USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin > Part 160
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
increasing every year, and he now receives a great many orders more than he can possibly fill; he ships to all portions of the United States, and his average sales per year are $40,000. He is the present owner of city property in Fond du Lac, also of village property in Oakfield. Aug. 26, 1867, he married Phebe, daughter of Ladoiska and Nathaniel Gage, a farmer and old settler of the town of Lom'ra, Dodge Co .; have had four children born to them-Edna E. (deceased), Willis L., Julius S. (deceased) and May E. He is a member of the Masonic Order, Oakfield Lodge, and Royal Arch Mason of the Darling Chapter of Fond du Lac ; are members of the Episcopal Church of Oakfield ; politically, he is a Republican.
JACOB M. SIMMONS, Postmaster, Oak Center ; born in Berlin, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., in 1839, is the son of Situsia and Peter Simmons, a farmer ; in 1846, came West with his people and located in Oakfield, his father pre-empting 160 acres of Government land. The subject of this sketch received a com- mon-school education in the schools of Fond du Lac Co .; at the age of 19 he went to work on a farm with his father, working for him until 1866 ; he then bought a farm in Le Roy, Dodge Co., and lived on it one sum- mer ; after selling that. he moved to Kekoskee, and bought an interest in a grist and flouring mill ; Mr. Simmons was engaged in milling for ten years ; in 1876, he sold out to H. T. Hubbard, and bought a place of half an aere at Oak Center Station, and buying out the business of J. W. Messer, is now keep- ing a general stock of merchandise and dealing in farm produce ; he is also connected with his brother in running an elevator at the station. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Oakfield Lodge : his political views are Democratic. He married in Oakfield, in 1865, Fidelia S., daughter of Esther D. and A. A. Swan, a farmer
PETER K. SIMMONS, farmer. See. 29; P. O. Oak Center ; born in Rensselaer Co., N. Y., in 1805, son of Peter and Sophronia Simmons Kilmer ; at the age of 4 years he was adopted by his unele, Peter Simmons, he taking his uncle's name, Simmons ; the subject of this sketeh received his education in the common schools of his native place; he was brought up on a farm ; at the age of 22 he went to work for himself, working farms on shares, etc .; in 1846, he came West to Oakfield, taking up 160 acres of Government land in Sec. 29; he has lived on the same farm ever since. He married in 1828, at New Lebanon, Selucia, daughter of Oliver E. Manning and Marcia Blanchard Manning, a sailor, farmer and shoemaker ; they have had seven children-Emily S., Elizabeth, Nancy J. (dead ), Luraney C., Cather- ine H., Jacob M. and Ilenry P. Mr. Simmons has held the office of Assistant Supervisor and member of the School Board a number of terms. He is the present owner of 246 acres of land in Secs. 28, 29 and 32 in Oakfield. He is a Demoerat.
WILLIAM A. SMITH, farmer, Secs. 12 and 20; P. O. Oakfield ; born in Goshen, Orange Co., N. Y., in the year 1817 ; is the son of Marion and Grant Smith, a farmer of that county ; William was educated in the common schools of his native place, and at the age of 16 learned the trade of wheel- wright ; in the fall of 1845, he came West and located in Galena, IH., working there at his trade for a few months ; he then came to Fond du Lac Co., and engaged in farming on the place where he now resides, buying his land of William R. Tallmadge, paying $2.50 per acre for 160 acres ; he has made this his home ever since ; at the present time he is the owner of 189 acres, being in Sec. 18 in Byron, and Secs. 12 and 20 in Oakfield. Mr. Smith was married in Orange Co., N. Y., on Nov. 26, 1846, to Martha, daughter of Elizabeth and Hezekiah Watkins, a farmer of that eounty; they have had six children born to them -- John MI., Harriet E. ( deceased ), Soloma A., James A., Marian and W. Watkins. He has held the office of Supervisor; Mr. S. and family are members of the Congregational Church of Fond du Lac; he is politically a Republican.
