USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Memoirs of Milwaukee County : from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Milwaukee County, Volume I > Part 16
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John Black was born in Bidache, France, Aug. 16, 1830, the son of Peter and Magdalena Black, his father being a farmer by
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occupation. The son was well educated in the schools of his native city and had also some collegiate training. In 1844 in company with his parents, three brothers and a sister, he bade adieu to the city of his birth and the vine-clad hills of France and came to Amer- ica, the family taking up a residence in Lockport, N. Y., in the fall of that year. In 1845 his father settled on a farm near Lockport, on which John passed the remainder of his boyhood. Here he started in to attend a public school for the purpose of mastering the Eng- lish language, but he soon discovered that his education was al- ready superior to that of his teacher, and he left school and turned his attention to other matters. In 1845 he tied a couple of shirts in a handkerchief, took a little money-which came from his good mother with her parting blessing-and set out for Lockport. He entered the employ of J. and N. S. Ringueberg, who were engaged in the wholesale grocery, wine and liquor trade, for a term of three years at a salary of thirty dollars for the first, fifty for the second and eighty dollars for the third year, board and washing included. After completing this term of service he entered the employ of Dole & Dunlap as a drygoods clerk at a salary of ten dollars per month-board and washing included-which was soon doubled on account of his command of foreign languages. In 1855, at the so- licitation of his original employers, he became a member of the firm of J. and N. S. Ringueberg & Company, but in 1857, finding that the greater portion of the labor of conducting the business fell to his lot, Mr. Black made his partners a proposition to buy or sell. The re- sult was that they purchased his interest and Mr. Black started, accompanied by his wife, for the West, arriving in Milwaukee in July, 1857. Here he engaged in the wholesale liquor trade, but suf- fered considerable loss in the start owing to the disastrous financial panic of '57. In 1870 a number of the leading capitalists of the city organized the Bank of Commerce and Mr. Black becoming one of the principal stockholders of this bank and a leader in the work of or- ganization, was elected vice-president, a position which he held for many years. He was a large stockholder also in the Merchants' Exchange Bank, and was one of the prime movers in bringing about its consolidation with the First National Bank in January, 1894. He was a director and member of the executive committee of the Northwestern National Fire Insurance Company, a director of the Merchants' Association and a director of the Exposition Associa- tion. A Democrat in politics, he held various official positions. For several years he was one of the railroad commissioners of Mil- waukee, was elected a member of the board of aldermen in 1870.
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and served as mayor of the city in 1878 and 1879. He was a candi- date for state treasurer on the Democratic ticket in 1869, but was defeated, as were all the other candidates on the ticket. As a mem- ber of the city council he was one of the prime movers in creating the present waterworks system, laboring long and earnestly to inaugurate and carry to completion this great work. In November, 1871, Mr. Black was elected a member of the Wisconsin state as- sembly. In the presidential election of 1872 he was one of the elect- ors-at-large on the Democratic ticket for the state of Wisconsin. In November, 1873, he was elected a member of the state senate, and during his term as senator he introduced two very important measures-one for the punishment of persons found guilty of brib- ery at elections, and the other to secure liberty of conscience to in- mates of state institutions. In 1886 he was the Democratic candi- date for Congress from the Fourth district, but was defeated. In 1884 and again in 1888 he was a delegate to the Democratic na- tional conventions. Mr. Black died in 1899.
