The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 146

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

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NATHAN A. TINKHAM, farmer, Sec. 22; P. O. Ladoga ; is a son of Orin and Joanna Tinkham, natives of Vermont, but immigrants to Genesee Co., N. Y .. in 1812, where his father enlisted as a soldier in the second war with England. Nathan A., our present subject, was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1821, and spent his life there on a farm till 1846 ; he then with parents came to Kenosha, Wis., thence to Green Lake Co., where he lived till 1866, and where his father died in 1861, and mother in 1868. In 1863, he married Miss Maria, daughter of John and Mary Ilogbin, emigrants from England to Fond du Lac Co. in 1855; in 1866, he purchased a farm of 160 acres in Sec. 22, town of Springvale, where he has since followed farming ; they have had lour children, namely, Effie J., Alfred C. (deceased), Frank E. and Edith M. They are members of the Congregational Church.

JOHN WATSON, farmer, Sec 27; 85 acres; P. O Brandon ; is a native of Roxburghshire, Scotland, and is the son of James Watson and Isabel Douglas, bom in September, 1820. In August, IS50, he was married to Agnes, daughter of John MeDonald and Margaret Turnbull, of Roxburghshire, Scotland, who unfortunately lost her mother when quit : young ; in May, 1862, he left his family in Scot- land and sailed for America; landing in Qu lac, le came direct to village of Brandon. Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where his brother then lived ; he worked for the farmers in that vicinity till 1865, when his wife and son, James W., who is now a teacher in this town, joined him in his Western home; they rented a place for one year, and, in 1866, he bought a farm of 85 acres in See. 27, town of Springvale, which has since been his home. Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the Congregational Church.

HENRY WHEELER, farmer, Sec. 2; P. O. Rosendale; is a native of Gloucestershire, England, born Nov. 9, 1820 ; he is the son of Richard and Mary Wheeler, with whom he emigrated to America in 1832, and settled in Oneidi Co., N. Y .; in 1844, he left his father's home in New York and eame to Waukesha Co., Wis., and in the following year his parents settled there also; in the spring of 1846, they removed to the town of Springvale, then Rosendale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where he and his father entered 160 acres of land, 80 acres each, in See. 2, which has since been his home, and where his

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parents afterward died. In May, 1843, he married Miss Matilda, daughter of James and Mary Merchant, emigrants from England to the town of Springvale, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where they have since died ; they have five children-Harriet, now the wife of Charles Clark, of the city of Fond du Lac; George T., who now lives in this town-Springvale ; Sallie, now Mrs. Willie Dood, of Dakota; Charles H., William S. They attend the Episcopal Church.

F. M. WHEELER, farmer, and senior member of firm of F. M. Wheeler & Co., lumber dealers ; P. O. Brandon ; is a native of Vermont; came West in 1855, and settled in township of Springvale, on the farm he now occupies, which comprises 216 acres of first-class land, all under good state of cultivation ; common report styles his the premium farm ; he has a fine flock of Merino sheep; raised from the Hammond stock, which he brought from Vermont; has also raised several fine Morgan horses ; he still superintends his farm, but since 1873, has carried on an extensive business in the sale of lumber, sash, doors, etc. He has been a member of General Assembly once, and Supervisor four times. In 1849, he was married to Miss Susan Pray, of Saulsbury, Vt .; they have two children now living-Edward M. and George F .; their only daughter, Louisa E., died at the age of 21. He is a stalwart Republican, and is a public-spirited citizen. Although not a church member, he is a liberal promoter of the best elements of society.

