James H. Persons

James H. Persons
James H. Persons
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly; from the Pierce district
	In office; January 6, 1873 – January 4, 1875
Preceded by	Oliver S. Powell
Succeeded by	Thomas L. Nelson
Personal details
Born	July 13, 1829; Wales, New York, U.S.
Died	March 24, 1895 (aged 65); Union, Pierce County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Poplar Hill Cemetery, Elmwood, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Maria Antonett Yendes (m. 1854⁠–⁠1895)
Children	Sarah A. Persons; (b. 1858; died 1864); Minnie E. (Miller); (b. 1862; died 1934); Elwin D. Persons; (b. 1865; died 1928); Fred James Persons; (b. 1868; died 1930);
Relatives	Enos Warren Persons (2nd cousin)
Occupation	Farmer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Volunteers; Union Army
Years of service	1862–1865
Rank	Sergeant, USV
Unit	29th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War Vicksburg Campaign; Red River Campaign;

James H. Persons (July 13, 1829 – March 24, 1895) was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Pierce County during the 1873 and 1874 sessions.

Early life

James H. Persons was born in Wales, New York, in July 1829. He was raised and educated in New York, but came west to the Wisconsin Territory with his family in 1846.[1] They settled in the town of Rubicon, in Dodge County.

Civil War service

After the start of the American Civil War, Persons volunteered for service in the Union Army, along with his half-brother, Francis. They were enlisted in Company I of the 29th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment,[2] and went south with their regiment to Arkansas for service in the western theater of the war in September 1862.[3]

Through the Winter of 1862–1863, they engaged in several operations along the Mississippi River in support of the Vicksburg Campaign, and during those months, Persons was promoted to corporal and then sergeant.[2] In May 1863, they assaulted the enemy defenses at the Battle of Champion Hill, east of Vicksburg. In the battle, Francis Persons was killed and James was taken prisoner.[2] He was ultimately able to return to the regiment and continued to serve through the rest of the war, participating in the Red River campaign into Louisiana.[3] He mustered out with the regiment in June 1865.[2]

Political career

Persons returned to Wisconsin, and, in 1868, he moved to a farm in Pierce County, Wisconsin.[1] In Pierce County, he was active in the Republican Party of Wisconsin and was elected to the county board of supervisors, serving as chairman in 1872. Running on the Republican ticket, he was elected to two consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, in 1872 and 1873.[4]

Personal life and family

James H. Persons was one of at least four children born to Joseph Persons, Sr., and his first wife, Betsy (née Farwell). James Persons had a twin brother, Joseph Persons, Jr. Other members of the extended Persons family also came to Wisconsin—Enos Warren Persons, who served in the State Senate and Assembly in the 1880s, was a second cousin.

James H. Persons married Maria Antonett Yendes of Sackets Harbor, New York, in 1854. They had at least four children together, though one daughter died young.

James H. Persons died at his home in the town of Union, Pierce County, Wisconsin, on March 24, 1895.[5]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872, 1873)

Wisconsin Assembly, Pierce District Election, 1872[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 5, 1872
	Republican	James H. Persons	1,260	59.24%	-5.80%
	Reform	N. P. Stone	624	29.34%	-5.62%
	Bourbon Democrat	Joel Foster	243	11.42%
Plurality			636	29.90%	-0.18%
Total votes			2,127	100.0%	+22.10%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Assembly, Pierce District Election, 1873[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 4, 1873
	Republican	James H. Persons (incumbent)	1,429	100.0%
Total votes			1,429	100.0%	-32.82%
	Republican hold

References

"Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1873. p. 450. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
"Twenty-Ninth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 (Report). Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 412. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Regimental History–Twenty-Ninth Infantry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Clarke & Co. pp. 774–788. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
"Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1874. pp. 465–466. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
"Hon. James H. Persons died..." The Dunn County News. April 12, 1895. p. 4. Retrieved October 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

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[1873bio-1] "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1873. p. 450. Retrieved October 23, 2022.

[roster-2] "Twenty-Ninth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 (Report). Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 412. Retrieved October 23, 2022.

[quiner-3] Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Regimental History–Twenty-Ninth Infantry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Clarke & Co. pp. 774–788. Retrieved October 23, 2022.

[1874bio-4] "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1874. pp. 465–466. Retrieved October 23, 2022.

[5] "Hon. James H. Persons died..." The Dunn County News. April 12, 1895. p. 4. Retrieved October 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.