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 962

URIAH DAVIES, of the firm of BASSETT & DAVIES, dry-
goods merchants; Columbus; was born in Merionethshire,
North Wales, in 1823; is the son of John and Mary
DAVIES, his mother dying when he was only 3 years old;
in 1845, with his father and stepmother (his father
having married again), came to America, and located at
Union, Rock Co., Wis., where his stepmother afterward
died; his father now lives with him in this city.  Mr.
DAVIES came to Columbus in January 1846, and began
clerking for ARNOLD & BASSETT, dry-goods merchants,
and remained with Mr. BASSETT eight years, Mr. ARONOLD
having sold out to Mr. BASSETT during that time; May
1, 1855, he formed a co-partnership with Mr. E. P.
SILSBEE, under the firm of SILSBEE & DAVIES, and as
such continued the business till Aug. 20, 1855, Mr. S.
AXTELL purchased the interest of Mr. SILSBEE, and the
firm was then DAVIES & AXTELL till 1861, when he
bought out Mr. AXTELL; continued the business alone
four years.  In 1865, Mr. BASSETT became an equal
partner with Mr. DAVIES, and in 1866 they took in Mr.
J. M. G. PRICE, but Jan. 1, 1873, Mr. BASSETT bought
back the interest of Mr. PRICE, and since that time
the firm has been BASSETT & DAVIES.  Mr. DAVIES was
married to Jane, daughter of Ellis and Elizabeth
ROBERTS; their children are Jane A. - now the wife of
Wm. J. EDWARDS, and lives in this city - Mary and
Luther.  Mr. D. and family are connected with the
Welsh Methodist Church.

JOHN R. DECKER, proprietor and publisher of the
Columbus Republican, was born in Chautauqua Co., N.Y.,
in 1842; his father, Stephen DECKER, was a native of
Troy, N.Y., but his mother Sylvania RICHMOND, was born
in Connecticut; at the age of 2-1/2 years, he with his
parents, removed to Erie Co., N.Y., where his father
followed farming till 1855, when they came as
emigrants to Wisconsin and located at Waupun, Fond du
Lac Co., where his father now resides; Mr. DECKER was
educated in the public schools of Waupun, and in that
city in 1859 he entered upon his apprenticeship at the
printer's trade; a year later, he went to the city of
Fond du Lac, where for four years he was employed in
the job office of which Edward BEESON was proprietor;
in 1867, he returned to Waupun, purchased the Waupun
Times, and was its editor for one year; he came to
Columbus in 1868, established a printing office where
he made a specialty of job work, and where he has
since edited the Columbus Republican; Mr. DECKER was
elected Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors in
1877; was re-elected in 1878 and 1879; he was married
in 1866 to Miss Harriet, daughter of Abram and Lucy
SHELMADINE, of Waupun, who died in 1869, leaving two
children - Minnie J. and Ray - the latter of whom is
now deceased; he was again married, in in 1870, to
Miss Susan HAWXHURS, of Columbus, who died in three
years after; his third marriage was to Miss Emma L.
HOLMS, of Portage City, Wis., in 1875; Mrs. DECKER is
a member of the Episcopal Church; Mr. D. is a member
of the I.O.O.F., P. of H., and also of the Masonic
Fraternity.

Submitted by Carol