The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc., Part 109

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 899

USA > Wisconsin > Rock County > The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc. > Part 109

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

718

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

hearers. It was first delivered in Janesville, in August, 1877, to an audience composed of over or thousand persons. The interest in the lecture became wide-spread, and calls for its delivery in the princ pal towns of Southern Wisconsin were numerous and urgent. He delivered it a number of times crowded houses always, and never charged for his time and trouble.

It is not often we find in one man such a devotion to his profession and to science, and, at the san time, such an undaunted public spirit, as we find in Dr. Palmer. In his profession, he is possessed o firmness and dexterity of hand, a calm, cool brain, a quick, unfailing eye, a steady nerve, a strength will, and a physical endurance, which give him so much distinction as a surgeon. These qualities ena bole

01 him to successfully perform some of the most difficult and dangerous operations known to his profession. He bas also won an enviable reputation as a physician, his practice being chiefly confined to the best class of people, and the calls for his services come from far and near. On the other hand, he stands among our most prominent public men. There is no local enterprise of any consideration that he is not called upon to assist. He performs a prodigious amount of professional labor-enough to bankrupt the physical system of any man of ordinary endurance-but yet he finds time to attend to scores of enterprises of a local but important character. Everything he undertakes bears the unmistakable impress of his energy. sound judgment and genius. In addition to all this, he is a thorough scholar, and a true gentleman, and enjoys the abiding confidence and respect of the people for his manly character and unimpeachable integrity.

JOHN J. R. PEASE, attorney ; born in Connecticut; moved to Green Bay, Wis., in June, 1840; while there he was employed in the office of the Register of Lands, also surveying, farming, etc. From Green Bay he removed to Janesville in 1866, and was employed as surveyor for three or four years; was admitted to the bar in 1849 and has been engaged in the practice of law ever since. He was for twelve years or more a Director of the C., St. P. & F. R. R. Co. He was one of the first Directors of .the Rock County Bank, and one of the Trustees of the the N. W. Life Insurance Co. of Milwaukee for -about twenty years ; has been a Director of the Janesville Cotton Manufacturing Co. since its organiza- tion. He was Mayor of Janesville for 1856; served several years as County Supervisor; has been Town and City Assessor, Alderman, etc. He is one of the Trustees and President of the Oak Hill Cemetery Association and has been connected with it for sixteen or seventeen years.

F. F. PIERSON, general repair and job shop, 87 Main street; born in Muscatine, Iowa, .July 27, 1849; son of Silas and Elsie A. Pierson. He served his time at cabinet-making there; came to Rock Co. and located at Janesville in the spring of 1870; worked for the Janesville Furniture Co. .three years; commenced business for himself in 1873. Was in the army, having enlisted as private in .Co. K, 18th Iowa V. I., in the fall of 1862; was stationed at Little Rock, Ark., doing picket and provost duty ; served one year and four months; was honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, in the summer of 1863. Feb. 24, 1874, he married Miss Sadie D. Farwell, daughter of R. D. and Mattie A. Farwell, in Janesville, Wis .; they have three children-Hamilton L., Roy and Burt. Mr. Pierson is a member of the I. O. O. F.

VIRGIL POPE, farmer, Sec. 14; P. O. Janesville ; born in Windsor Parish of Winterbury' Conn., March 31, 1815 ; son of Dr. Samuel Pope and Frelia Waterman, both . natives of England; his parents moved to Broome Co., N. Y., when he was 9 years old; he lived there two years, then went to work for Mr. Russel Gale, living with him for eight years till he found his health failing, and resolved to go West; at the age of 20, he started for the Northwest, going down the Susquehanna River to Harris- town, making his way west from there to Cleveland, via Sandusky, and Michigan City to Chicago; remained here only a few hours, pushing on, and arrived in Rock Co., Nov. 15, 1835, and, on Nov. 16, made his selections of land; Mr. Pope came all the distance from the East on foot, not riding one hundred miles. Married, Jan. 9. 1845, Miss Selina Humes, daughter of Amos Humes ; she was born in Allegany Co., N. Y .; had four children-Isabella, Arvelia, Della M. and Anson T. Isabella married E. N. Shaw, photographer of Sharon. Mr. Pope has been Supervisor two terms, Treasurer of Town one term, and Clerk of the District School a number of terms.

