W J Knights house in Janesville

William J Knights lived in Janesville for a short time. 
He was a co-founder of the Gideons. He was born in
NY but lived themajority of his life in Wild Rose,
Waushara County, WI.

Benjamin T Jones Family

The Benjamin T Jones family about late 1890 or 1891.
Ben is holding Esther and Mary is holding Phoebe. 
Oldest son, John is in the back.  Ben died the 15th
of March 1899 and John died on March 11, 1899 and on March 10, 1881.  Mary was born September 14,
1862 and died September 15, 1943.  Ben and Mary
had 6 children in order of birth John, Esther with twin
also died early and Benjamin who was born in February
of 1898.  Esther married Walter Sorenson and Phoebe
to Holger Petersen.  They had Curtis Petersen and
Bernita Petersen Gaylord.  Holger died November 22,
1944.

At Little Silver Lake before 1903

This picture was taken at Little Silver Lake.  The men 
in the front are Jerry Pierce and Oren Jenks.  Those 
on the wagon are l-r Franklin Woodard the 
photographer who had a studio over the T W Stevens 
store (on the SE corner of Main Street & Maple 
Avenue), Jesse Etheridge, Glenn Etheridge, Permelia 
Etheridge, May Etheridge, Fannie Etheridge Pierce, 
Mary Etheridge Jenks, Emma Spicer Etheridge, and 
Alanson P Etheridge.  Notice how close the horses are 
to the lake.  Oren Jenks is sitting on a stump. 

William F Hamlin Family

This picture was taken at the William F Hamlin farm
 in the Town of Wautoma.  It was taken before the
oldest son, Irving died in November of 1905.  L-R;
Irving, Hallie J., William M, William F and Milly.  I
rving was between the two horses.  Hallie is between
the horse and the bull.  William M is at the head of
the  prize bull.  Millie Berray married William F
Hamlin December 1, 1889.  She had taught school
at the Willow Grove school (sometimes called the
Red school) before her marriage.  They had three sons.
Irving born September 7, 1890, Hallie J born in June of
1892 and William M born in December of 1895.  The father
and sons were farmers.   

Margretta Roberts

Margaretta Roberts was born September 23, 1862
in what is now Wild Rose.  Her father was Richard
Roberts born March 1, 1822 in Talyllyn,
Cardiganshire, Wales.  He married Elizabeth 
Davies on October 17, 1854 in Waukesha County.  
Elizabeth was born June 1, 1826 in 
Caermarthenshire, Wales.  Richard died August 
19, 1905 and Elizabeth died September 28, 1898.  
Margaretta got her teacher's certificate from the 
County Normal in 1881 and taught 2 years at the 
Chain O' Lakes School.  She then cared for her 
mother until she died.  Margaretta then trained in 
Chicago to be a millner.  She had a shop on Main 
Street which is now part of Vintage
Gardens.  She had the shop until 1915.

Thompsons & Etheridges

Hazel Etheridge Thompson is standing along 
with her son Carneth Thompson and Louisa 
Jane Smith Etheridge is holding her grandson 
Laurel.  Hazel was born April 30, 1907 to 
Louisa and Andrew Foster Etheridge.  She 
married Anton E Thompson, son of Christ 
Thompson.  Carneth was born June 16, 1909 
in the Town of Wautoma.  He married Eva
Runnels June 25, 1930 in Hancock.  He died 
July 7, 1982 in Wild Rose.  Laurel (Stub) 
Thompson was born July 6, 1911 and married 
Verna Guest August 2, 1933 in Stevens Point.  
He taught school in Wild Rose.  He died August 
22, 1972.  Louisa was born June 4, 1862, 
daughter of Henry Smith and Elizabeth Hart.  
She married Andrew F Thompson February 24, 
1886.  Louisa died April 14, 1932.  The picture 
was taken in 1911 and was used as a Christmas 
card by Louisa.

1908 Waushara County Board

Waushara County Board 1908 Left to Right.
Front Row:  Gottfried Bachman, Grant
Thomas, Ed Buchholtz, William Roblier,
Byron Storm, Harry Fairbanks, Harry Brighton.  2nd Row:  Elijah Conant,
George Byse, Issac Woodward, unknown,
unknown, Mike O Connor, James Peterson,
David Lee, Edward Kileen & Ward Stillwell. 
3rd Row: John Clark, Judge George
Sorenson, Guy Mumbrue, Tosten Thompson- School Superintendent,  Thomas
Finnerty, Edward Humphrey, John Emigh, 
Gustav Wandry, Mr. Chipman,  Frank Dignan, 
Lewis Evans from Wild Rose was absent. 

Wild Rose class Presidents 1930-1

Ilda DeWitt Runquist (1913-2002) daughter
of Jesse & Ethel Woodward DeWitt,  Class of
1931; Anita Attoe Unke (1913-1999) daughter
of Erskine & Flora Woodward Attoe; Class of
1932, Stephen D Burton (1914-1992) son
Stephen & Florence Henry Burton, Class of
1933; Glenn R Murty (1917-2005), son of
Rodney & Blanche Etheridge Murty,  Class of
1934.

William Knights and National Gideons meeting

This is a picture from a national meeting of
the Gideons before 1936.  The two men in
the front row are unidentified but the men
in the back row are the co-founders of the
Gideons International and are left to right:
William J Knights (1853-1940), John H
Nicholson (1859-1946) and Samuel E Hill
(1867-1936).  At the time the group was
organized all three were traveling salesmen
and lived in Rock County, Wisconsin.  Mr
Knights had moved to Wild Rose from New
York in about 1872 and in the 1890's was
living in Janesville and Evansville until he
returned to Wild Rose after 1900.  He sold
a number of things but he was an insurance
agent for the longest time.  Mr. Nicholson
was born in Buffalo, NY and moved to
Monroe and then Janesville and later Beloit.
He moved to Nebraska to live with a daughter
after that.  He sold, paper, aluminum and
insurance.  Mr. Hill was born in Vermont,
came to Wisconsin and lived in Beloit.
Denver, and the State of Washington. 
Hill was  a paint salesman, and a traveling
salesman.  The Wild Rose Pioneer Museum
has a plaque telling of Mr. Knights role in
naming the group Gideons and how one
person can make a difference.

Florence Jones Williams Borndal

This is Florence  Mildred Jones daughter of 
Walter H Jones and Mary Thomas She was
born in the Town of Rose Nov. 7, 1906. He was
a farmer in the Town of Rose until he moved
to Wild Rose in 1914. Her father died January
15, 1920. Florence graduated for Wild Rose
High School in 1925. Florence married  Albert
Merle Williams, son of Albert and Edith Williams 
and moved to Oshkosh.  They had a son 
Weymouth Williams who later was known as 
Wayne who was born in 1927. Merle was a 
painter in the 1930 census. They moved to 
Wisconsin Rapids.Florence later married  Albert 
Borndal. They had a son David Borndal. Albert
Merle Williams died in January 1983. Florence 
died Sept. 30, 1988. Albert Borndal was born in 
Bergen, Norway in 1907. He died in Wild Rose
Aug 4, 1979. Florence and her second husband 
are buried in Oakhill Cemetery in Wild Rose.

Harvey Gilson & Penny

This picture was taken about 1896 or 1897.  W. A.
Zelm was the photographer in Wild Rose and left
in March of 1899.  Harvey Gilson was born
February 4, 1891 in the Town of Wautoma to
Edward O Gilson and his wife Harriet Jeffers.
Harvey's maternal grandparents were  Mr and
Mrs John Robert Jeffers who lived at 635 Main
Street in Wild Rose.  On March 27, 192, Easter
Sunday, Harvey married Frieda Morgenroth,
Their wedding trip included Madison, Milwaukee
and Racine.  They had a daughter Harriet Marie
who married Alexander Thornton son of Thomas
of Redgranite in 1946. Harvey died in 1939 and
his mother in 1952.  Harvey's dog in the picture
was named Penny.

