Biographies from The History of Columbia County,
Wisconsin, 1880 


Contributed by Carol carolann612@charter.net
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm


From The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, 1880,
publ. by Western Historical Company, Chicago, Page
979-980

RICHARD D. VANAKEN, architect and builder, Columbus;
was born in Ulster Co., N.Y., in 1830; at the age of
15, he became apprenticed to the carpenter and
joiner's trade at Kingston, Ulster Co., and continued
there until he removal to Wisconsin in 1856; locating
at Columbus, he has since devoted his time to the
business of an architect and builder, and has had the
contracts for the erection of many of the most
prominent buildings of this city and surrounding
country; among them are the Lutheran, Episcopal and
Universalist churches, three store buildings for
LUEDERS & KRAUSE, two for John TOPP & Bro., two for C.
LEITCH, two for E. S. GRISWOLD, one for H. BROWN, the
Union Bank, Mr. BRINKERS and many others of the city,
several fine farm residences of the town of Columbus -
not less than two hundred and sixty in all.  Mr.
VANAKEN has been and is at this time a member of the
City Council.  He was married in 1851 to Miss
Charlotte ECHERT, a native of Ulster Co., N.Y.; their
children are Wilson, now at the trade with his father;
Mary, now the wife of Jefferson SMITH, and lives in
the town of Columbus; Richard, a student at
telegraphy.  Mr. and Mrs. V. are members of the
Universalist Church.

Page 980

REV. HENRY VOGEL, Pastor of the Lutheran Church,
Columbus; was born at Hof, Bavaria, April 2, 1842; he
came with his parents, George and Christina VOGEL, to
America in 1855, and located at Dubuque, Iowa; in the
following year, he entered the Wartberg College, of
Strawberry Point, Clayton Co., Iowa, from which, as a
theological student, he graduated in 1863; he was
ordained to the holy ministry at Toledo, Ohio, in
February 1684, and entered upon the work as Assistant
Pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, of Toledo, soon
after his ordination; in the fall of 1864, he was
called to the Lutheran Church at West Bend, Iowa,
where he remained till 1867, when he accepted a call
and removed to Madison, Wis.; remaining there till
1875, he was called to the church of Charles City,
Iowa, whence, in 1876, he came to Pastor of Zion's
Church, of Columbus.  He was married in 1865 to Miss
Augusta GROPP, of McGregor, Iowa; their children are
Herman, Sophia and Leonard.

ENST VON BRIESEN, attorney at law, Columbus; was born
at Bromberg, Prussia, in 1841.  He was a soldier in
guard artillery of the Prussian army from 1860 to
1868, and was commissioned First Lieutenant of his
company in 1866, and served as such till his
resignation in 1868.  He sailed from Bremen for
America in April 1868, and landed in New York City the
same month; six months later (September 1868) he went
to Chariot, where he followed clerking, and various
other kinds of business, till June 1869; he was thence
to La Salle, Ill., where he was foreman of the rolling
mills till December of that year; returning then to
Chicago, he continued clerking till 1871, when he
removed to Cambria, Columbia Co., Wis.; there was
engaged in merchandising till April 1873; June
following, he removed to Columbus, where he has since
resided.  In April 1874, he was elected Justice, an
office which he has since held.  He was elected City
Clerk in April 1875, and has been re-elected to that
office ever year since that time.  In February 1879,
he was appointed one of the Court Commissioners of
Columbia County by Judge Alva STEWART, and in May
1879, he was admitted to the bar.  He was married in
1872 to Miss Margarethe KLAPENBACH, of Chicago, but a
native of Texas; their children are Elizabeth,
Henrietta, Ernst, and Richard.  They are members of
the Lutheran Church.

ORIN D. VOSBURGH, farmer, Sec. 29; P.O. Columbus; was
born in the town of Ancram, Columbia Co., N.Y., in
1816; is the son of Richard A. VOSBURGH and Catharine
THOMPKINS, both of whom were natives of Columbia Co.,
N.Y., and both died there.  Mr. VOSBURGH was brought
up as a farmer's son and spent his time at that
vocation in that county till 1846  He then emigrated
to Lake Co., Ill., where he leased a farm for four
years; though soon after he arrived there, he came to
Columbus, Columbia Co., Wis., and entered his present
farm of 160 acres on Sec. 29; then returned to
Illinois, and in 1850, came again to Wisconsin and
located on his farm.  He was married, April 8, 1846,
to Miss Mary, daughter of Arthur and Sarah (JENNINGS)
HOLMES, a native of Greene Co., N.Y.; her parents were
natives of Massachusetts; her mother died in Clark
Co., Wis.; her father now lives in Columbus, Wis.  Mr.
and Mrs. VOSBURGH have eight children - Henry, born
June 7, 1847, enlisted in Co. C, 51st W.V.I., in 1864
under Col. MARTIN, was with his regiment in all its
principal movements and battles till the close of the
war, and is now at home; Charles F., born in Lake Co.,
Ill., Feb. 22, 1849, and now at Copake, Columbia Co.,
N.Y.; William, born March 28, 1851, died Nov. 18,
1869; Cornelia, born April 8, 1853, married Mr. Daniel
BATH, died Aug. 23, 1878; James E., born March 10,
1855, now in Dane Co., Wis.; Edgar M., born Jan. 21,
1857; Fannie, born Feb. 3, 1859; Martin H., born July
10, 1861; Frank, born July 4, 1863; Everett, born Nov.
22, 1868, died Dec. 23, 1869; George W., born Nov. __,
1871.

Submitted by Carol