Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-01-30
OLD TINE WAUSAUIAN.
An Article Clipped From Leslie'S Masa-
, zine Of January rs, 1912.

The following item taken from
Leslies Weekly was sent the Pilot
by Wausau citizen asking: "Do
you recollect whether the enclosed is
fact?"
s'On the first day Of February, 1856,
Lamberton Doolittle, merchant al
the then frontier settlement of Wau-
sau, Wis, informed crowd OF men
gathered in his store that a son had
| Just been born to him. Three cheers
were given for the new arrival and
some of those present asked the faith
er what name he would give the boy.
Before he could answer, one OF the
men, who had been reading a sample
copy of an illustrated New York
newspaper, held the paper above his
head and yelled eXcitedly. "Call him
Frank Leslie Doolittle ~ The paper
was Frank Leslie's Illustrated News
paper, which had been founded only
few months previously, namely, on
December 18th, 1855. The rest of the
assemblage. as they glanced at the
paper, shouted their approval, and
the father assented to the name. I'M
mediately afteIWard Mr.. Doolittle,
Sr., subscribed for Ieslie'S, and Frank
Leslie grew up regular reader until
he was old enough to subscribe for
himself, and from That day until now
the paper has been welcome weekly
visitor in his home. Mr.. Doolittle is
now prominent and prosperous citi-
zen of Huntington, Va. He has
served as clerk in the county court, is
an Odd Fellow and an Elk, and is one
of the most popular men in his sec
tion."
in answer to inquiry the Pilot
will Say that there is no doubt of its
truth.
Lamberton Doolittle and his young
wife came here in 1852, directly after
their marriage in Almond, n. Y. He
built the old Kickbusch store at the
corner Of Main and Washington
streets, in which he operated store
for good many years. Several chill
dren were born to them--Edward
Sturdevant Doolittle in 1854, who is
now judge of the circuit court in
Huntington, Va, and Frank Leslie
Doolittle, born in 1856. The family
departed from Wausau in 1859 and
after the war settled in Virginia.
They were type of the high class of
people who came to Wausau in those
days.
1t might further be said in this
connection that Lamberton Doolittle
was partner in the lumber business
in this city with the late Rufus p.
Manson. The son E. S. Doolittle
mentioned above, who resides in
Huntington, Va, is candidate for
the supreme bench of that state. The
Herald-Dispatch of that city says of
him:
"The news of Judge Doolittle's am
bition to rise to the supreme bench
will not be surprising to his friends
here. 1t is well known that for years
he has stood in the front rank of the
states judicial body, and that he has
had many calls to ''come up higher"
Judge Doolittle has been prominent
factor in the states judiciary from
the year 1897, when he became judge
of the old judicial circuit comprising
the counties of Cabell, Wayne, Lin
coin, Logan and Mingo, one of the
most onerous and promiscuous tasks
ever imposed upon a West Virginia
jurist.
In this work he continued plodding-
ly, patiently, studiously, to the end,
surmounting mole hills and mount
aims making record which has
placed him in the top columc of the
list of the states circuit judges"