History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume I, Part 37

Author: Beckwith, Albert C. (Albert Clayton), 1836-1915
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Indianapolis, Bowen
Number of Pages: 792


USA > Wisconsin > Walworth County > History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume I > Part 37


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).


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Daniel F. Bigelow ( 1815-1895). son of Doctor Daniel, was born in Nova Scotia. He married Amy McCart, a native of Ohio, born 1824. died 1897. James ( 1819-1899) married Ann Elizabeth Fowler.


Lewis Crosby married Phoebe MeConkey December 25, 1844.


John H. Ellsworth died in 1859. Sophronia ( 1827-1894), his wife. was daughter of Asa Pride and Susan Bates.


James Whipple Field, born at Scituate, Rhode Island, March 22, 1814. and now living. in 1912, at Elkhorn with his son-in-law. George Kinne, in


420


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


fair health and full of memories, is son of Thomas Field and Thankful Winsor. His older ancestors, reckoned backward, were Thomas, Jeremiah, Thomas, Thomas, and William. He married the half-sisters Angeline and Sarah, daughters of William Adams.


Jolin Fish married. June 28. 1843. Harriet. daughter of Stephen Loomer.


Caleb Kendall married Emily A. Webber. June 19. 1842. and lived in Richmond.


Mr. Kingsley was drowned in Silver lake. 1839. His family came a few days later and returned to their eastern home.


John Martin married May 18. 1840. Eliza Inn. daughter of Ebenezer Chesebrough and Anna Griswold. She was born in 1809, and had entered land in her own name in section 33. Mr. Martin died in 1885.


Silas Minshall died May 16. 1857. leaving widow Rose Ann.


Daniel Nyce was born in August. 1801 : died May 29. 1857.


John Alexander Pierce ( 1817-188;). farmer. mill-owner, and man of many business affairs and very generally prosperous, married, first. Mary Elizabeth ( 1828-1870). daughter of Deacon William Chambers and Phoebe Gray, of North Geneva. She had five sons. He married. second. Hannah. daughter of Henry and Mary Moorhouse. He was son of John Pierce and Maria A. McFarling.


John Rand ( 1810-1898), son of Benjamin and Sarah, was born in Nova Scotia. He married, May 2, 1844. Sarah Sophia ( 1817-1900), daugh- ter of Benjamin and Eunice Loomer.


John Saunders ( or Sanders ) (1806-188-) married Jane Lean ..


Jeduthun Spooner ( 1799-1867). son of Jeduthun Spooner and Hannah Crowell, of Hardwick, Massachusetts, a printer in Vermont, and an early justice of the peace for Sugar Creek, went in 1853 to Allamakee county, Iowa. A nephew of the same name, also of Sugar Creek, a son of Judge Spooner, married Julia Ann, daughter of Sutherland German and Mary, a sister of Christopher Wiswell.


James Strong ( 1810-1890). born near the line of Virginia in Pennsyl- vania, married Lois Parks ( 1817-1876).


Hiram Taylor ( 1814-1805) married. in 1838. Mary L., daughter of Joseph and Lucinda Barker.


Samuel Holmes Tibbets ( 1806-18;2), born in Windham county. Ver- mont. married in Canada. October 2. 1837. Sarah ( 1810-18;8). daughter of Dr. David Pattee. Their three daughters were married: Clarissa to Asa Erster. Sarah Jane to Azel Bird Morris, Hannah Maria to John Henry I auderdale.


421


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Jacob Tostenson (died 1887) married Margaret Larson (died 1875). Their sons, Tosten and Ole Jacobson, were substantial citizens. Ole was a soldier and became an officer of the Thirteenth Infantry and was a capable and useful man of public and private business. He was born in 1838 at Skien. Norway, and died January 28, 1912.


Nelson Weaver ( 1804-1868) married Ruby Rand ( 1812-1903).


Freeborn Welch. Jr .. ( 1804-1884) was son of Mercy Spike ( 1785- 1857). He married. first, Caroline, daughter of Phineas Brown; second, Ann MeDonough. For some years he kept the long known Gravel Tavern, at Tibbets Corners. Joseph Welch ( 1820-1900) married Eliza Havens ( 1821-1893). Huley Welch ( 1812-1879) had wife Hannah. Josiah ( 1805- 1881) had wife Louisa, and lived for several years in Geneva. These four Welches were brothers, who had lived in Steuben county, New York.


