The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc., Part 101

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 899

USA > Wisconsin > Rock County > The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc. > Part 101

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).

670

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

the village, upon condition that they should be allowed to occupy it. To this the Methodists consented, and the arrangement continued until 1871, when the United Brethren erected their present church edifice. It is a frame building, with a seating capacity of about two hundred, and cost $1,500. The Society now numbers twenty-five members. The present Pastor is the Rev. Daniel Grover ; Sunday-school Superintendent, Robert Bacon.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1868, with about twelve members. At first, there was-considerable opposition to the organization of a church of any particular denom- ination, the cause assigned being the presence of representatives of almost every sect, and it was deemed advisable to erect a free church. A fatal objection was found, however, to the organization of such a church in the absence of a minister who would be willing to sacrifice his own creed ; so, after numerous meetings and a little hard feeling, the Methodists carried the day and formed their society. Subsequently, they purchased the meeting-house of the United Brethren, situated at Bullock's Corners, and moved it up to its present location, the purchase money, together with the cost of moving, aggregating $2,500. The present Pastor is the Rer. J. S. Eldridge ; Sabbath-school Superintendent, Ezra Sage; membership, fifteen.

The Cemetery .- The land, two acres in extent, comprising the cemetery. was originally owned by Mr. John Childs, who, in 1847, donated it to the village for that purpose. In the same year, it was laid out and divided into lots. The location is a very desirable one, and neither pains nor expense have been spared to render it a fitting resting-place for the loved ones who have drifted out onto that mysterious sea whose wavelets gently lap the shores of the land of eternal rest. It is dotted over with many handsome tombstones and monuments, the general appearance of which is a good index to the minds of the people who placed them there. The present Trustees of the ground are Messrs. George A. Warren, Fred Gould and Andrew Brown.

The business portion of the village is comprised in a blacksmith and wagon shop, two stores, two churches, a good school, built in 1857, taught, last term, by Miss Rose Wood; cheese factory, turning out about ten cheeses per day, and a post office, under the charge of Mr. Elijah Hull.

FOOTVILLE,

a village of about three hundred inhabitants, on the line of the Chicago & North-Western Rail- way, is essentially a railroad town, having derived all its former importance from the fact that for a period of about six years it was the terminus of the road. It was first located, however. in June, 1845, by Mr. E. A. Foot, from whom it derives its name, he settling on a piece of ground opposite his present habitation. For some time he lived in a small log house, but finally erected a gravel building just across the town line, so that while de jure he is a resident of the village of Footville, in the town of Plymouth, de facto he is one of the inhabitants of the town of Center. He was followed in the fall of the same year by Mr. E. F. Richards, who located near Mr. Foot. With the exception of two other persons who moved in and built st & somewhat later date, this constituted the village of Footville until 1854, when the Galena & Chicago Union, as the C. & N .- W. Railway was then called, became an established fact, then, as might have been expected, emigrants from the Eastern States and other places began to flow in. The village was then laid out by Mr. E. A. Foot and Julius Gilbert, and building became the order of the day, and when the first train of cars ran into the depot at Bachelor's Grove. as Footville was then called, on January 1. 1855. it met with a rousing reception from the inhabitants of a large and very prosperous village. Prior, however, to that date, viz., in 1853, Mr. Watson Beach had opened a store, the first in the settlement, and was followed in the next year by Messrs. Bancroft and Northway, the latter of whom Mr. Foot brought from Connecti- cut. The first " small arrival " was in the family of Mr. E. F. Richards, the little one in question being now the wife of Mr. N. L. Maxon, a prominent resident of the village.

From the cradle to the altar is but a step, so it is but meet that the nuptials of Mr. E. A. Douglas and Miss Martha Beach, which were celebrated on Christmas Day, 1846, should be

671

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

chronicled as the next most important event. The name of the first member of the human family in the neighborhood smitten by the "grim destroyer," has gone down the stream of time leaving no mark by which it can be recalled, but is known to have been that of a woman who was brought in from the country and died in Mr. Foot's house.

THE CHURCHES.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in the fall of 1846, with the following members : E. A. Foot, F. T. Beach and wife, E. F. Richards and wife, and Abel Avery. For nearly two years, meetings were held in a schoolhouse two miles east of the village, but on March 8, 1848, a change was made, and the first meeting held on the site of the village in Mr. Foot's log house, the gentleman who officiated being Mr. Boyd Phelps. The building thus improvised into a church, was utilized until 1855, when a church building was erected at a cost of $2,800. It was a frame building, with a seating capacity of about three hundred, with a large airy basement, which was turned over to the District Board for scholastic purposes. This building the congregation had the misfortune to lose in the spring of 1875, by fire, but very soon after erected the present building, at a cost of $2.600. It is a well-constructed frame building, with ample accommodations for the flock for whom the Rev. T. C. Wilson, the present minister, is guide, philosopher and friend.

