Town of Metomen: Biographies, Page 1

A collection of printed biographies of early residents of Metomen. Many of these are taken from popular histories such as The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin (Western Historical Company, Chicago: 1880) which were based on personal communications and may not be entirely reliable. Viewers are cautioned, therefore, to verify the information presented.

JOHN ABERCROMBIE, lumber merchant, Brandon; born April 19, 1830, in Kingsey, Canada East; his father was a farmer and drover, and John was early inured to the labors of the farm and accustomed to the care of stock, and this will account for his well-known admiration for fine stock, especially horses; from the fall of 1851 to the spring of 1855, he was in Boston, Mass, engaged in the express business as delivery agent for Baker and Eaton. He was married, in November, 1854, to Miss Harriet Earl, of Maine; they came to Wisconsin in January, 1856, and that same season he bought the lots and build a small house on the same land where, in 1877, he erected his present residence; they have five children--Louis R., John A., Guita, Caroline and Charles H. For ten years he engaged in farming and grain buying; since 1867, he has been in the lumber trade; he was for some time foreman for a firm, afterward partner, and for several years he has been proprietor. He was a member of the first Village Board of Brandon; he is not at present connected with any secret society; his wife is a Methodist. Mr. Abercrombie is familiar with all the changes and improvements which this village has undergone since the jolly times when "bunggo" was its name down to the dignified days of Brandon. He is an active Republican. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

WILLIAM D. ASH, dealer in grain, produce and agricultural implements, Brandon; was born in Saratoga Co., N. Y., April 23, 1818; his parents were farmers, and he worked on a farm till he was of age, after which he served an apprenticeship as carpenter and joiner, and he continued to work at his trade until his marriage. He married Feb. 21, 1844, Miss Elmira Putnam, of Onandaga Co., N. Y. In 1846, he came west and settled in the township of Oakfield, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., on 160 acres, which he still owns; he now owns 1,050 acres of land in this county, besides many village lots and one business block; also has 365 acres in Iowa. they have had six children, of whom five are married and living in Fond du Lac Co., and the other one is dead; their names are Helen M., Leila, William H., David (dead), Adelbert and Eddie. He moved to Brandon in 1868 and built his present residence, and also, in partnership with F. M. Hillman, bought eighty acres adjoining the village, and platted as an addition to Brandon; the next year he purchased a farm near the Village, which claimed his attention; in the spring of 1870, he bought a store and stock of dry goods from F. M. Hillman, and sold the same, in the fall of 1872, to R. C. Kelly; for two years he attended to his farms, and also sold considerable wood and timber; since 1874, he has been engaged in buying grain, produce and live stock, and in the sale of agricultural implements; he was School Superintendent in the township of Amsterdam, N. Y., in 1841; in the township of Oakfield he was Assessor and Supervisor; also Justice of the Peace for fifteen years; he is a member of the Brandon Board of Trustees, and has been Chairman two years from Brandon; he is not a member of any secret society. Himself and wife affiliate with the Congregational Church; he is a consistent, reliable Democrat. Although a large producer, he is nevertheless most efficient and useful as a "middleman;" anybody with anything to sell is assured of an offer by calling on W. D. Ash; he ships both to the Milwaukee and Chicago markets. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

DEACON JOSIAH BATSON, farmer; P. O. Fairwater; born in Otsego Co., N. Y., in July, 1829; he is of English parentage; he worked on his father's farm till he removed to the West in 1852; he bought land immediately on his arrival in the county, which he kept until 1862. He was married July 10, 1853, to Miss Arabell Wells, of Green Lake; they have had six children--M. Josephine, Warren A., Fayette J., Lora Belle; the other two children died in infancy. He has lived since 1862 on his present farm, Sec. 29, Metomen Township; has 300 acres on this homestead; he has also an improved farm of 160 acres in Minnesota; he began life poor, has now a competency; he is well known as the leading sheep-raiser of that region; he now has 550 grade Merino sheep; fleece averaged about seven pounds each last season; his barns are commodious, and nearly new, having been, not long ago, entirely destroyed by fire, with all their contents; loss fully $4,000. His wife has been in delicate health for several years; her mother, Mary Wells, aged 82, lives with them, and is still active, and claims the privilege of caring for the milk of five cows. For several years, Mr. Batson has been a Deacon in the Baptist Church; he is a conservative Republican. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

