pioneer manufacturer of agricultural implements, b. Lebanon, N.H. He left New Hampshire for the West in 1835, and, after stopping for several months in Buffalo, N.Y., he moved to Plainfield, III., where he was engaged in the construction of fanning mills. He soon became interested in the Wisconsin Territory, and in 1838 or 1839 settled in Rochester. There he constructed a shop and began to manufacture fanning mills. He gradually expanded his business to include the manufacture of plows, wagons, and other agricultural apparatus, and eventually had agents and outlets throughout the state. Thought by many to be the first agricultural implements manufacturer in Wisconsin, he continued this business until 1871 when he retired and engaged in farming. A Republican, he was active in local politics and was one of the largest landowners in Racine County. Burlington Free Press, Nov. 28, 1888; Wis. Mag. Hist., 19, 20; Portrait and Biog. Album of Racine and Kenosha Cos. (Chicago, 1892); R. E. Ela Papers.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Richard Emerson Ela Papers for details.

View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]