Mabel Testin Evans

Mabel B Testin was born June 20, 1885
 in the Town of Springwater to Jacob Testin and his wife Ellen McLaughlin. 
She married Robert Evans, son of John
and Sarah Evans on November 11, 1919. 
He was born in Berlin on January 25,
1885.  They lived at 637 Maple Avenue.
 In 1920, her mother was living with them 
and in later years his sister Nellie lived with
them.  They attended the Baptist church. 
Mabel died September 17, 1974 in Wild
Rose.  He died November 1, 1956. They
are both buried in the Ravine Cemetery
in the Town of Springwater.

Wild Rose Basketball 1936-37

This is the  Wild Rose Basketball team from 1936-37. 
Back row: Leo Kaminski, Samuel Williams, Donald 
Stewart, Gordon Caves and Donald "Red" Colligan. 
Front row: Warren "Beans" Patterson, Bruce 
McCormick, Robinson "Rob" Williams, and Calvin 
Woodward. It is obvious that the picture was taken 
in the spring because of the leaves on the tree.

Some members of Wild Rose Band in1938

A group of Wild Rose band members in 1938 probably
near tournament time. Back Row: Melva Zuege Kleist,
Nora Huffman Hoffman, Joyce DeGolier Davis,
Beverly Murty  Anderson Ansorge, Phyliss DeGolier
Peterson. Front Row: Bonita Wood Ludowisse, 
Joy Etheridge Kluever, Valerie  Sawyer Russon.
Robert Caves. They are shown in front of the Hotel bar.

Burt Weymier from 1950 Wild Rose Skating program

Rev. Robert P Quinlan & family

Rev. Robert Pendleton Quinlan was born Aug. 28,
1931 inOak Park, Cook Co., Ill. His parents Amos
Lawrence Quinlan and Margaret Jolly.  He was a
graduate of the University of Illinois in mechanical
engineering.  He served a short term mission in
South Korea under the Methodist Church.  He
graduated from Garrett Theological Seminary. 
His first assignment was at Wild Rose- Dopp
churches in 1962.  He was associate Pastor at
Wausau's 1st Methodist Church in 1965-1967,
New London 1968-71, Suamico-Howard 1972-
1974 and Beaver Dam 1975-1976. They had two
children John shown in the picture and a younger
sister, Jane.  He married Mary Lou Reid Nov. 22,
1958 at Evanston, IL. Mary Lou had served as a
Methodist mission in India from 1952-55.  Mary
Lou was born to Fred Reid and Elizabeth Lewis.
She died March 11, 2002 in Wichita, KS.  Robert
died in Wichita June 9, 2010. 

Wild Rose Skating Club Boosters

Front Row: Mr & Mrs Charles A Smart, Back: Alfred, Winfield, Ethel, Carol

Mrs Smart was Sidnie Hughes. Ethel married Fred
Shephard, Carol married Harry Merritt

Dr Ira Fuller without facial hair

Scene on Duck Creek in Westfield WI 1913

Card to Rodney Murty from his future wife in 1913.

Waushara County Court house 1910

Post card to Rodney Murty from Jesse Etheridge 1909

Postcard to Rodney Murty from his future
brother-in-law.  J I E stands for Jesse Irving
Etheridge.

Frank Davies

Frank was born in the Town of Rose, February 
8, 1883 to John Walter Davies and his wife 
Eliza Jones.  He left Wisconsin for California 
sometime between 1905 and 1910.  He was 
a carpenter.  His wife's name was Grace and 
she had a daughter Gladys from a previous 
marriage.  Frank died in Los Angles June 3, 
1967.  He had no children of his own. 

