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 244

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 244

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The town contains four churches. The German Reformed Church was organized in 1847, and the first church building erected in 1850. The first Pastor was Rev. Casper Pleuss, and the present one is Rev. Charles Martin. The other churches are the German. Lutheran, Evangelical and Bethel.

The Reformed Church has a German College and Theo- logical Seminary in the central part of the town. This institution was established in 1862; has sixty students, six college buildings, six instructors, a library of 2,500 volumes and is the only German College and Theological Seminary in the United States. The President of the institution is Rev. James Bossard.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

HENRY G. MUELLER, flour mill and box factory ; came to Wisconsin in 1847, and located in the town of Herman; com- menced active life as an employe in saw-mills ; was for some six years foreman of " Keseberg's " mill at Howard's Grove, Wis .;

built a saw-mill in company with W. Halbach, in 1868, in the town of llerman. and they conducted the mill together up to 1873, then Mr. Mueller ran it alone for two years; he built his present flour mill in 1875, and has been engaged conducting it since ; also runs a cheese-box factory, and manufactures 50,000 boxes per annum ; he was born in Germany. May 27. 1836 ; came to .\mer- ica in 1847 ; married in town of Herman. in April, 1861, to Min- nie Damrow, born in Germany; they have ten children-Albert, Louis, Emma, Henry, Adele, Otto. Vinnie, Ellen. IIedwig and William.

GUSTAVE ROEBER, general store, Franklin; came to Wisconsin in June, 1848; located in town of Rhine, Sheboygan county ; was engaged in farming for three years, then in same capacity at Lake Superior, Mich., for three years ; afterward ran a hotel at Sheboygan City for some three years : came to Frank- lin in 1857; purchased present business and has conducted it since ; is also engaged in general merchandise business in com- pany with A. Mesch, at Kiel, Manitowoc Co .. Wis. ; born in Ger- many, in May, 1832: came to America in 1848 : married at Franklin in August, 1857, to Julia Keiser, born in Germany ; they have eleven children-Gustave. Herman, Otto, Annic, Louis. William, Frederick, Charles, Ernst, Emil and Meta.

HOWARD'S GROVE.

A grist-mill was built on the Pigeon River in 1853, but it was soon burned and a saw-mill built on its site, in 1856, by F. Beckfield. The mill was remodeled in 1875, by HÀalbach & Frome, and bought by August Frome in 1878. It is now operated as a saw-mill and cheese-box manufac- tory. Fifteen hands are employed, and a business of about $9,000 done yearly.

The saw-mill of H. G. Miller, a mile south of Howard's Grove, was built in 1857. A grist-mill with three run of stone was built by him in 1875. Cheese-box manufactur- ing is carried on. Twelve men are employed and a yearly business of about $10,000 transacted.

The village contains two stores, two blacksmith-shops, two wagon shops, two taverns, two shoemakers, a harness- maker, a tailor and a doctor.

There are ten cheese factories in town ; that of J. Schu- macher, in this village, was built in 1877. Abont 5,500 pounds of milk are received at it daily.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

AUGUST FROME, saw mill, blacksmith and wagon-shop, Howard's Grove, came to Wisconsin in 1856 ; located at Sheboy- gan City and was employed as blacksmith one year ; then at Lake Superior, Mich., was employed there as blacksmith nine years, seven years of which he was fireman of a copper mine : came to Howard's Grove in 1866, and opened a blacksmith and wagon- making shop and continued that business since ; commenced a saw mill in 1876, in company with William Ilalbach, they continued the business up to the fall of 1880, and since that time Mr. Frome has conducted the business alone : employs some twelve men ; manufactures some fifty thousand feet of lumber weekly, and about sixty thousand cheese boxes per annum; born in Germany in 1833; learned trade of blacksmith there; came to America in 1854. and was engaged in as a blacksmith in New Orleans and in St. Louis, previous to coming to this State. Married at Howard's Grove in 1861, to Angusta Karl; born in Germany. They have four children-August, Reinhardt, Louis and Imey.

