Bio: Mead, William Harrison (b. 1833)

Contact: Janet Schwarze

Surnames: MEAD VANRENSLEAR MARSHALL PEDRICKS SMITH

----Source: Biographical History of Clark and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin, by The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891, pg. 265 - 266:

WILLIAM HARRISON MEAD, of section 3, Warner Township, Clark County, was born in Dutchess County, New York, November 19, 1833, the son of Van Renslear (deceased) and Margaret (Marshall) Mead, both natives of New York. Our subject's grandfather, Moses Mead, was a soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Mead, had ten children, viz: Egbert, Martha, William, Nathan, Van Renslear, Moses, Caroline, George and Daniel. The mother died about twenty years ago, and the father was again married, and by this union there were four children: Aaron, Arvilla, Lydia and Frank. The father died in December, 1881.

The subject of this sketch, the eldest child, spent the first twelve years of his life on the old homestead in his native county. In 1845 the family emigrated to Jefferson County, Wisconsin, settling in Watertown Township, where Mr. Mead attended the public schools three months, and also worked on the farm in the summer. During the last year of the war he was in the United States service, engaged in putting up telegraph lines in Western Virginia. In 1865 he came to this county and settled on his present farm of 160 acres, which was then covered with heavy timber. There were only three farms opened between this place and Neillsville, and they were the George Huntzicker and Cummings farms. There was not a road or turnpike in the county at that time, and Neillsville contained but 200 people, one hotel and two stores. There was no settlement at Greenwood, and wild animals and Indians were numerous, the latter being of the Chippewa tribe. Some trappers stopped with the loggers where Mr. Mead was working, and caught over $1,000 worth of furs in about two months. A man named David Smith came into their camp in the winter of 1866-67, and in six weeks caught $600 worth of furs. Mr. Mead hunted about five years during the fall of the year, after coming to this county, and killed about forty deer each fall, and also killed a few bear and many wildcats. Our subject owns 1, 920 acres of land, mostly hardwood timber land, of which 260 acres is cleared.

He was married July 4, 1861, to Julia A. Smith, who was born in Herkimer County, New York, May 26, 1842, the daughter of Christopher (deceased) and Betsy (Pedricks) Smith the latter now lives with Mr. Mead, at the age of eighty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. Mead have had seven children, six of whom are now living: Frank A., Clara, Helen, Harry, Angus and Philo. Clara married Allen Armstrong, of Greenwood, this county, and they have two children, Glen and Margery. Frank is an express messenger on the O. R. N. Railroad in Oregon. The remainder are at home. Mr. Mead has been chairman of the Town Board here seven years, and is the present incumbent, and during two years of this time he was chairman of the County Board. He is a member of the Masonic, I. O. O. F. and the A. O. U. W. lodges.

Farm Residence of William Mead.

This residence is located in the town of Withee on a beautiful farm of one hundred and sixty acres, sixty-five of which is under cultivation. Mr. Mead is the representative of his town on the County Board. He is a native of New York, where he was born in 1840 and married in 1865. After looking over several of the western states he finally settled in his present life now owns his farm and the stock which is on it, unencumbered, which is worth at least five or six thousand dollars. ("Clark Co. Illustrated" by Saterlee, Tifft & Marsh; 1890).

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MEAD VANRENSLEAR MARSHALL PEDRICKS SMITH