"The BIOGRAPHICAL History of Clark County, Wisconsin"

Compiled by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, Chicago and Winona, H. C. Cooper Jr., & Co. in 1918.

FRED WEHLING, a respected citizen of Section 24, Loyal Township, who had attained prosperity as an agriculturist, was born in New Straily, Goem Province, Germany, Jan. 27,1849, son of Carl and Anna (Krueger) Wehling. The father was a native of Lendow, Germany, and he and his wife, Anna, had six children born in their native land, namely: Carl, Fredericka, Fred, Caroline, John and Wilhelmina. In 1876, Carl Wehling, accompanied by his wife and one daughter, Wilhelmina, came to the United States, locating in Dodge County, Wis., where he died not long afterwards. Fred Wehling attended school in Germany until he was 14 years old, and then began working on farms, in which occupation he continued until he was 25.

He then came to America, settling in Mayville, Dodge County, Wis., where he worked on a farm for one year, for 100. Subsequently, he worked seven months for another farmer, spending the winter on his fathers' place, and in this way he was occupied for seven years. On Feb. 17, 1881, he was married in Dodge County to Wilhelmina Layman, daughter of John Layman, a farmer who died in his native land of Germany. After his marriage, Mr. Wehling and his wife took up their residence at Beaver Dam, Dodge County, and rented a house, he working on farms for one year.

He then came to Clark County and bought thirty-seven acres of land in Section 24, Loyal Township. The land was wild and there were no roads and Mr. Wehling, who had driven a part of the way with oxen, had to clear a place on which to build a log house and barn. Two other families had accompanied him and his wife. To earn money on which to live he went to work in Joe Marsh's lumber mill, being employed in the mill during the winter and loading cars in the summer for four years, and in the meanwhile, in his spare moments, he made such progress as he could at clearing his farm. He cradled the grain and mowed hay by hand, and in time got all his land cleared. In time, also, he built a six-room cement block house and two barns, each 28 by 20 feet in size.

Since then his life has been that of a prosperous farmer. His hardest work has been done and he can now enjoy the fruits of his former industry, though he still has plenty of work with which to occupy himself. The record of his children, in brief, is as follows: Otto, who married Martha Schmidt, lives at Hartford, Wis., and has one daughter, Violetta Robert and William died young Gustav married Martha Raabe and resides on the home farm he and his wife have three children-Verna, Adaline and Nila. Agnes, who is the wife of Edward Rohde, lives in Loyal Township, and has one son, Gilbert Anna resides in South Dakota and Ernest died young. The family are members of the German Lutheran Church.