The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc, Part 136

Author: Western Historical Co., pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1050

USA > Wisconsin > Waukesha County > The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc > Part 136

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OLE OLSON, farmer, Sec. 1 ; P. O. Mapleton ; is a native of Norway, born in 1826; his father dying when he was 5 and his mother when he was 6 years old. The homestead was then leased to, parties who were to care for him and an older sister till they reached their 15th year. At the age of 13, he began as a herder-boy, and followed that for four years, after which he worked at farm labor till 1845, when he went to live with a priest for eighteen months, and where he found employ in the city till May 1, 1847. He then sailed for America, and landed in Boston in June; August following, he reached Oconomowoc, Wis. He found a week's work at haying in the town of Ashippun, Dodge Co. ; then went to the town of Merton, Waukesha Co. where he worked for Mr. Finch and various others till 1852; he then settled in the town of Aaron, Washington Co., and made that his home for five years, after which he bought his present farm of eighty acres on Sec. 1, town of Oconomowoc. He was married June 12, 1852 to Ingebor Nelson, a native of Norway, born 1817 and came to Wisconsin in 1851; she died April, 1857, leaving three children ; Annie K., who died in June, 1857; Ole, now at Fargo, Minn .; Nellie L., now the wife of David Davidson, of Milwaukee. His second marriage was in 1859, to Sarah A. Halverson, a native of Norway, and came to Wisconsin in 1849; their children are Isabella A., now in Evanston, Ill. Nicholas H. ; Paulina F .; Nelson I. and Betsey A. Two of his sons are members of the Lutheran Church, the rest attend the Methodist.

E. D. PARSONS, dry goods merchant was born at Bangor, Me., in 1826; his father, Budd Parsons, was born at Belchertown Mass., in 1784 ; he was a sailor, and followed the seas for twenty-five or twenty-six years and afterward settled at Bangor ; they started from Bangor in the fall of 1840, in a sail vessel, via the Hudson River, Buffalo and Lakes, to Chicago, where they took teams for Galena, Ill., and reached their destination in six weeks after their departure from Maine; they engaged in farming there till 1847, when they came to Oconomowoc, and engaged in merchandising, which he has since followed; his mother (Mary Hinkley) died here in 1852; his father in 1862. Mr. Parsons is a member of the City Council. He was married Dec. 25, 1856, to Miss. Julia A., daughter of Harvey Bond, of Milwaukee, though a native of the State of New York; their children are Fred, now a clothing merchant of this city ; Edgar William H. Mrs. Parsons is a member of the Episcopal Church, Mr. Parsons of the I. O. O. F.

HALVER PETERSON, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. Monterey ; was born in Norway 1825. When about 15 years old, he began as a sailor, and continued on the Baltic Sea and Atlantic until 1854, immi- grating at that time to America ; he located on a farm, in the town of Ashippun, in Dodge Co., Wis., where he followed farming until 1866 ; selling his farm at that time, he crossed the road and settled on Sec. 6, town of Oconomowoc, where he now owns 133 acres. He was married in Norway, in 1850, to Anna Larson ; their children are Maria, now Mrs. Olian Hansen, of the city of Oconomowoc; Peter, John, Andrew and Christian. All live at home and are members of the Lutheran Church.

HENRY M. PETERS, merchant tailor, was born at Demmin, Prussia in 1820; when 15 years old, he began the tailor's trade, which he followed there till September, 1839, after which be con tinued it at Hildesheim, Hanover, Hamberg, Berlin and other places till March, 1851 ; he then sailed for America, and landed in New York April 19 following, and remained in the city till September, 1852,

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when he went to Savannah, Ga., for three months ; returning then to New York City, he continued his trade fifteen months, after which he went to Hartford, Conn., for a year ; he came to Wisconsin in 1855, and located at Mapleton, Waukesha Co., where he followed his trade till September, 1857, when he removed to Oconomowoc, and has since carried on the merchant tailoring business. He was married Nov. 13, 1864, to Miss Augusta Rabe, a native of Sassenhagen, Prussia, born Sept. 12, 1845, and came with her parents to Milwaukee, Wis., in June, 1856; their children are Mena, Henrietta, Augusta, Amanda, Henry, Frank, Otto and Edward. They are members of the Lutheran Church.

