Washington County Biographies



Part of the Wisconsin Biographies Project



J. M. Le Count

J. M. Le Count, Justice of the Peace, real estate and loan agent, Hartford; is a native of Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y., and the son of John H. and Esther (Smith) Le Count-or Le Compte as the name was spelled by the grandfather, who was one of the Huguenot refugees from France who settled in Dutchess Co., N. Y., and was a soldier of the Revolution of 1776. Mr. Le Count's father, John H., was a soldier in the war of 1812. J. M. was born Sept. 4, 1835; when 2 years of age, went with his parents to Wayne Co., Mich., where they lived nine years; they them moved to Bristol, Trumbull Co., Ohio, where they lived three years; they next moved to Crawford Co., Ohio, where they continued to reside till November, 1849, when they came to Wisconsin and settled in the town of LeRoy, Dodge Co. Young Le Count spent his early years on a farm, receiving his education in the district schools and at the academy at Fond du Lac; in 1855, he came to Hartford and learned the tinner's trade, and, in 1857, began business in the hardware line, with his brother, W. J., in Hartford; closed up in 1859, and went to Horicon, where he spent one summer; he next went to Schleisingerville and carried on the hardware business two years; then returned to Hartford and engaged with his brother as tinner. In September, 1861, he went to Hustisford and opened a hardware store, which he carried on successfully nine years; he then returned to Hartford and bought out his brothers, who were in the same line; he built a brick block, in which he carried on the hardware business till 1878, when he sold out; he was Justice of Peace and Superintendent of Schools of the town of Polk in 1859; has held the office of Justice in Hartford twelve years; was Census Enumerator of Hartford in 1880, and holds a commission as United States Marshal, and also that of Notary Public. He was married, Jan. 4, 1858, at Hartford, to Miss Sophia Pritchard, daughter of C. P. Pritchard, who was born in Cook Co., Ill.; they have four children-Louis L. married to Alice Dean, residing in Hartford; Ettie, now Mrs. Louis Genzmer, of Hartford; Belle and Frank M. Mr. Le Count has achieved quite a reputation as a poet; among his most popular productions, which have been quite extensively copied by the Western press, may be mentioned "Decoration Day," "God's Acre," "Butte des Morts," "The Suicide," Farewell to the Wine Cup," "There is Joy in Our House," and "The Hermit of Holy Hill."

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