USA > Wisconsin > Walworth County > History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume II > Part 49
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Elmer A. Peterson remained at Rockford most of the time till 1901. engaged in the shoe business, building up an extensive trade. In that year he moved to Walworth, this county, and became local manager or agent for the Milwaukee Elevator Company, which owns a large number of elevators, and he has continued in that position ever since with the exception of about eighteen months, having resigned in the fall of 1908 on account of failing health. Some time afterwards the elevator at Walworth was burned and when it was decided to rebuild he again took charge of it in July, 1910, su- perintending the rebuilding, and is still thus engaged, giving the company entire satisfaction and being regarded by them as one of their most faithful and trusted employes.
Mr. Peterson was married in 1905 to Marie Hitchcock, daughter of Amos H. and Maria (Brown) Hitchcock, a well known and highly esteemed family of this vicinity, in which Mrs. Peterson grew to womanhood and was educated.
Mr. Peterson has manifested an active interest in public affairs and is thoroughly identified with the community. He has been president of the village board of Walworth two terms and is at present a member of the board of trustees. A number of important public improvements were made while he had part in the village government. He is vice-president and director of the Walworth State Bank and is prominent in local business and public affairs, lending his support to all movements having as their object the upbuilding of the town and community. Fraternally, he belongs to the Walworth lodge of Masons, of which he is one of the original charter members.
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HALVERSON BROTHERS COMPANY.
The Halverson Brothers Company is one of the best known business firms in Walworth county, and for many years has stood for progress and fair dealing, and while the gentlemen who compose the firm have labored for the advancement of their own interests they have never been neglectful of their duties as citizens of one of the choicest sections of the great Badger state. Therefore they are held in the highest esteem by all classes in the lo- cality of which this history treats, enjoying the confidence and good will of all as a result of their public spirit, fair and straightforward business meth- ods and their exemplary characters.
G. Halverson was born in Norway, September 9, 1822, and there he grew to manhood and received a good practical education in the common schools.' In 1842 he crossed the Atlantic to the shores of the western repub- lic, and soon thereafter established himself at Richmond, Walworth county, Wisconsin, where he entered government land, which, by dint of hard toil and persistent efforts, he developed into a good farm, which he operated suc- cessfully for several years, being one of the well known pioneers of that locality. He finally moved to the city of Whitewater, where he worked for the Esterly Reaper Works. He got together enough capital to launch into the clothing business here in 1861, under the firm name of G. Halverson, which he operated with continued success until about 1887, then retired and . continued his residence at Whitewater until his death in 1893. He was married to Dorothy Mason before he left Norway and she accompanied him to the United States. They became the parents of seven children, two of whom died in infancy, and five are still living.
About 1887 the business conducted by the Halversons became Halver- son Brothers, managed by M. G. and H. L. Halverson, they having at that time taken charge of the same, and they continued to successfully operate it up to 1897, enjoying a large and constantly growing trade, and they had in- corporated as Halverson Brothers Company.
M. G. Halverson was born March 8, 1859, at Richmond and he was reared and educated in Whitewater, having attended the common and high schools here. Then he entered the family store, literally growing up with the business. He is also connected with the Union Produce Company, being president of that rapidly growing concern. He is also president of the Halverson Brothers Company, and the large success of these important busi- ness concerns is due very largely to his able management and wise foresight.
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M. G. Halverson was married in 1890 to Jessie Littlejohn, of White- water, and they have one child, Donald L. Halverson. Mr. Halverson is one of the leading citizens of Walworth county, being well known and influential in business and public affairs.
H. L. Halverson was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, April 7, 1863. and secured his education in high school and the academic department of the Whitewater Normal School. He is secretary and treasurer of the Halverson Brothers Company.
He was married on July 27, 1885, to Maude L. Bovee, and they have one child, Kenneth B. Halverson.
LOUIS MILLER.
