The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 121

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1082

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HENRY W. DURAND was born at North East, Erie Co., Penn., Feb. 2, 1843; came to Raeine, Wis., in 1855, to town of Fond du Lac the same year, and to Fond du Lac City in 1859 ; he attended school until the rebellion, and then enlisted in Co. I, 1st W. V. 1., in April, 1861; after serving three months, he re-enlisted, in Co. A, 14th W. V. I., in which he served till the close of the war, being mustered out as First Lieutenant ; he was in all the battles in which his regiment engaged, except the Red River expedition, being at home recruiting, in which he secured fifty-two men; the principal engagements in which he served were Shiloh, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, Vicksburg, Spanish Fort, Mobile, Tupelo and Nashville ; after leaving the army, he engaged for four years in the fruit and confectionery business, since which he has dealt in hay and grain. He was married, March 20, 1866, at Fond du Lae, to Mary M. Heth, who was born at Silver Creek, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., July 12, 1844 ; they have one child-Ella M., born March 10, 1867.

R. K. DYE, Jr., dealer in musical instruments and musical merchandise ; born in Lomira, Dodge Co., Wis., Dec. 13, 1854; came to Byron, Fond du Lac Co., with his parents, in 1865; resided there until 1877, when he came to this city; engaged in present business ever since ; he has taught instru- mental music for the last four years. Oct. 28, 1877, he was married in Washington. Conn., to Sarah Mayhew.

REV. GEORGE B. EASTMAN was born at Randolph, Orange Co., Vt., Dee. 24, 1811; pursued his preparatory studies at Orange County Grammar School, entering when abont 15 years of age, and continuing the same till in his 21st year, when he changed to and entered the freshman class at the University of Vermont in 1832, from whence he was transferred to the sophomore class of Dartmouth College, where he graduated with the class of 1836; for three months immediately following his gradua- tion, he was teacher and theological student under Bishop Hopkins, of' Episcopal Institute of Vermont, at Burlington ; in the fall of 1836, he went from there as tutor in Bristol College, at Bristol, Penn., where he remained till the spring of 1837, when he was chosen Principal of the Classical School, at Detroit, Mich., which he held till the spring of 1838; in the spring of 1838, he was chosen Principal of the Kala- mazoo branch of the University of Michigan, but resigned this in the fall of 1839 for the professorship of language in the Episcopal Institute, of Troy, New York ; resigning the professorship in the spring of 1840, he became Rector of Grace Church, at Waterford, N. Y., having previously pursued his studies for holy orders, which he received Aug. 25, 1839, under Bishop MeCoskry, of Michigan. He held the pas- torate of Grace Church till the summer of 1845, when he was chosen Rector of Christ's Church, Quaker Farms, and St. Peter's Church, at Oxford, having the two charges at that time ; from the summer of 1846 to the spring of 1847, he was general missionary of Rensselaer. Co., N. Y., when he became Rector of Zion, Avon, N. Y. ; in 1850, he was chosen Rector of St. Paul's, Brownville, N. Y., and after three and a half years' pastorate at Brownville, he was chosen Reetor of St. Paul's Church at Fond du Lic, being its second Pastor, and which charge he had for more than twelve years ; in autumn of 1866, he went from St. Paul's, Fond du Lae, to the pastorate of St. Paul's, East Saginaw, Mich., where he remained till the spring of 1870, when he became Recetor of Trinity Church, at Monroe, Mich., which, on account of his health, he resigned in May. 1878, and again took up his residence at Fond du Lac, Wis. Dec. 31, 1838, he married Miss Margaret Brother, a native of Geneva, N. Y., where she was born May 1, 1819; the children are

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Wilber, Francis, Henry B .; Mary, now Mrs. Griffith, of Fond du Lac; Margaret, now Mrs. Col. Ferris, of Idaho; George E., Catharine M , William T., Elizabeth T., Charles W., and Eleanor H.

