USA > Wisconsin > Sheboygan County > History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, past and present > Part 26
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THE NATIONAL DEMOKRAT, SHEBOYGAN, WIS.
Weekly. German. Founded by Carl Zillier. Mr. Zillier bought out the Republikaner on which he had been employed and established the National Demokrat in September, 1857. Continued by him until 1889 when The Na- tional Demokrat Printing Co., a stock company, was formed and continued to the present time. The officers of the company are as follows : Carl Zillier, president; Nicholas Ewerherd, vice president; and Frank Gottsacker, secre- tary, treasurer and manager. Semi-weekly since 1897. Democratic.
Sixty-four years ago February 19, 1848, in Sheboygan, W. T., was pub- lished The Sheboygan Mercury, a weekly local newspaper. A copy of this
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modest and interesting reminder of Sheboygan's youthful days bears the earliest date of publication of any paper published in Sheboygan county, that is in existence today, so far as a careful search reveals. The oldest Sheyboygan county publication on file in the library of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, at Madison, is The Sheboygan Mercury printed in February, 1849, a year later than the copy mentioned at the beginning of this article. Following is the name of paper with date, name of publisher, etc., which appears as the heading on the earliest known Sheboygan county publication extant. "The Sheboygan Mercury, Sheboygan, Wis., Satur- day, February 19, 1848. Vol. 2. No. I. Whole number 53. The Sheboy- gan Mercury is published every Saturday by J. M. Gillett; G. W. Gillett, editor. Office on Eighth Street over C. T. Moore & Co.'s Store."
The building in which this time-stained pioneer newspaper was printed was a wooden structure at 424 N. Eighth street on the site now occupied by the building of S. D. Hanchett & Co. Then follows, after place of pub- lication, etc., advertising and subscription rates, and advertising matter. It may be noted in the foregoing that the earliest known paper extant is No. I of Vol. 2, which indicates that the paper had been printed during the year previous, but since no copy printed during that year is at hand and since like many other sources of valuable historical information it will not likely ever be brought to the light, we will have to omit further mention of the most interesting historical relic of Sheboygan County publications. It may be apropos to note some of the characteristic and interesting contents of this oldest existing paper printed in Sheboygan county, dated February 19, 1848. An original poem "written for the Sheboygan Mercury," entitled "Lines addressed to one who will understand them" appears first in the reading matter column. From the above we judge the editor appreciated poems and at least one read this one, and understood it. Next followed the "Governor's Message" of about four columns of closely printed type, which the editor in another column commended for its brevity. The message was under date of February 7, 1848, and signed thus: "Henry Dodge," without the word Governor following it. The first line of this state paper was as follows: "Since the organization of this territorial government, etc," thus calling to mind the fact which explains the "W. T." in the advertising columns, that the great area now the State of Wisconsin was then under territorial government though almost on the threshold of statehood. And a sentence a little farther on: "Twelve years ago Wisconsin's fertile plains lay almost untouched by the hand of agriculture-where then stretched wild and unbroken prairies, now can be seen waving fields with every variety of grain, etc. The youthful territory, not yet a state was looking back all of a dozen years and wondering at its progress. Bombastic, one may say; and yet justified by the facts and all true also of the beginning of Sheboy- gan county. Intended to be retrospective it might with a thousand times more emphasis have been made prophetic of conditions looking back from a date a half century later. A little farther on we find reference to a com- ing election in which the people were to vote for the acceptance or rejec- tion of the constitution. A little later in this volume, in all business cards the address "Sheboygan, W. T." (Wisconsin Territory), was changed to
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the present: Sheboygan, Wisconsin, though at that time Sheboygan was the name of a village, not yet having taken on the dignity of a great city. The message referred to the harbor improvements at "Milwaukee, Racine and Southport" and called upon the legislature to ask congress to make appropriations for harbors at Port Washington, Sheboygan and Manitowoc. In early days Sheboygan had two piers extending into the lake on either side of the mouth of the Sheboygan river, but no harbor. The mouth of the river being often closed by a sand bar, in dry times, on which one could walk, all the water filtering through under the surface as is now often the case at the mouths of Black and Pigeon rivers at the south and north of Sheboygan. The