A. CHAPIN WHITING, farmer, Sec. 22; P. O. Ladoga. This pioneer of Fond du Lac Co. was born in the town of Boston, Erie Co., N. Y., May 20, 1825 ; his parents, Amos Whiting and Alsey Chace, were natives of Massachusetts, but early settlers of' Erie Co, N. Y .; he received his early education iu the district schools of his native county, after which he attended an academy for a short time ; in 1844 he came to the then new Territory of Wisconsin, to try his fortune as a farmer within its bound- aries; his first location was at Johnstown, Rock Co., whither his father had immigrated two years before ; passing through Fond du Lac Co., on his way to Canada in 1846, he made some investments in the town of Springvale. to which, after spending the winter at teaching in Canada West, he returned and settled on his farm of 80 acres in See. 22, which has since been his home and where he now has 320 acres. Oct. 9, 1850, he married Miss Valncia V., daughter of Joseph and Lucinda B. Williams, nee Blockmar, and a lineal descendant of Roger Williams, her father being his great-grandson ; she was born in Erie Co., N. Y., May 20, 1826, where they were married in 1850, as above stated ; they at once came to their Western home in Fond du Lac Co., and afterward her father joined them and made his home till his death in 1870, at the age of 82 years, leaving her as the only one of the family living-her mother and others having died in the East. Mr. and Mrs. Whiting have had eight children, all of whom except the youngest have been teachers; their names are as follows : D'Everado, of Springvale ; Lucinda B., Mrs. George A. O'Neil, of Mason City, Cerro Gordo Co., Iowa; Martin, deceased ; Morgiana, Mrs. E. C. Curtis, of Rosendale ; Philinda, now a teacher of Rutherford Park, N. J .; Elmina R., a teacher of Ripon ; Robert A., now a teacher of this town, and Joseph W. Mr. Whiting was the second Clerk of the town of Springvale-held the office from 1848 to 1850 ; in 1852 he was elected Chairman of the Town Board ; was re-elected in 1853 ; in 1864 he was appointed United States Deputy Revenue Collector for Fond du Lac Co., which office he held till the fall of 1865 ; in the fall of 1866 he was elected a member of the Wisconsin Assembly from the Second Assembly District; he is now President of the Fond du Lac County Agricultural and Mechanical Association. Such is a brief life-history of one of Springvale's old- est and most respected citizens.

GEORGE D. WOODS, farmer, Sec. 36 ; P. O. Ladoga ; was born in Edwards Co., III., in February, 1846, and in 1864, with parents, George and Ann Woods, removed to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., and settled on Sec. 2, in the town of Waupun ; eighteen months later, his father purchased a farm of 100 acres in See. 36, town of Springvale, which was their home till November, 1878; his parents then removed to a small place on Sec. 2, town of Waupun, and left the farm in their son's care. In October, 1871, he was married to Miss Emily, daughter of J. M. and Abaline Hawkins, of the town of Waupun, Fond du Lac Co., Wis .; their children are Bernice A., Ralph L. and Solomon D., an adopted son.

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FRIENDSHIP TOWNSHIP.

THEODORE HERRLING, farmer, Sec. 4; P. O. Fond du Lac; born in Germany, ucar Leipsic, Jan. 3, 1840 ; came to this county with his parents in June, 1854; worked at farming and his trade (that of engineering), until the breaking-out of the rebellion. Enlisted in Fond du Lac Sept. 14, 1861, as a private in Co. K., 1st W. V. I., under Capt. Thomas H. Green; was at the battle of Perry- ville, Ky., Oet. 8, 1862; at Jefferson's Crossing, Dec. 29, 1862, and at the six days' fight at Stone River, lasting from Dec. 30, 1862, to January 6, 1863; went to the hospital at New Albany, Ind., and remained there until mustered out, Oct. 15, 1863; was a member of the Union League at Greenbush, Sheboygan Co., Wis. Married, Nov. 9, 1868, to Antoinette Kinsman [see Kinsman] ; they have no children living. He attends the German Lutheran Church, and is a Republican in politics; is now, and has been for two years, Chairman of the Town; is Treasurer of School District No. 1, and Secretary of Friendship and Fond du Lac Protection Association ; he is now a pensioner, by reason of injuries received at Stone River.

