History of Grant County, Wisconsin, preceded by a history of Wisconsin, Part 157

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: [Chicago : Western Historical Co.?]
Number of Pages: 1050

USA > Wisconsin > Grant County > History of Grant County, Wisconsin, preceded by a history of Wisconsin > Part 157

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).

JOSEPH H. LINCOLN, wagon-maker and blacksmith, Montfort; born in Chester Co., Penn., in 1827. He came to Wisconsin with his parents, who settled in Platteville in June, 1844. His father was Ezariah Lincoln; parents now deceased ; they had seven children, four sons and three daugh- ters ; the sons and one daughter are still living. Mr. Lincoln came to Montfort, and engaged in business in 1851. He was married to Margaret Laird, daughter of Thomas Laird ; she died May, 1870. He has three children-Mary E., Eva O., Ezariah T .; lost one child.

MRS. ELIZABETH LAIRD, widow of Thomas Laird, who was born in Ireland Nov. 15, 1815. He emigrated with his parents to Philadelphia, when a child, and where he resided till he had reached manhood. He was married to Mrs. Laird, then Elizabeth Twining, daughter of John Twining, born in Bucks Co., Penn., May 2, 1819. They were married July 23, 1835. About 1835, they removed to Delaware, where Mr. Laird was engaged in a cotton factory ; they removed to Illinois

996

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

about 1842 ; they settled at Galena in 1844, and came to Grant Co. about 1846; settled in Wingville about 1850. Mr. Laird was engaged in various occupations. He died in 1877. Mrs. Laird has three sons and five daughters-Sarah (now Mrs. Ira Scofield), Nancy (now Mrs. Thomas De Witt), Sophrona, Susan (now Mrs. Robert Moran), Thomas, Jessie F., Fremont and Seward. Thomas was born in Wing- ville October, 1853 ; is engaged in civil engineering. Mrs. Laird has lost five children; all died in infancy except Mrs. Thomas Lincoln.

MRS. ANN LEADBETTER, Montfort ; was born in Butler Co., near Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1814. She removed to what is now Peoria, Ill., in 1827, and thence to Galena the following year. She is one of the few early settlers remaining whose memories date back to years preceding the noted Black Hawk war, and who remember vividly the stirring events of that period. She was married in 1828, near Galena, to Mr. Samuel Moore. They came to Grant Co. in 1848. Her second husband, Mr. Leadbetter, died in California. She has seven children-Nancy Jane Moore, Eugene Moore, Alexander Moore and Susan Moore (now Mrs. Parish) ; by second marriage-Martha, Lucretia and Asopheena.

EDWARD B. MONTEITH, farmer, Sec. 30 ; P. O. Montfort; was born in Wigtonshire, Scotland, March, 1822; is a brother of Mr. John Monteith, of the town of Fennimore. He came to the United States in 1848; he lived in Vermont for about three years, thence to Janesville, Wis .. where he lived about three years. Is a stone-mason by trade. He came to Platteville in 1854, and was employed in the building of the State Normal School building of that village. He settled on a farm in the town of Liberty ; came to his present location March, 1869, which he purchased of Mr. James McCubben. Mrs. Monteith was born in 1823. They have seven children-Elizabeth (now Mrs. Jacob Smith), Jessie ( now Mrs. Alexander Smith), James R., Isabel (now Mrs. Walter Smith), Martha J. (now Mrs. James Pres- ton), Mary A., Margaret E. (now Mrs. Miles Helm). Mr. Monteith's farm contains about 400 acres.

JAMES R. MONTEITH, farmer, Sec. 19 ; P. O. Montfort; son of Edward B. Monteith ; born in Janesville, Wis., in 1853. Married Lizzie A. Borger, daughter of Daniel Borger; she was born in Wisconsin ; they have four children-Margaret A., Nettie A., James I. and Llewellyn C. His farm contains 80 acres.