Among those who came to Walworth county, Wisconsin, when the country was in its primitive wildness, infested by wild animals, numerous and ferocious, and the scarcely less wild, but more savage, red men, were the parents of the gentleman whose name forms the introduction of this sketch. the Miller family having been well known here for a period of sixty-five years. They performed well their parts in the work of developing the coun- try from a wilderness to one of the foremost agricultural sections in the great Badger state, and the elder Miller, together with the other early actors in the great drama which witnessed the passing of the old and the introduc- tion of the new conditions in which are now the fine farms and thriving towns of this county, are deserving of every consideration. We of today cannot pay such sterling characters too great a meed of praise, in view of the sacrifices they made in order that their descendants and others of a later day should enjoy the blessings of life, only a few of which they were permitted to have.
Louis Miller, farmer and stockman of Sharon township and one of our progressive native sons, was born in this township on June 7, 1867. He is the son of Henry and Christina (Bieler) Miller, both born in Germany, in which country they grew to maturity and were married and spent their early lives, emigrating to the United States about 1846, and locating in Sharon township, Walworth county, Wisconsin, where the father bought fifty acres near the town of Sharon and there established the family home. They remained there several years, then sold out, and in 1873 bought a farm of one hundred and thirty-two acres in section 14, Sharon township, and
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there the father continued to reside until his death, on February 7, 1904, at an advanced age, his wife having preceded him to the grave on January 10, 1894. They had spent their lives engaged in farming and had always made a comfortable living through their industry.
Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Miller, named as fol- lows: Henry, who is farming in Sharon township; Julia, now Mrs. Wol- fran, lives in the town of Sharon; Caroline, now Mrs. Sherman, lives in Sharon township; Louis, of this sketch, who is the youngest.
Louis Miller was reared on the home farm and there he began working in the fields during the summer months when quite young. In the winter time, when of proper age, he attended the district schools of Sharon town- ship and the public schools of the town of Sharon. He has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising and has been very successful.
The subject was married on September 6, 1906, to Rosetta Wolfran, daughter of William and Caroline (Rector) Wolfran, both natives of Ger- many. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, namely : Will- iam Henry, whose birth occurred on March 21, 1908, and Howard Louis, who was born on April 2, 1910, and is now deceased.
Politically, Mr. Miller is a Republican and he has ever been loyal in his support of the same, though he has not been a seeker after public favors.
HENRY ROCKWELL.
Henry Rockwell, a successful agriculturist and well-known citizen, of Darien, Walworth county, was born on March 3, 1849, in Ashtabula county, Ohio. He is the son of Chester and Betsy (Spaford) Rockwell, the father a native of Ohio and the mother of Pennsylvania. They spent their lives on a farm, coming to Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, in 1849, when the subject was an infant, and there they remained, having bought a farm of eighty acres, until 1878, when they moved to Walworth county, buying a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Darien township, which is now owned by their son, Henry, of this sketch. He has since sold ninety acres of this place, retaining thirty acres as a berry farm which is well improved and under excellent cultivation. He understands .well every phase of this line of endeavor. He purchased this farm from his father and has kept the old home well improved in every way.
Chester Rockwell moved to Waynesville, Missouri, in 1881, later re-
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turning to Wisconsin, locating in Allen's Grove, Walworth county, where he remained about a year, then moved to Elkhorn, buying a farm near there of one hundred and fourteen acres, which he operated for three years, then sold out and moved back to Darien, which was his home for four years, after which he returned to Waynesville, Missouri, buying another farm, and there he spent the balance of his life, dying in May, 1903.
Henry Rockwell was educated in the schools of Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, and there he grew to manhood on the home farm, where he worked during the summer months when of proper age. He devoted his earlier years to general farming, for the past ten years specializing in raising berries.
Mr. Rockwell was married on December 26, 1880, to Celia J. Johnson, daughter of James and Jane (Heath) Johnson, of Sheboygan county. To them three children have been born, namely: Altha, now Mrs. Charles Beardsley, of Sharon township; Elmer, of Freeport, Illinois, where he is working as an electrician; Leah is at home.
AMOS H. HITCHCOCK.