JOHN H. BERNING, farmer, Sec. 26; P. O. Brandon; born April 12, 1815, in Westfalia, Prussia; came to America in 1847, and pre-empted forty acres of his present farm; afterward, he bought fifty acres more, and his homestead now contains ninety acres, of which fully fifty are cultivated; he has also a house and two lots in Brandon. He was married, in 1849, to Miss Eva Dina Liesveld, of Arnheim, Holland; have had nine children--Henry, born in 1850, married Lena Freze in 1876; Garret, born in 1851, died in 1864; James, born in 1853, married Adella Videto in 1875; John, born in 1855, died in 1859; Eva Dina, born in 1857, married D. A. Duitman in 1879; Anna, born in 1859, died in 1862; Mary, born in 1861; John, born in 1864, and Anna, born in 1869. He raises extra wheat; his son, Johnnie, raises blooded poultry. Mr. Berning is a Republican; he has good improvements, and is a thrifty farmer and a good citizen. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

ADELBERT M. BLY, farmer, Sec. 14; P. O. Brandon; born in Madison Co., N. Y., Dec. 19, 1837; came West with his parents in 1854, and from that time to the present his home has been in this township. He enlisted Aug. 5, 1862, in the United States Service, and was honorably discharged on the 12th of June, 1865; he was in the Western army, and went with Sherman to the sea; he came home as First Lieutenant of Co. B., 32d W. V. I.; in the spring of 1865, he endured peculiar hardships and exposure while wading the swamps of South Carolina; these experiences have told upon his health. He was married June 6, 1867, to Miss Anna Burdick, of Green Lake; they have three children--Mabel, Myrtie A. and George S. He has eighty acres, nearly all tillable. He is Superintendent of Schools under the township system. Himself and wife are Methodists; he is a consistent Republican and an honorable citizen. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

DEACON GEORGE BLY, farmer, Sec. 16; P. O. Brandon; was born May 25, 1813, in Eaton, Madison co., N. Y. He has been a farmer all his life. Me was married on the 8th of March, 1837, to Miss Catherine M. Pearse. In the fall of 1839, he moved to Chautauqua Co., n. Y., where he lived nearly fifteen years; they came West in the spring of 1854, and located on the present homestead of 160 acres; they had seven children--Adelbert M., born Dec. 19, 1837, married in 1866; Asa F., born in 1845, married in 1871; Lydia J., born in 1843, married in 1861; Eliza A., born in 1845, died in 1874; Sarah P., born in 1847, married in 1871; Izora E., born in 1850, married in 1875; C. Myrtilla, born in 1854. Deacon Bly has held but one local office, and the results of that are seen in the straightened and improved highways. His son, Adelbert M., served as a soldier in the rebellion from 1862 to 1865; his health was impaired while in the army; he came home First Lieutenant of Co. B, 32d W. V. I. Mrs. Bly died Dec. 26, 1879, aged near 67 years; the last years of her life were passed in great suffering, but with Christian fortitude. Her youngest daughter is now housekeeper for her father. He has been Deacon of the Congregational Church at Brandon for nearly twenty-five years; he is not a member of any secret society; is a Republican; never had a lawsuit; is benevolent and beloved. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

J. H. BROWN, merchant and Postmaster, Fairwater; was born in Sutton, Vt., in 1834; is a painter by trade; he came West in 1857. He enlisted in the 32d W. V. I., and served three years, and was honorably discharged. He is unmarried. Keeps a grocery and notion store, and is Postmaster. Is a Good Templar and a Republican. Is genial and popular. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

HARRIS BROWN, firm of H. & J. H. Brown, groceries, stationery, and confectioneries, Fairwater; was born in Rhode Island in 1804; came West in 1857; settled in Fairwater in 1860; is by trade a wagon-maker. In 1831, he mareried Miss Roxana Sleeper, in Vermont; had two children--Mary A. and John H.; his wife died in 1853. He is a Republican and a Methodist. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

