USA > Wisconsin > Dodge County > The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc > Part 107
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MOSES T. THOMPSON, farmer, Sec. 4; P. O. Columbus; is the son of Andrew and Almeda Thompson, born in Madison Co., N. Y., in 1817 ; in 1843, he came to Wisconsin and settled in the city of Kenosha, where he worked at the carpenter and joiner's trade on the pier, and in the ware- house for the firm of Lake, Fisk & Lay ; in 1844, he removed to McHenry Co., Ill., where he followed farming for two years ; in 1846, he returned to Wisconsin and followed farming in the town of Columbus, Columbia Co., till 1864; he then bought his present farm of 120 acres in Sec. 4, Columbus ; he has also a farm of eighty acres in Sec. 33, Westford, and ten acres in Sec. 5, Columbus. Jan. 31, 1844, he married Miss Jennett, daughter of Constant and Sarah Blowers, of Genesee Co., but a native of South- port, Chemung Co., N. Y .; they have had six children-Lucius H .; Lewis, deceased; Charles, of Dakota; Emma J .; Mrs. George Bashford, of Iowa; Jerome B., of Westford ; Ellen L., Mrs. Rudolph Craus. Mr. Thompson is a man who takes great interest in public schools, and has been a member of the School Board for several years. He is a Republican politically.
OWEN J. THOMAS, farmer, Sec. 29; P. O. Columbus; is a native of Angleshire, North Wales ; son of John and Margaret Thomas ; born Jan. 4, 1820; he spent his early life on a farm in his native country, and in May, 1845, he set sail from Liverpool for America, and landed in New York about the middle of June following; he came thence to Racine, Wis., where he attended school and clerked in a store nearly six years. Returning to Wales in the fall of 1850 he married Ann, daughter of John and Catharine Jones, of Angleshire, Feb. 28, 1851 ; in May following, he with wife came again to Racine, thence to the town of Calamus, Dodge Co., Wis. ; in the fall of 1851, he purchased a farm of eighty acres in the town of Monroe, Wis .; ten months after, he sold that and bought another in same county, where he made his home for two years; in the spring of 1854, he disposed of his interest in Manitowoc Co., returned to Calamus, Dodge Co., and bought a farm of 160 acres in Sec. 29, where he now enjoys a commodious home, as the fruits of his years of toil. Mrs. Thomas died at her residence, March 16, 1874, leaving her husband and four children to survive her, one having died before her- Margaret, now Mrs. D. D. Jones, of Calamus ; John O .; Mary E., deceased ; Ellen J., Thomas J.,
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Mary A. They are members of the Welsh M. E. Church of Elba. Politically, Mr. Thomas is a Republican.
WILLIAM W. WILLIAMS, farmer, Secs. 32 and 33; P. O. Columbus ; was born in Carnarvonshire, North Wales, March 15, 1835 ; in the spring of 1845, he, with his parents, William W. and Mary Williams, sailed from Liverpool for America, and landed at Quebec, in May of that year; they came thence, via Racine, to the town of Calamus, Dodge Co., Wis., where his father entered a farm of 80 acres of land, in Sec. 32, to which he received a Government deed, signed by President Taylor, and to which he afterward added 80 acres, in Sec. 33, making now a farm of 160 acres ; he spent ten months firing on a steamboat on the Mississippi River, then returned to the farm, and has since made it his home. He has been a member of the Town Board several terms. In 1860, he married Miss Ellen, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Jones, of Calamus, but a native of Denbighshire, Wales; they have had seven children-John H., Henry J., William (deceased), Mary E., William O., Robert and an infant (deceased); his mother died here in the fall of 1849, and his father in the spring of 1869. They were devoted mem- bers of the Welsh M. E. Church, and so is Mr. Williams' family.
WESTFORD TOWNSHIP.
