GARDNER-L Archives

From: Liz Boulais <>
Subject: [GARDNER] Gardners in Mosinee,Wisconsin
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 10:30:12 -0700

The City of Mosinee was first called Little Bull Falls. The surrounding area was
a dense forest inhabited by an abundance of
wild animals. The untamed Wisconsin River, with its large rocks and boulders,
went roaring and swirling past. The banks were
barely able to hold back the raging water.
Little Bull Falls became Mosinee on July 22, 1857, when the post office was
officially designated. Soon more people came
bringing new ideas. Openings appeared in the dense forest. Farms were started,
buildings grew, and churches were built.

Mosinee's first business was a sawmill started in 1836. Soon after, businesses
such as a boarding house grocery store, a shoe
shop, a saloon, a tannery, a grist mill, and a blacksmith shop opened. Lumber
was an important business at that time. Large
rafts called cribs were floated down the wild Wisconsin River. Sometimes as many
as ten men a year lost their lives working the
rafts.

After coming to Marathon County, Henry B. GARDNER (1832-1864) worked in the
pineries and at lumbering and logging,
was for some years engaged in shingle manufacturing, and for several years
conducted a hotel called the "Prairie House,"
about four miles north of Mosinee on the Wausau and Stevens Point Road.


Henry B. GARDNER married Ellen R. PRIEST, daughter of Orin and Mary
PRIEST and had three sons:

Charles A. GARDNER (1857-1907) in Mosinee, Marathon County, WI d, 18
Jan 1907 in a logging or lumber
accident. He married Effie Pauline LOCKE, daughter of Alfred Jay
LOCKE and Sarah Pauline MANNING
and their son Raymond Locke GARDNER (1895-1961) was born in Mosinee.

Fernando George GARDNER, born about 1859

Alonzo Henry GARDNER, born about 1863


Henry B. GARDNER enlisted in the Thirty-eight Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry in 1863 and died in the Civil War battle
near Petersburg, Virginia in 1864.


Mosinee's first constable was elected in 1889. The first high school began in
1902. A bank was built in 1905. A volunteer fire
department was formed, also. Walking was the most common mode of travel.
Alternatives would be to hire a man, a team of
horses, and a lumber wagon at the speed of 5 to 10 miles per hour or you could
catch a ride on the mail wagon. Finally a
platform spring wagon was put into service until the Concord (stage) Coach,
drawn by four horses came into the scene.
In 1875, the railroad was put past Mosinee to Wausau and train service called
the " The Iron Horse" began.Three steamboat
enterprises were started between Mosinee and Stevens Point but all failed to
make a profit and shut down operations.

Charles A. GARDNER was educated in the public schools of Mosinee, Marathon Co.,
WI. He was a prominent merchant of
Mosinee, Marathon Co., and senior member of the firm of C. GARDNER & Co. Charles
A. GARDNER engaged in
lumbering and agricultural pursuits until July 1887. In May 1887, Mr. GARDNER,
in conjunction with his brothers George F.
(or Fernando George) and Henry A. (or Alonzo Henry) embarked in mercantile
pursuits. In 1890 George F. and Henry A.
retired from the business and Charles A. GARDNER formed a co-partnership with
Louis DESSERT and Frank
McREYNOLDS, under the present firm name of C. GARDNER & Co.

"Early and Late Mosinee" by Edgar E. Ladu, published ___ page 22 mentioned "the
splendid palace now owned and
controlled by C. A. Gardner stands, and was known as the Whitelaw house."

Page 73: "In the year 1883 Robert Freeman entered into partnership with Frank
Fellows of Mosinee, under the firm name of
Fellows & Freeman, for the purpose of engaging in the lumber manufacturing
industry. They built a sawmill on four mile creek,
six miles north of Mosinee, where they owned quite an extensive tract of fine
timber lands. They operated this mill with success
for about fourteen years. Then they sold out the sawmill property to the Gardner
Brothers." "....the lumber mill of Charles A.
GARDNER and his two brothers was situated about six miles from Mosinee."

