The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 143

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

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CHARLES LAWSON, farmer, See. 29; P. O. West Rosendale; is the oldest son of Stephen and Keziah Lawson ; was born in Schenectady Co., N. Y., in 1819: in 1836, he went to New York City, and was there engaged in various kinds of business till the fall of 1843; in the following spring he came to Walworth Co., Wis., where he followed farming for nearly four years; in 1846, he bought a farm of 160 acres in the southwest quarter of See. 29, town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., and in the spring of 1848, settled thereon ; he now owns that and thirty acres on the southwest quarter of Sec. 22. Since his residence in Rosendale he has held the office of Town Clerk and Assessor for several terms. Nov. 26, 1848, he was married to Miss -Laura, daughter of William Morton, of Walworth Co., Wis., but a native of New York; she died May 18, 1872, leaving one son-Frank, now a resident of this town (Rosendale). Nov. 25, 1873, he was married to Miss Melissa, daughter of John and Calista Adams, then of Ripon, Wis., but emigrants from New York about 1856; they have one daughter-L. Labelle. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson are members of the M. E. Church.

JOHN C. LE FEVRE, M. D., is the son of Rev. J. W. and S. A. Le Fevre, nee Bald- win; was horn in New York City in Angust, 1840; in the fall of 1854, with his parents, he immigrated to Wisconsin, and settled ou a farm in the town of Springvale, Fond du Lac Co. His father was a Meth- odist minister, but after his removal to Wisconsin he devoted some of his time to farming, in connection with his ministerial work. The Doctor received his earlier education in the common schools of the State of New York, but pursued the higher branches of his literary studies at Lockwood Seminary, in West- chester Co., N. Y .; he followed farming for ten years after their settlement in Springvale, Fond du Lac Co. In the fall of 1867, he began the study of medicine with Dr. Bowe, of the village of Rosendale, with whom he continued his studies for four years; he attended one course of lectures at Rush Medical College of Chicago, but graduated at Hughes Medical College of Keokuk, Iowa, in 1876; he then returned to Rosendale aud resumed his practice, and is now a successful physician of this vicinity. In June, 1864, he was married to Miss Ethic J., daughter of Dr. Bowe, of Rosendale; they have one son-P. Edward. Mrs. Le Fevre is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Le Fevre is a member of the Masonic Fraternity.

THOMAS B. LOVELL, farmer, Sec. 13; P. O. Rosendale; was born in Istes of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, Aug. 28, 1822. His father, John Lovell, died when he was quite young, and without a will, consequently, according to the laws of that country, the oldest son inherited the estate, and he was forced to earn his own living from early boyhood. In 1847, he was married to Miss Sarah A., daughter of John and Alice Edgeley, of Cambridgeshire, and, in 1868, they came to America, and settled on a farm in the town of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where they lived till 1874, when he

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bought a farm of eighty-nine acres in Sec. 13, town of Rosendale, which has since been his home. Their children are John T., now living in the town of Waupun, Fond du Lac Co., Wis .; Caroline, now the wife of William Wells, and lives in England; William, Hannah, Fred and Alice, at home with their parents.

JOSEPH LUCIA, farmer, Sec. 17; P. O. Ripon ; was born in Lower Canada Jan. 12, 1811, and is the son of Paul and Josette Lucia, nec Vereno, natives of Canada, but of French parentage; when 16 years of age, he went to Brilport, Vt., where he followed farm work in that vicinity for twelve years. There, in 1839, he was married to Miss Amelia, daughter of Amab and, Angette Brayman; they came to Fon 1 du Lac Co., Wis., an l settled on a farm in Sec. 17, town of Rosendale, where he now owns 100 aeres. Their chi dren are Lucini, now the wife of Zeb Rambond, of Ripon; Jane, now Mrs. Moses Trembley, of the town of Friendship, Fond du Lac Co., Wis .; Clarissa, now the wife of William Lambert, and lives in Ripon ; Olive, now Mrs. J. Clinch, of the town of Springvale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis .; Caro- line, now the wife of Joseph Branchand, of Marinetto, Wis .; Oveda, now Mrs. George Trembley, of Minnesota ; Joseph A., who lives in Minnesota, and Della, now in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Lucia are members of the Catholic Church.