MRS. WILLIAM ALWARD, Sec. 6; P. O. Randolph ; is a native of Norfolk, Litch- field Co., Conn. ; born Jan. 16, 1800; when 8 years old, she, with parents, removed to Cortland Co., N. Y., where, in 1820, she married Mr. Ely Hubbard, who died in a little more than six months after mar- riage; in 1827, she married Mr. William Hubbard, with whom she lived in York State till his death, in 1844 ; in 1846, with a family of five children, she had the resolution to try the wilds of Wisconsin, and to make her home among the pioneers of Dodge County ; she is doubtless the only pioneer widow who came to this county to make it her home under such circumstances. She bought a farm of 134 acres in Sec. 6, Westford, to which her daughter has since added 40 acres; she has four children-William W., now of Los Angeles, Cal .; Nathaniel P., of Lewis Co., Minn .; Louisa, Mrs. George Knowles, of Mil- waukee; Elizabeth. Mr. Alward had two daughters by first marriage-Harriet, deceased, and Mary, now Mrs. Bancroft, of Romeo, McComb Co., Mich. The family are connected with the Baptist Church.
RICHARD ARMS, deceased ; was the son of Charles Arms ; born in Chittenden Co., Vt., June 26, 1817, where he followed farming till 1854; then removed to the town of Randolph, Columbia Co., Wis. ; here he bought a farm of 320 acres, and for fourteen years lived the life of an honest farmer ; in the fall of 1868, he removed to the village of Randolph, and left his son to manage the farm, yet he was constantly passing back and forth to his farm, looking after it till his death, July 4, 1879. Rev. J. T. Woodhead, Pastor of the M. E. Church, of Randolph, at the time of his death, says : "Richard Arms had retired from the village Fourth of July celebration to his farm four miles from the village, when he at once ceased to work and live." The shock upon our citizens was great; Brother Arms was so well known and so highly respected ; he was one of those Christian laymen, who pay the lingering balance of the old church debt themselves, rather than annoy the people a second or third time, saying to his good wife, " You know it is all for Him who gave Himself for us ;" he was converted at the age of 15, in Ver- mont, and his presence has been light and help to the church ever since ; his earnest prayers were refresh- ing ; before ascending, he anointed a successor in his son. April 4, 1842, he married Miss Lucy H., daughter of John B. and Eliza Larrabee, of Lancaster, Vt., whom he left a widow with one son ; they having had one daughter-Mary J., deceased; their son, Myron F., who was born in Goshen, Vt., April 25, 1847, came West with parents in 1854; was educated in Lawrence University, of Appleton, Wis. Sept. 3, 1867, he married Miss Mary, daughter of Robert and Abagail Lyons, of Braintree, Orange Co., Vt. ; he devoted his attention to farming, till failing health compelled him to seek medical aid ; in July, 1879, he returned from Danville, N. Y., where he had gone to recuperate and to attend his father's funeral, and in a little more than six weeks he was buried at his side. He was a faithful member of the M. E. Church, and, in the language of Rev. J. T. Woodhead, "had the elements and character of a noble, Christian manhood ;" he was the father of seven children, six of whom, with their mother, survive him-their names are as follows : Arthur M., deceased ; Jennie, Richard, Lucy, Walter, James and Jesse.
DANIEL D. ASHLEY, Randolph ; was born in Whitesboro, Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1810 ; is the son of Daniel and Hetty Ashley, natives of New Hampshire; when 6 years old, went to West Bloomfield, Ontario Co., and made that his home till 16 years of age ; he then removed to Allegany
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Co., N. Y., followed farming till 1844. Here he married Mis Clarissa, daughter of Jonathan and Clarissa Butterfield, a native of Jefferson, N. Y .; in the summer of 1844, he came to Westford, Dodge Co., and reached his father's home July 10; they have had six children, three of whom are living-Cooper N., whose biography occurs in this work; Hettie, now Mrs. Milton Palmerley, of Jonesville, Hillsdale Co., Mich .; Sylvia, now Mrs. L. D. Clark, of Stoughton, Dane Co., Wis. Mr. and Mrs. Ashley are members of the Baptist Church.
COOPER N. ASHLEY, Randolph ; is a son of Daniel D. and Clarissa, whose biographical sketch appears above; Cooper was born in Allegany Co., N. Y., Dec. 25, 1835 ; when about 9 years old, he, with his father's family, came to the town of Westford, July 10, 1844, and settled on a farm of 108 acres, in Sec. 8, which has since been his home ; at the time of their settlement there was not a house within twenty miles of them on the west, and only two between them and Fox Lake; Beaver Dam then consisted of a few small shanties ; the old open-cylinder was their thrasher; they often had the pleasure of waiting three or four weeks .for a grist of wheat at the mill. Dec. 29, 1859, he married Miss Jennie, daughter of William and Ann Williams, of Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., she being a native of Oswego Co., N. Y. ; they have two daughters -- Miss Hattie and Miss Mary. He now owns a farm of 159 acres in Secs. 8 and 17, Westford. Mr. Ashley was the first man to deliver a load of wheat in the village of Randolph ; it was sold to Mr. G. W. Gould, in August, 1857; he has been a member of the Town Board for several terms. Such is a brief life history of one of the earliest and most prominent settlers of Westford.