HIRAM W. EATON, born in Canada Nov. 28, 1833, son of Hiram Eaton ; came to Wis- consin in 1845, locating near Whitewater, where he lived fifteen years; spent the next twelve years in Missouri and Illinois ; returned to Monroe, Wis., and came to Fond du Lac in February, 1874, where he has since carried on the business of manufacturing soda water and spruce beer, which he has followed for twenty years, recently adding facilities for bottling lager beer. He was married at Whitewater, May 10 1857, to Jane, daughter of Wm. Page, who came to Wisconsin in May, 1845; she was born in the town of Marshall, Oneida Co., N. Y .; they have seven children-Roderick D., Maud A., Blanche, Harry. Charles F., Alma J. and Bessie, and two infants have died.

RUDOLPH EBERT, President of the German American Savings Bank ; was born at Dermbach, Grand Duchy of Saxe Weimar, Eisenach, June 29, 1829, and came to America, to Fond du Lac County in the fall of 1848, first locating in the town of Calumet ; he there engaged in farming, which he continued until the spring of 1850, when he moved to Fond du Lac ; he at once secured a position as Clerk in the Register of Deeds' office, which he held until he was elected Register in November, 1852 ; he served 1853 and 1854-one term-after which he opened an office for the transaction of real-estate, loan and abstract business ; in the spring of 1865, Mr. E. visited Europe, returning in the fall to renew his business, which was continued until 1866, when the private banking-house of' Ebert & Perry was established ; in 1873, the bank was organized under the State law as a savings bank, R. Ebert, President, and J. C. Perry, Cashier. Mr. Ebert has been six terms City Treasurer of Fond du Lac, and a member of the Board of Education. In November, 1856, he was married to Louisa Encking, a native of Hol- stein, Germany ; they have had six children, but only one is living-Augustus, born July 22, 1861, and now in the order and sale department of C. J. L. Meyer's factory.

HIRAM EDGERTON, retired farmer ; is a native of Rome, Oneida Co., N. Y .; born in September, 1802; he spent his boyhood with his father on a farm, and received a limited education in the district schools of that county; came to Wisconsin in the fall of 1846; settled on a farm of 160 acres in the town of Fond du Lac, which his brother Thomas had entered two years prior to their immigration ; having built a small frame house 16x24 feet, though at that time, perhaps, the best in the neighborhood, in the spring of 1847, he returned to New York for his family, with which he reached Fond du Lac June 16 following; he did not get his house plastered, however, till December, and then it was by constantly thawing the mortar by the stoves, around which the family sat while the men plastered the walls. Thus beginning pioneer life in Fond du Lac Co., Mr. Edgerton has always been one of its reliable and successful farmers ; though the toil and struggle were severe, his resolution to succeed was equal to the task, so step by step he has gradually acquired a comfortable home to enjoy in his old age. In 1825, he married Miss Lucinda Felton, daughter of Robin and Sylva Felton, of Rome, Oneida Co., N. Y., who died at her home in Fond du Lac, Wis .. in 1864, leaving five children-Francis (now Mrs. John .I. Tripp, of the town of Fond du Lac), Sarah ( who married Oliver Pier, but her husband dying in three years after their marriage, she married Mr. De Witt Williams, of Oneida Co., N. Y. ), Sylvia A., ( now Mrs. David H. Vinton, of Empire ), Ophelia ( now Mrs. Samuel B. Stanchfield ), Charles B. (who married Miss Matilda Hamilton, daughter of Henry Hamilton, of Fond du Lac, Jan. 1, 1866; they have two children-Katie and De Witt). Mr. Edgerton married Miss Jule Olmstead, of Fond du Lac, in the spring of 1866; she had three children-W. J. Olmstead, C. O. Olmstead, Dr. Austin F. Olmstead, of Green Bay.