CHARLES LYMAN, retired farmer, Rosendale; is a native of Lewis Co., N. Y., born in February, 1820; when 2 years old, with parents. Samuel and Lucy ( Talmadge) Lyman, he removed to Oneida Co , N. Y., where they afterward died; he spent most of his early life on a farm in Oneida Co., and, in the spring of 1846, immigrated to Wisconsin and settled on a farm in Sec. 34, town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., where he followed farming till the fall of 1877 ; he then retired to the village of Rosen- dale, and has since lived a more retired life an l enjoys the fruits of his years of toil. Sept. 23, 1850, he was married to Miss A. W., daughter of W. and B. A. White, then residents of Rosendale, but immi- grants from Oneida Co, N. Y., in 1848; their children are Emma (deceased). Clarence J , now a resident of this town ( Rosendale); Minnie (deceased ), Bertha M. Mr. and Mrs. Lyman are members of the M. E. Church.

CLINTON MATTESON was born in Shaftsbury, Bennington Co., Vt., Sept. 18, 1820, and died in Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., July 20, 1876; his father, Isaiah Matteson, was a native of Vermont ; his mother, Charlotte Harpending, was born in New Jersey, being an immediate deseendant of one of the families who came with Stuyvesant an I settled New York City; the Harpending coat of-arms could be seen in the old Dutch Reformed church of St. John's a few years ago, and, even now, if the church still stands; they owned the site, and a large portion of lund surrounding it; Clinton Matteson was the youngest of eight children ; his education was obtained at the public school, with a few winters' terms at an academy in the vicinity; his father following his profession (that of a Baptist minister), left the work of a farm, and the responsibility of its management, entirely to him; upon the death of his mother, he soll the farm, and gathering those things together useful to a farmer, as early as 1845, turn d his face westward ; he came to Milwaukee, Wis., by boat; there, purchasing a horse, he started on horseback for a place called Sanborn's Prairie, in Fond du Lac Co., Wis, hearing of it through a friend who had preceded him; it proved to be a most desirable place to locate ; finding wood, water, and tillable land, he preempted and purchased until he had a farm of fine dimensi ms, as well as a beautiful location, because lying evenly and s didly together, with splendid variety of soil; this l'arm, with very little change as to boundiry lines, comprises the estat: of 600 agres left to his children ; he built the first frame house in the town of Rosendale; then returned East, and, at Marcy, Oncida Co., N. Y., married, in 1847, Caroline E. Potter. Being permanently settled in a place destined to rank first in agricultural industries, Mr. Matteson became identifi d with all matters of public interest, and gave himself heartily to the work of organizing and developing its interests; thus, in the year 1847, he took an important part in organizing the town and laying out the State road; he was also an active member of the Cemetery Association, locating the grounds and marking ont the plats; the laying-out of the State road, owing to the probability of its being an important thoroughfire and laid out under the laws of a new State, developed two parties, who fought hard and bitterly as to what points it should pass; through some illegality, one party lost ground, and the matter ended in laying a very direct route from Waupun to Osh- koch, running the entire front of Mr. Matteson's farm; he was very instrumental in inducing people to settle in that part of the county; indeed, persons would be directed to Clinton Matteson if they were in search of land or location ; for the first ten years, he gave his attention quite exchi-ively to wheat raising, from 1850 to 1856 raising from 3,500 to 4,000 bushels a year ; he introduced the best varieties of secd ; his first market for this product was Sheboygan, fifty-five miles distant, where he was obliged to carry it in loads, taking two or more days for a trip; when the soil began to yield less bountifully of wheat, he turned his attention to sheep-raising ; in 1856, Mr. Matteson seut to Vermont for fine and valuable animals,

BRANDON.