William H. Jacobs was born in the village of Holzen, province of Brunswick, Germany, Nov. 25, 1832, the son of Heinrich Jacobs, a man of character and prominence, who held, during his lifetime, various important official positions, and whose family history can be traced, through records which have been carefully preserved, back to the beginning of the thirteenth century. The son was care- fully educated, under the preceptorship of a private tutor, special attention being given to study of the modern languages and natural sciences. When he was eighteen years of age he left home, coming at once to this country and to Milwaukee. Soon after his arrival here he entered the banking house of Marshall & Illsley, where he familiarized himself with American banking methods and fitted himself for engaging in the business on his own account. Leaving the Marshall & Illsley bank in 1855, he established the Second Ward Savings Bank, of which he was for several years sole owner. During the Civil war his business interests were subordinated to what he looked upon as his duty as an American citizen and pa- triot, and in 1862 he entered the Federal army as colonel of the Twenty-sixth Wisconsin infantry. Leaving the state on Oct. 6, Col. Jacobs proceeded with his regiment to Washington, and from there to Fairfax Court House, where he joined the Eleventh army corps then under command of Gen. Franz Siegel. In the battle of Chancellorsville Col. Jacobs was wounded, but returned to the field after a short leave of absence and participated in the battle of Get- tysburg, in which his regiment suffered severely. Soon after the
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battle of Gettysburg he resigned the colonelcy of the regiment and returned to Milwaukee to look after business interests, which great- ly needed his attention. After the war he extended his banking operations by establishing branches of the Second Ward Savings Bank in the Sixth and Ninth wards and establishing also the South Side Savings Bank. A Democrat in his political affiliations, Col. Jacobs served as clerk of the courts of Milwaukee county, and in 1874 was elected to the state senate, in which body he served with credit to himself and his constituency. He died in Milwaukee, Sept. II, 1882.
Enoch Chase was born in Derby, Vt., Jan. 16, 1809, and he may be said to have been a pioneer from childhood to mature manhood. Brought up on a farm, he attended the district school two summers before he was seven years of age, and after that dur- ing the winter months only until he was fourteen years of age. At the age of eight years he began to work in the fields as steadily as a man, but when sixteen years of age he received an accidental in- jury forever disqualifying him for heavy physical labor, and the fol- lowing year commenced the study of Latin and mathematics preparatory to a professional life. Two years later he commenced the study of medicine, attending lectures at Bowdoin College, in Maine, and Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, graduating in the last named institution in June, 1831, with high honors. Each winter while reading medicine he taught school in Canada. Imme- diately after his graduation, receiving a letter giving flattering ac- counts of Chicago, from one of the soldiers composing the garrison at Fort Dearborn, he determined to migrate to the far-off Western town. When he arrived in Coldwater, Mich., he found his purse empty, and therefore from sheer necessity was compelled to locate there for the time being, and commence the practice of his profes- sion. While at Coldwater he was commissioned adjutant of militia, Aug. 16, 1831, soon after his arrival, and the next year was ordered out to help suppress the Sauk war, but was only called upon to do guard duty. In 1834 he decided to leave Coldwater, and journeyed to Chicago to meet his brother, Horace. The result of their inter- view was that they concluded to locate in Milwaukee instead of Chicago. Horace came here and made land claims for both in the fall of 1834, and on April 9 following Dr. Chase became a resident of the town with which he continued to be identified to the end of his life. He at once selected what became known as "Chase's Point," at the mouth of the river, and erected a log cabin thercon, sleeping in the shanty of Horace Chase near by while building his
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domicile. After a time he sold his original "land claim" and pur- chased, at five dollars per acre, the quarter section on the south side of Lincoln avenue, on which he resided until his death, having owned his homestead fifty-nine years. He was a member of the "judiciary committee" of the famous "Claimants' Union," was elect- ed to the assembly in 1848, re-elected in 1849, 1850 and 1852, and again in 1869. In 1880 he established the Chase Valley Glass Works, of which he was the sole owner, the establishment being the only one at that time in Wisconsin. Among other industries which he brought into existence was the extensive Chase Valley Brickyards, in 1876, the largest in the city. Dr. Chase also made the extensive improvement on the Kinnickinnic river known as "Chase's slip," and the long line of docks which he constructed contributed ma- terially to the navigation and commercial interests of the city. In 1881 he was called from his retirement, and again served the people of Milwaukee in an official capacity, being at that time elected to the state senate, of which body he was an honored and influential member. In politics he was a Democrat of the Jacksonian school, and in personal characteristics, he was not unlike the "patron saint of Democracy." Dr. Chase died on Aug. 23, 1892.
CHAPTER X.
ASSEMBLYMEN AND COUNTY OFFICIALS.
LIST OF ASSEMBLYMEN-PERSONAL MENTION-SHERIFFS-REGISTERS OF DEEDS-COUNTY TREASURERS-COUNTY CLERKS-SURVEYORS-CORO- NERS.
