| The province of New Brunswick, Canada,
has given to the United States, and a Wisconsin, especially, a goodly number
of her stalwart, industrious and loyal citizens, among whom the subject
of this sketch stands prominent.
Mr. Lawler was born in Douglas, Northumberland
County, New Brunswick, May 8, 1845, a son of John Lawler, who was of the
same nativity, having first seen the light about the year 1825. The
family are of Irish descent, grandfather Patrick Lawler having been born
in Queen’s County, Ireland, where he married Mrs. Margaret Finn.
In 1824 they came to Canada, settling in Northumberland County, New Brunswick,
where they died, the grandfather in 1877, the grandmother in 1880.
They had family of 17 children, of only the names of the following six
are remembered: John, James, Mary, Margaret, Jane and Elisha. Patrick
Lawler and his wife were employed some 30 years in the Marine Hospital
which was established in Northumberland County, N. B. by the British Government.
John Lawler, father of Finn Lawler, is at present living at New Castle,
New Brunswick, four miles from where he was born. He was educated
at St. John, same province, and became a licensed school teacher, a profession
he followed many years, some of his old scholars holding government offices
in both the United States and Canada, not a few of them been members of
Parliament. In 1862 he was appointed register of deeds for Northumberland
County, which office he still holds, and is also a magistrate by government
appointment, his commission, which is dated 1863, bearing the signature
of Queen Victoria. On November 6, 1844, Mr. Lawler was married to
Mrs. Sarah Landy, who was born on the ocean, daughter of John and Sarah
Landy, natives of Ireland, the former of work in the shipyard at Douglas,
New Brunswick, and was drowned in the river Miramichi. Mrs. Sarah
(Landy) Lawler had one brother-John-and three sisters-Ann, Mary and Betsy.
To John and Sarah Lawler were born 13 children, as follows: Margaret, Jane,
Finn, Richard, James, Rogers, John, Eliza, Mary Ann, and for that died
in infancy. On Nov. 6, 1894, the parents celebrated their “golden wedding”.
This subject proper of these lines, whose
name appears at the opening of this sketch, received his education under
his father’s able tuition, and when the latter became register of deeds
he took his son Finn, into the registry office with him. Here the
lad remained about three years, or until October, 1863, when at the time
eighteen years old, he went to New York City, where he found employment
with a lumber company for the first three days as common laborer; but his
employer, discovering his aptitude for figures, at once for more him to
position of talley-keeper. In February, 1866, he came to Wisconsin,
spending a few months among relatives at Shullsburg, Lafayette County,
then the spring moving to Chicago, whence after a short time he returned
to Wisconsin, and in the then village of Oshkosh found employment in a
clothing stores some 16 months. The proprietors of the store, concluding
to open a branch establishment Neenah, sent our subject there to take charge;
but in 1868 he left that business and moving to Shawano, Wisconsin, clerked
in the hotel there one winter, in the following spring taking up his residence
in Portage, where he was once more employed by the clothing firm he had
previously worked for. At the end of eighteen months the firm dissolved,
and our subject, then turning his attention to the Wolf River Valley, in
December 1871,set out via the military road for Rice Lake (on the Wolf
River), a place boasting at that time of but one house, and here, in company
with William Johnson, he commenced trading with the Indians, so continuing
some two years. During this time he had considerable experience as
a woodsman, and in 1875, in company with one Perry, he came to Eagle River,
where he has since resided, his chief occupation being connected with timber
lands-prospecting, estimating, surveying, etc.-and for several years he
served as Deputy County surveyor. He handles hardwood, signed and
spruce timber, and timber is estimated and sold on commission, taxes also
being paid for nonresidents. In this he is in partnership with A.
A. Denton, the style of the firm being Denton & Lawler. They
are also considerably interested in the land in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
In his political preferments Mr. Lawler
is a Democrat; was the first chairman of the town, first school clerk,
and in this spring of 1895 was elected assessor. Much sought out
by his neighbors, he enjoys the respective esteem of many warm friends
in Eagle River, in which rising young city he takes enacted interest.
Mr. Lawler has two brothers living in New Brunswick, the one, Richard A.,
a lawyer in Chatham. The other a commission merchant in New Castle who
is also deputy registrar of deeds for the county of Northumberland; he
has also two brothers, John and James, both residing at Eagle River, lumbermen
by occupation. Our subject is the only one of them, no doubt, who
can boast of being able to speak the Chippewa (Indian) language.
He has just completed a cozy residence on the bank of Eagle river, in a
grove of maples and balsams, among the trees which he loves and where he
has spent a large part of his lifetime. He owns some village and
considerable outside property which will in time no doubt become valuable.
Mr. Lawler has not yet married, but unless all signs fail he may in the
near future. |
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