The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc, Part 72

Author: Western Historical Co., pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1050

USA > Wisconsin > Waukesha County > The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc > Part 72

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There was such a body of snow on the ground that there was good sleighing nearly half of the month of March, which made it very convenient for our men to get hay and grain and such things as they had to have, for they had to go to Milwaukee for everything needed, except wood and water. They made hay and stacked it the previous summer, when they went to make their claims, hoping to have an abundance in the spring. Knowing that the Indians were in the habit of setting fire to burn over prairies, to make clear their hunting-grounds from grass and herbage, they thought best to set fire themselves and burn around their stacks; but they had the misfortune to lose all of their hay, seven large stacks, by the shifting of the wind. So they had to buy hay in Milwaukee and draw it home, seventeen miles, to the place that has been known for many years as the town of Lisbon. The last time they went to town while the sleighing lasted was the last week in March. The snow was wasting fast; but as they were wanting more corn, they thought they must fetch it before the snow was gone.

As they were very busy with other work, our neighbor, who lived in the house with us; took a yoke of oxen and sled and went alone after the corn. He was not much used to driving a team, and my husband told him that he would go as far as the Menomonee River the next day, to meet him and help him if he needed help. Fearing the ice might not be safe to cross with a load, he started the next morning in good time, so as to be sure to meet him at the river ; but when he got there he could see nothing of the team, so he walked along three or four miles farther before he met him. Then he took the ox whip himself and hurried the team along as fast as possible, for he saw that there were cracks in the ice when he crossed the river, and water

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above the ice, half-way to his boot-tops; and when they got back there the water was deeper and the cracks in the ice wider. Mr. Rolph, our neighbor that had been after the corn, did not know what to do ; but my husband told him that they must carry the corn across on their shoulders, a bag at a time, and they carried it across in that way, then took the sled and drew that across by hand, and then unyoked the oxen and drove one over alone ; then they went back for the other, and when they had driven him about half-way over, the ice broke and the ox fell into the river all over but his head. They caught hold of his horns and tried to pull him out, but could not, and the current of water drew him under the ice. They then cut away the ice with an ax, hoping that he might rise so they could help him out. But he did not, and when they found that he was still going under they threw themselves down on the ice, in the water, and caught the ox by the tail and pulled him back, until he could get his head above the water. Then he could help himself some, and, with their help, he scrambled up on the ice and got over on the other side, with his mate. He came near being drowned, and the men, trying to save his life, came very near drowning themselves. Every thread of their clothing was as wet as water could make it.

There they were, as much as nine miles from home, or from any house, and they were about tired out, and it was almost night. It was growing cold and beginning to freeze, but they loaded their corn again and drove on until they came within a mile and a half of the Fox River. By that time, it was getting too dark to drive much farther, and their clothing was frozen, and there appeared to be no alternative. But they must stop there for the night and perhaps freeze to death before morning. They cut some dry wood and made a large fire, for they had matches which did not happen to get wet in the box. They stood by the fire and kept from freezing; but after a while, Mr. Rolph felt so tired and sleepy that he would lie down and go to sleep. My husband did not dare to, for he thought that if he did they would both freeze to death. So he kept stirring around and kept up a large fire, disturbed Mr. Rolph every few minutes, trying to wake him for fear that he would freeze to death. After awhile he succeeded in arous- ing him so that he got up and stirred himself about and kept awake, and when daylight came they started for home. But when they came to the Fox River, and crossed, and were going up the bank, their load of corn slipped from the sled and all went into the water, and they were obliged to wade in and get it, carry it out a bag at a time, and load it again, making their garments dripping wet as they were the day before, and in that plight had to drive home, where they arrived about eight o'clock, tired, cold and hungry, or at least faint and about sick. When they had taken a warm bath and put on dry garments, and had taken some warm food and coffee, and had lain in bed a few hours, they felt better, got up and went to work. They built a scaffold of the boards which they had sawed by hand, and spread the corn on there, taking it out in the morning and into the house at night, until it was dry. They concluded they had earned the corn, with their troubles, besides the two dollars and a half a bushel they paid for it.

As for fruit, it was but little that we used in those days, except wild plums and crab- apples, and to make them palatable and fit for use took as much sugar and a little more than we were really able to buy. We had to study and learn economy, and we found it as economical to buy dried fruit, and sugar to sweeten it, as to use wild fruit that we could get plenty of in the season without buying. Our men had been hoping to be able to raise some corn, oats, buck wheat and potatoes, but alas ! their expectations failed, and by the time they were ready to commence breaking the ground, their oxen were nearly all of them taken sick, and were not able to work, until it was too late to plow and sow and expect a crop of anything. Then it began to look as if we must see hard times ; for we should have everything to buy for another year. How we should be able to buy what we should need, we did not know, for our money was nearly gone. Our neighbors were very kind as a general thing, and willing to accommodate each other by lending. We all found it convenient and necessary to borrow at times, and if we had not been kind and neighborly to each other, we should have fared harder than we did. We have had a barrel of flour brought in sometimes, and have lent it all out in one day, except what we used

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for baking. We never suffered on account of it, for if it did not all come back before we needed it, we would borrow of some one else. Sometimes when we had a barrel brought in, we have had to pay out the half of it, where we had borrowed, and just the same with other things.

