William Richard Clancey Binkelman

1848 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	William Richard Clancey Binkelman  [1, 2, 3]
  Birth	2 Mar 1848	Chicago, Cook County, Illinois   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	Yes, date unknown
  Notes	Took his step-fathers last name, however he spelled it Binkelman. Art Peck shows his place of birth as Joliet, Jane Zimmerman instead writes that he was born in Chicago. Marion Advertiser - Marion, WI - May 18, 1917 Reminiscences of Old Times - By D. A. Ramsdell (Courtesy of Lorraine Smith Benkelman) William R. Binkelman, was born in Chicago, Ill., March 2nd, 1848. From there moved to Manitowoc Wis. Apr. 2nd 1887 (sic) he married Mary M. Ramsdell, daughter of Erastus and Sylvia Ramsdell of this place. Here they resided for several years, doing business in fruit and grocery store. Hoping to better their fortunes they like many others, thought there were more opportunities in a newer country. Disposing of his business in Manitowoc in 1878, they located at Perry's Mill, Dupont. In writing this early experience of Mr. Binkelman, I desire the reader to take into consideration this fact that from childhood, he had been afflicted with a hip disease that debarred him--or should have done so--from strenuous labor. His education was received in the schools of Manitowoc. That he was qualified to teach a common school; he proved with the discrimination and ambition to understand anything in sight to care for and support his family. His life and expectence one of the early settler and families of Marion; should or ought to be an example, that many a man with a more rugged constitution could follow. That his first few years here were ? ? of hardship and endurances, I can well believe. To illustrate, they had been without flour for some time. He started for Clintonville, and prevailed upon F. M. Guernsey to let him have a 60lb. sack, it being all he had and all there was to be had in Clintonville at that time. With this 60 pounds of flour upon his back, he, a cripple, whom every step was the cause of pain, it must have meant a great deal to them. About half way home he met James H. Churchill and asked him where he was going. He replied, "I am going to Clintonville for flour." Mr. Binkelman told him he had the last to be got in Clintonville. Churchill said, "I have got to have flour and I am going until I find it," which he did at New London. Mr. Binkleman said of that 60 pounds of flour they had one baking of biscuit the balance of it was loaned to their neighbors, this showing the disposition and self sacrifices made for each other. When in 1873 the Binkelmans came to Perry's Mill they lived in a small frame house built by W. I. Ramsdell and owned by his widow. They had one child, a daughter born at Manitowoc in 1872 Ollie Estelle. She married Eldert G. Vischer, then pastor of the M. E. Church at Marion. Her's was a life of devotion to her husband and friends. She passed from earth life several years ago, with the blessed faith of life eternal. Ervinin May, the second daughter was born at Marion Nov. 11th 1874. She was educated at Oshkosh and Valparaiso, Ind. Married Wm. D. Huebotter of Texas in 1898. She departed this life a year or so ago, leaving three bright young boys, the eldest being 7 years. They are living with their grand parents at Oshkosh. Mr. Binkelman having legally adopted them. Luella, the third daughter, was born at Marion Oct. 22nd, 1876. With her father and mother her life has been one of self sacrifice to her two departed sisters. Frederic Mark, a son was born at Marion in 1877, a promising boy of eight years when he departed this life. The earthly remains of the brother and two sisters are laid to rest in the Dupont Cemetery. Tilden (sic) J., a second son was born April 14th 1879. He married Edna Cuff of New London. They have three sons, the two eldest being twins, all fine boys. Jay, as we know him, was educated in the Marion schools, finishing up a business course at Racine. Was in business with his father until he sold to L. M. DeVaud & Co. Since then he remained in their employ until six months ago, he accepted a position with a Detroit house as travelling salesman, and two weeks since his family left for Port Huron, Mich. to make their future home. Muriel, the youngest daughter of the family, was born in this village April 14th 1884. She is with her parents in Oshkosh, the life and joy of the household. I have no wish or desire to flatter or give honor or respect where it is not due, but in this case, where I can write from a knowledge of what I am writing about I think it no flattery to say that for a family laboring under the conditions that this one did, all honor is due. That he was willing anxious to undertake any kind of labor to support his family he proved. He taught school at Belle Plaine two terms, cooked in the woods, purchased 10 acres of land on the town and county line road 1 1-2 miles west of the Marion Cemetery, and now owned by Wm. Anelam, moved his family there and was living there when we came in 1875. Here with no team, trying to clear up enough to get in a crop to keep them from starving, with his neighbor Aug. Dieck who had an ox team, they would exchange work, Binkelman driving the oxen, while Dieck with his two sons August and Jule would pile up the logs, fine maple logs worth now 40 dollars per thousand feet. Had to burn them up to make room to grow something to eat. That it was a struggle to live I can well believe. In 1876 he sold his farm to Wm. Anelam and came to the village and lived in a house located where Chas. Wiesman now lives and owned by Mrs. M. Timm. On the site or near it now occupied by Joseph Miller's grocery store, Binkelman and a man named Ritter, started a Hardware Store. It was a little frame building and I think built by a man from Royalton, have forgotten his name. Later the same year, Mr. Binkelman bought out Ritter. In 1877 he bought of W. R. Brainard, two lots in Block 8; original plat, and erected the north half of the DeVaud hardware store. In this was the only hall we had for years. In this half our different societies met, here our debating club thrashed out the principal questions of the day. Perhaps the world's war could have been amicably settled by us, had Germany been ready to fight. I believe here is where Louis Bowers did his last playing for our dances. 