- HERBERT S. GILKEY, junior member of the well-known lumber
firm of PENDLETON &
- GILKEY, extensive wholesalers, with their general offices
at Janesville, Rock County, is one of the younger business men
of that city., whose youth is in years alone. He was reared
in a lumber country, and the odor of the mills has been familiar
to him from his earliest boyhood. He has been connected with
the mills, traveled on the road, and there is a little about
the lumber business that is now well-known to him.
- MR. GILKEY was born at Oconto, Wis., July 4, 1868, and is
a son of Harding W. and Mary
- (OVERTON) GILKEY. His father was born in Maine, while his
mother is a native of Wisconsin. They had three sons and three
daughters: Everett H., of Mountain, Wis.; Herbert S., whose name
appears above; Susan, of Hayes, Wis.; Arthur, of the same place;
Lucy, wife of William CODY, of Janesville; and Mabel, wife of
F. DICKINSON, of Green Bay. Harding W. GILKEY was but a small
boy when he accompanied his parents to Oconto, Wis.; they were
among the earliest settlers of that city. There he grew to manhood,
and there he made his home until the spring of 1899, when he
moved to Janesville. He is a man of much more than ordinary
culture, and followed the life of a teacher for more than twenty
years, serving as principal and superintendent of the Oconto
schools, and as county superintendent. In middle life he engaged
in business, keeping a general store and buying and selling lumber
lands in northern Wisconsin. Upon his removal to Janesville
he gave up active business relations, and is now living a quiet
and retired life. He and his wife are Methodists, and he is
a Republican politically. His father, Samuel GILKEY, was a native
of Maine, and came to Oconto about 1849 to engage in the hotel
business. He was a man of more than ordinary ability, and was
elected sheriff of Oconto county several terms. He died in 1872,
when about sixty-one years old. His family consisted of three
sons and one daughter. William OVERTON, the maternal grandfather
of the gentleman whose life forms the theme of this biographical
sketch, was born in Massachusetts, and was one of the early settlers
of Kenosha, Wis. He had two daughters and one son.
- Herbert S. GILKEY grew to manhood in Oconto, and was given
fine educational opportunities,
- graduated from the Oconto schools, and later attended the
Oshkosh Normal. He began teaching in a country school when he
was fourteen years of age, and taught three years. At eighteen
years of age he became a traveling representatives of an Oconto
mill, and for six years sold lumber. In 1891 he formed a partnership
with Frank R. PENDLETON, and engaged in business in Janesville
under the firm name of PENDLETON & GILKEY, wholesale dealers
in cedar products. Mr. PENDLETON is located at Everett, thirty-three
miles from Seattle, Wash., where they have extensive interests.
They have several lumber yards in Wisconsin, and one in Michigan.
- Mr. GILKEY and Miss Lenora RUNKEL, a daughter of Louis and
Christina (WEBER)
- RUNKEL, were married Oct. 15, 1890, and they have three children:
Weber, Margaret and Helen. Mrs. GILKEY is a lady of many attractive
qualities, and is a worthy associate of her husband, both in
society and at home. They have an elegant and commodious home
at No. 168 Garfield avenue. Mr. GILKEY belongs to Oriental Lodge,
Knights of Pythias, and in his political relations is a Republican.
He is at present serving his second term as alderman in the
city council, from the Third ward, and is president of that body.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin"
(c) 1901, pp. 98-99.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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