History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 127

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298

USA > Wisconsin > Richland County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 127
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 127

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

D. C. Turner built another store, and the old Mack building was used for a dry house. The store then built is now a part of H. C. Cush- man's.

In the fall of 1856 Harry Turner and family, Mr. Gill and family, Mr. Loveless and family, Amos Fuller and family came on. Harry Turner bought out Lyman Jackson; Mr. Gill bought out the tract of land Jerry Turner had entered and now resides there. Amos Fuller went to blacksmithing, got sick of the country, and went back in the fall of 1867. In the fall of 1859 Ilenry M. Keith and family came here and bought the pioneer home of Mr. Ilull. Mr. Keith had been obliged to resign his situation in the Brown school of Chicago on account of ill health. He received a death blow from a band of ruffians in that school building, an account of which the papers of Chi- cago detailed in full particulars. Mrs. Keith taught our school one summer, before her hus- band's death, which occurred Feb. 18, 1861. In the winter of 1859-60 our school house was made lively frequently from time to time, in which Jerry Turner and Van S. Bennett figured largely.

1858-9 .- About this time several acres of land were given by C. D. Turner for a cem- etery on the mound east of the new school house, where Mr. Clark now resides. This did not suit and became outlawed. Mr. Keith, con- sequently, was buried and removed, as before mentioned.

1860-1 .- he second pioneer honse was re- moved, and the residence Mr. Cushman now occupies was erected. John Fuller left for Cal- ifornia. Mrs. Keith left for the Chicago school again. General political excitement prevailed; the war was upon us; consequently no im-

In the year 1857 Viola Mack was born, and received a lot in block three for her name. I provements were made for some time.

89S

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

Jerry Turner enlisted; was 2nd lientenant, then first, then captain of company HI, 5th Wis- consin Infantry. Here is an extract from Ben- jamin Lawton's letter, as written to Harry Sherme's family: "He fell while charging on Mary's Hill, back of the city of Fredericksburg. He was struck in the head by a large ball; I think it must have been a canister shot, for it made a hole about the size of a canister shot. ITe was shot so dead that he did not move. He was a brave and noble soldier. We mourn his loss and always will. He has been the main stay of company II, ever since we came out. When the captain fell I staid with him and took care of his body, which I agreed to do when I first came out; I told him I should stand by his side until the last, and I have done so. I tried my best to get his body embalmed and sent to you; but I could not for want of an am- bulance to get it carried it to Falmouth. Our quarter-master assisted me all he could, but it could not be got, for everything in the shape of wagons was used to bring the wounded off the field, so we had to bury him in the city." Hle was killed May 3, 1863. He made us his last visit on his thirty-first birth day, the 16th of February before his death.

Company I, of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry, was organized and drilled here until ordered to headquarters. Hartwell Turner was captain of this company. While this regiment was in Leavenworth he was very siek. C. D. Turner, his brother, went to and staid with him till he could be brought home.

From 1861 to 1864 it was only war, war, war, until scarcely an able bodied man was left in the town of Forest, in 1865. D. C. Turner was quite sick, was drafted, and Dr. Terhune, of Viroqua, reported for him, as he was under the doctors's care for sometime, until he was able to go to Boscobel, prepared to furnish a substi- tute, but was not accepted. From this time more or less sickness followed. He gave up the mercantile business and sold out to Mr. Tate. In 1865 Mr. Harrington and family, John Bryant

and C. Ward came. N. D. Ward, of the 2d Wisconsin Cavalry, returned from Texas.

Of the five original families that came to Viola in 1854, only two are here now-Salma Rogers' and H. L Turner's. Of the twenty persons, or children, of that time, there are still living: Salma Rogers and wife and two chil- dren; Mary Bews, of Deadwood; Frank Rogers, of Viola; Hartwell Turner and wife; Lyman Jackson, wife and son, of Oregon, Wis .; Helen Jackson Drenn, of Centralia, Ill .; Dewitt C. Turner and his mother, Greenfield, Mo.

These are deceased: William Turner and wife, Cyrus D. Turner and son, George Tur- ner, Alice Turner Waggoner, Jerry Turner and Jolın Fuller.

