The pioneers of Outagamie County, Wisconsin : containing the records of the Outagamie County Pioneer Association; also a biographical and historical sketch of some of the earliest settlers of the county, and their families, their children, and grand-children, Part 14

Author: Spencer, Elihu
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Appleton, Wis. : Post Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 314


USA > Wisconsin > Outagamie County > The pioneers of Outagamie County, Wisconsin : containing the records of the Outagamie County Pioneer Association; also a biographical and historical sketch of some of the earliest settlers of the county, and their families, their children, and grand-children > Part 14


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).


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We also believed in durability of dresses, not in style ; my sister and I wore brown denems dresses every day and when we had a calico dress which then cost forty-five or fifty cents a yard, there were no superfluous goods left for ruffles, drapery or big sleeves.


Every year new settlers were moving up in the woods, and to every one was extended a warm welcome and the first call always included a day's visit. Our latch string was always on the outside to the wayfarer and to our neighbors, all were welcome to our table and bed, even if that bed was sometimes on the floor, the doors were never locked and thefts were unknown; we had no screen doors or windows, but we had mosquitoes in abundance.


Our nearest postoffice was Appleton; we would get our mail once in four or six weeks. Whenever a neighbor went to town he would get the mail and do the errands for all the neighborhood. Oxen were used at that time by the


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early settlers, and it took three days to make the trip to Appleton and return. Our first schoolhouse was built of logs, four benches and desks on each side; it also served for a church and Sunday school purposes.


Our first school teacher was Maggie Conklin; our first pastor was Mr. Bullock. a Methodist minister; the parson- age was in the town of Osborne, and every other Sunday, rain or shine, Mr. Bullock would walk four miles "and re- turn" to preach to a congregation of not more than twenty persons and many times less than ten. His salary was about what was given him at a donation which was always held every winter at the residence of some of the church members.


Our first Fourth of July celebration was held in that little school house, and I can truly say I have never enjoyed one since as I enjoyed that one; there were no fruits, salads, jellies, or pressed chicken, for refreshments, but we had good wholesome food in abundance, some of the cakes were frosted with maple sugar frosting and some were not frosted at all. I have heard the old settlers say what good times we used to have when we first moved up in the woods; we were all neighbors then, no bickering or backbiting, all tried to help and befriend each other. Every year the old pioneers are leaving us, one by one they are crossing that silent river, they have all passed the meridian of life and are descending toward life's setting sun, just a few short years and these places will know them no more; let us honor them while we have the opportunity for they were the ones who endured the hardships, toil and privations that we might have plenty.


The following poem was written by W. G. Bedell of Appleton, which may be interesting to some of the pioneers, more so, perhaps, to those from the northeastern part of the county:


THE OLD LOG HOUSE ON THE HILL.


Where Black Creek lazily winds along


Through its lovely vale o'er shifting sands,


A valley made sacred by science and song,


The fair young city of Seymour stands.


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Here nestling 'neath poplars that line the street, Are neat white cottages shaded and still, But the dearest thing in that quiet retreat, Is the old log house on the hill.


This old log house on the slope of the hill, Vine-crowned and dark with the rain of years, I sit on its threshold, deserted and still, And read life's story with blinding tears.


For every board in its rough oaken floor, And every dark rafter in roof above, Hath a tale of the days of yore, Of childhood gone like a dream of love.


He slumbers in silence who reared its wall, Who fashioned its roof for the pitiless rain; He wakes no more at the church bell's call, Nor the rumble and roar of the rushing train.


But two decades - in that house on the hill - How oft from my sweet, pleasant dreams I awoke, At the startling sound of the wolf's wild yell, As it rang through the forest all unbroke.


But steam and steel, and iron and brain, Have done their giant work with a will; I revisit the scene, no trace remains, Save the old log house on the hill.


-


A brighter future fair city for you, With a country around of the richest mould, With Canadian and Yankee, with German and Jew, To change the forest and field into gold.


The old world sendest her bravest and best To the far Wisconsin's wave-beaten shore, And wherever they settle they find a rest - A life-long home to wander no more.


Then honor and praise to the bold pioneer, Who drove back the forest with steel and flame; In story and song hearts will thrill as they hear Our Ausbourne's and Shephard's and Munger's name.


Let the old house stand, though its guests are all gone, And the jasmine climbs o'er its mouldering sill, In remembrance of those who have journeyed on, Let it stand, the old log house on the hill.


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A speech by H. D. Ryan followed. Then came a paper by Judge Ryan, also farewell address. Song by J. H. Bowles.


