was united in marriage with Estelle Covelle, daughter of Marius and Sarah (Sackett) Covelle. She was born at LaGrange, Illinois. Mrs. Kull's parents, both of whom are now deceased, were children of very early settlers of Cook county. Illinois, and her father was one of the oldest settlers living there. Her father's father, Thomas Reed Covelle, came to Chicago when it was only a trading post in 1818, from Boston, Massachusetts. Sarah Sackett was the daughter of Joshua Stanton Sackett and wife. Her parents came from Burlington, Vermont, around by the Great Lakes in a sloop, and arrived at Chicago on July 4, 1831, and they became intimately associated with the first settlers of Chicago. Joshua S. Sackett and wife were among the settlers who at one time gathered into Fort Dearborn, as a refuge from the Indians, and a son, a brother of Marius Covelle, was born to the Covelles while in the fort.


Mrs. Kull's parents had been married nearly fifty-four years when the mother died. Her mother was the daughter of Joshua Stanton Sackett and Eliza (Brownell) Sackett. Tradition has it that Eliza Brownell is a descen-


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dant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens, who were immortalized in the fine poem of Longfellow, "Courtship of Miles Standish." Others of the ancestors were in the American Revolution.


Charles J. Kull, of this sketch, lived on the home farm, and when the father died, in 1887, he bought out the other heirs and continued farming there until the spring of 1908, having been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, and then he moved to Lake Geneva, bought a pleasant home, and retired from active life. Much of the time he lived in Bloomfield township he was a member of the school board, taking a great deal of interest in educational affairs. He and his wife are both members of the Congregational church at Lake Geneva. They are kind, hospitable. considerate of others' welfare. Four children were born to them, two sons and two daughters, namely : Helen attended normal school at Whitewater, and is now a successful teacher; Mildred received a good education and is teaching in the public schools at Lake Geneva; Charles Anthony and Adelbert are both attending school in Lake Geneva.


HEMAN MERENESS.


One of the careful agriculturists and respected citizens of Sharon township, Walworth county, is Heman Mereness, a man whose history fur- nishes a splendid example of what may be accomplished through determined purpose, laudable ambition and well directed efforts. Starting out in life a poor boy, he has steadily worked his way upward, winning success in his chosen field of endeavor and gaining the public confidence, which he has retained through careful "hewing to the line" in all the relations which he has sustained to his fellow men. He seems to have inherited some of the winning traits of his sterling father, one of the early settlers of this portion of the county, the name Mereness having been well known here for many decades, and it is a name of which any community might well be proud to include in its list of citizens.


Mr. Mereness, of this sketch, was born on January 8, 1861. in Sharon township, this county. He is the son of Edwin and Harriet Mereness, na- tives of the state of New York, he born in the city of Rome and she in Schoharie county. There they grew to maturity and continued to reside until 1852, when they emigrated to Wisconsin. They were married in Ra- cine, Wisconsin, settling in Sharon township, buying a farm of eighty acres, which they made their home for about five years. Leaving there in 1865,


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they moved to Iowa and bought a farm there, which they operated until 1873, when they returned to Sharon township, this county, and here Edwin Mereness lived until his death, in 1877, after an honorable and well spent life. His widow is still living, being now eighty-four years old, and she makes her home with her son, Heman, of this sketch.


Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Mereness, named as follows: Cora is deceased; Heman, of this review ; Leslie was next in order ; Dexter, Lucy and John, all deceased.


The subject grew to manhood on the home farm and there assisted with the work when old enough, and during the winter months he attended the common schools in his district. He has devoted his life to farming and is now the owner of one hundred acres of fertile land in Sharon township, which he has kept well improved and well tilled and which lies in section 3. He keeps a good grade of live stock and has a desirable home.


Politically, Mr. Mereness is a Republican. He was treasurer in 1896, and assessor in 1902 and 1903. He has been township clerk for about eight years, still holding this office. As a public official he has discharged his duties in a most creditable manner.


Mr. Mereness was married on September 27, 1894, to Mary Elizabeth Knaub, daughter of Joseph and Susan Knaub, an excellent family of Sharon township, the father being now deceased, the mother still living here.