HIRAM PROSUS, farmer, Sec. 7; P. O. Monterey : a native of Columbia Co., N. Y., born in 1815 ; his parents, John and Ella (Carman) Prosus, were natives of New York, and both died when he was about 6 years old ; he was then taken to live with his grandparents, and in 1830 with them moved to Wayne Co., N. Y., where he spent his time at farming until 1844. He emigrated to Wisconsin the same year, and located on Sec. 27, town of Oconomowoc, Waukesha Co., where he bought a claim of 160 acres, and made that his home till 1853 ; disposing of that farm at that time, he bought his present one of 160 acres on Secs. 6 and 7, where he his since resided. He was married in 1844, to Catharine, a daugh- ter of Samuel and Ann (Longstreet) Harney, a native of Monmouth Co., N. J .; she removed to New York, with her parents, when young, where she was married ; their children are Ella, now the wife of Wesley Rhoda, at Gloversville, N. Y. ; Anna also lives at Gloversville with her sister, Abbie at home; Martha, now Mrs. George Wilsey, of Oconomowoc; Mary at home. Mr. Prosus' family is connected with the M. E. Church. Mr. Prosus has been a member of the Town Board for several terms, also Assessor for several terms.

EDWARD A. RADCLIFFE, teacher; was born in Oconomowoc Oct. 10, 1848, and now the oldest native resident of the city. His father, William Radcliffe, was born on the Isle of Man, and his mother, Betsey Tremain, was a native of New York. They emigrated to Wisconsin in 1846, and located in the village of Oconomowoc, where his father followed the blacksmith trade for a few years, then removed to his present farm on Sec. 17, where he now follows farming. Edward A., subject of this sketch, received his early education in the district schools, and io 1869 he entered Ripon College, where he pursued his studies for two terms, changing then in 1870 to the Whitewater State Normal where he afterward completed his studies. He taught his first school at Ixonia Center, Jefferson Co., in the winter of 1869 and 1870; and in 1872 taught a term in Hamilton Co .. Iowa. Returning to Wiscon- sin in 1873, he has spent much of the time in this county. He taught the first grammar department of the Oconomowoc public school in 1877, and in 1878 and 1879 at Summit Center, and in 1879 and 1880 at the Brown Street School, spending his summers on the farm. He was correspondent for the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1878 and 1879. He was married Nov. 3, 1875, to Miss Mary, daughter of H. C. and Laura Carpenter, a native of Steuben Co., N. Y., and came with her parents to Wisconsin in 1866; their children are Laura and Freddie.

J. N. REGAN, M. D., physician and surgeon; was born in County Cork, Ireland, in February 1847; he came with his parents to America in 1852, and located in the town of East Troy, Walworth Co., Wis. Five years later, he removed to Madison, Wis., where he was a student at the State University during the term of 1861 and part of 1863. He next began clerking in a drug store in that city, and later in that year, he enlisted in the 40th W. V. I., 100-day service ; he was detailed Steward of the regi- mental hospital, and served as such till the expiration of his term of enlistment. Returning then to Madison, he began the study of medicine in 1864 with Dr. Carpenter, and attended lectures at Miami Medical College of Cincinnati, in 1865 and 1866, and in 1868 he went from there to Long Island Hospi- tal, from which institution he graduated in June 1868, passing his examination under the following Pro- fessors : Frank H. Hamilton, of Surgery ; Austin Flint, M. D., Clinics and Medicines ; Austin Flint, Jr., Physiology and Microscopic Anatomy ; C. L. Ford, Anatomy ; Samuel G. Armor, on Materia Medica, Therapeutics ; Practice of Medicine and Pathology ; Luther Swift, Obsterics and diseases of Women and Children ; D. G. Eaton, on Chemistry and Toxicology; William Gill Fillon, Surgical Anatomy ; Dewitt C. Enos, Operative Surgery. He began the practice of medicine at Madison, Wis., in 1868, but, after a short time, went into the drug business there, which he continued till 1874, when he removed to Ocono- mowoc, and has since practiced his profession. The doctor has been a member of the State Medical Society since 1876. He was married Sept. 21, 1869, to Miss Marcia N., daughter of Daniel Himeback, of East Troy, Walworth Co., Wis ; their children are Annie M. and Eugene D. The doctor and his fam- ily are members of the Catholic Church.