Irvin Arndt

Irvin James Arendt was born October 21 1941 in Wausau. 
His parents were Gustave Arendt (1906-1960) and Mary E 
Rheinschmidt (1909-1999).  His mother was called May. 
His father was manager of fish management at the Fish 
Hatchery in Wild Rose from 1932 until his death. Irvin 
started school in Wild Rose and graduated in 1959. He 
was a member Boy Scout Troop 55 in Wild Rose. He was 
number 20 on the basketball team and was a pitcher on 
the baseball team and later on the Wild Rose city team.  
He was in the band.  He attended Badger Boys State in 
1958. He was on the Prom court in 1958. He went to St 
Paul's Lutheran in Wild Rose. He joined the Coast Guard 
on January 10, 1961 and served to 1965.  He married 
Catherine Urdahl June 16, 1962.  They had a daughter 
Anne Marie who died at age 9 in July of 1976.  His first 
wife died December 29, 1978 diabetes played a part in 
an early death.  He married his second wife Cindy 
Malcore June 27, 1979. Irvin was a policeman in Green 
Bay.  He was a trap shooter.  He hit 24 of 25 shots  to win. 
He also was a on a police team where he also tied 
for first.  He retired in 1993.  He had two sons and a 
daughter, Cindy.  Irvin died September 30, 2006 in 
Pulaski, Wisconsin.

Glenn Etheridge and Ponto

Glenn Etheridge and his dog Ponto. Glenn was born
Aug 28, 1894 to Alanson Etheridge and Emma
Spicer. He married Hannah Bowen. He was the
village President and ran a garage and dealership.
He was in charge when Wild Rose got the little
cube jail that is in the Carriage House at the Wild
Rose Museum. He died of Bright's Disease on
June 5, 1931.

Sherman Anderson , Harvard Law Review in Memoriam

Sherman Lloyd Anderson was the great-
grandson of William John Thomas and Mary
ElizabethWilliams who were settlers in the
Town of Rose. Their daughter Sophia "Jennie"
married Benson Sherman and their daughter
Ella married John Anderson. Sherman was
killed in WWII. He had a Law degree from
Harvard.

Saxeville Band

The Saxeville Band picture is from the 1910-1920 
time period.  From the left they are Foster
Hanson, George Hanson, Tom Hanson, DeForest 
Waid, Charles Peterson, Garfield Van Airsdale, 
Ben Waid, George Peterson, Max Stricker, and 
Randolph Hanson.  There were two men named 
Foster Hanson picture has the older one who was 
born in 1866 and died in 1953.  The youngest 
member was Ben Waid who was born in 1882.

Saxeville Softball Team

Manager -Ernest Christensen. Back row: Beatrice Jensen
Maager, Melva Zuege Kleist, Valeria Sawyer Russon,
Norma Johnson Christianson, Arvilla Smith Christensen,
Lavina Jensen Odling. Front row: Dorothy Christensen
Pitt, Gladys Moldenhauer Marks, Myrna Johnson Barr,
Lauretta Christensen, Jane Gibson Nitkowski. Six of
these women graduated from Wild Rose High School
from classes from 1934 to 1939. 

Luther Thomas Davies

Luther Thomas Davies was born Feb. 12 1889 in
Springwater.  His parents were William M Davies
(better known as Bill Morris) and Margaret Ann
Davies. Margaret was the daughter of Daniel
Davies and Elizabeth Evans.  He was baptized in
the Caersalem Presbyterian Church on July 26,
1889 by Rev. Daniel Thomas. He did not  marry
but he lived at home with his sister, Elizabeth
Ann and later with Della Davies Moss on
Oakwood in Wild Rose.  Luther's WWII old men's
draft registration showe his was 5'10" and 163
pounds.  He had gray eyes and brown hair.

Wild Rose Skating Club Event Oct. 13, 2019 At 1:00PM

This is a reminder that the Wild Rose Historical Society
will have a program on the club and programs. We
\especially would like to have former skaters attend.
We have costumes made by the mothers, programs of
the shows, pictures, newspaper articles and some'
film.. The program will be at the annex to the
Patterson Memorial library in Wild Rose, WI. The
address is 500 Division St. which is a block east of
Main St.

Wild Rose Skating Club board

The Wild Rose Skating Club started in the mid-1940's
 and ran through 1953.  The shows were south of
Cleveland Ave but later were moved to Knoke's Saw
mill land.  Wild Rose and Mosinee were the only two
places in Wisconsin that had outdoor shows at that
time. Mosinee did the early shows but by 1948 Wild
Rose skaters took over with much help from Burton
Weymier who was a pro skater and taught the kids
to skate. Burt also did solos and brought some pro
and semi pro skater from Milwaukee. The picture s
hows leaders of the club.  Back row: Ernie Knoke,
Everett Wilcox, Irma Wild Cox and Mildred Hadden.
Front row: Ted Long Helen Long, Burton Weymier,
Pearl Dopp, Gladys Clayton.  The Wild Rose Historical
Museum has a display of some of the costumes which
were made by mothers.

