Amidon, W. E.

1918 History of Clark County, WI

W. E. AMIDON, a thrifty and energetic farmer, residing in Section 11, Hewett Township, Clark County, was born in this township, April 20, 1868, son of Charles and Hannah (Anderson) Amidon. Both parents were natives of Washington County, Wis., where also they were reared and married, Charles being then 22 years old. He had been brought up on a farm and after his marriage engaged in agriculture at Cateract, Monroe County, Wis., where he and his wife resided for three years, coming to Hewettville, Clark County, in 1865. Here he homesteaded 160 acres of wild land in Section 12, Hewett Township, to which there was no road. On this tract Mr. Amidon built a log house and barn and started the development of the place with a yoke of oxen and a cow. For twenty-five years he led an unbroken life of toil, logging in the woods in winter, working on the drive in spring and the rest of the year clearing and improving his farm. During a part of that time he was engaged in logging for himself. His supplies were obtained at Black River Falls.

While a resident of the township he was seldom or never out of office, serving as township treasurer, assessor and chairman of the board. In the year 1900 he went to Hayward, Sawyer County, this state, where he engaged in farming, and where he died. He and his wife reared seven children: Della, Walter, Ellen, Albert, Ida, George and Samuel. W. E. Amidon remained at home until he was 14 years of age. He then went to work logging for Dave Wood, being employed on the drive in the spring and living at home in summer, and in this manner was occupied for a number of years, or until his marriage. That event when he was 27 years old, when he was united with Lulu Wood, of Dave Wood, his employer. Mr. Wood had come to Wisconsin from Canada, locating first in Dodge County, and later coming to Clark County, where he engaged in the logging business. The daughter, Lulu, was born in Pine Valley Township.

After his marriage Mr. Amidon settled on an acre of land in Section 11, Hewett Township, and continued working in the woods during the winters for a number of years. Then he worked as a carpenter and on the roads until 1904, when he bought a partly improved farm near Tyoga, Wis., which he operated for five years. At the end of that time he sold the farm and in the fall of the same year bought the home place in Section 11, Hewett Township, of which about twelve acres were then cleared. Since then he has continued the work of improvement, having now about thirty-five acres cleared, and has built a barn 24 by 46 feet in size. He does general farming, raising Holstein and Jersey cattle. For four years he served as assessor and for three years as school clerk.