The Church of the Disciples of Christ, a branch of the one located in the town of Center, controlled by the same Trustees and supplied by the same minister, was organized in 1869, with about twenty-five members, the reason being the distance which inembers living in Foot- ville had to traverse before reaching the church. Up to 1875, they held their meetings in & hall, and in that year they erected the present church, at a cost of $1,450. It is a frame building, with a seating capacity of about two hundred. They have now a membership of about forty, the spiritual charge of whom is confided to the care of the Rev. Mr. Morrison, of the town of Center.

The Roman Catholic Church was organized in the spring of 1869, with the following members : Richard Doran, Michael Hennessey, Widow Ryan, James Ryan, Michael O'Brien. Patrick McMahon, Martin Agon, Lawrence Ward, Christian Rourke, John Nolan, Thomas Drew, Patrick Maguire, John Devins, Patrick Conlin, Michael Brenock, James Murphy, John Turpy, Austin Flynn, Thomas Torp, Patrick Conway, Patrick Knight, Ned Plunkett and Michael Murphy.

That same year, a small frame church was erected, at a cost of $1,000; but, in consequence of the increased membership, which now numbers about three hundred, it was deemed necessary to enlarge it, and this year, a neat frame addition was made, at a cost of about $2,000. They have no resident minister, the charge being Brodhead, Albany and Footville, the priest being the Rev. Michael Wynne.

SECRET SOCIETY.

The only society of this nature is known as A., F. & A. M., Footville Lodge, No. 137, which was instituted in 1862, with the following charter members : M. Bargewell, J. Cory, C. M. Smith, H. A. Edgerton, Edwin Bailey, E. J. Andrew, John Andrew and S. A. Couch. The officers chosen were : W. M., C. M. Smith; S. W., J. Cory ; J. W., M. Bargewell. The- present membership of the Lodge is thirty-two, and their property, consisting of a building and lot and funds, is worth about $1,200. The present officers are: W. M., H. A. Aus- tin ; S. W., J. Cory ; J. W., C. H. Campbell.

THE SCHOOLS.

The early educational facilities of Footville were not, as may be supposed, the best in the world; but, incomplete as they were, they laid the foundation of some very brilliant men. The first one was opened in the winter of 1848, by Julius Gilbert, in the old log building owned by Mr. Foot. It was kept there for about a year, and then a house was built

672

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

half a mile north of the village, in the town of Center. That building remained in use on its first location until 1853, when it was removed into the village of Footville, and a school taught in it until the Methodist Church was erected, when pupils and preceptor moved into the basement, which they continued until the destruction of the building, in 1875. That same year, a new building was erected, at a cost of $2,600. It is a handsome frame build- ing, with ample accommodation for the large number of scholars who attend. It is under the control of a School Board, consisting of Aldredge Owens, Director; J. C. Cook, Treasurer, and C. H. Ferguson, Clerk. The whole number of scholars in the district is 115.

The cemetery, which is located in the town of Center, is used equally by the residents of the village of Footville and the town of Center; but the control of it is vested in an association, all of whose members live in the latter place. It was laid out in 1847, and is well cared for.

The business portion of the village is composed of the following: Two stores, W. J. Owen's and J. F. Litel; two blacksmith-shops, C. H. Ferguson and Wheaton & Whitmore; one physician, Joseph Braden, M. D .; one harness-maker, William Wiggins ; one shoemaker, S. M. Chipman ; one good hotel, the Wells House, kept by Horace H. Wells; two butchers; Justices of the Peace, E. A. Foot and Andrew Bailey ; Notary, E. A. Foot.

THE POST OFFICE.

This mark of civilization was established in the fall of 1845, the village then being known as Bachelor's Grove, with Mr. E. F. Richards as Postmaster. His duties were not of a very onerous nature, however, the mails being received but twice a week, by stage, from Galena to Janesville and return. They now receive two per day, one from the east and one from a con- trary direction. Following is a list of the Postmasters: 1845-50, E. F. Richards; 1850-54. E. A. Foot; 1854-55, G. P. Bancroft; 1855-57, Zuriel Hall; 1858-61, John B. Robinson; 1861-74, Zuriel Hall; 1874-79, W. J. Owen, the present incumbent. The gross receipts of the office for the past quarter, were $76.92.