Steps going into the gift shop at Wild Rose Museum

The steps are from a building that was a harness
shop. The building has a weaving room, a general
store and a gift shop.  Elisha Stewart had the building,
in the beginning as well as a house that is part of our
Historical Museum.  Elisha and  his family came from
Rose, Wayne County, NY in 1850.

Wild Rose Senior Class Play 1938

The Old Mill of the Gods by Eugene Todd was the 
Senior Class Play performed on Friday April 29, 1938.  
The play was directed by Muriel Jones McCallum.  
Seated: Wayne Patterson as Kenneth Ramsey, 
Beverly Murty Anderson Ansorge as Patty Jefferson,  
Beverly Hills Nouri as Mary Jefferson.  Standing: 
Lorraine Klusinke  Dold as as Golda Kane, Stanley 
Kosmider as Terry- a tramp, Edgar Frater as Lawrence 
Stanton, Phyllis DeGolier Peterson as Selina an old 
servant, Gerald Schleicher as Phillip Jefferson. 

Ed Pease

Edward Newton Pease was born 14 October 1864 in
the Town of Wautoma, Waushara County to John
Nelson Pease and his 3rd wife, Emily Darrow. His
father served in Co. D of the Wisconsin 37th
Infantry. Edward moved to Iowa sometime after
1880. He married Minnie B Hawkins on October
14, 1894 in Maquoketa, Jackson County, Iowa. 
Her parents were Layette Hawkins and Clarissa
Chase.  They had children named: Clarence,
Lester, Lafayette, Lucille, Edward and Nora.  After
1920 he moved to Fulton, Whiteside County, Illinois
where he died on October 31,1933. He had two full
siblings Minerva who married Byron Currier and Cecila
who married Charles Warner.  Waushara County people
will be interested that this family is related to the
following families: Button, Barrington, Lovejoy, Etheridge. 

1915 Basketball team

This is the 1915 Wild Rose basketball team. Moses Roberts
(1916) Born 23 April 1898 died 4 July 1953, Isaac Lowe (1915)
2 April 1895-14 April 1976, Dewey Williams (1917) 12 May 1898-
2 November 1934, James O Jones 24 September 1899-
19 October 1973, James L Dopp (1917) 20 October 1900-
15 November 1981, Ezra Jones ( 1916) 17 March 17, 1898-
22 November 1976.

Pond at Wild Rose Fish Hatchery

Wild Rose Hatchery

Fish in Pond at Wild Rose Hatchery

Maria Jenks Stewart

Maria Jenks was born  27 Jan. 1850 in Rose, 
Wayne County  to John Tower Jenks and Polly 
Jane Jeffers. She married Thomas Stewart who 
was born March 4, 1848 in Rose, Wayne 
County, New York to Solomon and Sally Ann 
Stewart.  She married Thomas Stewart on 
August 28, 1869 in Waushara County.  Her 
name Maria was pronounced Mariah.   They 
had 5 children: William Stewart (1870-1899, 
Ina Leona (1876-1964) married John Coombs, 
Irvin Stewart (1874-1875), Arthur Garfield 
(1881-1953) and Benjamin Harrison 
(1888-1941).  Tom was a farmer in the Town of 
Rose.  He served inCo. F of the 35th Wisconsin 
Infantry in the Civil War.  Thomas died April 3, 
1903. Maria died Jan 3, 1927 and is buried in 
Mt. Pleasant.

Inside the Wild Rose Methodist Church Dec. 27, 1905

Ethel Smart, daughter of Charles A Smart and Sidnie
Hughes Smart, was married here on Dec. 27, 1905
to Fred Shephard.  The church was decorated with
pine branches.  The church was on Main St.