History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.

              HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
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Illinois. Her father died when she was but a small child, atid she subsequently lived for a number of years at Viroqua with her grandfather, Moses Decker, one of the well-known pioneers of Vernon county. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have two children—Otto and Bennie.
Levi R. Gaines resides on section 32, ad¬ joining the town plat of Viroqua. He was born in Litchfield, Conn., in 1833, and was reared amid the refining influences and iiigen- iousproductionsof the Nutmeg State. In 1852, he left New England manners and convention¬ alities, and sought a new home at Kenosha, Wis., among the frank, practical and pleas¬ ant inhabitants of the Beaver State. His father, Theodore Gaines, came to Viroqua, with his family, in 1856, and died there May 31, 1862. Levi followed his father's family the next year (1857) and has since been a resident of Vernon county. He early learned the carpenter trade, and erected many of the earlier private resi¬ dences and public buildings of Viroqua, includ¬ ing the Congregational and Methodist churcl edifices. Since 1869 Mr. Gaines has been engaged in selling sewing machines and musi¬ cal instruments. He resides in a pleasant home just without the limits of the village, and also owns a farm in the town of Webster. He married Cornelia, daughter of A. C. Stevens, born in Oswego Co., N. Y. Four children were born to this union, two sons and two daughters. The former are living and named Eugene and Edward.
John W. Aikins was born in Vernon Co., Wis., in July, 1859. He resides on section 8, Viroqua town, on a farm purchased by his father, Daniel Aikins, of William Beabout. A sketch of Daniel Aikins will be found else¬ where. Mr. Aikins was married to Ella, a daughter of Capt. R. S. McMichael, of Viro¬ qua. They have two children—Walter L. and Cora.    His farm contains 120 acres.
I. W. Blake is a contractor and builder, and a member of the firm of Blake Sd Co., lumber dealers,    Mr. Blake is also a carpenter by trade.
and many of the private and public buildings of Viroqua show evidence of his handiwork. He was born in Bristol Co., Mass., in 1838, and when a young man went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he served an apprenticeship to the car¬ penter trade. In 1859, he came still further west, and located in the town of Wheatland, where he found work at his trade. On the breaking out of the war, he immediately re¬ turned to New England, and enlisted as a private in the 12th regiment, Maine Volunteers serving three years and th^ee months. The regiment was first attached to the command of Maj.-Gen. Butler and afterward to that of Maj.-Gen. Banks. He participated in all the important engagements of the southwest, and at the siege of Port Hudson performed an act of valor which gained for him the admira¬ tion of both friend and foe, and deserves special mention in this work. The two armies were resting in their entrench¬ ments after a temporary repulse of our forces from an attack on the enemy. Thev were but a few rods apart and within short range of musketry. Many of the sorely wounded lay writhing and groaning under the broiling sun, in the narrow space that separated the combat¬ ants. One poor comrade in particular was mortally wounded, and cried piteously for a drink of water, to allay his burning thirst. Mr. Blake listened to his pleadings but a short time, and could stand it no longer. He volun¬ teered to make an attempt to relieve him, although the sufferer lay just before the rebel fortifications, and within easy range of their guns. Filling a canteen with fresh water, he cautiously emerged from behind the intrench- ments, and secreting himself behind the dead bodies of his comrades, he crawled slowly to¬ ward the wounded man. He had passed over about half of the intervening distance, when he chanced to look toward the enemy, and found an unbroken line of rebel muskets staring him in the face. He was hailed by one of the enemy, and asked if lie was wounded.   Think-