HANOVER,

a village of about two hundred inhabitants, is situated at the junction of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul and the Chicago & North-Western Railroads. It was first located by Mr. Joseph Hohensheldt, in 1844. He was followed the next year by Mr. Mathias Gundel and wife, but about that time emigration to the new settlement almost ceased. The village was platted on April 16, 1856, by John L. V. Thomas and wife, as proprietors. The Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail- road, as the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul road was then called, did not pass through till the year following, the first freight being received at their depot on September 4, 1857. It was from Janesville, and consisted of the following articles :

One barrel ale, consigned to Joseph Hohensheldt, one desk and one truck, consigned to agent.

In 1856, a post office was established, with Mr. William Ranney as Postmaster, the official in fact being Mr. John Huggins, the depot agent, who was deputized to perform the duties, owing to the distance Mr. Ranney lived from the village. The latter only retained it one year, and Mr. Huggins was formally installed, continuing to act until 1873, when he died. The present Postmaster is Mr. John Jones, who received his appointment in 1873. Before the establish- ment of the office in Hanover, Footville was the only office in the neighborhood, the mails being received from there whenever they were sent for. Now they receive two mails per day. one from each direction.

The first birth to occur on the site of the village was in the family of Hohensheldt, in 1845. the lady being subsequently known as Mantana Hohensheldt. The first marriage took place in 1854, the contracting parties being Mr. Simon Hohensheldt and a Miss Fox. The first store was opened in 1856 by Mr. Nathan Aighmie.

678

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

The Cemetery .- On April 25, 1850, a cemetery association was organized with the follow- ing officers : James Waterhouse, President ; H. C. Inman, Secretary ; Caleb Inman, Jacob Fisher, Samuel Smiley, Samuel Johnson, Nathan Whitman and Archibald Smiley. The ceme- tery, consisting of one acre of ground, was laid out in the same year and lasted until 1878, when an addition of half an acre was made to it. The following is a list of the present offi- cers: President, James Van Alstein; Secretary, H. C. Inman; Treasurer, Edward Inman ; Trustees, F. H. Chrisman, John B. Inman, Charles Denno and Emanuel Arnold.

There are no religious societies there with the exception of a German Lutheran society, which was organized about fourteen years ago, with seven members. It now numbers some twenty members, but they have no church edifice and, consequently, no resident minister.

The business portion of the village consists of two stores, a blacksmith-shop, a harness- shop, two hotels, one situated at the junction of the roads, and a grist-mill. The latter institu- tion was erected in 1856, by Mr. S. F. Chipman, and after passing through the hands of various proprietors, came into the possession of Mr. A. Beckman. It is a frame, with two run of stone, with a capacity up to the requirements of the trade, which, with the exception of a buckwheat and rye flour business done with Chicago, consists almost entirely of custom work.

There is, also, a good school building there, which was erected in 1858, at a cost of $500, and was the first one in the village.

AFTON.

The village of Afton, a burg of about one hundred inhabitants, on the line of the Chicago & North-Western Railway, first became known, through the medium of that road in 1855, Messrs. Dimock, J. Allen, John Moore and Reuben Deuel being the first settlers to locate upon its site. It was laid out in 1855 by Mr. Joseph Church (the land then being the property of Messrs. Tripp, Hoyt and Hodgson) and speedily settled up. The first birth in the village occurred in 1855, in the family of Mr. Charles Pulker, the young lady being now known to the world as Miss Sally Pulker. The first wedding took place in 1856, the contracting parties being Mr. Albert Newton, a Baptist preacher, and Miss Elvira Washburn.

The first death in the village was the result of a very sad if not criminal mistake. A young man (name unknown) who had been boarding for a short period at the house of a Mr. Collins, was suffering severely from ague, and sent to Beloit, so the story goes, for some quinine, which was returned through a mistake in the shape of strychnine, some of which he took, dying within an hour.

The village possesses a very nice church, the property of the Baptists. Their society was organized in 1856, with the following members : Deacon Moses L. Burdick, Elizabeth Burdick, Josiah and Mary Antisdell, Clark Antisdell and wife, Simon Antisdell, William Blanchard and wife, Rufus Washburn and wife, and Miss Nancy Church. Their meetings were held in the schoolhouse until 1861, when the present church was erected at a cost of about $2,000. It is a very neat frame building, with a seating capacity of about two hundred. They have no resi- dent minister, the pulpit being supplied every Sunday by the Rev. Mr. Roe, of Rockton.

They have also a good school, situated a mile north of the village, Miss Clara Moulton being the lady to whom the fifty-two "youngsters " render their obedience. It was first opened in 1849 by Miss Kinney, the residents in the neighborhood being Josiah Antisdell, Samuel Church, Harmon Daly, Simon and Clark Antisdell and Mr. Inman. The first school in the neighborhood, however, was opened by Mr. Charles Newton, in 1847, in a building about a mile north of the present site of the village, known as Watts' Hotel. He taught it one year, and then removed to a little building across the river, where he also kept a school, finally giving it up in 1849, when, as before stated, the control of the institution passed into the hands of Miss Kinney.

The business portion of the village consists of a grocery store and post office, blacksmith- shop, shoemaker's shop, wagon shop and a grist-mill. This latter was built in 1872, by J. F.

.674

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

Litel, who kept it one year and sold it to Messrs. D. & W. H. Eldridge, who disposed of it in 1875, to Messrs. C. E. & M. E. Uehling, the present proprietors. It is a three-run mill, with a capacity of fifty barrels per day, and they ship to Chicago, New York, etc.

MAGNOLIA,

a little village two miles from the railroad, was located in the fall of 1843, by Joshua Dunbar, Andrew Cotter, Joseph Prentice and a man named Jenkins, each of whom settled on different sections, as follows : Dunbar on the northwest corner of Section 23, Cotter on the northeast corner of Section 22, Prentice on the southwest corner of Section 14, and Jenkins, by an agent, on the southeast corner of Section 15. In 1845, in consequence of the advent of a number of settlers, Mr. Cotter had a portion of his ground platted for building purposes; but settlers .evidently preferred to choose their own sites, and so his scheme was a failure. "Uncle Sam" made his presence felt in 1848 by establishing a post office, his representative being Mr. George McEnzie, whose duties, however, were of the lightest description, consisting merely of the reception and dispatching of a weekly mail via Monticello and Janesville. Subsequent Postmasters were Joshua Dunbar, Oliver Eager, James Howard and Wilson Brown, the present incumbent. The spiritual welfare of the residents is cared for by a Congregational and a Meth- odist Church, the former of which was organized in the fall of 1850, by Rev. J. Jameson, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Foote, of Janesville, the following persons uniting with it: Simon Reed and wife, Mrs. Prentice, E. Leonard and wife, Miss Althea Leonard, Miss Harper, Mrs. McEnzie, James Hawes, Miss Wealthy Hawes, Mrs. Betsy Hammon and J. Janison and wife. For a number of years, meetings were held in the schoolhouse, but, in 1854, they erected the present church, at a cost of $1,300. It is a frame building, with a seating capacity of about one hundred and fifty. The present membership is about twenty. The Rev. Mr. Jameson. who first preached the Word here, gave up his charge in 1869, and was succeeded by the Rer. Mr. Morris, who remained one year. The Rev. Mr. Sabin was then installed as Pastor, and :remained three years, being succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Doremus, who retired after eighteen :months' service, leaving a vacancy which has not yet been filled. The Methodist Church is s much older institution, having been organized in 1844, with twelve members, some of whom were as follows : Andrew Cotter and wife, Harvey Partridge and wife, Mrs. Morrill and Mrs. .Ogden Barrett. In 1872, a church edifice, having a seating capacity of about one hundred and fifty, was erected, at a cost of $2,200. The present membership is about forty-five, who receive their Sunday meal of grace from the lips of the minister at Footville, they constituting a portion of his charge. In connection with the church is a Bible Society, which was estab- lished in 1849, with Lyman Bates as Depositary. The present officers are-President, J. B. Hartley ; Secretary, George E. Austin ; Treasurer and Depositary, Langford Burton.

The other institutions of the village come under the head of manufactures, and consist of s spring-bed manufactory, started in 1877 by Osborn Howard, under the name of the Automatic Spring-Bed Company, which now employs five hands and turns out about one hundred beds per week ; and a sulky-plow manufactory, started this current year by Mr. J. R. Whitney. This is, as yet, only in its infancy, as it was only patented last February, but as it is an excellent invention and calculated, owing to its lightness and other excellent qualities, to save considerable wear of horse-flesh, it will not be long, once it is fairly introduced to the farming community, before its merits are properly appreciated and a good trade results. The rest of the business portion of the village consists of a store, a blacksmith-shop, a shoe-shop, a hotel and a schoolhouse ; the latter is under the control of a Board of Directors consisting of J. R. Whitney, Derector ; George H. Austin, Treasurer ; George Howard, Clerk. It is a neat frame building, erected in 1872, at s cost of $1,400, and was last under the charge of Warren Howard.

