John O. Melby
John O. Melby, for many years a leader in the business, political and financial integrity of Trempealeau County, was born Oct. 15, 1845, at Askim, Smaalenenes Amt, Norway. He was reared to farm pursuits and received a common school education. As a young man he was employed for five years in a clerical position in Christiania, and during this period attracted the favorable attention of several prominent citizens. But at the advice of his friends, who saw in the young clerk those talents which in after years were to be the foundation of his success, he determined to seek the wider opportunities of the new world.
Accordingly, bidding farewell to his old associates, he embarked for America in 1869, and found his way to Omaha, Neb., where he remained but a short time. Thence he came to La Crosse, Wis., where he was employed for a short time in the saw mills. It was in 1870 that he came to Ettrick, in this county, and secured work as a clerk in the general store of Iver Pederson, in whose employment he remained for five years. While a resident of that town he was elected to the office of town treasurer, a position he held for four years.
His character as a man, his ability as an official, and his willingness to render services to his fellowmen whenever needed made him well known throughout the county, and in 1874 he was elected registrar of deeds of Trempealeau County, which office he held continuously until 1887. He was a conscientious official, and discharged the duties of his office with dignity and ability. Especially was his influence marked among his fellow countrymen, who, finding themselves in a new land with new laws and customs, constantly sought his competent advice.
From 1887 to 1888 he was cashier of the Bank of Galesville, and it was upon retiring from this office that he entered upon his notable career as near the end of the latter year he began the operation of a private bank, at Whitehall, which he conducted as such until 1894. In 1894 he organized a stock company and incorporated this as a state bank under the name of John O. Melby & Co. Bank.
In 1906 the charter of this bank was extended and the capital stock increased to $50,000. He was president of this institution from its creation to the date of his death, June 12, 1909.
The Times Banner, in summing up his life and work after his death said of him: “In the death of Mr. Melby, Trempealeau County loses one of its leading citizens and Whitehall its most lofty type of a Christian gentleman. For almost a quarter of a century he has been identified with the business, political and social life of the county, and perhaps no man in all its history has enjoyed such a wide circle of personal friends as he.
“From every se ction of the county people came to him with their problems and troubles, and this is especially true of those of his own nativity, whose inability to speak the English language or whose lack of knowledge concerning our laws made them hesitate to confide in others. To those he gave his time and the benefit of his intimate business knowledge with a patience and kindly interest that early in life endeared him to all who knew him.
“How much of his time he has thus devoted gratuitously to others will never be known, nor can we ever estimate what his advice and help thus taken from his busy life has done for the peace of communities, the tranquility of homes, and the upbuilding of characters in the county and even beyond its borders. With a modesty becoming his generous nature, these are all closed incidents for which he made no charge and kept no record.
“Only once has he held public office, that of registrar of deeds of Trempealeau County, and his services in that capacity were so highly appreciated that it was with difficulty that he could retire at the end of twelve years of continuous service. Time and again in later life he refused the offers of high political honors to devote his time to his business and his family.
“Perhaps no stronger testimonial of his clean and rugged character could be written than the record of the birth and steady growth of the banking institution that bears his name. For twenty-one years this institution has been almost the sole depository for the wealth of the county seat and the surrounding territory. During all those years it has stood with the strength of a Gibraltar. Whether the financial tide ran high or low, the people's faith in this bank never faltered, chiefly because of their unquestioned faith in the man at its head.
“He died possessed of a comfortable fortune, and always gave with a liberal hand to every worthy charity and to every cause looking to the improvement of the social and educational conditions in the village of Whitehall. In his boyhood he joined the United Lutheran Church of Norway, and has always been an earnest Christian worker, giving liberally to the aid of church work, regardless of denominations. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Whitehall owes much to his enthusiastic work and liberal support.
“The best epitome of the life and character of John O. Melby was his request, as the end drew near, for a simple Christian burial, and his acceptance without fear and with quiet resignation of the infinite decree. John O. Melby is gone, and the light of his kindly presence on the streets of Whitehall is dimmed by death, but the influence of his upright Christian life will remain with us to cheer and guide the generations yet to come."
Such encomiums but briefly skim the surface of the real depths of his character, his worth and the meaning his life had on the community. He furnished backing for several financial and business institutions throughout the county; he encouraged many a worthy business enterprise that had a part in the upbuilding of Trempealeau County villages.