Capt. George Washington Kendall kept a tavern in 1839 at the corners, since known as Tibbets. in section 10. Ile sold this place in 1843 to Francis Rublee, who passed it by deed to his son, Francis M. Rublee, in 1845. Dur- ing the latter's ownership his brother. Martindale, began to build of lime and gravel concrete, as is told: but before his work was finished the place passed by sheriff's sale in 1853 to John D. Cowles, who completed and occu- pied the Gravel Tavern. This landmark fronted northward on the terri- torial road from Milwaukee to Janesville, and on a section-line road leading to Elkhorn. In 1859 Mr. Cowles sold the property to Freeborn Welch, one of the jolliest sons of St. Boniface. When tavern custom wholly ended Mr. Welch made of it his dwelling. His heirs sold the house and ground in 1907 to John and Matthew J. Newman, who pulled down the ancient walls and built a fine dwelling in present century style and added barn, silo, and other out-buildings suitable to a well-managed dairy farm. A few rods eastward along the territorial road Samuel H. Tibbets built a house, about 1842, which for some time served as a wayside inn, and for ten years as a postoffice. Cap- tain Kendall had been postmaster from 1840 to 18.42.


In 1889 a newly established postoffice, named Tibbets, received a tri- weekly mail from Whitewater and Elkhorn.


Congregationalists and Wesleyans joined in 1872 to build their union church, next south of the Gravel tavern. In the same year Bethel church. Methodist, was built on land bought of John Cameron, section 12. about seven miles by road from Elkhorn, to which this church has usually been attached for pastoral assignments. A store, brick school house, blacksmith shop. and Mount Pleasant cemetery are at the Kendall corners.


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WALWORTHI COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Congregationalists, Methodists, and Presbyterians met as early as 1840 in Christian unity at Captain Kendall's, at their own homes in turn, and at the school house. A society of Presbyterians was formed, but soon became Congregational. This body received its ministrations from those early labor- ers in newly broken fields: Cyrus Nichols, Stephen Denison Peet, Amnon Gaston, Cyrus E. Rosenkrans, David Pinkerton, Samuel Elbert Miner, and other clergymen from Delavan and Elkhorn. Among Wesleyan and Free Methodist pastors were George Parsons and George L. Shepardson.


A highway parts sections 8 and 9, and where this crosses the territorial road was an early grouping of settlers, with store, postoffice, church, and in later time a cheese factory. All this was long known as Barker's Corners, for the early settlers of that family name. About 1852 the postoffice was new-named Millard and the office at Tibbets was for some years discon- tinmed.


Seven persons met at Barker's Corners to found a Baptist society. These were Rev. Henry Topping. of Delavan, Thankful Ballard, Jonathan. Joseph and Sophia H. Loomer, Electa Mason and Christopher Wiswell. At the next meeting, a few days later. James W. Field and six of the Loomer fam- ily joined this movement. Mr. Topping divided his well-filled time with the the new society for two or three years. . 1. B. Winchell relieved him in 1844; R. Pickett, 1846; Moses Rowley, 1847: John H. Dudley, 1849: Albert Sheldon, 1851, and again in 1873 (and died April 4, 1874) ; A. E. Green, 1863 to 1868; Nelson Cook, 1869; L. C. Jones, 1873: Mr. Hicks. Mortimer A. Packer, about 1887, and ordained in 1889 (remaining to 1894 and re- turning in 1907): S. F. Massett. December, 1894: George Jerome Kyle. 1897, and in 1899: Eli Packer, 1898: Nicholas Wakeham, 1901: Anthony Jacobs, 1905: George N. Doody, 1910-12. The first church was built about 1850. In 1892 a better one was built and the old one set aside and back- ward for Sunday school and other reputable purposes. This society laid out a few rods north, in section 9, on James B. Barker's land. a burial ground which has become a public cemetery.