Sheboygan Mercury was Whig in politics but paid little attention to that department ; gave some attention to national affairs, and even foreign news, though not what would be called late news at the pres- ent time, found no place in its columns. In the issue dated February 19, 1848, the latest foreign news was under date of Liverpool, January 14, 1848, just one month and five days on the way. Not very much given to local news and less to personals. As an instance of local news we note that the total amount of county orders issued during the year 1847 was $3,996.64. John D. Gibbs, chairman, and Jedediah Brown, clerk. For local historical reference the advertising columns are more valuable than much of the reading matter. Compared with the papers of the present day the old time paper was in some respects better, and in other ways not so good. The publisher of sixty-four years ago like his successors of late years an- nounced that he had come to stay ; but unlike the one of later date he had more staying qualities. Was it less competition or the absence of railroads and the hardships of travel, that made the probable life. of a publication under one management longer then than now? Also unlike the more up- to-date journalist of today we look in vain to find the statement that the circulation is the largest in the county ; yet being the only one in the county the greatest circulation might be as truly claimed for that one paper then as for nearly every one at present. The paper of those old time publications was made of cotton and cost much more than the wood pulp paper of the present. Very likely it would be nearly correct to say that the paper of that time contained no wood, while the paper of today contains only wood. The publisher of those days knew nothing of "boiler plates," of columns of stereotyped reading matter, of "patent insides," or linotype machines, and excepting the latter it may be a question whether or not these new methods are occasions for rejoicing or otherwise.
NOTES
The most complete file of papers printed in Sheboygan county, in the English language is owned by L. K. Howe. The papers are all bound and cover the time, practically, every week from February, 1848, to the present date, excepting a year and a fraction about 1853 which were accidentally found in the city library recently.
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The State Historical library contains files of Sheboygan county papers in three languages more or less complete, and all valuable, yet the oldest and most valuable of all are entirely wanting.
H. N. Ross, almost the first of the members of the Sheboygan County press, with a record from 1847 to 1897, a few years ago closed the volume of life and reposes in Wildwood where the calls for "copy" will no more be heard. May his experience through life where he passed through much of sunshine but more of shadow, be reversed, beyond the great divide.
The dean of the present membership of the Sheboygan County press and the only survivor of the laborers in the art preservative of all arts, of more than a half century ago, the Hon. Carl Zillier, is with us to-day basking in the smiles of fortune and bearing gracefully his deserved honors.
Each passing year bears away a harvest of old residents which makes knowledge of the past county history more difficult to obtain, and at the same time more valuable. Cannot something be done to form historical societies or to awaken an interest that will hold back a little longer the pic- tures of Sheboygan's past ere they fade in the twilight and are lost in ob- livion.
We acknowledge valuable assistance in this work from the officials of the State Historical Society at Madison, and from all the publishers of Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls and Plymouth.
Horace Rublee for a long time editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel spent his boyhood and early manhood as a teacher in Sheboygan County and was perhaps the most distinguished editor that Wisconsin has produced. May not he be claimed in part at least as of Sheboygan County origin.
Hon. H. C. Hobart one of the very prominent men of the early times of Sheboygan county and one with a state reputation, was at one time con- nected with F. J. Mills in the newspaper business and so may be made the subject of mention in this article.
C. D. Wells was the first editor of Plymouth. He was successful while there but after leaving Plymouth he met misfortune. During the time he printed the Reporter, Mrs. N. N. Smith contributed a series of articles on early history of the county, the best that has ever appeared which should be reprinted and preserved.
The first permanent daily was established in Sheboygan by T. H. Lynch and H. W. Bolens in 1887. The first weekly paper was printed in February, 1847 by Gillett Bros. in the village of Sheboygan Wisconsin Territory.
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VIEWS AROUND FRANKLIN
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CHAPTER XIV
TOWNS AND VILLAGES
SETTLEMENT OF THE VARIOUS TOWNS AND BIRTH OF VILLAGES-NAMES OF MANY PIONEERS GROWTH OF THE COMMUNITIES-THEIR VARIED INDUS- TRIES-EARLY MILLS AND FARM PRODUCTS.
