BIOGRAPHIES: John F. STALLMAN, Spring Brook Township, Dunn County, WI ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Laura Abood 30 June 2002 ==================================================================== From the 1925 History of Dunn County. JOHN F. STALLMAN, a substantial farmer and prominent citizen of the town of Spring Brook, proprietor of Elk Meadow Farm, was born on this farm April 22, 1879, son of Adolph and Helen (Proud) Stallman. Adolph Stallman was a native of Germany, born in Hanover, Dec. 5, 1836, and came to the United States with his parents when 12 years old, the family settling in Milwaukee. There Adolph was educated and grew to manhood. He was 25 years old when the Civil War broke, and on Sept. 26, 1861, he enlisted at Eau Claire, Wis., in Company C, Eighth Wis. Vol. Inf., and was mustered in at Camp Randall, Madison, Wis. On Oct. 3, 1862, he was wounded at the siege of Corinth and after being discharged from the hospital filled out the remainder of his service as a cook, being honorably discharged Sept. 26, 1864, after being in the army three years. He then returned to Wisconsin, locating at Eau Claire and during a short time worked successively for several lumber companies. The next event of importance in his life was his marriage, which took place in 1866, uniting him to Helen Proud, who was born March 30, 1839, in Glasgow, Scotland. When five years old she had accompanied her parents to London and about a year later to Southampton, England, and had come with them to America at the age of nine, living four years in New York, and then coming west to Madison, Wis. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Stallman established a boarding-house in Eau Claire, which they conducted for about three years. In 1868 they came to Dunn County, buying 160 acres of wild land in Section 1, town of Spring Brook, which was a homestead that had been originally taken up by a Mr. Black. He has not got very far with his improvements, but had built a small shack for a dwelling, into which Mr. and Mrs. Stalman moved with their daughter Marion, then a babe. For a few years many hardships were suffered by this pioneer family, but Mr. Stallman went on developing his farm and in time brought it into good condition, also buying 80 acres more land, which gave him a farm of 240 acres. Of this total area he cleared and broke 175 acres--a good performance--and also erected a substantial set of buildings. After a residence of 33 years on this place he died Jan. 1, 1902, being survived by his wife, who passed away May 13, 1906. He was a typical pioneer of this county, spending some 30 winters as cook in logging camps for different lumber companies, and improving his farm in summer as he found opportunity. The greater part of Dunn County was transformed from a wild to a civilized state by just such men as Mr. Stallman and in just such a manner; and while credit is thus given to the men the women must not be forgotten, for their work was almost if not quite as hard and was as faithfully and successfully performed, they suffering the same hardships and taking the same risks. Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Stallman were the parents of eight children, Marion, Archie, Anna, Clara, John F., Bernice, one who died a babe unnamed, and Ernest. In regard to those who grew up the following data is available. Marion, born Jan. 2, 1868, is now Mrs. John Connars of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, and has five children, Guy, Helen, Mildred, Gertrude and Lucille. Archie, born Sept. 27, 1872, and now living in Yates, Mo., first married Anna Hommand, by whom he had four children, Earl, George, Helen and Myrtle. After the death of his wife Anna he married Julia Ausman. Anna, the third child in the Adolph Stallman family, born Dec. 14, 1874, married Daniel Connars and now lives at Coeur d'Alene, Ida. She has had five children, Florence, Lela, John, Robert and Raymond, the last mentioned being deceased. Clara, born Sept. 21, 1876, is now Mrs. Thomas Connars of Seattle and the mother of three children, Mary, Frances and Ralph. Bernice, born June 30, 1882, is the wife of Charles Ludvigson of Barron, Wis., and her children are James, Guy, Lerau, Winnifred, Howard, Helen and Dean. John F. Stallman as a boy attended district school in the town of Spring Brook, and as he grew up became his father's assistant on the home farm. After the father's death in 1902 he operated the farm for his mother until her death, taking over the farm in 1907. He has improved the buildings, rebuilding when necessary, has erected a silo, and has installed an electric lighting system on his place. In 1914 he went into the pure bred stock business, and now keeps a herd of about 30 pure bred Guernseys, selling off the surplus stock. He is a member of the Dunn County Guernsey Breeders' Association, a life member of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair Association and a member of the Eau Claire Guernsey Association, which he has served as president and is now serving as vice president. He is also a stockholder in the Bank of Elk Mound and the Elk Mound Cooperative Creamery, and is fraternally affiliated with Elk Mound Camp No. 5952 M. W. A. At Chippewa Falls, Wis., on July 10, 1907, John F. Stallman was united in marriage with Martha Ehlers, who was born July 14, 1884, in that place, daughter of Jacob and Christina (Weidemann) Ehlers. Of this marriage there are five children: Claire E., born April 10, 1908, and now a senior in the Elk Mound High School; Kermit J., born June 14, 1909, also attending high school; Marion H., born March 10, 1914; Gladys R., born Oct. 8, 1915, who is attending grade school at Elk Mound, and Raymond J., born Nov. 5, 1919, and not yet old enough to begin his education. Both Claire and Kermit are members of calf clubs, and this year (1924) made exhibits at the Dunn County Fair, also at the Chippewa County Fair and at the National Stock Show in Milwaukee. The Stallmans are a prominent family in the town of Spring Brook and enjoy a high social standing. Jacob Ehlers, father of Mrs. John F. Stallman, was born in Holstein, Germany, Oct. 25, 1854, and his wife Martha in the same state on April 20, 1862. They came to America with their respective parents, when young, both families locating at Chippewa Falls, Wis., where Jacob and Christina were married in the month of September, 1883. There they have since made their home, Mr. Ehlers being a member of the Grossman Tailoring Co., having learned his trade in Germany. They have had three children: Martha, now Mrs. John F. Stallman, who taught school four years before her marriage; Bertha, born Sept. 10, 1885, who married William Hendricks and is now a widow residing in Cadott, Wis.; Elsie, born June 6, 1896, who married Roscoe Smith of Cadott and became the mother of one child, Don; she passed away Nov. 9, 1924.