It will always be a mark of distinction to have served the Union during the great Civil war between the states. The old soldier will receive attention no matter where he goes if he will but make himself known. And when he passes away, as so many of them are now doing, friends will pay him suitable eulogy for the sacrifices he made a half century ago on the sanguinary fields of battle in the Southland or in the no less dreaded prison, fever camp or hospital. And ever afterward his descendants will revere his memory and take pride in recounting his services for his country in its hour of peril. One of the most eligible citizens for specific mention in a history of Walworth county is Amos H. Hitchcock, well known resident of the village of Wal- worth, partly because he is one of the old soldiers who went forth in that great crisis in the sixties to assist in saving the union of states, and partly because he has been one of our honorable and public-spirited citizens since the pioneer epoch, a plain, unassuming gentleman who has sought to do his duty in all the relations of life as he has seen and understood the right.
Mr. Hitchcock has behind him a long and worthy ancestry, traceable through the annals of time for some four hundred years, back to 1635. he being of the ninth generation in America. Nathaniel Hitchcock was the first
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of the family to take up his residence on our shores, having emigrated from London, England, on the ship "Susan and Ellen" and settled in Connecticut.
Amos H. Hitchcock, of this review, was born on February 11, 1838, at Rochester, New York. He is the son of Amos H., Sr., and Julia Ann (Read) Hitchcock. The father was born at Hartford, Connecticut, in July, 1800, and the mother was born at Waterville, New York, in 1805, being the daughter of George Read. These parents grew to maturity in their native state, were educated in the old-time schools and were married there, soon after which event they moved to Rochester, where they made their home many years and where their children were born. The father was a mill- wright by trade and he was employed in the big flour mills for which the city of Rochester was famous in those days. In 1851 the family came to Wal- worth county, Wisconsin, and located at the town of Walworth, and here the father purchased a farm a mile north of the village, where the family resided until about 1869, when he sold out and moved to Iowa, in which state the death of the mother occurred. Mr. Hitchcock, senior, subsequently returned to Walworth county and made his home with a daughter, Mrs. John Rader, until his death. He was a man of excellent character and industry and was well liked wherever he was known.
Amos H. Hitchcock, the immediate subject of this sketch, received a fairly good education in the public schools and he lived at home until the commencement of the Civil war, when, heeding his country's call for troops to suppress the hosts of treason, he enlisted, in 1861, in Company A, Tenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, first organized as the Walworth County Guards, but being an exceptionally well drilled company, the best drilled, in fact, of any troops in this locality, it was designated as Company A. Mr. Hitchcock was in the Central department, serving faithfully for a period of three years and three months, during which time he took part in the battles of Perryville, Bridgeport and other hotly contested engagements, being severely wounded, shot through the hand, at the battle of Perryville, Ken- tucky. His services were so commendable that he attained to the rank of sergeant. After the war he returned to Walworth county and became a teacher in the district school and also engaged in painting and decorating.
Ever since he came out of the army, commencing in 1865, Mr. Hitch- cock has taken an active interest in public affairs. Either as town assessor. town clerk, town treasurer or chairman of the board of supervisors, he served the town of Walworth for twenty-five years. For sixteen years, from 1868 to 1884, he served as postmaster of Walworth, and since the village of Walworth was incorporated he has served two years as village assessor
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and village clerk six years. He has also been justice of the peace for the past fifteen years. As a public servant he always gave eminent satisfaction to all concerned, performing his duties most faithfully.
Mr. Hitchcock was married on November 28, 1866, to Maria E. Brown, who was born in the town of Walworth, this county, on June 22, 1851. She is the daughter of William and Mary ( Brown) Brown, both natives of Schoharie county, New York, and there they grew up and were married. emigrating to this county in 1845 and located in Walworth township, where they spent the rest of their lives. Mr. Brown was a carpenter by trade, which he alternated with farming. His family consisted of twelve children, Charles Brown, of Whitewater, being of the number. To Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock six children have been born, one of whom died in infancy ; Loretta J. is the wife of Lester C. Porter, who lives at Fontana, this county, and has five children, Irma, Doric, Amos, Helen and Rachael: a sketch of Mr. Porter and family appears elsewhere in this work. Lavinia, the subject's second child, married Walter J. Severance, and they live in Minneapolis, Minnesota ; Dr. Amos H. Hitchcock, who is a very successful dentist at Albany, Wis- consin, married Helena Broughton; Marie B. Hitchcock married Elmer .1. Peterson, a prominent business man of Walworth; Alice M., the youngest of the subject's children, married George Leslie Bond, and they live at Din- dee, Illinois.