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constantly importing finer and better ones to improve his flock. About 1858-59, he became Chairman of the Board of Supervisors; in 1858, he joined the order of Free Mafons; from the years 1861 to 1865, he was President of the Agricultural and Mechanical Society of Fond du Lac Co. In 1861, he married the second time, his wife being Eliza Frisbie, a native of Trenton Falls, Oneida Co., N. Y., but at this time a resident of Rosendale. In the spring of 1871, an extension of the Sheboygan & Fond du Lae Railroad was contemplated ; Mr. M. worked hard and heroically to secure the cooperation of a majority of the voters of Rosendale, riding weeks over almost impassable roads ; he met with what at times seemed insurmountable obstacles, and would have proved so to a less determined man ; the object was at last gained through his personal exertions, and the road was built in the fall of 1871 ; the winter was severe, and the subject of this sketch furnished food and shelter to many a man who worked upon a snow-bound train ; Mr. Matteson, with his usual foresight, saw the necessity of having a better class of stock, and early set to work purchasing the best breeds, selecting a kind which in his judgment would be received universally as combining the largest number of desirable qualities ; he introduced " short-horns," purchasing his first animal in 1865, then adding every year, until, in 1873, he published his first cata- logue, and fully established the " Rosendale llerd of Short-Horns; " the study of this branch of industry was followed closely and systematically from the outset to the close of his life-indeed, he gave it the study necessary to a profession ; he purchased the American Ilerd-Books, containing pedigrees, as fast as they were published, also a condensed work of reference to English Herd-Books, thus possessing the encyclopedia of "short-horn literature ; " Mr. Matteson was in constant communication with every organization tending to pro- mote the interests of stock-growers, and took several journals devoted to such subjects ; his experience as a breeder was acquired by conscientious and careful attention to details, together with extensive knowledge of the business, which rightfully made him one of the most prominent and successful stock-growers in the State ; he thus became widely known throughout the Northwest, as a leader in some of the great agricultural and stock- growing interests ; he was writing, at the time of his death, a history of some of the most important and fash- ionable lines of pedigree ; he was, undisputably, the first to bring "short-horns " into this part of the State, as there was not a herd in Central or Northern Wisconsin until some years later ; he found ready sale for all he had to sell, many of his patrons being strangers from distant localities-from the plains of Kansas and the hills of Colorado; this became the crowning industry and work of his life; he often remarked, " If I could live ten years, what infinitely more satisfactory results might be accomplished," showing that he felt it to be one of the established industries of the world. He was a man of singular decision and energy of character, which made his virtues and foibles appear the more prominent ; he was open and honest, both in his enmities and his friendships; after a declaration of hostilities, he would deal his opponents, as long as they could stand or crawl, the heaviest blows without the smallest ceremony-iodeed, when he was upon the war-path, his valor was almost romantic, for he regarded not the number of his foes, but was ready to attack, with equal courage and resolution, a whole church or a whole town ; but his resentment was not lasting or rancorous, and, for very small concessions, he was always willing to bury the hatchet of war and smoke the calumet of peace; to his friends, he was steadfastly attached, and was ready, with chivalrous promptness, to defend their honor or promote their interest; to his neighbors who understood him, he was uncommonly kind and obliging ; one having been his neighbor for twenty-five years, can bear willing testi- mony to his uniform courteousness during that long period, which makes him feel that in the death of Clinton Matteson, he has lost both a neighbor and a friend. For his family, he provided a pleasant and tasteful home, adding whatever he could to increase their comfort and promote their happiness; he gave to his children a liberal education in the best schools ; they were four in number-Madora G. Matteson (now the wife of John R. Patty, of Fond du Lac, Wis. ), and Bela C. (his only sen, now carrying on the business), children of his first wife; Minnie and Mabel Matteson, children of his second wife; but three are living now, Minvic, a lovely girl of 15, having died In less than two years after her father. Mr. Matteson pos- sesssed a mind of unusual vigor and activity, the predominant traits being a clear comprehension and superior judgment, united to wonderful energy and excellent management; the course of his mental oper- ations were sometimes extraordinary, being almost an actual sight of future developments that seemed to present themselves first to his internal vision long before they came to external view ; he was a close reader and observer of character, also possessing a faithful anl logical memory, with ability for fine com- parison, thus making him an interesting and highly entertaining conversationalist; he had fine taste in discriminating the appropriateness of act or speech, and was keenly alive to what is termed the " fitness of things ; " he enjoyed a sentiment exceedingly, if it abounded in force and effect ; it was eminently char- acteristic of him in whatever he undertook, whether in large enterprises or trifling home decorations, to do the best, to get the best-no medium ground satisfied him. Mr. Mittesoon was no politician ; no one ever visited his home but felt gratified with his open-heartedness and genial hospitality, and though a man of

