- ALFRED DEWEY, an honored pioneer of Janesville, of May, 1842,
was born in Deerfield, Oneida
- Co., N.Y., on the 11th day of April, 1819, and is a son of
Zenas and Prudence (SMITH) DEWEY. His father was a native of
Connecticut, and the family is of English origin, but dates its
residence in America to a time prior to the war of the Revolution.
The mother was descended from an early New Jersey family, and
removed from that State to New York about 1800. The marriage
of Mr. DEWEY and Miss SMITH was celebrated in the Empire State,
where they continued to reside until death. Zenas DEWEY was the
father of ten children, eight of whom were by his first marriage,
and two by his second. Of the first family of children, but two
are now living - Alfred and his eldest brother Martin, who is
now a resident of the Soldier's Home at Quincy, Ill., and who
was born on the 14th day of December, 1812, and came to Janesville
in 1844, working at the trade of a carpenter and joiner, until
he enlisted in the late war in an Illinois regiment, serving
more than three years. Of the second marriage, Amanda, now the
wife of David SHAVER, of Ottawa, Ill, is the only one now living.
- Alfred DEWEY, the subject of this sketch, grew to manhood
in his native county, and there learned
- the business of gardening with his father, who was a horticulturist.
In the fall of 1840 he went to Galena, Ill., that region of the
country then being greatly noted for its lead mining interests.
From Galena he went to Shullsburg, and in the spring of 1841
went to the town of Exeter, in Green County, Wis., and engaged
in mining until the spring of 1842, when he came to Janesville,
reaching this city on the tenth day of May, since which time
he has continued to make it his home. Thus for the long period
of forty-seven years, he has been a resident of this community.
At the time of his arrival there was not a single house on the
west side of Rock river, in what is now the city of Janesville,
and on the east side was a little village, containing about 150
inhabitants. Only a short time elapsed when Mr. DEWEY engaged
in carpentering, and since that time he has made that trade his
chief occupation, though for a number of years he devoted considerable
attention to gardening. He has always taken great interest in
the advancement of the community, and in 1847, while Wisconsin
was yet a territory, he served as deputy sheriff of Rock County.
- On the 17th day of March, 1847, Mr. DEWEY was united in marriage
with Miss Elmira H.
- STILES, a daughter of Joseph and Rachel (MORSE) STILES, who
were natives of Vermont. Her father died in the Green Mountain
State, when she was but twelve years of age, after which she
went to live with the family of a relative, Deacon Benjamin MORRILL,
(now deceased) with whom she came to Janesville, in 1844, but
the health of Mrs. MORRILL being poor, the family returned to
Vermont in 1846, but the lady did not survive the return journey,
dying somewhere in the state of New York. Though not long a resident
of this city, Deacon MORRILL is well remembered by the pioneers
of this town, and was one of the organizers of the First Congregational
Church of Janesville. There is now but one of the organizers
of this Church living in Janesville - Mrs. DEWEY. The deacon
was for many years a resident of Orfordville, N.H., where his
death occurred in March, 1889. The mother of Mrs. DEWEY died
at the home of her son in Michigan, Feb.. 26, 1880. She reared
a family of seven children, all of whom are living, with the
exception of one.
- Mr. and Mrs. DEWEY have three children, one son and two daughters,
and two others died in
- childhood - Rosa A., who died at the age of sixteen years,
and Horace, who died while yet an infant. Minnie is still at
home with her parents; Dr. Charles A. is successful and prosperous
physician of Chicago. He was born in Janesville Oct. 23, 1856,
and received his literary education in the city schools, after
which he studied medicine with Dr. Quincy O. Sutherland. He took
his first course of lectures at the Hahnemann Medical College,
of Philadelphia, and graduated at the Hahnemann College, of Chicago,
in 1880. On the completion of his studies he was appointed resident
physician of Hahnemann Hospital, in Chicago, where he remained
one year, and then located in that city, his office being at
No. 207, Thirty-first street. He has already attained to considerable
distinction in his profession, and gives promise a still broader
field of usefulness. Myra, the younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
DEWEY, is the wife of Chester H. TUTTLE, of Janesville.
- As will be seen from the above dates, our subject and his
wife are among the early settlers of Rock
- County who are still living in, and are numbered among its
most highly esteemed citizens. The lady, as already stated, was
one of the organizers of the First Congregational Church, and
has been a worthy, active and consistent member of that denomination.
Mr. DEWEY has been connected with the Church since 1865. Politically,
he is a stalwart Republican, but was a Whig in early life. He
is the only living charter member of Wisconsin Lodge No. 14,
I.O.O.F. of Janesville, which he helped organize in 1847.
-
- Taken from "The Portrait and Biographical Album of
Rock County, Wis." (c)1889, pp. 259-260.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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