ARTHUR H. STEEN, farmer, Sec. 12; P. O. Oakfield ; born in the extreme North of Ire- land in 1816, son of Frances and John L. Steen, a gardener on the Mansfield estate ; Arthur received his edu- cation in the private schools of that time and place ; at the age of 17 he entered the business of gardening ; in 1837, he came to the United States, and located on Long Island, N. Y., where he engaged in the nursery and gardening business ; in 1841, he went to Western New York, to Livingstone Co., remaining there until 1846; he then came to Wisconsin and located on the firm where he now resides ; Mr. Steen is the present owner of 144 acres of very fine farming land in See. 7 in Byron, and Sec. 12 in Oakfield ; prob- able value, $60 per acre. He married, in 1841, Frances, daughter of Ann and Joseph Filby, a clothier and tailor, of Queen's Co., N. Y .; she died in Oikfield ; they had five children-Frances A., Mary S., Joseph F., John A. (deceased), and Arthur H., a physician in Minnesota. The family are members of the Episcopal Church ; he is politically a Republican.
JAMES C. WELLS, Oakfield; born in Goffstown, N. H., in 1809 ; is son of Hannah and Robert Wells, a carpenter and joiner by trade, and, for a great many years, keeper of a publie house and also proprietor of a large orchard and eider-mill, manufacturing over one hundred barrels of cider per year ; in 1811, James moved with his parents to Corinth, Orange Co., Vt .; in 1814, he moved to Lewis,
H.C. Sherwin SPRINGVALE.
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Essex Co., N. Y .; he received his education in the common schools of that place, and was brought up a farmer ; at the age of 17 he went to work for the celebrated Joe Call, in the saw-mill business, working for him as boss sawyer most of the time until the age of 20; the next year he bought a farm in the town of Lawrenee, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., of seventy-two acres, and went to farming, and continued there until 1834, having one of the best-stocked farms of that section ; he then sold out and went back to Lewis, Essex Co., and lived with his wife's people for three years; he then bought a farm of 200 acres-built a house and stocked up the farm; in 1854, he sold out and came to Wisconsin, locating on a farm of 190 acres in the town of Oakfield, including also a large stone quarry ; he built a fine stone house and barn ; also built and ran three lime-kilns, doing a very extensive business in lime. also building and flagging stone, still carried on the farm and lived there until 1877, when he bought village property and built a residence, where he has resided ever since ; he sold his farm and quarries for $8,000 to Charles Town. Mr. Wells was married in Essex Co., N. Y., in 1831, to Caroline A., daughter of Lydia and Joel H. Johnson, a farmer of that county ; have had ten children-Mary E., Milo J., Oscar J., Augusta J. (deeeased ), Martha J., Lucinda C., Helen R. (deceased), Leroy R., Fred W. and Alemburt G. They are members of the Christian Advent Church. He has held the offices of member of the School Board and Treasurer. In politics, a Republican.
LEE WHITE, Oakfield; born in East Montpelier, Vt., in 1849; is the son of John and Mary J. White, the former a clergyman and farmer of that place; the subject of this sketch received his educa- tion in the common schools of his native place; at the age of 18, he came to Wisconsin, stopping for one year ; he then returned to Vermont, and went to work on the farm ; after working for two years, he went to Springfield, Mass., and went to work for the Wasson Car Manufacturing Co .: after working for them for a short time, he returned to the farm, and for several years was engaged in doing general work, farm- ing, ete .; in 1877, he again came West to Wisconsin, and located in Oakfield ; he has been engaged in the meat-market business, and is at present working for the Chicago & North-Western Railway Co. Ile married. in 1871, in the town of Waterbury, Vt., Eva J., daughter of Porter W. and Mary J. Thomas, the former a merchant ; they have had one child-Ivan W., deceased; the family attend the Congrega- tional Church. Mr. White is a Republican.