'Twas good music and faithfuly performed. Just before daylight a hat was passed around for collection. It came back, the hat did, 'this is a fact for I was there as the 2nd Violinist, and was to receive one half and there was no division of that collection, it was mostly pants buttons. Had Louis found out who was ? these buttons he would have returned them but he never did. That Mr. Binkelman prospered and his business grew, is due to his attention and hard work. In a few years he added to his store as it stands today. In 1913 he sold to L. M. DeVaud & Co. and moved to Oshkosh to take a rest. Call on him at 575 Main St. and see if you think he is. Mr. Binkelman has always taken a great interest in Marion. He is still the possessor of two fine residences, one on Garfield Ave., occupied by the Jos. Miller family and the other on Railroad Ave. and Clinton St. now the home of the Kelly family. Was Postmaster one term, Clerk of the Circuit Court at Waupaca, Chairman of the town of Dupont, Treasurer of the School District and also director of High School. Has been prominent in all that pertained to the welfare of the town and village. Their removal from this village to Oshkosh was a loss to the community and more especially the M. E. Church of which I think they are still members. That they received the rest they required by their removal would appear to an onlooker as a question for our old Debating Club. What do you say to it Will? http://www.wigenweb.org/waupaca/News/waupnews1917.htm BonnieMargaret Jacobs wrote that she had received a handwritten copy of his obituary from Mrs. John Arndt, and that it was carried in the Marion Advertiser on September 26, 1969(???). She does not show a date of death, however, and 1969 would make him nearly 120. (Research): Census Information: 1900 Census Wisconsin, Waupaca County, Marion Enumerated 21 Jun 1900 SD 6 ED 124 Sheet 14A 238-241 Binkelman, William Head W M Apr 1849 51 M 29 Ill Germany Ireland Hardware Salesman Binkelman, Mary M Wf W F Sept 1849 6/5 Wisc Vermont Vermont Binkelman, Zinnia M [Ervenia] Dtr W F Nov 1874 25 S Wisc Ill Wisc Music Teacher Binkelman, Luella Dtr W F Oct 1876 23 S Wisc Ill Wisc School Teacher Binkelman, Lindon J Son W M Apr 1880 20 S Wisc Ill Wisc Salesman Binkelman, Murel Dtr W F Apr 1885 15 S Wisc Ill Wisc At School Krueger, John Boarder W M Jan 1877 23 S Wisc Germany Germany Tinker 1910 Census Wisconsin, Waupaca, Dupont William R. Binkelma 60 Ill England England Mary M. Binkelma 59 Luella Binkelma 32 Merl Binkelma 25 (Index info only, was unable to open the actual census page on Ancestry.com)
  Person ID	I12672	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Johann Leonhard "Leonard" Benkelman,   b. 5 Jul 1828, Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany d. 25 May 1913, Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin (Age 84 years)
  Mother	Jane McCormick,   b. 13 May 1830, Ireland d. 21 Aug 1894, Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin (Age 64 years)
  Marriage	19 Feb 1855	Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin   [1, 3, 4]
  	BENKELMANN: Leonhard (also Leonard Benkelman) b: Wurtenburg, Germany res: Manitowoc p: Leonhard and Toladea Benkelmann m: 19 Feb. 1855 at Manitowoc to: Jane (McCormick)Clancey (a young widow from Chicago) p: John and Cath. McCormick source: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~tomanitowoc Jane Zimmerman writes that Leonard was quite easygoing, whereas Jane was hard to please.
  Family ID	F5021	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Ann Ramsdell,   b. Sep 1849, Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	28 Mar 1871	Manitowoc County, Wisconsin   [2, 4, 5]
  	There is perhaps no more prominent businessman in the northern part of Waupaca County than Mr. Binkelman. He has been a farmer, schoolteacher, and merchant, and, on his upward to a comfortable competence, he has also engaged in various other vocations. His present mercantile establishment is the largest in the village of Marion. Mr. Binkelman was born in Joliet, ILL, in 1849, son of Leonard and Jane (McCormick) Binkelman, the father a native of Germany, the mother of Irish extraction. Leonard Binkleman was a ship builder by trade, and for many years was a resident of Joliet, removing thence in 1852 to Manitowoc, Wis., where he also followed his trade. Mrs. Binkelman died in 1894, and he now resides with his son, W.R. at Marion. Their children were: W.R., Mary Jane, wife of William Clark, of Manitowoc; Fred, and Emma E., wife of John Bodwin, of East Gibson, Manitowoc County. W.R. Binkelman was reared in Manitowoc, and after leaving the schools there, clerked in a grocery store for some time, after which for about ten years he was engaged in the confectionery business of Manitowoc. In 1872 Mr. Binkelman moved to Shawano County, and there engaged in farming, teaching school and speculating in land for several years, teaching in Grant and Belle Plaine Townships, and also in Dupont Township, Waupaca County. In 1876, he removed to the later township, locating on a tract of land one and a half miles distant from Marion. Three years later he opened a hardware store at Marion, where he has since been continuously in business. There was only one store in the village when he located there, that of McDonald and Ramsdell, a firm that has since gone out of business. The village contained but three houses, Mr. Binkelman erecting the fifth building, but there is now a population of 800, and it is still growing rapidly. He erected his present building, a good two-story frame, in 1881, and carries of full line of hardware and farm machinery, the most valuable stock of goods in Dupont Township. He is a notary public, and for thirteen years, up to January 1, 1895, he was in the insurance business. In earlier life Mr. Binkelman filed cross-cut saws, and adopted various other honest and honorable means of obtaining a start in life, and he began business in Marion with only $350, his present extensive trader testifying to his abundant, perhaps unequalled, success at this point. Mr. Binkelman was married, in 1871, to Miss [Mary] Ann Ramsdell , who was born in Manitowoc Rapids, daughter of Erastus Ramsdell, an early pioneer of Manitowoc country, who subsequently moved to Dupont Township, where he died in 1890. To Mr. and Mrs. Binkelman came 6 children, five of whom are now living: Olla A., Irvine, Luella, Lindon J., and Murrell. Mark died at the age of eight years. In politics Mr. Binkelman is a Republican, and socially he is a charter member of Marion Lodge No. 256, I.O.O.F., in which he has passed all the Chairs, and is now serving as Chaplain. He attends the M.E. Church, and his eldest daughter, Olla A., is Superintendent of Sunday School at the flourishing Church. In January, 1895, Mr. Binkelman was elected Chairman of Dupont Township; he was Clerk of the Courts of Waupaca County from 1884 to 1888; was Postmaster at Marion under President Harrison from 1888 to 1892, resigning in the later year; he was Town Clerk of Dupont for five years; In January, 1895, was appointed chairman of the town board, and, in the spring of that year was elected chairman, receiving 241 votes out of a total of 307, a fact which testifies better than words his popularity. He is well known throughout Waupaca County, and commands the esteem and good fellowship of all who know him. From "Commemorative Biological Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties of Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas, Langlade and Shawano" by Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co., 1895. (Courtesy of Lorraine Smith Benkelman)
  Children	1. Olla Estelle "Ollie" Binkelman,   b. Abt 1872, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin d. Bef 1915 (Age ~ 42 years)   2. Ervenia Mary Binkelman,   b. 11 Nov 1874, Marion, Waupaca County, Wisconsin d. 17 Jan 1916, Tokio, McLennan County, Texas (Age 41 years)   3. Luella Binkelman,   b. 22 Oct 1876, Marion, Waupaca County, Wisconsin d. Abt 3 Jul 1947, Wisconsin (Age 70 years)   4. Frederic Mark Binkelman,   b. Abt 1877, Marion, Waupaca County, Wisconsin d. 11 May 1885, Marion, Waupaca County, Wisconsin (Age ~ 8 years)   5. Lyndon Jay "Jay" Binkelman,   b. 14 Apr 1880, Marion, Waupaca County, Wisconsin d. Yes, date unknown   6. Myrl "Muriel" Binkelman,   b. 14 Apr 1885, Marion, Waupaca County, Wisconsin d. Oct 1969, Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin (Age 84 years)
  Family ID	F9378	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Jun 2013