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ability and refinement, his delight was in his fields and among his herds, rather than in public life ; he was wholly free from hypocrisy and deceit, and would often own to his friends his failures and shortcomings, both as a man and a Christian ; he was a man with the weaknesses derived from humanity, with the strength that we inherit from the soul. Never in the annals of this portion of our State has a private citizen received so marked a token of respect, for a thousand people were present to show their esteem for the dead; it was a most befitting tribute, that nearly three hundred carriages followed the remains to the grave, where the world closed forever upon the mortal part of one whom his friends loved and his bitterest enemies respected-a man who never let pass unimproved an opportunity to do a generous and charitable act, and whose faults even " leaned to virtue's side."

NATHAN W. MOON. farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Rosendale ; was born in Essex Co., N. Y., in August, 1827 ; his father, Jesse Moon, was a native of New England ; followed milling, blacksmithing and millwright's trade, and also practiced medicine in Essex Co., N. Y .; his mother, Rebecca Castle, was also born in New England. Nathan W. spent most of his time on a farm in his native county, and, in 1850, came to Wisconsin, and settled on a farm on Sec. 25, town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., in the spring of 1857 ; he now owns 200 acres. March 5, 1855, he was married to Miss Ann, daughter of Michael and Ann Leonard, then living in the town of Eldorado, Fond du Lac Co., but a native of Ire- land ; their children are Emma (now the wife of William T. Reed, and lives in the town of Lamartine), Jesse N., William H., John L. and Carrie M. Mr. Moon was Town Treasurer for two terms and mem- ber of the Town Board for two or three terms.

GEORGE MURRAY (deceased ) was born on Prince Edward's Island in June, 1791. and was the son of William and Margaret Murray ; he spent most of his early life at farming and lumbering, and when quite a young man learned the ship-builder's trade, at which he worked during the winters. In 1830, he was married to Mrs. Margaret Montgomery, nee Ramsey, a daughter of Malcolm Ramsey, of Prince Edward's Island ; in 1844, they removed to McHenry Co., Ill., where he devoted his time to farm- ing for the next ten years ; in November, 1854, he came to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., and, in the following spring, settled on a farm on Sec. 23, town of Rosendale, where he died in December, 1855, leaving a widow, who died in March, 1875, and eight children-John, now in New Brunswick ; Catharine, now the wife of N. McFarland, and lives on Prince Edward's Island ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Joseph Spraig, and lives in Minnesota ; Mary A., now the wife of O. T. Lewis, of Fond du Lac ; Jane, now the wife of H. Scofield, and lives in Minnesota ; Margaret, now Mrs. Bushnell Dodd, of this town ( Rosendale); Ann, who died in the spring of 1857 ; Theophalus, who married Miss Surrelda, daughter of Benjamin and Caroline Bonnett, and lives on the homestead farm of 150 acres. They are members of the M. E. Church ; bis post office is Rosendale.