A paper prepared by Mr. D. Huntley was read by Mrs. Huntley, as follows :


I came to Wisconsin in 1849; stopped in Dodge county a few weeks, and did some writing in the register's office there ; but hearing much of the new town of Appleton, myself and three others, Harrison Green was one of the number mentioned, decided to visit Lawrence University. We drove to Neenah and left the team there as the road from there to Appleton was nearly impassable for wagons. We found some boatmen who said they would take us to Appleton for twenty-five cents apiece, but after two hours of fruitless efforts to pass the rapids, we left the boat and walked to Appleton. We found a few shanties in the woods and a building in process of erection which was the germ of Lawrence University; and which was known for some time after as the Institution. At that time there were no streets or established roads visible to the naked eye; trees were everywhere, with only a few small build- ings scattered around in the woods.


The idea of a college in the forest seemed to us perfectly ludicrous, still one of our number made arrangements for his sisters to attend the school as soon as it should be opened. We looked over the situation a short time, then walked back to Neenah and the next day returned to Dodge county and I taught school there the following winter. In the meantime I thought often of the possible advantages of the new town I had visited, with its college and fine water power; and as soon as my school closed, I took the first conveyance I could find, which was a horse team com- ing to Neenah. I found Appleton much improved and rapidly increasing in population.


I worked about a month rowing passengers from Neenah to Appleton, and through the remainder of the summer did whatever work I could find to do. The next winter I taught the first public school in Appleton, in what is now the Second ward, drove team through the summer, taught


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school again the following winter; and in the fall of 1852 I returned to Vermont, and was married three weeks after; came back to Wisconsin with my wife, and taught school the following winter in what is now the Third ward. In the meantime I had built a house on the lot where the Northwestern House now stands, where I lived eight years. I then moved to my farm on the Center road, where I now live.


Here I have done what I could to subdue and cultivate the soil, and to beautify my home; and now when failing health prevents my meeting with you, I send kindest greet- ings to all the old pioneers and to all the younger workers who are filling their places as one after another passes to the better land.


List of pioneers who died since our last meeting, Feb. 22, 1894:


NAME.


RESIDENCE.


AGE


Mrs. A. L. Smith.


Appleton


55


Henry Hauert, a pioneer boy .


66


Mrs. Ansel Briggs


66


57


Mrs. Caroline Puffer.


Mrs. Reeder Smith


William Johnson


Mrs. Mary Perling


Mrs. H. G. Curtis.


Rev. Henry Coleman


95


A. Cook, died Oct. 20, 1894


Fred Wendle


63


John Leiby.


63


Mr. Earle ..


Mrs. Ernest Grunert.


Ellington


Charles Wolcott


Grand Chute


Matthew Culbertson.


Greenville


Matthias Knapstein.


Mrs. Cobb.


Edward Stone.


66


John Welsein.


.. . ....


Patrick Somers.


. . .


63 65 38 60


Mrs. John Logan ..


Hortonia


Widow Nye ..


Hortonville


80


S. S. Whitman.


84


Conrad Peters


66


William Kotz


73


Mrs. Siegel.


Liberty


80


Louis Conklin.


Seymour


54


William Ausbourne.


83


. .


.


94 69 81 69 69 70 75


Mrs. Charles Buman.


.


76 60


Formerly of Appleton. Formerly of Appleton. Dale


73 79 83


William Sweetser.


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


Number of pioneers present who were here before 1850, sixteen; before 1855, fifteen; before 1856, eighteen; before 1857, twelve. Number of soldiers, fourteen; soldiers' wives, five.


At 4 o'clock the meeting adjourned. Several papers which had been prepared were not read, owing to lack of time.


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Biographical Sketches.


THE SPENCER FAMILY.


Geneological notes of the Spencer family taken from the most reliable records of said family.


In 1631 three brothers named Thomas, William and Jared Spencer, came from England and settled first at Cambridge, Mass., and a short time after they went with a company through the wilderness and helped make the first settlement in the State of Connecticut, at the place where the city of Hartford now stands. I find by the records that one of said brothers, viz .: William Spencer was a represen- tative in the General Court in 1634-5, and in 1639 a selectman of that ELIHU SPENCER. town and a deputy in the General Court and was appointed with Mr. Willis and Mr. Webster to prepare the first revisal of the laws of that year.