JAMES EDMUND, foreman of engine-room and round-house of N .- W. R. R. Co., is a native of Yorkshire, England, born in 1829; spent most of his time till 20 years of age on a farm ; came to America iu 1849, and settled at Fond du Lac, where he engaged in farming for about two years ; from 1851 to 1854, he was employed in the construction of the Rock River Valley & Union Railroad ; in 1854, he was employed in the Union Iron Works, where he continued three years; was next employed as engineer in Butler & Hiner's saw-mill for three seasons ; from 1861 to 1866, was employed as machinist in the shops of the N .- W. R. R., when he was appointed foreman in the car and locomotive shops of rail- road at Fond du Lac, which position he now holds. He married Miss Alice Gainford, a native of Dur- ham, England, in 1856 ; they had two children-William J. and an infant deceased. Members of the Presbyterian Church,

WILL LARD EDSON was born at Swanton, Franklin Co., Vt., Feb. 5, 1813. Was married at Braintree, Vt., to Ann Pratt, in May. 1837; she died Dec. 24, 1852, leaving one son-Solon W.

SOLON W. EDSON, was born at West Randolph, Orange Co., Vt., March 31, 1838; came to Wisconsin in October, 1854, where he has since resided ; he was eight years clerk in a shoe store ; since

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then has been engaged in manufacturing pumps, horse-rakes, and various articles in wood. Mr. E. has been a member of the Odd Fellows' Lodge since 1859. He was married at Greenbush, Wis., March 31, 1864, to Frances Josephine. daughter of Perry O. Weaver ; she was born in Chittenango, N. Y., in 1833 ; they have two children living-Eugene Willard, boru May 17, 1868, and Mabel Elizabeth, horn Dec. S, 1878, and have lost two-Mary Knowles, died at the age of 6 months, and Anna Pratt died at the age of about 5 years. Edson & Son are manufacturers of plain and ornamental building-work, brackets, moldings, newel-posts, stair-railing, balusters, ete .; ornamental carving, forniture, office-work, turning and seroll-saw- ing to order. Much of their work will be found in the private residences, public buildings, lodge-rooms. churches, etc. Solon W. Edson was a member of the Fond du Lac Fire Department from the time of its organization until the abandonment of the hand machines, a period of about twenty years, the last five years being an honorary member. He helped draw the first engine from the depot.

VITAL EDWIN, foreman of yard at MeDonald's saw-mill, was born in France in 1838; came to Fond du Lac in 1863, and began work for Sexmith & Davis, in a saw-mill. where he continued for six years, after which, in 1869, he worked one year for the Fond du Lac Lumbering Co .; in 1870, he worked in a planing-mill for Mr. MeDonald, whence he was transferred to the position of foreman of the Inmber-yard by Mr. McDonald. Married Miss Malvina Deneault, of Russelltown, Canada, in 1859 ; they have seven children-Alfred, Lafayette, Thelisford, Alexander, Adaline, Merceline and Emma. Owns house, and lot and five acres of land two miles from the city.

OSCAR C. EGER, order and shipping clerk for C. J. L. Meyer's sash, door and blind factory, was born in Saxony in 1854 ; came to America with his parents in 1858, and settled at Watertown, Wis .. where he lived and attended school most of the time till 1874; in 1874, he came to Fond du Lac, and was employed as elerk in Sarp & Whittelsey's dry-goods store for one year; in 1875. he was employed by Mr. Meyer as salesman in the sash, door and blind factory ; in 1878, he was made order and shipping- clerk of the manufactory. Mr. E. has been a member of the I. O. O. F., since 1875-Knights of Pythias since 1878.

