- JOSEPH T. BRIDGE, deceased. Half a decade has passed away
since this pioneer citizen of
- Green county passed from earth into eternal rest, mourned
by his friend and held in high esteem by his fellow citizens,
who had learned to love him for his genial nature, and to honor
him for his moral worth.
- John and Deborah (CLARK) BRIDGE, his grandparents, were among
the pioneers of Preble
- county, Ohio, having migrated to that State from their native
New Jersey. John H. BRIDGE, the father of the late Joseph T.
BRIDGE, was born April 3, 1815, in Preble county, one of a family
of eight, three sons and five daughters, and was early inured
to the tolls and hardships of a frontier life. On reaching manhood
he married Nancy SAMPLE, a native of Virginia. In 1835 he visited
Green county, Wis., with a view to ascertaining its desirability
as a place of abode, and in 1840 he became a permanent resident,
being reckoned as one of the pioneers of Jefferson township.
He was a man of notable industry, strict probity and strong character,
and soon became a prominent and influential citizen. In 1873
he surrendered the management of the farm to his son and retired
from active work, to reside in the city of Monroe, his son following
him thither in nine years. In 1884, Mr. BRIDGE set out for California,
but on reaching Denver, Colo., suddenly sickened and died. His
son was with him, and also the latter's wife, who had accompanied
her husband and father-in-law that far. Together they brought
back the remains to his former home, and with loving care did
they minister to his widow, taking her to their home, where she
passed away Oct. 30, 1899, in her eighty-fifth year.
- Joseph T. BRIDGE was born on his father's farm in Jefferson
township, Oct. 9, 1849, and was the
- only one of six children to live beyond the years of childhood.
He inherited the property of his father, and with it as a basis,
and with unwearyingly industry as well as wise financial management,
he accumulated a handsome competence. Five years before his death
he built a charming home, and at that time apparently had before
him the prospect of a long and honored life. In the spring of
1895, however, he was attacked by an incurable malady, which
baffled all efforts for relief, and died on the morning of Aug.
19, of that year, deeply and widely mourned.
- Joseph T. BRIDGE deserves more than a passing notice in the
Commemorative Record of
- Southern Wisconsin. Born here soon after the organization
of Wisconsin as a State, the son of a pioneer, his whole life,
although comparatively brief, was passed in the immediate vicinity
of the place of his birth. He was not prominently identified
with public life, as he never sought office, although he served
most acceptably in the city council. As a citizen he was beloved
and respected for his kindness of heart and unassuming manner.
He was a man of sterling integrity and conscientious in all he
did and said, in either public or private life, ever aiming to
be governed by Christian principles. In short, he was a man who
believed in right living, in being just to his fellow man, and
honorable in all things.
- On Dec. 22, 1874, Mr. BRIDGE was married to Miss Anna HOSIER,
of Kansas City, Mo. Her
- parents, Evan Abram and Rachel HOSIER, came to Green county
from Ohio about 1850, removed to Missouri in 1860, and returned
to Green county in 1864. Mr. HOSIER, who died there in 1866,
was widely known, influential and highly esteemed. He was a man
of superior education, and in the early days of Green county
was a successful teacher. Mrs. BRIDGE is one of five children:
Harrison, who has been for many years a resident of Denver, Colo.;
Sarah E., Mrs. BOLENDAR, of Monroe; Anna, Mrs. BRIDGE; and Abram
and George B., who have their homes in Kansas City. It was there
also that Mrs. HOSIER died in 1892. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph T. BRIDGE was blessed by the birth of one son and two
daughters: Burton (a student at the State University of Wisconsin),
Ethel and Daisy.
-
- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin,"
(c)1901 Union Publishing; pp. 391-392.
-
- Courtesy of Carol.
|