ALONZO D. MILLS, farmer, Sec. 15 ; P. O. Montfort ; was born in the town of Batavia, Genesee Co., N. Y., in 1812 ; his parents removed to the State of Illinois when he was a child ; he came to Mineral Point in the then Territory of Wisconsin in 1837 ; the following year he settled at Centerville, where he lived about eight years; he then settled on his present farm, where he has since resided ; has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Emily Jane Townsend, whom he married at Centerville ; she was born in Wisconsin. His present wife was Mary E. Denson, born in Ireland ; has had fifteen chil- dren-seven sons and five daughters are living. Mr. Mills was appointed Justice of the Peace by Gov. Dodge when Wisconsin was yet a Territory ; he has held that office for about twenty years.

AUGUSTUS MATTHEWS, station agent, Montfort; was born in Washington Co., Ohio ; he came to Richland Co., Wis., from Morgan Co., Ohio, in March. 1857 ; he resided in Richland Co. till 1862; he then removed to Blue River Station, on the Madison & Prairie du Chien Railroad, where he resided till June, 1880, when he assumed his present position. He was married to Elizabeth Boswell, born in Ohio, of Quaker parentage; they have four children-Ella (now telegraph operator and book-keeper at the station), Clara, Althea and Edward E.

HENRY E. MOORE, Montfort ; born in the town of Mifflin, Iowa Co., March, 1845 ; son of Daniel B. Moore, a native of Kentucky, one of the early settlers of Iowa Co. He settled in the town of Mifflin, where he resided till his death, which occurred in the fall of 1845 ; Mr. Moore's mother, now Mrs. Orrin Goodrich, was America Parish, daughter of Levi Parish ; parents had nine children, seven of whom are living; Henry E. entered the army as teamster in 1864 and served about six months : his first wife was Mary Blackney ; present wife was Susan Nolan ; has five children by first wife-Levi, John, Henry, Adelaide and Samuel ; one by present wife-Maud.

THOMAS S. PRESTON, Sec. 28; P. O. Preston ; born in Grant Co. in 1857 : his farm contains 240 acres ; he is the son of Matthew Preston, one of the prominent farmers of the town of Fennimore; born in Yorkshire, Eng., in 1829. Married to Elizabeth Little, also born in Yorkshire, Eng. ; emigrated to the United States in March, 1851 ; first settled in Sec. 18, town of Wingville, where he resided till 1861, when he settled in the town of Fennimore, where he now resides ; his farm contains 440 acres, with fine improvements, all of which he made himself. Mr. Preston lost his first wife in 1865 ; be returned to England in 1868 and married his present wife, Abigail I. Hazeltine ; he has six children by first marriage-Jane. James, Thomas, John, Margaret and Matthew ; has seven children by present marriage-Lizzie, Charles, Albert, Wesley, Mary, Fred and Eli.

997

TOWN OF WINGVILLE.

HENRY PARISH, miner and farmer, Sec. 12; P. O. Montfort; born in Grant Co. about 1843 ; his father, Dawson Parish, was one of the earliest settlers of Grant Co. ; he was married to Alice Russell, born at Sauk City, Wis., in 1846 ; they have three children - Jennie B., Walter and Leo R. A sad accident occurred to the family of Mr. Parish Aug. 3, 1880. Two bright and promising boys of Mr. and Mrs. Parish-Loren R. and William H., aged respectively 11} and 93 years, on the morning of the day mentioned, started for Mineral Point with a wagon-load of mineral, called black-jack ; by some unknown cause the wagon was capsized, and the boys were buried beneath the heavy metal, and, when found, life was extinct.

JAMES PETTYJOHN, miller at Blue River Mills; son of Garrison and Martha Petty- john. His father is a native of Georgia, his mother of the State of Illinois; they came to the Territory of Wisconsin about 1840. They were married at Platteville. His parents were residents of Grant and Iowa ('os. until they removed to Minnesota in the spring of 1830. His parents have six children-James, Flora, Adda, Reuben, Frank and George. James was born in Iowa Co. in 1853. He learned his trade at Liberty Mills, near Lancaster.

