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 48
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Mr. Gaarder has always taken a commendable interest in public affairs, and is a man of influence in the community. He is a Republican in politics and has served several terms as town assessor and supervisor, and also as chairman of the town board. In 1891-2 he served as a member of the state legislature. He was one of the organizers of the Farmers' and Merchants' bank of Orfordville, and has served as its president since it was found- ed, and has also been president of the Orfordville Telephone Company from the time of its incorporation, having been one of its organizers. Mr. Gaarder is in sympathy with all move- ments tending to promote the moral welfare of the community, and takes an active interest in the Norwegian Lutheran Church at Newark, of which he is an honored member.
On February 20, 1868, Mr. Gaarder married Miss Anna, daughter of Hans and Bergith ( ----- ) Husemon, a native of Rock county. Her parents settled in Newark township in 1845 and there passed their lives on a farm. Mr. and Mrs. Gaarder have had nine children, seven of whom are now living, viz .: Nellie and Perry, who live at home; Bertha, a trained nurse; Ida, a graduate of Beloit college and the wife of Mr. Walter F. Walker, of Racine, and who has two children-Eliza- beth and Robert. Arthur, Otto and Frederick are all living at home. The two deceased children were named respectively, Her- bert and Luella.
Mr. Gaarder has a beautiful home where, with his interest- ing family, he lives in the enjoyment of social and domestic com- forts, honored and respected by his wide circle of loyal friends and acquaintances.
Ole Keesey, who was for many years a prominent and
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influential citizen of Rock county, Wisconsin, was a native of Norway and came to this country in the spring of 1845 when a young man, with his parents, one brother and one sister-Ole and Carrie Keesey, who purchased and settled on the farm oc- cupied by our subject during his lifetime, and where his widow now resides. The homestead originally comprised 120 acres, but Mr. Keesey, after coming into possession of it after his parents' death, which occurred in Spring Valley, added to it, and at the time of his death owned 240 acres in Sections 21, 28 and 29, Spring Valley township. On Section 28 Mr. Keesey erected an elegant two-story frame dwelling house, where he made his home with his family after moving out of the log cabin built by his father on the homestead place, and which was re- garded as the finest log house in the county in its day, and still stands, a land mark of pioneer times. Mr. Keesey was known as an upright, public-spirited man and universally esteemed for his manly character and noble qualities of mind and heart. He was an honored member of the Norwegian Lutheran church, in which, as also in educational matters, he took an active interest. He heartily sympathized with all that pertained to the welfare of the community, and his death, which occurred November 21, 1884, was deeply mourned as that of a good man, a loyal friend and an enterprising, public-spirited citizen.
Mr. Keesey was twice married, his first wife being Miss Emily Elifson Lee; she died leaving four children, viz .: Carrie, who is married to Mr. August Knudson, and lives near Manly, Worth county, Iowa; they have seven children, Louis, Ida, John, Albert, Annia, Nellie and Orrin; Anna, who is the wife of Mr. Andrew Thompson, of Orfordville; Nellie, who lives at Orford- ville, and Ole, jr., now living at Janesville; he married Miss Julia Carlson, and they have three children, viz .: Mabel Irene, Jennie Hazel and Inez Charlotte. For his second wife, Mr. Keesey married Miss Carrie, a daughter of Amund and Sarah Stugaarden, who came from Norway, her native land, in the spring of 1853, with her parents, one brother and two sisters, when she was fifteen years old. They first settled in Spring Valley township, but later moved to LaFayette county, Wiscon- sin, where they passed the remainder of their days on a farm. Of eight children born of this second marriage, six are now living, viz .: Albert, the oldest, was born January 26, 1866, and
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reared on the homestead, which he now works. He owns a quarter section of land, which he took up as a homestead in Prowers county, Colorado, where he spent seven years. He is one of the wide-awake and enterprising men of his community and takes an active interest in public affairs. He is a Repub- lican in politics and has served two years as treasurer of Spring Valley township. He is a young man of fine, personal qualities and social standing, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
Andrew, the second child of Mr. Keesey, by his second wife, is engaged in general merchandizing in Orfordville. He married Miss Laura Risum, and they have three children, viz .: Carl Orville, Lloyd Alva and Russel Byron. Sarah, the third child, lives at home; Alice, the fourth child, died at the age of fourteen years; the fifth child, Julia, is married to Mr. Seaver Stavedahl, a farmer of Spring Valley township, and has one child, Charles ; Arthur Henry, the sixth child, lives at Platteville, Wisconsin. He married Miss Mattie Fine, of British Hollow, Grant county, and they have two children, Carrol and Lester. Edward, the seventh child, resides at Beloit, and the eighth child, Albert, died when three years old.
