USA > Wisconsin > Rock County > Rock County, Wisconsin; a new history of its cities, villages, towns, citizens and varied interests, from the earliest times, up to date, Vol. II > Part 46
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Mr. Langworthy on September 14, 1887, married his second wife, Miss Mary E., daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Burnell) Harker, a native of Dane county, Wisconsin, and who was edu- cated at the normal school at Whitewater. Her family is of Eng- lish lineage, her parents being among the early settlers of Dane county. Her father, who was a farmer, died at the family home in Mount Vernon, while the mother still lives at the age of sev- enty-five years. By his second marriage Mr. Langworthy has two children, viz .: Earle E., who was graduated from the Edger- ton high school in 1907, and Elma E., a student at home.
John Sherman, who lives on a farm of 213 acres in Fulton township, is one of the prosperous, wide-awake and influential citizens of Rock county, a native of Allegany county, New York. He was born November 16, 1842, to Barnhart and Mary Eva (Garlock) Sherman, both of whom were natives of Germany. They emigrated to the United States about the year 1849, and settled on a farm in the town of Alfred, Allegany county, N. Y .; thence they removed to Fulton township, Rock county, Wiscon- sin, in 1854. Here the father farmed on shares for some years and then bought a quarter section of wild land, on which, how- ever, he never lived. He died in Fulton township in the spring of 1863 at the age of fifty-five years.
Our subject passed his boyhood at home assisting at the farm work and attended the district schools both in his native place and Fulton township and received a good English education. He left home at the opening of the Civil War and, enlisting in Company F. Fiftieth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, served till its close and participated in some of the principal battles of the war. During the year of 1865 and a part of 1866 he was in the service on the western frontier, but during the year last named received an honorable discharge from the army
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at Madison, Wis. On his return home Mr. Sherman resumed farm life in Fulton township near Edgerton, where he worked a farm on shares for three years. He then purchased sixty acres of land, to which he later added forty acres, comprising what is now his home farm. Besides he has 113 acres a half mile distant from the homestead, together with which it forms one of the model farms of Rock county, improved as it is with good build- ings and equipped with modern improvements and appliances.
Mr. Sherman has always taken a commendable interest in pub- lic matters and has been called to numerous local offices, which he has honorably filled. A Democrat in politics, he is chairman of the board of supervisors of the town of Fulton and for five years has served as one of its members, while for twenty-four years he has been treasurer of the school funds of Milton and Fulton townships.
In 1874 Mr. Sherman married Miss Catherine, daughter of Philip and Catherine (Joyce) Weleh, both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Sherman was born and educated in Edgerton and was a woman of many womanly virtues. She died July 10, 1894. Of ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sherman, the second, Catherine J., died at the age of twenty-five years. Those surviving in the order of their births are: Eva M., Addic G. John B., who lives on the home farm; Philip H., Edward C., Agnes E., Grace L., Lawrence F. and Leona E., all of whom were educated in the schools of the home county.
Mr. Sherman may justly be called one of the representative men of Rock county, having been there sixty-five years. He has witnessed its changes and growth from a state of wildness and its development into fertile, highly cultivated and productive farms until it has come to be known and to be one of the garden spots of the state. In this development and growth Mr. Sher- man has done his full share and richly merits a place among those who have wrought faithfully and well to make Rock county what it is.
Douglas E. Hopkins, known as one of Roek county's substan- tial farmers and representative citizens, was born in Argyle, N. Y., on March 31, 1848, to James and Ann (Ellis) Hopkins, both natives of New York state. When he was three years old, in 1851, his parents moved to Fulton township, in Rock county, and settled on the place where they made their permanent home and
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where our subject now resides. The father was a farmer and an extensive tobacco grower and sheep raiser and a man of promi- nence and public spirit. He was born in 1821. After the death of our subject's mother in 1882 James Hopkins married Charlotte Bigelow, widow of Freeman Bigelow, who now lives at Janesville with her daughter, Mrs. Nellie Edington. He was a Republican in politics and served as supervisor of Fulton township for a number of years and was also several terms chairman of the town board. His death occurred in 1898 at the age of seventy- seven years. Both he and our subject's mother were members of the Baptist church.
