HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
the factory. In 1849 he came to Wisconsin and 
engaged at work in a sash, door and blind fac- 
tory. He came to the town of Decatur in 1851, 
as before stated, but for a number of years was 
engaged in the manufacture of sash, doors, cof- 
fins, etc., his shop being on the farm.  In 1872 
he sold his farm to B. H. Fleek, and removed 
to Brodhead. Mr. Stuart is numbered among. 
the successful business men of Decatur.  He 
has now practically retired from the more ac- 
tive business duties of life, and is in possession 
of a competence. He owns considerable real 
estate, including two good farms, besides village 
property in Brodhead.   His wife, to whom 
he was married Jan. 21, 1844, was formerly 
Lydia R. Lasell, a native of Gouverneur, St. 
Lawrence Co., N. Y.  They have had but one 
child-Phebe Ann, who died on the 7th day of 
January, 1846, at the age of eleven months. 
They have had several adopted children, two 
of whom-Mar.y W. and Ezra H., they reared 
from the ages respectively of six and ten years. 
The latter enlisted in the army in 1862, in the 
18th Wisconsin Infantry, re-enlisted in the 4th 
Cavalry, was one of the captors of Jefferson 
Davis, and served until the close of the war. 
He now lives in Hancock Co., Ill. Mary W. is the 
wife of Abner Mitchell, and lives near Wa- 
verly, Iowa. Another adopted daughter is now 
at Deadwood, Dak., and another, an infant 
daughter, died in 1858, but a few days after her 
adoption. Mr. Stuart is among the best class 
of Green county citizens, and as a business man 
has the confidence and respect of his fellow 
men. 
John Douglas, a prominent citizen of Brod- 
head, came to Green county in 1854. He was 
born in the county of Sutherland, Scotland, on 
July 15, 1812, and came to the United States 
with his father's family in 1828. They settled 
in Monongalia Co., W. Va., where Mr. Doug- 
las lived until 1834, when he was married and 
removed to Fayette Co., Penn. In 1835, he 
came to Milwaukee Co., Wis., where he settled 
on a farm and lived nineteen years. At that 
 
time Milwaukee was but a small village, and 
Mr. Douglas became well acquainted with the 
first settlers of that place, who were Solomon 
Juneau, George Walker and Byron Kilbourn. 
He lived in Milwaukee county until 1854, when 
he came to Green county and settled in the 
town of Decatur on a partially improved farm, 
where he lived until he came to the village of 
Brodhead in 1872. He still owns a part of that 
farm. Mr. Douglas has good business qualifi- 
cations and has had good success, being now 
numbered among the wealthy and substantial 
citizens of Brodhead. His parents, James and 
Ann (Oliver) Douglas, were born on the border, 
between England and Scotland, the former on 
the Scotland side and the latter on the English 
side of the line. After marriage they removed 
to Sutherland county.  Mr. Douglas' father 
died in the State of Maryland before he had 
reached his intended destination in Virginia. 
His mother died in Virginia at the age of about 
eighty years.  The parents of Mr. Douglas 
had seven children-six sons and one daughter. 
He has been three times married. His first 
wife was    Mary   J.  Brown,   who   was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died in  Mil- 
waukee county. His second wife was Mrs. 
Almira (Bates) Shaff, who died at Brodhead in 
1881. His present wife was Mrs. Amanda 
(Hart) Holcomb. Mr. Douglas is the father of 
five children, two of whom are now living- 
James W. and William H. The former lives in 
Brodhead, the latter resides on and owns a part 
of the homestead farm. Mr. Douglas has two 
brothers and one sister-Andrew in Milwaukee 
county, Mrs. Jane Barlow in Wheeling, W. Va., 
and Thojmas, his youngest brother, who for- 
merly lived in the town of Decatur, but now 
resides in Johnson Co., Kansas. Mr. Douglas' 
education was limited. Politically h6 was for- 
merly a whig, but upon the organization of the 
republican party, he joined them, and continues 
to vote for those principles. He is a member 
of the Congregational Church, and is in favor 
of prohibition. 
 
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