Halgrim O. Veek, a prosperous and representative citizen of Spring Valley township, Rock county, Wisconsin, was born in Norway December 11, 1841, and is the son of Ole and Christe (Kolstrud) Veek, both natives of Norway. The father, a farmer by occupation, in 1852 emigrated with his family to America, reaching Quebee after a voyage of nine weeks. Thence he came to Milwaukee by way of the lakes, and from that city drove with horses and wagon to Spring Valley township, Rock county, and settled on eighty acres of land, which he bought in Section 28, to which he later added forty acres. Here he made a home and reared his family and passed the remainder of his life en- gaged in farming and stock raising, being eighty-three years and nine months old at the time of his decease. He was a man of unusual activity, upright in character and prosperous in his af- fairs and highly esteemed by all who knew him for his many manly virtues. He was an honored member and trustee of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of Plymouth township, and his body is interred in the cemetery at Orfordville. His wife, whose death preceded his many years, is interred in the East cemetery
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in Plymouth township. Besides our subject, they had one child, Carrie, now deceased, who was the wife of Mr. H. T. Burtness, a farmer of Spring Valley.
Halgrim O. passed his boyhood on his father's farm and attended the district schools, receiving a good English educa- tion. After the decease of his father he became in possession of the homestead, to which he has added 280 acres of adjoining land. Mr. Veek has also made some fine improvements on the place, erecting a spacious and commodious frame dwelling house and other buildings, and adding all the equipments requisite to an up-to-date model farm. In 1892 Mr. Veek purchased a home with seventeen village lots at Brodhead, and moved thither and there lived ten years. He then returned to his farm and took up his abode on that part situated in Section 33, his son occupy- ing the homestead. Mr. Veek has always been an extensive grower of tobacco, besides giving special attention to the breed- ing and raising of high grade farm stock and engaging in gen- eral farming. Mr. Veek has always taken a commendable in- terest in public matters, and while living in Brodhead served as alderman several years. He is a Republican in politics, and in religious faith is connected with the Northwestern Lutheran Church at Orfordville, of which for many years he was trustee.
In 1864 Mr. Veek married Miss Julia Jacobs, who came to this country from Norway, her native land, with her parents, when she was a child. They settled at Primrose, Wis., which was her home until her marriage. Mrs. Veek died December 6, 1899, leaving two sons and one daughter, viz .: Ole H., who was born in Spring Valley township February 19, 1866. He supple- mented his attendance at the district schools with a three years' course of study at the Lutheran College at Decorah, Iowa, and then returned and took up his residence on the old homestead and engaged in farming, raising stock and growing tobacco. He is known as an energetic, enterprising citizen, and has served as town treasurer two years, being a Republican in politics. His religious associations are with the Norwegian Lutheran church.
He married Miss Theoline Leaverson, a daughter of Herbrant and Carrie (Lunda) Leaverson, early settlers of Rock county, but now residents of Jackson, Minn. Their daughter, Mrs. Veek, was born and educated in Minnesota, and lived there until her
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T
JESSE PRAMER.
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marriage. Of four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ole II. Veek, two, Hyram and Myron, are now living.
The second child of Mr. and Mrs. Halgrin O. Veek, viz. : Christopher C., was born on the homestead place and educated at Decorah, Iowa. He married Miss Petrine Brekken and they have had seven children, viz .: Evan and Ole, now deceased; Herman, Evangeline, Josephine, Byron and Clara. Their home is on a farm in Goodhue county, Minnesota. The third child of our subject, Minnie, is married to Mr. Donald Collins, of Brod- head, and they have two children, viz .: Donald and Genevieve.
Mr. Collins is operator of station and Mrs. Collins is an ener- getic publie worker, as well as a popular local vocalist.