THOMAS SALTER, farmer, Sec. 34; P. O. Oconomowoc. This pioneer of Oconomowoc was born at Ashburton, Devonshire, England, November 30, 1808. He spent the first twenty years of

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his life with his parents, William and Jennie (Davey) Salter, at Ashburton ; then removed to Devonshire, where he spent six years as a quarryman. Sailing thence to America in April, 1836, he landed at Quebec about the 1st of June. He camethen to Buffalo, N. Y., and, after a few day's stay there, went to Toledo, Ohio, where he found employ for six weeks; then with an English friend came via Adrian, Mich., to Milwaukee, Wis., and spent a month in looking at this country ; then returned to Toledo for the winter. In June, 1837, he came again to Wisconsin and located on the northwest quarter of Sec. 34, being the second settler in the town of Oconomowoc, Waukesha Co .; he made his claim, built his pioneer shanty, then a log house, which sufficed till 1846, when he built the first frame house in the town, where his present house now stands. He was married at Milwaukee, June 20, 1838, to Miss Mary, daughter of Samuel Nack, a native of Torquay, Devonshire, England; she having come from England and landed in Milwaukee a day or two before their marriage ; their children are Eliza, born May 25, 1840; the first child born in the town ; William H., born Nov: 4, 1841; Susan S., born Aug. 26, 1843; Mary M., born in the first frame house in the town Jan. 9, 1847. Mr. Salter and family are members of the Episcopal Church.

HENRY SCHUTTLER, farmer, Sec. 33; is a native of the city of Chicago, born in 1851, and was for a number of years a member of the Schuttler Wagon Company. In 1877, he bought his present farm of 158 acres on Sec. 33, town of Oconomowoc, all of which lies within the city limits ; he has devoted his time to stock-breeding and agriculture, making a specialty of Durham cattle and barley. He was married in 1875 to Mary Kenkel, a native of Chicago; they have one child.

AUGUST F. SCHIMMELPFENNIG, farmer, Secs. 19 and 20; P. O. Oconomowoc ; was born in Prussia in 1843; he came to America with his parents, John and Louisa A. Schimmelpfennig, in the spring of 1855, and located in the town of Ixonia, Jefferson Co., Wis., where his mother died in the following fall; he made his home with his father, in Ixonia, till the spring of 1863, when he went to Rockford, Ill .; worked at farming till 1864, and then enlisted in Co. M, 8th Ill. C., and served eleven months with his regiment in the Army of the Potomac; he was mustered out at Washington, D. C., in 1865, when he returned to Rockford, and continued work a few months; then went to Ogle and Mason Counties, where he continued till the spring of 1867, when he returned to Jefferson Co., Wis., where he spent the summer. He was married in the fall of 1867 to Johannah Huebner, a native of Prussia ; They have now five children-Annie, Edward (deceased), William, Huldah, Lydia and Ida. He located on Sec. 17, town of Oconomowoc, Waukesha Co., soon after marriage, and made that his home till 1875, when he removed to a farm on Secs. 19 and 20, where they now live.