BY ISRAEL JANNEY.

Pine river runs the entire length from north to south, through the central portion of the county. On the west side of the river was a heavy forest with a thick undergrowth of brush, extending for miles with no roads or bridges. We were without communication with the western settlements, only by the difficult route of crossing the Wisconsin river and traveling down to the village of Muscoda, there re-crossing the river and following the trail the western set- tlers made to their homes, the only entrance for the early settlers of the western part of the county. There was a good highway from the above village to Mineral Point, and also to Ga- lena, where the emigrants by water landed that were looking for homes in Wisconsin ; and those that made their way by land from Illinois, Indiana, southern Ohio and further south, gen- erally found their way to Mineral Point.

This accounts for the settlements in the west- ern part of the county, being generally composed of people from the above named States, while the eastern portion of the county was reached from the east by the way of Sauk Prairie and Helena. The result was, the eastern portion of the county was settled by the inevitable Yankee; a close, industrious and enterprising settler, with the milk pail on his arm, ready to milk the first

899

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

cow he could secure, and also a foreign emigra- tion working their way westward from the eastern States and cities. I will here state the Yankee, with the cow, has been a large and important factor in the improvement and devel- opment of the rich resources of our county.

Robert and William McCloud, with their families, emigrated from Hardin Co., Ohio, in the year 1845, to Wisconsin, having previously purchased a tract of land near Muscoda without secing it. After arriving at the above named place and having examined their purchase, they found it worthless for agricultural purposes. They remained in the village of Museoda during the fall and winter of 1845-6, looking at differ- ent parts of the country, hunting and buying furs that were found in the northwest at that time, such as the beaver, otter, fisher, martin, mink and bear. The above named animals were numerous. Robert McCloud was a gen- eral agent for a fur company located at Perrys- burgh, Ohio, and his agents traveled as far north as St. Paul. In the spring of 3846, Robert and William McCloud moved upon farms they had selected on the east bank of Bear ercek, in town 9 north, of range 2 east. Robert broke up about eighty acres, planted corn, potatoes and garden vegetables, and William broke and planted about forty acres. They had good crops, and when my brother, Phinneas Janney, and myself moved into the above named town in the fall of 1846 we found the MeClouds com- fortably situated with good log houses. Robert had sown four bushels of winter wheat, which was without doubt the first sown in the county. They were the only families in the eastern half of the county at the time we moved in, except some parties that were engaged in building a saw-mill ou Pine river, where the village of Rockbridge is located.

Mineral Point was our postoffice for a time, and later, Franklin or Highland in Iowa county. Our supplies had to come from Mineral Point.

Richland county at this time was a wilder- ness, where the Indian and wild beasts of the

forest roamed at will; such as the lynx, elk, deer, bear and wolf; the three latter were very plentiful. Our animal food consisted chiefly of the deer and bear meat. The hunting of them was a very pleasant and exciting exercise, as well as profitable. Fish were very plentiful in the small streams. We found tront and the larger varieties in the Pine and Wisconsin riv- ers. They furnished fine sport and amusement in securing, as well as an important article of food; and the hunting of the wild bee was in- teresting and profitable. They were very plen- tiful and yielded a large amount of honey, which took the place of sugar and syrup for all sweet- ening purposes, so that we were not without some amusement and pleasure to mix with the troubles and trials incident to pioncer life. About three weeks after our arrival, Philip Miller, a very promising young man, died of typhoid fever, which cast a gloom and sorrow over the small settlement; and we were admon- ished of the truth, notwithstanding our journey of hundreds of miles, that the messenger of death was near, and would find us sooner or later.