Ole Holden, a native of Norway, settled at Orfordville, in Rock county, Wisconsin, in 1861, being then a young man and for twenty years followed his trade as a blacksmith. He then bought and settled on 220 acres of land in Section 24, Spring Valley township, and during the next twenty years engaged in general farming, stock raising and growing tobacco with good success. He then sold his farm and bought in Section 23 a small farm of fifty acres, where he now-1907-makes his home. Mr. Holden has always been an active, hard working man, and has contributed his full share in transforming what was a compara- tively wild and thinly settled country when he came to Rock county, into the beautiful and fertile garden spot which one witnesses who travels through Rock county today. He is a member of the East Norwegian Lutheran Church. In politics he is a Republican.
Mr. Holden married, in his native land, Miss Mary Olson, and they have had eight children, six of whom are now living, viz. : Ellen, born in Norway, is married to Mr. Ole Burtness, of Brod- head; Annie, also born in Norway and who was married to Mr. William Fonger, is now deceased, as is also Lavus; Albert lives on the home farm; Elmer, who married Miss Laura Larson, has one child and lives in Spring Valley township; Lena is the wife of Mr. T. Rostad and lives in Minnesota, and Sevy lives at home.
Henry G., the fifth child of Mr. and Mrs. Holden, was born in Orfordville December 25, 1871, and received his education in the graded schools of his native place. He grew up on his father's farm and also learned the blacksmith trade and worked at it some years in Orfordville, and later in Minnesota. From
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there he returned to Rock county and bought from his father eighty acres of land, which he worked until 1901, when he sold it and again engaged in blacksmithing at Orfordville. In 1904 he sold his interests in Orfordville and purchased his present farm of seventy-seven acres in Section 14, Spring Valley town- ship, where, besides general farming, he devotes himself to rais- ing high grade farm stock and growing tobacco. His farm is under a high state of cultivation and improved with a fine dwell- ing house, good barn, tobacco sheds and other buildings, and is justly regarded one of the model places of Rock county.
Mr. Holden is a Republican in politics, and in religious faith is affiliated with the Norwegian Lutheran Church of Orfordville.
On May 1, 1894, Mr. Holden married Miss Ida M. Olson, who came from Norway, her native land, with her parents, who are now deceased, when a child, and received her education in Spring Valley township. Mr. and Mrs. Holden have five children, viz. : Harry V., Irving O., Mabel C., Glenn R. and Ida H., all born in Spring Valley township.
Helge T. Burtness is one of the substantial citizens of Rock county. He was born in Plymouth township on January 25, 1848, to Teman and Helga (Broten) Burtness, who came from Norway, their native land, after their marriage, and settled on 150 acres of government land in Plymouth township. Here they made their home during the remainder of their lives, he dying in 1895 at the age of seventy-eight years, and the mother in 1868. They had a family of nine children, of whom seven sons and one daughter are now-1907-living. They were honored members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and their bodies are interred in the East cemetery.
Helge T. attended the public and Norwegian schools of his native place and passed his boyhood on his father's farm. On attaining his majority, he married, and purchasing his present farm of 140 acres in Sections 25 and 26 in Spring Valley town- ship, settled down to farming on his own account. Mr. Burt- ness, besides carrying on general farming, stock raising and dairying, is an extensive grower of tobacco and withal is pros- perous, thrifty and eminently successful. His farm is finely im- proved with good buildings, all of which he has erected, and in all respects is one of the model farms of the county.
Mr. Burtness is a Republican in politics, and has served as
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treasurer of his township and as a member of the board of super- visors. He has been married three times. His first wife-Miss Carrie, nee Veek-died a year after their marriage, leaving a son, Teman, who died at the age of twenty-eight years. Mr. Burtness' second wife was Miss Betsie, nee Anderson, who died leaving six children, viz .: Lena, who is married to Mr. Hank Trosten, a farmer of Spring Valley township; Annie, who is mar- ried to Mr. L. W. Terry. a merchant of Brodhead; Millie, who lives with Mrs. Terry; Martin, a farmer of Avon township, who married Miss Emma Everson; Bertha, who resides in St. Paul, Minn., and Elmer, who married Miss Ethel, nee Jones, now de- ceased, and now lives at Orfordville. Burtness' third and pres- ent wife was Miss Agnes, nee Of nine children born to them eight are now living, viz .: Bretten, a machinist, living at Beloit; Edward, Irving, Mabel, Blanche, Herman, Lil- lian and Harold, all living at home, and Odelia, who is now deceased.