CHARLES A. ELDREDGE was born at Bridgeport, Vt .; when a child he moved with his parents to the State of New York and settled in St. Lawrence Co., near the village of Canton ; at this time, St. Lawrence Co. was little better than a wilderness, and Mr. Eldredge endured the hardships incident to the settlement of a new country, enjoying only the meager educational advantages afforded by the district schools of the neighborhood ; from about the time he was 18 years of age, he attended the academy at Canton, being able to secure this aid to his education only by the severest labor, supporting himself, and, at the same time, paying the wages of a man to take his place upon his father's farm ; when 21, he had prepared himself for college, but, finding that he must still rely upon his own exertions alone, he unwillingly gave up the hope of attending college, entered the law office of John L. Russell, of Canton, and began his legal studies ; here he remained for nearly six years, supporting himself by teaching school ; some of the time, also, acting as Superintendent of Schools; in 1847, he was admitted to the bar; in 1848, having practiced for some time in the lower eourts of New York, he came West, settled at Fond du Lae, and at once began the practice of his profession. In 1849, he married Maria A. Bishop, only daughter of Arch Bishop, then of Washington Co., N. Y., but afterward of the town of Eden, Fond du Lac Co .; his family consists of five children-William A., Arch B., May R., Charles and Adda. In 1854, Mr. Eldredge was elected State Senator, served two terms and refused a renomination ; in 1862, he was elected a Representative in Congress over Edward S. Bragg, a Democrat, who accepted the Repub - lican nomination ; in 1864, 1866, 1868, 1870 and 1872, Mr. Eldredge was unanimously renominated, and re-elected by large, though varying, majorities ; his opponents, during this time, were A. Scott Sloan, J. A. Watrous, Orrin Hatch, Judge Frisby, of West Bend, and Louis Baetz, formerly State Treasurer ; in 1874, Mr. Eldredge was defeated for a renomination, the result being largely, if not wholly, due to his action on the " back-pay bill," generally called the "Salary Grab," which measure he supported and defended in Congress, and as to his error or wrong in the matter is still unconvinced. Mr. Eldridge's service in Con- gress was during the most heated and bitter time of the war, and, while he supported and favored, with all his energy, every measure having for its object only the suppression of the rebellion and the foreing back of the seceding States to their allegiance, he opposed with equal vigor every measure which he believed had for its object the subjugation of those States as conquered provinces; every measure tending to keep alive and prolong the hostile and bitter feelings resulting naturally from the war; he claimed then, and the same doctrine has been held by every court which has yet passed upon the question. that only by successful rebellion could those States get out of the Union, and that legislation by Congress which produced or admitted such a result was only less criminal than actual rebellion in that it saved the country

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from the horrors of war; by his speech on the subject, he forced from Thaddeus Stevens the announce- ment that the rebel States were out of the Union ; were conquered provinces and rightly to be treated as such. Mr. Eldredge served for many years upon the Judiciary Committee of the House, and, with Mr. Marshall, of Illinois, made the minority report against the impeachment of Andrew Johnson; he opposed the passage of the law known as the " Federal Election Laws," and, in his speech upon the bill, foretold, with a clearness almost prophetie, the result; his predictions have been more than fulfilled, and the time is rapidly coming when they will be blotted from our statute-books; when the question of the distribution of the Geneva award was before Congress, Mr. Eldredge differed with both the majority and minority of the Judiciary Committee, and. in opposing the bill proposed by the majority, held in a forcible and eloquent speech, that as the money awarded came from Great Britain, whose wrong was against the United States, and the losses from which the whole people of the United States suffered, and as it was an indemnity paid by a neutral nation for wrongs done to this nation or its citizens and for losses sustained by the nation or its citizens during the war, nothing would more completely and justly satisfy the demands of equity, than to cover the money into the people's Treasury for the people's use, and not to pay it over to insurance companies and corporations who were making money and dividing among themselves two dollars for one of their investments, while the mass of the people suffered all the horrors and calamities of the war. In 1870, Mr. Eldredge opposed the right of the Federal Government to determine the qualification of electors,

and in an able speech spoke against the action of party and party spirit in regard to such a measure. In opposing a bill very materially changing our present naturalization laws, making it much more difficult for foreign immigrants to become citizens, Mr. Eldredge advocated " that the immigrant, coming here in good faith to make this country his country and to cast his lot in with us, should be granted all these privileges at once. Actual residence, with intention of remaining, renunciation of all former allegiances, and his oath of allegiance to the United States being all that should be required.

