ROYAL PERKINS, farmer, Section 33; P.O. Sharon, WI. Mr. Perkins was born in Vermont, in 1824; he removed to the State of New York, with his parents, when a boy, and thence to McHenry Co., Illinois, where his parents resided till their death. He came to the town of Walworth, WI in November, 1876. He lost his first wife in Illinois. His present wife was Mrs. JANE (WILLIS) ARNOLD. Mr. Perkins had five children by his first wife, four of whom are living - Emma Perkins, Mary Perkins, Harvey Perkins and Jay Perkins.

Source: History of Walworth County, Wisconsin

 JOHN P. PERKINS, blacksmith and carriage-maker, Juneau, WI; born in County Cornwall, England, Sept. 21st, 1843 (the anniversary of the Church of England); son of John Perkins; for five generations, the oldest of the family (all Johns) have been blacksmiths and worked in the same shop; John Perkins came to America in May, 1864; first to New York, and then to Chicago, IL, and then to Hustisford, Wisconsin, June 11th, 1864, and started a blacksmith-shop with his father, who came over with him. He bought his fathers interest out in 1868, and carried on the business very successfully till March, 1878, when he found a favorable chance to sell, and came to Juneau, WI and built the largest establishment for horse-shoeing and carriage-shops in the village, and has been carrying on a good and constantly increasing business; has accumulated a competency through his industry. Married Miss JOSEY KNOWLES, of Hustisford; have had eight children -- John Perkins b. March 9, 1868, Susan Perkins b. Jan. 9, 1870, Alice Perkins d/y, George Perkins b. April 6, 1861, Charley Perkins b. July 2, 1873, Arthur Perkins b. June 9, 1875, Mary Perkins b. May 15, 1877 and William Perkins b. April 9, 1879. Mr. Perkins was elected a Trustee of Juneau, WI in May, 1879, was brought up in the Church of England faith.

Source: History of Dodge County, Wisconsin

 THOMAS P. PERKINS. Among the men who in former years have been closely identified with business and agricultural interests of Hustisford township and with the general enterprises which most vitally effect the advancement of the section, is Thomas P. Perkins, now living retired in the village of Hustisford, WI. He was born in the county of Cornwall, England, May 2nd, 1847, and is a son of John and Jane (Prust) Perkins, both natives of Cornwall, England, the father born February 15th, 1815, and the mother in June, 1820. In England the father followed the trade of maltster and brewer and did work as a blacksmith and wagon-maker besides engaging in general farming. When he came to America in 1864, he settled immediately in Hustisford, WI, where he bought a blacksmith shop, which he continued to conduct for a number of years. Eventually, however, he turned over the management of the enterprise to his son, John Perkins, and after spending a short time in retirement in the village, went with Thomas P. Perkins of this review into Iowa, and remained five years. He died in the town of Hustisford, In November, 1894. His wife had passed away several years previously, her death having occurred in 1883. They were the parents of five children, of whom Thomas Perkins is the only one now living. In the acquirement of an education Mr. Perkins of this review attended the public school in England and later an academy in Exeter, Devonshire. When he was seventeen years of age he came with his parents to America and for some time worked as a farm hand in Du Page county, Illinois. After one year, however, he joined his father in Wisconsin and was employed by a farmer in Lebanon township, spending the summers in this way and attending school in the winter. After laying aside his books he went to Milwaukee, where he worked as a collector for a few months, and then returned to Lebanon township, where he farmed for his father-in-law for two summers. In the spring of 1871 he purchased land in Wright county, Iowa, and continued to develop this property for six years, after which he sold it at a profit and returned to Hustisford township. Here he rented a farm from his father-in-law and moved upon it in the spring of 1877. From that time until 1901 he steadily carried forward the work of development and improvement, buying the farm in the meantime and becoming widely recognized as an able and progressive agriculturist. In 1901 he rented out his property and in the same year bought a home in Hustisford, where he has since lived retired. In the following year he sold his farm but is still the owner of extensive tracts of land in various parts of Wisconsin. From 1878 until the time he abandoned active life he was president of the Burr Oak Cheese Factory and took an active part in the development of the enterprise.