A. G. BLISS, M. D., Randolph; is a native of Berkshire Co., Mass., where he was born in 1817; at the age of 18, he entered the Seminary of South Adams, Mass., where he graduated with his class in 1838, soon after which he began the study of medicine with a prominent physician of South Adams, with whom he read three years, except in the lecture seasons, when he attended the Worcester Medical College, of Massachusetts, and from which he received his diploma in 1840; he at once began the practice of medicine, in Cheshire, Berkshire Co., where he continued for about thirty-four years ; thence in the spring of 1874, he removed to the village of Randolph, Dodge Co., and now has quite an extensive practice in Dodge and Columbia Cos. In November, 1858, he married Miss Ellen B., daughter of Hanciel and Patience Prince, of Windsor, Mass .; they have one son-Everett.
MORRIS BLODGETT, farmer; P. O. Randolph ; is a native of Randolph, Vt .; born in 1837 ; when quite young, he went to make his home with his uncle, in Rochester, N. Y., and made that his home for a number of years ; whence he came to Cortland, Columbia Co., where he has since followed farming. He married Miss Anna R., daughter of Abiel and Jane A. Stark, of Randolph, Dodge Co .; they have one child.
JOHN S. BUTTERFIELD, farmer, Sec. 6; P. O. Randolph; is a son of Jonathan and Polly Butterfield ; born in Livingston Co., N. Y., in 1832; when 18 years of age, with parents, he came to Westford, Dodge Co., Wis., where he has since made his home, and followed farming ; at the age of nineteen, he began working for Mrs. Alward by the month, which he continued for six years, and since that time has been cultivating her farm on shares; he has a farm of forty acres in Sec. 6.
RUSSEL D. CALKINS, proprietor of cheese factory, and Justice of the Peace, in the East Ward, Randolph ; is a native of Oswego Co., N. Y., son of Russel and Parmela Calkins ; born in 1829 ; from the time he was old enough for business, till 1864, he was principally engaged in the various branches of the lumber trade in York State ; in 1864, he came to Wisconsin, and settled at Cambria, Columbia Co., where for three years he engaged in merchandising; in 1867, he removed to Kilbourn City, Wis., where was continued the same business for one year ; thence to Randolph, in 1868, where he was a member of one of the leading dry-goods firms for four years; in fall of 1872, he went to Ruggville, Penn., and for nearly one year was interested in an oil mine; in 1873, he returned to Randolph, erected a cheese-factory, and has since been engaged in the manufacture of that article. Has been President of the Village Board four years ; was its first Assessor, and has been several times elected Justice of the Peace. In 1854, he married Miss Sarah, daughter of Winsor Whipple, of Oswego Co., N. Y .; they have four children-Win- sor, Frank, Edith and Sylvenus. He and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church ; politically, he is a Republican.
EDWIN CLEMENT, proprietor of the Clement House, Randolph, is a native of Missis- quoi Co., Canada East; born Jan. 20, 1834 ; he is son of Loyal and Betsey J. Clement, with whom he spent his early life on a farm in Canada ; in 1855, he left his father's home and fireside to make his home and try his fortune in the then new State of Wisconsin ; he came to the town of Chester, Dodge Co., settled on a farm near Waupun and followed agricultural pursuits for six years; in 1861, on account of poor health, he returned to Canada for a year ; then came again to Dodge Co., and for one year engaged
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in the hotel business, at Fox Lake; in March, 1863, he came to Randolph; bought the Union House, then a small building about 40 x 20 feet kept by H. H. Russell ; this he had to furnish, and as his means at that time were limited to $250, he was compelled to use his finances very carefully ; the house was paid for before the time agreed upon, and he at once began to enlarge-till now he has the largest hotel in the village. In April, 1864, he married Miss Emma A., daughter of R. T. and Almira F. Case, then of Waupun, but now of Hutchinson, Minn., she being a native of Vermont ; they have one daughter-May. Mrs. Clement is a member of the Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. C. is a Republican.