The winter of 1846-7 was one of the coldest and hardest that I have experienced in the county; the snow fell very deep, and soon after thawed sufficiently to form a heavy crust that would almost bear a man up; but about the time he would straighten up, down he would go, and would continue to repeat it for a short distance, until he found himself played out. The result was we had to keep close quarters, and had often to eat what we called Irish sup- per-venison, potatoes and salt. We had an

early spring. It turned warm and remained so; and it was not long until we laid aside our troubles caused by the winter, and were de- lighted with the prospects the country pre- sented. The bold bluffs and beautiful valleys, with their cool springs, brooks and creeks, with the surrounding forest, made up a view beautiful and grand; and the thought occurred that there were none to dispute our right to

900

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

this beautiful country. But we were disap- pointed; the red man of the forest made his appearance with claims, and gave us consider- able trouble; and on several occasions we were compelled to collect with our families at one house, for safety and protection, until the In- dians were disposed of.

The MeClond brothers had been absent for several days from the village, early in the spring of 1846, looking at different parts of Richland county, and on their return home, found the people of the village in a fight with the Indians. They were called on for help, and responded by hurrying to the scene of action. There were four of the Indians killed and one wounded by the McClouds. The Indians then fell back into a heavy undergrowth of pine timber, taking their dead and wounded with them. The whites called a council and decided to send a messenger to Gov. Dodge, and runners to the different settlements for help, believing the Indians would renew the conflict as soon as they could collect their forces. By morning

there were a large number of whites on the ground, and fully as many Indians. They seemed determined on mischief. But the whites acted strictly on the defensive until they could hear from the governor, which was soon answered by his presence in person ; and after a careful investigation of the facts, he sustained the people in what they had done and complimented the MeClouds very highly for the brave and decisive action they took in the matter. The Indians were sent to their reser- vation by Gov. Dodge, with orders not to remove; but the orders were often violated and they gave the different settlements more or less trouble, but more particularly the MeCloud settlement ; they were determined to have the scalps of those two men, and made many attempts to secure their object; and the nun- ber they lost in the raids they made will proba- bly never be known. They finally disappeared and left the MeClouds to enjoy their new

homes in peace. A few words in reference to the MeCloud family.

Judge William McCloud, the father of Robert and William, was one of the early pioneer settlers of Champaign, Logan and Hardin counties in Ohio. The family held a prominent place in the hearts of the early set- tlers in the above named counties; was re- spected and esteemed by all who knew them. Robert and William McCloud having grown up in the midst of the greatest warlike Indian tribes of Ohio, with such opportunities for studying the peculiar traits of character of the Indians, well qualified them to meet their In- dian troubles in this county with the success they did. Mrs. Elizabeth McCloud, the mother of Robert and William, after the death of her husband, came to this county and remained with her children and friends until her death, which took place at James D. Key's, in the town of Buena Vista. She was a lady of fine intelleet, highly cultured and of excellent memory. She had been a faithful member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church for many years, and was one of the true Christian mothers of the past.

The next addition to our small settlement was Mary J. Janney, now Mrs. William Willey, of Fancy creek, born Dec. 12, 1846, daughter of Israel and Elizabeth Janney. In the spring of 1847, W. H. Janney located on the farm now owned by J. W. Briggs; and Amos Merser settled on land east of David Young's farm, but shortly afterward sold out and located about four miles northeast of Lone Rock, in Sank county where he now resides.

In the fall of the same year there were two men with their families, one by the name of Parshall Smith and the other Cyrus Cline, mov- ed in and settled on Bear creek.

In the fall of 1848 Jonathan Ingram and family, Samuel Long with his family, and many others, moved into the town. Our first election was held in November at the house of Robert McCloud, and I think there were thirteen votes polled. Up to 1849 we had never seen or hear

901

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

of an assessor or tax collector. We certainly ought to have been happy.

Nathaniel Wheeler moved from the State of New York, to Dane Co., Wis., in the fall of 1848. He settled in town 9 north, of range 2 east, on the farm now owned by David Young. Ile was the first Methodist preacher in the town. Mr. Wheeler served one term in the State Leg- islature from this county. He left this county many years ago, and when last heard from was living in the State of New York, as a Baptist minister. He had evidently changed his re- ligions views.

B. L. Jackson was the first local preacher of the same Church, and settled in the same neigh- borhood in 1848. They organized a class about the same time in a log school house, a short distance from Samuel Long's residence. Mr. Jackson was an itinerant preacher in the M. E. Church for a number of years, and was then trans- ferred to an Iowa conference.

