The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 131

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

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DANIEL G. RICHARDSON, farmer; is a son of Abijah and Elisie C. Richardson, of Pelham, Rockingham Co., N. IL. ; born May 18, 1822; Daniel spent the first seventeen years of his life on his father's farm, where he followed market gardening in the city of Lowell, Mass., which was only four miles distant ; in 1840, he began engineering on the railroad from Lowell to Ronse's Point, which he followed f'r more than thirteen years ; he also ran the first train over the White Mountains. He is the gentleman who first suggested the idea of putting the bell eord through the cars instead of having it pass over the top as it formerly did. In February, 1854, he came to Fond du Lac., Wis., and began engineer- ing on the North- Western Railroad, which he continued till 1855, at which time he began farming, and has since devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits ; he now owns 122 acres, 88 acres of which are in See. 7, town of Fond du Lac, the rest being in Sec. 12 in the town of Lamartine, worth about $70 per acre. Apr 1 24, 1845, he married Miss Mary J., daughter of Moses and Deborah Holt, of Pembroke, N. H. ; they have three children-Daniel H., of Fond du Lac ; Harriet M., now Mrs. James Curran, of Fond du Lac ; George A., who married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John and Ann Searly, of Fond du Lic. April 25, 1878.

ALFRED ROBBINS, of the firm of Bullis & Robbins, livery-stable proprietors ; was born in Fredonia, N. Y., whence, in 1850, he went to California, remaining there until 1859, when he came to Fond du Lac ; in 1860, he began to deal in grain, which was continued until 18GG, when he entered the livery business with N. L. Bullis, which he has since continued.

CHARLES W. ROBERTSON was born in the town of Edinburg, Saratoga Co., N. Y., May 11, 1829; resided there until he was H4 years of age, then went with his parents to Canada, where he resid d until he came to Sheboygan, Wis, in 1558; lived there two years, then moved to Ontonagon, Mich .. in the copper mining region, where he was engaged in dealing in groceries, provisions, etc., beside carrying on a bu chering business there eight years ; he then came to Fond du Lac, arriving here in Octo- ber, 1868; for seven years since coming here, he was shipping stock and produce to the mining country in Northern Michigan; since then he has been pre-sing hay and shipping it to the same region. Mr. R. was married at Woodstock, Ont., in September, 185 4. to Jane Beath, a native of Scotland ; they have three children living-Ella M. O., Lulu C. and Jennie M .; they Just one son, who died at Ontonagon, aged 20 months.

J. F. ROBLEE, retired farmer, is a son of Thomas and Laura Roblee, of Washington Co., N. Y., born in December, 1819, his parents being descendants of the early immigrants to that county from France; Jay received his early education in the district schools of his native county, after which he attended the academy of North Granville, N. Y .; he followed farming in Washington Co. from the time he quit school until 1842, when he came to Wisconsin, and settled on a farm in Milwaukee Co. for about

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two years, whence, in 1815, he removeil to Fond du Lac Co .. and entered a farm of 160 acres in the town- ship of Byron ; here, with an ox team, he brooke ont a small part of this farm at first, and built a board shanty, which served as a home for three years ; in 1843, he sold this farm, and bought another in the town of Lamartine, making the latter his home until 1854 ; he traded it for a farm of 435 aeres in Secs. 19, 20 and 30 in Fond du Lac Township; here he continued his agricultural pursuits until 1874, when he retired from active life and moved to the city of Fond du Lac. He was married, April 11, 18-16, in the town of Lamartine, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Wanton and Fannie Hall, of Hartford, Washington Co., N. Y .; they have had four children-E. Jane (now Mrs. David Downing, of Fond du Lac), Joseph F. (who married Miss Effie Crofoot, danghter of Alva Crofoot ), Laura A. (deceased ), and Ellen N. Mr. Roblee and family are members of the Methodist Church.

