USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee from its first settlement to the year 1895 > Part 59
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It is not difficult to imagine his meditations on this solitary journey, or, that these same anticipa- tions were to him both inspiration and companion- ship.
From Detroit the only public conveyance was by stage, and that over roads more easily imag- ined than described. So, our young Trowbridge chose the most primitive of all means of trans- portation and made the entire distance, three hundred miles, on foot.
The monotony of this solitary journey was, on the fourth day, broken by a rare encounter, as both his meditations by the way, and the measured pace so peculiar to him were rudely interrupted by the sudden appearance of a large black bear by the road-side and only a few feet away. The situation was novel and to the young man by no means reassuring-the suprise was mutual. But
bruin, having seemingly satisfied his curiosity with two or three good-natured growls, as a part- ing salute, turned and left his astonished and now greatly relieved fellow traveller, to continue his journey alone.
The first impression of Chicago was hardly more favorable than that of the country through which he had just passed, which he describes as flat and dreary, not a place to locate in from choice.
The exact date of arrival in Chicago is not ob- tainable, but it must have been during the first half of October, 1834, for in November following he was one of a party of government engineers, whose chief was a Mr. King, and who were de- tailed to survey government lands in and about the place now known as Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
On their way north the party was wind-bound here, November 9, 1834, and, at that time Mr. Trowbridge made the first survey of lots in the present city of Milwaukee, viz .: Blocks one, two, three and four in the First and Seventh wards. The survey in Sheboygan and vicinity occupied the whole winter, so that it was not until April, 1835, that the party returned to Chicago.
There he made many surveys, and located lands in Chicago and elsewhere. He seemed to have played the part of "a solitary traveller wending his way " many times as he passed to and fro between Chicago and Green Bay, where the Land Office was then located. The road was marked only by blazed trees, and only one house offered shelter to man or beast throughout the whole distance.
In December, 1835, he returned to Sheboygan for another winter. In 1836 he visited the East, returning in the autumn of the same year to Mil- waukee as a permanent resident.
In 1837 he again returned to his early home, and in April of that year, married Miss Abigail C. Richardson of New Hartford, and in June fol- lowing returned with his young bride to their new home. His father, Calvin Trowbridge, with his entire family accompanied the young couple and they at once took possession of the home which he had selected for them.
This home was and is in the town of Greenfield on Thirty-third avenue, south from National avenue. Here the young husband began at once the practice of his chosen profession and also began to struggle with the hardships of pioneer life, which then and here were neither few nor small.
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Mr. Trowbridge was the first city surveyor elected in the city of Milwaukee, which office he held until the passage of an ordinance requiring that officer to be a resident of the city. The thought of leaving his country home, was not to be entertained for a moment, so, he continued bis work on his own private account to the end of his active life.
In February, 1869, the wife of his youth died, the sharer in all the varied experiences of both early and mature years; and, as the angel of her presence vanished from his home there passed with that genial presence a radiance to be known there no more forever. There seems to be an especial fitness in the reverent memory which enshrines those of our blessed dead, whose early privations and hardships have helped to make smoother the paths of those who follow. Four of the six children of this marriage survive their parents, two sons and two daughters, who now occupy the home consecrated to them by so many sacred memories.
In October, 1876, Mr. Trowbridge married Miss Martha R. Wheelock, a long-time resident of Milwaukee, who survives him.
The life work of William S. Trowbridge was mostly accomplished in Wisconsin during a con- tinnous residence of fifty years. Large tracts of land in different localities throughout the state were known to him by actual survey. As he was among the first in point of time, so he held the same rank in the quality of his work, as well as in character, being, as was fitting as well as true, especially accurate and painstaking, and always conscientious. His last work was the re-survey of the township of Wauwatosa, completed in 1880.
Always and everywhere he was a man of un- swerving integrity, genial and generous in his relations with his fellowmen, and with a reverence for truth as real as it was rare. The complex of his heredity included a fibre of Quakerism, which may account, in part, for a peculiar reticence, very noticeable in his personal presence, especially among strangers. Those who mistook this reti- cence for an unsocial element in his character lost the enjoyment of ready response from a nature as cordial as it was true.