A. M. PRATT, Sec. 24; P. O. Janesville ; born in Rushville, Ontario Co., N. Y .. Dec. 21, 1818; the son of Ira and Clarissa G. Pratt; came to Wisconsin in the winter of 1850, via Canada by team, and located in Rock Co., at Janesville ; built a building on Sec. 24 for his father and mother; they had seven children, four boys and three girls; in the fall, they came and took possession. Mr. A. M. Pratt went to California and Oregon ; built a large store for Dr. Mclaughlin, at Oregon ; returned to Janesville in the fall of the same year. In February, 1846, he married Miss Selinda S. Wood, daughter of Harry and Judith Wood, of Middlesex, Yates Co., N. Y .; they had two children, one living-Cordelia S., died in Kansas in 1856; Ellen L. In October, 1861, Mr. A. M. Pratt enlisted as a private, and was mustered into service; after having raised a cavalry company, was appointed Captain Co. E, 3d W. V

719

CITY OF JANESVILLE.

C .; was in five hard-fought battles-battle of Le More, at or near Fort Scott, Mo .; Elm Springs, Ark .; Cain Hill, Prairie Grove and Flat Rock, Van Buren, Ark.

MOSES S. PRICHARD, Police Justice; native of Vermont ; graduated from the Univer- sity of Vermont in 1841; was admitted to the bar of Orange Co., Vt., the spring term of 1845; came to Janesville Aug. 5, 1845, when he became associated in the practice of law with A. Wyatt Smith. In March, 1846, was elected Justice of the Peace, which office he held about three years ; at the expiration of that time, he formed a law partnership with Hon. David Noggle; in the spring of 1853, he was re-elected Justice of the Peace. In August of that year, was elected County Judge, and, from January, 1854, to January, 1858, he served in that capacity ; from that time, till 1860, he was associated with Messrs. Knowlton & Jackson, attorneys ; from 1860 to 1867, he engaged in practice alone ; in the latter year, was elected Justice of the Peace, and held that office by re-election till 1875; in the spring of 1878, he was elected Police Justice, which position he now holds ; he served as Alderman of the First Ward in 1858 and 1859. During the period that he served as County Judge, he was for one year law partner with Hon. John M. Berry, now Judge of the Supreme Court of Minnesota, and, for two years, partner of J. W. D. Parker. Judge Prichard married Betsey Ann True Oct. 27, 1847; she was born in Perry, Wyoming Co., N. Y .; a daughter of Elijah True (deceased), one of the early settlers of Rock Co., Wis .; he came to Fulton Township, and selected location in 1839, and, in 1840, came with his family to remain permanently ; he died in 1856. Judge Prichard has three children-Mary E., George T. and Anna M.

S. J. M. PUTNAM; born in Lowville, Lewis Co., N. Y., Dec. 17, 1820, and came to Chicago in 1852. Married Jane Mellen July 15, 1845; she was born in Watertown, N. Y., Sept. 2, 1823; they have five children-Fanny, Fred F., Ida May, Charles Sumner and Edwin E., aged 31, 27, 21, 18 and 15 years; Fanny married R. M. King, of Janesville. Mr. P. came to Janesville Feb. 26, 1855; was in the carriage business four years ; in 1859, appointed Under Sheriff, and elected Sheriff in 1860; served two years ; was appointed Provost Marshal of the Second District of Wisconsin April 24, 1863, and served till October, 1865; in 1866, was again elected Sheriff, and, after two years, engaged in the insur- ance business; in 1872, was again elected Sheriff for two years; in 1875, was appointed Superintendent of Industrial School at Waukesha, and, at the end of one year, resigned ; was appointed Superintendent of State Industrial School Jan. 4, 1877, and continued until April 20, 1879, when he withdrew from the school, as he demanded an investigation of school matters, etc., which was refused him-he, however, is still the legal Superintendent.

A. J. RAY, general manager of the Janesville Cotton Manufacturing Co .; born in Coopers- town, Otsego Co., N. Y .; moved to Massachusetts when a boy; commenced working in a cotton factory when 12 years of age; was for twenty-five years in the cotton print works at North Adams, Mass .; for sixteen years as manager and owner of mills at that place; came to Janesville in 1875.