There are now five school districts in the town of Sugar Creek, formed by rearrangement from nine districts.


The Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Sugar Creek was organized in February. 1873, for business in the townships of Darien, Geneva. Lafayette, Lagrange, Richmond, Sugar Creek, Troy and White- water. Its officers in toto were: James E. Lauderdale, president ; James Parsons, secretary. At the end of 1910 there were 1,290 policies in force. amounting to $2,566,674. Losses paid in that year, $5.975. Losses paid since organization, $60.126.


423


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


The land area of the town is 21.629 acres, valued at $1,605,800. Value per acre. $74.24. Crop acreages for 1910: Barley, 2,223; beans, 12; corn, 3.909 ; hay, 2,812 : oats. 2,422 ; orchard. 87 ; potatoes, 234; rye, 153; timber, 2.812: wheat. 17. Live stock: 3,202 cattle. $83,300; 1,019 hogs, $10,200; 795 horses, $55.700 ; sheep. $800.


Population : 1850. 1,226; 1860, 1,139; 1870, 992; 1880, 1.015; 1890, 1,004; 1900, 931 ; 1910, 917.


MEMBERS OF COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.


Dr. Harmon Gray 18.42


Augustus Caesar Kinne 1843


`77-9. '88


Levi Lee 1844, 64-5


Donald Stewart


1876, 80-2,


'84. '86-7


56-7, '70


Jesse Rundell Kinne 1853


Frank C. Weaver


1885


Eli Kimball Frost 1854-5


Sherman Harrington 1890-I


James Matheson


1894. '99


Thomas Davis __ 1860-1, '66-9, '72-3


Duane D. Finch


1897-8


Leonard Loomer


1862-3


George H. Renner


1900-7


Joseph Trumbull Isham 1871


Nim Johnson


1908-9


Ole Jacobson __ 1874, '89. '92-3. '95-6


Charles Harriman Wiswell_1910-12


ASSOCIATE SUPERVISORS.


Herbert J. Barker 1905-6


Asa Foster


1863, '71


Timothy Putnam Barker


1875


Jason Foster


1862


William H. Bartram 1857, 62


Samuel T. Foster


1899-1900


Charles Bray 1897-8, 1908


Herman A. Briggs 1879


John Cameron 1876, '83-4


Nelson Crosby 1816


Ashton M. Davis 1 1906-7


Orrin S. Day 1888 f


James Holloway


1895-6


Albert F. Hulce


1886, 92-3


James B. Doolittle 1864, '67, '70 John Edwards 1902


Eugene O. Ells 1903-4


Jacob Ketchpaw


1866


William Flitcroft


1847-9


Thomas Havens


1852


Edward Hogan


1850. '52


Charles Hollinshead


1859


Resolved Ezra Day 1891


Joseph T. Isham_1858, '61, '68. 77-9 Ole Jacobson 1873


Martin Kettelson


1907, 09-10


Solomon Richard Edwards


___ 1875.


Perry Green Harrington 1845-52,


Nathaniel Palmer Hand


1883


Stephen G. Frost 1858-9


Nathaniel Palmer Hand 1874, '80 Sherman Harrington 1888


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WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Ole Kettelson


19II-12


George Edmund Pierce


1 889


Edmund Kingman


1855


Nathan Rand


1856


Ilorace B. Kinne 1854


Silas Russell 1856


George Kinne


1886-7. '90


Stephen Leggett Russell


1874,


Jesse Rundell Kinne


1846, '50


SI-2. '85


Frank H. Kinney


1893-4


John Sanders


1851


William Kulow


1908-10


Francis Smith


1 860


Martin L. Ladd


1877


James Bolingbroke Smith


1 892


James H. Lauderdale


1860


Jeduthun Spooner


1849


Harris .\. Loomer


1880-I


Donald Stewart


1871-3


Jonathan Loomer


1847-8, '51


1 liram Taylor


1864-5, '68. '72. 78


Leander G. Loomer


1901


James D. Ward


1853


John W. Watson


1904-5


William John McDonough


1900


Silas Ensley Weaver


1


1895-6


James Matheson


1891


Eugene Webber


1901


1


Rasmus Nelson


1897


Lemuel Webster


1


1


1857


John Ashe Norris


1863


1


1


Freeborn Welch


1855


George W. Nyce


1865. '69


William Henry Welch


1 889


1


Alfred Olson


1898


George W. Wilcox


1875


John Oslock


1882-3. '85


Thomas Wilcox


1869-70


James Parsons


1894. 19TI-12


D. Judson Williams


1887, '90


Abram Peterson


1899


Charles Harriman Wiswell


- 1902-3


TOWN CLERKS.


