- ISAAC DIVAN, a venerable and highly respected retired farmer
of Cadiz township, Green
- county, is a native of Ohio, born July 25, 1816, in Coshocton
county.
- Leonard DIVAN, his grandfather, was a native of Germany,
whence he came to this country when
- a young man, settling in Pennsylvania. The names of his children
were as follows: Jacob, Henry, John, Pollie, Barbara, Catherine
and Sarah. Of these, John was born in 1790, in Pennsylvania,
and was a distinguished soldier in the war of 1812. He became
one of the early settlers of Green county, Wis., having previously
lived in Coshocton county, Ohio. In 1813 he married Catherine
SHRAKE, also a native of Pennsylvania, and they had a family
of fourteen children, eleven of whom reached maturity, named,
respectively: Margaret, Isaac (our subject), Jacob, George, Frederick,
John, Urias, Henry, Abigal, Drusilla and Lucinda. The others
died in childhood. The father of this family died in Clarno township,
Green Co, Wis., in 1862; his wife, who was born in 1796, passed
away in 1891, at the patriarchal age of ninety-five years.
- Isaac DIVAN, the subject proper of this memoir, was reared
on his father's farm in Ohio, and in
- his boyhood and youth had to work so hard, early and late,
that the only education he was able to receive was extracted
from a three-months experience in a country school. In 1845 he
came to Green county, Wis., when the country was wild and uncleared,
and here July 8, 1846, he settled on the farm he still owns,
and which at that time was covered with timber. It now comprises
120 acres of well-improved land. While a young man he had learned
the trade of carpenter, and in his new Western home he found
it useful, for he was enabled to build his own house, the one
he still lives in. He had also learned cabinet-making in the
East, which trade he also followed to some extent in Wisconsin,
being one of the first undertakers in Green country, though he
never followed that business regularly.
- On March 15, 1839, Isaac DIVAN married Miss Christenia JONES,
born in Coshocton county,
- Ohio, Jan 22, 1819, a daughter of William and Christenia
(BRIGHT) JONES, of that State, who removed thither from Maryland.
To Mr. and Mrs. DIVAN were born twelve children, a brief record
of whom is as follows: Margaret, born Dec. 26, 1839, is the deceased
wife of David HOWDER; Alexander, born May 18, 1841, was a volunteer
during the Civil war, in Company G, 5th Wis. V.I., and died in
the service; Catherine, born Dec. 30, 1842, married Peter WAGONER,
of Illinois; Eliza J., born Aug. 1, 1844, married Jacob WAGONER,
of Illinois; Elizabeth, born Jan. 17, 1846, died young; Abigail,
born April 18, 1848, died in childhood; Mary Ellen, born Oct.
18, 1850, married Rev. J. B. RIFE, a minister of the Evangelical
Church; Arabella, born Sept. 15, 1852, died young; Isaac, Jr.,
born Nov. 27, 1854, is a minister of the Evangelical Church;
Christenia, born April 28, 1857, is the wife of Alfred SANDERS,
of Cadiz township, Green county; John, born Aug. 26, 1859, is
a minister of the Evangelical Church; and Charles R., born Oct.
23, 1861, married Minnie ACKERMAN (he is farming the old homestead).
The mother of this numerous family was called from earth March
16, 1897, after a married life of fifty-eight years. Mr. DIVAN
has twenty-six grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
- Mr. DIVAN is a member of the Evangelical Church in Cadiz
township, well and widely known for
- his Christian philanthropy. In politics he is a stanch Republican,
originally a Democrat, his first presidential vote having been
cast for Martin Van Buren in 1836. He was the first clerk of
Cadiz township, and served as justice of the peace, and held
other offices of trust during his fifty-five years' residence
in Cadiz township. For a man of his advanced age he is in excellent
physical condition, has a most retentive memory, and is an interesting
conversationalist.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin,"
(c)1901 J. H. Beers & Co., Chicago; pp. 953-954.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
- Proofread & corrected by Suzanne
|