Wigman, John H. M.

1835 - Yes, date unknown    Has 2 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Wigman, John H. M.
  Born	15 Aug 1835	Amsterdam, , Noord-Holland, Netherlands
  Gender	Male
  Immigration	9 May 1848	New York, New York, New York, USA
  on the Maria Magdelena from Rotterdam Line 142 on 3/29/1848
  Occupation	Aft 1864  [1]
  Lawyer
  Biography	1897  [2]
  Men of Progress, Wisconsin: Selected List of Biographical Sketches Page 509
  WIGMAN, John H. M., the senior member of the law firm of Wigman & Martin of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the son of James B. and Matilda Doorenboss Wigman, was born at Amsterdam, August 15th, 1835. He attended school in his native city until he was nine years old, when he was sent to college at Limburg, where he remained until 1847; in December of which year his mother died. His father's failing health necessitated a change in the affairs of the family, and, in 1848, the subject of this sketch and his brother Henry J. Wigman came to the United States with Rev. T. J. Van den Broek, arriving in Little Chute, Wis., in June of the same year. He remained with Father Van den Broek for a year, and then engaged in farming and other manual labor until 1854, when he entered a dry good store at Green Bay, as clerk, which position he retained two years. At the end of this time he took charge of the public school in the town of Scott, Brown county, studying law at the same time. He was elected justice of the peace in the spring of 1857; in 1858 was elected clerk of the town of Green Bay, and the next year town treasurer. During these years he continued his law studies, borrowing books from the Green Bay lawyers, and practicing before justice courts. On the breaking out of the civil war his brother enlisted in the Sixteenth Michigan infantry, and was killed in the battle of Fredericksburg, on the day of his promotion to a second lieutenancy. In 1862 his father died and Mr. Wigman went to Holland to settle his father's estate; returning in July, and bringing his sister, Mrs. Helena M. Berendsen, with him, he took up his residence at Appleton, entering the office of T. R. Hudd as a law student. In February, 1864, he was examined in open court, and admitted to the bar. A law partnership was then formed under the firm name of Hudd & Wigman. He was elected district attorney of Outagamie county in 1864, and twice re-elected. In 1868 the firm opened an office at Green Bay, to which city he removed in 1870, with his family, having built the commodious residence which he still occupies. The firm of Hudd & Wigman continued in business till November, 1889, when it was dissolved, Mr. Wigman then taking into partnership his son- in-law. P. H. Martin, which is since known as the firm of Wigman & Martin. Mr. Wigman is considered among the ablest as he is one of the most successful lawyers in Page 510 the state, having frequently been victorious where defeat seemed imminent. Among many test cases in which he was most active is notably that of the bible in public schools. In 1885 he became one of the organizers of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, a benevolent association now composed of 170 branches, with a membership of nearly 8,000. He was elected its first president and reelected every two years up to the present time. He is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and in recognition of services rendered was made, by the papal authority at Rome, Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, on March 1st, 1887. In April, 1893, he was appointed United States district attorney for the eastern district of Wisconsin, which office he held for four years, the term expiring April 15th, 1897. Mr. Wigman married Matilda Lyonais, in 1857, who bore him nine children. Mrs. Wigman dying in 1876, he married Miss Jane Meagher, his present wife, the fruit of this union being two sons and two daughters. Of the thirteen children eight still survive, four of whom, one son and three daughters, are married. Men of Progress, Wisconsin: Selected List of Biographical Sketches & Portraits of Leaders in Business, Professional & Official Life ... History & Character of Wisconsin. Aikens & Proctor, eds. Milwaukee: Evening Wisconsin Company, 1897, pp 509-510
  Biography	1913
  The History of Brown County Past and Present
  HON. JOHN H. M. WIGMAN. John H. M. Wigman, a general practitioner at the bar of Green Bay, is the oldest representative of the legal profession here, having practiced continuously since 1863. He came to Green Bay from Amsterdam, Holland, in 1848, with his brother Henry J. Wigman, who in 1861 enlisted for service in the Civil war and sacrificed his life in the cause of the Union at the battle of Fredericksburg. He rose from private to the rank of first lieutenant, his com- mission arriving on the evening of the day on which he was killed. Mr. Wigman was born in Amsterdam on the 15th of August, 1835, and is a son of James B. and Matilda (Doorenbos) Wigman, the father dying in 1862 and the mother in 1847. The Wigman family were prominent in Holland for generations. The father was an architect and constructor of many prominent buildings in Amsterdam. He was a man of great influence and standing in his home