Mr. Burtness having passed his nearly three score years in Rock county, has witnessed many changes, having seen what was a wild and barren country transformed into a very garden improved with all that goes to make up a model modern farm. In this work of transformation he has contributed his full share and with his large and interesting family now lives in the full enjoyment in the fruits of his years of activity.
John A. Austin, one of the up-to-date progressive and scien- tifie farmers of Rock county, Wisconsin, was born in Johnstown (two deceased) of Thomas H. and Caroline (Williams) Austin, township July 7, 1871, and is one of nine surviving children early settlers of Rock county. His father, who was a native of Albany, N. Y., settled in Rock county about 1845 on the farm of 1,000 acres in Lima township. Some years later he moved to Johnstown township, where he bought farm lands, owning at one time 2,000 acres, and being one of the largest land owners of the county in his day. He was a successful and progressive farmer and stock breeder and a man of much influence and high standing in the community, respected by all for his goodness and nobility of character. He died at his home at the age of sixty-two years, and his widow passed away a few years later at the age of sixty-seven.
John A. was reared on his father's farm in Johnstown town-
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ship and received his education in the local schools and at Mil- ton College. He lived on the family homestead until 1905, when he removed to his present home in Lima township, which he has improved with a substantial modern farm house and other build- ings and equipments. Mr. Austin carries on his farm according to the most improved methods, as is evidenced by his complete and thorough equipments of modern labor-saving machinery and the splendid results of his clear headed work. Besides general farming, he makes a specialty of breeding high grade stock, having a herd of 100 blooded cattle, as many sheep and as many Poland China hogs. Mr. Austin also operates a thresher, own- ing a complete high class threshing outfit. He is a Republican in politics, but has never sought or cared for official position, finding in the pursuit of his life vocation enough to employ all his time and gratify his ambition. He is connected with the Whitewater camp of Modern Woodmen of America.
In 1904 Mr. Austin married Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Hume, who was born in Philadelphia, Penn. Her parents settled in Johnstown township in 1894 and the father is now a well-known farmer there. Mr. and Mrs. Austin have had two children, of whom the younger died in infancy un- named. The elder is named Florence May.
James R. Morton comes of sturdy Scotch ancestry, and be- longs to one of the enterprising, progressive and successful fam- ilies of Johnstown township, Rock county, Wisconsin.
He was born on June 15, 1870, the second of a family of five children born to Robert and Isabell (Gentle) Morton, both na- tives of Scotland. The paternal grandfather, John Morton, came from Scotland in 1846, and after living one year in New York settled in Rock county, Wisconsin. He bought a farm, which became the family homestead.
James passed his boyhood on the old homestead and received a good education, supplementing that obtained in the public schools by a course of study at the Janesville Business College. Mr. Morton has spent his life in farming in its various branches and is in every sense a practical and progressive farmer. He now farms 400 acres of farm land very favorably located, and besides a variety of grain, gives special attention to breeding and raising high grade farm stock. Among his blooded horses are a Hackney stallion, high grade; Clyde stallion, registered;
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Cleveland Bay mare, registered, and Polled Angus and sire, reg- istered. He also has numerous high grade cows and Jersey Red hogs, registered sires; in fact, Mr. Morton is a man of progres- sive ideas and in his farming operations, as in everything else, believes in keeping in touch with the best that is to be had. Like his father before him, he takes a commendable interest in mat- ters outside of his own personal affairs. He has served as treas- urer of the school for several years.
On December 2, 1902, Mr. Morton married Miss Pearle Smith. a daughter of Mr. John Smith, a highly respected citizen of Bradford township. Mrs. Morton was one of Rock county's suc- cessful public school teachers, being a graduate of Clinton High School and was later a student at the State Normal School at Whitewater, Wis .; is esteemed by all who know her for her many virtues and womanly graces, and is in the full sense, a worthy helpmate of her worthy husband.
The Morton family, whose various members have done their full share in the work of developing the material interests of the community in which they have lived since the coming of the grandfather in 1847, is one of the most respected and highly esteemed in their section of the county, and this applies to none more truly than to him whose name heads this brief sketch.
