History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties

"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"

Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others. Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN. ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.

Biography

Clark, Ralph H. a general farmer, dairyman and potato grower of the town of King, Lincoln County, of which he is one of the leading citizens, having served repeatedly in public office, was born at Princeton, Green Lake County, Wis., son of Alban and Jane Ann (CALKINS) CLARK. The parents, natives of New York State, came to Wausau, Wis., in 1852, where Alban CLARK engaged in lumbering, operating a sawmill and rafting his lumber down the river to St. Louis. When the Civil War broke out in 1861 he went to Princeton and bought a farm from his brother, moving on to it on Saturday, April 13, 1861, the day on which Fort Sumter surrendered to the Confederates. On that farm he resided for nearly 50 years, or until 1910, when he and his wife retired and took up their residence in the village of Princeton. There he passed away in 1915 and his wife Ann in November, 1922. both elderly people and highly respected. They were the parents of eight children, of whom six are now living, namely: Mrs. C. A. JACKSON of Princeton; Frank E., an attorney of Minneapolis; Ralph H., subject of this sketch; Grant V., of Ladysmith, Wis., who is a Congregational minister; Lola, wife of Willard REYNOLDS of Gagen, Wis., and Horace G. of Vancouver. The two who died were Emma, who was the wise of W. G. BRIGGS, and Maggie, wife of Charles DOLLER of North Dakota. Ralph H. CLARK was reared on the home farm at Princeton, as a boy attending the school of his district. He worked on the farm until his marriage and afterward bought it, residing thereon and cultivating it until 1906, in which year he sold it and came to Lincoln County. Here he bought 120 acres in Sec. 30, Township 35 of Range 7, and Section 25, Township 35 of Range 6. There were some old buildings on the place and ten acres of the land were cleared. Mr. CLARK lived in the old house until it burned down, after which he replaced it with a small frame one, making the latter the family residence until he erected the one in which he now lives, a modern eight-room house of elastica stucco, installed with running water, furance and electric lights. He has now 50 acres of his land under cultivation and is doing general farming and dairying, keeping a herd of purebred Holstein cattle and making a specialty of raising potatoes. He has been a member of the local school board 15 years, 11 years clerk of the town of King and three years chairman of the town board of supervisors, whereby he became automatically a member of the county board, in these positions showing ability and integrity, making an excellent public record. Mr. CLARK was married at Princeton, Wis., on Dec. 6, 1899, to Mina L. SMITH, daughter of Wm. E. and Alice A. (WHITING) SMITH, the father being a native of Illinois State and the mother of Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. CLARK have two daughters: Alice J., a graduate of Tomahawk High School, and of Oshkosh Normal, a teacher at Fox Lake; and Buelah C., who is a pupil in the Tomahawk High School.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 580-581; History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin; Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others 1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co

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