HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
His wife is Adelia C., daughter of the late 
Dr. E. E. Duncomb, of St. Thomas, Ontario, 
Canada. They have two surviving children- 
Clara, born in 1.857, and William Penn, Jr., 
born in 1861. 
Haff~rmon S. Conger, 
formerly judge of the twelfth judicial circuit, 
was born in Cortland Co., N. Y., where he read 
and practiced law until he came to Janesville, 
in 1855. While a resident of Cortland county 
he took a lively interest in political affairs, and 
while pursuing his legal studies he purchased 
the Cortland County Whig, which he edited 
with ability and earnestness for six years; at the 
expiration of this period the young editor sold 
it out and gave his entire time and energies to 
his profession.  Shortly after his admission to 
the bar, much to his surprise, he was nominated 
to Congress by the whig convention in 1846. 
Owing to the political complexion of the dis 
trict, many believed that the nomination was 
only an empty honor; but, contrary to general 
expectation, Mr. Conger was elected to the 30th 
Congress, and was re-elected in 1848, although 
his opponent was his old preceptor, and one of 
the ablest and most popular men in the district. 
After serving two terms in Congress he gave 
his undivided attention to his profession, allow- 
ing nothing to divert him from the pursuit of 
his life. After twenty-five years' experience as 
an attorney, a ripe scholar, a well trained law- 
yer, an honest man, he was elected judge of 
this circuit in 1870; re-elected in 1876. 
Free from obnoxious partisanship as it is pos- 
sible for a man to be, he proved to be a most 
satisfactory and capable judicial officer.  He 
died on the 22d day of October, 1882, in Janes- 
ville, Wis. 
John R. .Bennett, 
present judge of the twelfth judicial circuit, 
was born at Rodman, Jefferson Co., N. Y., on 
the 1st day of November, 1820'; he was the 
second son and third child of Daniel Bennett 
and Deborah Leeds Bennett, whose maiden 
natli Was Stdiber ; his fathdr and mothbr were 
 
descendants from English Puritan ancestors, who 
settled in the State of Connecticut about the 
year 1640. His father was born in the town of 
Stonington, in that State, on the 16t day of 
February, IM. The fourth son of David 
Bennett and Rebecca Bennett, whose maiden 
name was Miner and David, was the son of 
Stephen and Mehitable Bennett. His mother 
was the-daughter of William Spicer and Han- 
nah Spicer, whose maiden name was Han- 
nah Leeds, being the daughter of Gideon Leeds, 
of the city of Leeds, England. His father 
being a farmer in comfortable circumstances, 
the son worked at home on the farm, attending 
the common district school until the fall of 
1839, when be commenced attending the Black 
River Literary and Religious Institute, located 
at Watertown, N. Y., and prepared for teach- 
ing school, which he engaged in that fall, and 
from that time until the month of April, 1844, 
continued attending this school at Watertown, 
and teaching district and select schools. He 
then entered upon the study of law in the office 
of Western W. Wager, at Brownsville, Jeffer- 
son Co., N. Y., reading with him about six 
months. On the 28th day of November, 1844, 
at Hounsfield, Jefferson Co., N. Y., he was mar- 
ried  to Elsie L. Holloway, the daughter 
of Charles and Chloe Holloway, whose sweet 
gentle influence has ever tended   to lead 
him in the proper and pleasant paths of life, 
and to be under the guidance of the better 
angel of his nature; the purity of her life, the 
wisdom of her counsel and the comfort of her 
society, are still continued to him by a bene- 
ficient Providence, and are the sources of his 
greatest happiness. In the month of April, 
1845, he commenced reading law in the office of 
Dyre N. Burnham, of Sacketts Harbor, N. Y., 
and continued reading with him until the 8th 
day of May, 1848, when he was admitted to 
practice in all the courts of that State. On the 
2d day of October, 1848, he started for the west, 
reaching Janesville, Wis., October 13, where he 
located, anod has since practiced his prdfessiou 
 
346