FELIX RODGERS, boot and shoe maker, was born in Ireland June 1, 1824; learned his trade in his native country, and came to America in 1850; settled at Dover, N. J., where he resided until 1852, when he moved to Fond du Lac; in 1861, he enlisted in Co. C, 17th W. V. I .; was discharged at Corinth, Miss., on account of disability, after which he returned to Fond du Lac, and for two years and six months did nothing, on account of ruined health caused by exposure while in the army. He married Miss Catharine Durkin, of Fond du Lac, Jan. 2, 1855, who died Feb. 27, 1867, leaving two children-Ann and Felix. Nov. 15, 1875, he married Mrs. Jane Galvin, by whom he has one daughter-Mary Ann. Mr. Rodgers is a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, also a member of the Total Abstinence Society connected with his church; he owns some property, and his wife owned some in the city before their marriage.

WILLIAM ROLOFF, proprietor of the Central market ; was born in Prussia April 11, 1847 ; came to Mayville, Wis., in 1865 ; removed to Beaver Dam soon after, and came to Fond du Lac in 1869, where he has been engaged in his present business ever since. Ile was married at Fond du Lac Sept. 4, 1873, to Mary Albrecht, a native of Dantzic, Germany ; they have one child-Nora. Mr. Roloff is a member of the Sons of Hermann.

FRANK HARVEY RONDO, was born at Rouse's Point, N. Y., April 10, 1844; came from there to Fond du Lac in 1862; worked for three years in a saw-mill ; has followed blacksmithing ever since, and for six years has worked for the La Belle Wagon Works. Mr. Rondo was married at Fond du Lac Dec. 25, 1864, to Mary Louise De Mar, a native of Massachusetts; they have three children- Charles, William and Josephene. He has been Alderman three years; is an Odd Fellow and a member of the Red Ribbon Club.

ANDREW ROOK, farmer and dairyman, Sec. 24; P. O. Fond du Lac; is a son of Adam and Catharine Rook, and was born in Messen, Germany, in 1831 ; he was educated according to the school system of Germany, after which he devoted his time to his father's farming and fruit growing; in 1847, he with his parents emigrated to America and settled in Oneida Co., N. Y., where they followed market gardening for five years ; thenec, in 1868, removed to Fond du Lac, where he followed working farms on shares till 1878, when he purchased the John Sewell farm of 160 acres in Sec. 24-worth about $75 per acre. In 1853, he was married to Miss Rebecca R., daughter of L. P. Maxon, of Madison Co., N. Y .; they have four children, as follows-Arthur D., Rosetta V., Edgar B. and Franklin B. Ile and wife are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. Rook keeps quite an extensive dairy ; has twenty-five cows, and sells abont 150 quarts of milk per day.

REV. DONALD ROSS. Pastor of the First' Presbyterian Church, is a native of Nova Scotia ; born in April, 1833, and is the son of Kenneth and Catharine Ross; he spent the first sixteen years of his life with his parents on a farm in his native place, and there received the earlier part of his education in the common schools; at the age of 16 he began teaching, and devoted his attention to that profession for three successive years; in the fall of 1853, he entered Queens College, at Kingston, Canada, where he completed the collegiate course in 1856; he then entered the Theological Department of that institution, and graduated with his class in 1859 ; he was at once licensed. ordained and settled as Pastor of the church at Vaughn, Ontario, a charge requiring services in the English and Gaelic languages; here he had a suc- cessful pastorate for seven years. and was then called to the charge of Dundee, Province of Quebec, where he was even more successful in his labors for ten years; he next had a pre-eminently successful pastorate for three years, at Lancaster, Province of Ontario, when failing health forced him to give up the charge; the General Assembly then appointed him to Prince Albert, an important missionary station in the North- west Territory of Canada, requiring teaching, preaching, and the supervision of a large district ; on his way thither, failing health again forced him to turn aside from his purpose, and by the advice of physi- cians he gave up the appointment. and in the fall of 1879 was called to the charge of the First Presby- terian Church of Fond du Lac. In 1860, he was married to Catherine, eldest daughter of lawes George,

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D. D., then Principal of Queens College, but now deceased ; their children are Kenneth J. L., now a promising student at Qucens College, Margaret, Elizabeth and James G .. who are now at home.

