Third Generation

10. Sophia Karoline MARTEN was born on 1 March 1867 in Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^{5,7,17,20,22,52,53} She was baptized on 29 March 1867 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.²² at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. She appeared in the census in 1870 in Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰ Sophia was confirmed on 10 April 1881 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.²² at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. She appeared in the census in 1900 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.⁸ She appeared in the census in 1910 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹² Sophia died on 13 May 1916 at the age of 49 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.^7,52 She was buried on 16 May 1916 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.^6,7 in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Sophia Karoline MARTEN and Friedrich Theodor "Fred" ECKELBERG were married on 17 April 1890 in Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^{5,21,52,53,54,55} (They may have been married at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ridgeville.) Friedrich Theodor "Fred" ECKELBERG, son of Friedrich Karl ECKELBERGER and Margaretha Jacobina Anna MOHR, was born on 5 August 1864 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.^{10,22,25,52,54} (His surname was listed as "Eckelberger" in his baptism records.) He was baptized on 6 November 1864 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.²² in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. His sponsors were Friederich Theodor Eckelberger and Maria Friederike Theodora Eckelberger. He appeared in the census in 1870 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰ Fred was confirmed on 6 April 1879 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.²² at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. He appeared in the census in 1900 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.⁸ He appeared in the census in 1910 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹² Fred died on 28 November 1913 at the age of 49 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.^52,56 Newspaper Article: "Wife Beater Gets Sixty Days. Last week Thursday morning, Fred Eckelberg, a well known Ridgeville farmer, was arrested on complaint of Humane Officer Fredricks. The warrant charged him with assault and battery and inhuman treatment to his wife and children. He was taken before Justice C. S. Wilder, and plead guilty. As Fred had been under bonds to keep the peace, and as this fact did not seem to make him see the error of his ways, His Honor presented him with 60 days in the county bastile at Sparta in which to think it over. He was also assessed $10.63 in costs. Fredericks escorted him to his new boarding place on the noon." (Sparta Herald, October 15, 1912, page 2, column 1)

The next year, he again assaulted his wife and was killed by a neighbor, James Worden. Worden was later exonerated in the death.

Newspaper Article: "A WHISKEY TRAGEDY. A Farmer, Crazed by Drink Assaults His Wife and is Killed by a Blow from a Neighbor's Fist. Wednesday night last week, Nov. 26, Fred Eckelberg, a prominent farmer living about five or six miles north of Wilton Village, while intoxicated attacked his wife. A neighbor, James Worden, who had left the house a few minutes before, heard the commotion and heard the woman screaming, and went to her rescue. Eckelberg turned on him, and in the fracas which ensued Worden struck him on the cheek with his fist, knocking him down, and as it developed, fractured a vertebra in the upper spinal column, from which he died early Friday morning.

The story of the event, as near as can be gathered from various somewhat disconnected accounts, is that Eckelberg and Worden rode together from Tomah the afternoon of Wednesday, and Worden stopped at Eckleberg's house and took supper with the family, his own home being a mile or so further along the road to Wilton. Eckelberg had brought a jug of whiskey from Tomah and both imbibed some along the way and after getting to the latter's home, but there was no quarreling between them, and everything was perfectly friendly. Worden remained there till late in the evening, and before starting home he went out doors for a while, and during his absence, Eckelberg, who began to feel the effect of the whisky, attacked his wife, and was shaking and beating her, when Worden heard the commotion and the woman screaming and knew what it meant.

According to the story, he stepped to the window and asked her if she wanted help and she cried out that she did. Worden then pushed into the house and was met by Eckelberg, who was crazed with drink, and in the struggle which ensued, Worden, who is a big man of immense strength, struck Eckelberg with his fist and the latter went down in a heap on the floor. As he failed to rise or become conscious, and it was realized that he was injured, a doctor was summoned from Wilton and later another came from Tomah, and it was ascertained that the blow had dislocated or broken a vertebra of the spine in the back of his neck, a fatal injury. However, he lived through Thursday and until early morning of Friday.

An inquest jury was summoned and examined the remains, and took an adjournment till today, Tuesday, Dec. 2. It is said that the public sentiment in that neighborhood is quite unanimous in exonerating Worden from blame in the matter, as he acted in defense of himself and the wife of Eckelberg, against the attack of a man temporarily insane from liquor. It was a tragedy of whiskey and John Barleycorn was to blame. Eckelberg was a quiet and law-abiding citizen when sober. In fact, at one time he was chairman of his town and served on the county board. He had become addicted to the liquor habit and when intoxicated was wild and dangerous, to the extent that most of the people around there were afraid of him. Only recently he had served a term in jail for beating his wife when drunk. If there are no means of preventing a man like that from getting liquor, some ought to be devised, forthwith." (Sparta Herald, December 2, 1913, page 3, column 1)

The inquest jury in the case of Fred Eckelberg, Wilton, who died from the effects of a blow given by James Worden, as narrated in the Herald of last week, had its meeting Tuesday Dec, 2, and after hearing the evidence of witnesses returned a verdict to the following effect:
"That the said Fred Eckelberg came to his death on the 28th day of November, 1913, as a result of a blow upon the head of the said Fred Eckelberg, from the fist of one James Worden, inflicted by the said James Worden on the 27th day of November at the town of Wilton, Monroe County, Wisconsin, while the said James Worden was then and there lawfully engaged in defense of himself and in defense of one Sophie Eckelberg, the wife of the said Fred Eckelberg, deceased, against the felonious assault of the said Fred Eckelberg."
Signed by C. S. Wilder, Justice of the Peace, and members of the jury. David C. Martin, Elbert Brooks, Adolf Prochnow, Paul Libke, J. W. Rice, and Carl Martin.
As the verdict entirely exonerates Worden from blame in the matter, it seems probable no further proceedings will be taken in the matter.

The body of Eckelberg was buried in Ridgeville Cemetery, Monday Dec. 14. He was 49 years of age and is survived by his wife and nine children. (Sparta Herald, December 9, 1913, page 3, column 3)

He was buried on 1 December 1913 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.^6,57 in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Sophia Karoline MARTEN and Friedrich Theodor "Fred" ECKELBERG had the following children:

+55	i.	Louis Christian ECKELBERG.
56	ii.	Theodor Friedrich ECKELBERG was born on 17 May 1892 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.50,58 He died on 17 May 1892 at the age of 0 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.58 He was baptized on 17 May 1892 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.50 Theodor was buried on 19 May 1892 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.58,59 in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.
+57	iii.	Martha Sophia ECKELBERG.
+58	iv.	Albert Georg "Bert" ECKELBERG.
+59	v.	Wernhold Eduard "Vern" ECKELBERG.
+60	vi.	Ella Louise ECKELBERG.
+61	vii.	Friedrich Johann "Fred" ECKELBERG.
+62	viii.	Rosella Leona ECKELBERG.
63	ix.	Ruben Arthur ECKELBERG was born on 1 February 1905 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.42,49 He was baptized on 15 March 1905.42 He died on 26 August 1906 at the age of 1 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.49 Ruben was buried on 28 August 1906 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.49 in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.
+64	x.	Reinhard Leo "Rhine" ECKELBERG.
+65	xi.	Esther Karolina ECKELBERG.
66	xii.	Elmer Robert ECKELBERG was born on 6 November 1910 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.27,60 He was baptized on 9 November 1910 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.60 He died on 14 November 1910 at the age of 0 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.27,55,61 Elmer was buried on 16 November 1910 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.27,61 in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.