To the subject and wife five children have been born, namely: Jessie Elizabeth, born October 6, 1895; Josephine, born June 25, 1899; Howard, born December 20, 1900; Dorothy, born March 28, 1902; and Edith, born November 30, 1903.


JOHN S. MCDOUGALL.


The old Empire state has furnished perhaps more citizens to the newer states of the West than any other of the so-called colonial commonwealths. They have come to Wisconsin in large numbers and have done a great work here in assisting us clear the vast forests from the rich soil underneath and have assisted us not only in material ways but in establishing schools and churches, in short, advancing the cause of civilization in any way. They, as a rule, have been not only men of industry, willing to push ahead despite all obstacles and adverse environment, but they have been law-abiding, hos- pitable, sociable and liberty-loving.


Of this worthy number from the old Empire state has come John S. Mc- Dougall, who, after a long and successful life in agricultural pursuits, spent


JOHN S. MCDOUGALL


PUBLIC LABA


ASTOR, LENOX TILBEN FOUNDATIONS


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his last years in honorable retirement in his pleasant home in the city of Delavan. He was born on November 9, 1827, in New York. He was the son of Ralph and Abigail (Armstrong) McDougall, both born in New York, where they grew up and were married, in fact, spent their lives there, engaged in farming. They were the parents of the following children: Mary Ann, Hugh, Hannah, Sarah, Eliza, Benjamin, Alexander, John S. (subject) and Ralph, all now deceased.


John S. McDougall was reared in his native community and assisted his father with the general farm work when he was a boy, and there he received his education in the common schools. He came to Walworth county, Wis- consin, from his native state, arriving here on November 9, 1851, and he worked out for a while, then bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Walworth township, and lived there five years, then bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Delavan township, and there he developed a fine farm, on which he remained until the fall of 1898, when he sold out and moved to the city of Delavan, retiring from active work, having farmed all his life successfully and laid by a competency. Here he bought an attractive home and lived a quiet life the rest of his days.


Politically, Mr. McDougall was a Republican, and he always took an interest in public affairs. He belonged to the Episcopal church and to the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Delavan. He was supervisor of Delavan township for a number of years, also school director and alderman from the second ward in the city of Delavan, holding the latter position for a number of years until failing health made it necessary for him to give the office up. He was very faithful to every trust reposed in him by the people, always favoring progress and improvement and the betterment of the city and the town.


On July 20, 1852, Mr. McDougall married Sarah Jane Rector, daugh- ter of George and Martha (Campbell) Rector, natives of the state of New York. Her parents grew up and were married in New York and there they lived until 1848, when they sold their farm there and moved to Alden county, Illinois, where they spent the balance of their lives.


The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. George Rector : Sarah Jane, wife of Mr. McDougall; Esther Ann, William Henry, Sherman (de- ceased), Edwin, Mary, Theodore, Amos, Almira, Emma and Fred.


To Mr. and Mrs. McDougall have been born the following children: Ida and Frances, both deceased; Mary, who lives at home ; Ralph lives in Lima, Ohio. He married Bertha Argenbright. He engages in carpentering and deals to some extent in real estate.


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Mr. McDougall was well preserved for a man of his age, having led a quiet, clean life, and he was highly respected by all who knew him. He passed away Tuesday, March 19, 1912, and this closed a well spent life. He was an exemplary citizen, sober, and industrious, a man whose advice was sought on many subjects by a host of warm friends. An excellent farmer and a loyal neighbor, he combined all the traits of good citizenship, kind father and husband, with those of a first class business man. His word was as good as gold and his integrity never questioned.


GEORGE W. VANSLYCK.


No man who has lived in Walworth county became better known or more highly esteemed than the late George W. Van Slyck. His life was indeed a busy and successful one and fraught with much good to his fellow men, for, while laboring to advance his own interests, he was never neglect- ful of his larger duties to the public, and his record is eminently worthy of perusal by the student who would learn the intrinsic essence of individuality and its influence in moulding public opinion and giving character and stabil- ity to a community.