Douglas E. was educated in the district schools and at Milton College. He is a man of enterprising spirit, active in affairs and in his dealings upright and honorable. As was his father, he also has been engaged in general farming, especially in the line of tobacco growing and breeding of stock, making a specialty of high-grade Ohio Chester hogs. His farm, comprising 192 acres, is richly improved with modern conveniences and substantial buildings. His present house, a spacious two-story brick struc- ture, was erected in place of the former dwelling, which was de- stroyed by fire in 1881, and taken all in all it ranks with the finest places in the county.
On October 29, 1873, Mr. Hopkins married Miss Carrie E., daughter of Simeon and Anna M. (Courtright) Schoonover, who was born and educated in Fulton township. Their only child, Mabel, is married to Mr. Harry Wood, of Kenosha, Wis. Mrs. Wood was graduated from Milwaukee Downer College in 1897. She has one child, William Douglas Wood, born April 4, 1904, at Stoughton, Wis. Mrs. Hopkins' father, Simeon Schoonover, was a native of Tioga county, New York, and was born June 15, 1819, to Joseph and Margaret (Decker) Schoonover, natives of New Jersey, the former of whom was a farmer. He settled on a farm in Ohio in 1838 and died there in 1865 at the age of ninety years. His wife died in 1851. Simeon had but limited educational advan- tages. He was reared at farming and in 1849 married Miss Anna M. Courtright. He removed to Wisconsin in 1851 and settled on forty acres of land in Fulton township, Rock county, to which he afterwards added 100 acres. He was a man highly esteemed in his community, a Democrat in politics, and held various local offices. Mr. and Mrs. Schoonover had two children, viz .: Carrie
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E., the wife of our subject, and Charles F., a farmer residing in Fulton township. Mr. Schoonover died at the home of his daugh- ter October 30, 1905. ITis wife died May 12, 1884. She was a member of the Baptist church.
Grant Walrath, who belongs to the younger class of Rock county's prosperous farmers, is a native of Fulton township. He was born on November 8, 1868, and is the youngest of six chil- dren born to Jacob and Margaret (Dooley) Walrath, natives of New York state, and who were married January 1, 1855. The father was born at Stockbridge, Oneida county, N. Y., on Feb- ruary 26, 1823, and when a boy came West with his parents. He went to California at the time of the gold craze in 1849, but re- turned after three years and settled at the then village of Janes- ville. He helped to build the first dam across the Rock river at Indian ford, also the dam at Janesville and the one at Freeport, Ill. His death occurred on May 4, 1906, and that of his widow on July 5, 1906, and both are interred in the Fassett cemetery at Edgerton. Of our subject's brothers and sisters Spencer G. is the proprietor of the Union Hotel at Janesville; Willis, who was a farmer, died in his forty-first year; Mrs. Ada Johnston, of Mil- waukee; Inez is the wife of James Earle, of Porter township, Rock county ; and Cora died in childhood.
Our subject was educated in the district schools and at Albion Academy. He has always lived on the home farm and after the decease of his father purchased from the other heirs their sev- eral interests in the place. It is located in section 27, Fulton township, and consists of eighty acres finely improved and well equipped with all the accessories of a modern model farm. In politics Mr. Walrath is a Republican, but takes no active part in political affairs more than to perform his duty as a citizen.
On January 2, 1899, Mr. Walrath married Miss Rose Porter, one of three daughters born to John and Bessie (Parr) Porter, who came from Cambridgeshire, England, with their family in 1884 and settled at Edgerton, Wis., where the father is engaged as a brick manufacturer. The mother died in 1897. Mrs. Wal- rath was educated in the Edgerton high school.
Henry H. Brace, a member of one of Rock county's old and highly esteemed families, is a native of Clinton county, New York. He was born August 22, 1838, the eldest of four children born to Leonard and Lavina (Smith) Brace, whose other chil-
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dren were named respectively Louisa, Fannie and Emma. The parents moved from New York, their native state, to Rock coun- ty, Wisconsin, in 1842, and settled on a quarter section of land in Fulton township, which the father entered from the United States government and improved. Here he reared his family and passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring on August 18, 1875. His wife died at the family home October 25, 1872.
