The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing its early settlement, growth an extensive and minute sketch of its cities war record, biographical sketches, Part 63

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 776

USA > Wisconsin > Dodge County > The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing its early settlement, growth an extensive and minute sketch of its cities war record, biographical sketches > Part 63

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"There was little or no underbrush or small timber to obstruct the view or prevent the settlers from driving their wagons where the ground seemed most favorable. In these old oaks and in these first settlers we trace a sad and striking similarity. One by one, the old oaks have disappeared by gradual decay or the lust of men, and in their stead is seen in unmolested spots a thick growth of young and vigorous timber. Here and there may still be seen within the city limits one of the same old monarchs which nodded a welcome to the pioneer as he passed beneath its shade, but most of them have disappeared, and the existence of the remainder will be brief.

" So with the men who made the first entry in this book of Nature, where since then so many pages of beauty have been written. One by one, they too have passed away to other scenes of earthly usefulness, or been hurried on by death to that undiscovered country whence they may never return. But few remain, and who can say how many will be left at the close of another decade ?

421

HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

" The first child born in the community was Mr. George Stultz, our young townsman, and the settlers were first reminded that Death too was here, by the removal of a little child of Mr. Goetschius, and a grandchild of Mr. Mackie. The first wedding was attended by most of the community ; a Mr. Charles Smith, who lived on Ackerman's farm, was the victim. A noted wedding took place soon after at the neighboring settlement of Waupun, which many of our peo- ple attended. A sister of Mr. Smith was to be married, and at her request Mr. Abraham Ack- erman went to Waupun, where the parties resided, to perform the ceremony. Many of the peo- ple from here accompanied him. Upon their arrival at Waupun, they found an arbor prepared, sufficient to shelter a large party, and an ample collation spread. All were in readiness, and the happy couple presented themselves for obligation, when an unforeseen difficulty presented itself. The parties to be united, and the good cheer spread were in Fond du Lac County, and Judge Ackerman was only authorized to perform the ceremony in Dodge. The difficulty was speedily removed by the blooming bride, who led her future lord and guests about eighty rods, within the limits of Dodge County, and the twain were made one beyond any legal doubt. There are those present who remember the pleasant gathering at this wedding. It is almost painful to hear these incidents recounted by the old settlers, and listen to their evidence with reference to their early days. All agree that these were the haleyon days of Beaver Dam, and in their peaceful flow the poetical idea of Arcadian happiness was almost realized. There were burdens grievous and heavy to be borne, and, shared by all, they were light to each. If there was joy in one household, smiles wreathed the face of the entire settlement ; if there was grief, tender and sympathetic counsel and words of cheer robbed sorrow of its gloom. A grief thus shared is lighter to the stricken heart. Those were truly happy days, and to them the eyes of more than one of the carly set- tlers of Beaver Dam still turn with longing, even as the eyes of an exiled angel turn toward the heaven which he has forfeited. Between the twilight and the candles, when memory with all of ns takes its widest range, even yet the tear of regret for those good old times will steal down the furrows in cheeks that then were smooth, and the long-drawn breath and sigh attest that memory is at work on the old man's heart. With a community of interest, an entire unselfishness, a freedom from restraints and formalities which society imposes, in the fierce struggle with Nature, man turned aside for awhile from battling with himself, and joined in the common purpose of utilizing the gifts of God. But in the comparison of then and now, who shall regret the change ? These men saw only the good which the gods did then provide, and did not then, nor do they now, see the evil which did then exist. Mankind are seldom optimists, and seldom invest with romance scenes as they pass, but looking back as they go down the hill, they see the years tinged with the radiance of the sun setting before them, and do not see the shadows which lie beneath its sheen. In the struggle of conflicting interests, in the tumult and confusion and cares of business, the worst side of man's nature is oftener uppermost. But I am not willing to believe that man was by nature or education better then than now. There may be more base metal in circulation now, bearing the image of the great model, than then, but there is also more of pure gold : there may be more weeds, but there is also more golden grain ; there may be more viee and immorality, more wicked, base designing men, but there is also a mightier host of great- hearted, noble men and women to counteract and check these evils.