RALPH DAVIS (deceased) ; was born in Pawlet, Rutland Co., Vt., in 1798; when about 6 years old, with his parents, Edward and Mary Davis, he removed to Washington Co, N. Y., and lived there on a farm till 1832; thence to Chautauqua, N. Y., where he followed farming for twelve years ; in 1344, he immigrated to Kane Co., Ill., and in March, 1846, to the town of Westford, then Fox Lake, entered a farm of eighty acres, brought another of eighty acres in Secs. 5 and 8, where he followed farm- ing till his death, Oct. 27, 1879. In 1821, he married Miss Mary, daughter of Daniel and Penelope Goodrich, of Granville, N. Y .; they had seven children, four of whom are living-Joseph, of Dakota, Iowa ; Orin G., of Waukesha, Wis .; George R., who married Miss Olive A., daughter of John C. and Charlotte Rockwell, of Courtland, Columbia-Co., Wis., in Jnne, 1861 ; Mary P., the late Mrs. David Thomas, of Dakota, Iowa. Mrs. Ralph Davis died April 18, 1868. Mr. Davis had been a member of the Town Board for several terms, and held other offices in the town also.
RODERICK D. EVANS, dry-goods merchant, Randolph ; is a son of Ebenezer and Maria Evans ; born in South Wales Sept. 15, 1842 ; two years after his birth, his parents emigrated to America, and stopped for a short time at Racine, Wis .; thence to town of Fox Lake, Dodge Co., where they settled on a farm ; here R. D. spent most of his time at farm work and attending district school till about 16 years of age; then for two terms he attended the Seminary at Fox Lake; at the age of 18 he began clerking in the dry-goods store of J. L. Townsend, in the village of Fox Lake, where he continued for six years ; having proved to be a successful business man, and upright in all his dealings, his employer started a branch store at Randolph, in the spring of 1866, and placed him in charge of it; in 1867, he began merchandising with his own capital, which, though small at that time, he has carefully invested till it has increased sufficiently to carry one of the most extensive dry-goods and millinery stocks in the village ; the people of the village have such confidence in his ability as a financier that they have elected him to the office of Treasurer for eight successive years; in the spring of 1879, he was appointed Postmaster at Ran- dolph. Oct. 18, 1867, he married Miss Maggie C., daughter of Mrs. E. C. Trimble, of Fox Lake ; they have two children-Harry and Mabel.
GILMAN C. FOSTER, retired grain-dealer, Randolph ; son of Nathan H. and Betsey Fos- ter, nee Spencer ; born at Parishville, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., May 20, 1827, his father being a native of Massachusetts and his mother of Connecticut; in 1832, he, with his parents, removed to Kingston, Ont., and remained there two years; thence to the town of Clark, Newcastle Co., Ont., where they lived on a farm for four years ; in 1838 they emigrated to McHenry Co., Ill., where young Foster spent most of his time until 22 years of age; was educated at the seminaries of Beloit, Wis., and Waukegan, Ill .; during the suminers of 1852-53, he was employed to assist in surveying railroads in Northern Illinois and South- ern Wisconsin ; in 1854, was employed in the warehouse of J. W. Hibbard, of Milwaukee; since 1855, he has been dealing in grain at Oconomowoc, Hartford, Iron Ridge and Randolph ; removed to the last named village in 1864, where he continued the business until the fall of 1879; he has a farm of eighty eight acres in Sec. 35. town of Randolph, Columbia Co. In October, 1856, married Miss Helen, daughter of Rev. Samuel and Sarah Graves, she being a native of Jefferson Co., N. Y .; they have one son, George, formerly assistant editor of the Live Times, of Randolph. Mr. F. has been for several terms a member of the Village Board; is now a member of the T. of H., and I. O. O. F .; both himself and wife are members of the M. F. Church ; politically Mr. Foster is a Republican.