George W. Van Slyck was born in Lyons, Walworth county, Wisconsin, January 25, 1846. He is the son of Peter and Caroline ( Head) Van Slyck. The father came from Pennsylvania with his parents and his wife to Wis- consin about 1845. The mother of the subject was from Kinderhook, New York. The Van Slyck family located on a farm between the present towns of Lyons and Burlington, and there the subject of this sketch lived until he was ten or twelve years old, when his parents brought him to Lake Geneva. Here his father, Peter Van Slyck, bought the Lake House in 1862 and managed it for a number of years, and here the father's death occurred on February 2, 1893.


George Van Slyck grew to manhood at Lake Geneva and there he received his education, later taking a commercial course at Bryant & Strat- ton's Business College in Chicago. About 1869 he entered the dry goods business at Lake Geneva with Charles Palmetier and continued in the same about two years, then he bought his partner's interest and took in his brother-in-law, Maurice A. Miner, as a partner. They were in business about a year and a half, adding a drug business, Mr. Miner being an ex- perienced druggist. After they dissolved partnership Mr. Van Slyck con- tinued alone for two or three years. Then sold out and went into partner-


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ship with two other gentlemen and they built the steamer "Commodore." which plied on Lake Geneva. The partnership continued until the death of Mr. Van Slyck in 1883. He was a popular man on the lake and when he died the lake steamers carried their flags at half mast. He was a straight- forward, sincere, industrious man, who would scorn to stoop to any paltry action and was generous to a fault.


George W. Van Slyck was married in 1868 to Mary Alice Stafford. daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Gay) Stafford, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Van Slyck was born at Bloomfield, this county, and when four years of age her parents brought her to Lake Geneva, where she grew up and was educated.


Three sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Van Slyck, namely : Harry S .. who married Edith Van Velzer, lives in Racine, where he has charge of the shipping department of a piano factory; they have two children, Neta and Alta Gay. Louis Hugh Van Slyck, who is now captain of a boat on the lake here, lives in Lake Geneva. He was formerly a railroad fireman. He married Frederetta Spoor and they have two children, Wellington and Har- old. George Albert Van Slyck also lives in the city of Lake Geneva, oper- ating a popular livery stable on Broad street. He married Hallie Howard. and they are the parents of four children, Clara Alice, Georgette Tapha and two little twin daughters, named Helene Gay and Hallie McLean ..


George W. Van Slyck was a member of the Masonic order. His widow has resided in the city of Lake Geneva ever since his death, and here she has a host of friends.


HENRY ANTON ROBERS.


Among the strong and influential citizens of the eastern part of Wal- worth county whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section, Henry A. Robers, one of the leading farmers and stock men of Lyons township, occupies a prominent place and for years has exerted a beneficial influence in the locality honored by his residence. His every-day common sense, persistence and honesty of purpose have enabled him to advance his own interests and also largely to contribute to the material and moral as well as civic advancement of the county.


Mr. Robers was born at Burlington, Wisconsin, November 2, 1855. and is the son of Herman and Mary (Effing) Robers. Both parents caine to Burlington in an early day and here followed farming the rest of their lives, and there Henry A. Robers grew to manhood and was educated. living


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at home until his marriage, on June 24, 1879, to Anna Gies, daughter of Lorenz and Elizabeth (Gies). Gies; although of the same name, they were no relation. Mrs. Robers was born on the home farm in Lyons township. Her parents were born and reared in Kur-Hessen, Germany, and married there in 1839, emigrating to America about 1841 and located in Spring Prairie township, Walworth county, Wisconsin, where they entered land from the government, which they later sold and moved to Lyons township, entering one hundred and sixty-one acres in section 23, of that township, from the government. This land has never been out of the family from that time to this. The death of Mr. Gies occurred in 1865, his widow surviving until January 24, 1889. Their family consisted of eight children, namely : Frank died when twelve years old; Catherine is the widow of John Hack and lives in Lyons; Mary died when six years old; Susan died when four years of age ; John died in infancy ; the sixth child, a son, also died in infancy, as did also Pater, the next in order of birth; Anna, wife of Mr. Robers of this sketch, was the youngest of the family.




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