Biographies:  Lelon Ansil DOOLITTLE, Eau Claire, Eau Claire Co., WI 

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Lelon Ansil Doolittle, a prominent attorney of Eau Claire, was born in 
Russell, St. Lawrence county, New York, July 22, 1853, a son of Ansil, 
Jr., and Jane Ann (Smith) Doolittle.  His great grandfather, Abraham 
Doolittle, was one of five brothers who were representative farmers, 
merchants and mechanics of their day in the town of Cheshire, New Haven 
county, Connecticut.  The grandfather, Ansil Doolittle, married Maria King, 
and they were the parents of three sons and three daughters.  The eldest 
son, Ansil, Jr., father of Lelon Ansil, married Jane Ann Smith, and they 
were the parents of three sons and one daughter; the later married Edgar 
E. Davis.  The eldest son, Marshall Erwin, is a practicing physician.  The 
youngest son, Rollin Edson, is a lawyer, as is also our subject.

Lelon Ansil was reared on the farm, attended the district school, and at 
the age of seventeen secured a second grade teacher's certificate and made 
a success as a school teacher.  At the age of twenty-two years he had 
completed a regular college course and was graduated from the St. Lawrence 
University with the class of 1875, paying his tuition by teaching as 
principal of graded schools, selling subscription books, and farm laborer.  
The practice of awarding honors at graduation had not then been adopted in 
this institution, but his good work and conduct were recognized by electing 
him to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.  Through the influence of friends he 
came to Wisconsin in 1877 and settled at Neillsville, where during the 
summer of that year, he accepted the position as principal of the high 
school of that city.  After serving one year, he resigned and entered the 
law department of the University of Wisconsin, finishing the two-year course 
in one year.  After graduating with the class of 1879, he returned to 
Neillsville and was soon thereafter appointed county judge of Clark county.  
Up to that time no indexes had been made of the probate records; there was 
no court calendar, minute book nor court record in the office; all the 
papers except such as had been lost or destroyed were in a heterogeneous 
mass, but within six months every paper entitled to record was recorded, 
and all the records of the office were as complete and as perfect as it was 
possible to make them.  Before his term of office as judge had expired he 
was elected county superintendent of schools, a position he filled with 
honor to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents until he moved 
to Eau Claire in January, 1885.  While much of his time at Neillsville was 
taken up with his official duties, he built up and conducted a successful 
law business, and in 1879, in company with Hon. James O'Neill, founded the 
Neillsville Times, which they edited jointly until Judge Doolittle moved to 
Eau Claire, and which, under their management, became the leading weekly 
paper of the county.

Judge Doolittle came to Eau Claire to avoid newspaper work and politics, 
and after his arrival gave his sole attention to the practice of law, and 
has since been engaged in the general practice of his profession.  He served 
as city attorney for three years, and for several terms as president of the 
Associated Charities.  He has been one of the directors of the Eau Claire 
Public Library for many years, and for several terms has been president of 
the board.  Since 1903, he has been largely interested in real estate in 
northern Wisconsin, being president of the Traders' Land Company, which is 
capitalized at $10,000.00, and also of the Guaranteed Investment Company, 
with a capital of $76,000.00, both of which were incorporated in 1904.

Judge Doolittle was married May 4, 1880, to Bessie Adams Weeks, daughter of 
Friend and Betsey Maria (French) Weeks, of Rutland, Vt., and they have one 
adopted son, Maxson Rusk Doolittle.  The judge is a member of the First 
Congregational Church of Eau Claire.        

--Taken from "The History of Eau Claire County, 1914, Past & Present",
page 292.