A GREAT INVENTOR

Emery Bruley of Neillsville was a great inventor.  Two streets, on Neillsville’s northeast side carry his name - Emery and Bruley.  As an inventor, his name was known in every state at the turn of the 19^th century.  He had patented a washer cutter; a wagon spoke, a carriage axle, a cant-hook, etc.

In 1905, Bruley invented a steel fence post, patenting it in that year.  A large company went into the manufacturing of it.  Bruley was its president and owned controlling interest.  The factory was located in Milwaukee with business offices in Neillsville.  C. L. Prescott assisted Bruley with the marketing in America as well as in Europe.  (See this steel fence post information elsewhere in this Bruley history.)

The steel fence post was designed to replace the wooden posts and be made accessible to the prairie states where timber wasn’t abundant.  At that time, the Burley Fence Post was of less cost than a cedar wood post.  Another selling feature was that the prairie fires wouldn’t damage the steel posts.

The steel fence post, patented by Emery Bruley, manufactured and sold throughout our country and Europe in the early 1900’s.  The 4 to 6 foot Bessemer Steel Post, Figure 2, represents the base, made of wrought iron tubing, 18 or 24 inches long, with one end pointed.  Figure 3 is an iron brace 12 by 3 inches, which was only necessary in very wet ground.  The weight of the post, complete, was 10 pounds.

Bruley built the north wing of the Tuft’s house on South Hewett Street, to be the family home for awhile.  He then made a deal with Mr. Dewhurst in trading that house for a house on the corner of 8^th and Grand Avenue.  The home had a livery stable building on the north side which was in later years remodeled into a home, now the residence of Walter and Marion Kren.  When Bruley bought the house, with it he had purchased the entire lot, extending from Grand Avenue to Grist Mill site and to the O’Neill Creek on the north boundary.  That housed is now owned by Glenn Thompson.

1906 Emery Bruley has brought his automobile from Milwaukee and it is now affording pleasure to family and friends.  Clark County Press, Good Old Days, September 27, 2006

1906 Jerry Bridge has traded his house and lot on Grand Avenue for Emery Bruley’s equity in the Bruley residence on Eighth Street, and is now running a boarding house there.  Clark County Press, Good Old Days, July 12, 2006

1909 Emery Bruley is selling the following items, for less than their value:

Three houses on lots in Neillsville; 360 acres of good Clark County land; 30 city lots in Neillsville, next to the post office; controlling interest in the Bruley Fence Post Co.  If interested, inquire of owner.   Clark County Press, Good Old Days, September 15, 1999

1910 Neillsville has a very efficient fire department and the way they went after the fire in Emery Bruley’s store on Friday night was quite reassuring.  They poured water into the building in long lengths and soaked the clothing up in great amounts.  Where Emery had quite a considerable stock of men’s wool serge suits, he has now a large assortment of boy’s suits.  Clark County Press, Good Old Days, May 3, 2000

1911 Neillsville’s automobile squad is being augmented almost every week and there are now 27 cars in our city.  Several more people are getting the "car bug," so the count will be steadily rising.  The new owners of cars and the makes of cars are as follows:

L. H. Howard, a Flanders and a Ford; Ed Schoengarth, Buick; Chas. Cornelius, Cadillac; Dr. Brooks, Buick; F. D. Calway, Cadillac; C. R. Sturdevant, Reo; J. A. Phillips, a Reo and a Cartercar; G. E. Grow, E.M.F.; F. W. Schultz, Ford; A. B. Marsh, Buick; Gilbert Johnson, Buick; Mrs. MacMillian, not known; W. L. Smith, E.M.F.; W. J. Rush, Ford; C. Krumrey, Buick; S. M. Marsh, E.M.F.; Chas. Decker, International; R. W. Balch, Maxwell; Dr. Leason, Reo; C. Rabenstein, not known; E. M. Holden, not known; Herman North, Buick; P. N. Nelson, Buick; E. Bruley, Franklin; R. F. Kountz, a Stanley and an Oldsmobile.  Clark County Press, Good Old Days, June 27, 2001

1917 The Bruley elevator has a large carload of binder twine on order, to be here soon.  The prices will be right. They also have a bargain price on flour.  Clark County Press, Good Old Days, June 13, 2007

1917 CLARK COUNTY REPUBLICAN & PRESS (Neillsville, Wis.) 05/31/1917

Bruley, Ruth L. (Marriage - 24 MAY 1917)

Mr. Winford Dittmer of Kaukauna and Miss Ruth L. Bruley of this city (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) were quietly married Thursday morning, May 24, 1917, at the Catholic Parsonage in this city, Rev. Peter Weber officiating. After the ceremony a fine wedding breakfast was served at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Emery Bruley, only relatives and a few near friends of the bride and groom being present. The young couple too the 11:30 train for a trip to Chicago and Milwaukee, after which they will return to Kaukauna, where the groom has his home furnished and ready to begin housekeeping.

The bride is one of Neillsville, Clark County, Wisconsin's choicest young ladies. She was born and brought up here, made a fine school record, graduating from high school in the class of 1909. She graduated later from Oshkosh Norman and taught with marked success in Wausau and Appleton. For the past two years she has been (an) assistant in the County Training School at Kaukauna, where her work has also met with high approval. From childhood her sweet disposition and rare personal beauty have made her a favorite with all who know her here, and these qualities, coupled with her intelligence and efficiency in her work, have made her a wide circle of friends in the state.

The groom was brought up at Seymour, Wis., where his mother still resides. After finishing his high school course he attended the University at Madison, graduating from the Law Department two years ago. He began practice at Kaukauna, and is now the city attorney of that place.  He is a stranger to most of our people here, but is a young man of fine appearance, and highly spoken of by all who know him.

We join in wishing them abundant success and happiness.

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1922 Neillsville Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) Thursday, 11/30/1922

--Bruley, Marie (? 30 Nov. 1922)

To Marry Today

Mrs. Emery Bruley went to Ladysmith Monday evening to be present at the marriage of her daughter, Miss Marie, to Mr. Wm. Bracken. The wedding is to be held Thanksgiving Day and will be attended only by the immediate relatives of the young people.  After a short wedding trip they will go to Beloit to make their home. The groom is spoken of as a very fine young man, holding a responsible position with the Wisconsin Electric Co. at Beloit.  The bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Emery Bruley, was born and raised here and graduated from Neillsville School.  She is a young lady of exceptional ability and attainments and possessed of most pleasing personality.  The bride has a host of friends here who tender their very sincere congratulations.

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The 1881 History of Clark Co. WI

EMERY BRULEY, merchant, Neillsville, born in Ottawa City, Canada, July 4, 1845, in 1868, went to Minneapolis, Minn., and afterwards to La Crosse, where he met Mr. Stafford and came up with him to Staffordsville, in Y, 1868.  Came to Neillsville and started a blacksmith shop, which he run for nine years, then opened a clothing store, and now carries a stock of $9,000, and does a business of $25,600 a year.  In September 1864, he married Miss Philomena Beauchamp of Ottawa City.  He belongs to the A. O. U. W.  The 1881 History of Clark Co. WI

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