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 190
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one of the earliest settlers in Monroe County. Mr. Munz has held various township offices ; served as Town Treasurer two years; as Chairman of Board two years ; has been Clerk of Board for nine years.
JAMES SHANKLIN, farmer, near Norwalk. Born in Ireland, April 8, 1833. His mother died in Ireland. He came to Wisconsin with his father, in the Fall of 1846, to Fond du Lac County, where his father died, three weeks after their arrival, leaving two sons, John and James, in thiscountry, and also two sons in Ireland. John lives in Wausha- ra Co., Wis. James went to Winnebago County, in 1848, where he was engaged in farming ten years. He came to Monroe County in 1858, and settled on his present farm. He enlisted, January, 1864, in the 19th Wis. Vol., and served till August, 1865. Was in Grant's final campaign of the war, in Virginia. His wife was Hannah Beegle, born in the State of New York. They have two children, Frances and Ella E. His wife has a son by a former marriage, John H. White.
PETER SYVERSON, grain buyer, Norwalk, son of Ole Syverson, an early settler of Vernon County. He was a native of Norway, emi- grated to this country, settled on Coon Prairie, Vernon Co., where he resided till his death, which occurred in 1879. Peter was born in Nor- way, in 1840, His parents had seven children, all living but one, and residents of Vernon and Monroe counties. He was married to Bertha Nelson. They have five children-Marcus, Albert, Ella, Lute and Au- gust. Mr. Syverson has been engaged in grain buying for a number of years. His father was one of the earliest settlers of the town in which he located in Vernon County.
WILTON.
In the town of Wilton, on Section 32. The village was laid out in 1871, on E. Enderby's and C. Farmer's land. The village contains a Catholic, Methodist, and a United Brethren Church, a fine school-house, five stores, two hotels, one grist mill, a wagon shop and two black- smith shops. T. L. Martin is the Postmaster. Population 325. The town of Wilton was organized, April, 1856.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
CARL 'GIFFORD, station agent for C. & N. W. R. R. Co., Wil- ton. Born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio, in 1840. His parents were resi- dents of that county for fifty-two years. His father was a native of the North of Ireland, his mother a native of Scotland. Mr. Gifford, for two years during the war of the Rebellion, was a member of the Telegraph Corps. He came to Wisconsin at the close of the war. Was station agent at Milton Junction for ten years. Was appointed to his present position in 1875. He was married to Elizabeth Grimmer, born in Erie Co., N. Y. They have five children, three sons and two daughters. The father of Mr. Gifford died at the age of ninety years, his mother at the age of eighty-seven.
SAMUEL J. LYON, farmer, Wilton, was born in Yates Co., N. Y., in 1838 ; removed with his father's family to Monroe County from the State of New York in 1856. His father was a lawyer by profession, ad- mitted to the Bar at Sparta, and was engaged in the practice of his pro- fession for many years. Ile died Nov. 5, 1873. The family first settled in Glendale ; came to Wilton, July, 1862. Mr. Samuel J. Lyon enlisted in the 25th Regt. Wis. V. I., Aug. 31 of that year ; served about sixteen months. Hle engaged in the mercantile business at Wilton in 1875 ; re- tired from that business in the Spring of ISSI. IIis wife was Lenora Chapman, daughter of William Chapman. They have fonr children- Mary E., Katie L., Jennie C. and Willie C. Parents of Mr. Lyon had six children, three of whom are living. His oldest brother, John C., died at Glendale, May 27, 1856; another brother, Myron F., enlisted in the war of the Rebellion, in which he probably lost his life, as nothing was heard from him after he entered the army; his sister, Harriet, an estimable woman, was the wife of Rev. Dr. Jacques, president of Albert College. She was a graduate of the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, at Lima, N. Y .; she died April, 1880. Another sister, E. C. C., is the wife ol Mr. J. C. French, of Sparta ; she also was a graduate of the same in- stitution. James R., a brother of Mr. Lyon, is the present Register of Deeds. He was long a resident of the village of Glendale.