In religious belief he was a Universalist and in politics a Republican of the most pronounce'd type.
His earthly record was closed by death Sep- tember 10, 1886.
JOSHUA HATHAWAY was a name familiar to the early settlers of Milwaukee and one identi- fied with the history of its growth and progress for nearly thirty years. He was one of the men who may be said to have been in at the birth of the city, whose homestead was historic, and whose family still remains here. It is interesting to note in this connection that Joshua Hathaway, the Milwaukee pioneer, sprang from an ancestry dis- tinguished for its achievements in the great work of paving the way for the advancement of Ameri- can civilization and the up-building of American commonwealths.
His grandfather, Simeon Hathaway, emigrated at an early date from Connecticut to what was then called the Hampshire grant, and was among the first settlers of that territory which later became the state of Vermont. He was one of the organizers of the state government, a member of the convention which framed the constitution under which Vermont came into the Union, and a member of the first war board of that state. An old record conveys the information that the Ver- mont pioneer was deeply imbued with the sentiment of resistance to British oppression and embarked with ardor in the revolutionary conflict. At the memorable battle of Bennington, Simeon Hathaway served as an officer of the Colonial forces and his seven sons, all bearing arms, were also participants in the conflict, sharing together the hardships, perils and glory incident thereto.
One of these sons was Joshua Hathaway, born at Suffield, Connecticut, August 18,1761. Although a mere youth at the time, he was selected, on account of his gallant and discreet conduct on the day of battle, to mount guard on the succeeding night, over the British and German officers who had been captured, and he remained at this post alone and unrelieved until the morning.
At a later date this Joshua Hathaway graduated at Yale College, in the same class with Gideon Granger, William Wadsworth, John H. Lathrop and others whose achievements have enriched the pages of American History. He studied law and began practicing at Bennington, Vermont, but emigrated in 1795 to Fort Stanwix, site of the present city of Rome, New York. There he practiced his profession for many years, served as surrogate and judge of the county courts and held many offices of trust and responsibility, both state and national. He was also an active participant
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in the war of 1812 and for a time had command of the troops assembled at Saeket's Harbor for the defense of that post.
Judge Hathaway married Elizabeth Lord, daughter of John Haynes Lord, a descendant four times removed from Thomas Lord, who emigrated from England to America in 1636, and who was one of the first settlers and original pro- prietors of Hartford, Connecticut, and a descen- dlant, also, in the fifth generation of John Haynes, who came with Thomas Hooker and his company to Boston in 1633. John Haynes became Governor of Massachusetts in 1635, and in 1636 removed to Connecticut, he being one of the founders of that colony. He was made the first governor of Con- necticut in 1839, and served in that capacity every alternate year thereafter-continual service being prohibited by constitutional limitations-until his death.
Joshua Hathaway, the Milwaukee pioneer, was the youngest of the seven children of Judge Joshua Hathaway and Elizabeth (Lord) Hatha- way. He was born in Rome, New York, in 1810, and his early education was carefully looked after by his father, who was desirous that he should pursue a course of study in Yale College and then devote himself to the law. Being of a delicate constitution, however, the son decided that a sedentary life would not be con- ducive to healthfulness in his case, and after reading law for a time in his father's office, he concluded to take up civil engineering as a pro- fession. He accordingly fitted himself for this calling, and through the influence of his brother- in-law, Judge Samuel Beardsley, attorney-general of the state of New York, he obtained an ap- pointment as government surveyor for the terri- tory of Wisconsin and other parts of the north- west.