Descendants in the line of Thomas Spencer, one of the first settlers of Connecticut, he died in Hartford, Sept. 11, 1687 ; his son Jared Spencer was born in Hartford, Conn., and died there in 1712, and his son, Jared 2d, was born in Hartford, Jan, 15, 1683, and died in New Hartford, Conn.,


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in 1784, aged 72; his son Nathaniel B. Spencer was born in New Hartford, May 10, 1724 and died in 1773, aged 49 years ; his son Ashbel Spencer was born in New Hartford, Conn., May 25, 1750, and died August 14. 1821, aged 71 years, he was my grandfather and a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War, and was with Arnold when he went through the wilderness in winter from Boston to Quebec in 1775, to attack Quebec ; his son Elihu Spencer was my father, born in New Hartford, Conn., March 23d, 1786; in 1813 he emigrated to Huron, Wayne county, N. Y .; he cleared and improved two farms in the then wilderness and built the first grist mill in that town; his wife, my mother, was Jemima Upson, of New Hartford, Conn., her grandfather came from Scotland ; my father died in Huron, N. Y., June 14, 1825, aged 39 years ; my mother died June 4, 1825, aged 35 years. They left a family of nine children. My oldest sister Hulda was then 15 years old, my youngest brother Andrew was then nine months old. I was born in Huron, Wayne county, N. Y., Sept. 25, 1816; I was married to Miss Rhoda McKoon of the same county, New York, April 23, 1840. My wife traces her ancestry to Roger Williams, the first settler of Rhode Island, and also to Martin Luther, the German Reformer, being the seventh generation from the former, and the thirteenth generation from the latter. My wife died in Appleton, Dec. 1, 1887 ; our three oldest children, Delia, William E. and Kirtland were born in New York State; in the fall of 1845 we left our native town in New York, and emigrated with our three children in com- pany with my sister Mary and her husband, Mr. Nelson Phelps, and their four children ; three of their sons enlisted in the army and served through the war of the rebellion, and all came out alive and after the war went to Iowa and took up homesteads, and are now residents of that State. We all landed in Milwaukee, Oct. 2, 1845, and settled at Menominee Falls, now in Waukesha county, where I bought a quarter section of land near the now village of that name. I sold my land there in 1853, I moved my family to Appleton and located on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 34, near Appleton


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


Junction, now in the Third ward of this city. I supposed when I located there that I was so far from the then village of Appleton, that they would not be likely to take me into the corporation, but when they framed their city charter they found I was a stranger, very kindly took me in, which doubled my taxes without any corresponding benefit. I bought three forties in 1853, all fronting on what is now Spencer street; two are in the town of Grand Chute and one in the city. I paid five dollars per acre for those two in Grand Chute and in 1856 sold to Adam Mertes sixteen acres of the west end for twenty-five dollars per acre, just what the eighty acres cost me. The forty acres, now in the city, I paid seven and a half dollars per acre for in 1853, and in 1856 I sold six acres off the east side for forty dollars per acre. I then had ninety-eight acres left, which I cleared and improved for my homestead. It is now risen very much in value. Several pieces in Grand Chute have been sold for one hundred dollars per acre, they are now asking two hundred dollars per acre for the same pieces. The railroad company paid two hundred and fifty dollars per acre for three acres near the Junction to lay their new tracks on. The Appleton Pickle Factory Com- pany paid three hundred dollars for one acre adjoining their factory. Since I have lived in Appleton I have been engaged in several different enterprises; in 1855 I ran the first milk wagon in Appleton and my two little boys drove the wagon and did the delivering of the milk. I kept eight cows but found it difficult to sell all their milk as so many cows were kept in Appleton, they were then allowed to let them run in the streets and vacant places so the next year I quit that business. It was difficult what little grain we then raised to get threshed as no machine was owned near here. Old E. B. Abbott, father of our Charles Abbott who lived near the Oneida Indian settlement, owned a small machine with a tread power, he threshed for me and the neighbors several times; finally I bought a small separator which could be put on a common wagon and run with a sweep power with three teams and hired Josiah G. Cavert to run it, with my son William to help him, then


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


sixteen years old. Next year Cavert left and William ran it successfully alone, with hiring one man and a team to go with him, the farmers put on one team. He threshed in Grand Chute, Greenville and Ellington.


When the war broke out in 1861, in October, William enlisted in the army under Professor Pomeroy, who was then raising a company in Appleton, many of the students in the college enlisted, the company became Co. G in the first cavalry. William served one year and died Sept. 26, 1862, on board a steamer on the Mississippi and was buried at Memphis ; after William went into the army, Kirtland, my next son 16 years old said he could run the threshing machine if I would hire a man and team to go with him. I told him to try it; he ran it successfully two seasons when he brought the machine home at the end of the second season he said, Father, I'll never run that old machine another day, if I can't have as good a machine as the other boys, I won't thresh, for they will get all the best jobs and I have to take their leavings. I admired his grit, I said, you shall have as good a machine as any of them ; I then bought of J. I. Case one of his best machines, it cost seven hundred dollars, he soon earned enough with it to pay for it. He ran it successfully seven years, when he was taken sick and died Feb. 29, 1872. I bought a cir- cular saw machine to run with our horse power to saw our own wood and some for the neighbors. After the war be- gan, 1861, Capt. Spaulding came to my house and wanted me to come and saw his wood pile, he said he had about fifteen cords at his house and could not get any one to saw it as the men were all away in the army. I promised I would come and saw his wood as soon as I could get my fall work done and Kirtland got home from threshing. I came with my saw machine as I agreed and began sawing his wood. As soon as his neighbors heard the machine, they all came and wanted me to saw their wood piles. I told them I would come as soon as I could but must take them in rotation, they kept me at it all winter; in the spring by looking over my account I found I had sawed nearly 1,000 cords of four-foot wood, they kert me at it


12


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


every winter until 1868, when I and my family all had a hard siege of the typhoid fever, which laid me up for several years.


I have done considerable surveying in this county; I commenced the business at Menominee Falls, under the instruction of Mr. J. B. Nehs, an old surveyor from Penn- sylvania, who was then building a grist mill at the falls ; I bought his compass and chain and when I moved to Appleton in 1853, Mr. Charles Turner, the first county surveyor of Outagamie county, wished to leave the county ; he appointed me his deputy and I filled the remainder of


his term. In the fall of 1854 John Stevens was elected county surveyor, and as settlers were coming into the county very fast he had more work than he could do; he wished me to assist him; he appointed me his deputy and I worked under him several years as deputy. In 1872 I was elected county surveyor, my name was on both tickets and I got more votes than Grant and Greeley both to- gether, who were then running for president. John Stevens was elected in 1874 and in that year he moved to California and I filled out his term by appointment by the board of county supervisors. I was again elected county surveyor in 1878 and was re-elected six times in succession, and held the office until 1890, and probably ran more lines and set more corners in this county than an other surveyor, as the county surveyor's records will show.


My wife was mother of six children on, ly the two young- est are now living. Delia, my oldest daughter, was born in Wayne county, New York, June 16, 1841, was twelve years old when I came to Appleton, June 2, 1863. She was mar- ried to Mr. D. B. Bailey, now the the well known merchant of Appleton, who has been in business here since 1868. She was the mother of six children ; Quincy, her oldest, when ten years old was drowned in the canal just below the upper lock ; her second son, Ralph Waldo, graduated in the Ryan High School and afterwards graduated at the Spencerian Business College in Milwaukee, and is now in business in Denver, Col .; her third son, Andrew Spencer Bailey, is a graduate of Lawrence University and afterwards he gradu-


179


OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


ated at Ann Arbor in the school of dentristry and is now practicing dentistry at Menominee, Mich .; her fourth son, D. B. Bailey, Jr., commenced a course of study in Lawrence University and while studying there was attacked with the grip and has never recovered fully his usually good health since; he has just gone to Colorado this winter, hoping the climate may improve his health, so he can go into some business; Ruthie, her daughter, is now eighteen years old and a student in Lawrence University ; Charlie, the youngest son, is now at home and attends the district school. Mrs. Bailey died Nov. 22, 1884. My two boys, William and Kirtland, I have already told you of and my second daughter ; Lucy was born at Menominee Falls, Wis., Dec. 30, 1846 and died Sept. 12, 1847 ; my third daughter, Hulda, was born at Menominee Falls, Aug. 2, 1851, was two and a half years old when I moved to Appleton, she attended the Third Ward district school until old enough to enter Lawrence University; after spending several terms there. At the age of sixteen years she taught the district school at Perry's corners in Greenville ; afterwards she taught five terms in Denier district, Ellington, and one term in the Bogan district, Grand Chute, and one term in the school house at the forks of the road, near where John Cary now lives. Afterwards she taught the inter- mediate department five years in the Third Ward school, when her health failed ; she quit teaching and commenced helping her mother in the kitchen and soon regained her health. On May 29, 1878, she married Mr. A. F. Bounds; they have two children, Florence, aged twelve years, and Hattie, aged ten years; they have a comfortable home on a part of my old farm and are engaged in raising straw- berries, raspberries and vegetables. I have made my home with them the last four years and probably shall spend my few remaining days in their family. Under their filial care I have a pleasant warm room in their house and have reason to be contented and happy in my old age. I am now in my seventy-ninth year and my health is good for one of my age. My youngest daughter, Flora, was born in Appleton, April 30, 1854, and was married to Mr. B. C.