John Fish 1842


John S. Boyd 1843


Iloratio S. Winsor (app.) 1844


Thomas Davis


1865


Levi Lec


18.45


Wyman Spooner. Jr. 1866


Newton H. Kingman


1867


Shuler C. Highee 1847


Daniel Mansfield Stearns


1868


William Bowman


1848-9


Ole Jacobson


1869-70


Frank C. Weaver


1871-9


Duane D. Finch


1880-90


Chester P. Beach


1891


Henry J. Cameron


1892-6


Allen Loomer


1856-8


Josiah C. McManus 1859


James Whipple Field


1860-2. 64


Jeduthun Spooner


1863


William II. Hyatt


846


Benj. Blodgett Humphrey


1850


Francis F. Collier


1851


John Alexander Pierce 1852-3


Stephen G. Frost 1854-5


Will V. B. Holloway


1897-1912


1


Charles N. Moore


-1853


Rial Thomas


1876


Leonard Loomer


1861. '66-7


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WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


TOWN TREASURERS.


John Rosenkrans 1842


Joseph Parker 1872


Theodore Benj. Edwards _1843


James B. Cook 1873-4


Olney Harrington 1844-7


John Oslock I 876-8 1


William Hogan 1848-9


James Matheson 1879 1


Henry O. Gibbs 1850 I 1 1


William B. Ells 1880-4


Rufus Eldred 1851 1 1 1 1


Delos Westcott 1885-7. '89


Joseph T. Isham I 1


1852


Ellsworth Loomer 1888 I


William Tremper 1 1 1


1853


James Parsons 1890


Alonzo Rublee 1 1


1


1854


Martin Kettelson


1891


James Sexton 1855 1 1 1 I 1


Ashton M. Davis I


1 I 1892-3 1


John Rand 1856 I 1


Fenton Palmer


1 1894


George Cameron 1857-8


Duane D. Finch


1 1895 1


Charles Loomer 1


1859. 62


Charles Desing


1 1896


Isaac Flitcroft 1860 L


Herbert J. Barker


1897-8


Stephen L. Russell 1861


George Weaver


1899. 1906


Thomas Davis 1863


Homer Davis _1 900


Timothy Putnam Barker 1 864


John Canutson


1901-3. '05


Jason Foster 1865


Henry J. Brandt


1904


George W. Nyce 1866


John W. Watson


1


1907


James W. Davis 1867


Ole Jacobson


1


1868


Hawley J. Donaldson


1909-10


John Cameron


1869-70, '75


Otis S. Davis 1871


Charles Hollinshead 1863-6


Ole Jacobson 1872-3


Charles A. Davis 1906-7


Reuben E. Eastwood 1907-8


Henry Levi Mallory 1882-3


Ward Mallory


1859-62


George Edmund Pierce 1885-8


Aaron Ellbeck


1870-I


George H. Renner


1899-1900


Isaac Flitcroft 1879-82


Daniel Mansfield Stearns 1871-2


Rial Thomas


1860-9, '72-81


Fred Waters __ 1894-5, '97-8, 1905-8


I


Harry Loomer


1911-12


1


JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.


Frank R. Babcock 1894


John Cameron 1875-80, '90-5


Julius Augustus Edwards 1881-3


Solomon Richard Edwards_1859-70


Marcus Gray 1870-1


Sherman Harrington 1891


1


I 1


1


1


Frank J. Rogers


1908


Levi Lee 1863-5


CHAPTER XXXVI.


TOWN OF TROY.


