Sereno Wren, 1842

Transcribed by Janet

SERENO WREN, a prosperous farmer and lumber dealer of Grant Township, where he is a prominent citizen, was born in Stark County, Ohio, Nov. 10, 1842, son of William and Sarah (Haycock) Wren. The father was born in Virginia, and was a son of William Wren, also a native of that state, who was of English descent, and who was well to do, being the owner of a plantation. There William Wren, second, father of our subject, grew to manhood, and at the age of IS was engaged in teaching school, among his pupils being his future wife, who was a native of Stark County, Ohio. After their marriage William and Sarah located in Marlborough, Ohio, where he followed various occupations. He died in Tennessee in 1862. His wife, who survived him many years, died in Cedar County, Iowa. Their family consisted of eight children: Levi, Esther, Lydia, Eliza, Sereno, Lindley, Lemuel and Walter.

Sereno Wren's school days were spent in Marlborough, Ohio, for the most part, though he finished his schooling in Iowa. On starting out for himself, he came to Clark County,, Wis., his first visit, however, being on the occasion of a hunting trip in 1862. Starting from Cedar County, Iowa, he carried a gun weighing thirteen pounds and a blanket and frying pan, with other campers' articles, all the way to Black River Falls, a distance of 400 miles, and that fall visited Clark County, Neillsville being then but a little hamlet without a foot of sidewalk. For two or three years he hunted over various parts of the county and worked in lumber camps, continuing to live in this manner until his marriage. In 1867 he went to work on the farm of B. F.. French, six miles south of Neillsville, where he stayed two years. At the end of that time he bought an eighty-acre tract of land in Grant Township, one mile south of Kurth Corners, it being all wild land, and without a road in the vicinity. After staying on that claim three years he sold it and purchased his present place in Section 17, Grant Township, consisting of 240 acres, an time timber. On this he built a log cabin, 24 by 16 feet. He and his wife had at this time three children: Marion, now in Washington; Lemont, in, California, and Frank, of Neillsville. Four others were born on the farm: Lemuel, now in Washington; Thomas, now on home place; Nettie and Earl, both residing in Washington.

For some time Mr. Wren worked in the woods and did logging on contract, after which he began clearing his land and has since prospered. His first log cabin burned down and he lost everything he had, but, not discouraged, he built a second, in the middle of winter, and continued to work, using an ox team until he had forty acres cleared. His ox team was the finest then on the river. In more recent years Mr. Wren has erected a fine residence, which is beautifully situated on a hill. His barn is 36 by 96 feet in size, with a horse barn attached, and a large silo. His farm is also well supplied with modern machinery and implements, affording a pleasant contrast to former days when he had to cut grain with a sythe and cradle it by hand. He brought the first traction steam engine into the county, and used it for generate threshing around the neighborhood for several years, previous to which he had used an old horsepower thresher. In 1881, Mr. Wren built a sawmill on his place, and has since cut the timber for hundreds of residences in the county, besides sawing all the lumber for his own extensive buildings. Mr. Wren was first married to Alleda Hatch, of Kankakee, Ill., daughter of Earl Hatch, who settled in Clark County, Wis., one mile west of Neillsville. Mrs. Alleda Wren died at Columbus, Klickitat County, Wash., Sept. 9, 1891, at the age of 41 years. and Mr. Wren subsequently married Mrs. Sarah Smith, widow of Orland Smith. She was born in Waupaca County, Wis., daughter of George West.