While the oxen were unable to work that spring (1837), my husband dug some ground with a spade to make a small garden, and hearing that a schooner loaded with potatoes had come to Milwaukee, he walked in, bought half a bushel, paid $2.50 for them, and brought them home on his back, eighteen miles. He went in one day, and came back the next, and was about tired out. He said it seemed as if he had come to Wisconsin to be a pack-horse, or to take the place of one. Some people in these times will scarcely believe that potatoes were ever sold at $5 a bushel in Wisconsin. But it was so at that time, and the merchant would, and did extort just such exorbitant prices for everything they knew the settlers most needed. But no one would buy more than one bushel of potatoes at $5 a bushel, and some would buy only a peck.

It was with potatoes the same as with grain of all kinds. By the time that farmers could raise grain and have any to sell, it would fetch scarcely enough to pay for the time spent to get it ready for sale and taking it to market. In many cases it did not come anywhere near paying them, but they were obliged to put up with it, for the merchants had their own way, and paid their own price for produce. The potatoes were planted, except a meal or two, which we could not forego the pleasure of eating, having been without any vegetables for nearly three months, and they were quite a luxury at the time, dearly bought and far fetched.

We got through the winter of 1837-38 better than we expected, not being able to raise any- thing of any account except on our poor little gardens, but managed to get bread and meat, and other groceries. Toward spring, Mr. Elliott and my husband had a chance to take a job of cutting logs and splitting rails. They had to go about nine miles into the timber towards Milwaukee, and take their provision with them for the week, or from Monday morning till Saturday night. We cooked their provision at home, except their tea and coffee, which they had with two young men that lived in a cabin and cooked for themselves, and who very kindly gave them such accommodation as they had. They cut and split the rails for fifty cents a hundred, and had to take their pay at a provision store in Milwaukee, and had to go or send by some one else, to get it. But there were five weeks in succession during the time they were at their job, that the road was so bad that teams could scarcely get through to Milwaukee. When they did, they could not bring much at a load. Our two men had to quit their work every Friday afternoon, soon enough to walk into Milwaukee, and start for home as early as they could in the morning, with as much flour and meat (with a few other necessary things) as they could carry eighteen miles to our place and a mile farther to Mr. Elliott's. It would be night, and they would be about tired out, and while they were resting on Sunday we had to cook their week's rations for them to take back with them when they went to their work on Monday. What was worse, and very mortifying to their feelings, one of those five times that they had to back their loads home, there was no provision for them. The man that they worked for was gone from home, and there was nothing for them in store. They were told by the clerk that they were expecting a vessel to come in that day, but it had not got in yet. It was loaded with provisions, and they thought that it would be in that night or early in the morning, so that they could have something to carry home with them. But the morning came and there was no vessel in sight, and they waited as long as they thought it would do to wait, and have time to get home that night, as it was Saturday, and they expected we should be out of the requisite for cooking at home, and supposed our neighbors were nearly, if not quite, as short of the needful as we were. For that reason they did not like to go home without anything, and risk the chance of borrowing, for fear of distressing the neighbors, knowing that they would lend as long as they had enough of anything to divide. They knew not what to do. They had not money to go to any other store, and they could not get an order, as the head man was not at home. While they were talking, a friend came to them, and to him they told their dilemma, and he advised them to go to the store of Messrs. Brown & Miller, where there was plenty of provision in store for any one that needed it and had no money to buy. They thought that

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looked too much like begging. But he persuaded them, and told them that it was no disgrace, and they would never be thought the less of for it. So they took his advice and the friend went with them, stated the case to those gentlemen, and they told them to come forward and have what they wanted of such as they had in store, and welcom ; they expressed their thankfulness, but told them that they did not come to beg, and would pay for what they got as soon as they could. They said we shall not take pay if you do bring it ; our instructions are to give to those that need, and not to sell. When you are able, if you see an opportunity to assist others, do so; that is all the pay that will ever be required of you. Now, would you like to have some garden seeds, said they ; and they gave them of all kinds in their store. They came home in the evening very tired, and ready for their supper, which I had ready and waiting for them. Tired as they were, they told me of their trial and disappointment, and the kindness they had received; that they did not expect to find any bread in either of their houses, until we could bake something from the flour that they brought. Then I had to tell them how and in what way I had been supplied. Three of our neighbors had joined teams, and had been to town, with only one wagon, and bought some flour and meat and a few groceries, and by that means I had been supplied, for they returned things that we had lent to them.