675

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

MAGNOLIA STATION. (Cainville.)

This village, generally known as Cainville, owes is existence, as a settlement, to the Chicago & North-Western Railway, which passed through there in 1860. The immediate vicinity was located, however, as early as 1848; but there was nothing in it to attract settlement. It owes its latter name to Mr. S. J. Cain, who was instrumental in procuring the establishment of a post office there in 1861, the gentleman appointed to take charge of " Uncle Sam's " budget being a Mr. Howell. Subsequent gentlemen acting in that capacity were Louis Hall, S. S. Bagley, Thomas Chase and W. P. Styles, the present incumbent. The settlement now comprises & store, a neat frame schoolhouse (erected in 1869), a depot and warehouse, and the dwelling- houses of about a dozen families.

EMERALD GROVE.

This village, so called from that gem of the prairie, " Emerald Grove," is located on the south part of Section 6, in the town of Bradford. In 1856, it contained " one post office, one tavern, one church, one blacksmith-shop, one store, one grocery, one schoolhouse and fifteen dwellings." Since this early date, the village has considerably increased. It is a thriving place, eight miles from Janesville, has a good hotel, a harness-shop, a general store, two blacksmith- shops, a shoemaker's shop and a few other establishments.

AVON.

The village of Avon is located upon Sand Prairie, on Sections 17 and 20, in the town of the same name. The prairie is a beautiful one-level, but sandy, hence its name. It extends along the Sugar River for many miles. The village is situated near the river, " where there is," says a writer in 1856, "a grist-mill and saw-mill, two stores and a blacksmith's shop." Since that time, the place has grown some; but it is still of small dimensions.

EDGERTON.

This prosperous village, containing about eight hundred persons, is situated on the line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, seventy-one miles west of Milwaukee, one and a half miles from Rock River, twenty-six miles east of Madison, and one mile south of the south line of Dane County. As early as 1836, Robert and Daniel Stone, and William Squires, three of the adventurous spirits who, in common with many others, were swarming westward, located in the vicinity of what is now the village and turned their attention to the cultivation of the soil. They were followed by Thomas Quigley in 1843, who located and claimed sixty acres of ground where the railroad depot now stands. He was followed by Lucius M. Page, who purchased eighty acres on the north side of the depot.

In 1853, Mr. Page and H. S. Swift laid out the village on the north side of the railroad, and Messrs. Adin, J. and E. A. Burdick on the south side.

FIRST FRAME HOUSE.

The first house of this nature in the village was built in 1853, by Mr. Ferdinand Davis, who kept it as a store. In the following year, he built two brick stores which still stand. In 1857, Swift's Block was built by H. S. Swift.

THE FIRST HOTEL.

This unfailing sign of the advent of civilization made its appearance in the winter of 1853-54, being built and kept by Mr. Nelson Coon, under the sign of the Exchange Hotel.

676

HISTORY OF ROCK COUNTY.

In the following year, he sold out to Mr. James Finney, who continued it under the same sign, and when asked one day what he exchanged, replied, " Whisky for money, by G -. "

In the same year, Mr. Coon built the United States Hotel, and the following year the American House was built, both of which are yet running.

THE FIRST BIRTH.

After the village became an established fact as exemplified by a plat being made out, Mr. Frank Hall made his appearance upon this mundane sphere and is now recognized as the first male child born in the village.

FIRST MARRIAGE.

As regards this all-important event, there are conflicting statements; some of the residents inclining to the opinion that Mr. John Quigley and Miss Theresa Malian should be credited with the honor of being the first couple married in the village, while others are simply non- committal.

THE FIRST DEATH

in the village is said to have occurred in the year 1854, the victim of the "old man " being s man named Hakes, a brother of Stiles Hakes, but about the same time, or shortly afterward, a gentleman from Ohio, a minister named Thorington, was killed by the cars, and filled the first grave in the cemetery.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: Its Early Settlement, Growth, Development, Resources, Etc., Part 101

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 899

Author: Wesern historical company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 899