JACOB CARTER, farmer, Sec. 20; P. O. Fairwater; born June 2, 1813, in Lunenburgh, Worcester Co., Mass.; his earliest recollections are of the old farm and Massachusetts homestead, but years of his later youth were passed in New Hampshire; at the age of 18, he moved to Erie Co., Penn., where he resided fifteen years. He was married July 17, 1833, to Miss Elizabeth Wasson, of Wayne, Erie Co., Penn.; for a dozen seasons, they carried on farming in Pennsylvania; in 1844, they followed the "star of empire," and founded a new home in the Territory of Wisconsin; they stopped the first winter in Manchester, Green Lake Co., and on the 30th of June, 1845, they entered their roofless cabin, and slept sweetly for the first time on the farm and near their present hospitable home; Mr. Carter had "rolled up" the logs for this cabin in the month preceding, with aid brought from fifteen miles (Manchester); the first birth in the township was in that cabin that season--Franklin French--whose parents' thatched cabin was burned soon after its erection; the first family in the township preceded one week only the advent of Mr. Carter's family; sickness, accidents and delays were the lot of this family the season before comingWest, while on the journey and during the first season as pioneers; the first money earned by Mr. Carter in the West, was through helping to run his brother's old open-cylinder thrashing machine; in August, 1845, they began a tour of thrashing, which continued until February of the following year, and to find grain, they made a circuit of three counties--Green Lake, Dodge and Fond du Lac; some of the now well-known farmers for whom he thrashed, are John Bannister, Colwert Pier and his two brothers; Colwert Pier's grain was stacked and thrashed a few blocks north of the present site of the American House in Fond du Lac City; he also thrashed for Gov. Tallmadge, and Messrs. Conklin, Clark, Simmons and Wilcox of Waupun. In 1849, on his own farm, he thrashed wheat one morning, but the machine broke down before 9 o'clock; he took a grist to Fairwater to mill, when he went for blacksmithing repairs; the flour was returned, and the hot baked buscuits made therefrom by Mrs. Carter were eaten at the 11:30 A. M. dinner. In 1848, Mr. Carter build what was called for years the best dwelling in the township. By 1850, Fairwater was quite a little village, schoolhouses and churches were being erected, and the new country had many of the essentials of New England civilization; Mr. Carter now has five improved farms, aggregating 460 acres, of which fully 400 are now under the plow. Mr. and Mrs. Carter have added to the census eight sons and four daughters, of whom five sons and one daughter are living--Mary A. (deceased), Sarah E. (deceased); George W. (the present Warden of the Wisconsin State Prison at Waupun), James W., Harrison D. (deceased), Charles S., Alvin H. (deceased), Eliza B., Edward B., Henrietta L. (deceased), Louis E., and Herbert E. (deceased); three of the sons served through the rebellion, as soldiers in Wisconsin regiments, and a fourth one was four years in the army as clerk in the Commissary and Paymaster's departments; Mr. Carter's family were the second settlers in Metomen Township. Mrs. Carter is a motherly matron, whom many in that region regard as indispensable in sickness. Mr. Carter was the first Postmaster in Metomen Township; has been Assessor and Town Chairman, and held other local offices; he is a "true-blue" Republican, and is actively interested in local and general politics. Himself and wife are not connected with any church, but they are in sympathy with all institutions designed to benefit mankind, and their faith looks to the ultimate happiness of all humanity; they are a genial, hospitable and highly respected family. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

From The History of
Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin,
Chicago: Western Historical
Company, 1880

