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- ALEXANDER CASE RESSEGUIE, of Janesville, is a pioneer of
- Wisconsin. He was born at Northampton, then in Montgomery
County, now in Fulton County, N.Y., Sept. 13, 1809. He is descended
from Huguenot ancestors, who left France on account of religious
persecution. His great- great-grandfather, whose name was also
Alexander RESSEGUIE, married Sarah BONTICON and both were representatives
of prominent Huguenot families.
- The father of our subject, David RESSEGUIE, was a native
of New
- Haven, Conn., and married Mary CASE, who was born at Taunton,
Mass. Their union was celebrated in Northampton, N.Y., where
they had removed with their parents. David RESSEUIE was a farmer
by occupation and
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- owned a large farm in the town of Northampton, on which he
resided until his death, which occurred at the advanced age of
ninety-eight years, while over ninety years of his life were
passed in the town in which he died. His wife died at the age
of eighty-eight years. They were the parents of eight children,
four sons and four daughters. The family is remarkable for the
great age to which many of its members have attained. Of the
eight children above mentioned seven are still living in 1889,
and no death has occurred in the family for over sixty-five years,
with the exception of that of the parents, while the only death
among the children was that of Maria, a twin sister of Miranda.
They were the eldest and their birth occurred Aug. 2, 1806; John,
who was born Feb. 8, 1808, in Northampton, still resides in that
place; Alexander C. is the next in age; Rufus, who was born Feb.
23, 1811, is a wealthy lumber merchant of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Mary,
born Feb. 17, 1813, wedded Ebenezer GIFFORD, and is living in
Boone County, Ill.; Hiram, born June 13, 1815, is living at Belleville,
Wis.; Hannah, born July 3, 1821, is the youngest member of this
remarkable family and resides on the old homestead in the State
of New York, where she was born.
- Until attaining his majority, our subject remained the parental
roof and during the winter season
- attended the district schools. In 1833, he went with an uncle,
Jacob RESSEGUIE, to Pen Yan, N.Y., where his uncle was engaged
as a contractor in the construction of the Crooked Lake Canal,
and was employed by him as book-keeper until the fall of that
year. He then engaged as clerk at Pen Yan, in the hardware store
of Morgan and Smith, until the following spring, when he entered
the Yates County Academy as a student. In the fall of the same
year, he engaged in teaching and the following spring returned
to school, continuing thus to teach and attend school alternately
for about three years. In the fall of 1837 he went to Senecca
County, Ohio, and engaged in teaching, but returned to New York
in the following spring, and again entered the service of his
uncle as book-keeper, the latter being then engaged on the construction
of the Genesee Valley Canal. A short time after our subject entered
the engineering department where he remained until the canal
was nearly completed, when he was given the contract to finish
section 22 which duty he performed in a manner satisfactory to
his employers and profitable to himself. He realized quite a
sum from the contract and regards this as a foundation of whatever
success he may have attained in life, as it was not only profitable
in a financial sense, but his success is so responsible an undertaking
gave him confidence that rendered him self-reliant, without which
no marked degree of success can be attained. His services in
the construction of the canal had been so efficient that on its
completion he was appointed to the position of assistant superintendent
of the same, in which capacity he served until the change in
the political management of the canal occurred, when he returned
with his wife to his father's home and remained on the farm for
one year. In the spring of 1843, he removed to Perry, Wyoming
Co., N.Y., and remained on the farm until 1846.
- In that year Mr. RESSGUIE had fully decided to come West,
and on the 1st day of May,
- reached Clinton, Rock Co., Wis., where he purchased land
and developed a beautiful home. In the spring of 1856, the first
year of the organized existence of the Republican party in Rock
County, he was elected clerk of the court for two years, and
consequently removed to Janesville. His administration of the
affairs of this office was highly satisfactory, and on the election
of his successor, Levi ALDEN, Mr. RESSEGUIE, being familiar with
the work of that department was made deputy clerk and continued
to keep the records of the county during the term of Mr. ALDEN.