T. L. MARTIN, druggist and Postmaster, Wilton, was born in Dane Co., Wis., in 1851; afterward removed to Rock County; came to Wilton, December, 1874, and engaged in the drug business here soon after ; was appointed Postmaster, March, 1879, but had charge of the l'ost-office some time previous to that time. Hle owns the only drug store in Wil- ton ; succeeded F. N. Walker in business.
MOLL, O'BRIEN & TITUS, Wilton. Frank W. Moll, of the above firm, is the son of A. H. Moll, the former partner of Mr. O'Brien, who removed to Columbia Co., Wis., from New York City very early in
653
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY.
the history of that county. He came to Monroe County in 1857 and settled in the town of Greenfield, where he still resides. Frank W. was born in Columbia County in 1853. He succeeded his father in business with Mr. O'Brien. His wife was Elletia, a sister of his partner, John O'Brien. They have two children, Bernardia and Claude F.
John O'Brien, of this firm, was born in Scipio, Cayugu Co., N. Y., in 1846; he removed with his father's family to Portage, Wis., in 1853 ; his father died in 1857. The family resided in Columbia County till 1862, when they removed to the town of Greenfield, Monroe Co. Mr. O'Brien came to the village of Wilton in the Fall of 1872, and engaged in the mercantile business with A. H. Moll, in the firm name of A. H. Moll & O'Brien. His wife was Angela Webb, daughter of Clark Webb, an early settler of Rock County. Mr. O'Brien is a member of the Legisla- ture of Wisconsin, elected in the Fall of 1880.
L. M. Titus, of this firm, is a native of Vermont ; his parents removed to Essex Co., N. Y., when he was a boy ; he came to Wisconsin with his father's family, May, 1867, and settled on a farm in the town of Wilton. He engaged in the grocery trade in this village in 1869; increased his business to a general store, when the railroad was finished to this point in 1873. His wife was Elvira George, born in Warren Co., N. Y .; they have three children-Louisa, Lucena and an infant daughter. His fa- ther still resides in Wilton.
The firm of Moll, O'Brien & Titus was established in 1876. They are engaged in a general mercantile business, also dealers in grain and produce, and buy largely railroad ties, wood, etc .; in fact, do the princi- pal business in their line in the village. They are enterprising, ener- getic gentlemen, courteous and accommodating, and have established a reputation for fair dealing which commands the respect of all with whom they do business. They have an extensive mercantile trade, their sales amounting to about $60,000 a year. They buy from 60,000 to 75.000 railroad ties per annum, and during the past year have bought about 9,- 000 cords of wood. Their business gives constant employment to seven men.
C. E. PHILLIPS, M. D., Wilton, was born in Crawford Co., Pa., near the border of the State of Ohio, in 1852. He began the study of medicine in his native county, and graduated at the Eclectic Medical Institute, at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. He spent one year in Nebraska, after his graduation, recruiting his health. He came to Wilton in the Fall of 1875, and began the practice of his profession. Dr. Phillips has an extensive practice and is very popular, both as a gentleman and a physician. His wife is the daughter of Dr. J. C. Winans, of Madison, Ohio.
FERDINAND WOLKOW, wagon-maker, undertaker, etc., Wilton, son of Christian Wolkow, who was born in Germany, and came to this country about 1862, and settled in Milwaukee ; thence to Dodge County, where he lived two years ; thence to Monroe County, and is now a resi- dent of the town of Wilton. Ferdinand was born in Germany, March 27, 1857. He learned his trade at New Lisbon, of Mr. Radel. He es- tablished his present business at Wilton in 1875. Married Minnie Koch, daughter of Charles Koch. They have three children. His parents had eight children, all of whom are living.
GLENDALE.
This village is situated in town of Glendale, Section 14, on the C. & N. W. R. R .; was laid out in 1875 ; has one church (Episcopal) and a school-house ; one store, a black- smith shop and a grist-mill. Population, 100. The town of Glendale was organized in April, 1856.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
HORACE J. MOORE, farmer, P.O. Glendale, born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., in 1830, where he resided till twenty years of age. when he removed to the town of Elba, Dodge Co .. Wis., and engaged in farming ; came to Glendale in the Summer of 1855. Mr. Moore was one of the very earliest settlers of this town-but one family, that of Mr. Lorenzo Har- ris, now resides in the town of Kendall, who was here at that time. Mr. Moore was the first Treasurer of the town of Kendall, and held that office for many years. Has been Justice of the Peace most of the time since the town was organized ; has also been Assessor of the town. In 1872, he huilt the Glendale House, which he conducted about three years. He enlisted, Dec. 18, 1863, in the 19th Regt., Wis. V. I, and served till the close of the war. Was married to Nancy Keller, born in the State of New York. Her parents settled in Dodge Co., Wis., in 1846. They have two children, Augustine and Sarah R.
KENDALL.
C. & N. W. R. R. It contains extensive stave works, and is quite a shipping point. The village has a church (Meth- odist), a school-house, numerous stores, and, with its stave works, grist-mill and railroad machine shops, the place pre- sents a busy village ; population, 350.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
LYMAN R. BURLINGAME, M. D., Kendall. Born in Dodge Co., Wis., in 1854. Began the study of medicine at Elroy, in 1875. with Dr. C. E. Booth, of that place. Attended lectures at Rush Medical College, Chicago, three terms, where he will graduate in the Fall of 1881. He began practice at Wilton, Monroe Co., thence to Elroy where he prac- ticed for a time with his preceptor, Dr. Booth. Came to Kendall in 1880.
WALTER BAXTER, farmer, P. O. Kendall. Born in Scotland, Came to this country in 1853 and settled in the town of Ottawa, Wauke- sha Co. Father died in Clifton, Monroe Co., in 1866. Walter Baxter came to Glendale in 1863, where he has since resided. He enlisted in the Spring of 1865 in the 50th Reg. Wis. V. I. Served till July 1866. Married Margaret M. Queen, whose parents were early settlers of Mon- roe County. Mr. Baxter has been District Clerk four or five years; was elected Town Clerk in 1875, and has served since that time.
R. B. DUNLAP, Kendall, merchant, son of Thomas Dunlap who came to Monroe County from Urbana, Champaign Co., Ohio, October, 1856, and settled in Glendale. He lived for a time in what was known as the Block House, which was built in 1853. He remained a resident of Glen- dale till his death, which occurred Sept, 8, 1880. at the age of sixty-six years. The father of Mr. Dunlap had nine children, seven sons and two daughters. Two sons and one daughter deceased. Surving chil- dren are all residents of Monroe and Juneau counties. R. B. was born in Ithaca, N. Y., in 1844. Enlisted in 1862 in the 25th Reg. Wis. V. I., and served three years. Was in active service during the entire term of his enlistment. He engaged in the furniture business in Glendale in 1874, and afterward in general merchandising. He located at Kendall in the Spring of 1881. His wife is a daughter of Mr. S. II. French. Mr. Dunlap is a gentleman of culture, and possesses excellent business qual- ifications. In 1876 he wrote a history of the town of Kendall, which contains much valuable information to those who are interested in the history of this town.
BENJAMIN ROBERTS, section foreman, Kendall. Born in Platts- burg, N. Y., in 1829. He went to Illinois in the Spring of 1856, and to Portage, Wis., in the Fall of 1857. where he lived about two years. Af- terward had charge of the fencing gang at New Lisbon. Went to Osh- kosh in 1861, where he was engaged as foreman on the C. & N. W. R. R. In the Fall of 1871 he was engaged as foreman in laying the track on the Green Bay road, between Green Bay and Winona. Was engaged on this road about three years. Afterward was engaged on the con- struction of the West Wisconsin R. R. for two and a half years. Is now section foreman on the C. & N. W. R. R. Resides at Kendall. llis wife was Phebe J. Pixley, daughter of Parker Pixley, an early settler of Portage.
TOWN OF ADRIAN.
FRED K. TALBOT, present teacher of the school at Kendall ; son of Robert A. Talbot, who was born in England, and came to the United States about 1850. Has been a resident of Wisconsin since that time ; now resides in the town of Adrian. The parents of Mr. Talbot have seven children, three sons and four daughters. Fred K. was born in Walworth Co., Wis., in 1852. He began teaching in 1870, at Irving, Jackson County, where he taught about four years ; has taught twelve terms in Monroe County. Married Ella, daughter of Lewis Nichols, an early settler of the town of Irving.
J. E. MOONEY, Superintendent of Poor Farm, of Monroe County, Was born in Jefferson, N. Y., about 1834. Came to Wisconsin in 1866. and settled at Toman, and engaged in farming. He married Ann E. Fuller, daughter of Alvah Fuller, an early settler of Dodge County. Ilas one son, Fred. Mr. Mooney took charge of Poor Farm, April. 1881.
Rudd's Mill, Warren Mills, and Lowrie's Mill Station, are railroad stations on the C., St. P., M. & O. R. R., where lumber is manufactured to quite an extent.
Herseyville, LaFayette and Oakdale, are small stations Is situated on Section 10, town of Glendale, also on the on the C., M. & St. P. R. R.
654
HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.
OCONTO COUNTY.
GENERAL HISTORY.
Originally, Oconto County was the largest one in the State, but by the formation of Marinette in 1879, its territory was reduced nearly one-half. It is situated between Marinette and Langlade and Shawano coun- ties on the east and west, stretching to the boundary line of Wisconsin and Michigan on the north, and Shawano and Brown counties on the south. It is watered by the Peshtigo, Oconto, Little Suamico and Wolf rivers. The entire northern parts of the county and Marinette adjoining are richly wooded, and form the harvest fields of the rich lumber companies whose mills are in the south. This wild, rugged and almost unsettled section of Oconto County is organized, politically, into what is known as the town of Darling. A second portion of the county, which may be cut away as unhistoric ground, is the Indian Reservation, a fraction of which sets into its natural bounds on the southwest. The larger part crowds into Shawano County on the northeast. Two townships were taken from what is now Oconto County, and ten from Shawano, in 1848, and granted to the Menominee Indians, the original tribe in this region. It is said that Nicollet, the Indian Agent, and the Jesuit Fathers, vis- ited them in their free hunting grounds upon the Me- nominee, Peshtigo and Oconto rivers, in 1639 and 1670, respectively. Be that as it may, the Reservation, as relates to present civilization, is unproductive, unhis- toric ground.
Notwithstanding that so large a region of Oconto County is timbered land, when cleared and cultivated, oats, potatoes, wheat and corn do well, and the differ- ent varieties of grasses flourish. Considerable atten- tion is being turned to the dairy products, as in all of the northern counties in localities where timber land is no longer productive. In 1880, 126,919 pounds of butter were made. The quantity of cheese made is not large, but of excellent quality. The number of cows in the county is reported at 1,533 ; estimated value $24,- 872. As reported by the local assessors of 1880, the entire value of real and personal property in Oconto County was $1,792,921.64, of which sum the city of Oconto possessed $752,789, and the town of Darling, the wild and unorganized region noticed above, $336,- 096.30. Pensaukee's valuation was placed at $212,- 580.34, and Little Suamico's at $141,450. To offset these statistics of wealth is a county indebtedness of $52,066.15.
The schools of Oconto County number thirty-three. According to the last report of the Superintendent, there were 1,989 children of school age within its bounds, the attendance being 1,239. The cash value
of all the school-houses was $18,565; of sites, $1,301; of apparatus, $2,200, making a total of $22,066.
Its transportation facilities comprise the conven- iences afforded by the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- road Company and the Goodrich Transportation Com- pany. The Wisconsin & Michigan road, noticed par- ticularly in the Brown County history, will pass through its western part, and the St. Paul Eastern Grand Trunk has its eastern terminus in the city of Oconto, passing southwest to Shawano.
St. Paul Eastern Grand Trunk .- This company was organized in September, 1879, at Chippewa Falls. Its general officers are : President, Thad. C. Pound, of Chippewa Falls ; Vice-president, Capt. William Wilson, of Menomonee, Wis .; Secretary and General Agent, Lana C. Lamb, of Fond du Lac. The line of the road is to extend from Oconto to Shawano, and Wausau, 90 miles in length, and the object of its construction is to furnish an outlet to the lumber of this section of the State and an inlet to the wheat of Minnesota and the great Northwest. It connects with the newly formed Wisconsin & Michigan line at Leigh- ton, Oconto County, and with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road at Wausau. It is expected that the preliminary line of the survey, will have been made this Fall, and the permanent line located as far west as Leighton. The surveying party is in charge of F. Kirchman, who is an old and experienced engineer, having seen many years of service with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and the Wisconsin Central com- panies. Great advantages are expected to be derived from the construction of the road through Oconto, Sha- wano and eastern Marathon counties.
Having thus given a view of the general physical, statistical and business features of Oconto County, it is necessary to descend to details of history.
EARLY HISTORY.
The earliest settlements of what is now Oconto County, since the setting off of Marinette, were made in the vicinity of Pensaukee. In 1829, Daniel Hubbard erected the first saw-mill in the county, on the Pensau- kee River. It was situated two miles from its mouth, and was built for John P. Arndt, of Green Bay.
It was not until 1835-36, that the first permanent settlements were made, and the first mills built in Oconto. George Lerwick, George Langden, and George Ehrie, entered claims during the former year, for land upon the present site of the city They built a dam, which was soon carried away, and held their claims for "a rise " ten years. It then came into possession of Col. David Jones, who had built the first saw-mill in Peshtigo, in 1836, and was one of the fathers of the
655
HISTORY OF OCONTO COUNTY.
county. This was the original plat of the city of Oconto, being lots comprising the present site of the court-house, and which were laid out in 1855. In 1847, Col. Jones had erected another mill near Oconto. It was washed away by the flood of 1881. In 1854, there were about 1,000 people in the county, and it became necessary to open up the lumber country more in accord with the ways of civilization. There was no regular road in the county, only trails, which to the unskilled would lead from nowhere to nowhere. In August of that year, William W. Delano, of Pensaukee, surveyed the first road, from Oconto to Stiles. At about the same time, the first bridge was thrown across Little River, where it enters the Oconto, near the John Doyle place. The builder was Duncan Cameron. The first bridge across the Oconto was built in the Spring of 1856. It is called the Patterson bridge, and situated near the Oconto Company's flour mill.
Mrs. Effie A. Leigh, of Leighton, was the first white child born in the county. Her birth-place was seven miles up the Oconto River, and the date, July 25, 1851. J. M. Conillard, her father. was the first white settler in that portion of Oconto County. He came from Mil- waukee, making the journey with an ox-team and being four weeks on the road.
At that time, Indians were constantly seen in large groups in the streets.
July 4, 1859, was celebrated in great style. Joseph Loy, of Green Bay, was the orator of the day. A. Lawrence read the Declaration of Independence. George B. Farnsworth gave the ball.
In July, 1859, the Board voted $3,000 toward building the road from Green Bay to Menominee.
On the 5th of June, 1859, the dam of Jones & Co. and R. W. McClellan was swept away. By July 30, it was restored, aud the mills were running.
A destructive fire occurred on the 3d of August, 1859. The Brunquest Building was burned. S. W. Spencer, A. Aspinwall, John Remick and Mr. Mitchel were sufferers.
In August, the Board of Supervisors voted $750 for road purposes.
Judge Arnt built a saw mill at Pensaukee in 1825, obtaining the privilege of doing so from the Menomo- nee Indians, on the annnal payment of $15 a year and all the boards they wanted-which did not exceed six boards a year-to make coffins.
In September, 1859, a sidewalk was built from the Empire House to Senk's saloon.
In November, 1859, a Sunday-school was started in Hart's Hall.
In December, the close of navigation stopped the daily mail-only once a week during the Winter.
The new school-house of the Second Ward was completed December 10, 1859.