HAMILTON RICHARDSON was born in the town of Le Roy, N. Y., Oct. 17, 1820; his parents were farmers in comfortable circumstances, and his educational advantages as good as could be furnished by the country schools of the day ; when only 15 years of age, he entered the service of a mercantile firm and became a member of the family of one of its partners, a personal friend of his father's, and a most accomplished business man, with whom he emigrated to the State of Michigan, which had just been admitted into the Union; most of the State of Michigan was at that time literally . wilderness ; its small population was located upon its southern border, but the firm with which young Richardson was engaged, plunged into the depths of the forest and commenced the building of what is now the city of Flint, one of the most beautiful and prosperous of that rich and prosperous State. They laid out a large part of the city, built the first dam across the Flint River, erected the first saw-mill upon its banks, and were the first to establish a mercantile house in the county of which that city is the capital; their business, which included banking. was for a time prosperous, but they were overtaken by the finan- cial storm of 1837, and the following year went into bankruptcy. From the day of the establishment until the final closing-up of their business, young Richardson enjoyed the confidence of his employers, and, to a large extent, participated with them in the management of all their affairs, and thus, at an age when most men commence their practical education, he had, as it were, graduated by passing through all the grades of establishing, conducting and finally closing a varied and extensive business; the panic of 1837, belongs to the financial history of the country, and there are few men now engaged in business who have personal knowledge of it; Mr. Richardson is one of the few, and to the lesson taught by experience during that crisis, he is probably indebted for the fair share of success which has attended his business efforts through life. In the year 1840, Mr. Richardson returned to the State of New York and renewed his studies at the academy in his native place, but he was too much imbued with the Western spirit to long endure the quiet of an Eastern town, and, in the spring of 1842, he again turned his face westward

720

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

and located in Milwaukee, where he found employment as book-keeper in one of the largest commercial houses in the place; in the year 1844, he established himself in the hardware trade in the village of Racine, but not meeting with the success which he anticipated there, in the spring of 1846, he removed to Janesville, and soon took rank among the most active and successful business men in the place; with. view to enlarging his business, in 1850, Mr. Richardson, in connection with Mr. Truesdell, crected the Excelsior (now Baner & Hodson's) Mills, but this proved an unfortunate speculation, for the property first nearly destroyed by fire and then by flood ; the country, too, was suffering from a general stagnation of business, caused by succession of bad crops, and Mr. Richardson resolved to try a new field for enter. prise, and, in the fall of 1851, removed to California and located at Marysville, at the head of navigation on the Feather River, at that time a place of great commercial importance; he there established a house for the supply of the mountain traders, and for four years did a large and successful business; in the prosecution of this trade he made extensive trips through the mountains, and thus became familiar with the mining operations; on one of these journeys, he fell into the hands of a portion of Joaquine's band of highwaymen, by whom he was robbed and narrowly escaped the fate which befel so many of these celebrated freebooter's victims; while residing in California, Mr. Richardson helped to organize and was Secretary and Treasurer as well as one of the largest stockholders, of a line of river steamers which was built and managed expressly to resist the extortions of one of the greatest monopolies ever attempted upon any of the inland waters of this country ; the success of the new line was perfect and the great monopoly with its millions of capital, was forced to surrender; returning to Janesville in 1856, Mr. Richardson again became a citizen of Rock County, and since that time has been identified with various business interests in the city. In 1858, he was married to Miss Caroline A. Pease, daughter of the late Judge Lorrain T. Pease, of Hartford, Conn., and with his bride traveled extensively in Europe during that and the following year; in 1873, he again visited Europe and made an extensive tour. In politics. Mr. Rich- ardson was never a violent partisan ; he was identified with the Democratic party until the war of the rebellion ; in 1864, he was elected to the Legislature by the united Republican and War Democratic vote. and has since been an active member of the Republican party ; in 1868, he was elected a County Com- missioner and a member of the Committee on Public Buildings which erected Rock County's beautiful Court House, and was twice afterward elected a member of the Board of County Supervisors; in 1876. he was elected a member of the Senate, and again in 1878. During the war, Mr. Richardson contributed largely of time and means; he was one of a committee of three which raised the 13th W. V. I .. and served actively on nearly every committee organized for war purposes, in the city of Janesville.

H. F. ROBINSON, Sec. 5; P. O. Janesville; born in 1820 in Wyoming Co., near Buffalo, N. Y .; came to Wisconsin in 1856 and settled on the land which is his present homestead, carrying on the shoemaking business and farming. Married, in 1844, Miss Betsey A. Waine, a native of Allegany Co., N. Y .; born in, September, 1825 ; have three sons-Judson, born in 1845; Cornelius, 1848; Francis, 1863. Republican, both father and sons.

DR. O. P. ROBINSON, physician and surgeon ; born in Elizabeth, N. J., of English parentage ; engaged in practice over forty years ; was I cated for three years in Texas prior to his removal to Wisconsin ; in April, 1846, he went to Milwaukee, and, in November of that year, came to Janesville; he was County Physician several years ; served as Alderman of the Fourth Ward from 1871 to 1877; was re-elected for 1878; was President of the Common Council for 1873. Married Clara B. Reynolds, of New York City, in August, 1841.