OSCAR W. WILLARD, carriage and wagon maker, Oakfield; born in Canaan, Columbia Co., N. Y., in 1829 ; is the son of Harriet and Charles Willard, a blacksmith and farmer ; Oscar, in 1833, moved with his people to Fairport, thence to Brockport, and thence to Rochester ; in 1844, he came to Milwaukee, and, in the spring of 1845, came to Oakfield, and has made this his home ever since ; he was educated in the common schools of New York State, and at an early age learned the trade of blacksmith, also of carriage and wagon maker, and has followed these trades during his residence here. He was mar- ried, in Oakfield, to Theodosia, daughter of Hannah and John Moore, a farmer and miller ; they have had four children born to them-Florence, Frank, Eugene and Harry, deceased. In 1862, Mr. Willard joined Co. F., 21st W. V. I., under Capt. Conklin ; was injured, and laid up in hospital four months, and was then discharged. He has held the office of Constable for a number of terms ; is the owner of several pieces of village property, and a large stone blacksmith and carriage shop ; his family attend the Episcopal Church, and he is a member of the I. O. O. F., Oakfield Lodge. Politically, he is a Republican.
EDGAR WILCOX, farmer, Sees. 1 and 12; P. O. Oakfield; born in Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1830; is the son of Sarah and Jeremiah Wilcox, a farmer of that county ; in 1845, came to Wisconsin with his parents, and settled on a farm in Walworth Co; in 1849, went back to New York State, and lived there until 1857, when he came West again, directly to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where he has made his home ever since. He was married, in 1878, to Ellen A., daughter of Lydia M. and Rev. Samuel Dar- ling, a Congregationalist clergyman of Oakfield ; Mr. Wilcox is the owner of 200 acres of fine farming land in Secs. 1 and 12, town of Oakfield; probable value $50 per acre. He has held the offices of Town Clerk and Town School Superintendent, and, in 1864, was a member of the State Legislature from the Fifth District ; is a member of the Masonic Order, Oakfield Lodge, and also of the Congregational Church ; politically, he is a Republican.
JOHN WOOKEY, farmer, Sec. 2; P. O. Oakfield; born in Somersetshire, England, in 1832 ; son of Elizabeth and John Wookey, a farmer; John received a common-school education in the schools of his native place, and followed farming with his father until the age of 17, when he came to the United States and located in Kenosha, Wis., with his parents; in 1853, he went to Australia, and for six years was occupied in mining; in 1859, he returned to America, and, in 1860, he located on the place where he now resides, and has been occupied in farming ever since. He married, in Fond du Lac, Novem- ber, 1859, Eliza, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Ann Stallard, the former a farmer of Rochester, N.
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Y .; they have four children-Sydney, Edith, Lizzie and Effie ; the family attend the Baptist Church ; he is a member of the I. O. O. F., Oakfield Lodge, and is the present owner of 115 acres of land in Sec. 2, town of Oakfield ; probable value, $50 per acre. He is a Republican.
EMPIRE TOWNSHIP.
WILLIAM S. ADAMS, farmer, Sec. 32 ; is a son of Abram and Louisa Adams, natives of Connecticut, but who, after their marriage, removed to Rutland Co., Vt., where William S. was born in 1818 ; he spent his life in his native county at farming, till 1847, whence be removed to the town of Forest, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where he lived for about seventeen years ; here he was at first surrounded on all sides by Indians, whose camps were not far from his pioneer house, and who often came to trade their venison for corn and other desired articles which he chanced to have; in July, 1865, he disposed of that farm, and bought his present one of 160 acres in the above-given section of the town of Empire. In 1849, he married Miss Martha E., daughter of Worcester E. and Sarah E. Peck, of Castletown, Rutland Co., Vt .; they have five children-Almira S., born 1850; Wilson M., born in 1852; Dayton, born in 1855; Wilber C., born in 1858; Ellsworth I., born in 1862. Mrs. Adams is a member of the Methodist Church of Empire ; Mr. Adams has been Collector and Supervisor of the town of Empire.