"Of the Beaver Dam of to-day you all know. Many of you have known it in every stage of its progress. You have seen the little one-run grist-mill, barely sufficient to supply the wants of the little community of 1846, give place to a larger one, whose revolving shafts and rumbling machinery are capable of grinding flour for an army, and other mills have been added, until fourteen runs of stone within a radius of two miles and their production tell the story of their work in all the principal markets of the Union. The little blacksmith-shop of Brobriant & Fisher has modestly stepped aside. and instead of the merry ring of Brobriant's hammer, as it struek the anvil in the morning, you now hear the steam-whistle calling a hundred men to labor in Rowell's factory. The modest retailing establishments of Snow & Van Eps and Manahan, not forgetting our friend Truman Parker. have disappeared, and in their stead we have stores as cle- gant and spacious as any that Milwaukee can boast.

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424

HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

of the Holy Sepulcher, and the result of their researches afford but little light, and is in fact but little more than tradition. Our country, with its freshness and recent discovery, is more fortunate ; its earliest settlements are well defined, and the student has only to devote himself to a few days of study to become acquainted with our early history as a nation. And it is now only as the star of empire wends its way to the Western world, and new settlements, new towns and new cities are, as if by magic, springing into existence, thrift and importance, that the his- tory of such new locations becomes interesting. And to-night the Old Settlers' Club of Beaver Dam meet for the first time, as has been said, 'for the purpose of reviving old acquaintance, renewing the ties of former years,' and to look about for the men and women who marched forth to the attack upon the forest ; cleared, improved and cultivated the land, and planted themselves as free American citizens in this Western world ; reared their log cabins, bridged the streams, drained the swamps and founded a system of education and free thought. And as time speeds on, those who succeed in the footsteps of the carly pioneer and whose lot has been cast in pleasant places, will for centuries to come look back with kindly heart and tender memories of those who struggled with hardships, doubt and want, and who paved the way for their comfort and prosperity.

" It is a matter of great sorrow to me and misfortune to you, that he who had been chosen to address you to-night is now numbered among the dead. He had spent days and weeks in gathering together, from time to time, facts and reminiscences connected with the early settle- ment of this city and the surrounding country. He was, beyond all question, with his eminent abilities, more capable of interesting you than any one in our midst ; and for many of the facts and data which I shall present to you this evening, I am indebted to the late Rev John J. Miter, and in many instances copy literally from his manuscript."

THE FIRST SETTLEMENT.

" Prior to 1841, no white man had made his home here; the Indians alone occupied the ground and were the lords of the forest and the prairie. The first white man who made it his home here was JosephGoestchius, which was in the spring of 1841, when he put up a shanty by the side of the Mackie Spring. Mrs. Goetschius, now Mrs. William Holt, was the first white woman who found a shelter and a home in Beaver Dam. When Mr. Goetschius had completed his shanty, he left his wife alone while he made a trip to Fox Lake. Mrs. Goetschius becom- ing alarmed by the presence of many Indians around the house, locked the door, put out the fire and thus spent a weary and lonely day awaiting the return of her husband. The same spring, and second in order, came Thomas Mackie and wife, and built a log cabin, which still stands near the spring. It will thus be seen that Joseph Goetschius and Thomas Mackie were the first brave and sturdy pioneers who performed the part of resolute ax-men, to fell the tree and prepare the way for the founding of our city. The third settler was Morris Furmin. He built his cabin near where the barn of William Ash now stands, on Railroad avenue. The fourth was Jacob P. Brower, who moved his family here in the fall of 1841, and built his cabin on the north side of Front street, where the bank building now stands. On the 22d day of February, 1842, Abram Ackerman located in this place, and in April following came Henry Stultz and family ; Mr. Ackerman being the fifth and Mr. Stultz the sixth original settler of Beaver Dam. "

THE FIRST MINISTER.

" Mr. Miter, in his manuscript, says: 'In this connection, it should be mentioned that Rev. Moses Ordway was among the first who surveyed with his personal eye the grounds on which our city stands. In the winter of 1840-41, on his way from Green Bay, he visited this region and discovered its natural advantages. In the spring of 1842, he made a second visit here, and it was during this visit that he held meetings in some of the cabins of the first settlers. To him, therefore, belongs the distinction of being the pioneer missionary of the Presbyterian denomination of Beaver Dam. He removed here with his family in the spring of 1843, and died suddenly at Cambria January 24, 1870, and was buried at Milwaukee, where his only son,

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

David S. Ordway, now resides. He had left the border of civilization thirty-five years ago to pen- etrate the wilderness, bearing his life in one hand and the symbol of the Christian religion in the other. In the fall of 1842, he purchased of David Drake the water-power (now owned by Dr. Hoyt) and the saw-mill which Drake had built the preceding summer. On this visit he also held religious meetings in the settlement and thus prepared the way for the organization of the Church.' From these historical reminiscences, it will be seen that the city is mainly indebted to the same venerable pioneer for the improvement of its water-power, and the founding of the Chris- tian Church.

