- BARNABAS BALLOU ELDREDGE, senior member of the firm of ELDREDGE
& FISHER,
- and one of the foremost members of the Rock County Bar, was
born at Sharon Springs, Schoharie Co., N.Y., Feb. 2, 1824.
- David ELDREDGE, his father, married Sally SWIFT, some mention
of whose ancestry may be
- found in a succeeding paragraph. The father of David ELDREDGE,
and grandfather of the subject of this narrative, also bore the
baptismal name of Barnabas. He was of Welsh stock, his father
having emigrated from Wales to America and settled on Cape Cod,
Mass., in 1736; he married Adna HAMMOND, a descendant of the
PENN family, through Elisabeth HAMMOND, a sister of Sir William
PENN, the father of William PENN, of American distinction. Barnabas
ELDREDGE was born at New Bedford, Mass., and married Docia, one
of a large family of children born to Josiah WADSWORTH, of Hartford,
Conn., who finally with his family located at Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Mr. WADSWORTH was one of the pioneers of Dutchess County, N.Y.,
and one of the earliest merchants and traders of that section.
- David ELDREGEE began life as a farmer, and was the founder
of Sharon Springs, which is today
- one of New York's most beautiful and most fashionable watering
places. In 1836 he disposed of the same to Stephen CROCKER, of
New York City, and thereupon retired to his farm, where he died
Oct. 8, 1865, after an illness of six days, in his sixty-ninth
year. He was a man of excellent business sagacity, and of an
industry not easily wearied; a good citizen, and a man thoroughly
respected in every relation of life. His wife, Sally (SWIFT),
was a daughter of Thomas, who was of English descent, and was
a native of Rhode Island. He removed from that State to Otsego
County, N.Y., where for many years he owned and occupied a farm,
and was proprietor of an inn situated near Sharon Springs - a
popular hostelry in its day. In 1837 or '38 he migrated form
New York to Illinois, setting between Plano and Aurora. There
he purchased a farm, to which he soon afterward brought his family,
and on which he died, at an advanced age. He was regarded as
a man of more than ordinary native ability, and of unusually
good business sense.
- David ELDREDGE and his wife were the parents of five children,
four daughters and one son.
- Those yet living are Julia, Barnabas B., and Louisa. Julia
is Mrs. William BECKER of Easton, Penn.; and Louisa is the widow
of Evan WORTHING. The two daughters deceased were named Irene
and Nancy; the elder married William DALE, of Phillipsburg, N.J.,
who was superintendent of construction on the Belvidere &
Delaware railroad; and other important engineering enterprises;
Nancy became the wife of Philip Henry PLATNER, and both died
near Cherry Valley, N.Y. Mrs. ELDREDGE passed away six days before
her husband, at the age of sixty-seven. Both were Universalists
in faith.
- Barnabas B. ELDREDGE received his early education in the
common schools of Schoharie
- County, and at the Clinton Liberal Institute, at Clinton,
Oneida Co., N.Y. In 1841 he entered Hamilton College, and in
July, 1845, received the degree of A.B. Immediately after graduation
he became a student in the Law Department of Harvard University,
at Cambridge, Mass., continuing there until December, 1846, the
eminent Simon GREENLEAF being then at the head of that department.
Thereafter he continued his professional studies in the office
of Samuel STEVENS, of Albany, N.Y., then one of the foremost
practitioners in that State. In May, 1848, he was admitted to
practice in the courts of New York, the judges sitting in banc
who passed upon his qualifications being WILLARD, CADY and HAND.
- Being thus equipped for his chosen work, he married and came
West. His objective point was
- Janesville, but very shortly after reaching that inchoate
city he received advice of the serious illness of his father,
and at once returned home. In 1850 he returned to Wisconsin,
and opened an office at Janesville on Dec. 2, of that year, in
partnership with Isaac WOODLE and John J. R. PEASE. The co-partnership
continued until June, 1851, under the style of WOODLE, ELDREDGE
& PEASE, when Mr. WOODLE withdrew. ELDREDGE & PEASE remained
together until 1866. On March 20, of that year, Mr. ELDREDGE
revisited Sharon Springs, to attend to some needed repairs upon
a farm which he owned. This property he finally sold, and returned
to Janesville July 1, 1868. He did not resume practice, however,
until 1877, his wife's health calling for his constant attention.
On Jan. 1, 1878, he entered into partnership with Ogden H. FATHERS,
the firm of ELDREDGE & FATHERS continuing in business for
five years, when Mr. FATHERS withdrew. Mr. ELDREDGE continued
in business alone until 1898, when he associated with himself
with Arthur M. FISHER, a gentleman of distinguished native talent.
- Reference has been made to our subject's marriage, which
occurred Feb. 2, 1848. His bride was
- Louisa M. HUTCHINS, a daughter of William and Louise (ANGEL)
HUTCHINS, who were born and married in Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs.
ELDREDGE became the parents of two sons, William M. and Charles
C. The elder, whose biography may be found upon another page,
is engaged in handling real estate. Charles C. died in infancy.
Mrs. ELDREDGE was a Universalist, but attended the Episcopal
Church in Janesville until her death, which occurred March 28,
1877. On June 17, 1878, Mr. ELDREDGE married a second time, leading
to the altar Miss Mary A. HUNTER, the daughter of a distinguished
Presbyterian clergyman of Quebec, Canada, who died there after
reaching the extraordinary age of ninety-two years. Both Mr.
and Mrs. ELDREDGE are communicants of the Episcopal Church. He
is a man of genial, whole-souled temperament, kindly disposition,
and social instincts. He belongs to Janesville Lodge, N. 55,
A.F. & A.M.; to Janesville Chapter, No. 5, R.A.M.; and is
also a member of Janesville commandery, No. 2, K.T., in which
he at one time held the office of captain general. In early life
he was a Democrat, but supported the Free Soil wing of that party
in 1848, and shortly before the outbreak of the Rebellion espoused
the political tenets of the Republican party. He was the original
promoter and organizer of the branch of the Union League established
at Janesville in the early days of the Civil war, and for two
years was its chief executive officer.
- In the early days of Janesville's history as a municipality,
Mr. ELDREDGE consented to serve as
- alderman. The position was distasteful to him, yet he devoted
to its duties his best efforts. He also occupied a seat on the
board of supervisors for several years, and was long a director
of the Rock County Agricultural Society. No wisely-conceived,
well-directed public enterprise has ever appealed in vain either
to his sympathy or to his purse. He was the promoter and supervised
the sinking of the first artesian well in Rock County, and was
one of the prime movers in the establishment of the city water
works, furnishing an abundant supply of water taken from artesian
wells.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin"
(c) 1901, pp. 30-32.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
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