As promised, here is the second part of a walk inspired by the late Maurice Montgomery's self-published book Memory Walks in Oak Hill, highlighting some interesting men and women buried here, emphasis on invention, business, and railroads. If you want to see a photo of each individual headstone, go to Find a Grave Oak Hill Janesville, and type the name that you want in the search box.
1. Azel Clarence Hough (block 407) You will easily spot the Hough family plot as you drive into the cemetery from Washington Avenue. There is a large columned "doorway" on the right (the other side from the office) which leads to all the headstones for the Hough family.
Azel Hough, born in New York state was an inventive genius. He began his working life working for his father's general mercantile business, and soon began thinking of ways to make the business better and more efficient. In 1893 he patented the Hough Cash Recorder, popular for many year. Later in his home town of South Butler, he saw how an neighbor had used wooden slats from a local basket factory to put together homemade "bamboo" porch shades. Hough thought he could develop machinery that could make similar wood slats in a cost effective way. He did just that, and began manufacturing wood-slat roll-up porch shades using local wood. He moved the operation to Janesville in 1902, since basswood was easily available here. He continued to improve the streamline the business and soon began manufacturing other lines of shades for both homes and businesses. During World War II the company began manufacturing blackout shades. Hough died in 1946, but the business, now known as Hufcor, continues.
2. Irving Crowe (block 151) As you come to the chapel, turn right/north on Main Drive until you are near the pole barn maintenance building. Then on the side of the hill, to your left, there is a large boulder inscribed with "Crowe." This unmistakable monument marks the family lot of Irving Crowe (pictured above).
Irving attended local schools, served in World War I, and came home and went to work as a steeplejack. That is, he used ropes and pulleys and went up high on churches and other tall buildings and did roofing and repair work. Clearly he was not afraid of heights. Steeplejacks were in demand around the state, and in 1923 Crowe was working around Medford. The county fair was on, and there was a demonstration of barnstorming going on - fancy and dangerous trick flying in WWI biplanes. Audience members were often offered rides for a small fee, and Irving was thrilled at the idea of going up into the sky with a veteran daredevil pilot. He went up, but the thrill was short lived, as the plane crashed. The pilot, "Dusty" Rhodes walked away from the accident, but Irving Crowe's life was ended.
3. Elisabeth Strampe Meyer and family (block 174) Not too much further up the hill, you will see the large and lovely gray granite Meyer family monument, which features a floral arch, a resting angel, and the inscription "In God We Rest."
Mrs. Meyer and her husband William emigrated from Germany to Wisconsin in 1842, settling first in Reedsburg and later coming to Janesville. The person in this family who fits best with the theme of invention and manufacturing is her daughter Emma, who married Otto Buchholz. Otto operated a blacksmith shop on North Parker drive for many years, and also worked for his uncle, Herman Buchholz, pioneer carriage maker in Janesville, who was partner with Robert Hodge. That business built carriages, farm wagons, hearses, and even circus wagons. The factory played a large role in Janesville's growth at the time.
4. John C. Fox (block 186) If you keep heading west up the hill toward Western Avenue, the large red granite monument to the Fox family isn't far from the intersection of Western Avenue and North 4th Street. North 4th runs parallel to the broad grassy area running east and west, up and down the hill.
John Fox was originally from England. He is credited with bringing the first train to Janesville. He was an engineer on the Milwaukee and St. Paul road, and later on as a master mechanic was foreman of the Janesville roundhouse. When he retired after 58 years of service, he was the oldest living employe of the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad. His daughter Ida worked at the train yard in the offices. She was tragically killed on day when she ran out to deliver a message to a worker, got her foot somehow tangled in a rail, and was killed by a freight train.
5. William Riley Selleck (block 159) The Selleck monument is a tall gray obelisk. You need to cross Western Avenue and continue west, toward the back of the cemetery, along North 5th Street. The monument will be on the right (you need a map to see this).