JOSEPH KINSMAN, farmer, Sec. 4; P. O. Fond du Lac; born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Dec. 23, 1818; his parents, Aaron and Diana (Croft) Kiusman, were formerly residents of Framingham, Mass .; when the subject of this sketch was 15 years of age, they emigrated to Huron Co., Ohio ; settled near East Norwalk, where Joseph remained on the farm with his father about six years; he then learned the painter's trade, which he followed six years; he then kept the hotel known as the Stewart House about three years. Married, Feb. 17, 1843, Julia Ann Beckwith, daughter of Richard and Anna (Cham- pion) Beckwith, she being then 18 years of age; they were married by Elder Phillips, Baptist minister at East Norwalk ; the parents of Mrs. Kinsman were from Hartford, Conn .; Mr. K. came to this State in April, 1848; was on the road twenty-seven days with a horse team, and settled on Sec. 5; removed to present location on Sec. 4, three years later ; has 770 acres of land in Secs. 3, 4, 5, 9 and 21, of which about 250 are under cultivation, and the balance in pasture and timber ; has four dwellings and eleveu barns, with sheds and other buildings to accommodate his stock, which consists in part of 6 horses, 52 head of cattle, 250 sheep, etc., the stock being watered by means of reservoirs, pipes, and a windmill pump ; has also a fine herd of deer in a park of 15 acres ; has a daughter, Antoinette, born Oct. 28, 1846, who married Theodore Herrling [See T. Herrling, See. 4], and one son, Fitch R., born June 28, 1849, who is unmarried and works the land with his parents. The subject of this sketch is a Republican in politics, liberal in his religious views a hearty, jovial, well-preserved gentleman, surrounded by all that tends to make life pleasant ; and that he enjoys, to the fullest extent, the respect and esteem of his towns- men, is evident from the fact that, in a town giving one-third Democratic majority, he has been a Super- visor several years, being Chairman of the Town during the war six or eight years, also an Assessor fifteen years (one year acting in both capacities ), and for twenty years a Justice of the Peace.

ROBERT MeGOWAN, farmer, Secs. 16 and 21; P. O. Fond du Lac; was born near Calais, Me., Dec. 25, 1823; his parents, Jobn McGowan and Bridget, nee Murray, came to this country fifty-eight years ago from the northern part of Ireland, and settled in New Brunswick, where they both died at the respective ages of 84 and 50 years. He came to this county twenty-nine years ago, and lived in the city of Fond du Lac about eight years, engaged in lumbering, " jobbing " in shingles, etc. About twenty-three years ago, he married Margaret Coughlin, whose parents ( Patrick and Mary, nee Connel) were from County Cork, Ireland ; her mother, Mrs. Mary Coughlin, is still living in the city of Fond du Lac, aged 73 years, her father having died in New York shortly after his arrival. His wife is now 43 years of age ( June, 1879) ; they have ten children living, one having died very young-Mary Ann, born Aug. 30, 1858; John, born June 1, 1860; Bridget, born March 2, 1862; Margaret, born March 29, 1864; Robert, born April 11, 1866; William, born Nov. 29, 1869 ; Edward and Erwin (twins), born Dec. 17, 1872; Ellen, born Nov. 29, 1874, and Catharine, born Feb. 1, 1878. All attend St. Patrick's Church, in this city. He has 85 acres of cultivated land and 5 acres of timber land; keeps four working horses, twenty head of cattle, ten of sheep, and ten hogs ; makes a specialty of feathers, and has a large number of geese, ducks, turkeys and hens. Mr. McGowan began life with no capital, and has by honest industry acquired a competency and the reputation of a man whose word is as good as his bond. He stands six feet two inches in his stockings, and weighs 200 pounds.