JOHN BERRY, farmer, Secs. 28, 33 and 35 ; is of New England descent, though a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y., where he was born Dec. 27, 1794; he is the son of Samuel Berry and Neoma Greene, natives of Cape Cod, but immigrants to Dutchess Co., N. Y., nearly 100 years ago; his father was a tailor by trade, but lived on a small farm which he owned in that county till John was about 12 years of age, when they removed to Cayuga Co., N. Y .; at this time, John had a wealthy bachelor uncle living in Putnam Co., N. Y., who soon after married, but having no children, took him (John), his name- sake-to live with him on the farm, and, to whom, at his death, he left most of his estate; after the death of his unele, he lived on the farm for several years, whence, in 1830, he removed his family to Peakskill, N, Y., and for the next five years was engaged in steamboating from that point to New York City; dis- posing of his interest in this business, he next engaged in stock-dealing, and was what might be termed a stock-drover, buying up large droves for the New York market; in 1848 he came to Wisconsin and pur- chased 220 acres of land in above-named sections, in the town of Empire, and has since devoted his time to farming. April 12, 1823, he was married to Miss Minerva, daughter of Nathaniel and Charlotte Hyatt, of Putnam Co., N. Y., by whom he has had seven children, five sons and two daughters-Green (deceased, killed in a railroad disaster in Iowa), Charlotte (now Mrs. M. Briggs, of the town of Eden ), Laura J. (deceased), Eugene (deceased), John (now with Fairbanks, of Chicago), Oscar and Theron. Mr. and Mrs. Berry are members of the Methodist Church of Empire; Mr. B. has been a member of the County Board for a number of years. Such is a brief sketch of the life of one who has lived more than his fourscore years, and, though quite enfeebled by age, is to-day a worthy example of true Christian virtues.
GEORGE BINNING, farmer, See. 27; is a native of Somersetshire, England; born in 1827; son of Jeffry and Johannah Binning, nee Wall; at the age of 19 he set sail from Bristol to seek a home in America's land ; reaching New York in June, 1847, he went to Queens Co., where he remained till 1850, whence he removed to Wisconsin and bought a farm of eighty aeres in the town of Forest, Fond du Lac Co., which he made his home for eighteen months ; then to the town of Empire, where, in fall of 1854, he bought a farm of 70 acres in Sec. 27, to which he has continually added until he now has 360 acres in Secs. 21, 26 and 27. In 1853 he married Miss Ellen, daughter of William and Mary Ottery, of Empire ; they have had eight children-William (of Fond du Lac), Henry, John (deceased), infant ( deceased ), Jeffry, Charles, Mary J., and Ella. Mr. Binning has been a member of the Town Board for two terms, and is politically a Republican ; the family are connected with the Pres- byterian Church.
MRS. ORPHA BRIGGS, Secs. 14 and 15 ; P. O. Fond du Lac; is a daughter of Peleg and Hannah Briggs, of Dutchess Co., N. Y., but emigrated to Luzerne Co., Penn., in March, 1818, where Orpha was born Oct. 5, 1821 ; she was educated in the district schools of her native county, after which she followed teaching for two years. In the spring of 1854, she, with her hushand, Mr. Taylor, removed to Fond du Lac Co., Wis., and settled on a farm belonging to Mr. Isaac Tallmadge, iu the town of Empire ; two years after, they removed to Mr. John Meiklejohn's farm, and, in 1856, they bought 100 acres of land in
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EMPIRE TOWNSHIP.
Secs. 14 and 15, to which they removed in the following year ; she has since bought twenty acres in the same section, which makes her a farm of seventy acres ; they had two sons and one daughter-Peleg B. Taylor, deceased; Hannah E., now Mrs. Andrew Willard, of Plymouth Co., Iowa : Reuben H. Taylor.