Coming West in 1832 with a party of twelve men as his assistants he went first to Chicago, where he established headquarters. From there he pushed out into the great North west, which was then in a condition of primitive wildness, and surveyed and laid out the towns of Waukesha, Kewaunee, and other towns in what was then the territory of Wisconsin, giving them the euphoni- ous and significant Indian names which they still retain. His first intention was to settle perma- nently in Chicago, where he became intimately acquainted with the founders of that now famous
city, but the unhealthfulness of the place, "where the mud" according to his description and that of others as well, "was up to the saddle girths of the horses, a good portion of the time," caused him to seek another location. He was attracted to Mil- waukee, where the beauty of the town site and its pleasing environments impressed him favorably, and in 1835 he pitched his tent on what is now the southeast corner of Broadway and Mason streets. This land he purchased of the govern- ment and subsequently built on it a frame house in which he lived some years, an unmarried sister keeping house for himn. In 1842 he married his second cousin, Miss Ann Jeanette Hathaway and the young couple began their married life on the same interesting and historie site. Before his marriage he began the erection of a substantial brick dwelling on ground adjoining the frame one, and this was one of the first brick residences erected in Milwaukee. It was torn down in 1870 to make room for a block of stores, and at that time the manner of its construction attracted the attention of the architects and builders, because of the thickness of its walls and the apparent in- tention of its builder that it should stand for gen- erations. It was in this house that Mr. IIatha- way died July 4, 1863, and the plat of ground upon which it stood, so interesting because of its pioneer associations, is still in possession of the family.
In the early years of his residence in Milwau- kee Mr. Hathaway entered largely into real estate operations and few names appear oftener than his in the records and newspapers of the pioneer period. He was appointed district surveyor upon the organization of the territorial government in 1836, and discharged the important duties of that office with signal skill and ability. He served as judge of probate under the territorial govern- ment and his early training for the profession of law admirably fitted him for an official position which involved, not infrequently, the solution of intricate legal problems, and his clear perceptions, sound judgment and strict integrity, were of in- calculable benefit to the early settlers in adjusting their land claims, perfecting titles and preserving proper records thereof. His information relative to everything pertaining to land titles in Milwau- kee and many other parts of Wisconsin, was cyclopedie, and during the later years of his life his office was visited almost daily by persons
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seeking knowledge of this character, which could not be obtained elsewhere.
He rendered valuable services to the public also as a member of the City Council and assessor of Milwaukee, his broad knowledge of the values of property contributing materially to a proper and equitable adjustment of the burdens of taxation. In the readjustment of the public debt of Mil- waukee in 1861 he was a most important factor, and contributed largely to the betterment of the city's financial condition.
Following the financial panic of 1857, the credit of the city was greatly impaired, and the most serious embarrassments resulted. In conformity with an act of the legislature, a plan was formu- lated for a re-adjustment of the debt, and Alex- ander Mitchell, Joshua Hathaway and Charles Quentin were appointed "Commissioners of the Public Debt."
Upon these three men devolved the responsi- bility of making terms with creditors of the city, securing an extension of the time within which obligations should be paid, and arranging other matters of great consequence and importance to the city. Mr. Hathaway applied himself to this work with energy, thoroughness, and a conscien- tious devotion to the public interests which had always been one of his distinguishing character- isties, and to him is due a large measure of the credit for inaugurating and putting into success- ful operation a financial policy which saved the city from bankruptcy and disaster.
Modest and retiring in manner, he was resolute and conscientious in the discharge of all his duties, and in all the different relations of life he was a most estimable and worthy citizen. Charitable and liberal in his instincts, to all those who came to him for counsel and assistance, he gave the most kindly attention and consideration, and he is remembered as one of the most genial and affable, as well as one of the ablest and most accomplished business men among the pioneers of the city. A charmingly sociable and companion- able man, his domestic tastes and love of family made the old homestead notable for its complete felicity and good cheer.
His religious affiliations during the earlier years of his residence in Milwaukee were with the Episcopal Church, but in 1846 he embraced the Catholic faith, and was a devoted member of that church as long as he lived.
Of the seven children of Mr. Hathaway, two sons and three daughters are now living, and all still reside in Milwaukee. Mrs. Hathaway, the esteemed wife who shared with him the experi- ences of pioneer life, died September 25, 1894.