DANIEL N. MORGAN, Postmaster and station agent, Van Dyne; born in the town of Trenton, Oneida Co., N. Y , April 30, 1824. His father, Nathaniel Morgan, and his mother (maiden name Deming), Lydia, are dead. He was thirteen years a teacher in the public schools of New York,

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and is now Justice of the Peace. Married Susan M. Greenman, who was born in Brookfield, Madison Co., N. Y., May 15, 1830; daughter of Samnel Greenman, of Stephentown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y .; mother's name Abigail Bliss (daughter of Capt. Jeremiah Biss, of Newport, R. I.); have one son- Herbert Greenman Morgan, born in Russia, Herkimer Co., N. Y., May 7, 1854; married, Nov. 16, 1877, to Lucy Colman, of Waukesha, Wis., and is now station agent, express agent, Postmaster and telegraph operator at Pensaukee, Wis. Jeremiah Greenman, Jr., a brother of Mrs. Morgan, left Janesville, Wis., about twenty-six years ago, visited California and Western Territories, then went to Lima, Peru, went into the country with a Mr. Brown, of New York, on a prospecting tonr, carrying a considerable sum of money, and has not been heard from since that time.

JACOB THEWALT, farmer, Sec. 17; P. O. Fond du Lae; born Oct. 15, 1819, at Nan- Art (or New Earth), Prussia. Married in 1846 to Catharine Dhilel, at Gen-Ters-Blom ; one son died at 11 months of age in Chicago, twenty-eight or twenty-nine years ago ; soon after his arrival in this country, his wife was drowned in a well, into which she accidentally fell. Lived in Chicago about three years. Mar- ried to Sophia Steady in December, twenty-six years ago ; had by second wife five children, of whom two died ; Sophia, aged 22 Dec. 27, 1879; William B., aged 19 April 8, 1880; Annie MI., aged 12 May 2, 1880, are living with parents. Settled two miles south of the city eight or ten years, then three miles south; owned a brewery at Mayville, Wis .; rents eighty acres on See. 17 at $300 per year, cash in advance, in company with C. W. Finn, of the city of Fond du Lac, he has been engaged in pressing hay, thresh- ing and lumbering for several years, and also Assistant Depnty Revenne Collector for this district under W. C. Ogden.

WAUPUN.

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WAUPUN.

JOHN N. ACKERMAN, retired farmer, Waupun ; born in New York State April 22, 1812; son of Jonathan A. Ackerman, who was born and brought up in Saratoga Co., N. Y .; John N. came to Green Bay, Wis., in 1836, and came to Waupun in 1841; entered eighty acres in what is now the city of Waupun ; there were none but Indians here when he came ; he was a carpenter by trade, and put up the first frame building in Fond du Lac; there were only four families there then, and about the same number in Oshkosh ; Mr. Ackerman is the oldest of the old settlers in this part of the country, and his stories of ye old times are amusing, and should be preserved. Mr. Ackerman married, October, 1843, Hannah A. Ford, daughter of Chester Ford, one of the earliest and most respected citizens of Wisconsin ; children are George V. (living in Appleton ), Marion (married S. J. Sumner, living in Waupun), Chas. Il. (living at home ), Alice (living in Green Lake Co. ), Fred (living at home ), Edna (living in Dodge (o.). Frank (living in Dodge Co.). Mr. Ackerman has a fine farm of 170 acres, 130 acres in the city of Wau- pun ; he was for twenty years Justice of the Peace, and twice President of the village, and was the first Mayor of the city of Waupun.

M. J. ALTHOUSE, of Althouse, Wheeler & Co., Waupun ; born in Pennsylvania Aug. 10, 1828 ; was most of his early days in Tompkins Co., N. Y., where he used to work out part of the day, and run a saw-mill all night ; in this way he earned enough money to start for the Great West, and came to Waupun in the fall of 1849; had 50 cents in his pocket when he reached here ; he worked at 50 cents per day at any work he could get hold of; took land on shares; sat up nights making baskets, and turned the baskets over for labor on his farm ; the first winter he lived here, he walked miles every morning to chop wood for three shillings a cord ; used to work into the night sometimes, and pile the wood by moon- light ; he was " pegging away " while other men slept. Mr. Althouse owes his success in a large degree to his own hard exertions ; he always was busy, no time was wasted ; in 1852, he went to drilling wells and running thrashing machines, and, in 1855, made his first pump ; went out into the woods and cut his own timber, and worked away and improved it, till now he has the finest wood pump manufactured in the Waited States ; in 1873, he commenced making windmills; this branch of the business has grown to an enormous extent ; these windmills are superior to any manufactured, and are shipped to all parts of the United States, and to foreign countries ; 300 were annually sent to India, and were transported to different places on mules' backs ; they have also made large shipments to New Zealand. As business increased, Mr. Althouse had to look around for suitable men for partners, to assume a share of the cares and respon- sibilities, and the business is now eminently successfully carried on under the firm name of Althouse, Wheeler & Co. Mr. Althouse's success is a brilliant example of the fruits of persistent effort, strict atten- tion to one line of business, and sturdy integrity. There was no loafing in his younger days, and there is nothing in the nature of the gentleman to indicate that he will ever depart from his first and well-fixed principles. Thus true merit gains its own reward.