ASSEMBLYMEN .- Session of 1848: William W. Brown, Horace Chase, Leonard P. Crary, Augustus Greulich, Perley J. Shumway and Edward Wunderly ; 1849: Zelotas A. Cotton, John Flynn, Stod- dard H. Martin, Andrew Sullivan, Robert Wason, Jr., and Julius White: 1849 to 1851. James B. Cross: 1849 to 1852. Enoch Chase ; session of 1850: Samuel Brown, John E. Cameron, Garrett M. Fitzgerald and Edward McGarry ; 1850 to 1852, Charles E. Jenkins ; session of 1851: Patrick Caverny, John L. Doran, Tobias G. Os- borne, George H. Walker and William K. Wilson : 1852: William Beck, Jonathan L. Burnham, Charles Cain, Wilson Graham, Ed- ward Hasse, Valentine Knoell and Joseph A. Phelps: 1853: Rich- ard Carlisle, Enoch Chase, Herman Haertel, William A. Hawkins, Edward McGarry, Joseph Meyer, Henry L. Palmer, John HI. Tweedy and Henry C. West : 1854: Henry Beecroft. John Craw- ford, Jackson Hadley, Timothy Hagerty, William Reinhard. John Tobin and William E. Webster ; 1854 to 1856, Edward O'Neil : 1854 to 1857, Peter Lavis; session of 1855: Reuben Chase, James B. Cross, Edwin DeWolf, I. E. Goodall, Charles J. Kern, Frederick Moscowitt, John Ruan and Jasper Vliet : 1856: Henry Crawford. Augustus Greulich, George Hahn, William A. Hawkins, John Mitchell. Joshua Stark and John Tobin : 1856 to 1858. Andrew Mc- Cormick ; session of 1857: Frederick K. Bartlett, Herman Haertel. Jasper Humphrey, Frederick Moscowitt, James D. Reymert. James Reynolds, Moses M. Strong and Jonathan Taylor ; 1858: Frederick R. Berg, Duncan E. Cameron, Joseph Carney, Dighton Corson,
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Alexander Cotzhausen, Orlando Ellsworth, Michael Hanrahan, John Hayden and Mitchell Steever; 1859: Jacob Beck, William S. Cross, Thomas H. Eviston, Edward Hasse, Frederick Moscowitt, Edwin Palmer, James A. Swain and Joseph Walter; 1860: Patrick Dockry, Andrew Eble, Theodore Hartung, Edward G. Hayden, Ed- ward D. Holton, Mathias Humain, Henry L. Palmer, John Ruan and Louis A. Schmidtner; 1860 to 1862, Edward Keogh; session of 1861 : Charles Caverno, William Dieves, Robert Haney, John Han- rahan, James Riordan, John Rugee and Carl Winkler ; 1861 to 1864, George Abert; session of 1862: Milo Coles, Adam Finger, George K. Gregory, Henry Kirchoff, Henry L. Palmer, Jacob V. V. Platto, Perley J. Shumway and John M. Stowell ; 1863: John Bentley, Ed- ward Collins, Peter V. Deuster, John Hanrahan, Martin Larkin, Jr. ; Adam Poertner and John R. Sharpstein ; 1863 to 1865, John W. Eviston ; session of 1864: Anton Frey, Levi Hubbell, Edward Mc- Garry, J. C. U. Niedermann, James Watts and Frederick T. Zette- ler ; 1864 to 1866, David Knab; session of 1865: DeWitt Davis, Henry Fowler, Jacob Obermann, Jared Thompson, Jr. ; Gottlieb E. Weiss and Richard White ; 1865 to 1868, Jackson Hadley ; 1865 to 1869, James McGrath; session of 1866: Ammi R. R. Butler, Thru- man H. Curtis, Edward Daley, John H. Deuster, William Pitt Lynde and Charles H. Orton ; 1866 to 1868, Joseph Phillips ; session of 1867: George W. Clason, Henry Fowler, Louis Hellberg, Harri- son C. Hobart, Edwin Hyde, Truman H. Judd and Valentine Knoell ; 1867 to 1869, William J. Kershaw and William A. Prentiss ; session of 1868: James Reynolds, Daniel H. Richards, John Sulli- van and Patrick Walsh ; 1868 to 1870, Patrick Drew; 1868 to 1871 : George Abert, John Fellenz and Henry C. Runkel ; session of 1869: James Hoye, Joseph Phillips, Henry Roethe, John Scheffel and Samuel C. West; 1869 to 1871, Daniel H. Johnson; 1870: Nathan Brick, Enoch Chase, Stephen A. Harrison, James McGrath