The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-05-27
Celebrate Anniversary of the Goth
Birthday of Mrs. Electa Ogden Coon.


a persons life certainly furnishes an
occasion for relatives and friends to
celebrate. At the home of her son,
Geo. L. Ogden, on Monday, May 23rd,
relatives to the number of about fifty
gathered in honor of the Goth anniver-
sary of the natal day of Mrs. Electa
Ogden 1t was family reunion
and the whole day was given over to
the event. the guests being served with
dinner and supper. There are no words
to tell of the joys and pleasures of a
gathering of this kind, for assembled
there were children and grandchildren
who had for years land years met to
honor the birthday of the woman good
and true to them. Many out of town
guests were present and Mrs. Coon
was given numerous presents as me-
mentos of the event. At the age of
80 Mrs. Coon retains good health and
as heartily enjoys the company of rela-
tives and friends as when woman of
half those years.
DR.. Henry Ogden of Fort Atkinson
paid the following tribute to his mother:
| Ninety years ago this spring in the
| quiet little village of Almond, in the
| southwestern part of New York state,
there lived blacksmith, his wife and
two little boys. They were bright, ac-
tive young people enjoying the highest
respect of all whom they knew. This
couple was George S. Coon and Electa
West Coon, his wife. Now it so hap
| pened that on the 23rd of May, 1920, a
little blue eyed baby girl was born to
them, and they were justly proud of
| the new arrival. 1t was quite an i'm
| portant event to them, as we'll as to us
| at the present time as we look back
with interest over our part of her life
and realize what kind mother she has
always been to us, ever loving and
working for our good.
To pass over space of about twenty
years time, George S. Coon and family
emigrated to Wisconsin and settled near
the foot of Lake Koshkonong in 1910.
He had a family of eight children to
care for; the two older ones had mar
ried and lived then in the east. Here
he met George w. Ogden, a young man
who had made his claim at the foot of
Lake Koshkonong in 1886. He was
what they then called wheelwright,
having learned his trade in Walton,
Delavan Co., New York. Very soon
after the arrival of the Coon family,
George Coon and George Ogden built a
shop and started in business, one being
a blacksmith and the other a wagon
maker by trade. This new firm soon
had quite business in shoeing horses
and oxen and repairing wagons and
farm implements, such as breaking
plows and such things used in those
days for clearing new farms. Business
came to them from many miles around
as there was need of such shop. /
have learned that George w. C. May,
who lived near Fort Atkinson, a few
miles above the head of Lake Koshko-
nong fourteen miles away, used to come
with a fine span of horses to be shod
and many others that / do not know
about. The Hon. L. B. Caswell was
small boy living near neighbor to them
and tells of joining the other children
and attacking mother while getting
water from spring near the river,
and of giving her twenty-frst birth
day beating, which was quite the fash
ion in those days.
In 1912 Electa married George w.
Ogden and soon settled in their new
log house, which was considered very
fine residence at that time. About
that time George S. Coon died of fever
and dropsy leaving his wife and large
family of children depending upon her.
Different ones lived with George and
Electa for many years, where there was
always welcome home for any of
them. In the winter of 1843 father and
mother hitched the old black horse that
Uncle James Ogden had ridden from
Walton, New York, to cutter and
drove to Chicago. While there they
bought second hand Connecticut
clock for 5000. 1t was brought home
in the cutter and that clock took the
family through the many years of rails
ing seven children. | now have the
clock in my office and it keeps good
time and still strikes the same old clear
bell that [ heard all through those
years. | can well remember the old
log house with it's wide high fireplace
and great square chimney, large enough
for old Santa Claus to come down and
go again as far as space was concerned.
Father used to bring In great log on
large hand sled to put in for back
log which lasted for long time. Dur
ing the evenings the family sat in
semi-circle facing the fire of blazing
and cracking wood placed on andirons.
They were knitting, sewing and per-
haps reading by this their only light.
] would amuse myself by running back
of them, watching my shadow grow
large or small according to the distance
from the fire. The cooking was all
done over the fireplace for many years.
| can remember the first cook stove
they put in. 1t must be difficult for
the present generation to understand
how they got along with high wide
open fireplace to cook over as compar-
ed with the modern improved facilities.
Pleasant recollections come to me as
/ think of the old trundle bed that was
pulled out from under father and moth
er's bed where it was kept during the
day. That soothing rest. that came to
us after mother had tucked us in at our
bed time. Father and mothers bed