History of Green County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 105

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1168

USA > Wisconsin > Green County > History of Green County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 105

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).

762

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

seven or eight years. He now has a good farm and comfortable buildings. In 1883 Mr. Ray- mer visited Green Co., Penn., to review the scenes of his early life, and was absent several weeks.

V Nathaniel Binger is a son of Solomon Bin- ger, who was born in Coshocton Co., Ohio, and was a brother of William Binger of this town. He (Solomon Binger) came here with his fam- ily in the autumn of 1850, and settled upon forty acres on section 15, but afterwards re- moved to section 9, which he sold, and moved to Kansas with his family. He returned and located on section 17, where he resided until his death in September, 1881. His widow, Har- riet (Lynch) Binger, still lives in the town. She owns 284 acres of land. They had eight children. Those now living are-Nathaniel, Emily, wife of Edmund Weldon; Francis Oli- ver, Sarah A., wife of Thomas Tomlinson, Brant W. and Sidney Ulysses. Nathaniel was born in the town of Cadiz, Nov. 29, 1850. He was married to Charlotte E., daughter of Wil- liam Austin, an early settler in this county. They reside upon section 8.

V Simon P. Lynch settled in 1850 on section 15, where he purchased 200 acres of unimproved land of C. C. Washburn and Cyrus Woodman, agents for the sale of lands. He built a log house and barn upon the place in the fall of that year. He has resided here since that time. He now owns 320 acres. He was born in Coshoc- ton Co., Ohio, in the town of West Bedford, June 15, 1824. He remained in his native county until twenty-six years of age, when he came to Green county. His father, William Lynch, was a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. Lynch, subject of this sketch, was married to Margaret Divan, daughter of Henry Divan, and they have eight children-Mary E., Thomas A. who now resides on section 21 in this town; Mattie J., wife of Frank Ullom; John W., Ellen, Annie M., wife of John Howe; Simon P. and Hester. They have lost five boys, three of

whom died in Ohio. Mrs. Lynch was born in Coshocton Co., Ohio, Feb. 25, 1824.

Lyman Lockman resides on section 33, where he settled in 1860. He first settled on section 16 in 1855. Mr. Lockman was born in Madi- son Co., N. Y., in 1828. When ten years old he went to sea as cabin boy, taking a trip around the world on his first voyage. He was on the sea fifteen years. During the war with Mexico he was in the naval service, and was present at the capture of Vera Cruz. He came to Wisconsin in 1851, since which time his home has been in Green county. He was married to Elizabeth Hastings, daughter of Hugh Hast- ings. She was born in Pennsylvania. They have six children-John, Hugh, Acta, Benjamin, Eda and Arthur. One son, William, was drowned while bathing in the Pecatonica river, June 20, 1880. He was in his eighteenth year. Mr. Lockman's farm contains eighty acres.

Lorenzo Fuller lives on section 32, where his father, W. M. Fuller, settled Feb 22, 1854. The latter was born in the State of Massachu- setts about 1805. When a young man he went to Canada and from thence to Wisconsin in 1853. He bought this farm of Josiah Martin, which was then unimproved. He died Ang. 11, 1879, and his wife has since died. They had six children, three boys and three girls. Lorenzo owns the homestead farm, having bought the interest of the other heirs. He was born in Canada in 1844. He was married to Lana Chawgo, a native of the town of Clayton, Jef- ferson Co., N. Y. They have four children- Walter, Frank, Clark and Collie.

V Henry Shank, upon section 36, owns the homestead where his father, J. B. Shank, settled in 1855. J. B. Shank was born in Lebanon Co., Penn., in 1809, where he grew to manhood and in his youth learned the trade of miller. He was married to Catharine Bambergar. In 1835 he left his home in Pennsylvania and came directly to this county and purchased the farm before mentioned, of George Shaffer. He first bought 240 acres, which he increased to

763

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

400 acres. He died in October, 1875. His widow now lives in Stephenson Co., Ill. They had ten children, six of whom grew to matur- ity, and five of whom are now living-J. B., Malinda, wife of Jared Wahlford; Michael, Henry and John H. Michael, Henry and J. B. are residents of Cadiz. Henry, who lives at the homestead, was born in Lebanon county in 1848. He was married to Elmira, daughter of Elisha Ullom, of this town. They have one son-Willie A., born Jan. 20, 1874.