On the 20th of April, 1871, Mr. Perkins married Miss RACHAEL R. BAKER, who was born in Cornwall, England, April 8th, 1845. She is a daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Baker) Baker, both natives of the same section, the father born December 15th, 1817, and the mother in 1815. They came to America in 1852 and located first in Canada, whence after one years they went to Chicago and later to Walworth county, Wisconsin. Eventually, however, the father bought a farm in Lebanon township, Dodge County, and continued to operate this until his death, August 18th, 1890. They were the parents of five children; Mary Baker, now Mrs.. Edington, who resides in Augusta, Eau Clair Co., WI; Eliza Baker, who became the wife of S. B. Jones, of Hustisford township; Rachael Baker, now Mrs. Perkins; and Thomas W. Baker, who is engaged in the liquor business in Hustisford.

Mr. and Mrs. Perkins became the parents of seven children; John Perkins, who was born June 22nd, 1872 and died October 8th, 1884; Elizabeth J. Perkins, born May 3rd, 1873, who became the wife of Gustav Seefeldt, a farmer of this township; Arthur Perkins, who was born on the 15th of January, 1878, and died when about fourteen months of age; Thomas Baker Perkins, who was born July 8th, 1884, and who died in infancy; William H. Perkins, born June 23rd, 1891, who resides with his parents; and two, who died in infancy.

The family are devout adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Perkins is serving as superintendent of the Sunday school. He gives his allegiance to the republican party but never allows his personal convictions to be influenced by party standards. In the course of years he has figured prominently in the public life of his district and is at present justice of the peace and notary public. In 1902 he was a candidate for the legislature but his most important public work has been along the lines of school expansion. For eighteen years he was treasurer of his school district and during that time did a great deal to improve the quality of instruction given to the children of Hustisford by paying good salaries in order to secure competent teachers. Although Mr. Perkins has given up active work, his interests are still closely identified with the development of the section in which he has lived so many years. In his retirement he can look back on an active life, connected always with lasting, useful and honorable things, and can rest in the consciousness of worthy work well done.

Source: History of Dodge County, Wisconsin

 EUGENE G. PERKINS, trainmaster of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, was born in Ulster county, N. Y. , Feb. 13th, 1848. His parents, Nathan Salisbury and Nancy (Gillet) Perkins, were both natives of the Empire State, where the father was engaged in agricultural pursuits, mercantile lines, milling operations and as a lumberman, having been one of the leading business men of the country until 1862, when he removed with is family to Houston county, Minnesota, and was drowned in the Root River there in 1867. The mother died in 1900 at the old home. They had six sons who grew to manhood, all of whom are yet living. Eugene G. Perkins was educated in the schools of Ulster county, N. Y., and Huston county, Minnesota. In 1864, when but sixteen years of age, he enlisted as a private in Company K, 11th Minnesota infantry, and served during the last year of the great Civil War. Two older brothers were also in the army. Norman Perkins enlisted in the 56th New York in 1861 and served for four years, and Edgar A. Perkins, served for three years in the 7th Minnesota. In 1866, Mr. Perkins entered the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad as a brakeman. About two and a half years later he was made conductor, and held that position for nearly twenty-five years, coming into his present position in 1892. Thus for over forty-one years he has been in the service of one of the greatest railroad systems on the continent, and the fact that he has been promoted to one of the responsible positions in that system is evident that he has the full confidence of the officials of the company. In 1871, he became a permanent resident of the city of La Crosse. Mr. Perkins is a consistent Republican in his political belief; has served as alderman and on the School Board of La Crosse and is always interested in every movement that has for its object the betterment of the city in which he lives. In social and benevolent societies he is prominent, being a thirty-second degree Mason; a member of Wilson Colwell Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and the La Crosse Club. He has been twice married. In 1871 he was united to Miss ALICE M. THOMPSON, daughter of Edward Thompson, of Hokah, Minn. She was born in Illinois and educated at Rockford in that State. She died in 1895, leaving two sons. George T. Perkins is a graduate of the United States Artillery at Fortress Monroe, Va. Under the operations of the Artillery Bill passed by the last session of Congress he became a captain, having previously held the rank of lieutenant. Willis D. Perkins, the other son, is in the electrical department of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. On June 8th, 1904, Mr. Perkins married ALICE VIOLA WHELAND, of Lake City, Minn, and to this union has been born one son, Robert Calvert Perkins, born in La Crosse, Aug. 19th, 1905. Mrs. Perkins graduated in the high school in her native town and afterward attended the normal school at Winona, Minn. Mr. Perkins resides at 225 South Seventy Street.