LESTER ROUNDS. was born in Dunham, Canada East, May 1, 1805; removed when an infant with his parents to Franklin Co., Vt., where he was educated ; came to Southport (now Kenosha ), Wis., in August, 1839; removed to Cereseo ( now Ripon), in May, 1844, where he was the first school teacher, first Postmaster, and first Chairman of the town, also Secretary of the Wisconsin Phalanx; in 1850, removed to Eureka, Winnebago Co., Wis., where he has held various offices ; was the first Postmas- ter, and is now in the mercantile business. Mr. R. married in Vermont, September 2, 1827, Aurilla Parker, born in that State; they have three children-Sterling Parker, dealer in printers' supplies, Chicago ; Rhoda Ann, now Mrs. A. S. Bolster, Kane Co., Ill., and Horace Eaton, of Chicago.

FREDRICK RUEPING, of the firm of William Rueping & Sons, tanners, was born in Germany, in 1836; he learned the tauner's trade in his native country, and came with his parents to America in 1854, and settled at Fond du Lac ; here he, with his father and brother, established a tannery, of which they have since been proprietors. In 1866, he married Miss Margaret Thuerwaechter, of Fond du Lae ; they have four children, as follows: Fredrick, Ida, Clara and William. Louis Reuping, brother and partner of Fredrick, is also a native of Germany, born in 1839 ; came with his father to America in 1854; learned the tanner's trade with his brother after reaching Fond du Lac, and since 1867, has been a partner with his father and brother in the business. In 1870, he married Miss Ida Haevernick, of Fond du Lac, she being a native of Hamburg, Germany ; they have four children-Emma, Laura, Alwine and Lena.

AUGUSTUS GRAHAM RUGGLES, banker ; was born in Orange Co., N. Y., Aug. 25, 1822. As clerk in the Bank of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., he learned the business of banking, which he has followed successfully during the last quarter of a century. July 26, 1846, Mr. R. came to Fond du Lac, making arrangements during the summer to enter into the manufacture of lumber, after which he returned East, stopping on the way at Cleveland and purchasing steam machinery for a saw-mill. He returned to Fond du Lac late in the fall, and early in the spring of 1847, had, in company with one Davis, erected and put into operation the first steam saw-mill built in Northern Wisconsin. After running this mill, which represented the first cash outlay for improvements or manufacturing in Fond du Lac, north of Forest street, for a year or so, Mr. Ruggles abandoned the lumbering business, and began operating in real estate. In 1850, he purchased the patent of the famous Woodworth planer, and creeted and set in motion, in con- nection with a saw-mill, the first planer ever run in Fond du Lac. This enterprise he sold after a year or so, and, iu 1852, went East and became cashier of the Huguenot Bank, in Ulster Co., N. Y. In the spring of 1854, he resigned his position in the bank and returned to Fond du Lac in August of that year, and organized and opened for business, in February, 1855, the old Bank of the Northwest. In this bank Mr. R. remained as eashier until the organization of the First National Bank in December, 1867, of which he has always been manager, and its President since Jan. 1, 1875. In 1862 Mr. Ruggles saw the need of greater facilities and competition in the business of carrying freight by railways from Fond du Lac, and, therefore, became a Director of the then partially completed Sheboygan & Fond du Lac Railway, with the intention of using his efforts to secure its completion from Glenbeulah, in Sheboygan Co., to Fond du Lac. Finally, in 1865, he began to take a pecuniary interest in the enterprise ; was instrumental in securing the vote of the county in favor of granting $150,000 aid for the construction of the road, and induced capi- talists to aid in its completion to Fond du Lac, which was achieved in January, 1869. From adverse eir- cumstanees, the road then lay dormant until 1870, when James F. Joy and friends were induced by Mr. Ruggles to purchase a majority of the stock, and complete the road to Ripon and Princeton, which was done in 1871 and 1872. , Thus it was mainly due to Mr. Ruggles' efforts that the road was pushed on to Fond du Lac and finally to the Wolf River. Mr. Ruggles was married at Fond du Lac, in November, 1865, to Julia P., daughter of Gov. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge; they have two children-Gertrude Colden and Augustus Graham Ruggles, Jr., the only survivors of seven children born to them.