Henry H., coming to Rock county with his parents when he was four years old, attended the district schools there and sup- plemented his common school education by two terms of study at the Albion Academy. Coming into possession of the home- stead, Mr. Brace besides general farming has engaged extensively in tobacco raising, and through good management, industry and thrift has attained to a place among the well-to-do, substantial and influential citizens of Rock county. His place is improved with substantial buildings, placed there during the father's life- time, and other equipments and conveniences that go to make the modern model farm.
Mr. Brace has always been a man of public spirit, has served as constable, town treasurer and several years as chairman of the town board. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Masonic order, but for some years has taken no active part in its affairs.
On May 20, 1865, Mr. Brace married Miss Janette, daughter of Daniel and Electa (Chesebrough) Edwards, who was born in Madison county, New York. Her parents moved from their na- tive state, New York, in 1850, and settled in Rock county, where the father died in 1894 and where the mother still resides, her home being in Edgerton.
Mr. and Mrs. Brace have three children, viz .: Frank, who is single and lives with his father and mother; Jessie, who is mar- ried to Mr. Fred Dickerson, of Chicago, and has one child, Louise ; and Leonard, who married Miss Ella Pickering and lives in Janes- ville.
Perry Clinton Maxson, who is a native of Connecticut, was born at Waterford January 26, 1854, and is the son of Pelig and Lyda (Rogers) Maxson, who came to Wisconsin in 1857. In early life the father was the owner of a fishing smack, making a business of fishing, carrying the products of his expeditions to Fulton market, New York. He was born in Rhode Island and
A. P. WATERMAN.
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in 1856 moved to New York state, where he remained one year and then moved with his family to Wisconsin, settling first at Richmond, Walworth county, where he remained but one summer and then moved to Rock county, locating in Milton township, where he was engaged in farming until 1867, then moved to Ful- ton township and purchased the farm upon which Perry now re- sides and where he himself lived until his death, which occurred April 26, 1894, at the age of eighty-two years. The mother sur- vived until January 12, 1902, when she too passed away-the re- mains of both resting in the cemetery at Milton Junction.
Coming to Rock county with his parents when but three years of age, our subject received his education in the public schools of this county ; raised from his boyhood on the farm, Mr. Maxson remained with his parents until their demise, and now lives on the old homestead of 115 acres on section 12 in Fulton township, where he is engaged in general farming and stock raising.
Mr. Maxson is a Republican in politics and has been school district clerk for a number of years.
On January 17, 1906, Mr. Maxson was married to Miss Lora Dodge, who was born at Fort Atkinson, Jefferson county, Wis., and is the daughter of Charles and R. (Whipple) Dodge. Mr. Dodge, who now resides in North Dakota, was a soldier in the Civil War and took part in many engagements. The mother died when Mrs. Maxson was a mere child.
Having spent practically his whole life in Rock county, Mr. Maxson has seen it changed from a wilderness to the highly cul- tivated farms of the present day, and has done his full share to- ward making Rock county one of the richest agricultural dis- tricts of the state.
Ulysses Grant Miller, who resides on his farm of 320 acres in sections 13 and 14 in Fulton township, Rock county, which is nearly all in a high state of cultivation, was born in the town- ship of Union, Rock county, Wisconsin, November 14, 1863, and is a son of Charles and Catherine (Butts) Miller. He received his education in the common schools of his native township and at the Evansville (Rock county) Seminary. After completing his studies he went to Porter township and engaged in general farm- ing on a farm which he rented for two years. In 1890 he pur- chased his present farm and removed to Fulton township, where he has since resided. He has made extensive improvements both
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in land and buildings and at this time has one of the model farms of Rock county, equipped with up-to-date machinery, large and substantial barns and other buildings, with a large and com- modious two-story residence on the banks of Rock river, which runs within a short distance from his other residence. He has erected a summer cottage and here he and his family spend the heated season.
Mr. Miller, besides being engaged in general farming and stock raising, is a large grower of tobacco, for which he finds a ready market and which yields him a good income. His parents were both natives of Monroe county, Pennsylvania, and came to Rock county, Wisconsin, in 1840. The father was a farmer and a large owner of farm lands in this and Green county, having at one time 2,400 acres which he accumulated by his own efforts, untiring and persistent industry. He was a man of commanding influence, and his death, which occurred in 1893 at the age of seventy years, was mourned by a large circle of friends and asso- ciates. The mother still survives and at this time (1907) resides at Cookville, in Porter township, aged seventy-four years. She is the mother of twelve children, eleven of whom are still living, five now residing in Union and Porter townships, this county.