Early and Late Mosinee" by Edgar E. LaDu continued. Page 185: Third street is
one of the long streets, reaching as it does
from Buchanan to Fremont street and the picnic grounds. We find on this street
twenty-eight private residences. The most
conspicuous is the large modern residence of Mr. Louis Dessert, one of the
stockholders and manager of the Joseph Dessert
Lumber Company, and also a member of the Mosinee, Land, Log & Timber Company.
This company operates a sawmill
seven miles north of the village. Mr. Dessert is also president of the village
of Mosinee, a position that is of great responsibility
and influence. Mr. Frank McReynolds, another member of the company, has his
beautiful up-to-date dwelling on this street."

". . .Fourth street has forty private residences. It is the most populous street
of the village. There is no very noticeable structure
with the exception of the late deceased C. A. Gardner, which is certainly a
beautiful home. All the dwellings on this street are
neat and tidy."

Page 194: "We will now go back to Main street and take a look at the C.O.D.
store of David Doherty, successor to the late
deceased C. A. Gardner."

Page 218: The biography of Arden Paronto includes: "In 1900 he came to Mosinee
and accepted a position as salesman for
Mr. C. A. Gardner in his mercantile establishment. He remained with Mr. Gardner
for two years, and then concluded to start
in business for himself."

Politically Mr. GARDNER is a stanch Republican and he served as President of the
village of Mosinee one term; socially
he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a live, progressive
business man, enjoys the esteem not only of the
residents of Mosinee, but of all who are acquainted with him, and his high
character and genial qualities have made him
generally popular.



"Early and Late Mosinee" by Edgar E. LaDu, pages 75-76.

"O. E. and O. A. Priest

"Orin Elliot Priest came to Wisconsin and settled in the township of Mosinee in
1853. He moved from Cattaraugus county,
New York. He was located there on the Indian reservation on the Allegheny river,
two miles up the river from the mouth of
Little Valley Creek, where it empties into the river. The mills that he owned
and operated there were known as the Hemlock
Mills. Their location was on the south bank of the river, not far from the east
end of the city of Salamanca, which city at that
date was not in existence.

He bought land and erected his dwelling about four miles north of Mosinee, on
the southline road. He followed his trade of
millwright for a term of years. In 1867 he lost his wife and he took up his
residence with his daughter Mrs. Ellen R. Gardner,
wife of Henry B. GARDNER. With her he made his home until his death, which
occurred in September, 1889.

"Orin Alonzo Priest the son of Orin E. Priest was born December 13th, 1835 in
Cattaraugus county, New York. He came to
Mosinee in 1854, one year after his parents, and on April 29, 1857 was united in
marriage to Miss Julia A. Robbins of
Mosinee. To them have been born five children; Harvey A. born Feb. 6th, 1858,
Oscar E. born March 11, 1861, Ester E.
born April 26, 1866, Anna M. born July 26th, 1871, Mary E. born Oct. 26th, 1876.

"Mr. Priest on July 16th, 1861 enlisted in the army and was mustered out June
7th, 1865. As a veteran, having served his
country nearly four years, he was engaged in several hard fought battles and was
in the battle of Gettysburg. He was one of the
Iron brigade under the command of the famous General Bragg. On his release from
the army he returned to his home in the
town of Mosinee where he still continues to reside. His long term of service and
the exposure and hardships of a soldier's life in
the line of duty were so wearing upon the constitution that he has suffered more
or less from the time of his discharge and has
with great difficulty been able to manage his business successfully. He is one
of the old landmarks of Mosinee township of old
times and is known throughout its extent. He is a thorough, rather radical,
republican in politics, is a good talker and believes
what he advocates. The family religiously lean towards the Methodist Episcopal
persuasion."

Pages 121-122: Listed among the other Civil War soldiers from Mosinee are:

O. A. Priest
Henry B. Gardner
Joseph Robbins - (Father of Julie Robbins Priest)
King Young - (Brother-in-law of Julie Robbins Priest)

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• [GARDNER] Gardners in Mosinee,Wisconsin by Liz Boulais <>