WILLIAM RUGER, attorney; admitted to the bar in 1859; he enlisted in the Ruger Guards, afterward Co. A, 13th Wis. I. V. I., in August, 1861; commissioned Second Lieutenant ; at the time of the organization of the regiment, he was appointed Adjutant; in July, 1862, he was appointed, by President Lincoln, Assistant Adjutant General, with the rank of Captain; mustered out in October. 1865, as Assistant Adjutant General, with a brevet of Major. Since Jan. 1, 1866, Mr. Ruger has given his entire attention to his profession, and, through his great legal acumen and thorough integrity, has acquired a large and profitable practice, and is the official attorney of some of the largest corporations of the State.

JOHN W. SALE, District Attorney and member of the law firm of Bennett & Sale ; born in La Porte, Ind. ; in 1842, when he was but six months old, his parents removed to Union Township, Rock Co., Wis., and settled on Sec. 28, where his father, John F. Sale, died in February, 1845 ; his mother now resides in Evansville. Mr. Sale graduated from the Michigan University in the spring of 1866; was admitted to the bar of Michigan at the same time; admitted to the bar of Wisconsin in the same year; came to Janesville in June, 1866; commenced practice here Jan. 1, 1867 ; he was several years City Attorney, and is now serving his fifth year as District or County Attorney.

721

CITY OF JANESVILLE.

S. F. SANBORN, furniture dealer; born in Wheelock, Caledonia Co., Vt., March 7, 1841 ; came West in 1848 and settled in Illinois, near Beloit, where he farmed for four years ; then came to Mil- ton, Wis .; remained four years, and thence to Sauk Co. six years; enlisted in fall of 1863, in Co. G, 1st Wis. V. I .; was with Sherman in his march from Ringgold to Atlanta, and was wounded in the battle of Jonesboro, losing his right leg. after which he was transferred to Co. E, 21st Wis. V. I .; mustered out May 25, 1865; after this, lived for some time in Newville, town of Fulton ; was proprietor of a hotel at Ft. Atkinson one year; came to Janesville in 1874; has been in present business one year. Married Cordelia M. Howard Sept. 4, 1860; members of Methodist Church.

. REV. T. P. SAWIN, Pastor First Congregational Church; born in Lynn, Mass., Jan 14, 1841 ; was educated at Yale College; ordained Dec. 1, 1871 ; began preaching at Racine, Wis., in July, 1871, and preached there four years ; came to Janesville in October, 1875 ; previous to entering the min- istry, was Professor of Belles Lettres and Mathematics at Mt. Washington University, New York City, for three years; for one year, was engaged in literary work ; for six years. was Professor of Languages and Mathematics in Markham's Academy, Milwaukee. Married Elizabeth Farroll Sept. 28, 1864; she was born in England Aug. 20, 1841 ; they have two children-Carrie A. and Laura A., aged 3 and 1 years. Mr. S. has been for several years extensively engaged in educational matters ; was appointed, by the State Superintendent, as a member of the Board of Examiners of Whitewater Normal Schools, and has also lectured before various Teachers' Institutes of this State:

REV. J. SCHLERF, clergyman ; born in Baltimore, Md., March 20, 1853; graduated at Concordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind., 1872. and at Concordia Theological Seminary of St. Louis, in 1875; ordained in Janesville. Sept. 5 of same year, by Rev. F. Lochner, of Milwaukee. Married Elizabeth Wildermuth, of Baltimore, Feb. 16, 1876 ; she was born in Baltimore Feb. 28, 1850; have two children -Ernest P. G., born Oct. 15, 1877, and Cora G. A., April 6, 1879; also one adopted child-Katie Spil- man, aged 9 years Mr S. also has charge of the parochial school at this place.

HENRY SEARCH, farmer, Sec. 34; P. O. Janesville; born in Maryland Aug. 13, 1810; resided in Pennsylvania and Ohio previous to removal to Wisconsin; located on farm he now owns in 1842; he has resided there ever since, excepting two years, when he lived in the city of Janesville. In 1846, he married May Jane Ward, a native of New York ; they have one daughter-Amorette. Mr." Search enjoys the esteem of the whole community, having always lived an upright and honorable life.

G. FRED SELLECK was born April 21, 1847, and, in 1850, removed, with his parents. to Paw Paw, Van Buren Co., Mich., where he was raised and obtained a high-school education ; after leav- ing school, he went to Three Rivers, Mich., and entered a clothing store, but only remained a year, as he had made up his mind to learn the printing business; in 1863, he entered the office of the Kalamazoo Gazette, and then the Kalamazoo Telegraph, and in the latter office he completed his trade, but not till 1867, for in the mean time he had entered the army and remained until the close of the war; after the completion of his trade, he traveled through the South with the Boston Theatre Company, and, on his return north, accepted a position with the Detroit Free Press, which he held until compelled to quit the newspaper business on account of sickness. At this time-1867-he visited Mexico and Cuba; since then, he has visited British America, writing up the Saskatchewan, Assiniboin and Red River Valleys, and the country along the line of the Northern Pacific and proposed Canadian Pacific Railroad lines. Out- door life agreeing with him, he has endeavored to keep outside as much as possible, and was with Col. Burr Robbins' allied shows for several seasons, in the capacity of trea urer, during the summer and in the winter connecting himself with newspaper offices. In the spring of 1878, the Janesville Daily Recorder was started, and he accepted the position of city editor, which position he still retains.