JOSEPH SCOTT, foreman for Vilas & Co., in lumber-yard, was born in the town of Janes- ville, Rock Co., Wis., in 1849 ; his parents, Samuel and Maria Scott, emigrated from Scotland and located on a farm in his native town, where they died when he was only 3 years old ; he made that his home till 1863, when he removed to Janesville and began the carpenter and joiner's trade, and followed that line of business there till the spring of 1871 ; coming to Oconomowoc, he continued his trade for two years ; he was em- ployed by G. Vilas & Co. in the spring of 1873, and has since been retained in his present position. Mr. Scott has been engineer of the fire company since its organization ; he was elected a member of the City Council from the Third Ward in the spring of 1880. He was married in November, 1871, to Miss Phebe . L., daughter of Alexander and Laura Murrey, a native of Green Co., Wis., born in September, 1847 ; her parents were natives of Scotland, and emigrated to that county in 1845; their children are-George A. and Walter J. Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of the Congregational Church; he is a member of the Temple of Honor.

CHARLES B. SHELDON, farmer, Sec. 33; P. O. Oconomowoc; the first pioneer of Oconomowoc; was born in the town of Gouverneur, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., in 1812; his father, a pioneer of that country, was born at Providence, R. I .; he died about 1876; his mother, Nancy Bowen, was also a native of Providence, and died about 1860. Mr. Sheldon spent his life at farming in his native town till 1834, when he emigrated to Iowa, and there spent the winter of 1834-35; coming to Mineral Point, Wis., in the spring of 1835, he engaged in mining for two years, and, while there, learned something of the lands about Milwaukee and this region, which induced him to seek a location in these parts, coming via Janesville, Prairieville (now Waukesha), thence up the Indian trail to Oconomowoc, where he arrived as the first settler April 27, 1837; he made his claim to 160 acres on the east half of Sec. 33, and built his rude pioneer shanty on the creek bank, which sufficed for a dwelling for about ten years ; he theo built his present house on the north end of his farm, and has made that his home since. He was married in 1845 to Miss Lucinda, daughter of Augustus and Clarinda (Hedges) Cotton, a native of Attica, N. Y., who came with her parents to Oconomowoc in 1844; she died in 1857, leaving three

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children-Nancy C. (now at home), Albert (married, and now lives on the farm) and Anna M. (who died in 1879). His second marriage was in 1861, to Sarah Brown, nee Rix, a native of Canada, who came to Washington Co., Wis., with her parents, when a child ; she had two children-Allie and Samuel Brown-by her former marriage ; they have two children-Lizzie and Charles B.

AMUND SIMONS, of the firm of Olson & Simons, house and sign painters, was born in Norway in 1833. At the age of 20 years, he began the life of a seaman, and in 1857 sailed for America, after which he sailed round Cape Horn to San Francisco and continued on the Atlantic, Pacific and the Great Lakes till 1866 ; he then located at Oconomowoc, Wis., where he followed various kinds of business till 1873, when he began the painter's trade with J. L. Hastings ; a year later, he began work for Olson & Hasting, and in 1877 he formed a copartnership with Mr. Olson, in the present firm of which he is a member. He was married in 1866 to Mrs. Mary Olson, a native of Norway, but then a resident of Ocon- omowoc ; they are members of the Lutheran Church.

HON. DAVID W. SMALL, was born at Frankfort, Philadelphia County, Penn., December 18, 1827 ; his father was a farmer, and both parents were members of the Society of Friends; he was reared on his father's farm ; prior to his 16th year, he had received only a common-school education ; he then spent two years at the Moravian College, at Nazareth, and at the age of 18, he began to teach and read law ; in April, 1850, he was admitted to the bar at Doylestown, in his native State, and immediately started for Wisconsin, arriving at Oconomowoc in May of the same year ; part of the following two years he spent in surveying, as legal business was quite limited at that time. Mr. Small held some offices of minor importance soon after coming to Oconomowoc, and, after the first two years of his residence here, his law practice became sufficiently large to require his entire attention. In 1862, he was elected District Attorney for Waukesha County, and subsequently re-elected. He was chosen Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit in 1869, re-elected in 1875, and still holds the office. His wife was Miss Susannah Ely; they have three children, oue sou and two daughters.

