Hi Folks, Whew! I'm back at it after a crazy week last week. Sorry I abandoned you all, but unforeseen things came up that I had to deal with -- like a trip to the ER and being admitted to the hospital for a day or two and then dealing with Thanksgiving at my house! We made it through it all and now I'm back to getting some work done. Here are more of those biographies that we've been reading from the book "The History of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, 1914": Joseph W. Singleton, a prominent member of the Eau Claire county bar, was born in Louisville, St. Lawrence county, New York, September 8, 1861, son of Peter and Ellen (McCarthy) Singleton, both natives of St. Lawrence county. Thomas Singleton, paternal grandfather of Joseph W., was a native of England and followed the trade of ship carpenter prior to coming to the United States, and was a soldier in the Napoleonic War. Emigrating to America, he became one of the pioneers of St. Lawrence county, New York, where he engaged in farming and lived there until his death. The maternal grandfather, Dennis McCarthy, was a native of County Mayo, Ireland, and was also a pioneer of St. Lawrence county, settling on the Long Sault Island, where he resided until his death by drowning in Sault rapids. Peter Singleton, father of Joseph, was a farmer by occupation, and spent his whole life in the county where he was born, and died at the age of seventy-two years. Joseph W. was educated in the common schools of St. Lawrence county, the Jesuit College, and the Georgetown University of Washington, where he was graduated with the degree of bachelor of philosophy and bachelor of laws in 1888. He also afterward taught school for one year in the St. Joseph College, at Burlington, Vt. and in October, 1889, was admitted to the bar of that state and practiced his profession in Burlington three years. He came west, and on January 4, 1892, located in Eau Claire, where he has since carried on a successful practice of law. The first two years after coming to Eau Claire he was connected with the office of the late Thomas F. Frawley, and on February 1, 1894, became the first tenant in the Ingram Block where he has since had his office. Mr. Singleton was married to Miss Ellen Francis, daughter of Patrick and Bridget (O'Brien) Gleason, of Cylon, St. Croix county, Wisconsin, and four children had been born to them, viz.: Joseph W., Jr., and Ellen Geraldine, twins; Lydia F. and Paul G. Mr. Singleton is a prominent member of St. Patrick's Church, the Catholic Knights of Columbus. He served as city attorney of Eau Claire from 1895 to 1897 and represented the Sixth Ward as alderman in the Common Council for six years, and was municipal judge for four years, and in politics is a democrat. Lelon Ansil Doolittle, a prominent attorney of Eau Claire, was born in Russell, St. Lawrence county, New York, July 22, 1853, a son of Ansil, Jr., and Jane Ann (Smith) Doolittle. His great grandfather, Abraham Doolittle, was one of five brothers who were representative farmers, merchants and mechanics of their day in the town of Cheshire, New Haven county, Connecticut. The grandfather, Ansil Doolittle, married Maria King, and they were the parents of three sons and three daughters. The eldest son, Ansil, Jr., father of Lelon Ansil, married Jane Ann Smith, and they were the parents of three sons and one daughter; the later married Edgar E. Davis. The eldest son, Marshall Erwin, is a practicing physician. The youngest son, Rollin Edson, is a lawyer, as is also our subject. Lelon Ansil was reared on the farm, attended the district school, and at the age of seventeen secured a second grade teacher's certificate and made a success as a school teacher. At the age of twenty-two years he had completed a regular college course and was graduated from the St. Lawrence University with the class of 1875, paying his tuition by teaching as principal of graded schools, selling subscription books, and farm laborer. The practice of awarding honors at graduation had not then been adopted in this institution, but his good work and conduct were recognized by electing him to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Through the influence of friends he came to Wisconsin in 1877 and settled at Neillsville, where during the summer of that year, he accepted the position as principal of the high school of that city. After serving one year, he resigned and entered the law department of the University of Wisconsin, finishing the two-year course in one year. After graduating with the class of 1879, he returned to Neillsville and was soon thereafter appointed county judge of Clark county. Up to that time no indexes had been made of the probate records; there was no court calendar, minute book nor court record in the office; all the papers except such as had been lost or destroyed were in a heterogeneous mass, but within six months every paper entitled to record was recorded, and all the records of the office were as complete and as perfect as it was possible to make them. Before his term of office as judge had expired he was elected county superintendent of schools, a position he filled with honor to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents until he moved to Eau Claire in January, 1885. While much of his time at Neillsville was taken up with his official duties, he built up and conducted a successful law business, and in 1879, in company with Hon. James O'Neill, founded the Neillsville Times, which they edited jointly until Judge Doolittle moved to Eau Claire, and which, under their management, became the leading weekly paper of the county. Judge Doolittle came to Eau Claire to avoid newspaper work and politics, and after his arrival gave his sole attention to the practice of law, and has since been engaged in the general practice of his profession. He served as city attorney for three years, and for several terms as president of the Associated Charities. He has been one of the directors of the Eau Claire Public Library for many years, and for several terms has been president of the board. Since 1903, he has been largely interested in real estate in northern Wisconsin, being president of the Traders' Land Company, which is capitalized at $10,000.00, and also of the Guaranteed Investment Company, with a capital of $76,000.00, both of which were incorporated in 1904. Judge Doolittle was married May 4, 1880, to Bessie Adams Weeks, daughter of Friend and Betsey Maria (French) Weeks, of Rutland, Vt., and they have one adopted son, Maxson Rusk Doolittle. The judge is a member of the First Congregational Church of Eau Claire. +++++++++++ That's all that I can muster for today. We will be finishing this chapter this week (God willing) and will move on to other things from there. Take care everyone, and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. -- Nance mailto:nsampson@spacestar.net