EMIL STOLSENBURG, general store and Postmaster. lloward's Grove : came to Wisconsin in 1851 ; loeated with parents at town of Sheboygan Falls; resided there for some years. farm- ing with his father, and employed in saw mill ; came to Howard's Grove in 1876 : was emyloyed in saw mill for over a year; he purchased the present business from Mr. William Halbach in

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HISTORY OF SHEBOYGAN ( OUNTY.

1879, and has conducted it since; was appointed Postmaster in September, 1879; born in Germany in 1846; came to America in 1851. Married at Howard's Grove, Wis., Oct. 25th, 1877, to Johanna Dreyer, born there. They have one child-Laura.

ERNST /W. SCHLICHTING, proprietor of Washington Hotel, Howard's Grove, came to Wisconsin in 1846; located in town of Herman and was engaged farming for some twelve years ; came to Howard's Grove in 1858 and commenced in hotel busi- ness in 1860, and has continued it since; born in Germany in 1815; was employed in that country at farming; came to America in 1846. Married in Germany in 1837, to Henrietta E. D. Hanson, born there. They have three children-Mary, Hedwig and Elsbet.

FRANKLIN.

Franklin is on the Sheboygan River, which furnishes power to run a saw-mill and grist-mill. The grist-mill was built in 1853, by Arpke, Schulenberg & Dirchos. It has since been enlarged to a building 40x70, and three stories high. It was bought by the present owner, F. Arpke, in 1877.

The first saw-mill was built by F. Arpke, in 1853. It was made over, and a planing-mill added, in 1868.

A blacksmith-shop and a store were built in 1854. The first Postmaster was Peter Meuer.

The village contains two taverns, two stores, two coop- er-shops, a pottery, cheese factory and wagon-shop.

TOWN OF RHINE.

The first settler in the town of Rhine was F. D. Spald- ing, who came from Buffalo, and located on Section 31, in the southeast corner of the town, in 1850. The entire pop- ulation of the town, with the exception of a few families about Elkhart Lake, consists of Germans from along the Rhine. Among the pioneer settlers were Julius Wolff, Rudolph and Herman Krauss, John Mattes and Peter Bub.

The town was set off from Plymouth, in 1852, and or- ganized with the selection of the following officers : Chair- man of Supervisors, W. C. Wren ; Town Clerk and Super- intendent of schools, Julius Wolff. The first school dis- trict had been organized so early as the spring of 1849. The people are frugal and industrious farmers, and many of them have amassed considerable property. Dairy farm- ing is profitably carried on, and there is a creamery in suc- cessful operation, in addition to a large number of cheese factories The Wisconsin Central Railroad crosses the town from north to south.

Elkhart Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, a mile and one-half long, by a mile wide, situated in the southeast part of the town of Rhine, is rapidly becoming a favorite sum- mer resort. Every season so many as 250 people are per- manently located about the lake. Measures are being taken for the erection of a large summer hotel, at no distant day. Elkhart Station is a growing village, with several stores, a post office, blacksmith-shop and the only grain elevator in the town.

TOWN OF RUSSELL.

Russell is situated in the northwest corner of the county. being bounded on the north by Calumet County. and on the east by Fond du Lac County. The town is the smallest but one in the county, having only twenty-four sections, and one-third of these situated in a marsh, where they are nearly

valueless for cultivation. Sheboygan Lake, the source of Sheboygan River, lies partly within the town. The popu- lation is entirely agricultural, and Glenbeulah and Plymouth are the nearest markets.

The first settler was Lewis Odell, who settled on Section 13, about the year 1848. The town was organized in 1852, and named after John Russell, who lived on Section 4. The first election for town officers was held in the spring of 1854. and the number of votes cast was 14. Michael Byrne was chosen Chairman, and J. L. Sexton, still living (1881), Clerk.

TOWN OF LIMA.