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


Wolter, Sept. 25, 1879; they have two children living, Mabel aged fourteen years, and Robert aged eleven; they lost one son, Raymond, who died the day he was seven years old ; they now live in the house I built for my home- stead. Mr. Wolter was county clerk from 1878 to 1886 and has been engaged several years selling farm machinery in Appleton.


P. S .- The above biographical and historical sketch of the Spencer Family was written by Elihu Spencer, to be read at the Twenty-third Annual Festival of Onta gamie County Pioneer Association, but the hour of adjournment arrived before it was reached, Feb. 22, 1895.


KAMPS-MOESKES FAMILY.


In 1855 Everard Kamps emigrated from Menseln, near Fort Wesel, Rhenish Prussia, to the United States, settling in Washington county, Wisconsin. In 1860 his parents, remaining brothers and sisters, and Herman Moeskes, a neighbor, with his family followed him, the former join- ing him in Washington county, and the Moeskes family settling in Manitowoc, Wis. In 1861 Gerhard and Theo- dore Kamps removed from Washington county to Appleton, Wis., and opened a harness shop on the site until lately occupied by the Rahn & Bottrell furniture store. The year following Gerhard Kamps erected the building now. occupied as a barber shop, immediately west of the Conti- nental Clothing House, and occupied that as his harness shop until he removed to his present site. The elder Kamps, John Henry, was born in 1797, married in 1821 to Maria Agnes Blankenmeier. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1871, at Appleton, Wis., where his wife died Sept. 4, 1873, and he followed her July 17, 1876. Of the children who came with them to Appleton, to-wit : Everard, John, Gerhard and Theodore, sons; Anna Katharina, Mechtildis and Mary ; two of them, Gerhard and Theodore, still reside at Appleton, our pioneer harness makers. Everard and John removed to Grant county, South Dakota, in 1882, and resided there ever since. Mary, the youngest, was married to G. T. Moeskes, at Appleton, in October, 1869, and died in August, 1894 ; her two older sisters hav-


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


ing passed over to the great beyond before her, Anna Katharina, nee Vogt, in South Dakota, in 1885, and Mechtildis, nee Esser, in Chilton, Wis., in 1872.


Gerhard Kamps, the older of the family, was married on July 4, 1861, to Catharina Jansen, a daughter of Herman Jansen, one of the early pioneers of the town of Kaukauna, who bore him seven children, John Henry, now of Kamps & Sacksteder, druggists; Helen, now the wife of Cashier John J. Sherman, of the Citizens' National Bank ; Herman, jeweler, now of the firm of Mayer & Kamps; Theodore, who succeeded his father as harness maker, and Agnes, now the wife of Henry Reuter, spoke manufacturer, of Rice Lake, Wis., and two who died in infancy. Mrs. Kamps died April 17, 1872. Gerhard Kamps was re-mar- ried June 21, 1873, to Sophia Bauman, who bore him five children : William F., bookkeeper at the Citizens' National Bank ; Richard, clerk at the drug store of Kamps & Sack- steder; Etta and Margaret, still living, and one who died in infancy.


Theodore W., the other brother of Gerhard still residing here, was married Nov. 12, 1867, to Mary Karls, who bore him eight children, Anna, Ferdinand, William A., Louise, Rosa, Adolph and Mamie still living, and three who died in infancy.


Mary, the youngest sister of the Kamps family, was married in October, 1869, to G. T. Moeskes, who bore him three children; Katie, the wife of E. W. Sacksteder, of the firm of Kamps & Sacksteder, druggists, Herman and Lizzie still living, and Agnes, who died at the age of twenty-one in August, 1892; William, who died at the age of sixteen in October, 1893, and two who died in infancy. Mrs. Moeskes died in August, 1894.


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OUTAGAMIE COUNTY PIONEERS.


THE RYAN FAMILY.


Col. Samuel Ryan, who traced his ancestry back into the fifth century, was born at Nenagh, Tipperary county, Ire- land, in 1789. He was impressed as a British sea- man and deserted to the American army on Lake Ontario during the war of 1812, and fought on the American side at Platts- burg and Lundy's Lane. He married at Erie, Pa., in 1823, Martha Johnson, a descendant of the Fifes of Scotland. In June, 1826, they came to Fort Howard, Green Bay. He was the first justice of the peace appointed by Gov. Dodge in the Territory of Wisconsin, and the first Methodist on the Fox HON. SAM. RYAN. river. In 1852 he removed to Menasha, where he was Receiver of the United States Land Office, residing there until his death in 1875. His widow removed to Appleton in 1880, where she resided with her youngest son until her death in 1883, at the age of 83.




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