Rev. G. G. Nickey was one of the pioneer preachers of the United Brethren Church on Fancy creek, and under his preaching they have increased in strength and numbers, and at the present writing are strong and prosperous.

902

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER XIII.

WAR FOR THE UNION.

If there is any one thing, more than another, of which the people of the northern States have reason to be proud, it is the bright record they made during the dark and bloody days of the war of the Rebellion. When the war was forced upon the country, the people were quiet- ly pursuing the even tenor of their ways, doing whatever their hands found to do-making farms or cultivating those already made, erect- ing homes, founding cities and towns, building shops and manufactories-in short, the country was alive with industry and hopes for the future.

The people were just recovering from the depressions and losses incident to the great financial panie of 1857. The future looked bright and promising, and the industrious and patri- otie sons and daughters of the free States were buoyant with hope-looking forward to the perfection of new plans for the securing of comfort and competence in their declining years of life; they little heeded the mutterings and threatenings of treason's children in the slave States of the South. True sons and descendants of the heroes of the "times that tried men's souls"-the struggle for American Independ- ence-they never dreamed that there was even one so base as to dare attempt the destruction of the Union of their fathers-a government bap- tised with the best blood the world ever knew. While immediately surrounded with peace and tranquillity, they paid but little attention to the rumored plots and plans of those who lived and grew rich from the sweat and toil, blood and flesh of others; aye, even trafficing in their

own offspring. Nevertheless, the war came, with all its attendent horrors.

April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter, in Charleston bay, South Carolina, Major Anderson, U. S. A., commandant, was fired upon by rebel arms. Although base treason, this first aet in the bloody reality that followed, was looked upon as the mere bravado of a few hot heads, the act of a few fire-eaters whose sectional bias and freedom-liatred was crazed by excessive indul- gence in intoxicating potions. When, a day later, the news was borne northward, on the wings of the telegraph, that Anderson had been forced to surrender to what had at first been re- garded as a drunken mob, the strong patriotic souls of the people of the north were startled from their dreams of the future, from undertak- ings half completed, and made to realize, that, behind that mob, there was a dark, deep, well organized purpose to destroy the government, rend the Union in twain, and out of its ruins erect a slave oligarchy, wherein no one would dare question their right to hold in bond- age, the sons and daughters of "sunny Africa." But "they reckoned without their host." Their dreams of this Utopia, their plans for the establishment of an independent confederacy, were doomed from their inception to sad and bitter disappointment.

Immediately upon the surrender of Fort Sum- ter, Abraham Lincoln, the President, who, but a few short weeks before, had taken the oath of office as the nation's chief executive, issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers for three months, being misled by uninformed

903

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

counselors as to the magnitude of the task be- fore him. The last word of that proclamation hardly ceased to vibrate along the telegraph wire, before the call was filled. Men and money were poured into the lap of the General Government with lavish hands. The people who loved their country-and who did not- could not give enough. Patriotism thrilled and pulsated through every heart. The farm, the shop, the office, the store, the factory, the bar, the pulpit, aye, even the college and school houses offered their best men, their lives and their fortune in defense of the unity and honor of their government and flag. Party lines were ignored or lost sight of and bitter words, spoken in the moment of political heat, were forgotten and forgiven, and joining hands in a common cause, northern democrat, republican and conservative repeated the oath of Ameri- ca's soldier-statesman, "by the Great Eternal, the Union must and shall be preserved."

But alas, 75,000 men were not enough to sub- due the rank rebellion. Nor were ten times that number. The war continued to rage, and call succeeded to call, until, to the doubting heart, it looked as if there were not men enough in all the northern States to crush these traitor- ous foes within the limits of our own glorious land, helped and aided as they were by traitor- ous friends across the ocean. But to every call for either men or money, there was a ready and willing response. And it is the boast of the people that, had the supply of men fallen short, there were women brave and daring enough, aye, even patriotic enough, to have offered themselves a willing sacrifice upon their coun- try's altar. Such were the impulses, motives and actions of the patriotic sons of the north, among whom the loyal sons of Wisconsin made a conspicuous record, and the boys from Rich- land county were not in any wise behind in the movement to preserve the life of our govern- ment.