The first settlement in the town of Lima was made at an earlier day than that of any other place in the county, with the exception of Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls. In the fall of 1836, John D., James H. and Benjamin L. Gibbs came to Sheboygan from New York, and after staying there a few weeks removed to the present village of Gibbsville, early in January, 1837. The trip from Milwaukee to She- boygan was made overland, and the party was eight days in cutting a road through the woods. For nearly two years, this was the only settlement in the town. and it was not till the financial revulsion of 1839, led the people of Sheboygan to try to gain a subsistence from the soil, that any number of people settled here. Benjamin Farmin came in the fall of 1838, and Newel Upham in the winter of 1839. In the spring of 1839, A. G. Dye moved out from Sheboygan, and located on Section 8, which was long known as the " Dye Settlement." During the years from 1840 to 1850, a large number of settlements were made, and, in the latter year, the town, which had up to this time been a precinct of She- boygan Falls, received a separate organization.

The first town meeting was held at Gibbsville, on April 2, 1850. S. Roberts was chosen Chairman of the Board of Supervisors ; J. D. Parish, Clerk, and Thomas Currier, Superintendant of Schools.

Rev. Isaac Lewis conducted the first religious service held in the town, at the Gibbsville Schoolhouse, in the fall of 1840. Elder Hitchcock, of the Sheboygan Falls Baptist Church, conducted a service on January 2, 1847, in A. G. Dye's house at " Wakefield," as the town was then called. This is supposed to have been the first Baptist service held in the town.

The first birth was a daughter to John D. Gibbs, in 1839; the first marriage was that of James HI. Gibbs anp Clarissa Terry, in 1842.

The population of the town is about evenly divided between those of foreign and American parentage. The foreigners are chiefly Hollanders. The dairying interests of the town are prominent, and eight cheese factories are in successful operation.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

BALDWIN & DELAVAN, proprietors Hingham Custom Flour Mills, Hingham. The firm is composed of Levi H. Baldwin and Patrick II. Delavan. Mr. Baldwin was born in town of Sherman, Sheboygan Co., Wis., July 19, 1851 ; resided with par- ents and was engaged farming ; came to Hingham in 1869, was engaged farming, etc., up to 1874, when he commenced in present business with Mr. Delavan. He married at Hingham, Wis .. Sept. 27, 1877, to Flora Gifford, born in town of Lima, Wis. They have one danghter-Jessic. P. H. Delavan, of this firm, came to Wisconsin in 1846; located in Milwaukee; was employed in flour mill for about four years, afterward in different mills in vari-

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HISTORY OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN.

ous parts of the State : came to Hingham in 1869; commenced in present mill in company with James Lampman, and had other partners up to 1874, when Levi HI. Baldwin came into the con- cern. and since then they have conducted the mill together. Mr. Delavan was born in Ireland in 1833; came to America in 1839; married at Boltonville. Wis .. in 1859. to Abbe M. Long, born in Ireland. They have two children - Margaret and John.

ALFRED T. BLACKBURN. physician and surgeon, Hing- ham : born at Oak Creek, Milwaukee Co., Wis., March 7, 1853; was employed as a school teacher in various parts of the State for some years, during which time he also studied medicine. He served six months in Mercy Hospital, Chicago, Ill .; graduated at Chicago Medical College. Chicago. Ill .. March 29, 1881, and has been en- gaged in the practice of his profession at Hingham since ; also car- ries on a drug business ; married at Fond du Lac, Wis., in 1876 : his wife died in 1877 ; he again married at Quion River, Sheboy- gan Co., Wis .. May 27, 1881, to Ella E. Ilutehinson, born in Sheboygan Co., Wis.

LYMAN T. COLLER. M. D. and dentist, Hingham ; born in Dutchess Co., N. Y .. in March, 1845: came to Wisconsin in 1846, located with his parents at Fond du Lac; was engaged farm- ing there for some years, then practiced medicine at Cascade, Wis., for a year ; came to Hingham in 1867 and has been engaged prae- ticing medicine for fourteen years and dentistry for some five years ; married at Hingham, July 4, 1870, to Mary S. Pierce, born in the State of New York. They had one son-Cleon.