Source: Memoirs of La Crosse County, Wisconsin; from the earliest historical times down to the present with special chapters on various subjects, including each of the different towns, and genealogical and biographical record of representative families in the county, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information.

[*See: Biographical Sketch of Nathan S. Perkins]

Oliver G. Winter, a farmer of Manchester Township, Jackson County, Wisconsin is a man of high standing in the community and unquestioned integrity of character. He was born in Franklin County, Maine, February 28, 1821, and is a son of Benjamin and Olive (Gray) Winter, natives of the State of Maine, where they passed all their lives. They were the parents of six children: John, Fannie, Oliver G., Elisha, Joseph and Harrison. Oliver G. was the third born child; he was reared in his native county to the occupation of a
farmer, and received his education in the public schools. In 1857, when the tide of emigration was still flowing steadily to the West, he determined to seek out a home in this new section of country, and accordingly set out on this mission; he came to Jackson County, and for several years was engaged in the lumber business, operating a saw mill a portion of the time. In 1871 he purchased his present farm, which consists of 120 acres, most of which is under cultivation; there are neat comfortable buildings, and barns and sheds for the care and protection of the live-stock and the storing of grain; all the surroundings give evidence of thrift and wise management. Mr. Winter is a stanch Republican, and enjoys the distinction of having been a delegate to the convention that organized the Republican party. August 12, 1854, the Democrats, Whigs, and a third party, had called conventions in the town of Strong, Franklin County, Maine; all were set for the same hour, and when they were convened each body appointed a man to consult with each other, and see if some union could not be effected. They finally agreed to unite and organize a new party; a vote was taken on this which was unanimous. After this, the question arose: "What name shall be given the new party ?" John H. Willard, of the town of Wilton, arose and moved that it should be called the Republican party; this motion was seconded and carried without dissent. Mr. Winter was a delegate to the Democratic convention, up to that time being a strong adherent to the principles of that body. However, upon the organization of the new party he cast his lot with it, and has ever since been a stanch supporter of its movements. It is indeed a pleasure to record the history of a man who has had so prominent apart in the political history of this country, and one who is so worthy in every way of the honor. In 1860 Mr. Winter was elected by the Republicans of
Jackson County as Clerk of the Circuit Court, serving one term with great credit to himself and the entire satisfaction of his constituency. Since that time he has held many of the local offices, and there is perhaps no other farmer in the community better posted on the leading issues of the day than is he. In church matters he fulfills his obligation to the utmost, being an active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal society. April 21, 1845, is a day memorable in the history of our subject; he was then united in the holy bonds of marriage to Miss MARY L. PERKINS, of Weld, Franklin County, Maine. Mrs. Winter was born in York County, Maine, December 2,1823, and is a daughter of Jesse and Charlotte (Snowman) Perkins, natives of the State of Maine and life-long residents there. Mr. and Mrs. Winter had born to them two children: Alice E. and Fannie E. Alice E. was married, February 14, 1891, to Calvin H. Metcalf. Fannie E. is married to Lewis Mc Comber, and they have one child—Oliver. Mrs. Winter passed from this life September 28, 1884, leaving a large circle of friends to mourn with her bereaved family.

Source: Biographical history of Clark and Jackson counties, Wisconsin : containing personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families. C H I C A G O : THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY - 1891.

[Read the biographical sketch of John Dodge]

 PHILANDER PERKINS m. HARRIET DODGE;  her sister LURANEY DODGE m. EBEN PERKINS in New York

Source: Biographical review of Dane county, Wisconsin: containing biographical ... By Biographical Review Publishing Company - [Page 508]

Source: An illustrated history of the state of Wisconsin  - Charles Richard Tuttle b. 1848.