" The First Presbyterian Church was organized on the 1st day of June, 1843, in the cabin of Thomas Mackie. It was a bright and beautiful summer day. The windows of the cabin were raised, the unmolested birds were warbling their wild carols in the overhanging branches of native trees, clothed in their tender foliage, and the air was freighted with the fragrance of innu- merable wild flowers. At its organization, the Church consisted of but eight members. You will be interested to hear their names. I will repeat them in the order in which they stand on the records. Thomas Mackie and Ann his wife, Hanna Maria Goetchius, Rufus Lounsberry and Mary Ann his wife, Julia A. Arms, Lucy Ordway and Lucy Finch. It thus appears that thename of vencrable Thomas Mackie occupies the first place among the living founders of the town, and our stands first on the records of the first church organized in the county of Dodge, or in the region north of Milwaukee and west of Green Bay. He is justly entitled to the distinction of being recognized by the generations to come as the Patriarch of the city."

THE FIRST CHURCH EDIFICE.

" Mr. Ordway supplied the infant Church with preaching for two years. At the close of his labors, the Church numbered but twenty-three members. But there was work done which neither appears on the surface nor in the records. Mr. Ordway was mainly instrumental in securing for the Church its first house of worship. That building was improvised after that off-hand fashion which characterized the pioneers of the West. Thomas Mackie went to the woods, selected the timber and hauled it on the ground. This was in the spring of 1844. On the Monday or Tuesday following, the settlers were called together to build the meeting-house. All responded to the call. The timber was hewed, the frame raised, the floor laid, the windows put in, tempo- rary seats made, and the building ready for occupancy on the next Sabbath. Such was the pro- cess of building the first house of worship. All the materials were furnished by Mr. Ordway, except the timber for the frame, and four pounds of nails. These nails have a history which must not be lost. Mr. John Manahan, and the first Irishman who settled here, and a pioneer ' Catholic,' was the proprietor of the second store that was opened in the town. Observing this general stir about the new building going up, he inquired of the minister the meaning of all this enthusiasm. . We are building a meeting-house,' replied Mr. Ordway. 'Then,' responded the Catholic neighbor, 'I must have a nail in it,' and presented the four pounds of nails. That pioneer sanctuary stood on the east side of Spring street, directly on the town line and nearly in front of Mr. Loomis'. In 1847, it was purchased by Christopher Bogart. who removed it to the corner of Spring and Third streets. The building now stands on the north side of Madison street, near Beaver street bridge."

OTHER CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS.

" In 1846, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized with the Rev. H. P. Allen as Pastor. Reuben Dexter and wife and Mary A. Baldwin were among the first members ; its first place of worship was in the cabinet shop of your President, L. H. Marvin, near the mill of Dr. Hoyt : which building is removed to the north end of Beaver street bridge, and is now used for a basket factory. L. H. Marvin was its first class leader.

' St. Mark's Episcopal Church was also organized in the same building in 1846, and held services there for several years : its present church was built in 1856.

426

HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

" The Baptist Church was organized November 27, 1844, Rev. T. S. Pillsbury was the first Pastor, and Israel Root, Truman Parker, James M. How and wife were among its first members. Their first church building was built in 1847, and was located at the corner of Second and Third streets, and is now standing, and is the present residence of Dr. Hitchcock. In 1852, they erected a new edifice on the site of the present church, which was destroyed by fire in 1866, and replaced the next year by the present brick building.

" St. Peter's Church was organized in the fall of 1853; up to that time the Catholics had no fixed place of worship; a priest from Columbus and Watertown came here occasionally and held religious services.

" In 1860, the Lutheran Church was organized, with the Rev. Carl F. Boehner as officiat- ing minister."

HISTORICAL EVENTS.

