Bio: Remington, H. W. (1881)

Contact: Janet Schwarze

Surnames: Remington, Williams, Jackson, Sherman, Smith, Humphriville, Hubbell, Dewey, Vilas, Orton, Botkin, Ponus, Rablin, Rivers, Lyon, Edwards

----Source: History of Northern Wis. (Wood County, Wis.) 1881, page 1217-1218

H. W. REMINGTON. His parents were New Englanders, father being a descendant of the Turkey Hills Remingtons, of Connecticut; his mother's maiden name was Matilda Williams, a descendent of the Rhode Island Williamses; her father, emigrating from Rhode Island to Berkshire Co., Mass., where they were married. They left Washington Mountain, Mass., in January, 1822, for Ohio, moving all the way with an ox team on a sled, and ended their journey at town No. 4 (now Pittsfield), Lorain Co., Ohio, in March following, cutting their own road through the dense forest for the last six miles to get there; being the first family to settle in that town. This was the place where H. W. was born, on the 9th of August, 1823, being the first white child born in that town; his recollections of his first years of life were of Indians, wolves and wild woods' life. Settlers came in very slow. When five years of age, he made a trip to Massachusetts with his parents, and for the first time, saw how people lived in civilization. When Jackson ran for President the second time, he accompanied his father to the polls, and will never forget the exciting scenes of that day. All seemed on the war path, and ready to fight for their man. In 1837, his father again thought it was best to go West, and moved to Steuben Co., Ind., stopping in another wilderness. There he fought for existence for three years, against fever and ague, bilious fever, and trials of a wild and new country, until at last he came near dying, twenty miles from home, with bilious fever; the family, then consisting of father, mother, three boys and three girls, all but himself being at home, sick, and not aware of his condition. This determined his father to retrace his steps, and in January, 1840, he wended his way back to Lorain Co., Ohio, and settled in the town of Amherst, where he has ever since resided. The presidential election of that year aroused him, and he took an active part in all the political meetings within reach, frequently mounting the stumps or benches and talking to the crowds gathered. Although he knew but little about schools at that time, he was very familiar with the history of his country, and its great men; his leisure hours in the woods and log cabins had not been wasted; his mother was a great teacher in the chimney corner, and never allowed time to run to waste. The year following, he got the privilege of leaving home and trying his hand at school-keeping. From this time until he was twenty years of age, his time was mostly employed in teaching or going to school.

At twenty he went into the County Treasurer's office as assistant, and while there, studied surveying with John Sherman. About this time his father became very much embarrassed financially, and was so discouraged that he expressed as ready to give up the contest for his home; judgments were entered up against him that would take all he had. H. W. being just of age, saw only the bright side of life; he concluded to make an effort to get the family out of trouble. Had but little time to act in, but interposed legal block to gain time; bought goods on time and went peddling; found his way East as far as Newport, R. I., and West as far as Nauvoo, Ill., during the next four months. At the latter place, Joe Smith and his brother had just been killed, and the Mormon war was in progress. At Carthage, Ill., he was captured by the anti-Mormons, and held a prisoner for a week, as a Mormon sympathizer; soon after, he was captured by the Mormons, and was held by them for about three weeks, and was a witness to the killing of the Sheriff of Hancock County, and most of the incidents of that war, and the settlement by which the Mormons agreed to leave the State; he improved the time while a prisoner, in buying up the heaviest claims against his father, which were owned by Mormons living at Nauvoo, and when he succeeded in getting away from that ill-fated city, he was master of the situation so far as his father's debts were concerned. He then wended his way down the Mississippi, up the Ohio to Cincinnati, and on foot across the State to his home, having in about six months paid off his father's debts, seen considerable of the world, and saved a good family home, which still remains theirs. He again went into the County Treasurer's office as assistant; served a few months, but found the office too dull; went out; bought 150 acres of timber land, married a wife, built a house, cleared up fifty acres, fenced and sowed to wheat, signed notes as surety for his friends, sold property on credit, and bought in the same way, all in one year, and at the end of the year, found those he owed must have their pay, those who owed him, would not pay, and his friends whom he had become surety for, could not or would not pay. He was not long in deciding what to do. Sold all he had, paid his debts, paid what was left over to his father-in-law, to board his wife and child as long as it would last, and entered the law office of Judge Humphriville, in Medina, Ohio, as a law student; read with him two years, as the law required, before admission to practice, supporting himself in the meantime, working at the carpenter and joiner business, teaching school, trying causes in justice's courts, etc., and during the time, making a trip to Chicago, Madison, Wis., and Milwaukee, with a team and peddler's wagon, and from the latter place home, by the lakes.