and Frederick A. Zautcke; 1870 to 1872, Daniel H. Richards ; session of 1871: Charles F. Freeman, James Hoye, Charles M. Hoyt. Mat- thew Keenan, Valentine Knoell, August Richter, John L. Sem- mann, James Watts and James S. White; 1872: George Abert, John Black, John W. Cary, John Fellenz, Henry Fowler, Adin P. Ho- bart, Charles H. Larkin, L. Semmon, Winfield Smith, Emil Wall- ber and Frederick C. Winkler ; 1872 to 1874, Moritz N. Becker ; ses- sion of 1873: John A. Becher, Henry L. Palmer, Jacob Sander, Casper M. Sanger, Galen B. Seaman, John B. Stemper, Thomas Tobin, Isaac W. Van Schaick and John W. Weiler; 1873 to 1875, James McGrath ; session of 1874: Alfred L. Cary, Napoleon B. Caswell. Joseph Hamilton, James McIver, A. Warren Phelps, Peter
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Porth, John L. Semmann, Frederick Vogel and Francis H. West; 1874 to 1876, Charles H. Larkin and Daniel H. Richards ; session of 1875: Stephen A. Harrison, Frederick Moscowitt, Thomas O'Neill, Bernard Schlichting, Isaac W. Van Schaick and Frederick T. Zet- teler ; 1875 to 1877, Lemuel Ellsworth and Peter Fagg; session of 1876: Bernard F. Cook, Patrick Drew, Carl Frederick, Wilhelm Kraatz, Hubert Lavies, George H. Walther and Frederick .1. Zautcke ; 1876 to 1878, Henry Fink and David Vance ; 1876 to 1883, Edward Keogh ; session of 1877: Aloysius Arnold, James G. Flan- ders, Joseph Hamilton, David P. Hull, Florian J. Ries, Peter Salen- tine, Christian Sarnow and Richard Stapleton ; 1877 to 1879, Edwin Hyde ; session of 1878: Charles T. Burnham, John C. Dick, Henry P. Fischer, Charles H. Hamilton, Charles Holzhauer, William Law- ler, Frederick Moscowitt and Henry Smith ; 1878 to 1880, Edward C. Wall; 1878 to 1881, John Bentley ; session of 1879: Anson C. Allen, Judson G. Hart, William W. Johnson, Christian Sarnow and Christian Widule; 1879 to 1881, Christopher S. Roesser and Ed- ward B. Simpson ; session of 1880: Washington Boorse, Charles L. Colby, Charles F. Freeman, Patrick Merrity and Charles P. Paine ; 1880 to 1882, Luther F. Gilson and Otto Laverrenz ; session of 1881 : Thomas M. Corbett, Theodore O. Hartmann, Henry Herzer, Es- chines P. Matthews, William Pierron, David J. Price and Ashbel K. Shepard ; 1881 to 1883, William S. Stanley, Jr .; session of 1882: Arthur Bate, Francis J. Borchardt, Charles Findago, George P. Harrington, Arnold Hutching, William Lindsay, William M. Wil- liams and C. A. M. Zabel; 1882 to 1885, George A. Abert; session of 1883: Frederick C. G. Brand, Fred N. Comdohr, Michael Egan, George W. Everts, John Fellenz, Frederick Scheiber and John A. Wall ; 1883 to 1887: Jacob E. Friend, Daniel P. Hooker, Robert W. Pierce and Michael P. Walsh; session of 1885: Charles Elkert, Frank Haderer, Gottfried Inden, Fred G. Isenring, John Lagrande, James Lemont, George Poppert and Hugh Ryan ; 1887: John Adams, J. R. Brigham, George H. Chase, Ben Charles Garside, Emerson D. Hoyt, Joseph A. Meyer, Gustav J. Riemer, Theodore Rudinski and Henry Vogt; 1887 to 1891, Michael Dunn and William McElroy : 1887 to 1895, Edward Keogh ; session of 1889: George Christian- sen, W. L. Dennis, Charles Elkert, H. E. Legler, Christopher S. Roesser, Henry Siebers, E. J. Slupocki, Amos Thomas and Frank E. Woller; 1891 : Charles H. Anson, H. J. Desmond, W. J. Fie- brantz, John Horn, Konrad Krez, Michael Kruszka, Ambrose Mc- Guigan, William Pierron, Henry Scheutz and O. T. Williams ; 1891 to 1895, Philip Schmitz, Jr .; session of 1893: George A. Abert. William H. Austin, Michael Blenski, Joseph Deuster, C. F. A.