Source: The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement .. (1880)

*He is most likely the brother of John E. Perkins (below)

 OTIS G. PERKINS, a retired farmer residing on section 13, Raymond Township, was born in Onondaga County, N.Y., Oct. 16th, 1816, and is of English descent. The ancestry can be traced back in direct line to Jacob Perkins, who was born in England in 1624, and when a lad of seven years crossed the Atlantic with his father to Boston. Two years later he removed to Agawam or Ipswich, Mass, and in course of time inherited his father's homestead upon which he continued to reside throughout life. He was chosen Sergeant of the Military Band of Ipswich, in 1664, and was ever afterwards known as Sergeant Perkins. About 1647 he married and afterward wedded a second wife, Mrs. Damaris Robinson, of Boston, widow of Nathaniel Robinson. His death occurred January 27th, 1699. His son, Joseph Perkins, who was born in Ipswich, MA, June 21st, 1674, removed to Norwich, Connecticut, in early life and there was married May 22nd, 1700, to Martha Morgan, daughter of Joseph and Dorothea Morgan. The lady was born in Preston, CT, in 1680, and died in Oct., 1754. With his brother Jabez Perkins, Joseph Perkins bought a tract of land of about one thousand acres for 70 pounds in the fork of the Quinebang and Shetucket Rivers, in the town of Norwich, CT, which land was in the possession of the family until between 1804 and 1820, and was known as the Perkins Notch. Deacon Perkins was a man of influence in his neighborhood and especially prominent in church work. The next in the line of direct descent was William Perkins, who was born in Norwich, CT, in 1722, and married Elizabeth Buck, who was born in 1725, and was the daughter of David and Elizabeth Buck, of Wethersfield, CT. They had four children. Daniel Buck Perkins, one of the number, was the grandfather of our subject. He was born in Norwich, CT, May 13th, 1760, and married Sallie Berchard, by whom he had six children. He is said to have been killed by lightning while riding through the woods. The family resided in Hartford, CT and Orange Counties, CT, and afterward in New York. Daniel Buck Perkins Jr., father of our subject, was born in Norwich, CT, June 18th, 1791, and grew to manhood upon a farm. When twelve years of age he removed to New York, where he spent the greater part of his life. Farming was his principal occupation, although he engaged in the lumber trade for awhile. In Onondaga County, NY, he met and married Miss Elizabeth Loomis, about 1813. She was probably born in Norwich, CT, about 1792, and her death occurred in 1856. Mr. Perkins died from the kick of a horse, July 18th, 1848. In their home were three sons and three daughters, the eldest of whom is Otis G. Perkins; Clarinda Perkins and Margaret Perkins are both residents of California; Fred B. Perkins is a carpenter, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; F. L. Perkins makes his home in Alameda, California; and Celinda Perkins died in Racine Co., Wisconsin, in 1854. The parents were both members of the Presbyterian Church and took great interest in its work. Mr. Perkins was a great reader and kept well informed on all subjects of general interest, both political and otherwise. In politics he supported the Whig party. We now take up the personal history of our subject, the only representative of the family living in this county. During the winter season he attended the common schools and in the summer months worked upon the farm, his training in the latter line being more than in the former. He remained at home until about twenty-seven years of age, when, on the 15th of January 1845, he was united in marriage with JULIA A. BENVER, of Onondaga County, N.Y.. The following year they came West by way of the lakes to Racine County, WI and settled in Raymond Township, upon a farm which they occupied for two years, when, in 1848, Mr. Perkins purchased his present farm, then a timbered tract upon which not a tree had been cut, a furrow turned or other improvements made. Now one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land pay him a golden tribute for the care and cultivation bestowed upon it and his farm is accounted one of the best in the community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Perkins have been born the following children - Francis M. Perkins, who was born June 21st, 1846, took a scientific course in Beloit College, wedded Mary A. James in Lawrence, KS; and is now a loan broker in that place; Mary Adelaide Perkins, who was born April 10th, 1851, is the wife of Homer R. Wheat, a farmer of Beloit, WI; Lucius H. Perkins, who was born March 5th, 1855, educated in Beloit, WI and married Clara L. Morris, was for two years engaged in the loan business in London, England, and is now general manager of a large business of that kind in Kansas. Mr. Perkins cast his Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren, supporting the Democratic party. He became one of the first Freesoilers and voted for Fremont and Lincoln, the first two Presidential candidates of the Republican party. He has been an influential member of the party and labored for its success but has never sought political preferment for himself. Socially he is an Odd Fellow. He began life in Racine County, WI with a cash capital of $250, but by perseverance, industry and good management has worked his way upward until he now has a fine competence which enables him to live a retired life. The best interests of the community he has had at heart and well does he deserve to be numbered among the honored pioneers of the county.

Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin

 ROBERT S. PERKINS, D.D.S., whose pleasant rooms are found in the Putney Block, Waukesha, located in the city in June, 1893. Dr. Perkins is a native of Wisconsin, born at New Lisbon, Juneau Co., WI, in 1867. His father, Sanford R. Perkins, now of Milwaukee, was an early settler of that county. The subject of this sketch moved to Palmyra, WI with his parents when but a child, and to Peoria, IL, when twelve years of age, where he attended the public schools. In 1888 he entered the Chicago College of Dental Surgery, from which he graduated in 1893. This, as will be seen, covers a period of about five years, but previous to his graduation and during an interval of about two years, he worked at his profession in the Haymarket Theatre Building, Chicago, IL, and later, returning to college, completed his course. Dr. Perkins was married in Peoria, IL, to Miss CLARA DEBORD, a native of that city and a daughter of Reuben Debord. They have two children, a son and a daughter, Harry Perkins and Hallie Perkins. Though one of the youngest of the dental profession of Waukesha County, WI, Dr. Perkins possesses both a theoretical and practical knowledge of his calling, qualities that have already won for him a successful business.

Source: Portrait and biographical record of Waukesha County, WI - 1894

Hon. GEORGE PERKINS. County Judge of Fond du Lac County, WI from 1877 to January, 1890, is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born at Montrose, Susquehanna county, PA, May 8th, 1820. His parents were Francis and Rebecca Childs (Sherman) Perkins. His father was born at Groton, CT, on the Thames River, Connecticut. The family settled in Connecticut prior to the Revolutionary War, and took an active part in the struggle for independence. Six members of the family were killed at the capture of Ft. Griswold by the English under Benedict Arnold. Judge Perkins' mother was born in Vermont, and removed in childhood to Pennsylvania. Her family was originally from Rhode Island. Mr. Francis Perkins located in Susquehanna County, PA, in 1810, where he was married. He was a farmer by occupation in early life, later a trader in Ohio, going thence to Bourbon County, Kansas, where his death occurred in the spring of 1862, his wife having previously died in Carbondale, PA. There were four children in their family who grew to maturity, one sister dying in childhood: George Perkins, the subject of this sketch, was the eldest; Christopher S. Perkins, the next younger, married Eliza Hyde, is now a widower, and is a farmer by occupation, following that business in Susquehanna County, PA.; Ruth Ann Perkins is the wife of Joseph Morse, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Emma Perkins is the wife of Jedediah Bowen, of Ripon, WI. Our subject was educated at Susquehanna Academy, in his native town, and when about sixteen years of age he entered the office of the North Star and Freeman's Journal, published by Albert L. Post, of Montrose, PA, and learned the printer's trade, at which he worked for about four years. During that time, upon the advice of Mr. Post, he spent his leisure hours reading law, and later studied with Benjamin T. Case, decided to make that profession his life work, and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He began practice at Dundaff, in Susquehanna County, PA, and from there removed to Carbondale, Luzerne County, PA, where he engaged in the practice of his profession, taught school a few years, was Superintendent of Schools, and Prosecuting Attorney of the municipal court. After a residence of six years at Carbondale, he removed to Pittston, in the same county, where he was married November 15th, 1854, to Miss ABBIE PERKINS, daughter of Stephen and Eliza (Smith) Perkins, who then resided in Connecticut. Mrs. Perkins was born at Gales Ferry, on the Thames River, Connecticut. Three children were born of their union: Eleanor Perkins, the eldest, is the wife of Henry J. Genpheide, an attorney residing in Fond du Lac, WI; Eliza Perkins died at the age of two years; and Ruth Perkins at the age of three years. In 1855 Judge Perkins removed to Wisconsin, and located at Ripon, Fond du Lac County, WI; one year later he engaged in mercantile business at Brandon, WI , but returned to Ripon, WI in 1858, where he practiced his profession until the fall of 1864, except and interval of 100 days, which he spent in the service of the late war. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in Company B, 41st Wisconsin Infantry, was commissioned Second Lieutenant of his company, and served the term of his enlistment. He participated in the engagement with the rebel general, Forest, at Nashville, Tennessee, in which the Confederate Cavalry was repulsed and driven out. In the fall of 1864, on his return from the war, Lieut. Perkins was elected District Attorney for Fond du Lac County, and removed to Fond du Lac city, where he has since resided. He was elected to the office of District Attorney, and served six years. He also served one year as City Comptroller, and in the fall of 1877, was elected County Judge, which office he has held continuously to this date, covering a period of twelve years. In politics Judge Perkins affiliated with the Republican party until the Greeley campaign of 1872, when he joined the Liberal Republicans, and since that campaign has acted and voted with the Democrats. March 19th, 1868, Mrs. Perkins died, while on a visit to her native State, and in June, 1870, the Judge was married at Windham, CT, to EMELINE H. LARRABEE, a daughter of Capt. Adam and Hannah G. (Lester) Larrabee. Mrs. Perkins was born in the town of Ledgard, CT. Her father was a graduate of West Point, and served in the War of 1812. He was commissioned Captain in the regular army, and was wounded at the battle of La Cole Mill, March 30th, 1814. Three children were born of the latter marriage, two sons and a daughter, George B. Perkins; Fannie G. Perkins and Jedediah Bowen Perkins. Mrs. Perkins is a member of the Congregational Church of Fond du Lac, WI. During his law practice, Judge Perkins has been associated in business with the following named gentlemen: In 1866 he formed a law partnership with Summer Brasted, which continued for two years under the firm name of Perkins  & Brasted: next he was in company with N. S. Gilson, the present circuit Judge, three years, under the style of Perkins & Glison; later he was with the Hon. Charles A. Eldridge and Judge J. Mayham, under the firm name of Eldridge, Mayham and Perkins. From 1873 until the time of his election as county Judge, he was alone in practice. Judge Perkins is a member of Fond du Lac Lodge No. 140, A. F. & A. M., and has been a member of the order since 1866. In all his relations with his fellow-men, the Judge has borne himself as an upright, honorable man, both in public and private life. His administration of the office of County Judge has been such as to win the respect and confidence of his constituents, who have kept him in the position for twelve consecutive years. As a lawyer, he is recognized as the peer of any in the Fond du Lac bar, with which he has been associated for a third of a century.

