HISTORY OF WOOD COUNTY



years old. Since coming to Wood County 63 years ago she has seen many wonder-
ful changes, through all of which she has well performed her individual part,
having
always been an active worker, when she had the strength, for the welfare
and prog-
-ress of the community, and only recently at a banquet given by the Woman's
Relief Corps, she responded to a toast by some sprightly and well conceived
verses
having for their moral the advisability of "boosting" rather than
depreciating
one's home town. As one of the noble pioneer women of Wood County who have
marched with the times and are still up to date, she is widely known and
esteemed,
and her aimable personal characteristics have made her a host of warm friends.
   William G. Nason, an early settler and farmer in Rock and Lincoln Town-
ships, Wood County, was born in Standish, Maine, Jan. 24, 1834. There he
at-
tended school and spent his boyhood days. In 1851, attracted by the great
lumb-
ering interests in Wisconsin, he and his two brothers, Solomon L. and Edward
G.,
came west to this state, first locating in Richland. In the following year
they
came to Wood County, settling in the northern part on the Yellow river, where
they
cut many thousand feet of logs, which they       rafted  down the Yellow,
Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers to market at -Galena, Dubuque or St. Louis.
In 1858 Edward G. Nason went on a quest for gold to Idaho and California
and
his subsequent life was spent in the far west, where he died. In 1865 the
two re-
maining brothers bought wild land in Rock and Lincoln Townships, Wood County,
which they proceeded to improve. The task was a difficult one, as the land
was
covered with heavy timber. William G. erected a set of log buildings, which
he
later replaced by a good modern house and outhouses. He brought the land
under cultivation and developed an excellent farm, which he personally supervised
until his retirement in about 1900, when he turned over its operation to
his son
Warren H. In early days before the coming of the railroad Mr. Nason carried
provisions on his back from Merrillan and Black River Falls. He helped early
settlers to build their shacks and did all he could to get them started.
He also
took an active part in town and county affairs holding office for many years
on
the township, county or school board. Mr. Nason was married, March 15, 1865,
in Sparta, Wis., to Harriet Renne, who was born in Potsdam, N. Y., April
7, 1848.
It proved a happy union, as Mrs. Nason was a woman of fine qualities both
of
head and heart, and a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. She passed
away Oct. 4, 192t. She and her husband were the parents of five children:
Callie,
Herbert F., Rolla G., Edward P. and Warren H. Callie and Herbert F., reside
in Wisconsin Rapids. Rolla G. is a contractor and builder at Lewiston, Idaho.
Edward P. is in the lumbering business at Kirkland, Wash. Warren H. operates
the home farm in Rock Township. Callie Nason was educated in the district
school and in the high school at Marshfield, being graduated from the latter
in
1884. She then taught school for several years. In 1888 she entered as bookkeeper
the employ of the Centralia Pulp & Water Power Company, whose mill was
the
first paper-mill erected on the Wisconsin River.  Originally it was built
for
,a saw-mill and was operated in 1849 by Lyon &      Sampson.   The next
owners were Hurley & Burns, who in turn sold the property to John Rablin.
 The
latter suspended operations in 1874 and the property came into- the possession
of
George Whiting of Neenah and G. F. Steel. Up to this time paper experts had
ex-
pressed the opinion that print paper could not be made from Wisconsin River
water.
Whiting & Steel erected the pulp mill in 1887. Under the new company
Frank
Garrison was appointed manager and served until his death in 1905, when Miss
Nason succeeded him, being made secretary and general manager. She was at
that time the only woman in the United States holding a position of that
kind.
She had about 100 men under her charge and produced about 35 tons of the
product
per day. Miss Nason resigned this position in 1919 on account of ill health.
She
built a fine residence at Lyon Park on the banks of the Wisconsin.
   Herman E. Hoerl, secretary and manager of the Marshfield Telephone Ex-
,change, was born in Marshfield, Wood County, Wis., Nov. 11, 1881, son of
Andrew
and Wilhelmina (Hoff) Hoerl. The father was born in Austria, July 2, 1853,
and



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