REV. HENRY SEWELL, Pastor of First Methodist Episcopal Church ; born in England Sept. 11, 1832 ; spent boyhood in Madison, N. J .; removed to New York at the age of 15, and remained there till coming West in 1852; was educated at Scherrill's Classical Seminary, at Madison, N. J., and is also a graduate of the High School in the same place; was foreman and salesman in an extensive umbrella and parasol house in New York City for six years ; was farming four years in Rock Co. Married Eliza- beth Demke, of New York City, Dec. 6, 1854; she was born Jan. 19, 1835; they have four children- Henry A. and William A. are twins, born Sept. 30, 1855, and are now in business in Oconomowoc; Rob- ert, born March 11, 1859. is now in the Star Clothing house, Milwaukee; Ellsworth B. was born June 28, 1861, and is now clerk in Stockton's dry-goods store. Mr. S. joined the Wisconsin Conference in 1858, traveled one year, then rested one year ; was ordained Deacon by Bishop Ames, at Whitewater, Wis., in 1859, and ordained Elder by Bishop Scott. Mr. S. has been Pastor of the following charge . : Orfordville, Utter's Corners, Emerald Grove, Sun Prairie, Lake Mills, Oconomowoc, Columbus, Milwau- kee and Janesville.

722

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

JOHN B. SILSBEE, of Silsbee Commercial College; born in Barrington, Yates Co .. N. Y.' Nov. 14, 1837; resided there till 1840, when his parents removed to Minisink, Orange Co., where they remained until he was 12 years of age; they then removed to Tyrone, Schuyler Co., N. Y., and remained there until they came to Winnebago Co., Wis., in 1857. Mr. S. was educated in different schools and acad- emies and at Ripon College, and studied in the latter institution two years and a half ; he taught in differ- ent towns of Wisconsin several years ; was Principal of high school at Manitowoc ; Principal of high school at Two Rivers; Principal of high school at De Pere; served five months in 21st Wis. Vol. Cav., and was discharged on account of disability ; he was one year one of the proprietors of the Green Bay Business College, after leaving the high school at De Pere ; he then bought the Fond Du Lac Business College, which he conducted until he came to Janesville, in 1875; the college was incorporated April 23, 1877, the corporators being composed of many of the leading citizens of Janesville. Prof. Silsbee married Harriet J. Knapp, daughter of D. B. Knapp, of Rockford, Manitowoc Co., Wis., Nov. 29, 1860; she was born near Lake George, N. Y .; have five children-Arthur W., Flora M .; Hattie E. ; Homer K. and Laura Lee. Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of the Congregational Church.

SIMEON SIMMONS, farmer, Sec. 10; P. O. Janesville; born in Harmony Township, Rock Co., March 20, 1848; is son of Alfred Simmons, of Harmony, who settled there about 1845. Married Miss Carrie Davies, daughter of Cyrus Davies. of Janesville; had two children, both now deceased-Edos May, born Feb. 15, 1877, died 1879; Simeon, born March 21, 1873, died in 1873. They attend the United Brethren Church.

HENRY SLAWSON, farmer, Sec .. 7 ; P. O. Leyden ; came to Wisconsin in 1846, locating in Walworth Co .; lived there five years; removed to Harmony Township; came and settled in township of Janesville on land he now occupies in 1858; born in Albany Co., N. Y., in 1810. Married Jane Black, a native of New York, in 1842; she died in 1848, leaving seven children-Sullivan, James, George, Amelia, Lorinda, born 1852, died 1877 ; Julia, Frerelyon. Married as second wife, Sarah Hig. gins, a native of Lowell, Mass., in 1859, who died in 1862; they had two children-Eugene and Lorinda. Married his third wife, Jane Virgin, a daughter of Mr. Johnston Virgin, of Rock Co .; they have two boys and two girls-William, Harry, Effa and Nellie. Has been Constable and Postmaster one term each ; is Director of School Board at present. Owns 112 acres; raises grain and corn and stock for the Chicago and Milwaukee markets.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc., Part 109

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 899

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 899