Jacob Carter, who resides on section 20 in the town of Metomen, is the oldest settler now living in the township, and was the second to locate within its borders. He is numbered among the honored pioneers of the county who laid the foundation for its present prosperity and placed it in the advanced position which it now occupies. He is a native of the old Bay State, having been born in Worcester County, June 2, 1813. The Carter family was probably founded in America at an early day, and for several generations past its members were natives of Massachusetts. The grandfather of our subject, Phineas Carter, was born in that State, and carried on conjointly farming and shoe making. He was related to the Rogers family, of which John Rogers, the Apostle of Freedom, was a member. He wedded Eunice Sawyer, and they became parents of eight children.
Abel Carter, their son and the father of our subject, was born in Massachusetts, and in Worcester County, married Miss Betsy Billings, daughter of John Billings, a tanner of the old Bay State. They resided upon the farm where Mr. Carter was born until 1819, when they removed to Cheshire County, N. H., where they made their home until 1831, which year witnessed their arrival in Erie County, Pa. After thirteen years residence in that county, they determined to cast their lot with the pioneer settlers of Wisconsin, and emigrating to the West, located in Green Lake County, whence they removed the following year to Fond du Lac County. their last days were spent in the home of our subject, and at a ripe old age they passed away. The father dies at the age of eighty-four years and his wife was called home when seventy-four years of age. In politics, Mr. Carter was a Whig, but never sought or desired public office, preferring to spend his leisure time in the enjoyment of his home and the society of his family, which numbered six children, three of whom are yet living--James, who makes his home with our subject; Jacob and Mrs. Caroline Stewart.
Jacob Carter was the fourth in order of birth in his father's family and under the parental roof he was reared to manhood. Mr. Carter was in limited circumstances and therefore not able to pay tuition at the subscription schools, consequently our subject received but little opportunity for acquiring and education in his youth, but on attaining to a more advanced age, he worked for his board and attended school. Since his eighteenth year he has been dependent on his own resources and the success to which he has attained is due entirely to his own efforts. He also cared for his aged parents, who had watched over and provided for him in early life, and afforded them a pleasant home in his family. In Erie County, Pa., on the 17th of July, 1833, his marriage was celebrated, the lady of his choice being Miss Elizabeth Wasson, a native of New Hampshire. She was born Feb. 13, 1828, and is the daughter of Samuel D. and Sarah (Gregg) Wasson, who were also born in the Granite State. Her father was an extensive tanner and shoe manufacturer and was one of the leading citizens of the community in which he made his home. In 1828, he removed with his family to Erie County, Pa. He was accidentally shot while in the prime of life and death instantly ensued. He died at the age of forty-five years, leaving a wife and two children to mourn his loss. Mrs. Carter is the only one now living. Her brother died unmarried and her mother passed away in this county at the age of eighty-two years. Her people have done effective service for the country during its wars and were brave and honored soldiers. Her great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War as colonel, her grandfather was a captain in the War of 1812, and her father served as colonel in the State Militia.
After his marriage, Mr. Carter settled upon a farm in Erie County, Pa., which he engaged in operating until 1844, when determining to try his fortune in the then far West, he emigrated to the Territory of Wisconsin, settling in Green Lake County. On the 30th of June, 1845, he arrived in Fond du Lac County, and the same year preempted the farm upon which he now resides. As before stated, he was the second person to locate in Metomen Township, and it is needless to say that he has since been prominently identified with its history. He at once erected a little log cabin, but no door was made in the house and he was forced to cut out a log before the family could enter. Meanwhile the rain was pouring down and his wife and three children sat on a log under an umbrella while he prepared a way to enter their home. The family endured many trials and privations, such as are common to pioneer life, but success crowned their efforts to secure a home and competence. The farm which Mr. Carter purchased consisted of wild and uncultivated prairie, not a furrow having been turned or an improvement made, but he at once began its development and soon had one of the best farms in the county. In order to further provide for himself and family, in 1845, he purchased a threshing machine, which he operated in Green Lake, Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties. He threshed a crop at one time, when his machine was placed in what is now the center of Fond du Lac, which indicates the unsettled condition of the country at that time. In 1848, he built the best house in the town of Metomen and it is still one of the finest homes in the community. Adding to his original purchase as his financial resources increased, Mr. Carter at length found himself owner of 600 acres of land, but he has since given the greater part of that amount to his children. His industry, enterprise and perseverance were the factors which led to his success and his possessions are but a just reward for his diligence and toil.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Carter has been blessed with twelve children--Mary A. and Sarah E., the two eldest, are now deceased; George W., who married Emeline Harkness, by whom he has six children, is warden of the penitentiary at Waupun, in which capacity he has served for nine years; James W., now deceased, wedded Minerva Thayre, and to them was born one child; Harrison D. has also departed this life; Charles S., an attorney of Milwaukee, married Ella Vorhees, by whom he has two children; Alvin H. has passed away; Eliza B. is the wife of L. B. Gregg and the mother of two children; Edward B. wedded May Kenyon, who lied leaving one child, and after her death married Lottie Wood; Henrietta L. is deceased; Louis E. married Maggie Durland and has two children; Herbert E., who completes the family, has also been called home. Four sons, George, James, Harrison, and Charles S., served their country during the late war. The first named entered the service as Second Lieutenant and was promoted to the rank of Captain, while Harrison, who enlisted as a private, rose to the rank of Lieutenant.
Mr. Carter and his wife are known far and wide for their hospitality and sociability and have many warm friends throughout the county, who esteem them highly for their worth and upright lives. they gave to their children good education advantages, thereby preparing them for useful positions. for people of their advanced years, they retain their health and faculties to a remarkable degree and we join their friends in wishing they may long be spared. Mr. Carter on attaining his majority voted for William Henry Harrison and continued to support the Whig party until its dissolution, when he joined forces with the Republicans and has since been a staunch supporter of that organization. He feels a deep interest in political affairs and has been called upon to serve in various official positions, including that of Constable, Assessor, Chairman of the Town Board, and in 1880 was census taker in Metomen Township. In Pennsylvania he was deputy Clerk and for six years was Collector. He is liberal in the support of church and benevolent institutions, is a kind friend to the poor and needy and has won many friends by his acts of kindness performed in a quiet and unassuming manner. His life has been one of industry, and it is only within the last year that he has retired from active labor. (Portrait and Biographical Album of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Acme Publishing Company, 1889)

