HISTORY OF WOOD COUNTY



Katherine, now Mrs. Thomas Upton, of Chicago; Anna, of whom the writer has
no individual record; Matthew, who is now a farmer in Saratoga Township;
John
B., subject of this sketch; James, deceased; and Mary, now Mrs. Adam Ludwig,
of Genoa, Ill. John B. Weber received his education in the district schools
in
De Kalb County, Ill., and remained at home until 1873, when he went to Chicago
and learned the trade of blacksmith, remaining in Chicago until the spring
of
1877, when he returned to De Kalb County and, after doing farm work during
the summer, bought the blacksmith shop at Charter Grove in that county. He
operated this for nearly two years; the following three years he was engaged
in
farm work, and in 1882 he started farming for himself. Five years later he
bought
the farm he had been renting, and operated this property for five years more,
after which he sold it and bought a farm in Boone County, Ill., remaining
there
until, in 1900, when he came to Wood County, Wis. Here he first located in
7Pittsville, and Oct. 10, 1902, he bought his present farm of 233 acres in
Section
2, West Saratoga Township, known as the Harvey & Richards farm. Mr. Weber
has made extensive improvements on this property, making it modern in every
respect. He has erected a 30 by 60 foot barn, with full basement, and has
besides
this another barn 31 by 44 feet. He has also erected two silos on the property,
the first one being the first silo in Saratoga Township. Mr. Weber's main
pursuit
is dairying, and he has a fine herd of grade Guernseys with pure-bred sires
at the
head. He was married, July 4, 1879, at Campton, Kane County, Ill., to Miss
Lillie B. Holmes. Mrs. Weber was born June 6, 1861, at North Plato, Kane
'County, Ill., daughter of Charles F. and Mary J. (Seward) Holmes; both of
her
parents are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Weber are the parents of five children,
Carrie, Hattie, Charles, Frederick and William. Carrie is now Mrs. S. J.
Rogers,
eof Madison Wis.; Hattie is Mrs. John Knipprath, of Saratoga Township; Charles
is now deceased; Frederick is living in Saratoga Township, and was married
May
25, 1915, to Mrs. Eunice Smith, who in maiden life was Miss Eunice Tucker.
She
is the mother of one child, William, by her first marriage, and of two children,
Delbert and Vernon, by her marriage with Frederick Weber. William, the fifth
child of the elder Mr. and Mrs. Weber, is living at home and assists his
father
in the operation of the farm. Mr. Weber is a very progressive man, and is
a member
of the Wood County Guernsey Breeders Association, of the Soil Improvement
Association, and of the Pure Seed Association. The family are members of
the
Congregational Church. Mr. Weber served as a side supervisor during the year
of 1905, and served on the school board in his district for 12 years. He
is highly
respected throughout the community.
   Frank S. Woodworth, who for many years has been one of the active factors
in the development of the city of Pittsville, and who is to-day one of its
leading
and most respected citizens, was born at Mayville, Dodge County, Wis., March
4, 1858. His parents, Minor C. and Charlotte M. (Boyce) Woodworth, were
natives of New York State, who settled at an early day in Waukesha County,
Wis., where the father worked at his trade of harnessmaker. In 1863 they
came
with their family to Grand Rapids, where Minor C. Woodworth continued in
the harness-making business, and was also for 20 years a police justice,
a fact
'showing that his character and abilities had made a favorable impression
on his
fellow citizens. He and his wife are both now deceased. Their family included
nine children, all of whom have passed away except Frank S. Frank S. Wood-
worth' was reared in Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids), and attended both
the common and high schools. He then entered the employ of L. P. Powers,
to take care of his horse and cow, and later he entered Mr. Powers' office
as a law
student. Admitted to the bar in 1880, he practiced law in association with
Powers
and Briggs until 1883, when the failure of his health caused him to change
his
plan of life, and, coming to Pittsville, he went to work in the woods as
bookkeeper
for George Hiles and Lawrence Ward, the well-known lumbermen. Later he
took charge of a lumber yard at Pittsville. After awhile he drifted into
journalism,
he and Dr. M. P. Pomeroy buying the Pittsville Independent, the first newspaper
published in Pittsville, which Mr. Woodworth edited for two years. 'They
later



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