During the season of 1859, Bailey & Coull mann- factured 23,125 feet of lumber.
January 1, 1860, a new stage line was put on by R. J. Bogart, to run between Green Bay, Stiles and Ocon- to. Wolves were reported as too plentiful for the comforts of civilization.
The fact that 1860 was leap year, was celebrated in an enthusiastic way by a sleigh ride to Stiles.
In the sugar season of 1860, a very large amount
of maple sugar was made in Pensaukee, Stiles and Peslitigo.
In 1860, there was $1,400,000 invested in the lum- ber business in the county. There were 321 saws running in Oconto, and 106 at Stiles.
In 1852, there were 424 inhabitants in Oconto ; in 1855, 1,015; 1860, 3,598.
The city chatter was amended in 1861, cutting down the number of Supervisors to one.
Census of the county in 1860;
Marinette.
478
Oconto Town
489
Village
West, 433 }
East, 456 5 889
Pensaukee
295
Peshtigo
566
Stiles
654
Suamico
163
THE FUR TRADE.
In 1860, the amount of the fur trade in Oconto was $75,000.
Here are the prices at that time :
Musk rat. $o 10 to So 20
Mink
I 25 lo
2 00
Marten
1 50 lo
2 50
Otter
4 00 to
6 00
Fox
1 00 to 1 50
Fisher
4 00 to
6 00
Beaver
1 00
Raccoon
0 62
Bear.
6 00 to
9 00
Wolf
1 00 10
1 50
Deer, undressed.
0 25 to
0 30
Deer, dressed
I 50 to
2 00
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION.
Oconto County was formed in February, 1851, and attached to Brown for judicial purposes, being organ- ized in April, 1852, into the town of Oconto. The first election for county officers was held June 10, of that year. The electors met at the house of Col. David Jones, and their balloting resulted as follows : Rufus Heald, Treasurer ; Merrick Murphy, County Clerk ; Edward Hart, Assessor ; William Brunquest, Register of Deeds ; William W. Delano, Surveyor, Jonathan S. Hale was Chairman of the first Board of Supervisors, which met July 5, 1852. The county was organized for judicial purposes in February, 1854, but the act was repealed, and it remained attached to Brown County until 1857, when a reorganization was effected. Oconto has remained the county seat from the first, it being originally fixed at "Jones' Mill." The Court-house was erected in 1860, and the county building in 1869- 70. Col. David Jones, owner of the orginal city plat, donated the site for the latter. The present county officers are : Sheriff, Thomas McGoff ; Treasurer, George Beyer ; District Attorney, II. II. Woodman ; Clerk, B. G. Grunert ; Register of Deeds, Iluff Jones ; Judge, A. Reinhart ; Clerk of Court, Charles Hall ; Superin- tendent of Schools, Dr. HI. Allan; II. M. Royce is Chairman of the County Board.
OCONTO IN THE WAR.
Company F, Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry, was raised in Oconto County, and, with its regiment, did efficient service during the war, taking part in all the battles
656
HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.
and marches of Gen. Sherman's campaigns, from Chat- tanooga, Tenn., to Raleigh, N. C.
Company H, of the Fourth Cavalry, was composed of men from Oconto County. The company was called the " Oconto River Drivers." It was in various en- gagements and battles, and was mustered out at Fort Leavenworth, September 29, 1865.
The Eleventh Battery, -, in 1862, eighty-four men, were enlisted by John McAfee, of Oconto, in- tending to become a part of the Seventeenth Regiment, under the name of the " Oconto Irish Guards." When the company reached Camp Randall, the Seventeenth was found to be fully organized, so they were trans- ferred to the artillery service, and attached to the " Irish Brigade," then being organized by Col. James A. Mul- ligan, at Camp Douglas, Chicago. Ill. A second lieu- tenant, with a number of recruits from Illinois, joined the company at Camp Douglas, and the Eleventh Bat- tery was organized under command of Capt. John Rourke, of Milwaukee. Capt. MeAfee was commis- sioned as first lieutenant. "The other officers of the " Oconto Irish Guards " retained their positions.
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