HERMAN RUPP. engineer of the city Fire Engine No. 5 ; was born in Fond du Lac Oct. 1, 1856 ; after leaving school in 1872, he served an apprenticeship at the trade of machinist ; worked for five years at his trade, then for nine months he served as stoker of Engine No. 5, and for the last four years he has been engineer of the same; for two years he was connected with the Volunteer Fire Department, aud with the present department since its organization. He is a member of the Fireman's Mutual Aid Society. March, 1879, Mr. Rupp was married at Watertown, Wis., to Miss Sophia Schroeder; she was born at Watertown. Mr. Rupp's mother, Katharine Rupp, died in the fall of 1869; his father, Louis Rupp, died in May, 1873.

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PETER RUPP was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Aug. 31, 1824; came to Calumet, Fond du Lac Co., in 1842; went into the Southern States in 1846, and came to Fond du Lac, where he has since resided, in 1849; he began business for himself by building the " City of Mentz" Hotel, which he managed four years ; then in the grocery business, and for twenty years in the wholesale liquor busi- ness. Mr. Rupp was once a candidate for State Treasurer on the Democratic ticket; served one term as Sheriff; three years as a member of the City Council, and is now one of the Trustees of the Northern Hospital for the Insane. He was married at Cincinnati, Ohio, October, 1848, to Kate Laux, who was born at Landau, Bavaria ; they have six children-Eliza, Otto, Amelia, Rosa, Julius and Peter. Mr. Rupp is a member of the T. O. O. F., and A., F. & A. M. Lodges.