F. COLLINS, farmer, Sec. 32; P. O. Fairwater; born in Warsaw, Wyoming Co., N. Y., on the 9th of May, 1822; has always been a farmer. Was married, Oct. 16, 1842, to Miss Louisa A. Norman, of Wyoming Co., N. Y.; removed to Michigan in 1844, and remained four years; his father, in 1845, preempted eighty acres, which constitutes a part of the farm now owned by himself; he came to this township in 1848, and has not moved from the old homestead; has 105 acres, of which sixty have been plowed; twenty-five is timber; and twenty is pasture and meadow. Have had seven children--Amy L., born in 1843, married in 1865; Calvin D., born in 1846; Anna L., born in 1846; Anna L., born in 1849, married in 1877; Alva N., born in 1853, married in 1878; Joseph T., born in 1857; William H., born in 1860; A. De Esten, born in 1866. Himself and wife are Methodists; has been a republican since the formation of the party. Mr. Collins has declined all office, but his neighbors speak of him as a very reliable and useful citizen. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

THOMAS R. DARROW, farmer, Sec. 33; P. O. Brandon; was born in Erie Cp., N. Y., on the 13th of September, 1827; he farmed till 1849, and, in the spring of 1850, went to California "across the Plains;" returned to Wisconsin in the fall of 1851; spent the winter of 1851-52 in Oconomowoc, Wis. He was married May 6, 1852, to Miss Dolly A. Clough, of Bennington, Wyoming Co., N. Y.; they came to Oconomowoc, Wis., and lived till the spring of 1854, when he settled in Metomen, where he has since resided; he bought his present farm in 1858; they had two children--Norris B. and Lyman R. Mrs. Darrow dies Oct. 22, 1872; himself and brother, Albert H., farmed in partnership for fully a dozen years; he has now 200 acres of his own, and his sons, Norris and Lyman, have an additional eighty, which they carry on, and live at home; he has good farm conveniences and improvements; carries on general farming and stock raising. He was married Dec 25, 1873, to Miss Mary E. Cook, of Waupun; he is a member of Grange No. 52, and of the Protective Association, and a Temple of Honor man; has been Side supervisor several years. Himself and wife are members of the M. E. Church at Brandon; he is a Republican; is affable and reliable. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