Having completed his studies with Judge Humphriville in October, 1848, he packed up his carpenter chest of tools, surveyor's kit, and what few books he had gathered, and household goods enough to commence keeping house and with them, his wife and little girl, now about two years old, took a steamer at Cleveland, for Milwaukee, where he landed, Nov. 1, 1848, sick and so weak, he had to be helped ashore, having had the measles very hard while on the boat. With but a few dollars in his pocket, sick, all around him strangers, the roads so bad that teams could not get out or into the town (no railroads then), the world looked a little dark and rough to him. But in a couple of days he could sit up, and the world looked different from what it did when he was on his back. He hired a man with a pair of horses and lumber wagon, loaded in wife and little girl, and at the end of twelve hours' hard riding, found themselves outside of Milwaukee fourteen miles. A little incident occurred this day which shows how little a man may know of his own strength; he thought in the morning he was not strong enough to sit in a chair and ride more than a mile or two. At about two o'clock, in the afternoon, the team stopped by a mud hole in front, filled with wagons and teams mired, on the left an impenetrable swamp, and on the right, a wheat field with a man armed with a double-barreled shot gun, swearing death to the first man who attempted to destroy his grain field. It was snowing, and the snow melted as it came down. There was no shelter there for them, and something must be done; tried to hire the privilege of going through the field, but it was no use. Gunner was hot-headed, and would not be reasoned with. Mr. Remington grew mad and stout very fast, forgot all about being sick, got near enough to the gun to get a good hold of it on first move, took possession of it, fired off both barrels (in the air), and stood over his man, using the gun as a club, until the team was driven through the field, around the mud hole; took all the powder away from the man that he had, and threw it into the water, offered him a dollar to pay damages, which he refused to take; marched him ahead of him a little way, when he concluded to take the dollar and his gun and return, promising not to disturb them further. Mr. Remington was able to go on foot the rest of the day, and felt like a new man. Six days of hard traveling brought them to Madison; his little daughter was soon taken sick, and in about three weeks, on the day she was two years old, breathed her last. She was a very bright and beautiful child, and leaving them at such a time, and under such circumstances, her mother took it very hard, and sinking into a very quiet melancholy, bordering at times on wild insanity, required much care to preserve her and tide over life's fitful scenes. Thus, among strangers, out of money or means, in bad health himself; family suddenly snatched away, or worse than helpless; the outlook to him was hard for a little time, and he saw the world and its people with a vastly different vision from that which was before him three years previous. But the stern necessities of life permitted no foolishness; his skill as a land surveyor was in good demand, and he was soon well employed; he had letters of introduction to Judge Hubbell, then presiding on the bench in the Madison and Milwaukee Circuit, which he presented to him at a term of his court, and was admitted to the Bar.

There was a case pending against a man for assault with intent to kill. He was defended by the ablest attorneys in Madison, had been once tried and the jury disagreed. The district attorney declined to prosecute further, and Judge H. appointed Mr. Remington at once to act in behalf of the State. He pushed the case to trial the next day, and after two days of sharp work, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty after being out but a few minutes. It had become understood that it was his first case in a court of record, and when he left the court-room, he was cheered on every side, and within twenty-four hours his pockets were overflowing with retainers, and he knew that the tide had turned, and that he was financially on top of the wave. Governor Dewey soon invited him to take an appointment to appraise the school and university lands of the State, which he thought best to accept as a means of extending his knowledge of the State. One year was mostly spent at this employment. His law practice soon became large, and his office was crowded day and night; he formed a co partnership with Judge L. B. Vilas, at his solicitation, and for a few years found a world of pleasure in hard work. But his health failing, he became nearly blind; had to be led from his residence to the office and the court-room. Physicians advised him to leave his office and get outside, which he did; at this time he was comparatively rich for a young man. Turned his law business over to others as much as possible, and engaged in helping to push the Milwaukee & Prairie Du Chien Railroad through to the Mississippi; in improving the streets, etc., of Madison, in building the Watertown & Madison Railroad; in building up the village of Black Earth, etc., etc., and every thing went merry and prosperous, until the year 1857, when the tides changed; his wife became insane from the effects of a long run of typhoid fever, and left him in January with three little children. Three days later, he had a large amount of property burned at Black Earth; a little later a bank failed, wiping out about $16000; this was followed by as much more, by the collapse of the Madison & Watertown Railroad, so that at the end of one short year, he was completely mired. He had seen the storm coming, but domestic relations had prevented his preparing to meet it. He could not give satisfactory title to real estate of which he had a large amount, and all went in one general whirlpool.