CHESTER M. SMITH, was born in the town of Champlain, Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1819. He began the carpenter aud joiner's trade with his father, when 14 or 15 years old, and continued there till 1845. Emigrating then to Wisconsin, he landed in Milwaukee on the 1st day of June, going thence to Eagle Prairie, Waukesha (then Milwaukee) County, where he built a house for Mr. W. W. Tredway, and in the following year he built a mill at what is now known as the Trout Pond, and located there. Removing to the village of Oconomowoc iu 1850 with his effects, which consisted of a kit of carpenter tools, and $3, he continued his trade here till 1852. He was then appointed Deputy Sheriff by Patrick Casey, and, after serving two years under him, was re-appointed by Charles Ellis to hold that position dur- ing another term. Having lost all he had in a steam-mill in 1854, in 1860 he gathered together the little he had accumulated during that time, a wagon, three horses and $100, and went to Colorado, where he engaged in the butcher trade; was interested in a salt spring and various other kinds of business till July 1863 ; disposing then of his interest there, he returned to Oconomowoc and engaged in the grain, stock and produce trade till 1869. Mr. Smith, like many other enterprising men, has fully realized the "ups and downs" of a business life, but has now retired with a reasonable reward for his energy. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for fourteen years, School Clerk for six years, School Director for two terms, and Assessor for three terms. He was married in 1851 to Margaret J. White, a native of Ohio, who died at Oconomowoc Nov. 21, 1861, leaving one daughter, Jennie, now the wife of Wm. Collins, of Milwaukee ; she has one daughter, Maggie. He was married in January, 1873, to Mary Whipple, of Concord, Jefferson Co., Wis., a native of New York. Their children are Charles M., Mionie and Kittie. Mrs. Whipple now lives with Mr. Smith, and is in her 80th year.

D. B. SMITH, teacher ; was born in the town of Walcott, Warne Co., N. Y., March 3, 1836 ; he removed with his parents, in 1845, to Rochester, N. Y., whence, in the following year, they came to Milwaukee, Wis. ; locating in the city for a year, they then removed to Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., where he attended common school, and made that his home most of the time till 1860; he began teaching at Granville, Milwaukee Co., in 1855, and continued there five years ; removing to the town of Porter, Rock Co., in 1860, he followed farming during the summers and teaching during the winters, at Brookfield Junction, Waukesha Co., till 1863, when he returned to Wauwatosa, and taught there till the summer of 1864; he enlisted in August, 1864, in Co. A, 43d, W. V. I., under Col. Cobb, was elected Sergeant, was with the Army of the Cumberland, and was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., June 24, 1865 ; returning then to his father's home, in the town of Porter, Rock Co,, Wis., he spent the autumn of 1865 at the Milton Academy, and the following winter in teaching at Dunkirk, Dane Co., and re-entered the Academy in the spring of 1866 for that term ; he spent eight months

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of the summer and autumn of 1866 teaching in the Town of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee Co., and the following winter teaching in the village of Wauwatosa; he removed to Oconomowoc in the spring of 1867, and spent the summer at farming, and in the fall of that year was elected first assistant in the Oconomowoc Public Schools; in 1868, he conducted the Oconomowoc Academy; in 1869, was elected Principal of the Public School of the city, and held that position till 1875 (except three months spent at Pewaukee); he next taught three terms at Merton, Waukesha Co., and was Superintendent of the city schools of Oconomowoc during that time. He taught during the winter of 1878-79 at Menomonee Falls, and in the spring of 1880, was elected to a position in the 12th District School, of Milwaukee, which position he now holds. He was married, in 1868, to Miss Eliza, daughter of W. B. and Emily Bradley, a native of the town of Menomonee, Waukesha Co., Wis., born in 1846; they have one daughter, Lizzie. Mr. Smith is a Royal Arch Mason. His father died March 24, 1873 ; his mother now lives with him. His family is connected with the Congre- gational Church.

