Outagamie County, WI - Biography of Henry Becker of Greenville township

***********************************************************************
USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any
format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations
desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal
representative of the submitter, 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. 

http://www.usgwarchives.net
***********************************************************************

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives
SUBJECT: Biography of Henry Becker of Greenville township
SUBMITTER: Janice Marasch     
EMAIL: jmmarasch@aol.com
DATE SUBMITTED: 04 Apr 2000
SURNAMES: DEMPSEY
SOURCE: Commemorative Biographical Record of the Fox River Valley Counties of Brown,
Outagamie and Winnebago, J.H. Beers & Co, p. 883-4, 1895


HENRY BECKER. The father of this gentleman, Frederick Becker, was one of the earliest
settlers of Greenville township, Outagamie county, and was honored as one of its representative
pioneers.

Frederick Becker was a native of Germany, where he followed farming, owning a small piece of
ground, and was there married to Mary Neamann.  They had two children born to them in
Germany, Fred (who is now a resident of Appleton, Wis.), and Henry (our subject) and on March
1, 1854, this little family left Hamburg on the sailing vessel "North America," landed in New
York eight weeks later, and came directly to Fond du Lac county, Wis., where they made a brief
stay.  They soon removed to Greenville township, Outagamie county, where Mr. Becker had
bought land in the N. W. Quarter of Section 15, and he also purchased a yoke of oxen to assist
him in clearing the land, which was all new and heavily timbered.  He had no wagon, but he
contrived to make a dray of ironwood trees, and with this outfit commenced to clear away the
timber and prepare the ground for crops.  He succeeded, not only in putting the whole of his first
purchase under cultivation, but added another 160 acres, at the time of his death ranking among
the first farmers and most extensive landholders in Greenville township.  He was a self-made
man in the true sense of the word, for he accumulated all his property from a start of nothing,
and he was respected wherever known.  Though the welfare and advancement of the region
where he held such large interests was necessarily of great importance to him, he cared nothing
for public life, and though always willing to give his approval and co-operation to any worthy
undertaking, he never held but one office, that of overseer of the township. in political sympathy
he was a Democrat.  Mrs. Mary Becker died in Greenville township, June 4, 1859, leaving four
children: two above mentioned. and two born in Greenville township-Louis, a farmer of
Greenville township, and Eliza, Mrs. Daniel Schultz.  The mother was buried in Greenville
cemetery.  Mr. Becker subsequently married Mary Mormon, and two children were born to that
marriage, both of whom died young.  Mr. Becker was called to his long home February 16, 1893,
and sleeps his last sleep in Greenville cemetery.  He was a devoted member of the Lutheran
Church, to which he gave a liberal support, and he donated an acre of ground for a church site.
Henry Becker was born in August 1846, in Germany, and received a greater part of his schooling
in that country, prior to his parents' removal to America, the public-school system in Wisconsin
being at that time in its infancy.  Up to the age of nineteen years he lived at home, and then
commenced to work at the carpenter's trade, for four winters also following lumbering.  On July
17, 1869, he was married in Ellington township, to Christina Pluger, who was born in Germany
in 1850, daughter of August Pluger, and to this marriage have been born eight children, as
follows: Mary, Mrs. Otto Zwerg, of Sheboygan county, Wis.; Louis, also of Sheboygan county;
and Eliza, Henry, Bernard, Caroline, Willie and Mina, all at home.  With the exception of the six
years he followed carpentry at Stephensville, Mr. Becker has been a life-long farmer, and in
connection engaged in threshing for fifteen years, during which time he became widely and
favorably known among the farmers of his own and surrounding townships.  He owns 160 acres
of fine land, the "old home farm," and as one of the oldest and most prosperous farmers in his
township ranks second to none.  Like his father he is a Democrat in national politics, but in local
elections gives his support to the best man regardless of party lines.  He is a Lutheran in religious
sentiment, and has held various offices in the church.