As one of the five towns constituted by the act of January 2, 1838, Troy included the next eastward township, set off March 21, 1843, as East Troy. The present town is No. 4 north, range 17 east. It is not known why it was so called, but it may have been that its discoverer preferred a short and easily spelled name. About the time of the separation from East Troy the Legisla- ture conferred upon that town the old name and renamed the older town Meacham. To this the sensible Major objected and to such purpose that the two towns were immediately named as at present.


Excepting the large Honey creck marsh in the southern one-third of the town, the ground is moderately high and well drained. Barometrical obser- vations, taken at eight points, give heights above sea-level ranging between SHI and 895 feet. The principal water course is Honey creek, which comes out of Lagrange into section 31, passes through a corner of section 30 and thence across the town into section 30 of East Troy. Crooked creek flows through sections 4, 9, 10, 3, 2 into Lake Lulu1, thence over the county line into Eagle lake and joins itself to the outflow of Beulah lakes. Booth lake, in sections 13, 24, has no inflowing nor outflowing stream. Its area is one hun- dred and twenty-five acres and its greatest depth is twenty-five four-tenths feet. Pickerel lake, its little companion in section 13, discharges by a short course to the Beulah group. The name Honey creek is a translation of its only native name preserved,-Ah-moo-sis-po-quet-se-pee, and had some aptness from a number of bee trees found and robbed before wasteful white men came and made it needless to place wild honey in the tariff list. Besides the marsh about to become meadow, there are a few gravel knobs of no consid- crable height which rise above the prairie and timbered land; but the town generally is the home of prosperous farmers.


The land area of the town is 22.378 acres, valued at $1.413.000 ; average. $63.14 per acre. Crop acreages in 1910: Barley, 782: corn, 2,680; hay, 2.464: oats, 3.4044: orchard. 35: potatoes, 99; rye, 388; timber, 1.351 ; wheat. 63. Returns of live stock and values: 1.946 cattle, $59.000; 602 hogs, $0.300: 499 horses, $37.900: 931 sheep, $2.800.


427


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Population of the town, at seven federal censuses: 1850, 1.094; 1860, 1,238; 1870, 1, 176: 1880, 964 ; 1890, 972; 1900, 1,018; 1910, 928.


Major Jesse Meacham and Adolphus Spoor came from Washtenaw county, Michigan, in September, 1835, to Milwaukee, whence they set out for Rock river valley by way of Waukesha and Mukwonago, and as they passed noted favorably the valley of Honey creek. They went home by way of Chicago, and on May-day. 1836. set forth again with their families and household goods which were hauled by two ox teams. They plodded through Chicago to Racine and thence by Ives Grove to the ford at Roch- ester. The Fox was then at high water and they crossed with some diffi- culty and with danger of overturn in mid-stream. They left the families at Levi Godfrey's, a halting place and a host long memorable to pioneers of at least two counties, and went forward, marking their trail as they went by ways till then untrodden by white men, to their chosen place in section 25. Since they had left the old home at Lodi the brothers, Alexander and Othni Beardsley, and Mr. Roberts, also from Michigan, had marked the claim for their own and one of them had a fortnight before begun plowing. It was now May 27th. These five were reasonable men and they in possession sold their claim to Meacham and Spoor and chose their land in other sections.


These men had means sufficient for the wants of early settlers, and they began at once to build their houses on which they bestowed unusual labor. It is told that they sawed boards by hand for their floors and joiner-work. It is not probable that many boards were sawn from each log, nor that their flooring was much less than a half-log in thickness. While they were at this work John S. Spoor came and bought Alexander Beardsley's new claim in section 30, and with him Sylvanus Spoor, who bought in section 24. Othni Beardsley's later claim was in sections 23. 26.


Among men of 1837 were George W. Blanchard, section 11; Samuel Fowler, 27: Charles Heath, 26: George Hibbard, 26; Marcus Montague, 35: Albon M. Perry, 10, 14: Sokan Powers, 10, and Horace Smith. In the next year and thereafter came Elias Truman and William B. Hibbard, sec- tion 26: Jacob R. Kling 29. 30; John Mayhew 34: Ansel Il. Odell 35: AAnson. Charles H1. and Ebenezer Robinson 22: George W. Robinson 27; Warren Ames Robinson 23.


