- MYRON A. BISHOP, a proprietor of the "Gates House"
at Platteville, Grant county, was born
- in Huron county, Ohio, Dec. 19, 1845, a son of Alonzo and
Louisa (REYNOLDS) BISHOP, the former of whom was born Dec. 28,
1809, in New York state, the latter Sept. 28, 1813 in Connecticut.
- Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo BISHOP lived in the Empire State for
six years after their marriage, then
- removed to Huron county, Ohio, and in 1854 came to Wisconsin,
locating in Beloit, where the father was engaged in farming.
The latter days of the parents were passed however, at the home
of their son Myron A., in Platteville, where they passed away
in 1881, the mother of Nov. 13, and the father on Nov. 18. They
had born to them thirteen children, eight of whom reached mature
years, the seven besides Myron A. being (1) George W., who was
born in New York State in 1836, was educated in Ohio, and when
a young man came to Wisconsin and engaged in the lumber business
in the pineries. At the breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted
in the 10th Wis. V.I., and served through the entire struggle.
After the war was over he purchased a farm in Perry, Dallas
Co., Iowa, and married Miss Esther ARTHUR, of Wisconsin, who
bore him three sons, George, Dr. Earnest and Ora, all residents
of Iowa. George W. BISHOP died in 1898. (2) Thomas, born March
25, 1844, was also a soldier in the Civil war, and was killed
before Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864. (3) W. H., born in 1847,
came with his parents to Wisconsin, where he worked on his father's
farm until enlisting in the fall of 1864, in the 12th Wis. V.I.,
and served until the close of the war; he was with Sherman on
the march to the sea, and while in the service sustained a sunstroke
that left him in poor health for some time. He married Miss
Sarah A. JAMES, of Wyoming, Iowa Co., Wis., was for many years
employed as United States Mail carrier between Mineral Point,
Dodgeville and Arena, and in 1877, settled in Platteville, where
he carried on a livery business until his death, in 1893; he
left his wife with one son, Dr. T. W. BISHOP, of Platteville.
Of the surviving daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo BISHOP, (4)
Amanda, born in New York in 1834, became the wife of A. W. GREENE,
of Beloit, Wis., who in 1857 settled in Arena, Iowa county, where
Mr. GREENE farmed until his death in 1863. He left his widow
with two children, Della and Lydia, the former of whom is the
wife of D. C. MUNYON of South Dakota, and the latter the widow
of George BURROW, and a resident of Minnesota. Mrs. GREENE was
married after her first husband's death to Frederick BEAUMONT,
and resided at Lone Rock, Wis., until her death, Dec. 17, 1900.
By her second marriage she became the mother of two children,
Alonzo and Frances. (5) Mary J., born in Ohio in 1838, is the
wife of J. N. DODGE, a farmer of Round Lake, Minn., and has three
children, George, Minnie and William; the latter was educated
at the Platteville State Normal School and the Chicago Dental
College. (6) Sarah Louisa, born in Ohio in 1842, is the widow
of George W. BILLINGTON, of Arena, Wis., who died Jan. 5, 1900.
She now resides in Wyoming Valley and has six children living,
Cora (wife of Robert EDWARDS, of Sibley, Iowa), Frankie (married
to Dana HICKOX, of Clarion, Iowa), Minnie (wife of Louis BILLINGTON,
of South Dakota), Iva (wife of Allen OLSON, of Iowa county, Wis.),
and William and Roy, at home. (7) Eva, born in Ohio in 1852,
was married to Albert GREEN, who died in Brandon, Wis., leaving
his widow with four daughters, Carrie, Sylvia, Anna and Minnie.
Mrs. GREEN was later married to Hiram DODGE, and died in July,
1899, leaving two sons and one daughter by Mr. DODGE.
- Myron A. BISHOP was educated in the common and high schools
of Beloit, Wis. At the early
- age of sixteen he enlisted in Company B., 34th Wis. V.I.,
under Capt. James M. RUBY, took part in several skirmishes, and
was honorably discharged at the close of his one year's term
of enlistments. After his return he again attended school six
years, and then engaged in teaching, a vocation he followed about
seven years.