LIMA
Lima was originally a precinct of the town of Sheboygan Falls. It was separated from the latter in 1850 and on April 2d of that year a town meet- ing was held in Gibbsville and the following officers elected: S. Roberts was elected chairman; J. D. Parrish clerk; and Thomas Currier, superin- tendent of schools. The town adjoins Wilson on the west and Lyndon on the east. To the north of it is the town of Sheboygan Falls 'and its south boundary is the town of Holland. The Mullet river makes the bend into the town at section 4 and leaves it at section 2. The Onion river enters at section 31 and leaves the town at the southeast corner of section 33. It again enters at section 29 and taking a northerly course leaves it at the northeast corner of section 1. The land is a rich clay loam and produces excellent crops of the various cereals produced in other sections of the county. Live stock and dairying are both important industries. There are a number of America citizens located here but the majority of the families are of foreign birth. The population of the town in 1910 was 1,847.
FIRST SETTLEMENTS
This section of the county was settled almost at as early a period as She- boygan and Sheboygan Falls. In the fall of 1836 James H., Benjamin L. and John D. Gibbs, brothers, left their homes in the state of New York and coming to Sheboygan county, located on the northeast quarter of section 26 in Lima town. At that time the land was covered by a dense growth of tim- ber and these hardy pioneers were several days cutting a road through the woods. For nearly two years theirs was the only settlement in the town and it was not until 1839 that they were joined by any considerable number of neighbors. However, Benjamin Farmin came in 1838 and in the winter of 1839 Newell Upham arrived. Before this, however A. G. Dye moved out from Sheboygan in the spring of 1839 and located on section 8 and the locality afterwards became known as the Dye settlement, a more extended account of which will be found on another page of this work.
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During the years from 1840 to 1850 the settlements greatly increased in numbers and in the latter year the town was organized.
John D. Parrish was one of the early settlers of Lima, coming with his family in 1844. An interesting account of the Parrish family is given else- where.
Richmond Wheeler settled here in 1844, preempting eighty acres of wild land at $1.25 per acre, and with his children, of whom Rufus L. Wheeler was the oldest boy, cleared the land and was one of the first settlers of this section of the county. The reader's attention is directed to an article on the pioneers in this volume for a further account of this family.
Amherst P. Humphrey came with his father and mother, Hiram and Martha Humphrey, to this town in 1845, and in 1849 the father bestowed the name of Lima upon the town in honor of his old home in New York. The family at first lived in a log cabin upon a tract of land which he had bought, consisting of four hundred acres. (See pioneer article.)
Timothy Littlefield came here in 1845 with his parents, Zebediah and Deborah Littlefield, from Maine. John Shaver and family were pioneers of this town, coming from New York, in this same year. He, however, re- moved to Holland the following year. In this same year Dr. Cephas Whipple settled on one hundred and sixty acres of land in this town. He built the first good frame house and planted the first orchard of any im- portance in Sheboygan county with but one or two exceptions.
John W. and Hannah D. Swett came to Sheboygan county from New York in 1846 and settled in Lima town. One of the earliest settlers in this town and in fact in the county was David W. Gilbert, who arrived in She- boygan with his wife Keziah in the summer of 1846, landing at the pier in Sheboygan, having made the journey from Buffalo by water. After two weeks spent in prospecting he bought sixty-five acres of land in this town for $1.25 an acre, upon which he erected a frame building 16x24 feet. He was present at the first election in the town and was made one of the super- visors.
Benjamin and Sallie Tibbitts were natives of Maine and immigrated to Sheboygan county with their family of nine children in 1846, purchasing eighty acres of partly improved land, upon which was a small log and frame house. The first mill dam in Hingham was erected by Mr. Tibitts for Mr. Giddings.
Martin and Mary Miley came from Ireland in 1847 and settled in Lima town. The following year, 1848, Benjamin Halter, with his parents, Jacob and Elizabeth Halter, came to the town from New York. Benjamin was a veteran of the Civil war.
In the spring of 1840 John Johnson removed from Sheboygan and lo- cated on section 35 and about the same time the Palmer brothers took up land on the same section.
In the fall of 1840 Rev. Isaac Lewis held religious services at Gibbsville settlement. The first birth to occur in the town was in 1839. The child was a daughter of John D. Gibbs. In 1842 James H. Gibbs married Clarissa Terry. The first school taught in Lima was at the residence of J. D. Gibbs, in 1840.