Mr. Hitchcock, in his fraternal relations, is a member of the Masonic order, whose time-tried principles he endeavors to follow in his daily life among his fellow men, his membership being at Delavan. He also belongs to George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Delavan.
CHRISTIAN F. W. RUEHLMAN.
The gentleman whose name heads this paragraph is widely known as one of the enterprising merchants of Walworth county, Christian F. W. Ruehlman, of Sharon, where he has lived for a number of years and has been prominently identified with the commercial interests of the southwestern part of the county. His well-directed efforts in the practical affairs of life. his capable management of his business interests and his sound judgment have brought him large rewards for the labor he has expended and his life demonstrates what may be accomplished in this free land of ours by the gentleman of foreign birth who comes here with a willingness to work hon
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estly along legitimate lines. He has shown that he is not afraid to work and that he has the perseverance to continue his labors in the face of any dis- couragements which may arise.
Mr. Ruehlman was born on August 24, 1849, in Germany. He is the son of Frederick William and Matilda Ruehlman, natives of Germany, the father born October 5, 1823, and the mother July 3, 1824. There they grew up and spent their early lives, emigrating to America in 1853, first settling in Chicago. The father was a marble cutter by trade and this he worked at while in that city, also engaged in the stone business, following the same until within a few years of his death, which occurred on May 8, 1907, his wife having preceded him to the grave on August 21, 1896. They were the parents of eight children, namely: Christian F. W., of this sketch; Ernest is de- ceased; Frank: Oscar is deceased; Louise: Charles is deceased: Mary and Bernhardt are deceased.
The subject of this sketch was a small child when he was brought to the United States by his parents. He grew to manhood in Chicago and there received his education. In 1864 he secured employment with the Chicago & Northwestern railroad, with which he remained until 1881. Then went into the grocery and general merchandise business with his father-in-law in Clin- ton, Wisconsin, continuing in business there until he came to Sharon, Sharon township, Walworth county, and here he has continued general merchandis- ing, building up a large and lucrative trade with the surrounding country, carrying a complete and carefully selected stock of up-to-date goods.
Mr. Ruehlman is a member of the Christ Lutheran church and active in the affairs of the same, having been a member of the board for a number of years and was president of the same for a period of six years. Politically, ยท he is a Republican and, while he takes much interest in public affairs, he has never found time to dabble much in politics.
Mr. Ruehlman was married to Eliza Ida Dobbins, who was born De- cember 23, 1875. She was born in Plymouth, Wisconsin, and reared and educated there.
Four children have been born to the subject and wife, namely: Hugh Dobbins lives at Sharon; Ethel Maude (Mrs. Pearson) lives in Chicago; Charles died in infancy : Chauncey is also deceased.
The son, Hugh D., was married to Emma Bollinger, of Sharon, daugh- ter of Daniel Bollinger, of this township. To this union four children have been born, namely : Rolland, Ralph, Lois and Arnett.
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EDWARD A. PETERS.
This well known citizen and farmer is a descendant of the old settler, Adam Peters, one of the best known pioneers of the southwestern part of Walworth county, having left his ancestral hills in the fatherland. and after a very prolix and trying voyage, in an old sailing vessel across the great Atlantic, and a no less wearisome journey from the east coast to this lo- cality, established his cabin among the early settlers of Sharon township. the excellent farm which he began to develop sixty-seven years ago still being in possession of the family, the subject having bravely undertaken the task of clearing a farm and a home from the dense woods. When the family arrived here the clearings were few and far between and it required all members of the family to clear off the heavy timber and brush wood that cumbered the soil and kept out the sunlight. But they were thrifty and per- severing and, in due course of time, succeeded, as all such people will if given a fair chance in any country, especially one so well favored by mother nature as this.