W. A. ELDREDGE, of the firm of Butterfield & Eldredge, merchant tailors; born in Fond du Lae June 25, 1850 ; son of Hon. C. A. Eldredge, who came here in 1849; Mr. Eldredge graduated from the Law Department of the Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., in June, 1875; he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia ; he was engaged in practice at Milwaukee for a short time prior to engaging in his present business, in November, 1878. He married Miss Lillie Cook, daughter of Charles Cook, of Washington, D. C., in Washington, Nov. 11, 1873; she died in that city in March, 1875 ; his present wife was Anna, daughter of William Mason, of Fond du Lac ; they were married Dec. 25, 1878; she was born near Windsor Castle, England.

C. L. ENCKING, real-estate agent, was born at Holstein, Germany, Jan. 17, 1837 ; came to Taycheedah in 1852, where he lived two years ; he then came to Fond du Lac and engaged as a dry-goods clerk with Sewell & Co.,, which firm he bought out eighteen months later, the firm becoming Bower & Encking ; this firm continued two years, after which Mr. Eneking followed agricultural pursuits until 1862, when he returned to the city and, in January of that year, began clerking in the Register's Office, which he followed until December, 1864, when he bought out R. Ebert's real estate, loan and notary business, and has continued in it ever sinee ; he is also ocean steamship ticket agent, abstracter of lands, perfecter of titles, etc. He has been City Comptroller two terms, Alderman and in other local offices. He was married, at Fond du Lac, Jan. 6, 1868, to lda Bechaud, a native of Germany ; they have two children-Emelie and Louise. Mr. Encking is a member of the Commandery, Chapter, Masonie Lodge, Concordia Benevolent Society and German English Academy.

CALICE E. ERRARD, proprietor of grocery store ; was born in Canada in 1824; he grew up and lived on a farm there until 1862, when he went to Vermont, from there to New Hampshire and thence to Michigan, spending six years in the three States, after whieli he returned to Canada and spent the winter of 1868-69; in the spring of 1869 he moved to Fond du hae and began the grocery business, in which he has continued since that time. He married Miss Delphine Ladduke, of Fond du Lae, in 1874, and has two children-Malina and Joseph. Mr. Errard and his family are members of St. Louis Catholic Church.

SEBASTIAN EUDEMILLER, proprietor of marble works, was born in Germany in 1829; came to New York City with his parents in 1845 ; in 1846, he began his trade with the firm of Fisher & Bird. of New York City, and with whom he remained until 1861. when he came to Fond du Lac, and was in the employ of Sterns & Sherwood, marble men, for one year ; in 1863 he began the business for himself, and has since been proprietor of the same. He is one of the charter members of the German Odd Fellows' Lodge, prior to which he was a member of the American Lodge; was a member of the City Council from the Second Ward in 1875; was assistant engineer of the Fire Department for two years; organized the Hook and Ladder Company, of which he was Foreman until 1873; he was also a member of the Fire

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Department while in New York City. In 1852, he married Miss Barbara Schneider, of New York ; they have seven children-Rebecca, Barbara, Katie, Paulina, Matilda, Lonisa and Charles.

OWEN EVANS, Foreman of Fire Engine No. 3; was born in Trenton, Oneida Co., N. Y., Nov .. 22, 1855 ; came with his parents, William and Catherine Evans, now residents of the city, to Fond du Lae in 1868; Mr. E. has been connected with the fire department three years, prior to which time he was connected with various mills and factories ; he is a member of the I. O. O. F. Lodge.