Patents were issued from the land office at Milwaukee to John and William B. Austin, section 30; James Babcock, 20; Lewis Bartlett, 18; Chester C. and John C. Beach, 7: Samuel Brush Beardsley, 21: Ezra Ben- nett, 29: John E. Bolkcom, 3: Benjamin Bonney, 20: Hiram Brewster, 27; Chauncey Brown, 11, 12; Alexander F. Bunker, 10: Calvin Cary, 3: John


428


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Chapman, 9: Jeremiah Clute, 29; Stephen Cooper, 8; Gurdon Cox, 4. 29; Jacob Coxshall, 28; Richard Day, 30; Sprowell Dean, 14. 15. 34: Alonzo Dougherty. 34: John Fearnley. 19; Loren Ferry, 28: Walter P. Flanders. 2, 17: Philip Foot, 31: Elbert W. Fowler, 33: William Henry Gilbert. 7; Rufus Goodall, 28: Clement llare, 32 : John Hink, 28: William Holcomb, 10: James Ingledew. 30; Adeline Keats, 12: Moses Kelloway, 29; John and William King. 19. 29; Nelson Lake, 13; James and William F. Lauderdale, 30. 31, 32: Archibald Lighbody, 8: George Matthews, 26, 34. Edwin Wallis Meacham, 24: James Megginson. 32; James C. Miller. 2; John Morrison, 9; Timothy Mower, 12: Hiram E. Nourse. 29: Peter O'Brien, 17. 18: Samuel Pillsbury, 19: John W. Pixley. 19: Samuel Lyman Porter, 11 : Selah Smith Porter, 20: Edwin F. Randall, 9, 10; Norman A. Rice, 22: John Sanford, 31 : Paul Schwartz, 2; Israel Scott. 14, 23; Ephraim Whitney Smith, I : William Thompson, 8: Jesse Tombleson, 1; Andrew Underhill, 2: Thomas Walker, 32: William L. Ward, 2: Mark Watson, 28; James Weeks, 10: Stephen G. West, Jr., 31 : George Wilson. 31 ; Asa Wood, 18: John M. Worthley, 13. Joseph Babcock died in 1867.


John Chapman died at Little Prairie in 1885.


John Fearnley ( 1804-1867), born in Yorkshire, died in Lagrange. His wife was Ann ( 1806-1858).


William Ilolcomb married Juliana Rogers, December 7, 1846.


Moses Kelloway ( 1805-1863) had wife Ann ( 1808-1860).


Caleb Newcomb ( 1776-1855) and wife Phoebe ( 1779-1850) were prob- ably from Nova Scotia.


Peter O'Brien died 1888 in Dakota.


George W. Robinson was born 1808, died 1856.


John Sanford died in 1858.


Chester C. Beach (1823-1882) was born in Connecticut and died at Heart Prairie. He married. first. Elizabeth \. Reynolds; second, Harriet J. Emmons.


Ezra Bennett ( 1816-1904) moved to New Berlin, but died at East Troy.


lliram Brewster ( 1806-1861) married Achsah Mansur ( 1812-1882). Ile left sons.


Richard Day ( 1808-1885) died at Whitewater. His wife was Susan ( 1821-1885).


Sprowell Dean ( 1795-1843) married Clarissa Scott ( 1796-1880). Israel Scott and W. Augustus Dean were his sons.


Loren Ferry ( 1817-1880) married Hannah Rice, February 27. 1845.


429


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Samnel Fowler ( 1809-1894), son of Linus Fowler and Huldalı Bagg, was born in New Hampshire. His wife, Dorothy A., a native of Vermont, daughter of Allen Dewey, died in 1885.


Charles Heath (1817-1889) died in Lagrange. Harriet E., his wife, was born in 1817.


Elias Hibbard (1793-1856) had wife Lydia C. ( 1800-1875) : George, his brother (1807-1900), married, first, Elizabeth Clark, 1808-1865 : second, Mrs. Naomi Waters. He died at Elkhorn. The Hibbards of Troy were Massachusetts-born.


