Author Description

“The history of any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and representative citizens.” The editors of the J. H. Beers Publishing Company believed this dictum, and they produced this extensive collection of biographical sketches as a result. Each of the three Wisconsin counties is covered in turn, and the sketches are “of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families.” An index of over 1,250 names guides the reader through the collection. A sampling of the most prevalent names: Anderson, Bailey, Becker, Black, Bowen, Briggs, Buck, Callahan, Cleeremans, Davis, Hansen, Johnson, Johnston, Jones, Kimball, Knapstein, McMurdo, Martin, Miller, Schmit, Schneider, Smith, Webster, Williams and Wright. Most of the nearly 1,000 subjects were still alive at the time of the original publication, so the majority of the biographies focus on the mid to late 1800s. Many of the subjects are first or second generation immigrants, and usually the sketches include the country of origin, the names of parents and siblings, and the date and place of immigration. The subject’s spouse and children are always recorded, and whenever possible a little biographical information about them is included as well. The heart of each sketch, however, is the recounting of the subject’s path to prominence and distinction. Portraits of many of the men and women are featured.