In my new home I undertook to do all my work-washing, ironing and sewing, besides my every-day work, taking care of my three children (the youngest then a year and a half old), and teaching three hours each half-day, according to custom, and not take a day except each alter- nate Saturday. I soon found that I could not manage both my school and my work without taking one day out of each week, so I concluded to take Monday, do my washing, and as much other necessary work as I could in a day, and teach the remaining five days. , Not having a very strong constitution, my duties were rather severe on me during the week, for both body and mind: yet I enjoyed doing duty, because I was anxious to play my part well in doing what I hoped would be to the advantage of others as well as ourselves.

I suppose that many young mothers and housekeepers of the present time would marvel at the idea of a woman undertaking to do her own work for a family of six, and, at the same time, teach a school of twenty scholars in the same room, which was only twelve by fourteen feet in size. But as necessity was then, and had been, and perhaps always will be, the mother of many inventions, we found that by patience and perseverance it could be done, at least for a few months. At the end of four months, I found it necessary to give up my school, so as to take time to do my fall work and prepare my family for the coming winter. We had no more school for a year, except on Sundays. We opened again, after a short time, the door of our little cabin for Sunday school, in which little children were taught to read and spell, and older ones that could read learned Testament lessons, and repeated to teachers who gave them instructions according to their ability. With the addition of prayers and singing, the exercises of from two to three hours passed very pleasantly, and, as we then thought, profitably to ourselves and our children.

As soon as our corn was glazed and partially hardened, that fall of 1838, so that we could finish drying it by laying it in the sun in the daytime, and in the house at night, we picked off a little at a time and dried it in that way, and had some ground every day for two months, by hand, in a coffee-mill, except on Sunday. It was such slow work to grind by hand that we could not get any more ahead than would do for Sunday, and with the meal thus prepared we made all of our bread (or johnnycake) for two or three weeks ; then the buckwheat was ripened, so that some of that could be thrashed, and we dried some of that in the same way as we did the corn, and had it ground in the same way, and had to sift it instead of having it bolted, and with it we made something we called buckwheat cakes. Although not as fine and nice as we had been accustomed to using, yet it made a very good change under the circumstances. We did not expect to grind our flour and meal by hand as long as two months, when we commenced the arduous task. There was a mill in process of building at the place now known as Wauwatosa, but as the mill was not ready to commence operations by the expected time -- although the task of grinding by hand was very tedious-we concluded to persevere and not give up until the mill

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should be in working order, which was two months instead of two weeks. Our indignation had become so thoroughly aroused, in consequence of being obliged to pay such exorbitant prices for our bread material as well as everything else that we had to buy of the Milwaukee dealers, that we were not willing to humor them any more than we were really obliged to. Mr. George Elliott, of Lisbon, Waukesha County, can testify concerning the grinding by hand for two months, nearly all of the material which we used for bread and cakes, for he was our little faithful home miller, and a younger brother of his was the miller for his father's family, and Mr. Smith's young boys did the grinding for his family. One of them is still living, and well remembers the time and circumstance. There were several of our neighbors that shared in the work and trial of grinding their own breadstuff by hand. I do not remember just how many, but there were six of us, I can remember, who did do it for two months.

Perhaps some one, or more, who never saw a wooden kettle, and it may be never heard of one of that kind before, would like to know how it was made. Our wooden kettle was eighteen inches wide and about three feet long. The wood part of it was made of plank, and nailed together in the form of a box. This was bottomed with sheet-iron wide and long enough to turn over on the ends and sides, so that the fire should not touch the wood. Then it was set over a stone fireplace, which was built sufficiently long and wide to allow the box to be bedded all around with stone and mortar to protect the wood. A capacious fireplace underneath with a chimney at the extremity, and a wooden cover to the kettle, completed the concern. Although it was a rude, rustic-looking article, and was the object and occasion of much laughter, the wooden kettle was, nevertheless, found to be so useful and convenient under the circumstances in which we were placed in those early days, that it came to be an indispensable article until such times as we could afford to buy a cauldron. I have thought of late that if a specimen of those home-made kettles should be sent to the Centennial, it might excite as much curiosity as many things that will be sent there.

After we had the Sunday-school established in our house, we began to hold religious meet- ings, and although we had no minister to preach to us, we met once in two weeks, sometimes at the house of one neighbor and sometimes at another, for a few months. Then we got out of our small cabin into a larger and more comfortable one, and as we happened to have a more commo- dious room, the meetings were held there until the district schoolhouse was built, which was more than two years after.