WILLIAM STEVENS, Montfort; was born in Cornwall, England, October, 1797; he was brought up to various occupations, including mining, smelling, etc .; was engaged in Belgium at the bus- iness of smelting for a time. He was married, in Cornwall, to Jane Mann; emigrated to Wisconsin in 1843; came first to Hazel Green, thence to Benton, in what is now La Fayette Co. In the spring of 1846, he returned to Cornwall and brought over his family, consisting of his wife and ten children ; he settled near Benton and engaged in mining ; he resided in Benton about ten years ; he then removed to Dodgeville, where he lived many years engaged in farming; he settled permanently in Montfort about. 1867 ; he purchased the Wingville Hotel when he resided in Benton, which he owned for many years. Mr. Stevens was engaged in mining, more or less, until 1876, and still owns valuable mining interests, His first wife died in Dodgeville ; his present wife was Mrs. Enoch Bernard ; her maiden name was Emily De Witt, daughter of Isaac De Witt. Mr. Stevens had thirteen children by his first wife, ten of whom are living, six sons and four daughters; has three children by his present wife, two sons and one daughter. Mrs. Stevens had seven children by her first marriage, five of whom are living. Mr. Stevens, though now in his 84th year, retains much of the vigor of his earlier life; he possesses, naturally, an iron constitution- Has always been a hard-working man, and has had many narrow escapes incident to his long life as a miner. He is possessed of many remarkable anecdotes of his pioneer life. He has crossed the Atlantic five times.

GEORGE P. SMITH, carpenter and builder, Montfort ; son of George Smith, who resides on Sec. 20. George Smith was born in Alsace, then a province of France, now belonging to Germany, Jan. 17, 1813; came to America about 1839 ; he lived in Buffalo for a time, thence to Michigan City, Ind. ; here he was engaged for some time in driving stage between Michigan City and Chicago ; afterward removed to Hickory Point, Ind., and engaged in farming; was also engaged for a time on a canal, near Joliet ; lived in Indiana until 1866, when he came to Wisconsin and settled where he now lives. He was married in Indiana to Rebecca M. Goodrich ; has five children-J. W., Caroline Wayne, Sarah C. Brown, Catharine E. Morrison and George P .; the latter was born in Lake Co., Ind., in 1850 ; came to Wiscon- sin with his parents. He was married to Harriet Mills, daughter of A. D. Mills ; has four children- Bertha M., Minnie E., and Ada M. and Addie B., twins.

JACOB SCHMITTEN, tailor, Montfort ; was born in the city of Cologne, Prussia, on the Rhine, April 20, 1837 ; he came to the United States March 28, 1866 ; he learned his trade at Cologne ; he settled at Green Bay, Wis., where he was married to Catherine Mans ; she died at Green Bay. Mr. Schmitten went to Milwaukee in 1873, where he worked at his trade and was married to Josephine Frat- tinger ; he lived in Milwaukee about five years, when he removed to Platteville, where his wife died Jan. 2, 1879. He located in Montfort in 1880. Has two children by his first wife-Anna C. and John P .; two by his second wife-Edward and Mary E.

JOHN A. THOMAS, druggist and Postmaster, Montfort ; was born in Franklin Co., Penn., in 1844 ; his father died in Pennsylvania; John A. came to Wisconsin in 1860, though his mother, with the remainder of her family, had come to Grant Co. several years previous to that time. He was Register of Deeds for the years 1861 and 1862. He enlisted in the 31st W. V. I., and served three years. Was for seven or eight years a resident of Lancaster; he settled pern anently in Montfort in 1873; in 1874, commenced business here under the firm name of Thomas & Billings; bought his partner's interest in the business in 1875 ; was appointed Postmaster February, 1873. He was married to Miss Lucelia Hess,

998

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

born in Montfort ; they have two children-Frank and Fern. Mr. Thomas is the present Town Clerk of Wingville ; has held that office for three years.

JAMES T. TAYLOR, furniture dealer and undertaker, Montfort; born in England in 1826; he emigrated to New York City, in December, 1846, thence to Bristol, Conn., and engaged in copper mining, thence to New Jersey, where he was also engaged in mining, thence to Hatfield, Mass., in 1848, where he stayed one year, and had charge of a mine; he went to Hazel Green, Grant Co., in April, 1849, which he made his home till the fall of 1865; in the fall of 1868, he came to Montfort, and engaged in his present business. His first wife was Miss Ann Wills, born in England; they were married at Hazel Green in September, 1849; she died Nov. 17, 1872. His second wife was Sophia George, who died April 14, 1879; he has seven children by first marriage-John W., Abbie A., Mar- garet, S. H., S. J., Mary T. and Lilly G .; his two oldest sons J. W. and S. H., reside at Linden, Iowa Co .; the former is a lawyer and banker of that place, and the latter a law student. Mr. Taylor has been a teacher of vocal music for many years ; has taught singing schools at various points in both Iowa and Grant Counties. He is a member of the M. E. Church.

