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

Pierce, Anson S. The genealogy of the Pierce family carries it back to New England and pre-Revoluntionary times; farther, to the passage of the family to this country from England in the historic Mayflower and to indisputable direct descent from Sir Walter RALEIGH. The Pierce migrations were ever westward. The first of the name to whom records in this country give prominence was Charles S. PIERCE, grandfather of Anson S. PIERCE, who achieved in his generation some fame as a strong political leader in New York City. To him is accredited ability to control the contemporary political situation in the metropolis. His son, Charles S. PIERCE, the father of the subject of this sketch, was the first of the name known to have been identified with the lumber trade; he conducted a saw mill enterprise in the vicinity of Buffalo, N. Y., and sold lumber at wholesale. He is said to have been the patentee of the first two-block shingle machine ever invented. Mr. PIERCE'S mother, Elizabeth (BECKER) PIERCE, was born in Cooperstown, N. Y., July 29, 1831; she died April 16, 1869. Anson S. PIERCE was born in Buffalo, N. Y., Dec. 22, 1859. He spent practically all his first 30 years in his native town and attended its common schools and high school. At the conclusion of his school days young Pierce, with characteristic energy, entered at once into the ranks of bread winners, as a 7 o'clock on the morning following his last day at school he was at work for a local lumber firm, with which he served a brief apprenticeship of one month, and he then entered the employ of F. H. Goodyear & Co. After one year of that connection he joined the forces of a North Tonawanda (N.Y.) lumber manufacture as traveling salesman, which was his vocation for several years, and during which time he became a thoroughly practical lumberman, well grounded in all the phases of the lumber business of that section. Following the family traditions, Mr. PIERCE next came west, to Rhinelander, Wis., where he opened an office for his North Tonawanda principals. He acquired an interest in their business in Wisconsin, pushed the firm's trade and in every way made good. Business acumen, his inclination, and natural resources regarded then as unlimited, concentrated Mr. PIERCE'S attention and activities at this time upon the phase of specialization which since has and now does give him marked prominence in the northern lumber trade. Intelligent, continued review of trade conditions had convinced him that in the handling of exclusively the higher grades of white pine lay big business possibilities, and with a man of Mr. PIERCE'S mental caliber, determination meant prompt action. He began to accumlate and handle the best white pine cuts, at first almost experimentally, but as the consuming trade learned that his yards at Rhinelander, where he had entered into business exclusively on his own account, where a certain source of the choicest grades of white pine, his business grew to an extent that would have embarrassed a less resourceful man. It has reached a point where he now handles annually an average of about 20,000,000 feet of white pine lumber of the highest grades. This output he ships largely to the East, but a large percentage of it goes to satisfy an export trade of heavy and increasing proportions which Mr. PIERCE has developed through cultivation of a reputation of handling only the better qualities of white pine. In 1908 he organized the firm of Danielson & Pierce, and in 1920 took over the stock. The main purpose of this concern is the handling of hardwood lumber, and it turns over stocks of northern mills to the extent of between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 annually. It has offices in Rhinelander and a branch office in Chicago. The Pierce products in both white pine and hardwoods are recognized wherever introduced as of always realiably high grades and corresponding faithfully to all representations made of them. A feature of the Pierce business in Rhinelander complementing the high character of the stock carried is the ability of the yards to meet demands immediately upon their receipt. Sizes of high grade stock to fill practically any assortment within the bounds of probability are at once available upon receipt of orders, and promptness of delivery is assisted by exceptionally good shipping facilities. Mr. PIERCE has official connection with, or a financial interest in, several other important business enterprises, being vice president of the Rhinelander Refrigerator Co., a director of the First National Bank, a stockholder in the Oneida National Bank, and a director in the Wisconsin Veneer Company. He is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and makes his business conduct harmonize with his religious professions. He finds his greatest pleasure in his home, and has a beautiful residence in Rhinelander, as well as a summer home at Moon Lake. He was married Feb. 4, 1903, in Denver, Colo., to Clara P. SEVERSON, a resident of Denver and a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and he and his wife are the parents of one child, Florence, who was born in 1906.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 235-236 (with picture); 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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