One of our neighbors, a well disposed and religious man, took the lead in our religious services, except occasionally some minister would chance to come into the neighborhood, or pass through the little settlement, stopping over night. As soon as it was known that there was a minister in the place, who would stay long enough for the people to get word of it, it mattered not whether he was a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregationalist or Episcopalian, every one who could possibly leave home-even if they had to appear in their every-day clothing, which was frequently the case-would lay aside their pride, and come together to unite in the services and listen to the sermon, whether it was Sunday or a week day, and all, or nearly all, seemed to enjoy it as a rare treat. When we had no minister, our religious services were con- ducted in the same manner as when we had one-by praying, Bible reading, singing and the reading of a sermon. We always had two sermons on Sunday, the first commencing at half- past 10 and the second at half-past 1, or sometimes 2 o'clock, and the Sunday school between those two services, and a prayer meeting at 5 o'clock.

Thus our time was taken up on Sunday. It was all that I could do to get my necessary work done, myself and family in readiness to attend worship, and have seats placed, before some of the people would begin to come in.

It has been put in print that the first sermon preached, in Lisbon was by a Mr. Frink, in 1838, but that was a mistake. Mr. Lucius Bottsford and Miss Lucinda Denny were the first couple married in Lisbon. The ceremony was performed by Elder Griffin, at the residence of Mr. Jonathan Dougherty, Sr., on the 3d of June, 1839, after the preaching of the first sermon in the town of Lisbon. In the month of August following, there was another sermon preached in

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the same house by the Rev. Mr. Ordway, Congregationalist. Then in the following winter, about the middle of January, 1840, came the Rev. Mr. Frink (Methodist), and preached the first sermon that he preached in our place, in our house. Our cabin was filled with people that had come with their oxen and sleds, some of them from five miles distant in different directions. It was good sleighing (or sledding, as they called it), but it was very cold, and they had to sit down among the straw or marsh hay, which was plentifully laid in the sled box. They had no fine, fleet horses and gay looking pleasure sleighs out in country places in those days, but had to be contented and satisfied to be drawn on the same sled and by the same horned-horses (oxen I mean) that drew their wood, hay and grain. There was no ringing of the musical sleigh bells, such as we had been in the habit of hearing, to cheer and enliven them on the long, slow, cold ride ; yet they were very cheerful and sang hymns as they rode along, making the air and the woods ring with the music of their voices, and they seemed as eager to hear what the minister had to say to them as hungry people would be to go to a feast.

In the month of March came Elder Wheelock, a Methodist preacher. He came two or three evenings for a time, and then he was hired to come and preach once in two weeks, on Sunday, for a year. He was the first minister that was hired in Lisbon. He was more than sixty years of age, and he used to walk fourteen miles every other Saturday, getting to our house in the afternoon, perform his duties on Sunday, and walk home on Monday. Sometimes, however, he might get a ride a part of the way, but not frequently, for he did not own a horse, neither was there one in our immediate neighborhood. His salary was the small sum of eighty dollars- small enough, certainly. To some people at the present time it would not seem worth mention- ing, and that the people were thoughtless and penurious not to allow him a larger sum for coming so far to serve them; yet that small sum was all they were able to pay. The reverend father was satisfied, for he knew just how we were all situated. It was, perhaps, well for us in many respects that we lived in those days, and shared with our neighbors and friends the trials and hardships of new country life, as well as the joys and pleasures, for there certainly was enjoy- ment even then. It was as much of a pleasure to visit our neighbors and friends who were not related to us, and to receive visits from them, as it had been to visit and receive visits from our own relatives when we had lived near and among them. In the earliest part of our new country experience we did not invite large parties, for the want of sufficient room and other conveniences to make it pleasant and comfortable for a large party of friends. But whenever neighbors could make it convenient to visit each other they were cordially welcomed, treated kindly, and made as comfortable as circumstances would permit. Such traits were characteristic of the people of our early settlement. There was no dazzling splendor in those days, in the way of furniture, dress, ornaments, or the viands of the table. No one tried to outdo another. They could not if they would, but they did not show any such inclination. One of those days, when I was alone with my children I took my water pail in haste to go about twenty-five rods to the stream for water, and when about three rods from the door, I saw a wolf coming up the path only a few rods from me, as if coming to meet me. The wolf at the same time saw me, and we both halted suddenly and stared each other in the face for some minutes, but presently, I bethought myself that I had a tin pail and dipper in my hand. Then with the dipper I beat vehemently against the pail, and he turned and started off a few steps, then slackened his pace and looked back at me again, and as I had no other means of frightening him, kept beating the pail with the dipper, and after a little time he turned and left the path. It was not until he was fairly out of sight that I ventured to go for the water.

BY HAMILTON NELSON, 1880.

Although now a resident of Rock County (at Beloit), I was for many years one of the pioneers of the county of Waukesha. The name never fails to bring to mind many pleasant recollections, and the images of scores of true friends. The history of themselves and the county deserve to be indelibly recorded.

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The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages etc, Part 72

Author: Western Historical Co., pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1050

Author: Western Historical Co., pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1050