BIOGRAPHIES:  George B. SHONAT, Gale Township, Trempealeau Co., WI

************************************************************************
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.

Submitted by: Nance Sampson, Trempealeau Co. WIGenWeb CC  19 February 2005
************************************************************************

**Posted for informational purposes only. I am not related to the subject 
of this biography, nor do I have any further information on this family.

George B. Shonat, a well known farmer residing in section 1, Gale
township, was born in Oswego County, New York, Dec. 31, 1844, son of
George and Abigail (Like) Shonat.  The father was born in Germany
Feb. 3, 1810, and came to America when a young man.  In his native
land he had learned the shoemaker's and carpenter's trades, so was
well equipped to succeed in a country where skilled labor was in
demand.  In New York, however, where he stayed for a while, he at
first found the labor market somewhat crowded, and not bein able to
find remunerative work immediately at either of his trades, he took
the first employment he could find, which was in New York City, that
of gathering bones for a sugar refinery with a wheelbarrow.  Later he
worked on a farm for $7 a month and his board.  After some experience
in this kind of work he went to Madison County, New York, where also
he worked for farmers and continued to do so until he was able to
purchase a small farm in the town of Monroe, Oswego County, having
previously, however, worked for awhile in Columbia County.  After
awhile he gave up farming temporarily to become engineer in a
sawmill.  In 1852 he joined the westward tide of emigration, arriving
in Milwaukee July 1 of that year.  There he hired two teams to take
him and his goods to Waupun, Wis., where on arriving, he rented land
and worked for others for two years.  Then, in the fall of 1853, he
came to Trempealeau County and entered land that now forms a part of
Mr. Shonat's present farm, moving onto it in the fall of 1855,
November 24.  During the intervening years he was engaged in farming
in Dodge County, Wisconsin.  After beginning farming on his own place
he spent his winters in hauling logs and such other work as he could
do during the colds season, so kept busy all the year round.  This
farm was his home for the rest of his life, his death taking place
here in 1887.  He served as assessor in his township for a number of
years and in early days was a member of the school board.  His wife
survived him about eleven years, dying in 1898.  They had two
children:  George B., subject of this sketch, and Sarah F., who is
now the widow of John Stellpflug. 

George B. Shonat first attended school in his native state of New
York, afterwards the district school of Decorah Prairie, this county,
and subsequently Gale University, now Gale College.  He resided on
the home farm until his marriage, which event, occurring Nov. 11,
1868, united him with Nettie Dewar, who was born in Scotland, Jan.
21, 1844, daughter of James and Anna Gordon (Harriss) Dewar.  Her
parents, who were also natives of Scotland, came to America in 1853,
settling first in lower Canada, near Montreal, from which place in a
short time they came to the United States and located in Waukesha
County, Wisconsin, where Mr. Dewar engaged in agriculture.  In 1861
he and his family came to Trempealeau County, locating in Big Tamarac
Valley, where the mother died in the spring of that year.  James
Dewar subsequently left the county and died finally in St. Louis. His
daughter Nettie was engaged in teaching previous to her marriage. A
year after that Mr. Shonat built a house on a recently purchased farm
in Gale Township, and he, with his wife and family, resided there for
24 years.  He then purchased his present farm, adjoining his old
home, and located in section 1.  Here he has resided since 1894,
having at present 145 acres of land.  His farm was formerly much
larger, as he has sold 185 acres to his son, W. R. Shonat.  He is a
stockholder in the La Crosse Packing Company and was on of the first
stockholders in the Galesville Creamery at Arctic Springs.  In 1889
Mr. Shonat engaged in buying stock and in June, 1892 shipped the
first carload of stock bred by himself.  Since that time he has been
engaged practically all the time in buying for himself or others and
dealing in and shipping stock, and has been very successful in these
various enterprises.  In politics he is a Democrat and is now serving
in his ninth year as assessor of Gale Township, having also served on
the township board for a number of years and as school clerk for 10
years.  He and his wife are the parents of eight children:  Warner
R., who resides in Galesville; Anna May, wife of Robert S. Cook,
residing in La Crosse county; Abbie E., wife of A. D. Burnett, a
hardware merchant at Spooner, Wis.; Catherine A., residing at home;
N. Blanche, also residing at home, who was also a teacher; Mary
Esther, a teacher residing in Spooner, Wis.; Archie, who is a civil
engineer in the employ of the Northwestern Railroad Company, and who
is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin; and George Martin, who
died at the age of 14 months in 1883. 

-Transcribed from the "History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin,
1917," pages 415-416.

© All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm