History of northern Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development, and resources; an extensive sketch of its counties, cities, towns and villages, their improvements, industries, manufactories; biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; views of county seats, etc., Part 100

Author: Western historical co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1052

USA > Wisconsin > History of northern Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development, and resources; an extensive sketch of its counties, cities, towns and villages, their improvements, industries, manufactories; biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; views of county seats, etc. > Part 100

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A. E. BLAKE, farmer. Was born in Carpenter, Chenango Co., N. Y., April 29, 1821. Came to Wisconsin in IS61, and settled in Eau Claire County, on his present farm of 160 acres. He was married in Carpenter, Chenango Co., N. Y., Sept. 22, 1846, to Miss E. Thorpe. Mr. Blake is a member of the Presbyterian Church, also of the Temple of Honor. Was Town Clerk one year. Is now and has been for a number of years, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors,

THOMAS J. FLINN, farmer. Was born in Watertown, May 10, 1856. His parents, Patrick and Eliza (Reed) Flinn. moved to Iowa, lo- cated in Mitchell County, and in 1863, came to Eau Claire County. They have a fine farm of 360 acres, devoted to the raising of grain and grass.

JOSEPH HOBBS, farmer. Married in Green Lake County, Dec. 25, 1860, to Miss Jane Wilson. They have eight children-Tabatha E., Henry A., Mary E., Frank W., Annie. Laurina, Daniel and Edwin. Mr. Hobbs is a member of Washington Grange, No. 321.

JOHN HOBBS, farmer. Was born in County Kent, England, Nov. 22, 1822. Was engaged in England as machinist, carpenter, joiner, builder, etc., and for a time was in business for himself, near Dover. Came to the United States in 1857, and located in Marquette, now Green Lake Co. Moved to Eau Claire, in 1859, and in the Spring of 1860, settled on his present farm. Was married in Dover, England, Decem- her, 1844, to Miss Georgiana Wall, who died in July, 1874. They had five children-Mary, widow of R. Petipher ; Walter, killed battle of Cold Harbor, in 36th Wis. ; Jemima Jane, now Mrs. A. D. Wyman ; Robert M., Austen T. Was married to his present wife, December, 1875. She was Miss Celia Wall, sister of his first wife. Mr. Hobbs was a member of the Druids and Foresters in England. Was Chairman of Board of Supervisors one year, and is now Town Clerk.

CYRUS D. PEASE, farmer. Was born in St. Joseph Co., Mich., Aug. 22, 1835. Hisfather was born in Enfield, Conn., in IS04; lived for a time in Monroe Co., N. Y., and from there moved to St. Joseph Co., Mich., in 1836. Came to Wisconsin in 1846, and located in Green Lake County. In 1857, moved to Eau Claire County, and settled on present farm. Original farm contained 920 acres. His mother, Cynthia Ann (Hunt) Pease, was from Monroe Co., N. Y., formerly from Vermont. Mr. C. D. Pease was one of twelve children, of whom four are living. He came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1846, and to Eau Claire County in 1857. He was married in Pepin County, in 1873, to Mary E. Timblin. They have three children-Roy Arthur, Florence Aurelia and Ethel Irene. Mr. P. is a member of Washington Grange, No. 321. Is farming 140 acres.

GEORGE W. RILEY, farmer. Was born in Canada West, in 1838. Came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1846. They settled in Milwaukee, where his father died. Moved to Eau Claire in 1856 ; pre-empted a piece of land, which he lost ; then bought a farm. In August, 1861, en- listed in 8th Wis., Co. C, and served until 1863. Re-enlisted in the veterans, and served in that organization ; was wounded, and disabled for three months. Was married in Eau Claire, March, 1866, to Mary E. Owens. They had four children, of which three survive-Estelle M., Imogene M. and Percy E. Mr. Riley is a member of the Temple of Honor. Was Chairman Town Board several terms, also held school offices.

N. P. TURNER, farmer, Washington. Born in Delaware County, N. Y., in 1820; came from there to the town of Washington, in 1865. Began farming with 160 acres, and by industry and careful management has added 140 acres, besides eighty acres of valuable coal land in Mis- souri. Married Delili Dibble, of Delaware Co., N. Y .. in 1845. They have six children.

E. WHEELER ROBBINS, Washington Township, was born in the town of Lenox, Madison Co., N. Y., Feb. 24, 1821, and at the age of five movel with his parents to Lee, Oneida Co., N. Y. In 1845, he came to Fond du Lac, and a vear later to Green Lake. In 1854, located on Sec. 27, Township 27, Range 9, in Washington (now Eau Claire) County, where he has since engaged in farming. In 1877, he becam

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HISTORY OF EAU CLAIRE COUNTY.

interested in the Eau Claire Woolen Mill, which is located on Sec. 27, in the town of Washington ; is a one-set mill, doing mostly custom work; manufactures cassimeres, flannels and yarns, and employs ten men. The mill chiefly supplies the home market. He was married in the town of Sugar Grove, Warren Co., Pa., in January, 1846, to Laura Pond, who was born in Oneida Co., N. Y. They have two children, Hubbard T. and Martha E. (now Mrs. Stoddard Field, of Osseo, Trem- pealeau Co.) Mr. Robbins was a member of the first Town Board in his town, serving several years in that capacity ; was Assessor in the town of Eau Claire one term, and in the town of Washington two years; was Side Supervisor several times, and Superintendent of the County Poor for three years, in the early days of the county. The first deed recorded in the county was made to Mr. Robbins, and recorded by him. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M. and of the Good Templars.

TOWN OF OTTER CREEK.

MRS MARTHA FEAR was born in England, daughter of Will- iam Fear, farmer ; came to America in 1855; resided in Waukesha Co., Wis. She was married there in October, 1857, to James Curtis Fear; resided in Eau Claire about three years, then on present farm near Augusta. Mr. Fear filled several town offices; was Deputy Clerk and Treasurer, etc., for seven years. Mr. Fear died in the Fall of 1877, leaving four children-Arthur W., Edith E., Edgar J. and Walter C. Mrs. Fear owns 120 improved acres in Eau Claire County, and 160 acres improved, elsewhere.

CHARLES HENRY HALE, farmer, came to Wisconsin in 1855, located in Eau Claire County, and farmed for seven years. He enlisted, Aug. 14, 1862, in the 30th Wis. I .; discharged Aug. 5, 1865 ; was pro- moted to sergeant. He then returned to Eau Claire County, and has been farming ever since ; was on the Board of Town Supervisors for several years. He was born in Waterford, Me., June 15, 1830; farmed there some years; was married, in Waterford, to Mary Brown, who was born there. They have one son, Charles W., farmer ; has 400 acres im- proved land.

AMOS W. SHEPHERD. farmer, came to Wisconsin in 1856; lo- cated at Green Lake, and resided there with parents for five years. En- listed in 1861, in IIth Wis. I. Served one and one half years; was wounded in right leg at Cache River, Ark. Re-enlisted in 2d Minn. C., and served until close of war. Came to Eau Claire County in 1866, and has been farming and lumbering since. Owns 280 acres of improved land. Was Pathmaster of town of Otter Creek for some six years, and on School Board two or three years. Born in England, 1846; came to America in 1853. Married at Black River Falls, in July, 1870, to Ellen Young, born in Jefferson Co., Wis. They have two children, Ella M. and Homer.

SETH D. SMITH, farmer, came to Wisconsin in the Fall of 1855. Was employed at school teaching in Jefferson County for six months, then in Green Lake County for five years ; employed on farms. Came

on the present farm in 1860. Born in town of Norway, N. Y., in 1833. Resided there with parents and farmed. Married in Green Lake Co., Wis., in Fall of 1860, to Anne Vosser, born in Fairfield, N. Y. They have eight children - Maria, Lizzie, Webster, Annie, Albert, Russell, Henry and Carroll. He owns 280 acres, forty of which is woodland.

WILLIAM YOUNG, farmer and physician, came to Wisconsin in 1839. Located in Waukesha County, farming, some two years ; then in Jefferson County for fifteen years, farming and practicing medicine some. Came to Eau Claire County in 1856, and has been there twenty-five years, farming and practicing. Was Supervisor of Otter Creek Town- ship for several years. Born in Scotland, 1816; came to America in 1828, and resided in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. Married there, Dec. I, 1838, to Philoena Baas, born in State of New York. They have nine children-Jane D. (now Mrs. Brown), Isabella A., Lucinda M., James, William, Ellen P., Harvey E., Mary H. and Sherman G.

TOWN OF LUDINGTON.

WILLIAM ROSBROOK, farmer, Sec. 30, town of Ludington, was born in Hastings, Oswego Co., N. Y., Dec. 31, 1839. Lived there until 1842; afterward lived in Waukesha, Washington, Winnebago and Dane counties until he came to Ludington, in the Fall of 1866. Engaged in farming ever since he came here, except a few Winters' lumbering in the pineries. He was married in Pleasant Springs, Dane Co., Wis., in Mav, 1866, to Amelia C., daughter of R. D. Campbell. She is a native of Illinois. They have six children-1.illy Belle, Lottie Viola. Charles D., George W., Freddie and Rosiel D. Mr. Rosbrook has held offices of Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk and Chairman of the Town Board.

GEORGE W. RANDALL, lumber manufacturer and farmer, town of Ludington, was born in what is now the town of Berwick (formerly Baldwin), Cumberland Co., Me., March 1, 1820. Lived there until 1839, then went to Iowa, where he remained until 1840, when he came came to Menomonie, Wis. He was engaged in working on the river and in the woods until 1846. Then he, with his brother Simon, built a saw-mill on the Eau Claire River, within the present limits of the city of Eau Claire. June 6, 1847, that mill was carried away by a freshet, and they built another mill on the same site. In 1851 or 1852 Simon Randall sold his interest to Philo Stone and William Hope. These gentlemen, with George W. Randall, carried on the manufacture of lum- ber until 1857, when they sold out to Carson & Eaton. Since that time Mr. Randall has been engaged in farming and logging. until he built his present mill, in 1880, on Muskrat Creek, in the town of Ludington. Feb. 1, 1881, he commenced running it, and will cut during the season about 1,000,000 feet of lumber, considerable of it being oak and ash. He gives employment to eight men. Mr. R. was married, Nov. 29, 1846, to Mary La Point. She was born in Minneapolis, Minn. They have ten children-George W., Mary, Wellington, John, Isaiah, Sarah H., Jose- phine, Abraham Lincoln, Thankful and James. Lost two children; they died in infancy.

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HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

GREEN LAKE COUNTY.

NATURAL ADVANTAGES.

This populous and prosperous county possesses natural advantages unsurpassed by any county of its size in the State, and is fast becoming famous as a Sum- mer resort. It was set off from the county of Mar- quette and organized May 12, 1858. Its greatest length, north and south, is twenty-seven miles; its greatest breadth, east and west, eighteen miles. The county is situated between the forty-third and forty- fourth degrees of north latitude ; it is bounded on the north by Waushara County, on the east by Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties, on the south by Columbia and Dodge, and on the west by Marquette County. During the Territorial government of Wisconsin it was within the jurisdiction of Brown County Courts, held at Green Bay. Marquette County was established in 1836 and fully organized in 1848, with the county seat at Marquette. The county of Green Lake contains at present ten towns, viz .: Berlin, Brooklyn, Green Lake, Kingston, Mackford, Manchester, Marquette, Prince- ton, Seneca and St. Marie. These contain an area of 247,658 acres, of which number over 20,000 are water, divided into lakes and clear winding streams, which form the most prominent features of this wonderfully formed region. The general face of the country is un- dulating, neither hilly nor extensive plains, with the exception of high broken lands around the marshes in the south part of the county. A fine stretch of prairie extends along the eastern part; in this section can be found some of the richest farms in the State. The soil is the rich brown mold of the prairies. the sandy loam of the valleys, or the clay loam of the high lands. Although they may vary in richness, yet what is called the poorest lands have realized a productive crop. Limestone, with its attendant, sandstone, is abundant, cropping out at most every hill-side in the towns lying east of the Fox River. Doubtless, it underlies the whole face of the county, varying in depth below the surface from ten to forty feet. Wheat, rye, corn, oats, all the various productions of the latitude, as well as fruits, berries, grapes, etc., and varieties of vegetables raised in more southern climate, are cultivated with success. Wheat is the chief reliance. Winter wheat is not considered a reliable crop, yet such is the adap- tation of the soil to this much prized cereal that a rich return for labor invested is relied upon with confidence. Corn is almost a natural product; needs but little labor to realize the most sanguine hopes of those who con- sider it, in many respects, a more profitable crop than wheat.

Sorghum is cultivated with success and is fast be- coming an important article in commerce. The farmers have fine houses and barns, rich fields and well filled granaries; they use the most improved machinery and keep fine horses and stock-in fact, they are rich and

independent. The great natural advantages the farmers in this county possess are described by an early writer as follows : " Running streams of water are near or at convenient distance from nearly every farm. Gushing fountains, as pure and as healthy as the fabled Helicon, may be found at the foot of most every hill." Water is readily found by digging or boring in all localities, varying in depth as to situation from ten to ninety feet. The facilities for transportation are furnished by the Fox River and the Milwaukee & St. Paul and the Sheboygan & Fond du Lac railroads. The Fox River is navigable its entire length, from Green Bay to Portage City ; it takes a winding course through the county, from southwest to northeast. Marshes abound on one or both sides, from one-half to four miles in width, bordered generally with a prolific growth of wild rice, which annually feeds innumerable flocks of blackbirds and ducks. In addition to these are exten- sive pastures and having fields along all the tributaries of the Fox, making Green Lake one of the finest stock growing counties in the State.

When the white man first ventured to fix his habita- tion in Green Lake County the Winnebagoes and Me- nomonees were the only two tribes holding possession of the Territory. These tribes gave some attention at that time, 1828, to the cultivation of the Indian corn, but their principal subsistence was obtained by fishing and hunting. The Indians always maintained a friendly feeling for the whites, giving them annoyance only by their persistent begging and as their thieving propensi- ties would get the better of them. Considerable jealousy existed between the Winnebagoes and Menomonees, and a sort of rivalry sprang up as to which should appear the best in the estimation of the whites. The Winnebago wonld approach his white brother with all the assurance imaginable when on a begging excursion. " Me Winnebago, good Indian ; Menomonee bad ; Me- nomonee steal from white brother." Scarcely would the dusky form of the Winnebago have disappeared with his rations when his rival, the Menomonee, on the same mission, would appear on the scene. "Menomo- nee good Indian, Winnebago bad-Winnebago steal. Menomonee ask white brother when he want pro- visions." During the early Territorial days of Wiscon- sin the Government had arranged to supply the Indians with provisions; a trading post was established on what is now known as the Bellefontain farm, in the town of Kingston. Poquette, a half-breed, was ap- pointed to take charge of the post, on account of his thorough knowledge of the Indians. It was decided that the head of each family should receive two bushels of shell corn, and, to provide against issning to any one Indian double rations, Poquette was stationed to keep watch of the Indians as they procured their sacks. The half-breed is said to have been a powerful man, possess-

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HISTORY OF GREEN LAKE COUNTY.

ing the strength of a giant. One of the Indians had succeeded in securing the second sack of corn and had proceeded with it some twenty yards before Poquette discovered the trick. He made no attempt to bring the Indian back, but quietly picked up another sack of corn and hurled it with all his force, striking the Indian on the head, knocking him senseless.

Prominent among the Winnebagoes was the chief, Big Soldier, who made his home near Green Lake, in the town of Brooklyn; he was a man of considerable intelligence and rendered valuable assistance to the United States soldiers during the Black Hawk war, on several instances showing great bravery, for which he was awarded a silver medal by the Government. Big Soldier was very proud of this medal and constantly wore it about his neck, suspended to a string of beads. Some few of his tribe still linger in the county and visit regularly twice a year a relative of Big Soldier's, who has the medal in his possession, where they view with much pride the relic left them by the brave old warrior. Some few of the Indians own land and cultivate small patches of corn and other vegetables. As is character- istic of the American Indian, they still adhere to the inclinations with which nature endowed them, refusing to ape their superiors in any of the advanced ideas of civilization, and allow their squaws to do all the hard work.

ANTIQUITIES.

It is now generally conceded by all historians and scientists who have made the subject of Wisconsin antiquities a study, that the territory was inhabited at one time by a superior race than that discovered by the early French missionaries. Many important discover- ies in the various works of antiquity have been made in the past ten years along the Fox and Grand rivers in this county, where hundreds of mounds exist, from which have been exhumed pieces of earthenware or pot- tery, artistically designed ; implements which bear the marks of civilization ; pipes of various shapes and sizes, and in several instances hieroglyphic characters have been discovered. Dr. I. A. Lapham suggests, that the people who left these monuments were the progenitors of the fast-fading Indian tribes of North America, and that this is made probable by the resem- blance of the pots and vases in figure, etc., to those afterward found in all Indian villages, and to those still made by the women of the Mandan and other tribes.

SETTLEMENT.

The first white men to visit this region were Sieur Joliet and Father Marquette, who stopped here on their voyage to the Mississippi River in 1673. These explorers tarried for several days to examine the coun- try of which they were so favorably impressed, making quite a number of rests in order to instruct the In- dians in a higher religious belief, and at the same time to get relaxation from their tiresome voyage. One of the places visited was a large spring near the Fox River, which Father Marquette designated as St. Marie, and from which the town derives its name. The Mas- coutin Indians had a small village on the southern shore of Lake Puckaway, where Father Marquette and his companion remained two days. The present

village at that place and the town now bear the name of Marquette, as well as the county of which this was once a part, the parent of Green Lake County.

The first permanent white settler in the county was a Vermonter by the name of Luther Gleason, who located at what is 'now known as Marquette, on the Fox River, in 1829. He was an Indian trader ; kept a store, and cultivated a tract of land. The remains of his stockade were to be seen but a few years ago. Hiram McDonald, formerly soldier of the United States Army, having served in the War of 1812, settled in the town of Mackford, in 1836. He built a saw-mill -the first one in the county-on Grand River, in 1843. James Powell, a half-breed, settled in what is now the town of Green Lake, in 1835, and cultivated a tract of land belonging to a half-breed trader, by the name of Poquette. An old soldier, named McGee, located in the town of Manchester in the Fall of 1837, where he entered land, and a few years later, in company with one or two others, laid out a town plat and en- deavored to found a village. In 1840, Anson Dart, William Bazeley and Mr. Beals, settled in what is now known as the town of Green Lake. The first school in the county was taught in Mr. Bazeley's house in 1842. Anson Dart was made the first Justice of the Peace, in 1840. Satterlee Clark, now Hon. Sat. Clark, of Horicon, was one of the pioneers of the county, having made entries of Government land in the month of December, 1842. He lived east of Green Lake, and was the first Postmaster in the county. The first store in the county was opened by F. B. Hawes, in 1845, at the village of Marquette. J. C. and William Sher- wood were among the first to settle in the village of Dartford. J. C. Sherwood and Anson Dart built a saw-mill in 1847. Nathan Strong, William D. Strong and Thomas Noyes were the pioneers at Strong's Land- ing, on the Fox River, now the city of Berlin. Gard- ner and D. M. Green were prominent among the early settlers of Marquette. They built large warehouses and docks at that place. D. M. Green afterward be- came Sheriff. The first religious society in the county, was that of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Green Lake, organized during the year 1845, by Rev. G. W. Miller. The first church edifice erected in the county was by this society, at the village of Dartford, in 1850. Isaac Bronson made the first entries of Government land in the county, Aug. 26, 1835. His four entries of that date include nearly all the site of the village of Marquette. The first deed written in the county was for a portion of the same land, and was given by Sherman Page to Andrew Palmer, May 19, 1836. The first record of a deed of land within the present county limits, was made at Green Bay long before the organi- zation of the county. The register's certificate is dated July 9, 1836. Among others who settled in the county prior to 1848, were Nicholas Bush, J. C. Bur- dick, M. M. Hurlburt, O. J. Fuller, H. Bonesteel, George Cullings, John Nichols, William Seymour, Theo. Wheeler, R. Bond, J. Millard, W. R. Carter, R. Langdon, S. W. Mather, William Morris, O. Prichard, E. Steckle, II. W. Swift, L. G. Woodworth, G. J. Will- iams, P. W. Jackson, J. Gibberd, S. Mesick, C. G. Parkhurst, Lyman Austin, W. H. Butler, Ira Butler, William Hare, S. M. Knox, John Larkin, George Mc-

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HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

Craken, J. L. Millard, W. J. Matthews, George Pratt, Charles Rogers, William Shaw, Barlow Swift, B. F. Bodle, M. V. Clute. John Crabtree, D. E. Haywood, S. D. Owen, A. L. Palmer, Fred. Wiedman, J. S. Vine, A. Blatchley, Joel Day. D. W. G. Benham, C. D. Tay- lor, O. Wilson, I. O. Seeley, David Jones, Lucius Clark, Walter Burlingame and R. C. Treat. Mr. Treat was one of the first at Princeton, and laid out the village plat. The foregoing list was compiled from the land entries book in the Register of Deeds office. Many others besides these settled in the county, prior to the date above mentioned, of whom particular men- tion will be made in the village and town histories. .

ORGANIZATION.

The county of Green Lake was, by an act of the Legislature, set off from the parent county, Marquette, and fully organized, May 12, 1858. Soon after the division had been consummated, the county seat was established at the city of Berlin. In the Fall of 1862, by a vote of the people, it was removed to Dartford, where it rested in peace until 1866, when the vexed subject was once more agitated, and a vote taken to remove it to Princeton. This plan was carried into ef-

fect, although a majority of the Board of Canvassers decided in favor of Dartford. The minority reporting in favor of Princeton had their decision supported by the opinion of the Attorney General of the State. The citizens of Princeton forcibly took possession of the records, and, at a very early hour in the morning, removed them to their own village. An appeal was then made by the people of the eastern part of the county to the Supreme Court of the State, and on a ruling in their favor, the county seat was once more removed to Dartford, where it now remains in a state of tranquillity. The first county officers of Green Lake were elected as follows : F. B. Hawes, County Judge ; I. H. Comstock, Clerk of the Circuit Court ; C. L. Sargent, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors ; G. De Witt Elwood, Register of Deeds ; Isaac Morris, Sheriff; A. B. Hamilton, District Attorney ; N. C. Hoyt, Treasurer; C. M. Phelps, Superintendent of Schools. The first Board of Supervisors were : James Field, James Bassett, J. H. Turner and Charles Bart- lett for the city of Berlin ; Town of Berlin, F. B. Peck; Brooklyn, P. H. Prim ; Dayton, M. W. Seeley ; Green Lake, Jesse Thomas ; Kingston, O. W. Bow ; Kingston Village, P. D. Haywood; Mackford, S. B. Welsh ; Manchester, C. A. Millard ; Markesan, John Parker ; Marquette, A. Paterick ; Princeton, A. Stevens ; St. Marie, C. Kilbourn ; Seneca, John Ashford. The growth of Green Lake County has been rapid since the organization took effect.

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Author: Western historical co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 1052

Author: Western historical co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 1052