Source: Portrait and Biographical album of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin - (1889)
Also Read: Biographical Sketch - George Perkins - United States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men; Wisconsin volume - (1877)
 

Also.......

HON. GEORGE PERKINS, County Judge; was born at Montrose, Susquehanna Co., Penn,  May 8th, 1820, whence he removed to Luzerne Co., in that State, and to Ripon, WI, in 1855, the next hear he entered the mercantile business at Brandon, WI, but returned to Ripon, WI in 1858, where he practiced law until he enlisted in Co. B, 41st W. V. I. , in the spring of 1864, as Second Lieutenant; he was mustered out as such; he returned to Ripon, WI, and in 1864 was elected District Attorney; he then removed to Fond du Lac, WI where he has since resided, holding office of District Attorney for six years; City Comptroller one year, and County Judge since 1877. He was married in Connecticut to ABBY PERKINS, a native of that State, by whom he had three children -- Eleanor P. Perkins, now Mrs. H. J. Gerpheide, and two who are deceased. He was married a second time, June, 1870, at Windham, CT, to EMELINE LARRABEE, a native of that place; they have three children -- George B. Perkins, Fannie G. Perkins and Jed B. Perkins. While at Ripon, WI, Judge Perkins was City Clerk one term, and is now Trustee of the Fond du Lac Public Library.

Source: The History of Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin -  By Western Historical Company - MDCCCLXXX