John A. Meacham came to Green county with his father, Hosea Meacham, in 1857. He was born in Crawford Co., Penn., in 1841. In 1863 he enlisted in the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry, and served in the department of the gulf, until the close of the war. He was married to Mary E. Robb, a daughter of Andrew Robb, and they have four children-Ed. L., Nellie, John Arthur and Alta. Mr. Meacham was a teacher in Green county for a number of years, teaching fifteen winter terms. He now resides on sec- tion 21, where he settled in 1867. He owns 120 acres, upon which he has made all of the improvements, and has a good farm. He has served as town clerk seven years, member of the town board one year, and town treasurer one year in the town of Cadiz. His father, Hosea Meacham, lives on section 16, where he settled in 1857. He was born in Chenango Co., N. Y., in 1807. His wife was Mary Nichols. She died in 1882. They had six children, four sons and two daughters.

William Bratley lives upon section 14, of the town of Cadiz, where he settled in 1859. He was born in Lincolnshire. England, in 1824. He came to the United States in 1840, as a sailor on board of an English brig called Streetlam Castle. On reaching New York he left that ship and shipped on board an American vessel. He continued to follow the sea until 1850. He then located at Savannah, Ga., where he kept a restaurant four years. In 1854 he re- moved to the State of New York and engaged in farming. In the fall of 1857 he returned to

Savannah and again engaged in the restaurant business. In the spring of 1859 he came to Green county. His wife was Mary C. Cain, who was born at Newburg, N. Y. They have eight children, three sons and five daugh- ters. Mr. Bratley's farm on section 14 contains 120 acres, and is an excellent farm. He also owns land elsewhere. In consideration of the fact that he spent so much of his life at sea and in following other pursuits, he is an exception- ally successful farmer.

John Whitehead first settled on sections 13 and 24, town of Cadiz. He was born in Ohio, Aug. 20, 1825, and died at his home in this county, Jan. 6, 1879. He was in good cir- cumstances and in an apparent condition to enjoy life, and be a blessing to his family, and a valu- ble member of the society in which he moved. At the time of his death he owned 280 acres of land, and also 100 acres of his father's estate, who soon after died. Ilis farm was formerly covered with a fine body of timber, a good part of which he had cleared off and put the land in good condition. He was married to Sarah Iseminger, a native of Ohio, who removed to Green county with her parents. They have six children-Emma, William J., Isaac E., Min- nie M., Effie J., and Milton. William J. lives with his mother on the old homestead and ear- ries on the farm. Mrs. Whitehead is a member of the United Brethren Church.

Y Frederick M. Bradford was born at Plymouth, Mass., Oct. 27, 1834, and is a son of John Brad- ford, a native of Plymouth, and direct descend- ant of Gov. William Bradford, who came over in the Mayflower, and was the second gov- ernor of the Plymouth colony. He, Frederick M., came west with his father's family in 1840, and settled in Stephenson Co., Ill., where he remained until he came to Cadiz, in 1861. His farm consists of 120 acres on section 31. He was married to Cynthia V. Peters, a daugh- ter of Comfort Peters. She was born in Bradford Co., Penn. They have two chil- dren - Blanche, born April 25, 1862, a

764

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

teacher of music for the past four years; and John, born Dec. 24, 1868, and is now owner of the baptismal blanket brought over in the May- flower. Every oldest son is named John, and takes the blanket. Frederick's oldest brother, John, a private of Capt. Silas W. Field's com- pany A, 11th regiment of Illinois Infantry died, unmarried, June 4, 1862.

John Bradford, father of Frederick M., now a resident of Winslow, Stephenson Co., Ill., was a machinist by occupation, and came west in 1838. He erected the shot tower at Helena for C. C. Washburn and Cyrus Woodman, and in- vented the machinery for finishing shot at Helena, and put the same in operation in the shot tower at Chicago, that he superintended the building of for E. W. Blatchford. While there he invented a machine for cutting, print- ing and folding shot sacks, ready for sewing, also a machine for manufacturing buck shot, both of which are in operation at the present time.

Thomas Crow, on the southwest quarter of section 13, has eighty acres on that section and forty acres on section 15. He was born in Park Co., Ind., in 1842, where he was reared to agri- cultural pursuits, and remained until 1864. He came to Green county with his father, Abraham Crow, who settled one mile west of Monroe, in the town of Clarno, where he still lives. Thomas Crow and his father bought the farm where he (Thomas) now lives, in 1870. He also owned eighty acres on section 2, which he sold in 1884. He was married to Margaret, daughter of John Hartwig, of the town of Jor- dan. They have three children-Frederick M., Frank L. and Mary Edna. Mr. Crow is a mem- ber of the town board of supervisors for 1884, and has also served a preceding year.

George W. Stites settled upon section 34 in the fall of 1868. He is a native of Pennsylva- nia, born in 1831. He remained in that State till October, 1852, when he came west and lo- cated in Stephenson Co., Ill., living there until he came to Cadiz, where he owns 150 acres of

land. Mr. Stites was married to Martha J. Graves, daughter of Hubbard Graves, who set- tled in Stephenson county about 1834.