GEORGE C. WHITE came to Milwaukee in 1857, to become prominently identified, first with the retail and later with the wholesale and manu- facturing trade of the city, and to become recog- nized at the same time as an able and sagacions business man, a most estimable citizen and Chris- tian gentleman.
Mr. White was born in Granby, Connecticut, August 10, 1816, and was the son of Stephen White, a well-known dry goods merchant of Granby, who engaged later in the same business at Middlebury, Vermont, and removed from there to Verona, in New York state, where he settled on a farm. Among the early colonists of New England was elder John White, who came from Chelmsford in Essex county, near London, Eng- land, a dozen years after the landing of the May- flower, and was one of the first settlers in Cam- bridge, Massachusetts. In 1632 he received an allotment of a "home lot" and thirty acres of land in Cambridge, and a year later was allotted an additional three-quarters of an acre for a "cow yard." The plat of ground which thus came into possession of Elder White, to be used as a cow yard, is now famous as the site of Gore Hall, the beautiful Library building of Harvard Col- lege. For three or four years this Elder John White resided at Cambridge, and was a member of the first board of selectmen empowered to take charge of the affairs of the settlement. Before coming to this country, however, he had been an adherent of the famous Rev. Thomas Hooker, and when that noted divine and colonist decided to remove from Massachusetts to Connecticut, John White and his family went with him to Hartford and helped lay the foundation of that city in 1636.
In 1659, when differences growing out of diver- gent religions views brought about a division of the Ilooker Colony at Hartford, he was one of the founders of Hadley, Massachusetts, which was the frontier settlement of that period, "looking north, east and west on boundless for- ests." At Hadley, as he had previously been at Cambridge and Hartford, he was one of the most prominent and progressive of the colonists, served in the general court or legislature of Massachus-
Iv C. white
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etts, and held many civil offices of trust and responsibility as well'as church offices. In the years of his life he returned to Hartford, Con- necticut, and died there in the winter of 1683-84.
Stephen White, father of George C. White, was one of the lineal descendants of this Elder John White, whose grandfather was Lord Mayor of London in 1563 and whose ancestry can be traced several generations further back. He married Lavinia Cossitt, and George White was one of the children born of this union. When the son was six years of age his parents removed from Granby, Connecticut, to Rome, New York, and it was at the last named place that he grew up and received his education. He was a student for some years at Rome Academy, then under the conduct and management of Prof. O. B. Pierce with whom he was always a favorite pupil. As a student he ranked high among his associates, being noted especially for his studious habits, cor- rect deportment and oratorical ability. He was also fond of music and left the academy a schol- arly and accomplished young man. In course of time be formed a partnership with John Bissel- father of the late Postmaster-General of the United States-and carried on for some years a general commission business in Buffalo, New York.
At a later date he associated himself with other gentlemen and engaged in the manufacture of railway cars at Ogdensburg, New York, the name and style of the firm being Brainerd, White & Company. Their manufacturing establishment was located on the line of what in those days was known as The Ogdensburg & Rome Railroad, just east of the town of Ogdensburg, and when the era of railroad building began, developed into an important industry. Mr. White took charge of the financial management of the estab- lishment and successfully conducted its affairs, while various important railway enterprises were equipped and put in shape for operation. The Ogdensburg & Rome Railway was one of the lines thus equipped in part, while the Bytown & Prescott Railway, sixty miles in length, was equipped entirely with the product of their shops.