S. S. DENNIS, farmer, Sec. 32; P. O. Brandon; was born Aug. 10, 1812 in Rensselaer Co., N. Y.; after living in Ontario Co., N. Y., eight years, he came West in November; 1844, and stopped in a cabin that season, dug a well, and broke up some land. He took in a houseless family that season, and, often none of them had any food in the cabin, they raised some potatoes, and also a little corn which, when "pounded" into meal and cooked with a little "boughten" pork, made a "feast for a king." After "baching" for several years, he was married to his present wife on the 23d of March, 1859; her name was Mary C. Helmer. He carries on general farming; has comfortable improvements now. Is a Quaker, and a Republican. (The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880)

SILAS DEUEL, a prominent and representative farmer of Fond du Lac County, now resides on section 23, in the town of Metomen. He was born in Susquehanna County, Pa., April 24, 1817, and is the fifth in a family of nine children, whose parents were Isaac and Judith (Morgan) Deuel. The family was founded in America during the early colonial days. The grandfather of our subject, Benjamin Deuel, followed the sea in early life, but after the close of the Revolutionary War, he failed in business, and thereupon removed to Washington County, n. Y., where he purchased a timbered tract of land. In the midst of the forest he developed a farm, and by industry and perseverance retrieved his lost fortunes. He was four times married, and died at an advanced age in Washington County, N. Y. The maternal grandfather, Benjamin Morgan, was a native of Vermont, and by occupation was a farmer. He served his country during the Revolutionary War, and was a brave and faithful soldier.
Isaac Deuel, the father of Silas, was born on the banks of the Hudson, at Little Nine Partners, below Albany, but when a mere lab removed with his parents to Washington County, where he was reared to manhood. On attaining his majority he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Morgan, who was born in the Green Mountain State. Having resided for twenty years in Washington County, they then removed to Susquehanna County, Pa/, but afterward returned to their old home. Again they left Washington County and became residents of Cayuga County, N. Y., where both passed to their final rest. At the time of his death Mr. Deuel had attained the advanced age of ninety years. He served his country in the War of 1812, and throughout his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. On attaining his majority he identified himself with the Democratic party, which he supported until 1854, when he joined the ranks of the new Republican party. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Church, and were highly respected people. Their family numbered nine children, four sons and five daughters, of whom six are yet living.
The subject of this notice spent the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof, and in the district schools received his education. When about eighteen years of age he determined to follow some other pursuit than that of farming and apprenticed himself to the carpenter's trade, serving a term of four years. He then devoted his time almost exclusively to that occupation for a number of years, until 1843, when he joined his brother who had emigrated to Kenosha County, Wis., the year previous. He entered a claim and then resumed work at his trade, in which he was quite successful, as, being a proficient workman, his labors were always in demand. In the autumn of 1845 he first came to Fond du Lac County, where he selected a claim and made some preparation to build a house, but on going to the land-office he found his proposed tract had been purchased by another party. In disgust he returned to his home in Kenosha County, where he then remained until the fall of 1847, at which time he again came to Fond du Lac. For some time he worked in a mill, and did carpentering work until at length he obtained a claim, since which time he has followed farming. In his business pursuits he has been quite successful, and is now numbered among the well-to-do citizens of the community.
On the 6^th of December, 1849, Mr. Deuel and Sarah J. Pond were united in the holy bonds of matrimony. The lady was born in Essex County, N. Y., in 1830, and is the daughter of Amos and Hannah (Duntley) Pond, who are numbered among the early settlers of this State. By their union three children have been born: Frank, who is at home; L. Ella, wife of Matthew Hargraves, a sheep-raiser of Wyoming, by whom she has two children; and Minnie, wife of H. C. Vedder. The union has been blessed with two children. The mother of this family is a member of the Methodist Church, and is greatly respected by all for her many excellencies of character. In early life Mr. Deuel supported the Democratic party, but since 1854 has cast his ballot in favor of Republican principles. For eight years he has been Justice of the Peace of Metomen, and for a number of terms has served as a member of the Board of Supervisors, one year of which time he was chairman. He is widely known throughout the county, where he has made his home for forty-two years, having witnessed its entire growth, progress and development.(Portrait and Biographical Album of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Acme Publishing Company, 1889)