Mr. Miller affiliates with the Republican party, and for some time has been a member of the board of supervisors. He is also a director and stockholder in the First National Bank of Edg- erton.
On March 1, 1888, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Grace Lum, who was born in Marshall, Dane county, Wis., and is a daughter of Rev. Charles Lum, minister of the Free Methodist church, who died in 1887 at the age of fifty-three years. The mother is still living and resides at Corvallis, Oregon. She is the mother of nine children, eight of whom are living. Mrs. Miller was educated at the Evansville Seminary and is a lady of more than ordinary in- telligence and refinement. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller at their home in Fulton township, all of whom are living : Charles L., born June 21, 1894; Merle O., born May 14, 1895 ; Ulysses G., Jr., born December 22, 1901; and Dorris K., born August 24, 1902.
John W. Keithley is a prominent and successful physician and influential citizen of Orfordville, Rock county, Wis. He was born at Georgetown, Ind., July 7, 1864, and there received his prelim-
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inary education. Later he attended a college at Macomb, Ill., and in 1890 entered Rush Medical College in Chicago to fit him- self for the medical profession. He studied there two years and finished his course at the Kentucky School of Medicine, Louis- ville, from which he was graduated in July, 1893. Settling at once at Orfordville, Dr. Keithley entered upon the practice of his profession. In 1897 he pursued a course of study at the Post- graduate School in Chicago. Dr. Keithley has taken a high stand both in his profession and in the community in which he lives, being held in high esteem for his many manly virtues and supe- rior qualities of mind and heart.
He is connected with numerous medical societies, viz .: the State Medical Society, the Central Wisconsin Society, the Rock County Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
In 1903 Dr. Keithley married Miss Agnes A. Waters, the mar- riage occurring in Ontario, Canada, her native place. Mrs. Keith- ley is a graduate of the Nurses' Training School of Milwaukee, Wis., and is a woman of culture and refinement who presides with dignity and womanly grace over their beautiful and com- fortable home in Orfordville.
Dr. and Mrs. Keithley have two children, viz .: George Waters, a bright and interesting boy, born March 11, 1904, and Donald Hubbard, a baby boy, born May 9, 1907.
Kittil C. Rostad, known as one of the substantial citizens of Orfordville, Rock county, Wis., is a native of Winnebago county, Illinois, and was born August 30, 1844, to Christopher and Kjersti (Evio) Rostad. The parents emigrated from Norway, their na- tive land, in 1839, in company with others who accompanied Austen Natesta and Ole K. Natesta, who founded the first Nor- wegian colony in Wisconsin. They first settled in Chicago, where they lived about a year and married, and whence they moved to Howard, Winnebago county, Ill., and settled on a tract of land which the father bought from the United States government. Thence they removed to Newark township, in Rock county, where the father bought a farm near the Lutheran church and there passed the remainder of their lives. He also owned a large sorghum mill which he operated many years. He died at the age of sixty-eight years and the death of his widow occurred some five years later, and they are both interred in the Orford- ville cemetery.
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Kittil C. passed his boyhood on the home farm in Winnebago county, Illinois, and there received his education in the district schools, living at home until he attained his majority. On leav- ing home he went to Minnesota, and for six years engaged in farm work there and also located a homestead in Douglas county. He afterwards sold his interests there and returning to Rock county, settled on the old homestead and there carried on farming until 1902 with good success. Mr. Rostad now being in position to retire from active work, he removed to Orford- ville, where he purchased a beautiful and spacious residence and has since made his home. Though in a measure living in retirement, Mr. Rostad finds it necessary to have some occu- pation to engage his attention, and since his removal to Orford- ville, has served continuously as village clerk and for three years last past has been justice of the peace. He is an honored member of the Norwegian Lutheran Church at Orfordville, and also its secretary.
In 1870 Mr. Rostad married Miss Jennie V. Laugen, who came from Norway, her native land, when she was eighteen years of age. Of nine children born to them, the first, Karl, born in Douglas county, Minnesota, died in early infancy; the second, also named Karl, was born in Douglas county, Minne- sota, and is now a carpenter and builder at Orfordville; John, also born in Douglas county, is a carpenter by trade and lives at home; Anna is married to Mr. Ever Olson, owns a farm in Stephenson county, Illinois, but lives at present in Beloit, Wis. They have two children-Clement and Edward; Norman, the fifth child, is engaged in business at Orfordville. He married Miss Amanda Hanson; Willie lives with his parents; Samuel is a bookkeeper and lives in St. Louis, while Kistern and Lauren live at home.