During all these times, he had been somewhat active in a certain way in political matters. Much excitement attended election days, and much damage and ill feeling grew out of it. On one occasion a stranger, a personal friend of his, not interfering in any way with the election, was stabbed in one of these drunken melees, and for a long time was not expected to live. A meeting was called to devise some plan to remedy this evil. Much was said, and Mr. Remington was called upon for his views. He charged the evil upon the drinking of intoxicating drinks on those days, and advocated the closing of all dram shops on election days, and introduced a resolution which embraced his views of the necessary things to be done. They were opposed by Hon. Myron H. Orton and Judge Botkin, two able lawyers of Madison, but they were adopted by the meeting almost unanimously. He followed this lead with sufficient force to procure the passage of the present law in regard to the sale of intoxicating drinks on election days, at the next session of the Legislature. The law, however, was not enforced with as much vigor as some desired, and he was soon nominated as candidate for District Attorney, and M. H. Orton in opposition. The fight was a hot one, and he was beaten by only sixteen votes, in one of the most populous counties in the State, but the law has been well enforced ever since, and largely copied by many other States, which has been more satisfactory to him than any political favors could be. He was never much of a seeker after office, but enjoyed manipulating elections independently, and has often had the satisfaction of witnessing election surprises, and of accomplishing what he wished through those more yielding than himself. Often defended criminals, but always found it more congenial to his nature to prosecute than defend in criminal cases, and naturally on the defense in all civil cases. Many pleasing anecdotes are told of occurrences and incidents which transpired during these years of his practice, in connection with trials of suits.

The break of 1857 changed the current of his life to some extent; having seen too much of the world to be easily discouraged; he began to reconnoiter for an outlet to pent-up forces. Satisfied that there was little use in hunting for treasures in beaten paths, watched close by eyes sharpened by hunger, he concluded to strike out anew, and engaged a brother who loved to roam in search of wild game, to go hunting, fitted him and a companion out in good style and sent them into the swamps of Wood and Juneau counties, to hunt until they got tired of it, observe all they saw, and report to him when they got tired. After a three months' trip, they reported what they saw in the cranberry marshes in the southwestern part of Wood County, etc. He immediately paid that region a visit in person, thought he saw something good in the future, and formed plans immediately; traced with his mind's eye the Northwestern Railroad from Madison close by the Baraboo Bluffs to Mauston, up the Yellow-River Valley and through to St. Paul, and immediately set to work to make a reality of his vision. First secured all the cranberry lands he could from the State, moved his home into the midst of these swamps, twenty-five miles from a post-office, church or physician, and far from any living white man or woman; built mills, houses, etc., and pushed in every direction for improvements and the useful. But the war came and he lost five years; jealousies, bickerings and strife ruled the hour; men died or were killed, scenes changed, the West Wis. Railroad was built, which absorbed the land grant he had counted on, and at the end of ten years, after much that makes a man grow old had passed over him, he was still out in the cold, far from things desirable. He could see good things all around but could not utilize them; as, when stopped by the mudhole and the man with the gun, something must be done. He had been feeling around in every direction for relief. At one time, started a week before election and ran independent for the Legislature against the regular nominees, who had been some time regularly in the field; got the certificate of election, went down to Madison and took his seat in the Assembly. His seat was contested, and being satisfied that the other fellow had the most votes and that there was no opening for any good thing there, he retired to his lumber business again for awhile, annually floating down the Wis. and Mississippi and back again, until that became a dread.

In 1871, he mapped out in his mind the W. V. R. R., and soon sought for assistance to make it a reality; laid his views and plans before Judge L. P. Ponus, of Grand Rapids, who immediately fell in line and went to work. John Rablin, Seth Rivers, R. C. Lyon and John Edwards soon joined with them and he went to Madison, procured the necessary legislation, using an old charter in part, and soon had the scheme well underway. But a powerful opposition was soon waked up and a fight for existence commenced. The struggle was short and sharp, but the work went steadily on until, at the end of two years, the road was a fixed fact and in full operation, and beyond the reach of its enemies. In the meantime, quite a settlement had gathered around him, a town had been organized and named after him as the beginning of a monument to his memory, by those who were pleased with his doings. He was repeatedly elected as Chairman of the Town and Chairman of the County Board, and has lived to see many of his friends enjoy themselves, and has not the remotest idea that his life's work is yet more than well begun. His hope is to be able to do something worth making a memorandum of hereafter. The W. V. R. R. has opened up a country and made it available for man's use, and several hundred thousands of dollars are now annually paid out for berries along its line which formerly went to waste. Yet this new resource is scarcely touched; the country adapted to the berry culture is as yet almost wholly lying waste and unoccupied, but its great future is near at hand. He has now a family of a wife and one child with him (a boy fourteen years old). Has one son and two daughters married and in active life. His father is living at eighty-six years old; his mother has just passed away at eighty-two. There was no sign of age about her a year ago except white hair. He has two brothers and two sisters living. They all regard life as given to them for the purpose of tempting them to do some good in some way.

Mr. Remington never drank whisky enough to secure the love of tipplers, never was violent enough in his temperance notions to secure the admiration of temperance societies; never used rough language to secure the good will of the profane, nor served the churches enough to secure the love of church members; never gambled enough to please gamblers, nor condemned them enough to satisfy the other side.