WILLIAM A. THOMPSON, clerk for Mr. Schenk, Montfort; born at Sun Prairie, Dane Co .. June, 1853; his parents were natives of Scotland ; he was engaged in teaching school in Dodgeville for three years, has also taught in Grant Co .; he came to Montfort, May, 1880. He was married to Hannah Bennett, daughter of Matthew Bennett; they have two children-Frankie and Gordon.

SAMUEL T. TUCKER, blacksmith, Montfort ; born at Quincy, Ill., Jan. 1, 1832; came to Wisconsin in 1837, and settled in Grant Co., but the family returned to Illinois the following year, where his father died ; his mother and family returned soon after the death of his father, and settled in the town of Lima, Grant Co .; his mother died in 1846. She was married, after the death of Mr. Tucker, to Mr. Boshford ; she had five children by first marriage, and two children by second marriage. Mr. Samuel T. Tucker was married to Frances R. Hamilton ; they have eight children, two sons and six daughters. Mr. Tucker came to Montfort in October, 1853.

JOHN THOMSON, retired farmer, Sec. 25 ; P. O. Montfort ; was born in Scotland July 7, 1794 ; he came to America in 1832; he was for several years engaged in gold mining in the Eastern part of Virginia ; he removed from Virginia to Illinois where he resided about three years ; he came to Wisconsin and settled near Platteville in 1840, and engaged in farming; he settled on his present farm about 1847. He was married in Scotland to Mary Nes, they lived together fifty five years ; she died November 10, 1875; has had five children, four of whom are hving-David (resides in California), Thomas (deceased), Grace (widow of James Sandemon), Mary (now Mrs. Henry Gilfrey), and Margaret ( now Mrs. Robert Chandler).

THOMAS A. THOMPSON, carpenter and builder, Montfort; born in Canada near the Vermont line in 1840 ; his father died in Canada ; his mother afterward married Mr. William Cook, and removed to Illinois about 1855; they came to Grant Co. about 1856, and settled in Clifton, where his mother still resides ; her husband, Mr. Cook, was a soldier in the army during the rebellion, and died of disease contracted while in the service ; Thomas is the only child of his mother living by her first husband ; she has six children by her second husband. Thomas came to Grant Co. in 1868, from Plattesburg, N. Y. He was married to Jennie Row; has three children-Alymer, Frank and Albert S .; he learned his trade in Boston, where he worked about six years; his father was a native of Scotland, his mother of Canada.

GREENBERRY THOMPSON, farmer, Sec. 10; P. O. Montfort; was born in Jackson Co., Ill., Jan. 15, 1815; his parents removed to Arkansas when he was a child, but afterward returned to Illinois, where they resided till their decease; he was one of the early settlers of Grant Co .; came to the county in April, 1846, and settled where he now lives about 1848. He was married in Illinois to Charlotte Henderson, born in Jackson Co., Ill .; they have eight children-General Marion, Jefferson Lafayette, William Spencer, Serena, Sophronia, Ephraim, Olive and Emma ; lost one daughter.