Riley's early career was spent opening train stations for the Chicago & Northwestern line in Illinois and Wisconsin. Later on he was in the grain business. But what brought him is fortune was his inventive mechanical ability. He invented and patented an efficient wire grain binder. Cyrus McCormick purchased that patent and adapted it into a popular twine binder. When McCormick created the McCormick Harvester Machine Co. (later International Harvester), he brought William Selleck in as treasurer of the company, and later other positions of trust. He invested well, and was involved in mining and other business ventures of the time.
6. Allen Perry Lovejoy (block 275) From the Selleck monument walk west to Summit Avenue and turn left. The large gray granite Lovejoy family monument, featuring four columns should be easy to spot.
Allen Lovejoy was originally from Maine, he taught school as a young man, and apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner. He headed west, settling first in Milwaukee, later Beloit, and finally Janesville, where he went into business for himself as a carpenter and builder. In 1860 he opened a lumber yard in this city, and expanded to Mt. Horeb, Dodgeville, Blue Mounds, Stoughton, and New Glarus. Over time he investing in lumber not only all over Wisconsin, but also in Oregon, California and Louisiana. And he didn't restrict himself to lumbering - In 1875 he partnered with James Harris, at one point becoming president of the Janesville Machine Company. He also invested in the Janesville Cotton Company, McLean Manufacturing, and Monterey Flouring Mills. He was involved in banking, for a time being director of the First National Bank, and being a stock holder in several other regional banks. He was elected to both the state assembly and senate, and also elected 22nd mayor of Janesville.
7. George Safford Parker (block 250) The modest red granite monument of George Parker and family is also on Summit Avenue - very near the tall cross marking the Richardsons.
George Safford Parker was originally from Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Early in his working life he was a teacher at Valentine's school of telegraphy, and on the side he sold pens for the Holland Pen Company, out of Ohio. At that time fountain pens were messy affairs, often spitting out blobs of ink and smearing. Parker invented a better pen with superior nibs and feeder tubes, which he called the Lucky Curve - and this began his lifetime in the manufacture of fine writing instruments. Parker Pen incorporated in 1892, and began manufacturing in the Myers Opera House block, frequently relocating as the company grew, eventually settling on East Court Street. He loved traveling and introduced his Parker pens wherever he went. He continued to introduce innovations in pen design, and a non-smear ink called Quink, over the years. He was known as a good man and a philanthropist, and was widely lamented when he died in 1937.
8. Joseph A. Craig (block 202) If you turn right on North 11th Street, heading down the hill, you will find the Craig family lot, on the side of the hill.
I taught for a number of years at J.A. Craig High School, named for this man, but never knew much of anything about him. Craig was a farm boy born in Pennsylvania. He moved to Illinois and was for a time in the farm implement business there. He was a salesman for the Janesville Machine Company, which produced plows, cultivators, seeders, mowers and more, but soon moved up in the company when Allen Lovejoy invited him to come to Janesville and become part of management here. All this was at a time when all sorts of new horseless carriages (automobiles) were being manufactured for the first time, including General Motors. W.C. Durant, head of GM, invited J.A. Craig to Detroit to offer him a position as head of Samson Tractor there. Craig somehow convinced the GM folks in Michigan to come and take over the implement manufacturing part of Janesville Machine Company, and move the manufacture of Samson tractors here. He brought GM to Janesville, and most likely had a role in GM's decision to transform the tractor company into one that built cars.
Later in his life he lived in the pretty house near the country club called Century Elms, and raised Holstein, Guernsey and Jersey cattle. Always a staunch supporter of 4-H clubs, he was for a time president of the Rock County 4-H Club Livestock Association, and helped to organize the first Rock County 4-H fair. At that time the Fair Association was in debt, so J.A. Craig and John McCann purchased the fairground land. Part became Adams School, part residential lots, and part the land where the current fair is held each summer.
He did other generous deeds as well, purchased the old Lovejoy home and donating it to be used as the YWCA, and setting up a trust to help Rock county rural children be able to afford college.
No comments:
Post a Comment