GEORGE SNYDER, farmer, Sec. 27; P. O. Oconomowoc; was born in Saxony, in July, 1827. His parents, Casper and Margaret Snyder, emigrated with their family to America, in 1840, and settled in the town of Genesee, Waukesha Co., Wis., his father dying there in about two months after their arrival, and left their mother with a family of eight children, of whom our subject was third. George, with an older brother, Anson, ran an extensive breaking team in the town of Merton, from 1845 to 1847, by which they earned money enough to build a barn on the homestead for their mother. In 1844 or 1845, they delivered the first saw-log at Monches. Mr. Snyder bought a claim to 120 acres of land in the Town of Hartford, Washington Co., Wis., and made some improvements, but, in 1850, he, with a company of others, crossed the plains to California, and, after a perilous trip of four months and eleven days, they arrived at the mining district. He engaged in mining successfully for nearly two years, and then returned via the Nicaragua River and New York City, to his home in Wisconsin, after an absence of twenty six months. He was married, Jan. 6, 1853, to Miss Mary, daughter of Edward and Rose Coyle, a native of the towo of Cranston, Providence Co., R. I., born 1830, and she came with her parents to the town of Genesee, Waukesha Co., Wis., in 1847. Her father afterward died in the town of Pewaukee; her mother in Waukesha. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder settled on his farm in Washington Co., Wis., and made that their home for twenty-one years ; Feb. 28, 1874, moved to their present farm of 240 acres, on Sec. 27, town of Ocono- mowoc, for which he paid $15,000 cash in January previous. They have had ten children-Frances E. (deceased), Alexander, Mary A., George A., Adelia J. (deceased), Edward (deceased), Carlos A., Lewis J., John A. and Ernest C. The family is connected with St. Jerome's Catholic Church.

WARREN SPAULDING (deceased) ; was a native of Putnam Co., N.Y. ; born in 1811. His mother dying when he was quite young at the age of 7, he was bound out to learn the tanner and courier's trade, which he afterwards continued at Patterson, N. Y., for a number of years. He was married, Jan. 4, 1835, to Mary V., daughter of Stephen and Phebe Field, a native of Putnam Co., N. Y., born Dec. 2, 1813. In 1836, the young couple settled at Bethel, Conn., and, in 1838, removed to Danbury, Conn., where he continued his trade a number of years, after which he engaged in various kinds of business till 1857; he then emigrated to Waukesha Co., Wis., and located on a farm of 149 acres, on Sec. 29, where he followed farming till his death, which occurred Dec. 16, 1870, leaving five children-Edward T., Frances O. (now the wife of George Spence, and lives in Missouri), Willis H. (now in this town), Ferris A., who was married, in 1873, to Julia, daughter of Theophalus and Amelia Baldwin, a native of Ohio ; they have three children-Dollie, Arthur and Lillie, Mary E., now the wife of Charles Spence, and lives in town of Concord, Jefferson Co., Wis. Mr. Spaulding was a member of the Union Church, formerly a Presby- terian.

FAYETTE M. SPEAR, farmer, Sec. 5; P. O. Town of Summit, within city limits of Oconomowoc; was born in Somerset Co., Maine, Feb. 22, 1828. His mother, Susan Merrill, died when he was about 2 years old; his father, James Spear, afterward married again, and in the autumn of 1847, came to Wisconsin, locating at Hustisford, Dodge Co., where he made his home till 1852 or 1853; then removed to Waushara Co., where he afterward died. F. M. made his home with his father in Maine till 1847, when they came to Wisconsin and left him there to attend school; he came to Hustis- ford, Wis., and joined his father's family and remained there three or four months, and then went into the pineries on the Wisconsin River, and spent ahout eight years; returning to Hustisford in 1854, he clerked a year for a brother-in-law; then engaged in the hardware trade, which he continued there for eight years. In December, 1863, he bought his present farm of 130 acres on Sec. 5, town of Summit, 85 acres of which lies within the city limits of Oconomowoc. He was a member of the City Council from Second

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The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc, Part 136

Author: Western Historical Co., pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1050

Author: Western Historical Co., pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1050