" The four leading events of the first three years of the new settlement are the following : The first was the death of Mr. Goetschins' son John, the first death of a white person in the town. It occurred March 6, 1842. The second was the birth of George Stultz. This memor- able event in the early history of Beaver Dam transpired on the 5th of May. 1842. This was the first white child born in the town. The third was the organization of the First Presbyterian Church, by Rev. Mr. Ordway, in the cabin of Thomas Mackie, June 1, 1843. The fourth nota- ble cvent was the Christian baptism of Ann Amelia, infant daughter of Joseph and Hannah M. Goctschius. This first sacred rite was performed by Rev. Mr. Ordway February 25, 1844.

" Of the original pioneers who entered some portions of the land on which the finest parts of the city stand, three are still living. I will name them : Thomas Mackie, Henry Stultz and Morris Furmin. To this record of the living must be added the sad records of the dead. These are Joseph Goetschius, who died September 30, 1846, in his cabin, which stood a few rods north of the Mackie cabin ; Jacob P. Brower, died November 28, 1846; Paul Brower, died in September, 1855; David Drake, died July 16, 1865, and Abraham Ackerman, on the 9th of March, 1867. just fifteen days over a quarter of a century from the time he moved into his cabin by the side of the little brook. To this list must be added Moses Ordway and Ann Mackie.

" It is an historical fact, that of all the courageous women who followed the adventurous pio- neers into the wilderness, none are living except Mrs. William Holt, Mrs. Ackerman and Mrs. Stultz. Perhaps to this record I should add the name of Mrs. James Madison How, who came in the spring of 1842, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Drake.

" The commencement of our large German population was in 1847 ; the first who came was Gotlieb Gunther, now of Calamus, his brother, Leonard Gunther, now of Marathon County, and George Hieleg, who died in the western part of the State four or five years ago."

THE SCHOOLS.

" Our present valuable common schools had a small beginning, and all who realize the fact of their importance and the favorable maturity they have attained cannot fail to be interested while I trace for a few minutes their early history. On the 23d day of July, 1842, a meeting was called by the citizens at the house of J. P. Brower for the purpose of selecting a site for a schoolhouse. At that meeting there were twelve persons, and it appears from the minutes of that meeting that there was a diversity of opinion as to the location-there were five points insisted upon by the different persons present ; finally, after several ballots, it was decided that the schoolhouse be located ' cast of J. P. Brower's house, within twenty rods east of Spring Creek, on the south side of the road,' which point is upon the lot now owned by Mrs. John C. Hall. In a few months after, another meeting was held, and the officers were elected, with Morris Furmin, Clerk, and it appears that the duties of the office were so burdensome, or from some other cause, that on the 6th day of February, 1843, he resigned his office. By a census taken March 6, 1843, it appears there were twenty-four scholars in the district.

" Nothing further appears to have been accomplished until the meeting of 10th of March, 1845, when, on motion of J. P. Brower, it was resolved that the schoolhouse 'be commenced

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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

and progress as far as funds can be collected.' And now the work commenced in earnest ; a subscription paper is circulated to obtain lumber, labor and the material for a frame schoolhouse, the ' paper ' says the house not to be less than 23 feet by 30, and ' for exclusive literary pur- poses.' Moses Ordway gave all the lath; Abram Ackerman $5 worth of timber; Rufus Lounsberry, $1 worth of lumber ; Joseph Goetschius, two days' work; Thomas Mackie, 500 feet of lumber and four days' work with team ; J. M. How, six days' work ; Dr. Bradley Noyes, three days' work ; John Craig, $3 in joiner work ; David L. Booth, three days' work ; Henry W. Finch, five days' work; Henry Stultz, ten days' work ; J. P. Brower, the lot, 1,000 feet of lumber and ten days' work ; John Van Eps, $2 in lumber ; L. H. Marvin, two days' work, and C. S. Bristol, cash $3, he being the only lawyer then here, and gave the only money ; perhaps some may think he was too lazy to work, and had rather deal out the hard cash. On the 4th day of October, 1845, a tax or rate bill was issued under the hand and seal of L. A. Donald- son, John Craig and Joseph Goetschius, for the collection from the inhabitants of the sum of $13.44, to pay the wages of Miss Adaline W. Ladd for teaching nine weeks' school, and the Collector was in the name of the ' United States ' commanded to collect the same.