JAMES RUSSELL, present publisher of the Fond du Lac Journal, enjoys the distinction of being the editor and proprietor of the oldest newspaper in Wisconsin. Territory or State, with but two exceptions ; the Kenosha Telegraph outranks it a year or two, and the Green Bay Advocate a few weeks ; but the pioneer publishers of the Journal have long since ceased connection with it, and it is now in younger and more progressively vigorous hands. James Russell is Wisconsin-born; he is a native of Hartford, Washington Co., and his father was a farmer in that town; such an education as the village school afforded the subject of this sketch, he obtained, until he was 14 years of age ; at that period of his life, his parents removed to the then immature town of Mankato, Minn., and it was there that the boy's journalistic twig was inclined as the tree has become bent; as will be seen, he tried to evade the spell, but unsuccessfully. There was a Democratie paper published in Mankato, called the Record, and it must have been a progressive office, for Russell learned his trade there in less than a year ; Mr. J. C. Wise was the editor, and possibly the same had something to do with the influences surrounding the establishment. Mr. Russell, now passing from boyhood into manhood, was becoming to be recognized in newspaper circles ; he was offered and accepted a position as foreman and local reporter upon the Herald, published at Garden City, in the same State. Mr. Ru-sell counts several months of not particularly happy experience in that connection ; although his inclinations had all been in that direction, his pecuniary successes had been few. and Mr. Russell made up his mind to become a lawyer ; with that object in view, he returned to his native State, and entered the University of Wisconsin for a course of study in the line of his ambition ; this was in 1868; in the latter part of the second year of his college studies, his health became poor, and he was ordered by medical advice to retire from his class, temporarily ; he did so, and sought rest at home again. In February, 1870, he was offered a position on the Fond du Lac Journal, a weekly newspaper, then con- ducted by Messrs. Beeson & Bohan ; Mr. Bohan being an uncle of Mr. Russell. From this time on, the gentleman's career is well known in Wisconsin newspaper circles, and the details can be condensed. Con- nected indirectly with the Journal office at the date last mentioned, was the Star Job Printing Office, one of the largest and most completely equipped steam printing houses in the State; into this concern Mr. Russell purchased, and the business was conducted under the firm name of Leonard, Bohan & Russell. In September, 1873, he purchased a one-half interest in the Journal from Mr. Bohan, the other half being sold to Mr. T. F. Strong, Jr., and the firm of Strong & Russell became the proprietors of the publica- tiou. The job department was at the same time re-organized by transfer, and passed into the property of Leonard, Russell & Strong. In 1874, the stock organization known as the Star Printing Company was chartered, and on the following Ist of Janvary the job and newspaper interests were consolidated, and the Company commenced business with Mr. Russell as a principal stockholder, and in the position of editor. Since then, the management has never passed from bis hands, although the corporation has ceased to exist, and he is now sole editor and proprietor of the Morning Journal ( daily), the Fond du Lac Journal ( weekly), and proprietor of the Star Steam Book and Job Printing Office. Politically, Mr. Russell has always been a Democrat. In 1875, he accepted the nomination of his party for State Senator, as a leader of a forlorn hope, and polled a vote in excess of his party strength in the district ; in the year following, he was elected Clerk of the Court for the county, after a desperate political fight; he is now practically out of politics, further than his journalistic duties lead him. Mr. Russell was married, on Christmas Day, 1878, to Miss Katie Riley, a society lady of Fond du Lac. Mr. and Mrs. Russell are already proud in the possession of 'one boy. It may not be out of place to say that Mr. Russell's rapid rise in journalistic prominence is due, undoubtedly, to his keen perception of human nature, as established in his selection of the men with whom he surrounds himself in the editorial and mechanical departments of his business ; he does not allow anybody about his premises an hour longer than he thinks his presence is worth the terri- tory he o"enpies.

HENRY H. RUSSELL was born at Windsor, Broome Co., N. Y., and came to Fond du Lac in 1857 ; in 1868, he purchased the Jones & Sage hollow-tooth harrow, the first one ever patented, and began its introduction and manufacture; he was the first to discover its merits and put the harrow,

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which has seventy-two teeth, upon the market ; he established agencies and factories in nearly every State in the Union, and has transaeted an immense amount of business.

MICHAEL RYAN, farmer, Secs. 33, 15 and 17 ; P. O. Fond du Lac; is a native of County Tipperary, Ireland ; born in 1828, and was the son of a farmer in that county ; immigrated to America in 1849; settled in Canada West for one year, thenee to the State of New York, where he resided about four years ; in 1854, he removed to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where he has since resided ; in 1864, he removed to his present home, having bought the farm ( 120 acres) three years previously. At Rochester, N. Y., in 1854, he was married to Miss Ellen McGuiness, daughter of Sylvester McGuiness, of County Meath, Ire- land ; they have had eleven children-Edmund, Sylvester, John, Peter (of Kansas), Francis (now pursu- ing his theological studies for the priesthood, under Archbishop Henni, of Milwaukee), Patrick, Mary A., Ellen and James (deceased ), Margaret and George ( deceased ). The family are members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

FREDRICK SANDER, manufacturer of furniture and dealer in cabinet ware; was born in Germany in 1825; he came to America in 1853, and located in Boston, remaining two years ; from there he came to Fond du Lac; he learned his trade in his native country, beginning at the age of 15, and has closely followed it since ; he was in he employ of Mr. John Bishop, a furniture dealer, for the first two years after arriving at Fond du Lte, when, in 1857, he became the partner of A. A. Lange, where he continued till 1859, when, by mutual consent, the firm was dissolved; Mr. Sander has since continued the business alone, and to-day is one of the most extensive furniture dealers in the city. In 1853, he married Miss Babelle Felburger, of Boston, she being a native of Germany also ; they have had six children, the first three of whom are deceased; those living are Emma, Bertha and Fredrick. Mr. Sander was one of the first Trustees of the Lutheran Church, and has always remained a member of that body.