THOMAS BROWNSELL, farmer, Sees. 5 and 8; son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Brownsell, born in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1825 ; in 1845, he, with his parents, eame to America, and settled in Raeine, now Kenosha Co., Wis., whence, in 1850, to Walworth Co. for four years; thence, in 1854, to Fond du Lac Co., where he bought a farm of 135 acres, 80 of which is in See. 8, and 55 aeres in Sec. 5, town of Empire ; he also has 48 acres in Sec. 28, town of Forest. In 1850, he married Miss Mary A., daughter of Abram and Elizabeth Rhodus, natives of Yorkshire, England, but immigrants to Kenosha Co., Wis., in 1844; they have had four children, three daughters and one son-Sarah J., deceased ; Fannie, widow of the fate Henry Ottery, deceased, died Jan. 29, 1877 ; Mary E., Fredrick C. JAMES BURNELL, farmer, Sees. 34 and 35; is a son of Patrick Burnell and Hannah Sullivan ; born in County Clare, Ireland, in 1829 ; he spent his time there at farming till the spring of 1853, whence set sail for America, and, after a two-months sail, landed in New York Harbor May 27; he then removed to Litchfield Co., Conn., where, for three years, he was employed at farm labor and mining, whence, in 1856, he came to Wisconsin, and for two years following he was employed by the farmers ; he saved his earnings, till, by careful management, he was, in 1858, able to buy a farm of eighty acres in Secs. 34 and 35, in the town of Empire, which is now worth abont $60 per acre, and now enjoys the com- forts of a pleasant home, as the fruits of his industry and economy. In September, 1857, he married Miss Mary, daughter of Thomas and Julia Roughan, of Fond du Lac, she being a native of County Clare, Ire- land ; they have four children-Honora, Mary Ann, Patrick H. and James. Mr. B. and family are members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church.
SILAS R. CHARLES, farmer, Sec. 34; a native of this town; born in 1851, and is the son of John and Mirinda Charles, now of the town of Taycheedah ; Silas grew up on the farmu, but. learned the blacksmith's trade with his father, which he followed for seven years, much of the time in the employ of the Chicago & North-Western R. R. Co., after which he took up the carpenter and joiner's trade, which he continued in the interest of the company for about six years ; in 1873, he gave up his trade, and removed to a farm of eighty aeres, in Sec. 34, town of Empire, which his father had given him. In June, 1874, he married Miss Pheba, daughter of Edmund and Eliza A. Robinson, of Holland, Sheboygan Co. Mr. Charles is a member of the Methodist Church, and his wife of the United Brethren.
GUSTAVE DE NEVEU, farmer ; the subject of the following sketch is believed to be the oldest resident of Fond du Lac County. He is the son of Francis Joseph De Neveu and Elizabeth T. Monnoir, of Savigny, France, born March 30, 1811; when a young man, 19 years of age, his father joined the expedition sent out by King Louis XVI, under Count d'Estang to aid the Americans in their struggle for independence, as an ensign on board the ship Scipio, a seventy-four-gun line-of-battle ship commanded by Capt. de Lamotte Piquet. The fleet was met by an English expedition commanded by Admiral Kempenfeld, and the battle that followed was indecisive, though the French were worsted by the encounter, and lost some sixteen transports loaded with troops and munitions of war for the Americans, out of about 200 such vessels. The opposing parties separated in the darkness, and the French put back to Brest, where his father was left in hospital with a leg broken by a British hullet. Before he had recovered, the French, having repaired damages, sailed again, and this time reached Ameriea. Thus hay- ing inherited a sympathetie feeling for America, Gustave, in December, 1834, four years after having finished his education in military school of La Fleche and the College of Vendome, set sail for a visit to America, and also to study the English language, which he pursued at Milford, Penn., for a short time, and then devoted his time to teaching French in Schuylersville, N. Y., for about five months; Sept. 1, 1835, he started on his return home, which he reached about nineteen days after, spending the shooting season at. home ; he went to Paris in the fall and there spent about five months in the study of art, whence in June, 1836, he set sail again for America in the ship "Syoie de Grasse," Willian Cullen Bryant being among its passengers, reaching New York July 17, thence to Batavia, that State, and then followed the teacher's profession for some time, whenee in 1838 he immigrated to Wisconsin, stopping a while at Green Bay, then visiting Fond du Lac, where he purchased about five hundred acres of land in the town of Empire ; he then returned to Batavia, N. Y. and there spent the winter in teaching, after which, in the spring of 1839, he came again to Fond du Lac and made his permanent settlement on his farm, where he has spent most of his time at agricultural pursuits, though he has devoted part of his time with his books. He was nomi- nated for Senator on the Greenback ticket in 1877; was elected President of the Fond du Lac County Agricultural Society in 1879. Jan. 4, 1840, he married Miss Harrict P., daughter of John and Rosalie Dousman, of the Island Mackinaw; they have had eleven children, as follows : Matilda M., now Mrs. H.