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Dutch Reform Church Street Scene Gibbsville Graded School A VIEW OF GIBBSVILLE
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There are no incorporated villages in Lima. The town has two hamlets, however, Gibbsville, the original settlement of the Gibbs brothers, which is located on the old stage road from Milwaukee to Green Bay. It has general stores, flour mill, cheese factory and shops. Hingham is in the southwest corner of the town and has a flour mill, hotel and stores. There is also a schoolhouse and church located here, both of which are well attended.
LYNDON
The town of Lyndon has Mitchell on its left hand and Lima on the right as its neighbors, Plymouth on the north and Sherman on the south. It is most profusely watered and the drainage is excellent. It originally was a wilderness, covered with a growth of hard and soft wood timber. The forests were alive with fur-bearing game and many edible fowl. It was a paradise for the hunter and trapper. Wild fruit, such as cherries, plums, blackberries, gooseberries and cranberries abounded and went a long ways toward helping out the pioneers' table. Honey and nuts were here in great profusion and the hunter and settler had no excuse for going hungry. These conditions naturally attracted the Indian and on section 28 near Lake Ellen they located their village of many wigwams, built principally of logs and bark and here they hunted game, fished and made maple sugar, living undoubtedly in peace and contentment until the advent of the whites. They were peaceably disposed toward the intruders, however, and exchanged with them game and furs for ammunition, provisions, tobacco and whisky. It was not long, however, until they were compelled, to pull up.stakes, move further and further from the haunts of civilization until they became scat- tered, dwindled away and have finally almost lost their identity as tribes.
The general surface of the town is uneven and rolling but the soil is of great fertility. In fact the excellence of the land taken as a whole, cannot be questioned and is hardly to be surpassed by any in this section of the country. Corn, oats, wheat and rye and various grasses yield abundant crops and the industry of dairying and cheese-making is one of the princi- pal pursuits of the denizens of this community.
FIRST SETTLEMENTS
The first settlement made in the town was by Albert Rounseville, who came down from Sheboygan Falls in 1840, built a log cabin on section 4 on the banks of the Onion river and lived there until the spring of 1841, when he returned to the Falls. The first permanent settlement, however, was not made until in 1844, when Dr. Joseph Mallory located on the Onion river. Thaddeus Harmon, with his family, arrived about the same time and located near a spring in section 2, and Cyrus Webster chose the south- east part of the town. During the next two years a large number of set- tlers arrived from the eastern and middle states and scattered in various parts of the community, and by 1847 the numbers had so increased that they felt strong enough for self government.
Wentworth Barber, a Vermonter, immigrated to the west in 1841 and Vol. I -16
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first located at Sheboygan, where he was employed by William Farnsworth, the old Indian trader. In 1845 he entered eighty acres of government land in the town of Lyndon, which was the first land entered in this locality. Luther Witt, with his young bride, Betsey Thompson, arrived in Sheboygan county and located on a farm about two miles south of Cascade, in 1845. A few years later he removed to Plymouth town. David S. McIntyre, with his young bride, also came here in 1845 and purchased eighty acres of un- broken land. He afterward removed to a forty acre farm on section 21.
James and Lucinda Stone settled in Lyndon in 1846 and was the first postmaster in the town. His daughter Helen was probably the first school- teacher. For a more extended sketch of the Stone family and others who settled here, see article on pioneers.
Thomas Lawson came with his parents, Robert and Hannah Lawson, from England, in 1846, and settled here. Selden Akin was here about as early as 1846, when he purchased two eighty acre tracts on sections 5 and 8. He spent the winter of 1847 clearing fifteen acres, which he cultivated in the spring. C. L. Sibley, a native of New York, also settled here this year. He had previously lived in Sheboygan Falls for two years, where he engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills. William Burton, with his parents, William and Mary Burton, settled on an eighty acre timber farm on section 36, in 1846. William attended the first school in Lyndon town held in a house which his father helped to build. The teacher was Helen Stone. Others who taught there were Mrs. E. P. Andrus, Glenville, Jewett and Harvey Cummings. The first church services were held in a log schoolhouse near the Burton home. Levi H. Pelton removed from Trum- bull county, Ohio, to the town in 1846. His son, Dr. Levi H. Pelton, was born here, July 10, 1848.