The county government made such appropri- ations as seemed to them proper and right for

the support of the families of those who volun- teered; and of these matters we will treat first. Immediately upon receipt of the President's proclamation, the citizens of Richland county proceeded to recruit a company, but, owing to the distance from the seat of war, could not get them accepted under the three months' call, and the Scott Guards were mustered in under the first call of three years.

The first action of the board of supervisors, in regard to the volunteers then going and gone to the front, was at a special session held July, 1861, when the following resolution was adop- ted :

Resolved, That the families of non-commis- sioned officers, musicians and privates, mustered into the service of the State or of the United States, in pursuance of any law of this State, being residents of this county, in addition to the pay provided for the rank of soldiers of the rank aforesaid, shall receive the sum of $4 for four months, to be paid only to the families that really need it; and that such ap- propriation be paid by the county treasurer upon the presentation of a certificate of a jus- tice of the peace of said county, to the effect that the applicant is of the class above specified, and in need of said appropriation."

At its November session, the same year, the board, the time for which the previous resolu- tion provided having expired, appointed a com- mittee to make and report to them an order making an allowance to the families of the vol- unteers. In accordance with the above instruc- tions, when the committee made its report, the board appropriated the sum of $2,500 to meet the expenses of the partial support of the fami- lies of volunteers, to be applied under the direction of the board. It was also determined that it should be the duty of the town boards, when an application was made to them for re- lief, by the family of a volunteer in the United States service, to inquire into the case, and if necessary, to provide such aid and draw orders

904

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

on the county treasurer, who was instructed to pay them.

Jan. 13, 1862, the board of supervisors made the following order :- " That the families of non-commissioned officers, musicians and pri- vates mustered into the service of the State or of the United States, being residents of this county at the time of their enlistment, in addi- tion to the pay provided for soldiers of the rank aforesaid, receive from the county the sum of $1 per month during their service; that families having children under twelve years of age, receive the sum of $1 per month for each child, in addition to the sum aforesaid, this allowance to date from Nov. 20, 1861."

The board also passed resolutions defining how, when and where the applications for this relief shall be filed and paid, and reseinds any and all actions of previous boards of super- visors.

At a special session of the board of super- visors held March 4, 1862, the following resolu- tion was adopted:

" WHEREAS-There is no money in the treasu- ry with which to redeem the orders issued to the families of volunteers, and whereas, the families are realizing but about one-half the amount therefrom, it is therefore

" Resolved, That it is deemed for the best in- terests of all concerned that the act passed at January session, for the relief of families of volunteers be, and the same is, hereby declared repealed."

The calls for more men, more victims to the unholy demon of war, now became more frequent and soon there were no young men left in the county to bear the brunt of war's fierce struggle, and yet some must go. And when the call for 300,000 more came in December, 1864, some steps must be taken to fill the county's quota, and a meeting was held in the court honse at Richland Centre to take such steps, as seemed advisable, toward that object. The meeting was organized by the selection of Le 1

Roy D. Gage, as chairman, and D. Downs as clerk.

When the meeting was opened, N. L. James moved the appointment of a committee on reso- Intions, which was carried, and Robert Akan, Norman L. James and C. H. Smith were ap- pointed the said committee. (The committee reporting a majority and minority report, and both being lengthy, and neither being adopted, both have been omitted). However the follow- ing resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That every man liable to the draft be requested to pay $25 for the purpose of pro- euring volunteers, and $3 for the purpose of paying the taxes of all enlisted men now in the service incurred by a town tax for war bounty purposes; and that the town board of supervi- sors be petitioned to hold at the earliest prac- ticable day a town meeting for the purpose of voting for or against a tax of $200 for each vol- unteer properly credited to the town.

Voted, That C. H. Smith be, and he is hereby authorized to receive and receipt for the $28 re- quested from those liable to the draft; and that he is authorized to pay out of money so re- ceived the sum of $300 for each recruit prop- erly credited to Richland town.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 127

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1298

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298