CHARLES KELLER, general store, Hingham; came to Wisconsin in 1854; located at Milwaukee; was employed as a wood-turner for a year ; then at Newburg, Washington Co., Wis .. in same capacity for three years, afterward in general store busi- ness in company with E. Frankenburg for five years; then had a hotel and general store eight miles from Milwaukee for two years; came to Hingham in 1868; commeneed general store in company with F. A. Balch ; they conducted business together for two years; since then Mr. Keller has been alone. He was born in Bavaria in 1827; was employed there as a wood-turner ; came to America in 1854; married at Newburg, Wis., in 1861, to Emma Geceke, born in Germany. They had five children- Emil, Alma, Minnie. Flora and Lena.

PAUL ROSSMANN. proprietor Hingham House Hotel and blacksmith shop. Came to Wisconsin in 1851; located at town ot Rhine, Sheboygan Co ; was employed farming for a few years ; learned trade of blacksmith at Plymouth, Wis., and was employed at it syne three years ; enlisted in September, 1861, in 9th W. V. I .; served three years ; was then employed at his trade in various parts of the States of Hlivois and Wisconsin, up to May 3, 1880, when he came to llingham, purchased present hotel and has been engaged conducting it since ; has carried on a blacksmith shop since March 17, 1881. He was born in Germany March 16, 1842; came to America in 1851; married in town of Rhine, Sheboygan Co., Wis .. March 12, 1865, to Annie Russler, born in Germany. They have seven children-William. Lydia, Lilly, Alfred. Paul, Thusneldy and Olga.

ADOLPH W. SCHRAMM, general store, Our Town; born in Our Town, Wis., in November, 1856 ; learned trade of car- riage maker at Milwaukee, Wis, and was employed at it there for some three years, afterward in same capacity for six years at Sheboygan Falls, Wis .; returned to Our Town in August, 1878; erected store building and has been engaged in conducting present business since ; married at Our Town, Wis., March 2, 1876, to Sophia Thieman, born in town of Herman. They have three children-Oscar, Arthur and William.

ROWELL II. TRIPP. farmer. Our Town; came to Wiscon- -in in 1846; located at Milwaukee, resided there with his parents up to 1848, then went to town of Holland, Sheboygan Co Wis .: was engaged farming. In 1862. enlisted in 27th W. V. I .; served two years as a non-commissioned officer. and one year as Lieutenant of Co. B. in same regiment . returned to Holland and farmed up to

1873; in the month of February of that year. he came into town of Lima,and has been engaged conducting present farm since; owns 120 acres of land; was Supervisor for town of Lima for 1879 and 1880. and was elected to the Assembly for Third District, She- boygan Co., in November, 1880, term of office expires Dec. 31, 1881. Ile was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y .. Jan. 20, 1840; married at town of Lima, Wis., April 28, 1867, to Charlotte Daharsh, born there. They have three children-Elenora. Ruby and Gordon.

TOWN OF HOLLAND.

Holland is in the southeast corner of the county, being bounded on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the south by Ozaukee County. It contains forty full and six frac- tional sections of land, having thus the greatest area of any town in the county, with the exception of Greenbush. The population is mainly composed of Hollanders, and numbers 3,012 people. The soil is clay, sand, black muek and marsh. The surface is generally rolling, though in the extreme west it is hilly and uneven. The raising of grain and dairy farming are the branches of agriculture most pursued. There are eleven cheese factories in the town. Along the shore of the lake, a large number engage in the fishery business, and the annual receipts from this industry alone are estimated at from $40,000 to $50,000.

The first white family to settle in the town, was that of Mr. Ellsworth, who in 1841 moved into the frame house built by David Giddings, of Sheboygan Falls, in that year. G. H. Smith with his family came in 1844, and settled in the southeast part of the town, near the lake. The Wilcox family and John Owen were others of the early settlers.