Mr. Rostad is well known throughout the community as a man of upright character and universally esteemed for his manly qualities, and in his beautiful home and interesting family and many friends, richly enjoys the well earned fruits of his busy and useful life.
Claus Lauritz Clausen was born in Denmark on the third day of November, 1820. At the age of twenty-one he went to Norway, where he met the late Bishop Schroder, and had made arrangements to go with him as a missionary to the Zulus,
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Africa, when he received a call from Norwegian Lutheran pio- neers in America. They were as sheep without a shepherd, and Clausen resolved to come to their assistance.
After a long and difficult journey, he arrived at Muskego, Racine county, Wisconsin, August 6, 1843. On his arrival there a congregation was organized-the first Norwegian Lutheran church in America, and on the 13th day of September, 1843, Clausen was called as their pastor. On October 18 he was or- dained by Rev. L. F. E. Krause, a German Lutheran minister.
From Muskego as headquarters, Clausen visited the different Norwegian settlements in southern Wisconsin. In the winter of 1844, Clausen came for the first time to Rock county. On February 4, 1844, he preached at the house of Erik G. Skavlem, and on February 5, at the house of Thore Helgeson, town of Clinton. He then went to the western part of the county and preached at the house of Hellik Brekke, Plymouth, February 8. This was the first services, according to the ritus of the church of Norway by an ordained minister, among the Lutheran pion- eers of Rock county.
In the fall of 1845, the Luther Valley Church, after trying in vain to get a pastor from Norway, extended a call to Clau- sen. This he finally accepted and arrived on the 31st day of July, 1846. In 1851 Rev. Clausen was elected as the first presi- dent of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ameri- ca, just then organized with three ministers and about thirty lay delegates from surrounding congregations.
Clausen also took a leading part in organizing the first pub- lishing society among the Norwegians of America, and was the first editor of "Emigrauten," the secular paper printed by the society, and associate editor of its church monthly. When the Civil War broke out, in 1861, Rev. Clausen joined the patriots as chaplain of the celebrated "Fifteenth Wisconsin," of which his old friend and parishioner, Hans Hegg, was colonel. Sim- ultaneously with the Civil War, a controversy sprung up in the Norwegian synod on the question of slavery. Looking upon slavery as a sinful institution, Clausen withdrew from the synod in 1868, and with several other pastors and congregations that disagreed with that body on other important questions, organ- ized, in 1870, a new church society, the "Conference for the Dau. Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church of America." Clau- sen was elected the first president.
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Rev. Clausen was at this time pastor of the Lutheran church at St. Ausgar, Iowa, but suffering from repeated attacks of apoplexy, removed with his family to Virginia. His health improved, and he accepted a call from Austin, Minnesota, where he served until his health again failed him.
In the fall of 1882, Mr. Clausen installed Rev. J. A. Bergh as pastor of his old church, the Luther Valley, in Rock county, Wisconsin. This was, as far as we know, his last journey in the capacity of a pastor, outside of his own congregations.
Rev. Clausen was twice united in marriage ; his first wife, Mar- tha Clausen, nee Rasmussen, died November 8, 1846, and is buried at the Luther Valley cemetery. She was the first minister's wife that died among the Norwegian Lutherans of America. For the second time Mr. Clausen was married to Mrs. Bergitha Hjort, a widow, who also died before her husband. The former wedlock was blessed with one son, the latter four. On a visit to his son, Karl, Rev. Clausen died at Parson's Landing, Wash- ington, February 20, 1892. The remains were brought back and laid at rest beside his second wife, at Austin, Minnesota.
Charles J. Hesgard, who is a worthy representative of the substantial farmers of Rock county, Wisconsin, was born in Plymouth township on February 27, 1870, and is the seventh of fourteen children, seven of whom are now living, born to Nels K. and Gure (Hersgaard) Hesgard. His parents immi- grated from Hallingdal, Norway, their native land, to the United States, prior to their marriage -- the father coming in 1848, the mother in 1845.
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