HISTORY OF WOOD COUNTY



'Wood County, Wisconsin, with his family and bought 80 acres of wild land
in Au-
'burndale Township, one mile east of Auburndale village, which he began to
de-
velop into a farm. It was a comparatively early date in the history of the
county,
-which was thinly settled, the land being covered largely by the forest,
save where
-the lumber companies had made clearings. There were few made roads, commu-
-nication and transportation being effected by means of trails or wagon paths,
somewhat facilitated by the cutting away of trees and brush, where it was
found
-necessary; but for the most part obstacles were avoided by going around
them.
Mr. Lawrie had plenty of timber on his land, the clearing of which gave him
abun-
,dant occupation; but as for some years his farm produced nothing in the
way of
an income, he had to earn living expenses by working in the woods for lumber
com-
panies, which he did for 14 winters. His possession of a wagon and team made
it
,easy for him to get work. He and his family worked hard in the development
of
the home place. During the early years they were much annoyed by mosquitos
which were present in countless swarms and were particularly vicious and
aggres-
sive, and which they tried to kill by every possible means. This nuisance
abated
gradually with the clearing of the land. Another hardship, shared by all
the early
settlers, was that supplies had to be carried or hauled from Stevens Point.
The
Lawrie farm is now a well developed place, well fenced, with a good set of
build-
ings, and with the land all under cultivation. It is.well stocked with both
grade
and Holstein cattle, and Mr. Lawrie carries on general farming and dairying.
Like others he has suffered from hard times, but has also had his years of
prosperity
and is now fairly well to do. Having lived 46 years in this locality, he
is natur-
ally well known and is personally acquainted with all the surviving pioneers
in
the northern part of the county, as well as most of the younger residents,
and has
a host of friends. He was married in Scotland, to Margaret Hanan, who died
on
the farm here in 1884. She had borne him eight children: Annie G., now Mrs.
Knute Rogne of Stratford, Marathon County, Wis.; James, a farmer in Auburn-
-dale Township; Margaret, now Mrs. Ole Rogne of Stratford, Marathon County;
Agnes, wife of Fred Schuty of Marathon County; Adam, a farmer in the same
county; Minnie, now Mrs. Herman Langar of Marathon County, and John and
George, who are farming in Canada. Some time after the death of his first
wife
Mr. Lawrie married Mary McCarty of Auburndale, Wood County, and from
this union sprang six children, namely: William E. of Auburndale; Donald,
of
Chippewa Falls, Wis.; Ernie, now Mrs. Harold-Moe, of Madison, Wis.; Florens
M., who is a cheese maker in Athens Township, Marathon County; Euphemia,
now living in Madison; and Derral, a graduate of Auburndale High School,
who is
residing with his father on the home farm. Mrs. Mary Lawrie, the mother of
the
above mentioned children, died in October, 1911, and Mr. Lawrie now employs
a
housekeeper to take care of the home. He was reared a Scotch Presbyterian
and
was a member of the church of that denomination here until it ceased to exist.
   Craig P. Connor, lawyer, and real estate and insurance man, of Auburndale,
was born in this village, July 15, 1887, son of Robert and Rebecca (Waite)
Connor.
His mother, a native of Canada, was his father's second wife, their marriage
taking
place in Canada; and Robert Connor, with his brothers John and James, was
the
founder of Auburndale. Here Craig P. was reared. A sickness in childhood
left
him with severe physical handicaps but had no effect in stunting his intellect
or
quenching his ambition. He early resolved to get a good education and to
make
the most of himself, and he has since gone much farther than many who had
greater advantages, the power of his mind and will carrying him successfully
over
any thorny road he had had to travel. From the countrv school he went to
the
Marshfield High School, where he was graduated with the class of 1907. He
then
entered the University of Wisconsin at Madison, taking the law course, from
which
he was graduated in 1912. That fall, after his admission to the bar, he opened
an office in Wausau, Wis., where he practiced until 1915, when he returned
to his
home town. Here he has since followed his profession, making a specialty
of pro-
bate business, and also doing quite an extensive business in real estate
and insur-
ance. He has won the respect of the community, has served the village of
Auburn-



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