In 1864, Mr. RESSEGUIE again entered upon agricultural pursuits,
but the following year sold his farm and once more returned to
Janesville, that he secure better advantages of education for
his children. In the same year he purchase his present home on
Benton Avenue, which is pleasantly situated on a beautiful plat
of ground of thirty-two acres.
- On the 22d of February, 1839, Mr. RESSEGUIE was united in
marriage with Miss Jerusha
- NORTON, who was born in the town of Benton, near Pen Yan,
N.Y., June 10, 1816, and is a daughter of William and Amy NORTON,
early settlers of Benton. In 1847, her parents came to Wisconsin
and located near Belleville, in Green County,, where they resided
until called from this world by death. They were the parents
of eight children, four of whom are living - Jerusha, wife of
our subject; Rachel, who is a resident of Rhode Island; John,
who owns and occupies the old homestead in Green County; and
Mrs. Jane E. HILLS, of Janesville. The deceased members of the
family were Estella Ann, Samuel B., Caroline and George W.
- Mr. and Mrs. RESSEGUIE have had four children, three of whom
are living. Their eldest, Dr.
- Rufus R., graduated at the Janesville High School in 1864,
and also pursued the study of medicine with Dr. TREAT, while
a student at the High school. Immediately after completing his
course in the public schools, with his entire class he enlisted
in the one hundred day service of the Union Army, though his
real service exceeded the term of enlistment. After his discharge,
he resumed his medical studies with Dr. TREAT, and in the spring
of 1866, graduated from the Chicago Medical College, after which
he received the appointment as physician in Mercy Hospital, Chicago,
where he remained for several months, and then became associated
with Dr. Spencer at Mount Vernon, Ind., with whom he continued
in practice for a number of years. He has now given up the practice
of his profession and is at present traveling auditor for the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, being connected
with the Iowa Division, with head-quarters at Ottumwa.
- Charles F., the second son of Mr. and Mrs. RESSEQUIE, has
had large experience in
- railroading and has occupied several important positions
in that connection. He began at the lowest round of the ladder,
having filled the positions of telegraph operator, station agent,
ticket agent, etc. for the Northwestern Road, and also acted
as chief clerk both for Thomas Potter and Mr. Stone, general
Superintendent and General Manager for the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy Road, and subsequently was superintendent of the
Illinois lines of this road with head-quarters at Galesburg.
Later he was made superintendent of the Idaho Division of the
Union Pacific Railroad and is now superintendent of the Nebraska
Division of the Union Pacific Road, with the headquarters at
Omaha. The other child, Jessie Florence, graduated from the Janesville
High School at the age of eighteen years, and is now a successful
teacher in the public schools of that city.
- In politics, Mr. RESSEGUIE is a Republican. His first presidential
vote was cast for Andrew
- Jackson in 1832, later he became a Whig, and since the organization
of the Republican party has affiliated with that political body.
Beside the office of clerk of the court, already referred to,
he served as township clerk, holding that position when elected
to the first mentioned office, and was also assessor of the city
of Janesville in 1876. He is a man of much force of character,
of varied and extensive reading, possesses an excellent memory
and is well informed on the general topics of the day. For more
than forty years he has been resident of Rock County, and has
ever possessed the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens.
See portrait upon another page.
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-
- [Coordinator's note: A photograph of Alexander's oldest
son, Rufus, may be seen online here.
I purchased the photo at an antique store in Milton, Rock Co.,
WI, in March of 2002. The back of the photo reads, "Brother
R. R. Ressiguie, birthday Nov. 24, 1843, Married Nov. 30, 1893;
taken in 1893; framed Jan. 13, 1932"]
-
- Taken from "The Portrait and Biographical Album of
Rock County, Wis." (c)1889, pp. 303-305; lithograph from
same book.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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