- CHARLES H. WILDER, the leading lumber merchant of Evansville,
is a native of the Empire
- State, having been born at Attica, Wyoming County, on the
12th day of April, 1824. He is descended from one of the early
families of Massachusetts, his ancestors having emigrated from
England to America in 1638. A complete genealogy of the WILDER
family has been prepared by the Rev. Moses Hale WILDER and is
very complete in its character, containing about six thousand
names and extending back to 1597, forty-one years anterior to
the time of the founding of the family in America. Abel WILDER,
the grandfather of our subject, who removed with his family from
Massachusetts to Oneida County, N.Y., was born May 15, 1768.
He married Miss Eunice HALE, and the date of their removal was
1811. He died in 1825, after which the family removed to Attica,
N.Y., where the death of the mother occurred in 1847.
- Charles WILDER, the father of our subject was born in Massachusetts,
September, 1794, and at
- the time of the removal of the family to Attica, had attained
to man's estate. He learned the trade of a carpenter and builder,
and wedded Miss Amanda CONGER. For many years he resided in the
village of Varysburg, in the town of Sheldon, and was one of
the representative men of that community. He served as Justice
of the Peace for many years, also held various other local offices
of trust and occupied the position of Superintendent of the Poor
for many years. His death occurred Oct. 14, 1868, his wife surviving
him over two years, her death occurring May 22, 1871. She was
born on the 20th day of May, 1800. Mr. and Mrs. WILDER were the
parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters, all
of whom grew to years of maturity with the exception of one son,
who died in childhood. Harriet, the eldest in the family, is
the widow of Wyman H. AINSWORTH, and resides in Varysburg, N.Y.;
Charles H., of this sketch, is the second in order of birth;
Lucian J., is now engaged in merchandising in Brooklyn, Green,
Co., Wis.; Erotus, of the firm of WILDER, COLLINS & Company,
wholesale lumber merchants of Madison; Lucy A., now Mrs. TUTTLE,
makes her home in Johnsonsburg, N.Y. The deceased members of
the family who died after reaching mature years were Mary Janette,
who when a young lady went to Canada, and engaged in teaching,
and became the wife of Harmon HENRY, a prominent farmer of Welland
County, Ont., and died Oct. 26, 1865 while on a visit to her
parents at Varysburg; George M., who was Sheriff of Wyoming County,
N.Y., at the time of his death, died in Warsaw, that State, in
February, 1875.
- The subject of this sketch was reared to manhood in Wyoming
County, and completed his
- education at the Sheldon High School at Varysburg, N.Y. When
twenty years of age he went to Canada, where he engaged in teaching,
continuing to follow that profession for several years.
- On the 22d day of March, 1849, Mr. WILDER led to the marriage
altar Miss Annette NOYES, a
- native of Bennington, Wyoming County, who was born Oct. 19,
1830. At that time he rented a farm near Ingersoll, Ontario,
and engaged in dairying, being one of the first to engage in
that industry in Canada. After three years he returned to New
York, locating in the town of Bennington, where he purchased
a farm, and at once began its cultivation, also devoting considerable
attention to the raising of sheep. The succeeding four years
were spent in that line, when he sold his land and came to the
West, making his home in Green County, Wis., where he again engaged
in agricultural pursuits on a farm purchased the previous year.
He then resumed general farming but soon again turned his attention
to dairying. His previous experience in that line had given him
a thorough knowledge of the business, and he was one of the first
to engage in that enterprise in the State.
- Soon after the death of his wife which occurred April 21,
1864, Mr. WILDER sold out his business
- and returned to his native State, but again came to Wisconsin
in 1865, and at the earnest solicitation of the leading citizens
of Evansville, went to that town and there erected a cheese factory.
In the manufacture of cheese Mr. WILDER may be regarded as one
of the pioneers of Wisconsin. He erected his factory in the winter
of 1865-6 and under his management, the industry became one of
the most important of its character in the West. In 1873, he
began shipping the product of his dairy abroad and as an illustration
of the business, it may be said that in 1874, he shipped twenty-eight
carloads of cheese to England, and the following year shipped
forty carloads to that country. Mr. WILDER was the first exporter
of cheese from this State to Europe, and in the fall of 1873,
he went to the Old World to personally attend to his sales. In
May, 1877 he embarked in the lumber business in Evansville, succeeding
the firm of FIFIELD & GOULD. He has perhaps the finest retail
lumber yard in Wisconsin, and does a large business. His sales
for 1875 were the largest for any one year, amounting to 2,423,919
feet of boards and timbers, 2,146,000 shingles, 534,000 lath,
11,108 pounds of building paper, 476 doors, 1,038 windows, 134
sets of blinds, and 53,942 feet of moulding.
- In January, 1867, Mr. WILDER was married to Miss Annette
LEE, daughter of Zebulon T. and
- Sabra (CARTER) LEE. Mrs. WILDER was born in the town of Darien,
Genessee Co., N.Y., April 22, 1837, and came West with her parents
in 1842. The family settled in Darien, Walworth Co., Wis., and
later removed to Allen's Grove, where the father died. His wife
departed this life April 10, 1884. The family of which Mrs. WILDER
is a member numbered seven children, six of whom are daughters,
the only son of the family being the youngest child - Quartus
LEE, who died in early childhood; Laura Ann is now the widow
of Chester D. LONG, of Walworth County; Mrs. Almirett L. BABCOCK
died at Allen's Grove in November, 1879; Aurelia, is the widow
of Dr. DICKSON of Allen's Grove, Wis.; Sarah C., died in Walworth
County; Annette, wife of our subject is the next in order of
birth; Julia became the wife of John ANDERSON, and died in November,
1874.
- By his first marriage Mr. WILDER has one son, Charles S.,
who was born Nov. 6, 1853, and is
- now residing in Madison, Wis. The second union has been blessed
with three children - Louise Lee, Ralph Lee, and Corlyn Hale.
- Mr. WILDER is one of the representative citizens of Evansville,
and one of its most successful
- business men, who by his own honest efforts, perseverance
and industry, together with natural business ability, has made
his own way in the world. He and his wife have a beautiful home
in Evansville, erected in 1880, and are held in the highest regard
by a large circle of acquaintances.
-
- Taken from "The Portrait and Biographical Album of
Rock County, Wis." (c)1889, pp. 607-608.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
|