Pg 940

ROBERT E. SEMPLE, a prosperous farmer of Waukechon township, Shawano county, was born in that township January 8, 1867, and is a son of Archibald and Margaret (Cunningham) Semple, who  came  from Canada, locating in Waukechon, Wisconsin.
     
Archibald Semple was a farmer by occupation. He died here in Waukechon in 1886, and his wife, Margaret, died five months later, leaving four children, namely: Robert E., the subject of this sketch; Mary, now at Wittenberg, Shawano county, who is in poor health; Louise, who lives with her uncle in  Oshkosh, and Anna, also in Oshkosh, where both are attending school. Robert E. Semple attended school in his boyhood at Shawano, and he always lived at home with his parents. On November 20, 1894, he was united in marriage with Catherine Wilson, daughter of John and Ellen (Burns) Wilson, who removed from Upper Canada to Waupaca, Wis., in 1880, establishing themselves here on a farm, and both are now living, engaged in farming, in Embarrass, Waupaca county.  They were the parents of the following named children: Maggie, wife of Michael Finnerty, a farmer of West Branch, Mich.; Thomas, also a farmer in West Branch, Mich.; Keziah, wife of Frank Wait, of Matteson township, Waupaca county; Joseph, a farmer in Navarino township, Shawano county; Ella, widow of Edward Brinkerhoff, who died, leaving two children; Mary Ann, wife of Webb Conklin, a farmer, of Waukechon township; Ellen, Mrs. Semple; and John, at home.
     
Shortly after the death of his parents Mr. Semple bought out the heirs, and today he has 215 acres of land, of which ninety are under the plow. Politically he is a lifelong Republican, and socially he is a Mason, and a member of Shawano Lodge No. 114, K. of P. 
     
The grandparents of Robert E. Semple, who were farming people, lived in Canada, where the grandfather died in 1847; the grandmother subsequently came to Waukechon, Shawano Co., Wis., and remained here until her death, in 1878. They reared a family of four children, as follows: James, who died in 1874, in Oshkosh, Wis., leaving a wife and three children, all of whom— Wallace, James and Norman—moved with their grandparents to the State of Washington; Archibald, father of Robert E., who is mentioned above; Parlan, now living in Oshkosh, who has one son, Parlan, Jr., a lumberman, and one son whose name is not given. This son was married February 23, 1859, to Jane H. Semple, after which he bought a small lot, and began speculating, at which he has since been engaged. He located on 100 acres of wild land, which, when he first came there, was inhabited only by Indians, and forty wigwams could be seen near by, but he transformed it into a, comfortable home. Mrs. Semple was born October 10, 1834, in Canada, daughter of Archibald and Ann (Cunningham) Semple, natives of Scotland, who came to America with their parents in an early day.