EDWARD GOODWIN, farmer, Sec. 30; P. O. Columbus ; is a son of Thomas and Jane Goodwin ; born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in July, 1834; in 1851, he came with his brother John to America, and lived for eighteen months in New York City, where he followed teaming; then for nine months he was employed on a steamboat on the Hudson River ; in 1854, he went to Rensselaer Co., N. Y., where for nearly two years he followed farm work ; in 1856, with his brother John and father's family, who had just come from Ireland, he immigrated to Fox Lake, Dodge Co., Wis .; eighteen months after he removed to a farm of forty acres in Sec. 30, Westford, which he bought about that time; now has 170 acres in Secs. 30 and 31. In 1856, married Miss Mary, daughter of Thomas and Johanna Delaney, a native of County Tipperary, Ireland ; they have six children-Thomas E., John P., Julia M., Annie J., Eliza L. and Mary E. The family are members of St. Mary's Catholic Church.
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BENJAMIN HAMMOND, farmer, Sec. 6; P. O. Randolph; the subject of our present sketch is one of the most extensive farmers and stock-dealers of Dodge Co .; he was born in Madison 'Co , N. Y., in 1822, and is the son of Benjamin, Sr., and Lydia Hammond; he spent the first twenty-seven years of his life with his father on a farm in his native county; in March, 1851, he married Miss Roxi- ville, daughter of John and Cynthia Fisher, of Madison Co., N. Y., and, four years after (in 1855), they came to the town of Westford, Dodge Co., Wis., where he purchased a farm of 80 acres in Sec. 6; from this small beginning, he has, by his own industry and executive ability, gradually increased his farm of 80 to one of 840 acres, 280 of which lie in Secs. 21 and 22, town of Fox Lake, and 560 in Secs. 5 and 6, Westford. They have had no children of their own, but adopted a daughter-Florence, now Mrs. Alonzo Pearce, of Westford.
HENRY HARMER, farmer, Sec. 7; P. O. Randolph; was born in Essex Co., England, in 1839; in the spring of 1849, he, with his parents, Mathew and Mary Harmer, came to Wisconsin and settled in the town of Sun Prairie, Dane Co., for one year; thence to Marquette Co. for a short time, whence they returned to Dane Co., and made that his home for twenty years. In 1863, he married Miss Carrie M., daughter of William L. and Eunice G. Horton, of Sun Prairie. In 1869, he purchased a farm of 134 acres in Secs. 7, Westfield, Dodge Co., and 12, Cortland, Columbia Co., where they have since made their home. At Madison, in 1864, he enlisted in Battery M, of the 1st Wis. Heavy Artillery, under Capt. Ira Ford; was in the defense of Washington City most of the time; was mustered out of service at Milwaukee, in July, 1865. They attend the M. E. Church of Randolph ..
EDWARD P. JONES, lumber dealer, Randolph; is a son of Hugh and Margaret Jones; born in Liverpool in 1848; when 2 years of age, he, with his parents, sailed for America, and settled on a farm in Green Lake Co., near Kingston, Wis., where he lived on a farm, till about 22 years of age; he then removed to the town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., and continued farming for one year ; thence to Depere, Brown Co., Wis., where he was engaged in railroading for three years; in March, 1876, he came to Randolph, Wis., and, for one year, again devoted his time to agricultural pursuits; in May, 1877, he went to Racine, Wis., and, for nine months, was engaged in the grocery business. Returning, then, to Randolph, in January, 1878, he purchased an interest in the lumber-yard with M. Wilson, with whom he continued, as a partner, till Aug. 1, 1879, when he bought the interest of Mr. Wilson, and has since continued the business, with a capital stock of $2,000. Oct. 21, 1871, he married Miss Hattie M., daughter of Francis and Margaret Rockifiler, of Green Lake Co, who died in January, 1875. In May, 1877, he married Miss Mary E., daughter of J. R. and Mary Owen, of Randolph, she being a native of York State; they have one daughter-Edna M. Mr. Jones is a member of the Village Board.