J. R. SANFORD, proprietor of Patty House livery stable ; was born in Albion, Kennebeck Co. Me., Dec. 25, 1847. where he resided until he catue to Fond du Lac in 1866 ; he was employed in the lumber business until he opened his livery stable. He was married at Fond du Lac, Nov. 24, 1868, to Jennie Marlow.

PETER V. SANG, retired, was born in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany. Nov. 10, 1809, and came to this country in 1832; he resided in Pennsylvania until May, 1834, when he enlisted in the United States Army in Albany, N. Y .; on the 15th of August, 1834, he came to Green Bay, and was assigned to Fort Winnebago, where he served eight years, seven years as Orderly Sergeant ; in the month of June, 1840, Mr. Sang received a permanent injury in the line of his duties, for which he now receives a pension of $24 per month. After the expiration of his term of service, he moved to Seven Mile Creek, now Lamartine, in the month of August, 18-12, where he owned 120 acres of land ; Mr. Sang resided in Lamartine from August, 1842, until March 26, 1876; during which time he held many responsible offices, as follows: Notary since the fall of 1845; Postmaster over twenty years, from 1845; Town Clerk, seventeen years; Chairman of Town Supervisors, three years, two years of which service he was Chairman of the County Board ; School District Clerk of District No. I, eleven years; County Treasurer. three years ; Deputy I'nited States Marshal, three years ( under President Pieree's administra- tion ); in May, 1854, he was commissioned by the City Council of Fond du Lac as traveling emigrant agent between this city and New York City, and acted as Government Land Agent for emigrants, during which time he paid into the United States Receiver's office over $231,000 ; he is now serving his fourth year as Coroner of this county, and has been one of the election clerks of the First Ward since he moved into the city, which was in 1876; Mr. Sang, in 1870, took the census of Lamartine ; he was also Justice of the Peace nine years in the same town. He was married. in June, 1843, to Mrs. Hooper, who died April 19, 1875, and married, a second time, in 1879, to Mrs. Warren, a daughter of Col. Titus V. Woodworth, of New Hampshire.

MARTIN SASSE, manufacturer of and dealer in boots and shoes ; was born in Prussia Nov. 29, 1826, where he resided until coming t> Buffalo, N. Y., in January, 1851, where he remained nine months ; he then resided two years in Washington Co., Wis., after which he came to Fond du Lac, which has since been his place of residence; Mr. S. learned the shoemaker's trade when 14 years of age, and has carried on the business continuously since he came to Fond du Lac. He was married in Prussia, in November, 1850, to Frederika Blumenburg, a native of that country ; they have twelve children living, all born in America-Ada, Emma, Amelia, Emil, Matilda, Bertha, Otto, Martin, Robert, Hermann, Frederick and Ella; an infant daughter was lost while on shipboard coming to America. He belongs to the Concordia Society and to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

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AUGUST F. SCHAAR, merchant tailor ; was born in Schoenlanke, Prussia, Feb. 26, 1855; came to America with his parents in 1868 ; their first location was at Oshkosh in the fall of that year ; Mr. S. has worked at the tailoring business thirteen years ; came to Fond du Lac in the spring of 1871. He was married in this city, Oct. 9, IS78, to Amelia DeSombre, who was born on the Atlantic Ocean while her parents were on their way to America ; they have an infant daughter, born Nov. 8, 1879. Mr. S. is a member of the German Evangelical Church, also of the Benevolent Society and Kuights of Honor.

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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 131

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