In Whitehall there was scarcely any phase of the village's activity in which he did not have a part. His benefactions were widespread, his hand was ever open. The blessings which the people of Whitehall will receive from the park which he and his wife presented to the village will increase yearly.
Mr. Melby was especially happy in his domestic life, and in his home and family he took his greatest pride. At the beginning of his career Nov. 3, 1875, he married Jennie L. Beach, at Ettrick, and her influence and encouragement were important factors in his success.
Their home was brightened by five children. Two died in infancy. Kathryn F. is the wife of Judge Robert S. Cowie of Whitehall, Charles B. is cashier of the John O. Melby & Co. Bank of Whitehall, Marie A. is the wife of Harold W. Dawdy of Onalaska, Wis.
Jennie L. Melby, the inspiration and companion of her husband in all his efforts, was born at Charlotte, Vt., Oct. 9, 1847, daughter of Charles Grant Beach and Caroline Barnes Beach. In 1854 the family moved to North Ferrisburg, Vt., where she attended the common school. In 1859 she attended the seminary at Charlotte, and in 1864 the select school at the Hollow, in North Ferrisburg.
In 1866 she entered the female seminary at Middleburg, Vt., remaining there, however, only one year, as her parents then left for Wisconsin, where Mr. Beach owned a farm near Ettrick. Shortly after coming west she began a term of school in the settlement now known as Hegg.
The following winter she taught in what was then known as the lower district of Scotch Prairie; then the next two terms in Ettrick, and finally a term of school in what is known as the Beach district. At the close of the term she returned to Vermont, where she remained about a year, returning to Wisconsin in 1872.
On Nov. 3, 1875, she was married to John O. Melby, at Ettrick, Wis. In 1876 they moved to Galesville, where they remained until the county seat was moved to Arcadia, leaving Galesville in the fall of 1876 for Arcadia, where they resided until the fall of 1877. At that time the county seat was moved to Whitehall, to which place they came to remain until the present time.
Mrs. Melby was always active in community endeavors wherever she was located, especially in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she is a leading member. Being deeply interested in music, and possessing an unusually sweet voice, she was prominent in all musical organizations until late years.
She was a charter member of the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union and its first president. She was also an active member of Ivy Chapter, No. 115, Order of the Eastern Star.
(from HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY WISCONSIN
Compiled by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Edited by Eben Douglas Pierce, M.D.
H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co.
Chicago and Winona 1917)
Accordingly, bidding farewell to his old associates, he embarked for America in 1869, and found his way to Omaha, Neb., where he remained but a short time. Thence he came to La Crosse, Wis., where he was employed for a short time in the saw mills. It was in 1870 that he came to Ettrick, in this county, and secured work as a clerk in the general store of Iver Pederson, in whose employment he remained for five years. While a resident of that town he was elected to the office of town treasurer, a position he held for four years.
His character as a man, his ability as an official, and his willingness to render services to his fellowmen whenever needed made him well known throughout the county, and in 1874 he was elected registrar of deeds of Trempealeau County, which office he held continuously until 1887. He was a conscientious official, and discharged the duties of his office with dignity and ability. Especially was his influence marked among his fellow countrymen, who, finding themselves in a new land with new laws and customs, constantly sought his competent advice.
From 1887 to 1888 he was cashier of the Bank of Galesville, and it was upon retiring from this office that he entered upon his notable career as near the end of the latter year he began the operation of a private bank, at Whitehall, which he conducted as such until 1894. In 1894 he organized a stock company and incorporated this as a state bank under the name of John O. Melby & Co. Bank.
In 1906 the charter of this bank was extended and the capital stock increased to $50,000. He was president of this institution from its creation to the date of his death, June 12, 1909.
The Times Banner, in summing up his life and work after his death said of him: “In the death of Mr. Melby, Trempealeau County loses one of its leading citizens and Whitehall its most lofty type of a Christian gentleman. For almost a quarter of a century he has been identified with the business, political and social life of the county, and perhaps no man in all its history has enjoyed such a wide circle of personal friends as he.
“From every se ction of the county people came to him with their problems and troubles, and this is especially true of those of his own nativity, whose inability to speak the English language or whose lack of knowledge concerning our laws made them hesitate to confide in others. To those he gave his time and the benefit of his intimate business knowledge with a patience and kindly interest that early in life endeared him to all who knew him.