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W. Tusten, of Russell, Kan. ; Julia M., Mrs. John Beeson, of Vancouver, Washington Territory ; Edward, of Russell, Kan. ; Emily ; Gustave ; Francis J. ; Arthur E .. deceased ; Virginia R. ; Hattie ; George W. and Lucy R.
WILLIAM EDWARDS, farmer, Secs. 23 and 26; is a son of Richard and Martha Ed- wards, nee Willard, of Somersetshire, England ; was born in June, 1816. His father owned a small farm in that country, but was more commonly known as a coachman; William's literary advantages were quite limited, though he lacked none of that resolution of will which, under adverse circumstances, is essential to success ; on the 25th of March, 1850. he set sail for America, and landed in New York in the following May, stopping for about eighteen months in Cayuga Co., N. Y .; he then went to Sippervale, near Auburn, N. Y., for about the same length of time. whence, in 1854, he removed to Cook Co., Ill., and settled on a little place eighteen miles south of Chicago ; here he spent another eighteen months at honest toil, and in 1856, he removed to the town of Empire, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where he purchased a small farm of 40 acres in Sec. 26, which, by his industry and careful management, he has gradually improved and increased to one of 200 acres, besides buying another of 73 acres in Sec. 23, same town, for his son Albert. In 1853, he was married to Miss Mary, daughter of William and Sarah Phillips, nee Miller, of Somersetshire, England; they have three children, as follows: Albert, who married Miss Char- lotte, daughter of James and Jane Fisher, of the town of Forest, in April, 1878; Richard and Sarah A. During the winter of 1878-79, Mr. Edwards made his first visit to his home since his departure in 1850, and spent some pleasant months with his sisters and relatives, who seemed to enjoy his visit fully as well he. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Empire, and are among its most devoted worshipers. It can truly be said that Mr. Edwards is one of the most straightforward and upright citizens of the town ; honesty and integrity pervade all his dealing; all who know him, acknowledge his example for good in the community ; devoted to his home and family, he finds his greatest pleasure around the fireside and family circle. Such is a brief life-sketch of one who has honestly toiled through his threescore years, and never lost sight of the true Christian manhood and life.
ALFRED T. GERMOND, farmer, See. 32; is a descendant of the first settlers of Dutchess Co., N. Y., his great-grandfather being one of the nine original partners of the county ; heis the son of William Germond and Juliana Benton, born in Dutchess Co. Nov. 30, 1814; till 12 years of age, he spent his time with his father on the farm, and attending district school; he then began clerking in a dry-goods store in Washington, Dutchess Co., N. Y, where he continued for about two years, going thence to New York City, he continued clerking for a number of years, and then he became interested in a dry-goods establish- ment as proprietor for a few years ; about the year 1841, he removed to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where for the next five years he was engaged in the freightiug and forwarding business; in the summer of 1846, he carue to Fond du Lac and bought 240 acres of Government land in Sec. 32, town of Empire, on which he made a few improvements, and late in the fall returned to Poughkeepsie, where in 1848, he married Miss Mary A., daughter of William and Sarah E. Halsted, nee Barker (of White Plains, Westchester Co. ), immediately after which they started for their future home in Wisconsin, where he has since devoted his time principally to agricultural pursuits and stock-raising ; though he has always taken an active part in all affairs of public interest in his town or county ; it was he who suggested the name Empire for the town in which he now lives-a complete history of which is given in the body of this work. He was a member of the County Board for about fifteen years, and was Justice of the Peace for more than that length of time ; was Superintendent of the County Poor from the Eastern District ; has held several other minor offices ; he is at present President of the Old Settlers' Society of Fond du Lac Co .; Mr. Germond owned the first thrashing machine brought to the town of Empire, it being the old open cylinder tread- power type. Mr. and Mrs. Germond have had four children, three sons and one daughter, as follows : William U., Albert II. ( deceased ;, Sarah E. and George H. His wife is a member of the M. E. Church of Empire. Such is a brief sketch of the life-history of one who has been and is one of Empire's most active and respected citizens, and is a worthy example of that success which may be attained by constant and persevering effort.
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