About 1854, his health having became somewhat impaired, Mr. White sold his interest in the car works and in 1857 came West, locating in Mil- waukee, where he engaged in the retail boot and shoe trade. His business here soon broadened
into more extensive operations and he became identified with the wholesale manufacturing boot and shoe trade as a member of the firm of Atkins Steel & White. For nearly twenty years this firm did an extensive business and Mr. White was one of the active and energetic spirits among the merchant manufacturers of the city. When it was proposed to organize an association of the merchants of Milwaukee to promote the growth of trade and advance the commercial interests of the city, he was one of the men who took a lively interest in the project, and for many years he was a prominent and influential member of the mer- chants' association. During his business life he coupled with enterprise and activity that intelli- gent conservatism necessary to permanent pros- perity, and the result was an eminently successful career and the accumulation of a handsome for- tune. His economic training in early life was of the orthodox New England kind which inculcates the idea that in this country the way to build up a fortune is to earnestly, honestly and intelli- gently apply oneself to the business of life, what- ever may be the field of labor or sphere of action. Speculative ventures had for him no attractions. Whatever he engaged in was carefully considered and he never jeopardized what he had already ac- cumulated in enterprises of doubtful issne, how- ever dazzling the prospect of gain. The strictest regard for the ethics of business characterized him in all his dealings and his strict probity and high sense of honor won for him both the respect and kindly regard of all his contemporaries among the old merchants of Milwaukee. A pleas- ing and gracious expression of this feeling and sentiment came to his family after his death, -- which occurred on the 3rd of April, 1890-when some of his old business associates came together and formally paid tribute to his memory in the following resolution:
WHEREAS, It has pleased our Heavenly Father to take from this world the soul of our friend and brother, George C. White,
Resolved, That we desire to record in some measure our admiration and esteem for him, and that we recognized in him an unswerving integrity. In his business relations he had unwavering fidelity to every trust reposed in him, and was thoroughly conscientious and consistent. He had not only a high sense of honor, but he was honorable, was generous of his means, and hospitable to his friends. Mr. White was spirited in his disposition, but he had this quality under per- fect control, and in all the vigor of his manly strength he was tender and humane ; his heart overflowed with sympathy and
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kindness for the distressed. He was retiring in manner, pure in speech, and bore about him the mark of a Christian gentle- man. His mind clearly apprehended and devoutly retained the verities of the Christian religion. He was an indulgent and devoted husband and father.
We extend our warmest sympathy to his family.
GEO. TRACY. GEO. G. HOUGHTON. E. MARINER.
A man of quiet dignity, whose words always seemed to be carefully weighed and whose con- versation and life was singularly pure in all re- spects, he was at the same time a genial, courteous, and companionable man, who drew about him many warm and devoted friends and greatly en- deared himself to the members of his own house- hold. His religious affiliations were with the Presbyterian denomination and he was a member of Calvary Church. Politically, he became a Republican when the party was organized, and continued to affiliate with that party to the end of his life. While he was in no sense a politician and had no taste for office holding, he gave intel- ligent consideration always to political issues and was pronounced in his views on matters of public import. His anti-slavery sentiment was perhaps the dominant feature of his political faith prior to the War of the Rebellion, and during that his- toric struggle he was an ardent supporter of the war measures of President Lincoln.
Mr. White married Miss Sarah M. Cossitt, who survives him and is still a resident of this city. Mrs. White is a daughter of Asa Cossitt, a native of New England and a descendant of Reue Cos- sitt who came from Paris, France, and settled in Granby, Connecticut, in 1716.
He was born in Place Vendome in 1690, was educated at the University of Paris, and came to America originally to look after property interests of the family in Canada. In the early history of his life there was a pretty bit of romance, which was in effect, that he fell in love with the beauti- ful and accomplished Ruth Porter, daughter of Dr. Preserved Porter, while visiting the English colony at Granby and that she consented to become his wife on condition that he would not return to France.
The mother of Mrs. White was Rachel Steele before her marriage, a descendant of John Steele, who came to New England in 1630, and was one of the founders of the Connecticut Colony. Like Elder John White, John Steele, was one of those
who affiliated with Thomas Hooker in church affairs, before coming to this country, and both became identified with his New England Colony. It is interesting to note in this connection that more than two hundred years later these two families, which had been so intimately associated in the early history of American colonization, should have been brought together in the union of Mr. and Mrs. White.
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