JOSHUA PHILLIPS (deceased) was born in Cardiganshire, South Wales, in 1799, and was the son of John and Ann Phillips ; he followed farming in his native county, and was married to Margaret Evans about 1820; he left his family in Wales, and came to seek a home in America about 1843, stopped first in the State of New York, and, about 1850, came to Wisconsin and settled on a farm of 156 acres, on Sec. 12, town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis .; here his family joined him in 1856; his wife died on the farm in the summer of 1866, and he in the town of Nekama, Winnebago Co., Wis., in September, 1878; their children are Ellen, now the wife of David Price, and lives in the town of Utica, Winnebago Co., Wis .; Ann, now Mrs. Oriel, and lives in Wales ; Sarah, deceased ; Eliza, now Mrs. John Thomas, of Utica, Winnebago Co .; John, who was married to Sarah, daughter of William and Martha Thomas, July 1, 1861; they have six children ; Julia G., now the wife of Samuel R. James ; Etta, deceased ; Hattie, deceased ; Josephine Elmer, deceased ; Sidney. Mr. Phillips owns a farm of 200 acres in Sees. 11 and 15, and 156 acres in Sec. 12 ; his brother David now lives in the town of Utica, Winne- bago Co .; his sister Martha, now Mrs. William Price, lives in Utica also. They are connected with the Baptist Church.

HIRAM QUIMBY, farmer, Secs. 8 and 9; P. O. Pickett's Station ; is a native of Hillsboro Co., N. H .; son of David and Elizabeth (Kitdredge) Quimby, born May 29, 1806; his mother was a descendant of the Kitdredge family of New Hampshire, among whom were many eminent surgeons; his father was a miller, and with him he worked at the trade much of the time in his native State ; he was, however, connected with a lumbering company there for a time ; in 1850, he left his home in New Hamp- shire, and came to Wisconsin and settled on a farm on Secs. 8 and 9, town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., where he now has 130 acres. In 1836, he was married to Miss Louisa, daughter of Benjamin Winslow, of Goffstown, Hillsboro Co , N. H .; their children are Louisa, now the wife of Patrick Rock, and lives in this town ( Rosendale) ; Hiram M. and Byron B.

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WILLIAM B. RASEY, retired farmer, Rosendale ; was born in the town of Peru, Clinton Co., N. Y., Dec. 15, 1801 ; he is the son of John and Rachel Rasey ; his father was a native of Rhode Island, but his mother of New York ; he was brought up as a farmer in his native State, and Feb. 26, 1826, was married to Nancy, a daughter of Samuel and Olive Hale, of Washington Co., N. Y .; in the fall of 1847, they, with a family of four children, immigrated to Wisconsin and settled on a farm in the town of Lamartine, where he followed farming till July, 1875 ; disposing of his farm at that time, he removed to the village of Rosendale, where he has since lived a more retired life. Their children are Samuel, who now lives in the town of Rosendale ; Sarah J., now the wife of Leander Knapp, and lives at Island Lake, Lyon Co., Minu. ; Olive H., now the wife of I. W. Bowen, and lives in St. James, Watonwan Co., Minn. ; Ed 'Z., lives also in Watonwan Co., Minn. Mr. and Mrs. Rasey are members of the M. E. Church ..

THOMAS ROBERTS (deceased) was born in South Wales Dec. 15, 1815, and was the son of James and Mary Roberts ; he was employed in the iron mines till 1842, and then came to Amer- ica, and was employed in the coal mines at Tallmadge, Ohio, for eight years; in 1850, he came to the town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis. ; settled on a farm in Sec. 2, where he followed farming and owned a farm of 200 acres at the time of his death, Feb. 29, 1876. In November, 1839, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of James and Elizabeth Stone, also of South Wales ; their children are Rachel, now the wife of Joel Morgan, and lives in Nekama ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Wm. Jones, of Dakota ; Daniel, now in Utica, Winnebago Co. ; James, of this town ( Rosendale) ; Mary and Maggie, at home, and an adopted sou, William. Mr. Roberts and family belong to the Congregational Church.