 ANSON WALKER PERKINS. One of the most reputable and successful of the younger business men of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is Anson Walker Perkins, who is now in the insurance business with offices in the United States National Bank building. Mr. Perkins is widely known, also, for his participation in the historic Byrd Antarctic Expedition, for which brilliant service he was awarded a gold Congressional Medal of Honor with certain others of that intrepid party. Mr. Perkins was born in Chillicothe, Missouri, January 18th, 1898, and is a son of Frederick and Esther W. (Walker) Perkins, both of whom were natives of Wisconsin, born in Walworth county and Racine county, respectively. The Perkins family is one of the oldest in the United States. The first of the name to come to American shored was John E. Perkins, who sailed the Atlantic from England in the year 1629, with the Winthrop colony, and settled in Connecticut. Frederick Perkins, grandfather of Anson W. Perkins, came from St. Lawrence Co., New York, to Wisconsin in 1852 and settled in Burlington, WI and built the old flour mill there, the woolen mill, and the road through the wilderness so that the farmers could bring their grain to his mill. Frederick Perkins, father of Anson W. Perkins, was reared in Burlington, WI, and as a young man clerked in a general store. He later engaged in business for himself, and also was a traveling salesman for the firm of Carson, Pirie & Scott, in which capacity he covered the states of Kansas and Missouri. In the year 1899, he came to Kenosha, WI and was in the grocery business in this city until his retirement in 1926, and he yet makes his home here. He and his wife are the parents of two children, Anson W. Perkins, whose name titles this biography, and Katherine Perkins, the latter married and a resident of Evanston, IL. In the grade and High schools of Kenosha, WI, Anson W. Perkins received his education, and then he spent a short interval on a Montana ranch. When the United States entered the World War in 1917, he enlisted in the First Wisconsin, having been one of the first volunteers to answer the call to the colors, and with this outfit he left the city. He was subsequently transferred to the One Hundred and Twentieth Field Artillery, Fifty-Seventh Brigade, and later was assigned to the Fifty-seventh Field Artillery, Brigade Headquarters of the Thirty-second (Red Arrow) Division. With this last named unit he served in France on three fronts and engaged in some of the most important and sanguinary actions overseas. He was mustered out of the military service in May, 1919. Having served his country most commendable, Mr. Perkins returned to the United States and entered the University of Wisconsin. He left this institution in 1921 for the purpose of establishing himself in the insurance business in Kenosha, WI. He was agent for the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company until 1924, when he became the local representative for the New York Life Insurance Company. In the summer of 1928, Mr. Perkins became acquainted with the proposed Byrd expedition to Antarctica, and immediately the desire seized him to take part in this adventurous quest for scientific information. He lost no time in writing to Commander Richard E. Byrd, who had received about fifteen thousand similar requests from those wishing to join the expedition, and as there were places for only about thirty volunteers, the commander was compelled to turn down practically all of the applicants. Mr. Perkins, however, was not to be denied and forthwith boarded a train for New York city, where Commander Byrd was making preparations for the trip. He called upon the leader in person and first met with refusal but finally, with the assistance of Z. G. Z. Simmons, he convinced the commander that his services would be valuable and he was accepted. On the day following, he was placed in charge of a warehouse in Hoboken, New Jersey, where the supplies for the expedition were being assembled. Shortly afterward, the first ship of the expedition, the City of New York, sailed with Mr. Perkins on board as a sailor before the mast. After putting in at various ports en route, including romantic Tahiti, where the members of the party were royally entertained in typical South Seas manner, they arrived at Dunedin, in New Zealand. At this port, the City of New York was joined by the other ship of the expedition, the Eleanor Bolling, which was the chief ship. To this latter vessel, Mr. Perkins was transferred and placed in the position of quartermaster. Then, in December, 1928, which is springtime on the other side of the world, the two ships sailed for the Antarctic. Their difficult passage is well known to American readers; their struggle with the mammoth icepacks, in sub-zero temperature. The Eleanor Bolling opened the path ahead of the City of New York, to the Bay of Whales on the edge of the Antarctic continent. They could not approach land, as a solid sheet of ice thirty feet high extended for about four hundred miles out into the sea from the mainland, and blocked the way. The supplies of both ships were landed on the flat top of this tremendous ice formation by means of derricks and cranes operated from the ships. After five days of stevedore work at the edge of this ice barrier, the farthest south any United States ship had ever sailed, the Eleanor Bolling returned through the pounding ice-jams to New Zealand, Mr. Perkins accompanying her. Another cargo of supplies was taken aboard, the and return voyage to the ice barrier was begun. However, by the time the ship had reached the ice-fields, the southern winter had closed in and Commander Byrd, fearing his men could not break through at that season and that they would be lost, radioed his instructions for the Eleanor Boling to turn back on her course. Consequently, the ship was headed for Dunedin, with orders to winter at that port.  This change in plans was a great disappointment to the officers and crew of the Eleanor Bolling, including quartermaster Perkins, for they had anticipated the thrill of the long winter night in the snow-covered building of the Byrd group on the barrier. However, the situation was unavoidable. After lying in port for a time, the crew of the Eleanor Bolling found various ways of using the long hours. Mr. Perkins formed a friendship with the mayor of Dunedin, and the latter placed him on the city pay roll as a tax assessor. Soon afterward, however, he undertook work which suited his tastes better. The expedition had imported a large number of Alaskan huskies, the strong, hardy dogs for hauling the sledges. Their natures are such that they become sick and die unless they are exercised regularly in a temperature below zero. There were about fifteen of these interesting animals on the Eleanor Bolling. Mr. Perkins and a companion took these dogs, with a tent for shelter and started for the mountains, known as the Alps of New Zealand. They made camp and there spent the winter months, hauling timber with the dogs to a place high in the mountains, seven thousand feet above sea level, far above the timer-line. Here the New Zealand authorities desired to erect a shelter for the use of scientists and explorers, but had been prevented from doing so by the lack of transportation and money. Mr. Perkins and his party spent a most enjoyable winter doing this work, and at the same time kept the huskies in splendid condition. In the fall of 1929, Mr. Perkins was recalled to his ship at Dunedin, and again the party sailed for the Antarctic. As they approached the ice-pack, word came by wireless that Commander Byrd had decided to leave rather than stay for another winter. Consequently the Eleanor Bolling marked time until joined by her sister ship, after which both returned to New Zealand, and thence, by way of Tahiti, to the port of New York. The thrilling reception received at the home port by these courageous voyagers and the fine results of the expedition are matters of history and common knowledge. Mr. Perkins shared in the honors heaped upon the men, and felt, with them, the real gratification of having accomplished the purpose for which the expedition was planned. Congress later authorized a Medal of Honor, the first of any ever awarded to non-military expedition, and these were presented to members of the Byrd expedition. On one side of the medal are inscribed the following words: "Presented to the officers and men of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition to express the high admiration in which the congress and the American people hold their heroic and undaunted services in connection with the scientific investigations and extraordinary aerial exploration of the Antarctic continent." On the same side is a reproduction of the stanch little City of New York and the polar plane. On the reverse side is a figure of Admiral Byrd in polar attire, with the dates 1928 to 1930. The actual presentation of the medal was by Ernest Lee Jahncke, acting secretary of the navy, and accompanying the medal to Mr. Perkins was a personal letter from Admiral Byrd, which his quoted as follows:

   "My Dear Perk: It is with great delight that I present to you this Congressional Medal. You gave many months of your life towards making our expedition successful. Now that a year has passed since we have returned home I want you to know that my gratitude to you is as firm as ever - that throughout our lives, whatever may be our various fortunes, you will find that my appreciation will not grow less. The time that has elapsed has only increased the respect of our countrymen for our expedition. May the years ahead have the same effect. The expression of this respect is this medal which is knighthood that your grateful countrymen have conferred upon you -- the highest honor within their gif. This is a recognition that will carry your name on the pages of history. On the face of the medal there is mention of the expedition's material accomplishments, but what it represents in an ever deeper sense is that which been invisible, which cannot be described -- the spirit of our expedition. It is internal bitterness, caused by fame, ambition, money and jealousy which, after the return home, has destroyed the spirit of most past expeditions. You have not let these things touch you and so I congratulate you and am grateful to you in a double sense. It is often more difficult to keep our sense of balance and proportion in civilization than in the polar regions. It is my confident hope that this spirit will live as a bright page in history. In conclusion, I want to say that whenever you come my way you will receive a warm welcome and the hand of friendship. Your friend -- R. E. Byrd."

After the expedition party has disbanded and the members had gone their different ways, Mr. Perkins returned to Kenosha, WI to resume his connection with the New York Life Insurance Company. He is successful in his chosen field of endeavor, and holds an enviable position among the business men of Kenosha, WI. He takes an active part in the civic and political affairs of Kenosha, WI and gives his unqualified support to all measures for the benefit of the community. He is a member of the First Congregational Church, and he belongs to the Chamber of Commerce; the Rotary Club; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Thirty-second Division Association; the Kenosha High School Association of which he is past president; and to the nation social fraternity Phi Kappa Psi.