- On Aug. 19, 1868, Mr. BISHOP married Miss Carrie WARD, daughter
of William A. and was
- born in Nova Scotia Dec. 9, 1845, but early came to the Wolverine
State, and here engaged in school teaching. After marriage Mr.
and Mrs. BISHOP taught school a year in Perry, Dallas Co., Iowa,
and then returned to Wisconsin. For three years Mr. BISHOP was
engaged in mercantile trade, then for two years ran a stage between
Platteville and Boscobel, and next conducted the "Park House,"
at Platteville, for about six years, at the end of which time
he sold out and engaged in merchandising at Mount Hope for two
years. He then disposed of his mercantile business and kept
a hotel in Cassville for about five years, in 1898 purchasing
the "Gates House," in Platteville, of which he has
since continued to be the genial and popular proprietor. He
and his wife are both well fitted for this business, and the
kindly and hospitable faces of both are familiar to all travelers
in the habit of visiting the town. The hotel is conducted on
the temperance plan, and in the most orderly and homelike manner;
the table is supplied with the best viands afforded by the local
and city markets, and the sleeping apartments are clean, neatly
furnished and comfortable in every respect. Mrs. BISHOP is a
lady of culture and refinement, and she possesses the happy faculty
of making her numerous guests feel at home. For the past fifteen
years, also, Mr. BISHOP has acted as an auctioneer through Grant
and adjoining counties, and has gained for himself the reputation
of being one of the best salesmen in this section.
- To Mr. and Mrs. BISHOP have been born three sons: Bert M.,
now the only survivor, born Jan.
- 15, 1875, is a graduate of the Platteville Business College,
1894, and of the State Normal school, Platteville, class of 1898,
is well advanced in literature and music, and socially is one
of the leading young men of the town; Willet J., born April 10,
1877, died the same month; and Harold, born Sept. 3, 1881, died
April 22, 1886.
- In politics Mr. BISHOP has always identified himself with
the Republican party, and has been very
- active in party work, especially in local matters. He is
a member of Sherman Post, No. 62, G.A.R., of Platteville; of
Platteville Lodge, No. 125, K. of P.; of the Knights of the Globe;
and of the M.W.A.
- During the drought in Nebraska, in 1894, when the farmers
and others of that State had suffered
- heavy losses, an agent was sent to Platteville to solicit
money for the relief of the more pressing immediate wants, and
oats for the coming spring season. Through the efforts of Mr.
BISHOP and his influence with the G.A.R. 1,100 bushels of oats
were contributed, and these, with a neat sum in cash, were freely
divided among the veterans and Nebraskans in want. In 1899 Mr..
BISHOP purchased a farm of 160 acres in Petersburg, Neb., which
he rents.
- T. W. BISHOP, M. D., a nephew of our subject, was graduated
from the Platteville Normal in
- 1890, and from Bellevue Medical College, New York, in 1894,
and is now a physician of Platteville. In 1896 he married Miss
Floy WHEELER, of Baraboo, Wis., daughter of Rev. Bert WHEELER,
D. D., of the M. E. Church.
- William A. WARD, Mrs. BISHOP's father, was born in Nova Scotia
in 1804, son of Robert
- WARD, and was of English extraction. In 1827 he married
Elizabeth REID, a native of Nova Scotia, born in 1802, and they
came with their family to Wisconsin in 1846, locating at Ridgeway,
where he engaged in farming. He died in April, 1883. Mrs. Elizabeth
WARD died in July 1854, and in 1857 he married for his second
wife Margaret McKENZIE, of Ridgeway. By the first wife he had
the following children who grew to maturity: G. S., born in November
1828, now of Iowa; Kate E., born in 1830, who married Alexander
McKENZIE; Sarah A., born in 1832, who married William J. LAUGHLIN,
and is deceased; John W., born Jan. 27, 1835, who died in 1900;
James E., born in November, 1836 of Hollandale, Wis.; Nancy V.,
born June 28, 1838, who married William A. McKENZIE; and Carrie,
Mrs. BISHOP. By the second marriage there were three children:
Etta, born in 1858, wife of Robert CLARK, of Chicago; William
A., born in 1861, of Chicago; and Zella B., born in 1864, who
is unmarried.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin"
(c)1901, pp. 616-618.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
|