Edward A. Peters, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born on March 6, 1861, in Sharon township, Walworth county, Wisconsin, on the farm where he still resides, it having been his rare good fortune to spend his life on the old homestead. He is the son of Adam and Magdaline (Everhart) Peters, who were born and reared in Germany, from which country they emigrated to the United States in 1844. They married in this country and first settled in the town of Sharon, Walworth county. Wisconsin, where they spent six years, then purchased the farm where our subject now resides. There they established a good home where they continued to reside until about thirty-two years ago, then retired from active life and moved to the town of Sharon, where, in their cozy cottage. they continue to reside, being now advanced in years. They are a fine old couple, having now been married sixty years, and they are highly esteemed by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Edward A. Peters began working on the home place when he was but a boy and he received his education in the district schools, and spent two years in the old academy at Sharon. His life has been spent on the home farm, as stated above, with the exception of two years spent in various parts of the West. He has kept the old place well improved and under an ex- cellent state of cultivation and has been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, for he has adopted such modern methods as were well
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adapted to this locality. In connection with general farming he has always tried to keep a good grade of live stock. He is the owner of two hundred and seventy acres of land in section 10, Sharon township.
Politically, Mr. Peters is a Republican, but, like his father, he has led a rather retiring life, not being ambitious to be a leader in public affairs. For a period of eight years he was a school director in his district, and he is now chairman of the township board. Fraternally, he belongs to the Woodmen.
Mr. Peters was married to Katherine Fogel, who was born on August 17, 1884, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Fogel, natives of Bohemia. To the subject and wife have been born five children, named as follows: Herbert J., who is county commissioner and a civil engineer, is farming in Sharon township, this county ; Ralph A., at Madison ; Glenn E., a graduate of high school; Frederick N. and Clifford J. are all at home.
The subject of this sketch is one of a family of six children, namely : Charlotte, now Mrs. Ramsey, lives at Longmont, Colorado; Sara, now Mrs. Deidrich, lives at Zion City; John W. lives in Sharon township, this county ; Edward A., of this review; Clara, who became Mrs. Piper, is deceased; Al- bert lives at Longmont, Colorado.
CAPT. JOHN WALLACE WELD.
Fifty years ago, when the slaveholders' rebellion broke out with all its fury at Fort Sumter and when it looked as if the Union that all loved so much would be dissolved, many households became divided, some members of a family going into the National army and others casting their lots with the Confederacy ; some enlisted to save the federation of states, even though they had to free their slaves in order to do so. It was a time when there could be no temporizing and no halting,-no half-way position,-for all who were not for the Union were against it, and both sides hated the man who claimed to be neutral because he did not want to risk his life on the field of battle and had no principles to sustain. The Weld family was alive to the gravity of the national conflict, and realized that the struggle impending was something more than a holiday undertaking and knew that it meant great hardship and the shedding of rivers of blood before the flag could again wave from Maine to Florida and from Florida to the states of the Pacific Northwest. But they did not hesitate, be it said to their everlasting renown.
CAPT. JOHN W. WELD
THE OF W PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LEHOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
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One of the gallant, self-sacrificing and loyal sons of the North who is desery ing of a perpetual place in his country's history is Capt. John Wallace Weld, long a well known and highly respected citizen of Whitewater, Walworth county, Wisconsin.
Captain Weld was born in the town of Reading, Vermont, December 24, 1832. He is the son of John and Weltha (Bigelow) Weld. His father was born in Reading, Windsor county, Vermont, January 27, 1795, and was a son of Thomas and Laurana (Leavens) Weld.
John Weld, father of the Captain, learned the cooper's trade in Ver- mont in his youth, but his principal occupation was farming. He was mar- ried in Reading, that state, March 18, 1830, to Weltha Bigelow, daughter of Elisha Bigelow. She, too, was born in Reading, Vermont. To this union three children were born, namely: John W., of this sketch; Rhoda M. and Andrew E.
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