REV. THOMAS R. JONES, Pastor of the Calvinistic Welsh M. E. Church, Randolph; is a native of Montgomeryshire, North Wales; son of Richard and Elizabeth Jones; born in 1819; received his early education in his native country, but that of theology in the Episcopal University at Holland Patent, Oneida Co., N. Y., where he entered in 1842, soon after his arrival in America ; gradu- ated with the Class of 1844 ; his first charge was that of Carbondale, Luzerne Co., Penn., in 1845, though he often held services at different places. near Holland Patent, while pursuing his theological studies; he remained at Carbondale till 1847, when he was called to the Church at Rome, N. Y., and while here, was engaged in translating and revising a work-" The Customs of the East"-from the English to the Welsh language, and superintending its publication ; in the spring of 1852, he removed to Ebensburg, Penn., shortly after which, he was ordained to the holy ministry by the Synod at Johnstown, Penn., in 1852 ; in 1855, he was called from Ebensburg to the church at Scranton, Penn., for three years ; in 1858, he returned to Rome, N. Y., where he remained till the spring of 1865, whence he removed to Wisconsin and settled in Jefferson Co., where he had charge of the churches at Ixonia and Watertown for three years; in 1868, he went to Lyons, Ohio, and preached there for nearly three years; thence returning to Jefferson Co. Wis., and in January, 1874, was called to the church at Randolph; during the winter of 1878- 79, he translated two volumes of Moody's Life and Sermons, from the English to the Welsh language, of which he took 800 copies with him to Wales in the summer of 1879. In 1845, he was married to Miss Mary, daughter of William and Mary Owens, of Floyd, Oneida Co., N. Y., she being a native of Wales ; they had eight children, as follows: Elizabeth A., Mrs. Eban Davis, of Vinton, Benton Co., Iowa; Mary J., Jr., Mrs. David Roberts, of Chicago, deceased ; Melancthon T., of Spring Valley, Minn., deceased, killed by a team of horses, Aug. 29, 1879; Vidette ; Mary J., Sr., deceased ; Isabella, Mrs. Thomas C. Williams, of Randolph ; Amanda K., Hattie B., Renetta, deceased ; Mrs. Jones died at Rome, N. B., in 1862 ; in 1863, he married Mrs. Jane A., widow of Mr. Amariah Jones, of Brookville, Oneida Co., daughter of Henry and Jane Jones, of Rome, N. Y. ; she having at the time of her second marriage two children-Milton and Cecelia A .; they have had one son-Frank, deceased. Mr. Jones has always
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been a strong advocate of temperance among his people, and published a work entitled “Temperance Founded on the Laws of Nature, as Illustrated by Phrenology ; " in the winter of 1864-65, he wrote and published two volumes of sermons, entitled the " Welsh Pulpit;" the facts need no comment ; the worth of such a man is patent to all.
JAMES KNOWLES, grain-dealer, Randolph ; of the pioneers of this part of the county none is more widely known, none more highly esteemed than the subject of our present sketch ; James is the son of Francis and Sophia Knowles, born in the city of London May 12, 1824; at the age of 12, he, with parents, emigrated to America, and settled in New York City, where his father was engaged in hotel keeping; when 18 years old, he entered upon an apprenticeship at the cooper's trade, which he continued fourteen months ; in 1843, he resolved to try his fortune in the wilds of Wisconsin, and after making the necessary arrangements, came to Fox Lake, Dodge Co .; with his brother George, who preceded him nearly three years as an immigrant to this State, entered 120 acres of land in Sec. 13, town of Randolph ; haul- ing the lumber from Fond du Lac with ox teams, they built the first house, and were the first settlers in that town ; this he made his home most of the time, till 1860, when he disposed of his farm, and removed to the village of Randolph and has since been, dealing principally in grain ; during the first few years of his life in Wisconsin, he was known by the name of Dr. Knowles, because he brought with him from New York City some bottles of ague medicine, and a case of surgical instruments, so that whenever there was a severe case of the ague, which was not infrequent, or any one in the neighborhood received a severe cut or wound of any kind (there being no physician near), Mr. Knowles was sent for at once ; possessing a resolute spirit, which is essential to success, he has, though sometimes. unfortunate, never despaired ; adverse circumstances and men have thoroughly tested him, and found him not wanting; he has been President of the Village Board for five successive terms, four by election, and one by appointment. Feb. 14, 1858, he married Miss Annie A., daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Binney, nee Jones, of Medford, Mass. ; they have three sons, as follows-James A., Winthrop B. and George W .; Mr. and Mrs. Knowles are members of the Baptist Church ; in 1861, Mr. Knowles was appointed Postmaster ; was set aside by President Johnson, but re-appointed by President Grant in 1868 ; such is a brief outline of the life history of one of Randolph's most esteemed citizens.
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