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Hintze, C. H. Lenck, C. W. Milbrath, Peter J. Rademacher, Rip Reukema and Frank W. Suelflow; 1893 to 1897, Gustav J. Jeske ; 1893 to 1899, Emerson D. Hoyt ; session of 1895: Andrew H. Bon- cel, Henry S. Dodge, George R. Mahoney, Edward C. Notbohm, C. Paulus, Theodore Prochnow, Elliott R. Stillman and Charles A. Winter : 1895 to 1899: Frank A. Anson, Barney A. Eaton, Rein- hardt Klabunde and Albert Woller ; session of 1897: John F. Burn- ham, Charles N. Frink, Charles A. W. Krauss, Charles Niss, Jr .; Charles Polacheck, Charles H. Welch and John H. Yorkey; 1897 to 1901, Julius Feige; 1897 to 1903, August M. Gawin ; session of 1899: Edward J. Dengel, Abraham L. Grootemaat, Matthew R. Killilea, Ernest Loth, George Schoenbaum, John Sneddin and Al- bert Woyceichowski; 1899 to 1903: Francis M. Eline, Francis B. Keene, Henry J. Saltwedel and August Zinn ; 1899 to 1905, Reinhold Thiessenhusen ; 1899 to 1907, Frederick Hartung; session of 1901 : Fred Esau, John C. Karel, Maurice A. McCabe, Levi A. Miner, John E. Norton and Herman Pomrening; 1901 to 1905, Charles Barker and George Rankl; session of 1903: F. Breitwisch, R. W. E. Fritzke, Frank Haderér, F. Hassa, J. Kehrein, C. A. Sidler, T. F. Timlin and H. W. Waterman ; 1903 to 1907: Joseph Martin Crow- ley, Philip H. Hamm, John H. Szymarek and F. C. Westfahl ; ses- sion of 1905: J. S. Bletcher, August Dietrich, Henry J. Holle, Louis Metzler, George E. Page, Thomas F. Ramsey, A. W. Streh- low and Oscar F. Thieme : 1905 to 1909: W. J. Aldridge, Ed J. Ber- ner and Frederick Brockhausen ; session of 1907: Elmer E. Cain, William Disch, J. A. Domachowski, Charles E. Estabrook, Herman E. Georgi, George F. Grassie, Otto Harrass, Herman H. Heilbron, Simon Kander, Jacob Luy, Lucian H. Palmer, Earl .D. Thompson and Frank J. Weber ; session of 1909: John T. Farrell, Otto A. Har- rass, William Disch, Carl H. Dorner, M. W. Kahaler, Thomas F. Ram- sey, George G. Brew, Fred R. Zimmerman, Edward J. Berner, Her- inan E. Georgi. Fred Brockhausen, Carl Busacker, C. E. Estabrook, Jos. A. Domachowski, P. F. Leuch, and Frank J. Weber.
Perley J. Shumway was born in Worcester, Mass., in 1810, and liis ancestors were of French extraction. At an early age he learned the blacksmith's trade in his native state. After reaching the years of maturity he came West, first settling in Milford, Ill., where he began farming. While residing in Illinois he married Miss Mary Gibson and in 1842 removed to Wisconsin and settled in Wauwa- tosa, where he was the "village blacksmith" for many years. In 1848 he was elected to the assembly and in 1861 he was again elect- ed a member of that body. At the expiration of this term of office
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MILWAUKEE CLUB
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he accepted a position as jailor and deputy sheriff of Milwaukee county, and died in 1863 while holding that position.