George R. McLay, a man who has made his own way in the world, is a successful farmer of Johnstown township, Rock coun- ty, Wisconsin, was born in La Prairie township, Rock county, Wisconsin, on March 19, 1866. He is a son of Duncan and Agnes (Gentle) Graham. His mother died when he was six months old and a few years later his father moved to the state of Kan- sas, where he met an untimely death by drowning. Thus left an orphan when a young lad, George R. was taken into the family of Mr. David McLay, of Johnstown township, by whom he was reared and whose family name he adopted. Here he spent his boyhood and youth, attending the district schools and helping with the farm work. He grew up with habits of industry, economy and thrift, and on attaining his majority, began life on his own account. Prosperous and successful, he accumulated sufficient capital to own a farm of his own, and in 1898 bought what was known as the George Hanthorn farm, comprising 160 acres in Section 32, Johnstown township. The place was favor- ably located and under a good state of cultivation, and has been
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improved by Mr. McLay with a fine modern dwelling house, good barns and out buildings, and all the appliances that pertain to an up-to-date model farm.
On March 18, 1891, Mr. McLay married Miss Belle W. Scott, a daughter of William and Christina Scott, of La Prairie town- ship. Mr. and Mrs. McLay have an interesting family of six children, viz .: Graham R., Agnes M., Grace C., Ivan G., Kirk- land S. and Arthur G., all living at home.
Mr. McLay has given himself to general farming with good success, having a genius for hard work, and richly merits the social and domestic enjoyment and comforts that have come as the result of his industrious and upright life.
Thomas Clark, who comes of sturdy Scotch ancestry, is a na- tive of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was born January 24, 1840. He is the sixth of a family of twelve children born to William and Isabella (Daniel) Clark. Six of the twelve children are now -1907-living. The father, previous to coming to this country in 1858, was for a number of years a farmer in the parish of Crudden, Scotland. On coming hither he settled in Harmony township, where he made a home and lived the remainder of his lifetime. Thomas, who was eighteen years of age when the family settled in Rock county, lived at home for a number of years. He began on his own account by farming leased land and having been trained by the careful, industrious and thrifty habits of the sturdy race, was successful and prosperous in his affairs, so that in 1884 he purchased the farm where he now has his home, comprising 260 acres of fine farming land and twenty acres of wood land, in the township of Johnstown.
Mr. Clark has always given careful attention to his farming operations, and is a thorough, practical and progressive farmer. Besides general farming, he devotes much care to the breeding and raising of fine stock, making a specialty of Clydesdale horses and short horn cattle.
Mr. Clark, in the midst of his activities, has been able to give much time to public affairs, having served a number of years as a member of the board of supervisors, and during three years last past as its chairman.
On November 26, 1866, Mr. Clark married Miss Christina Hadden, a native of Haddingtonshire, Scotland, and a daughter of James and Ann (Brown) Hadden.
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Mr. and Mrs. Clark have a family of five children, viz .: Wil- liam H., who lives at home; Anna, who is married to Mr. John A. Paul, of Milton Junction ; J. Frank, who married Mary E. Maw- hinney, resides in Johnstown township, and Catherine E. and Thomas D., who live at home.
Mr. Clark has always been diligent in all his affairs, and withal prompt, honorable and straightforward, and is univer- sally respected for his manly character and goodness of heart.
John F. Kennedy comes of a good family and ranks among the prosperous and successful farmers and representative citi- zens of Rock county, Wisconsin. He was born at Mauch Chunk, Penn., January 17, 1873, and is the eldest son of a family of nine children, of whom seven are living, born to Mr. William D. and Elizabeth (Masterson) Kennedy, both natives of Cavin, Cootehill county, Ireland. The parents were married in their native land and their first two children were born there.
On coming to this country they settled and lived for a time in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, but in 1874 removed to Wis- consin and lived some five years at Spaulding Lake. In 1879 the family removed to Johnstown township, Rock county, where the father purchased a farm in section 18, and where he passed the remainder of his lifetime, his death occurring in 1906 at the age of seventy-three years. He was an active, industrious, hard- working man, fond of his home and kind and affectionate to his family, upright and honorable in all his affairs and just to all with whom he had to do, and universally esteemed for his sturdy, manly qualities of head and heart.
John F. had the ordinary experiences of the western farmer boy, assisting on the farm and attending the district schools. He has passed the greater part of his life on the family home- stead, and being the eldest son, on the death of his father, took active charge of the farming operations. The homestead con- sists of 200 acres in Johnstown and twenty acres in Harmony township adjoining, thirty acres being wood land of black and burr oak. His farming is diversified in character, comprising besides growing grain, the breeding and raising of pure blooded stock, Durham cattle, and Chester white and Jersey red hogs being his favorites.
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