THOMAS THOMAS, Sr., P. O. Preston ; was born in Bristol, England, County of Glou- cester, May 26, 1808. His father and mother were Welsh, and removed to Cowbridge, a small inland town in Glamorganshire, South Wales, the place of their nativity. When he was a child 9 months old, he was brought up and remained in this town until he left for America on board the Nestor, of Plymouth, Capt. Smith, and set sail from Newport, in Monmouthshire, South Wales, bound for Philadelphia, and arrived there on the 1st of May, after a voyage of seven weeks. He was 22 years of age at the time ; remained in Pennsylvania, and worked in the coal mines in Pottsville about three years, an employment

999

TOWN OF WINGVILLE.

which he had not been accustomed to follow. The mine he worked in is the one that has been on fire for the last forty years. About this time, he heard of the lead mines, in what was then called Michigan Ter- ritory ; and, in company with a Mr. Williams, left Pottsville for Galena, which was what was then sup- posed to be the chief town in the mining district. They reached Pittsburgh by going afoot ; traveled 350 miles, averaging thirty-five miles a day. They took a steamer from Pittsburgh to Louisville, and thence to St. Louis. There they took passage on board the Winnebago, a boat that plied between St. Louis and Galena. The boat was detained by an accident to the machinery at the Rapids ; and, while lying still, passing boats informed them of the Indian excitement near Galena. Part of the passengers returned ; but they went on to Galena in the steamer Olive Branch, arriving there May 5. Mr. Thomas hired out to a Mr. Streeter, at $20 per month and board, to work a mine he owned on Fever River, near White Oak Springs. After he had worked three days for him, he advanced him $40, to send for his family, consisting of a wife and one child, which, with what he had left with her, was sufficient to bring them to him by stage and eabin passage. After working for Mr. Streeter awhile, he went into partner- ship with Morgan Lewis, a native of Wales, to pre-empt some land. He and his family and Mr. Lewis left Galena with two yoke of oxen, two cows, a plow and the necessary implements for farming purposes, with as much provision as would last them four or five months. On the road, they were informed by a Mr. Mayfield of the timber and prairie, where he now resides. As Mr. Mayfield had already claimed this land, he resigned it to them for a mere trifle. Mr. Lewis had a mortal hatred of Indians, owing to some of his friends on Fox River being killed by them. He would never give an Indian anything to eat, even if he knew that a morsel would save a whole tribe from death.

Mr. Thomas relates the following about their Indian troubles :

We were now among them-had cut hay and built a cabin. I treated them with civility ; but Lewis was opposed to this, and frequently gave them just cause for resentment. I was gathering some withered grass that I had cut for feathers to fill a bed-tick, when an Indian accosted me, and, pointing to our cabin, put his finger to his mouth, and signified by his gestures that he wished me to give him something to eat. He stood west of me a few paces, and I, supposing that their village was at Fennimore, pointed with my pitchfork in that direction, signifying as best I could that he must go to his own wigwam for what he wanted to eat. Ile supposed that I threatened him with my fork, and cocked his rifle. I then stuck the fork in the ground, and went good naturedly toward him, offering him my hand, which he rejected with disdain, presenting a visage haughty and severe. He turned and left me. It was not in my nature to refuse his request, had I not been instructed by Lewis, who said that if we were kind to them once they would expect ns to be so every day. I admired the naughty bearing and noble spirit of the Indian, and had a great desire to see how they lived in their villages with their families. I did not anticipate trouble on account of what had passed ; did not mention it to Lewis, as I wished him to accompany me to their village. It was Sunday morning, and we started in search of them; but took the wrong direction. When we were returning about 5 o'clock, I made for the cabin, and Lewis for the timber, in search of the oxen. When I was about 200 yards from the house, I met the same Indian I had seen on Saturday. His face was painted black as tar. I spoke kindly to him, and he nodded, I thought, in the same kindly spirit. He took his knife from its pouch, and drew the back of it across the back of his own neck, and said in English these words, 'Squaw one papoose kill wicked Sioux ! I understood him to mean that his wife and child had been murdered by an Indian of that tribe. Just at this moment, a pig, the only one we had, ran by. He appeared excited ; was about to take aim. I struck the end of the barrel gently with my hand to turn it aside from the mark. This made him mad. He stepped back a few paces, and shot the hog near the heart, and killed it! I could not help myself, so I pocketed the affront and left him. When I got to the house, I learned that he had been there the greater part of the day. He helped himself to what he wanted to eat. He had gone to the cradle several times, and appeared either to pity or admire the baby. I apprehended no danger ; got something to eat, and chopped firewood till it was nearly dark, when I heard Lewis running toward the house. He at the same time gave us to understand we were about to be murdered. * *