“How much of his time he has thus devoted gratuitously to others will never be known, nor can we ever estimate what his advice and help thus taken from his busy life has done for the peace of communities, the tranquility of homes, and the upbuilding of characters in the county and even beyond its borders. With a modesty becoming his generous nature, these are all closed incidents for which he made no charge and kept no record.
“Only once has he held public office, that of registrar of deeds of Trempealeau County, and his services in that capacity were so highly appreciated that it was with difficulty that he could retire at the end of twelve years of continuous service. Time and again in later life he refused the offers of high political honors to devote his time to his business and his family.
“Perhaps no stronger testimonial of his clean and rugged character could be written than the record of the birth and steady growth of the banking institution that bears his name. For twenty-one years this institution has been almost the sole depository for the wealth of the county seat and the surrounding territory. During all those years it has stood with the strength of a Gibraltar. Whether the financial tide ran high or low, the people's faith in this bank never faltered, chiefly because of their unquestioned faith in the man at its head.
“He died possessed of a comfortable fortune, and always gave with a liberal hand to every worthy charity and to every cause looking to the improvement of the social and educational conditions in the village of Whitehall. In his boyhood he joined the United Lutheran Church of Norway, and has always been an earnest Christian worker, giving liberally to the aid of church work, regardless of denominations. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Whitehall owes much to his enthusiastic work and liberal support.
“The best epitome of the life and character of John O. Melby was his request, as the end drew near, for a simple Christian burial, and his acceptance without fear and with quiet resignation of the infinite decree. John O. Melby is gone, and the light of his kindly presence on the streets of Whitehall is dimmed by death, but the influence of his upright Christian life will remain with us to cheer and guide the generations yet to come."
Such encomiums but briefly skim the surface of the real depths of his character, his worth and the meaning his life had on the community. He furnished backing for several financial and business institutions throughout the county; he encouraged many a worthy business enterprise that had a part in the upbuilding of Trempealeau County villages.
In Whitehall there was scarcely any phase of the village's activity in which he did not have a part. His benefactions were widespread, his hand was ever open. The blessings which the people of Whitehall will receive from the park which he and his wife presented to the village will increase yearly.
Mr. Melby was especially happy in his domestic life, and in his home and family he took his greatest pride. At the beginning of his career Nov. 3, 1875, he married Jennie L. Beach, at Ettrick, and her influence and encouragement were important factors in his success.
Their home was brightened by five children. Two died in infancy. Kathryn F. is the wife of Judge Robert S. Cowie of Whitehall, Charles B. is cashier of the John O. Melby & Co. Bank of Whitehall, Marie A. is the wife of Harold W. Dawdy of Onalaska, Wis.
Jennie L. Melby, the inspiration and companion of her husband in all his efforts, was born at Charlotte, Vt., Oct. 9, 1847, daughter of Charles Grant Beach and Caroline Barnes Beach. In 1854 the family moved to North Ferrisburg, Vt., where she attended the common school. In 1859 she attended the seminary at Charlotte, and in 1864 the select school at the Hollow, in North Ferrisburg.
In 1866 she entered the female seminary at Middleburg, Vt., remaining there, however, only one year, as her parents then left for Wisconsin, where Mr. Beach owned a farm near Ettrick. Shortly after coming west she began a term of school in the settlement now known as Hegg.
The following winter she taught in what was then known as the lower district of Scotch Prairie; then the next two terms in Ettrick, and finally a term of school in what is known as the Beach district. At the close of the term she returned to Vermont, where she remained about a year, returning to Wisconsin in 1872.
On Nov. 3, 1875, she was married to John O. Melby, at Ettrick, Wis. In 1876 they moved to Galesville, where they remained until the county seat was moved to Arcadia, leaving Galesville in the fall of 1876 for Arcadia, where they resided until the fall of 1877. At that time the county seat was moved to Whitehall, to which place they came to remain until the present time.
Mrs. Melby was always active in community endeavors wherever she was located, especially in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she is a leading member. Being deeply interested in music, and possessing an unusually sweet voice, she was prominent in all musical organizations until late years.
She was a charter member of the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union and its first president. She was also an active member of Ivy Chapter, No. 115, Order of the Eastern Star.
(from HISTORY OF TREMPEALEAU COUNTY WISCONSIN
Compiled by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Edited by Eben Douglas Pierce, M.D.
H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co.
Chicago and Winona 1917)