The first Hollander to settle in the county was G. H. Kolste, who located here in 1846.

The first school was taught in a log house in 1845.

The town organization was not effected till the spring of 1849, and the number of votes cast at this time was 65. Following is a list of the officers chosen : Supervisors, Edwin Palmer, William Mitchell and Peter >ouffrouw ; ('lerk. Joseph Palmer ; Superintendent of Schools, William Mitchell ; Assessor, David Cook : Treasurer, John Pool. The town officers for the present year (1881) are Super- visors, E. C. Oliver, J. P. Smith and P. Schecker ; Clerk, H. Walvoord ; Treasurer, P. Zeeveld ; Assessor, Benja- min Schreurs.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

HENRY WALVOORD, farmer and cheese factory ; came to Wisconsin in the fall of 1848 ; located in the town of Holland, Sheboygan Co., and has been engaged in farming since : owns 130 acres of land ; built a cheese factory in 1879, and has conducted it since ; manufactures some 50,000 pounds of cheese per annum ; was Supervisor of town from 1875 to 1878; was elected Town Clerk in 1880, and re-elected in 1881 ; born in Pittsburgh, Penn., Nov. 4. 1847. Married in the town of Holland. Dec. 5, 1866, to Henrietta E. Eggerichs, born in Germany ; they have eight ehil- dren-Annie M .. Frederick, Gertrude, Gerrett J., Ilenry E., William, Meta M .. Elizabeth H.

CEDAR GROVE.

The first post office in the town of Holland was estab- lished at Cedar Grove in 1848, with Sweezy Burr for Post- master. A complete list of the Postmasters in the order of their succession is as follows: Sweezy Burr, C. Van Altena, C. Kock. G. H. Kloste. A. L. Monteba. A. C. Walvoord and C. Prinsen.

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HISTORY OF SHEBOYGAN COUNTY.

The first store-that of H. J. Traas-was built in 1847. The village now has three dry-goods and grocery stores, three shoemaker shops, two harness shops, two hardware stores, two hotels, a saloon, a cigar factory and two grain elevators.

The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1853, and the present church edifice built about 1865. The first Pastor was Rev. J. P. Zonne, and the present one is Rev. E. Bos. The membership is about two hundred.

The Dutch Reformed Church was organized in 1856. The first church was built in 1861, and the present one about 1870. The membership is about one hundred and sixty. The first Pastor was Rev. Van Leuwen, and the present one is Rev. H. Borgers.

The first physician was C. Van Altena, who came in 1850. The present one is L. Van Altena.

The steam grist-mill of W. M. Stroups & Co. was built in 1876. It has three runs of stones, and grinds an average of fifty bushels per day. A business of about $18,000 per year is done.

The grain warehouse of William Sweeter was built in 1878. A business of $10,000 is done annually in buying grain and shipping it to Milwaukee. The Phoenix elevator was built in 1875, by G. Lammers. The business done amounts to about $10,000 annually.

A cheese factory was built in the village in 1880, by J. Van Dewall ; 3,000 pounds of milk are received daily, and the annual production of cheese is about $4,500 worth.

The first railroad train reached the village in November, 1872, since which time there has been a steady growth in population and amount of business done.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

CHRISTIAN W. HOLLE, hardware, stoves, etc., Cedar Grove; came to Wisconsin in 1848; located at Milwaukee ; re- sided there some twenty-five years; learned trade of tinner, and was employed at it up to 1873, when he came to Cedar Grove and opened present business, which he has conducted since. Ile was born in Germany Oct. 10, 1840 ; came to America in 1848. Mar- ried, at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1861, to Julia Breen, born in Hol- land ; died in June, 1869, leaving two children-Frederick and Minnie. Married again, at Milwaukee, March 11, 1871, to Mar- garet Guequiere, born in Holland ; they have four children- Annie, William, Sarah and Jacob.