James B. Cross was born at Geneva, N. Y., in June, 1818, and settled in Milwaukee in 1841. Aside from his legislative career, he was mayor of the city in 1855-57, but the one disappointment to his political hopes seemed to entirely change him as a man, and he al- most sunk out of sight as a public character. The disappointment referred to was the result of his contest with A. W. Randall for the governorship in 1857. Though Mr. Randall was elected by only 454 votes, Mr. Cross felt that this was the turning point backward in his career, and quietly dropped out of sight. He was for a number of years employed in the postoffice, and at the date of his death, Feb. 3, 1876, was head clerk.
Samuel Brown-who was known to all early settlers as "Dca- con" Brown-was born at Belchertown, Hampshire county, Mass., Jan. 8, 1804, growing up on a farm, which he left when eighteen years of age to learn the carpenter's trade. In 1833 he came to Chi- cago, where he found employment as a builder, remaining there until he came to Milwaukee, in 1835. Here he was engaged for many years as a master builder, and took a lively interest in every- thing pertaining to the upbuilding of the city up to the time of his death, which occurred on Sept. 22, 1874. As a public man he ren- dered valuable services to the city as a member of the state legis- lature and city council, and as a member of the board of directors of the Milwaukee & La Crosse railway he was an active promoter of that pioneer railway enterprise.
John E. Cameron was a man of considerable importance as well as influence from 1846 to 1850. He ran the Plankinton House stable for a short time. He was a jovial, whole-souled fellow, very fine looking and extremely popular among his associates. Mr. Cam- eron died of cholera in 1852, and it is said that when told by his attending physician that he could not live he replied in his charac- teristic manner, "Let her flicker."
John Crawford was born in Worcester, Mass., Dec. 4, 1792. His parents moving to Chester, Vt., in 1810, young Crawford, in romantic term, "set out to seek his own fortune." In Lawrence county, N. Y., he found employment among the farmers of that and adjoining localities. The breaking out of the War of 1812 found him in Quebec, having been engaged in the rafting of vessel spars to that city. Returning to Waddington, N. Y., as soon as possible. he joined the New York state militia. In 1820 he reorganized the state militia, having received for that purpose a commission from
II
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Governor De Witt Clinton. He rapidly rose in rank until commis- sioned major-general of the Twenty-ninth division of the New York infantry by Gov. John A. Dix. On Nov. 10, 1834, President Jack- son appointed him inspector of revenue for the district of Oswegat- chie, with headquarters at Waddington, N. Y. It was thus quite late in life, in 1836, that General Crawford started westward and began life anew at Michigan City, Ind. During that year he vis- ited Milwaukee as the agent of a company who desired to purchase a steamer plying between his home (the latter city) and Chicago. Going to Detroit, he purchased the steamer "Detroit," and spent the winter in getting it ready for travel. After several trips on Lake Erie, he arrived in this city on June 14, 1837. From that time forth he engaged in regular trips between Milwaukee and Michi- gan City, touching at Racine, Southport (now Kenosha) and Chi- cago. He later revisited his old home in New York state, and on his return he claimed the homestead in the town of Wauwatosa, upon which he subsequently settled. He at one time run the har- bor steamer "Badger" for the people of Kilbourntown, now the West Side, and in 1840 he took the census of Wauwatosa. It was chiefly through his efforts that the new court house was located on the East Side, and he was therefore deemed the person most fit to lay the corner stone of that edifice. With that honor his appear- ance in public ceased, and he afterward lived in retirement, deaf- ness and other infirmities forbidding further participation in public affairs. He passed away, with well deserved respect earned by a life well spent, on March 8, 1881.
John Ruan, one of the well-known pioneer settlers in this county, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1813. His early edu- cation was such as could be obtained in the parish schools of his native town, and when he was twenty years of age the allurements of the new world influenced him to come to America to seek his for- tune. In 1834, after marrying Catherine Clark, he sailed with his bride for America, landing in New York and remaining there two years. In 1836 he came west to Illinois, in which state he re- mained seven years as a foreman on the Illinois & Michigan canal. He came to Wisconsin and attended the first public land sale in Milwaukee in 1839, remaining here six weeks, a guest of Matthew Keenan's parents. He then returned to Illinois, and had he been so disposed, could have bought 160 acres of land now in the heart of Chicago with the means at his command. Owing, however, to sick- ness and the marshy character of the land, he decided not to buy, but returned to Milwaukee and remained for some time. Early in May, 1841, he took up his residence on a tract of land which he
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