George and William Austin came from Ohio in 1847 and that winter "kept batch" in a log cabin they had built on land entered by George. Free- man Austin, their father, came in 1849 and bought two hundred and forty acres. Lyman D. Hill came to Sheboygan county in the spring of 1847, with his parents, Lyman A. and Lavina Hill. They settled on section 36 on an eighty acre tract of land, bought from the government at $1.25 per acre.
Melvin Pierce came with his parents, James and Elizabeth Pierce, in 1848. About this time E. Palmer Andrus arrived here from Vermont. Clark L. Sibley, a native of New York, located here on an eighty acre tract of land.
Clark R. Mead came with his parents, Major and Betsey (Robinson) Mead, from New York in 1849 and purchased eighty acres of land from the old Indian chief, paying $300 for it. An Indian cemetery occupied the place upon which he erected his buildings, and he removed many of the bodies from their burial ground. Clark, then a boy, would often place pennies upon a stick for the little Indians to shoot at with bows and arrows and if they hit the mark the coin was given them. Mr. Mead became one of the prominent men of the town. George W. Peck, a native of New York, settled in the town in the '40S.
The town of Lyndon was organized in 1847 and the first election was
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SCENES IN WALDO
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held in the log cabin of William Croff, at which time the following officers were elected: Benjamin C. Trowbridge, William Thompson and Edward Shaw, supervisors; William Croff, clerk; N. C. Harmon, justice of the peace.
Some of the first happenings among the settlers were: The marriage of Charles Taylor to Ruth Smith; death of Gilbert Lyman in the fall of 1845; birth of Josephine McIntyre, daughter of D. S. McIntyre, October 16, 1847; the first religious service in the town was held by Rev. Lewis, a young Methodist clergyman, at the Harmon home.
There are two quite important villages in Lyndon, although neither is incorporated.
CASCADE
Cascade is a thriving trading point and was laid out by James Preston and H. Lyman in 1849. The first year a number of houses were built and a sawmill was erected to furnish the lumber. Previous to this, in 1848, McIntosh & Norman put up a grist mill and in 1856 the old sawmill was displaced by another grist mill. At the time of the settlement of Cascade, it became one of the trading and stopping points on the Madison and May- ville roads. It has had a substantial, though not rapid, growth as the years have gone by. The place now has two grist mills, cheese factory, hotels, mercantile establishments and blacksmith shops. . There is also a well con- ducted school and three churches-the Lutheran, the United Brethren and St. Mary's Catholic-and in connection with the Lutheran church is a pa- rochial school.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH, CASCADE
St. Mary's congregation at Cascade, town of Lyndon, was established in 1859, after which time it was attended successively by the Revs. Father Francis Fusseder, Patrick F. Petit, Patrick Bradley, James McGowan, Henry McMahon, John Tiernan, E. J. Goss, Dennis Tierney, Thomas Ma- her, M. Dedecus, John Casey and Bernard J. Burke. The present pastor is Rev. J. H. Fischer. In 1893 a new church was built and dedicated No- vember 22d of that year, the dedicatory services being conducted by the Most Rev. F. X. Katzer. The church was built at a cost of $10,000. The congregation consists of about fifty-six families.
WALDO
Waldo is a station on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad and is situated on section 14, through which crosses the Onion river. The village was platted by N. C. Harmon in 1873, shortly after the building of Milwau- k : & Northern railroad. It was not long thereafter until an elevator was It, then came a store building by Henry Jordan and a hotel by F. Frei- . It. In 1878 the postoffice was discontinued at Onion River and moved to : 'aldo. The first settlement in Onion River was made in 1846. A few
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years later a mill was built on the river and in 1852 a postoffice was estab- lished. A grist mill was erected in 1854, also a store building but after the railroad had been built through Waldo, Onion River ceased to be a trading point of any consequence and at present it has lost its identity in that of its close neighbor, Waldo.
The population of the town of Lyndon in 1910, including the villages, was 1,742.
HOLLAND
The town of Holland was organized in the spring of 1849 and given the name it retains today. The first election was held at the house of S. Burr. Edwin Palmer was elected chairman; William Mitchell and Peter Souf- frouw, supervisors ; Joseph Palmer, clerk; David Cook, assessor; John Pool, treasurer; and William Mitchell, superintendent of schools. There were sixty-five votes cast.
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