city. John H. M. Wigman was a lad of but thirteen years when he crossed the Atlantic. He attended the schools of his native city till he was nine years of age and then attended the Catholic College in the Province of Limburg, where he remained until the fall of 1847. Besides a classical edu- cation and mastering his native tongue, he became proficient in French and German, speaking and writing both languages perfectly and obtaining a considerable knowledge of Latin. On the death of his mother and owing to his father's rapidly failing health, it became evident that a change would be necessary in the affairs of the family. At this time the Rev. Theodore Van den Broek was on a visit to Holland and he being an old acquaintance of Mr. Wigman's father, induced him to let Mr. Wigman and his brother Henry J. go to Wisconsin with him. After arriving here Mr. Wigman remained with Rev. Van den Broek until the end of July, 1849, during which time he was employed in teaching the ordinary branches of a common school as well as the catechism to the half breeds, Canadians and Indians. At this time coming in contact with the Indians, he learned their language and became well acquainted with their customs and mode of living. At the close of the school term July, 1849, Mr. Wigman wanted more out-door exercise. He left Father Van den Broek and engaged in farming in Wrightstown where again, at the request of Father Van den Broek he occupied his leisure hours in teaching the Indians and half breeds and pre- paring them for their first communion. Mr. Wigman continued in the occupation of farming and other manual labor until the year, 1854, when he entered a dry -goods and general store as clerk, which position he occupied for a little over two years, when he was induced to teach the public school in the town of Green Bay (now town of Scott ) . The town of Green Bay was then composed of the now towns of Scott, Preble, Humboldt and Green Bay. While teaching school he entered upon the study of law under the direction of the late Judge Cotton and Hon. Timothy O. Howe. He also filled the offices of justice of the peace, town clerk, treasurer and assessor. Meanwhile he continued the study of law borrowing books for that purpose from the lawyers of Green Bay and practicing whenever opportunity offered itself before justice courts. His father having died in 1862 the following spring he made a visit to Holland to settle up his father's large estate. Many of his relations were living at that time. His father had, at first, intended to follow Mr. Wigman to the new- world but later on reversed his plans and wanted his sons to return to him. Our subject, however, could not comply with this wish and so it happened that father and son never met again. On this visit to Holland Mr. Wigman had the distinguished honor of having an audience with his former sovereigns, King William and Queen Sophia who graciously conversed with him on subjects mostly pertaining the United States, especially the Civil war, in which the queen was greatly interested. He returned to the United States in July, 1863, bringing with him his sister Helena M., afterward Mrs. Berendsen (now deceased). On his return Mr. Wigman took up his residence at Appleton and entered into partnership with Hon. Thomas R. Hudd, which relationship continued until November, 1889. While there he was elected district attorney for Outagamie county in 1864, reelected in 1866 and again in 1868. In 1868 the firm opened offices in Green Bay, to which city Mr. Wigman removed with his family in 1870, in which year he built his present commodious residence which he still oc- cupies. This, with a selected and one of the finest private libraries in the city, consist in making a home life that is most desirable, - a hearth place where the parents are ever found in the bosom of the family. In the year 1882 Mr. Wigman was elected mayor of the city of Green Bay and gave to the city a practical, business-like and progressive admin- istration characterized by various needed reforms. In 1893 he was appointed United States attorney for the eastern dis- trict of Wisconsin and held that position for four years during the Cleve- land administration. During his term of office he tried several very im- portant cases not only in the district and circuit courts of the United States but also in the court of appeals in Chicago, outside his district, being ordered so to do by special order from the attorney general of the United States. Shortly after his appointment all of the litigation relating to the Fox and Wisconsin river overflow cases, as well as cases of the Green Bay & Missis- sippi Canal Company, which had theretofore been in the hands of a special assistant were turned over to Mr. Wigman. who succeeded in bringing all the issues to a successful termination, besides establishing the permanent rights of the United States in the navigation of the Fox river by enjoining the Mill owners at Neenah, Appleton and Kaukauna from using the water below a certain level. Although Mr. Wigman was also personally inter- ested in the suits brought by his predecessor, Mr. Colman, against the gov- ernment he successfully defended the United States in those suits, both in the circuit court for the United States