DANIEL P. BABCOCK (deceased ), was born Feb. 1, 1818, in Riga, Monroe Co., N. Y .; his father died when he was 3 years old, and he was bound out to Elihu Burr, of Castile, in what was then Genesee Co., now Wyoming Co., N. Y. When 19 years of age, he went to Illinois, and lived three years in De Kalb Co .; then returned to Castile and was married, by Elder Joseph Weeks, April 23, 1843, to Adelia Sturtevant, who was born, Oct. 30, 1822, in Castile, N. Y., daughter of Noah and Cynthia Stur- tevant, natives of Vermont, who came to Castile before they were married, and lived there till 1867; then went to Livingstone Co., where Mrs. Sturtevent died Aug. 3, 1875, in the 76th year of her age ; Mr. Sturtevant came to Wisconsin in October, 1877, and is now living with his daughter, Mrs. Babcock, in the 70th year of his age. Mr. and Mrs. Sturtevant were among the first settlers of Genesce Co., N. Y., and had their share of the privations and Indian scares incident to the carly settlement of that county ; Mrs. Babcock well remembers sitting, when a little girl, in the lap of Mary Jemison, the famous " white woman " of Western New York. Mr. Babcock was a miller by trade, but being in poor health when he returned to Castilo from Illinois, he went into the boot and shoe business which he followed till October, 1855 ; then came West, and settled in Fond du Lac Co., Wis., living in the town of Alto one and a half years ; thea, in Springvale, seven years, and, in March, 1863, bought the farm now occupied by his widow on Sec. 12, in the town of Waupun, where he resided until his death, which occurred Dec. 12, 1877, in the 59th year of his age, having been nearly blind for the last eighteen years of his life. Left two sons- llarlow N., horn Oct. 11, 1850 ; married Lydia Fisher, of Waushara Co., Wis., Feb. 22, 1873, and now lives in Stoughton, Dane C., Wis., where he is foreman in a large flouring-mill ; Charles F., born April 29,

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1857, in Springvale ; is living with his mother on the homestead, which consists of 85 acres of land, valued at about $40 per acre ; P. O. Ladoga.

FRANK L. BACON, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Waupun; born Sept. 16, 1841, in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y .; son of Leander and Sarah Ann Bacon, natives of Eastern New York ; he went to Pennsylvania in February, 1863, and lived about two years in Rothsville, Pithole City, Oil City and Titusville, prospect- ing for oil, and working a part of the time in a refinery. April 4, 1865, he was married in Titusville to Anna C. Hamlin, who was born July 2, 1844, daughter of Henry C. and Abby Hamlin. Mr. Hamlin was from Augusta, Me., and Mrs. Hamlin from Hingham, Mass. Mr. Bacon came to Wisconsin in January, 1866, and settled in the town of Waupun ; he bought a flouring-mill on Section 26, and ran it five years, then sold out and engaged in buying and shipping live stock, which business he continued till 1873, when be purchased the farm he now owns, which consists of 160 acres, valued at about $50 per acre. Has been Assessor and Justice of the Peace, and is the present Chairman of the town ; has also taken an active part in the Granger movement, having been Master of the Grange at Waupun, and delegate to the State Grange. Is Republican in politics, and himself and wife both members of the Congregational Church. Has two children-Bertha H., born Oct. 24, 1867, and Henry L., born June 18, 1869.