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 2 Mar 1848 - Chicago, Cook County, Illinois Marriage - 28 Mar 1871 - Manitowoc County, Wisconsin  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Binkelman Store, W.R. and Sons, Marion, Wisconsin, after 1890 William Richard Clancey Binkelman's hardware store, the largest and most prosperous store in the village of Marion, Wisc. as of 1895. W.R.'s mother, Jane McCormick, was a young widow with two small children when she married her second husband, Leonard Benkelman, a German immigrant. Her children took on his last name, however they used the spelling of Binkelman.
  		Binkelman Store, Manitowoc, Wisconsin A photo of the W.R. Binkelman store in Manitowoc

  
  

• Sources

  [S492] Peck, Edward Arthur THE TEN BENKELMANS WHO EMIGRATED TO AMERICA Ca. 1850s AND CERTAIN OF THEIR DESCENDANTS, 1982. [S813] Ramsdell, D. A. "Reminscences of Old Times" MARION ADVERTISER, Marion, WI, 18 May 1917, (http://www.wigenweb.org/waupaca/News/waupnews1917.htm). [S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 102 (Reliability: 3). [S690] Zimmerman, Jane-Family Researcher (zimnero@tm.net). [S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 103, she cites Manitowoc County Marriage Records, Vol. 4, pg. 44 (Reliability: 3).