Mrs.
William Hughes
Transcribed by Janet
Source: 1918 History
of Clark Co., WI, by Franklyn, Curtiss-Wedge, pg. 176
Surname: Collins Hughes Smith
Mrs. William Hughes, proprietor of a good
estate in Grant Township, and a lady widely known and respected, was born in
County Cork, Ireland, May 30, 1848. Her parents were Jeremiah and Mary (Smith)
Collins, who were engaged in farming and who died in their native land when
their daughter Hannah, the subject of this sketch was only 2 years old. There
were seven children in their family: Ellen, Thomas, Catherine, Andrew, Mary,
Michael and Hannah, all of whom emigrated, six of them coming to the United
States and Ellen going to Australia. Hannah, who was placed in the care of
relatives, remained in Ireland until she was 9 years old, at which time she
joined her sister Mary in Connecticut, and subsequently until she was 18 years
old she lived with different members of the family in succession. She then came
to Pleasant Ridge, Clark County, Wis., to join Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Campbell,
and here she met and married Joseph Milton Cook, their wedding taking place June
16, 1866.
Mr. Cook, who was a native of Erie County, Penn., took up a homestead
in Section 15, Grant Township, but owned altogether five different tracts of
forty acres each, located in different places. Moving into the log house which
stood on their land in Section 15, they began the life of pioneer farmers and
lived happily together until Mr. Cook's death, which took place when he was but
45 years old. He was an upright, honorable and dependable man, and was also
progressive and enterprising. Mrs. Hughes, not to be behind-hand with her
husband, had the first rag carpet in this section, bringing it from Fond du Lac,
but has never used it, keeping it rolled up. Some time after the death of her
first husband, Mr. Cook, she married William Hughes, a native of Canada and son
of James and Margaret (Meyer) Hughes, both of whom were born in Ireland, the
former in Kilkenny County, and the latter in Tipperary County. His parents had
emigrated to Canada soon after their marriage and came from there in later years
to Pleasant Ridge, Grant Township, this county, where they subsequently died.
Their son William, however, had long preceded them to this county. He was a
blacksmith by trade and one of the first to follow that occupation in
Neillsville. He was a member of the Catholic Church.
Mr. Hughes died Nov. 29,
1908. He left eight children: Mary, now deceased, who was the wife of Louie Handke; James, of whom special mention is made elsewhere in this volume, and
William, Daniel, John, Margaret, Michael and Archibald. Of Mrs. Hughes' first
marriage to Mr. Cook, there was one child born, Samuel, who was 11 months and 2
weeks old when his father died, and who is now living on his father's original
homestead. Three years ago Mrs. Hughes located a homestead -near Union, Dawson
County, Mont.