Mrs. Adeline L. (Goodrich) Keats ( 1806-1879) was born in Connecti- cut. and came to Troy from Michigan. Two of her sisters were married to two of the Spoor cousins.


John King ( 1806-1899), son of Jacob and Elizabeth, was born in Lan- cashire. His wife was Hannah Hilton ( 1808-1887). They came to Rome, New York, in 1837, and front 1841 lived in Lagrange.


Jacob Kling ( 1785-1883) married Dorothy Gasper .( 1793-1874). They were of Schoharie county, New York. Not all of their fourteen children came with them to Troy, but enough of them to connect by marriage a con- siderable part of southwestern Troy.


Jacob Rensselaer Kling (1815-1892) married Emily ( 1817-1907), daughter of Gideon Bliss and Prudence Pease.


John Morrison ( 1815-1864) married Rachel Lightbody ( 1815-1898). William Henry, their son, was for several years director of farmers' institutes for Wisconsin.


Hiram E. Nourse ( 1824 -- ). son of Elisha Nourse and Sarah Mur- dock, of Vermont. married Elizabeth ( 1823-1885), daughter of Jacob and Dorothy Kling.


Asaph Perry (1779-1856) and wife Anna ( 1787-1858) had sons, John Adams, who became sheriff, and Albon Mann ( 1817-1902), whose first wife. Susan, was born in 1825 and died in 1870. Both sons lived long at Elkhorn, and were radically opposed in politics.


Selah Smith Porter ( 1805-1887) had wife Cornelia .A. (1806-1849).


Soldan Powers ( 1805-1889) came from Vermont in 1837 and, May 31, 1842, married Ann Flanders ( 1820-1899), who was a sister of Royal C. Flanders, of East Troy. Mr. Powers was a man of education, property and influence. He served his town variously and for several years as member of county board, town clerk and justice of the peace. He was of the Demo- cratic old guard of the county.


430


WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN.


Martin Ray, born 1779. married Caroline Phelps ( 1781-1849), who (lied at the home of one of her sons. Three of their large family came to the county, and all had some part in its greater affairs. These were Adam E., George Augustus, and Henry M. : the last named was of Delavan.


Norman Alonzo Rice married Elizabeth Holcomb. December 3, 1845.


Paul Schwartz ( 1811-1895), born in Bavaria. was son of Adam Schwartz, who came to America in 1832. Paul married Elizabeth Wagner ( 1815-1881). Their children are yet well known in the Troys.


Mark Watson ( 1810-1896) married Elizabeth Randall ( 1810-1897).


Major Meacham made his village, which he named Troy, at the point where the line between sections 25 and 26 is crossed by the Milwaukee and Janesville road, though that was not laid out until 1838. This was a few rods south of Honey creek, which afforded a good water power at which Meacham built his grist mill in 1844. This mill was well built and equipped and was long locally useful. In 1839 he was a licensed inn-keeper. In 1843 he built the largest barn in the county. It was forty feet wide and one hundred feet long, and it was not merely a barn, for it served for dancing and for other public gatherings.


AA school was opened in 1839. Lucinda, daughter of Dr. Daniel Allen and Olive English, taught in a neighboring district of the town in 1840. Miss Allen was twice married, first to Jolm Mayhew and then to John Young, and there were three children of each marriage. Two of her May- hew children became teachers. Her eldest daughter of second marriage was Emma, who became wife of William Pitt Meacham.


Troy was a fairly promising village until it found itself shunned by rail- way builders. It had a mill. tavern. stores, shops, postoffice, church, school and cemetery. Its two intersecting streets are well traveled highways. and the surrounding country is fair and fertile. It is but two and one-half miles from East Troy, its more thriving rival: three miles from the railway sta- tion at Troy Center, and nearly as distant from Mayhew. Within the period between 1857 and 1880 the village felt the depressing influence which for a great part of that period had affected the larger villages of the county, and its aspect was to stranger eyes that of a hamlet for which two panic periods and a civil war had wholly blighted every earlier hope. The changes which encouraged and brightened elsewhere brought a quickening spirit to Troy. Housebuilding, repairing, painting, lawn-mowing and tree-trimming have made it look at least pleasantly habitable.




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