JAMES W. SANDERS, farmer, Sec. 6 ; P. O. Ripon : is the oldest son of James Sanders, a native of Connecticut, and Anna ( Wildey ) Sanders, a native of New York ; he was born in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., Sept. 8, 1824, and spent his early life there on a farm ; at the age of 17, he entered upon an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade in his native county, and afterward followed the trade there till 1845, immigrating theuce to McHeury Co., Ill., where he continued the trade for one year ; in April, 1846, be came to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., and pre-empted a farm of 160 acres on Sec. 6, town of Rosen- dale, built his pioneer shanty thereon, and has since devoted most of his time to agriculture ; his shauty has since been exchanged for a commodious home with the improvements of a modern farm residence, and he now has 120 acres of land in that section. His parents removed to Wisconsin in 1850, and settled in Waushara Co., where his mother died June 21, 1862, at the age of 61 years ; his father afterward died in Winnebago Co., Wis., Nov. 10, 1876, at the age of 78 years. Mr. Sanders has been Chairman of the Town Board of Rosendale for three terms. In October, 1847, he was married to Miss Nancy, daughter of Christopher and Joannah ( Lambert) Grant, and a native of Virginia, but then a resident of this town (Rosendale ) ; their children are James C., now living at Brown's Grove, Pawnee Co., Kan. ; Edwin A., who also lives at Brown's Grove, Kan. ; Amelia H., now at home ; Charles H., of Oshkosh, Wis. ; Den- nison F., now at home. Mrs. Sanders is a member of the Seventh Day Advent Church.

JOSEPH SCRIBNER, Sr., (deceased), was born in Norwalk, Fairfield Co., Conn., Oct. 30, 1796 ; his father, Enoch Scribner, was also a native of Norwalk ; born Ang. 29, 1750, and belonged to the long line of Scribners, beginning with Mathew, who settled there as early as 1740; his mother, Betsey Benedict, was also born in that county. Joseph, the subject of this sketch, spent much of his early life on a farm in his native county, as many of his ancestors had done. In 1815, he was married to Sarah, daughter of Jarvis and Mercy Kellogg, nee Sellack, also farmers of Fairfield Co. ; four sons and three daughters composed their family, as follows: William, born in Connecticut, in December. 1815 : married Mary E., daughter of Nathaniel L. and Maria Hill, nee Wakeman, of Fairfield Co., Sept. 25, 1839 ; immigrated to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., in the fall of 1849, and settled in the town of Rosendale, where his wife died JJan. 28, 1876, leaving the following children-Mary E., now the wife of T. Cooper Hill, of this village . Rosendale); Julia. now Mrs. Joseph Mabee, and lives in Tarrytown, N. Y. ; William H., who now lives at Russell, Russell Co., Kan. ; John W., of the town of Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis. ; Ellen M. ; Charles H. and Eliza R., who are now at home. Feb. 20, 1877, he was married to Miss Maria E., daughter of Adam and Eliza Vandenbergh, a native of New York City, but immigrated to this county, with her mother, in June, 1857. The other members of Mr. Joseph Scribner's family are Martha, now the wife of Dr. Storrs Hall, of this village ( Rosendale ) ; Enoch, of Eldorado Mills, Fond du Lac Co .; Joseph, of the town of Springvale ; James K., also of Eldorado Mills; Harriet, now the wife of John Cooley, and lives in the village of Rosendale. Mr. Scribner removed to Fond du Lac Co .. Wis., in 1858, and settled on a farm on Sec. 34, town of Rosendale, where he died in October, 1868. His wife now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Cooley.

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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 143

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