Michael Kratzer was born in Lebanon Co., Penn., about 1823, where he was married to Rebecca Fessler, born Nov. 14, 1824, also a na- tive of Lebanon county. They removed to Stephenson Co., Ill., about the year 1852, and in the spring of 1868 came to the town of Cadiz, settling at that time on the southeast quarter of section 23, where Mr. Kratzer died May 7, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Kratzer were the parents of two sons-John, born at Cedarville, Ill., Sept. 13, 1855, and married to Sarah M. Whitehead; and Daniel, born June 14, 1859. Mr. and Mrs. John Kratzer have one child- Viola. They all reside at the homestead farm, which contains 160 acres.

Y William M. Rinehart purchased the farm on which he now resides, of John and C. R. Den- iston, in 1868. It contains ninety acres and was then unimproved, Mr. Rinehart being the first resident upon it. He now has eighty acres im- proved. He was born in Champaign Co., Ill., in 1841, where he lived until fifteen years of age. He then came to Green county with his parents. His father, Martin Rinehart, a soldier of the Black Hawk War, settled in this town in 1857. He was a native of Green Co., Ohio. In 1880 he sold his farm here, and since that time has resided with his children, here and elsewhere. His wife died Aug. 19, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rinehart had nine children, seven of whom are living. William M. and Albert are the only ones residing in this town. William M. was drafted, in 1864, in company K, of the 16th Wisconsin regiment, and served till the close of the war. He participated in Sher- man's march to the sea, and was at the battle of Bentonville. He was married to Mary C. Trickle, daughter of Ashford Trickle, of Mon- roe. They have five children-Ira, Nettie, Anna Bell, Myron and Leroy.

y M. P. Rhoades settled, in 1874, upon section 11, of the town of Cadiz, where he purchased

765

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

land of Ashford Trickle, which was at that time heavily timbered. Mr. Rhoades was born in Champaign Co., Ill., in 1838. His early life was spent in his native county. His father, Walter Rhoades, a native of Maryland, re- moved to Ohio, and thence to Illinois. From Illinois he removed to Iowa, where he died. The subject of this sketch came to this county first in 1863, remaining here then only a few weeks, and then removing to Iowa. In 1870 he removed to California, and returned in 1873 to this county. He served three months in the army, in 1862, as a member of the 71st Illinois regiment. He was married March 4, 1863, to Julia A. Trickle, danghter of Ashford Trickle, of Monroe, and they have eight children, four boys and four girls. Mr. Rhoades owns a port- able saw mill, and is engaged in running the same. His father, Walter Rhoades, was a sol- dier in the Black Hawk War, also in the War of 1812.

Frank Long located on section 4, in 1874. He was born in Ashland Co., Ohio, in 1838. His father, Abner Long, died in Ohio. Frank removed to Illinois with his step-father when ten years of age, and came to this State in 1860. He was married to Julia Craig, daughter of James Craig, an early settler of Stephenson Co., Ill., where Mrs. Long was born. Mr. and Mrs. Long have had nine children. He owns 160 acres of land.

Y William G. Morse, residing on section 23, was married to Mrs. Malissa (Raymond) Robb, widow of James Robb, on the 26th of July, 1883. Mrs. Morse was born in Pennsylvania, April 26, 1838, and removed to Illinois with her father, Calvin Raymond, who now lives in Minnesota. She was married to James Robb, who, on the 16th of January, 1871, was killed by a runaway team while returning from Church. This union was blessed with four children- Clara E., wife of Joseph McGill; Eva May, Jaspar C. and Lester.

766

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXXI.

TOWN OFFCLARNO.

The town of Clarno is in the southern tier of towns; bounded on the south by Illinois, on the west by the town of Cadiz, on the north by Monroe, and on the east by Jefferson. It em- braces township 1 north, range 7 east, contain- ing 23,222.87 acres of land. The surface of this town is considerably diversified. In places it is quite broken and inclined to be bluffy, yet in but very few localities is it suffi- ciently abrupt to make it useless for agricultural purposes. Interspersed with the timber land is found patches of prairie and clearing, and the town contains many of the finest farms in Green county. A local writer in speaking of this town says:

"One of the things worthy of notice in this vicinity is the noted spring on section 11, on the place now occupied by F. H. Smock. It is famous for once having been the head-quarters of Black Hawk, the noted Indian chieftain. By the side of this fountain of sparkling water, the dusky warrior gathered his braves around their coun- cil fires, to plan the midnight raids against the pale-faces who had raised their solitary cabins here and there on the hunting grounds of the red man. The spot is lovely and romantic, sloping gently to the south. Near the spring stands an oak tree, whose deep foliage casts a dark shade over the water."