EDGAR M. BEACH, Waupun ; born Aug. 3, 1839, in Medina Co., Ohio ; parents of the old Puritan stock from New England; at the age of 5 years, lost his father, who was instantly killed by the fall of a trec ; in 1854, came to Wisconsin ; attended school at Lawrence University at the city of Appleton four years, when, his health almost entirely giving away, he spent several years traveling in most of the Western and some of the Southern States ; in the fall of 1860, cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. The war of the rebellion found him teaching in Missouri in a district composed entirely of slave- holders ; making his way North, he enlisted in the Federal army, but on account of ill health was rejected ; still desiring to take some part in the national struggle, spent the spring and summer of 1863 at Nashville, Tenn., where he belonged to the Ordnance Department, under Gen. E. D. Townsend of the regular army. On the 10th day of November, 1864, was married to Miss Cecelia E. Tichenor, daughter of Charles O. Tichenor, Esq., of Appleton. Studied law with Judge N. C. Giffin, of Fond du Lac, at which place he was admitted to the bar in July, 1866; came to Wanpun in December, 1866, where he has spent an active business life in the practice of his profession, which has been crowned with more than ordinary success ; coming to Waupun without means or 'friends, he has found many friends and abundant means. His fellow-citizens elected him Justice of the Peace for eight years in succession ; at one time a Postmaster under Abraham Lincoln, " a high private in the Kekoskee war," Village Clerk; Supervisor; in politics a Republican ; an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he has belonged since 1864 ; many years a Sunday-school Superintendent ; thirteen years a Class Leader, Trustee and Steward. Always a liberal contributor to all good objects.

LEROY E. BEARDSLEY, farmer, Sec. 15; P. O. Waupun ; born April 30, 1844, in Chemung Co., N. Y., now Schuyler Co .; came West with his parents in the fall of 1854, and settled in the town of Waupun. Was married, Jan. 1, 1867, to Wealthy M. Holden. who was born Oct. 31, 1848, in Cattarangus Co., N. Y., daughter of Chauncey and Ahuina Holden, who came to Wisconsin in the spring of 1851, and settled in the town of Waupun, on Section 15, where Mrs. Ilolden died Oct. 27, 1858, and Mr. Holden, July 20, 1877, aged 56. Mr. Beardsley enlisted Aug. 13, 1862, in the 32d W. V. I., Co. A, for three years, and was mustered out of the service at Washington June 12, 1865 ; was in all the battles and skirmishes in which his regiment participated during that time. Mrs. Beardsley has lived on the farm, now occupied by herself and husband, ever since her parents came to Wisconsin-when she was a little over 2 years old ; have one child-Gertrude Welcome May, born Oct. 30, 1878; has 120 acres of land, valued at about $50 per acre. Republican.

B. II. BETTES, farmer, Sec. 3; P. O. Ladoga ; born March 29, 1821, in the town of Westmore- land. Oneida Co., N. Y .; son of Benjamin and Huldah Bettis. At the age of 17, he went to work in a woolen factory in Oswego Co., where his parents had removed when he was 13 years old, and continued at that business nine years. Feb. 25, 1845, he was married to Charity Savage, who was born Jan. 24, 1825, in the town of Mexico, Oswego Co., N. Y. Mr. Bettis came to Wisconsin in the spring of 1847, and settled in the town of Waupun, Fond du Lac Co., where he has since resided. He held the office of County Supervisor two years ; Chairman of the Town five years; Town Clerk one year, and member of the Legislature three terms, in 1860, 1861 and 1869 ; was also Deputy Warden of the prison at Waupun, from October, 1871, till April, 1874, during the time that George F. Wheeler was Warden ; also took the census of 1870, in the towns of Alto, Waupun, Springvale, Oakfield, and the North Ward of the village of Waupun. Has two children living-Adaline (born Aug. 27, 1848, now Mrs. Solon Halsey, of the town of Waupun), and Benjamin F. (born Oct. 15, 1851, now living at home). Hattie was born Sept ..

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The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Part 146

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