and in the United States circuit court of appeals, and under date of April 9, 1895, the Hon. Richard Olney, United States attorney general wrote him, "It is a personal gratification to me to find the government so well represented and a vexed question of law so well presented. I desire to congratulate you upon your success in the defense of these cases and to assure you that the anomaly and incongruity of the position of yourself in common with other district attorneys in de- fending the government in cases where your own personal interest is adverse to it, is not overlooked by this department and that it is a source of much gratification to find entire loyalty in the performance of the public duty notwithstanding the adverse private interest." He was also instrumental in getting congress to abolish the fee system and fix a salary for the United States attorneys and marshals. Perhaps one of the most important of the cases he was engaged in was in connection with the reading of the Bible in the public school in which he was employed as counsel and argued the case before the supreme court. The case arose from school district No. 8, in the city of Edgerton, Rock county. It was a custom to read from the King James version of the Scriptures. The parents of Catholic children objected thereto and requested the school board to discontinue the custom but were refused. The parents then petitioned the circuit court which up- held the school board. The case was carried to the supreme court which reversed the decision of the lower court and sustained the parents in their objection. The case is reported in the 76 Wisconsin reports, on page 177. In his brief Mr. Wigman showed great research, quoting liberally from the original Latin showing the perverted meanings and omissions which would render the King James version undesirable for use in the public schools as "Sectarian instruction." The firm Hudd & Wigman was dissolved in November, 1889, on Mr. Hudd moving to Chicago. Mr. Wigman continued the business and took in P. H. Martin, who had been clerking for the firm and had married Mr. Wigman's daughter. He is a member of the American Bar Association and president of the Brown County Bar. Mr. Wigman has been married twice. In 1857 he wedded Matilda Lyonnais, who passed away in 1876, leaving nine children of whom two died in infancy, while Alexander passed away at the age of twenty-five, at which time he was employed in the postoffice in Milwaukee. The others are Mary, the wife of P. H. Martin ; Ellen, the wife of John F. Water- molen, a lawyer of Green Bay ; John C, passenger engineer for the Green Bay & Western Railroad Company since 1882; Anna, residing at home; Elizabeth, the wife of James Hart of Marinette, Wisconsin ; and Josephine, the wife of Charles Wieber. a clerk in the postoffice of Green Bay. On the 1st day of July, 1876, Mr. Wigman was again married, his second union being with Miss Jennie Meagher of Cleveland. Ohio. To them were born four children: Jennie, who died in infancy, and Joseph, who died at the age of four years, both being buried in Allouez cemetery ; James B., a civil and mechanical engineer, educated at Wisconsin University; and Margaret M., a graduate of Sinsinnawa College, now finishing her course in domestic science at the Stoute Institute at Menomonie, Wisconsin. All his children received their primary education in the Catholic schools. Mr. Wigman is a democrat in politics but has no other active interests outside of his profession, having for twenty-two years been state president of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, which society was organized by him in 1885. He was appointed a Knight of St. Gregory by Pope Leo XIII. in 1885 and is a devoted member of the Catholic church, doing all in his power tc advance its success and extend its influence. Mr. Wigman, although nearly seventy-eight years of age, still devotes practically all his time and attention to his professional duties.
  Died	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I144708	1FamilyTree
  Last Modified	19 Nov 2017

  
  

  Father	Wigman, James B.,   b. Bef 1817, , , , Netherlands ,   d. Abt 1862, , , , Netherlands  (Age ~ 45 years)
  Mother	Doorenboss, Matilda,   b. Bef 1817,   d. Abt 1847, Amsterdam, , Noord-Holland, Netherlands  (Age ~ 30 years)
  Family ID	F45755	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Lyonais, Matilda,   b. Bef 1839,   d. Abt 1876  (Age ~ 37 years)
  Married	Abt 1857	, , Wisconsin, USA
  Last Modified	1 May 2010
  Family ID	F45551	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Meagher, Jane,   b. Bef 1858,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	Aft 1876
  Last Modified	1 May 2010
  Family ID	F44801	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Load the map	Born - 15 Aug 1835 - Amsterdam, , Noord-Holland, Netherlands Immigration - on the Maria Magdelena from Rotterdam Line 142 on 3/29/1848 - 9 May 1848 - New York, New York, New York, USA Married - Abt 1857 - , , Wisconsin, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S959] Pioneer Life in the Fox River Valley, Annie Susan McLenegen, page 290. [S960] Men of Progress, Wisconsin: Selected List of Biographical Sketches, Aikens & Proctor, eds., (1897), Page 509.