It is estimated that there are over 23,000 acres of farming lands, in this town, of average value of $23.06 per acre, and total value $536,- 834. The total value of real and personal prop- erty in the town is $693,073. The population of the town in 1875 was 1,510; in 1880 1,429.

The stock in the town is as follows: Horses 674, average value $59.09, total $39,831; 3,132 head of cattle, average value $17.91, total $56,- 111; thirteen mules, average value $75.76, total $985; 2,339 sheep, average value $2.41, total $5,674; 3,283 swine, average value $5.30, total $17,418; there are 1,047 milch cows, valued at $21,789. The principal farm products grown in the town in 1882 were as follows: 4,163 bush- els of wheat, 161,546 bushels of corn, 84,325 bushels of oats, 540 bushels of barley, 6,050 bushels of rye, 6,772 bushels of potatoes, 723 bushels of root crops, 233 bushels of cranber- ries, 3,735 bushels of apples, 49} bushels of clover seed, 1463 bushels of timothy seed, 31, 000 pounds of tobacco, 4,880} tons of hay, 64,- 169 pounds of butter, 61,500 pounds of cheese. The acreage of the principal farm products growing in the town of Clarno at the time of making the assessment in 1883 was as follows: 4513 acres of wheat, 4,206 acres of corn, 2,545} acres of oats, four acres of barley, 623} acres of rye, 1192 acres of potatoes, four acres of root crops, 13 acres of cranberries, 159 acres of ap- ple orchards, 5,088 bearing trees, six acres of tobacco, 2,878 acres of growing timber and 3,- 288 acres of grasses.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

The territory which now comprises the town of Clarno was first explored by whites, with the view of settling, in 1827. During this year, Andrew Clarno came from Illinois, and trav- eled all over this portion of the State in search of a suitable home for himself and family. In passing through the territory now included in

767

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

Green county, he was much impressed with the beauty of the locality, the fertility of the soil and unequalled natural advantages, and finally selected land which afterward became a portion of section 30, township 1, range 7 east. After prospecting for some time he returned to Illinois. In 1832, accompanied by his two sons, O. H. P. and Stephen E., he again came to Wisconsin -- this time to stay. Cabins were erected and pioneer life was commenced in earnest. They all settled together on section 30, where the old gentleman, Andrew, remained until the time of his death in 1850. Stephen E., after a few years, entered land on section 29, and remained until 1840, when he went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa; later he returned to Illi- nois, and located in what is now Logan county, where he lived for a number of years. He is now a resident of McLean Co., Ill. . O. H. P. Clarno, at the time of his arrival with his father and brother, was but a lad of fourteen years.

O. H. P. Clarno is a resident of the town of Clarno, where he has resided since 1832. He was born in Sangamon Co., Ill., near Spring- field, March 10, 1818. He was reared upon a farm and remained in that county till fourteen years of age, when he came to Clarno. He was married to Lucy fluffman, who died May 11, 1853, leaving four children, all of whom are de- ceased. His second wife was Catharine Solo- mon, a native of Union Co., Penn. She died Nov. 24, 1876. He was again married to Polly Starr. Mr. Clarno owns 320 acres on sections 29 and 30. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk War, serving as a private. Thurman Crago is an adopted son of Mr. Clarno, with whom he has lived since six years of age. He (Mr. Crago) was married to Emma Clarno, who died June 6, 1881, aged twenty-two years and eleven months. She left two children-Kittie M. and Lewis P. Mr. Crago was again married to Minnie B. Wickwire and they have one child.

Although the Clarno party were the first actual and permanent settlers, just before they arrived

in 1832, another little party of pioneers had made their appearance and selected homes. The party consisted of Hugh Wallace and family, Joseph Paine and family, and Josiah R. Black- more. Upon their arrival, early in the spring of 1832, Wallace located on section 19; Payne selected land just east of him, on the same sec- tion; and Blackmore took a claim on section 20. Before the pioneers had fairly got settled the Black Hawk War broke out, and upon the news reaching the settlement that the Indians were coming, the entire population fled to neighbor- ing towns, where preparations had been made for defense. In the fall the party returned, to find that the only two cabins in the town had been burned by the red men. However, the cabins were soon rebuilt, and pioneer life began anew. Wallace and Blackmore remained here until 1835, when they removed to Stephenson Co., Ill., where the former hung himself a few years later in consequence of land troubles. Blackmore remained in Stephenson county, un- til 1838, when he moved to, and erected a mill on Rock Run, the first in that region. He remained there for a number of years and finally removed to Warren, Ill., where he still lives. Joseph Paine remained in the town of Clarno until 1836, when he removed to the present site of the city of Monroe, and made a claim, erecting a cabin near the present residence of Dr. Byers. Paine opened his house as a tavern, and many were the weary travelers who were sheltered and fed under his hospitable roof. Later he erected the first frame house in the town; it is still standing, now forming a portion of the planing mill. In 1850 Paine got into trouble and left the county.

