Bose, William F. and Nellie

William F. and Nellie Braid Bose
50th Wedding Anniversary Photo
(Source:  Original Photo courtesy of Jim and Sharon Bose Smith.  Copyright 2012.  All Rights Reserved.)

William F. Bose and Nellie A. Braid Bose
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin

William F. Bose

William F. Bose engages in general farming on section 6, Somers Township, Kenosha County.  He can boast of a fact which is true of few, that he is living on the farm which was his birthplace.  He first opened his eyes to the light of day on the 17^th of May, 1855.  His father was William Bose and mother Ann.  In the usual manner of farmer lads our subject spent the days of his childhood and received the advantages afforded by the public schools of the neighborhood.  Under the parental roof he remained until he attained his majority, giving his father the benefit of his services and when he had reached man’s estate he aided in carrying on the home farm until his marriage.

On April 9, 1878, Mr. Bose was joined in wedlock with Miss Nellie Breaid, daughter of John Breaid[1].  The lady is also a native of Kenosha County, and the young people, boys and girls together, were reared in the name neighborhood and attended the same school.  Mr. Bose brought his bride to the old home farm which he rented for a few years until he was able to purchased one hundred acres.  His land he now has under a high state of cultivation and the improvements, which are many, are both useful and ornamental and stand as monuments to the enterprise of the owner.  The home is a large and substantial residence, there is also a good barn and other necessary outbuildings and a fine bearing orchard.

Four children have come to brighten the home by their presence and the family circle yet remains unbroken.  They are two sons and two daughters and in order of birth are as follows: Jennie Belle, Anna Margaret, William Frederick Jr., and Charles Clarence, the youngest.

In religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Bose are Methodists, holding membership with the Lake Shore Church.  To its support they contribute freely and in its work and progress take a deep interest.  They are also liberal with their means for charitable and benevolent purposes and are highly respected people whose social qualities have won them many friends.  The Bose household is the abode of hospitality and the members of the family rank high in social circles.  Mr. Bose is an enterprising and progressive farmer and a public-spirited citizen who is ever ready with his influence and co-operation to aid in the advancement of those interests which are calculated to upbuild and benefit the town and county.  In politics he is a Republican, having supported that party since he cast his first Presidential vote for Rutherford B. Hayes.  He is a warm advocage of its principles and a stanch believer in its politics.  He has taken quite an active part in local politics and is now serving as a member of the Town Board of Supervisors, also as a member of the School Board.[2]

 More About William Frederick Bose
William Frederick Bose, a widely known and prosperous farmer of Somers Township, was born in that Township on the 17th of May, 1854, of the marriage of William and Anna (Canvin) Bose, natives respectively of Germany and Northamptonshire, England. In 1846 the father came to Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and from that time until his demise on the 9th of April, 1898, followed agricultural pursuits in Somers township. His wife passed away on the 15th of April 1900, and both are buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Somers Township. To them were born three children, namely: Ed, who is married; William Frederick; and Mary, the deceased wife of John Wensing, by whom she had four children. Mrs. Bose also had two children by a former marriage, namely: John Hansche, who is married; and Herman Hansche, deceased. Mr. Bose was a Republican in politics and held the office of road overseer. His religious faith was that of the Methodist Church.

William Frederick Bose entered the common schools at the usual age and received a good education. For some time he worked for his father, but when twenty-wo years of age he rented the homestead which he farmed on his own account for a decade. He then bought the place, comprising one hundred six and forty-eight hundredths acres, and for many years he devoted his time to its operation. However, on the 10th of January, 1909, he rented that farm to his son, and purchased forty acres of land on Section 12, Somers Township, which had also belonged to his father’s estate, and there he has since lived. He has made many improvement upon the farm and it is in a high state of development. The house is one of the finest farm homes of the Township, and the barn and other buildings are commodious and substantial. He understands everything connected with farming and is progressive in his methods.

On the 7th of April, 1876, occurred the marriage of Mr. Bose and Miss Nellie Braid, a daughter of John and Jeanette Braid. Mr. and Mrs. Bose have five children, as follows: Jennie married A.F. Hansche and has two living children, Dorothy and George; Annie is the wife of Walter Derby of Racine County and has two sons, George and Robert; William married Hattie Donsing; Clarence, who resides in Somers, married Audrey Wilsey and they have two children, Marjorie and Albert Clarence; Everett is a bookkeeper for Simmons Company, of Kenosha.

Mr. Bose indorses the Republican policies but often votes independently. For five years he was a member of the Town Board and for eight years served on the School Board, proving very efficient in both capacities. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and of Lodge No. 18, A.F. & A.M., of Racine, in which he has held several offices. He is respected for his ability and integrity and, moreover, those who have been brought in close contact with him hold him in warm personal regard.

[1] John Breaid has a biography listing in this book. Under his picture, in his own handwriting, he spells his name Breaid. Later, the family changed the spelling to Braid.

[2] Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine and Kenosha Counties. Lake City Publishing Co. Chicago. 1892. Page 540

[3] Source: City and County of Kenosha, Wisconsin, A Record of Settlement, Vol. II, pages 567-568, Frank H. Lyman, Chicago, The S.J. Clark Publishing Co. 1916.