ASAPH C. EVEREST, grain-dealer ; was born in the town of Addison, Addison Co., Vt., in 1816, his parents, Zadock Everest and Olive Taylor, both died in Vermont ; in 1836, he immigrated to Knox Co., Ill., and for one and a half years was engaged in merchandising, and then removed to Rock Island, Ill, whence, in 1840, he returned to Vermont ; in 1841, he came again to Knox Co., Ill., and was in business one year in Knoxville and then returned a second time to Vermont; in 1846, he came to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., and settled on a farm in the town of Lamartine, where he followed farming till 1854; he was one of the organizers of the town of Lamartine and was the first Chairman of the Town Board ; in 1854, be entered some land in Minnesota, but never settled on it ; in the fall of 1854, he removed to Galesburg, Ill .; remained the winter, and, in the spring of 1855, came to the city of Fond du Lac, where he has since been dealing in grain and produce. In June, 1846, he married Miss Clara Drury, who died in the spring of 1857, leaving two children-Anna, now the wife of Daniel Abercrombie and lives in the Province of Quebec, Canada, and Mary D., now the wife of William Coolbaugh and lives in Algona, Iowa. In 1857, he married Thankful M., daughter of Ralph and Sarah Abercrombie. of Lower Canada ; their children are Kate A. (now a student at the State University ), Byron (deccased), Albert C., now at home. Mr. and Mrs. E. are members of the M. E. Church. Mr. E. has been a member of the City Council several terms.

JAMES EWEN, retired; is a native of New York City, where he was born in 1806 and resided until 1831, spending much of his time with his brothers, who were civil engineers of that city, and, at the same time, devoting his attention to steamboat building ; in May, 1831, he went from New York to Canada to build steamboats for the navigation of the St. Lawrence River, which be continued till 1835, when he returned to the city of New York and made that bis home till 1840; after an absence of five years from Canada, he was again sought by the company, in whose employ he had been, to again engage in building steamboats for them, which he consented to do, and remained with the company for nine years ; in 1849, he came to Fond du Lac and began the lumber trade, which he continued one year, when he exchanged that business for a hotel, then known as the " Lewis House," of which he was pro- prietor for a little more than ten years; his wife growing weary of such a life, he rented the hotel and retired to private life; in two or three years after that, he disposed of the hotel building, and has since been mostly engaged in buying and selling real estate, cashing notes, loaning money, etc. He married Miss Isabella Milton, of Niagara, in September, 1835, by whom he has had seven children, three of whom are now deceased ; those living are Mariah (now Mrs. Dudly, of Fond du Lac), Milton, John J., Isabella and Frank E.

J. L. D. EYCLESHIMER is a native of Pittstown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., born June 1, 1824, and is the son of John P. and Mary (Cushman) Eyeleshimer, also natives of New York, but of Holland descent ; be spent his earlier life on a farm in his native county, and, in October, 1850, immi- grated to Wisconsin ; he first settled in the city of Janesville, Rock Co., where for seven years he was engaged in the livery business and at the same time carried on a farm ; during the year 1858 and part of 1859, he was dealing in fast horses, and spent much of the time in the Southern States: returning to Janesville in October, 1859, he formed a copartnership with Louis P. Ilarvey, afterward Governor of Wis- consin, H. O. Clark and John S. Harvey, and began milling at Shopiere, Rock Co .. Wis., which they, as a firm, continued till 1865 ; Nov. 21, 1859, he removed to the city of Fond du Lac for the purpose of sup- plying their mill with wheat from that market; after the dissolution of their milling firm in 1865. he con- tinued dealing in grain and produce, more or less, till the fall of 1870; in November, 1862, be was elected Sheriff of Fond du Lac Co; in the spring of 1864, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Public Works in the city. In the fall of 1870, he was elected Register of Deeds of this county and filled the office with sneh credit to himself and satisfaction to his friends that he was re-elected to that office in 1872; his term of office expiring Jannary 1, 1875, he again resumed the grain trade, which he has fol- lowed most of the time since; spent one year (1879) in the business in Dakota; he is now operating in grain at Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co. Sept. 1, 1847. be married Miss Harriet A., the youngest daughter of Elisha and Lydia Sherman, of Pittstown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y .; they have two sons-Charles S., now Deputy Register of Deeds of Fond du Lac County, and Fred L. D., who is now a student at stenography in this city. Mrs. Eycleshimer is a member of the Baptist Church.

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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 121

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 1082

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1082