In 1833 Stephen Hale, a Tennessean, came here from Lafayette Co., Wis, and settled on section 31. He remained until 1835 when he sold his place to William Bowen, and moved across the line into the town of Cadiz. He is' now dead. Nicholas Hale came a year or two later, and also removed to Cadiz. They were

768

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

twins and to some it was hard to distinguish one from the other.

James Hawthorn, a native of New York, came here in 1833, from the mining regions near Blue Mounds, Wis., and settled on a farm on sections 9 and 10. He erected a log cabin and for a number of years kept bachelors hall. "Many a time have we eaten mush and milk with him from the old black kettle," says an old settler in speaking of the lonely, yet pleas- ant days, which "Uncle Jimmie" passed upon the old homestead. Mr. Hawthorn still owns the land. Four of his children still live in this town.

W. B. Hawthorn was born in this county, in the town of Clarno, Sept. 5, 1842. When twenty-four years old he went to Montana and engaged in stock dealing. He also traveled through all the western States, California, New Mexico and Arizona; in the latter place he was in the lumber business. In Idaho he was rail- roading six years. He spent about ten years in traveling, then returned, and in 1876 went to . the centennial, and afterward traveled through the west until 1878. He then bought a farm on section 4, containing 160 acres. He now owns 300 acres of choice land and is extensively en- gaged in stock raising. He was married at Elk Point, Dak., to Mrs. Hattie (Chenoweth) Jones, a native of Indiana. This event occurred Feb. 3, 1878. They have one child. Mr. Hawthorn is a member of the I. O. O. F., a good citizen and an industrious man.

Andrew J. Hawthorn, a prominent citizen of the county, was born in the town of Clarno, this county, on the old Hawthorn place, where he lived with his parents until twenty-six years old. He is the son of James and Mersey (Boils) Hawthorn. Ilis father is now living in the town of Clarno with his daughter, and his mother is dead and buried in Bethel cemetery. At one time Mr. Hawthorn moved to the town of Cadiz and lived three years, then returned to Clarno and bought eighty acres of land from Isaiah Starr. He now owns 240 acres of supe-

rior land and is engaged in mixed farming. He has a fine flock of Shropshire-down sheep. He was married Oct. 19, 1862, to Abigail Chamness, of Monroe. They have four children-Cora L., William I., Edwin E. and Andrew R. The entire family, except the youngest, are members of the Evangelical Church.

John Hawthorn, a brother of W. B. and An- drew, is also a native of this county, having been born here April 10, 1855. He has spent all his life in Green county. Although a young man, he seems to have had business qualifica- tions above the average, and has a good prop- erty, consisting of 307 acres of choice land. He has this season erected a tasty farm house, at a cost of $3,000. He has given considerable at- tention to stock, and now owns some of the best breeds of Durham cattle in the county. His farm is excellently watered.

John W. Deniston and wife and his father- in-law, Abner Van Sant, came from Missouri in 1834. They settled on section 17, and erected a cabin on the northwest quarter. Their cabin turned out to be on section 16, so on sec- tion 17 they built cabins, three in number, all connected together, and this for several years was the favorite place for neighborhood gath- erings, dances, meetings, etc. In 1837 they erected a mill on Honey creek, putting up a good building, throwing a brush dam across the stream and putting in one run of stone. For ten years they ran the mill and it finally went into disuse. Messrs. Deniston & Van Sant remained here a few years and then removed to the town of Cadiz where they both died.

James Campbell and Cutler Wilkins also came with the Deniston and Van Sant party. Campbell worked about here for a few years and then started a colony in the northeastern part of the county. About ten years later he removed to Madison where he died. He is noticed at length elsewhere in this volume. Wilkins was a cousin of Deniston's wife, and was a mere lad. He remained ten or twelve

769

HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY.

years and then removed to Missouri where he died.

During August and September, 1835, a large number of settlers arrived and found homes in this town among them were: O. J. White, Wil- liam Bowen, William Baird, Mathew, William and Peter Wells, Joseph and James Kelly and Judge Jacob Andriek.

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 Green County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 105

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1168

Author: Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1168