CORNELIUS PRINSEN, Postmaster, and general store, Ce- dar Grove ; came to Wisconsin in the autumn of 1866; located at Waupun ; remained there six months ; came to Cedar Grove in 1867 and opened a general store, which he has conducted since ; was appointed Postmaster in 1874, and was Assessor of town of Holland for one year. Born in Holland in 1830; was a farmer in that country ; came to America in 1855, and previous to com- ing to this State, engaged in nursery business in Rochester, N. Y. Married, at Rochester, N. Y., Dee. 15, 1858. to Madeline Patist ; they have cight children ---- Antoinette, John A. A., Margaret C. J., Lydia, William A., James, Edward, Maria (.

OOSTBURG.

Oostburg is in the northeast part of Ilolland, and a sta- tion of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad. The village has sprung up since the building of the railroad in 1872. In it are located a post office, two general stores, two hotels, two shoemaker shops, a furniture shop, a harness- maker and a cooper.

A grain elevator and a grist-mill are owned and operated by Peter Daane. The mill has been in operation since 1879,

and merchant business and custom grinding are both car- ried on.

The cheese factory of Ferdinand & Jankon was built in 1878. The milk of 260 cows is used in making about 80,- 000 pounds of cheese annually.

The Christian Reformed Church is the only one in the village. It was organized in 1875, and Rev. J. De Rooy is the pastor. A Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed Church are situated about one and a half miles from the village.

The fishery business has been carried on for five years by L. Slater, who does a business of about $3,000 annually.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

PETER DAANE, grist-mill, elevator and general store, Oostburg, came to Wisconsin in 1847; located in the town of Holland, Sheboygan County; was engaged in farming for some twenty years. In 1862, he enlisted in the 27th Wisconsin In- fantry ; served two years as a private and one year as Lieutenant of Company F, same regiment ; commenced general store busi- ness in 1868, and has continued it since. In 1869, he opened an elevator, and has conducted it since. In 1878, built a grist- mill, which he also runs in connection with other business. He was Town Assessor for two years, and Chairman of Supervisors some fourteen years, and in 1873 served in the Assembly, being elected from the Third District, Sheboygan County, and has been Postmaster since 1867. He was born in Holland March 26, 1833; came to America in 1840; married in town of Hol- land, Wis., in 1855, to Susan Eernisse, born in Holland. Their children are: Susan, Nellie, Peter, Apiline, Jacob, Elizabeth, Matthew. Jennie, Gerrett A.

D. G. WIKKERINK, general store, Oostburg, came to Wis- consin some time about 1850; located in Milwaukee; was em- ployed there as a machinist up to 1875, when he came to Oost- burg and opened in present business in company with J. S. Janssen. They continued the business for a short time, and since then Mr. Wikkerink has been alone. He has one son, Benjamin J., who manages the business.

AMSTERDAM.

Amsterdam is on the shore of Lake Michigan, and the fishery business gives employment to most of the inhabit- ants. G. II. Smith & Sons have carried on the business for about thirty years. They use a dozen nets, and the yearly catch of fish amounts to about 450,000 pounds, or $20,000 worth. White fish and trout are most abundant, and Chicago is the principal market. G. H. Smith & Sons also carry on an extensive lumber business.

The Holland Trading Company built a pier in 1851, which has since been destroyed. At that time boats touched here, and a lively shipping business was carried on.

The recently-built cheese factory of Henry Walvoord receives about 4,200 pounds of milk per day.

TOWN OF WILSON.

Twenty-two full and six fractional sections include all the land in this town. The soil is productive, and the in- habitants, chiefly German, are thrifty and enterprising farmers. Dairy farming, as elsewhere in the county, is the kind commonly pursued. Fishing is followed, to some extent, by those living near the lake.

The first settler was David Wilson, who came from Ohio and located on Section 11, in the spring of 1840. His family did not come till two years later. In 1845, James and Leonard Osgood settled on Section 14. In the

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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