" In October, 1846, another subscription paper was circulated to raise means for the ‘ pur- pose of furnishing the inside and painting the outside of the schoolhouse.' Upon this list, the only persons who paid cash were the lawyer Bristol and Dr. Kimball. They, probably, were the only idle ones in the settlement, and how they got the money wherewith to pay was then, and will always remain a mystery. In September, 1844, a rate bill was also issued to collect $18 to pay Mrs. Margaret J. Buck for twelve weeks 'tuition ' at $1.50 per week, as appears from her school register. From this it will be seen that the carly settler was fully imbued with the spirit of education, and that the small beginning of those years has grown to be a power in the land."

POPULATION IN 1843.

" We find from the census taken January 1, 1843, there were the following persons and families on that day in the town of Beaver Dam :

Males. Females.

Abram Ackerman

J. M. Io w

George W. Arms.

Thomas Mackie

J. P. Brower

Israel Root

Paul Brower.

Henry Stultz.

William J. Bidwell

Eldridge Smith

James Conner

Charles Smith

David Drake

David Snyder

Morris Furmin ..

Joseph Goelschius.

Totals

Grand Total.

THE FIRST MAIL.

" Prior to 1844, the mails reached this place once in two weeks, and about 1846, the people were supplied with a tri-weekly mail, and brought here in a four-horse stage. I am informed that the first arrival of that stage occasioned great rejoicing, men tossed their hats in triumph, women waved their handkerchiefs (those that had any) in delight, the dogs barked in anger, and chil- dren hid in fear and amazement. I have no time to follow further the first settlement and growth of this city ; a volume might be written and then the story be but half tokl.

.. Some of those old pioneers are with us this evening, and many are here who soon followed them, and whose settlement dates back to 1845-46-47. That they were a noble type of man- kind will ever be conceded. Those wanting in energy and perseverance never seek.new coun- tries-for the work of the pioneer is always laborious, often perplexing and never remunerative. He spends the winter in felling forest-trees, and the spring in plowing among green stuiups and tough roots. When autumn comes, he is satisfied if the product of his labors is sufficient to keep his family from starvation. The pioneers are mostly gone ; the harvest has ripened with them ; their days are numbered, and soon the remaining ones will be gathered with those who

428

HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.

have preceded them ; but while they live, let each of us extend a kindly hand, a gentle and cheering word, and an earnest wish for God's blessing to follow thein."

INTERESTING REMINISCENCES.

At the conclusion of Mr. Lander's address, the members of the Club, with their families, repaired to the Boylan House, where a banquet was held. The feast finished, President Marvin called up the next order of business-" Reminiscences "-which met with apt and interesting responses from the following : Judge S. L. Rose, of Fort Dodge, Iowa (now of Beaver Dam) ; Hon. Q. H. Barron, of Fox Lake; N. E. Allen, Esq., of Trenton; S. Thomas, Esq., of Beaver Dam ; Hon. Charles Burchard, Beaver Dam ; James F. McCollum, Esq., of Trenton ; Eldridge Smith, Esq., of Rolling Prairie. But one of these interesting papers has been preserved-that of Mr. Allen. It is as follows:

"In taking a retrospect of the past thirty-two or thirty-three years, since the early settle- ment of Beaver Dam and vicinity, how many thoughts come crowding upon the memory. Scarcely a home or heart into which has not come the messenger of Death. In my own, a brother and our three oldest children lie in yonder cemetery. With almost every one, in a greater or less degree, the same experiences. In recalling the names of thirty-two and thirty-three years ago of the early settlers of Beaver Dam and vicinity, I ask, where are they ? Nearly all gone! DEAD. But yet not dead, for they live in the memories of the people. They live in the monuments erected by their skill and industry ; they live in the highways, the public roads ; they live in every living tree and shrub, planted by their hands; they live in the great moral influences they exerted to lay the foundations of good society, and, most of all, they live in the generations that have followed them. Here a most pleasing and gratifying reflec- tion. In my effort to recall the names of the inhabitants of that early time and their children, I cannot think of any who have disgraced themselves. Honored and honorable members of society, whether still among us, or some other chosen location is now their home. Here, too, a reflection. The necessities of those early times compelled industry in order to live ; they learned to earn a living, instead of simply learning to get a living. There is a vast difference in the future of boys or girls, whether they are taught to earn a living, or simply learn to get it."

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The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing its early settlement, growth an extensive and minute sketch of its cities war record, biographical sketches, Part 63

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company Number of Pages: 776

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, Western historical company
Number of Pages: 776