* * We were surrounded by fire and cheered by Indian yells, who were made joyful by seeing our dismay. We could see them plainly by the light of the fire they had kindled. They were many-we but two-with only one gun. The vegetation was waist high in the timber-rank and dry-there being no cattle to impede its growth, so that the fire leaped from tree to tree, and presented a picture worthy in every sense of the infernal regions. Here Lewis disap- peared, and left us to what he supposed to be our fate. I would certainly have followed his example, had I been at. liberty like him. He believed our case was hopeless, or he would not have acted thus, for he had in is bosom the heart of a man. In about an hour and a half from this, perhaps 12 o'clock in the night, it hecame evident to us that it was not the intention of the Indians to put us to death ; and, supposing the fire would burn up all we had, I car- ried our trunks to a clear spot over which the fire had already passed unnoticed by our enemies. We shouldered the best of our clothing ; tied the baby on my wife's back with a blanket, and left for Fennimore Grove, a distance of six miles. Here we found the Indians acting as they had done with us, so we started in the morning for what is now called Linden, in an ox cart. We missed the road, as it snowed about six inches, and we made our bed under the cart, and arrived at Linden about 10 o'clock in the morning.

Mr. Thomas worked in the diggings three years ; then purchased 160 acres of land, the same where he had previously lived. When he returned, he found Morgan Lewis living in the cabin where he con- tinued to live all alone for twenty years. Mr. Thomas' children are Thomas, born in Pennsylvania and

1000

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :

Mary Ann, Tanner, Elizabeth, Susie, Abner, Sarah, Lewis, Benjamin and Mark, all born in Wisconsin. Tanner and Lewis were in the 7th W. V. I., and belonged to the Iron Brigade. Tanner fought in every battle in which the Seventh was engaged. He re-enlisted as a veteran, and was pierced by a minie ball in the forehead, while leading Co. A in a charge at Petersburg, Va., June 18, 1864, in his 26th year. He was Second Lieutenant of Co. H, but commanded Co. A in this battle.

Col. Finnicum in his letter on Tanner's death says :

As it was God's will that he should fall, his State can chronicle his name among the bravest and most devoted of her patriots, who have fallen in this mighty contest for the principles involved ; and you can have the cheering intelligence that notwithstanding all the temptations of vice thrown around the soldier, he never swerved from the path of rectitnde and right, and died in the Christian's hope.

Lewis enlisted with Tanner Jan. 1, 1864, and was shot through the right lung in April, when Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant, and has a pension. The ball went clear through, within one and a quarter inches of his back bone, and he is, and will always be, troubled with his lung. Abner raised a company of 100-day men, and was Lieutenant in Memphis under Gen. Washburn.

THOMAS THOMAS, Jr., See. 31, son of Thomas Thomas, Sr., was born in Pottsville, Penn., in 1833; his first wife was Elizabeth Dinsdale; his present wife was Mary Heathcote. Had seven children by first wife, three of whom are living, Mary. Helen and Anna ; has three children by present wife -- Orville H., Mattie and Nellie. His farm contains 240 acres. Mr. Thomas has been Jus- tice of the Peace several terms.

W. H. VAN DUSEN, M. D., Montfort, son of Dr. Harmon Van Dusen, who came tto Millwaukee about 1848, and to Mineral Point, Iowa County, the following year, where he was engaged in the practice of medicine for over thirty years ; he still resides at Mineral Point. Dr. W. H. Van Dusen was born in Onondaga, N. Y .. July 3, 1847. He read medieine with his father, and gradu- ated at the Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati, March, 1869. Began the practice of medicine at Mineral Point, thence to Linden, Iowa County, He located at Montfort in 1873. He was married to Elsie H. Montgomery, born in Galena, Ill. They have three children, Harmon L., born April 15, 1873 ; Anna M., born March 11, 1877; and Frank W., born April 2, 1878; lost second child, Clarence, born July 30, 1875, died Feb. 14, 1877.

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 Grant County, Wisconsin, preceded by a history of Wisconsin, Part 157

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: [Chicago : Western Historical Co.?] Number of Pages: 1050

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: [Chicago : Western Historical Co.?]
Number of Pages: 1050