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 3
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It is claimed, however, by parties conversant with the matter that the college never received the avails of the Meade portion of the donation.
The first improvement in what is now the city was the clearing of some ten acres on the northwest quarter of sec- tion 26, in the season of 1848, and sowing the same to wheat by Jas. Blood, now of Kansas.
In August 1848 Col. H. L. Blood opened a road at what was known as the old Oneida road and commenced draw- ing lumber from the Oneida settlement for the preparatory department of the college. About this time Robert R. Bateman and Rev. A. B. Randall had made claims of land in the immediate vicinity and erected the necessary build- ings for establishing said claims,
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It would be arrogance in me to go into a description of the dimensions or style of the same before this association for you know how it is yourselves.
According to the best information to be obtained the settlers came in the following order : About August 25, 1848, came the large hearted and genial John F. Johnston, and his wife Janet, with a little off-shoot which we all recognize now as Hank. Their residence (people nowa- days would call it a shanty) was located at what is now known as Johnston street, block 29, Second ward. That was the nucleus around which gathered the old settlers of Appleton. It was the bright spot in the dense forest that gave rest and hope to the weary and worn. None were turned rudely away from their door. If the wayfarer could recompense it was well, if not 'twas all the same. They lived the golden rule - "do unto others as you would that others should do unto you." Their dwelling was hotel, hospital, church and Sabbath school room. If a fault they had it was in their too large sympathy to all mankind.
Next came your humble servant and wife. We pitched our tent on the west half of the northeast quarter of sec- tion 27, on the first or second day of September of the same year. We paddled our own canoe from Neenah down through little lake Butte des Morts and landed at the White Heron, and plodded our way to our little shanty in the wilderness which I had erected some days before with lum- ber that I rafted down through the lake and landed at the point now known as Lehman's. It was said to have been the first lumber ever rafted from Neenah to that point.
In the same month came the Rev. A. B. Randall and wife, and settled at what is now the corner of Drew and North streets. During this time the contract had been let for building the basement of the preparatory department of the college to W. T. Bailey, and the superstructure to Wm. McGregor, and the first blow of preparation upon the site of the future University, let it be remembered by the members of this association, was struck by the Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, who with bush-hook and axe made smooth the way, that others might walk therein -demonstrating
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that he was truly a working Christian. In his zeal for the cause he devoted some of the best years of his life, and sacrificed a competency acquired in earlier years ; but he is embalmed in the hearts of those earlier pioneers as a Christian gentleman, and the noblest work of God -an honest man.
The first sermon preached in Appleton was by the Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, followed by the Rev. A. B. Randall and Rev. Reeder Smith. But I am digressing. Next came John P. Parish and William Blake and their families, Wm. McGregor and Waterson.
Among the very first came the late J. Cortland Smith, if not before any of us. We remember him as the genial gentleman and the never failing friend of the poor and down-trodden. His monument towers over our main ave- nue, in the shape of the most imposing business block in the city. He was followed by his brother, Peter V. Smith, who is now a resident of Grand Chute. About this time, one Charles Wolcott came into the settlement. Charlie could turn his hand at almost any kind of business and was looked upon as a valuable acquisition ; but appearances, then as now, were deceitful ; Charlie proved to be a perfect Modoc. He raided the town in mid-winter, captured every woman, placed them upon an ox-sled and proceded west ; but through some means they escaped and returned to their homes. Afterwards it was reported that Charlie said that twelve women on one ox-sled was too big a job of sleigh riding for him, and that in the line of gallantry he was not the man he took himself to be. People in the section of country where he resides now, give evidence of good be- havior.
Rev. Wm. H. Sampson moved his family into Esq. Bate- man's claim shanty, and Rev. Reeder Smith and family came to board with him, some time during the winter. The aforesaid reverend vacated the premises of Esq., Bateman after a short time, for a situation on Lawrence street.
Robert R. Bateman, Esq., moved his family here in December, 1848, or January, 1849. I think the first house that was built within the present city limits, was built by
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myself, of logs in the months of September and October, 1848.
Col. H. L. Blood brought his family here in the spring of 1849, and opened a store on the site now occupied by the First National Bank.
The preparatory department of the college was erected on the third day of July, on the spot now occupied by George White's house, and on the Fourth the settlers held an old-fashioned picnic celebration in the building, with John Stephens, as reader, and Rev. A. B. Randall, as .orator of the day.
Among the settlers who arrived with their families in 1849 was Daniel W. Briggs, Dr. Samuel E. Beach, Deacon Wait Cross, John McPherson, Col. Theo. Conkey, Tracy P. Bingham, W. S. Warner, John H. Hart, Jas. M. Phinney, who, by the way, is the pioneer educator of Appleton, hav- ing been professor of mathematics, at the commencement of the college ; and among the young men arriving were the Hon. G. H. Myers, P. H. Smith, the late Anson Bal- lard, Erasmus Beach, John Moody and many others that time will not allow me to enumerate. Tracy P. Bingham erected the first saw mill this year, near the site now occu- pied by the Ames Paper and Pulp Mill.
The first legally laid out highway was a state road from Menasha, via Appleton to Bruce's mill, now Stephensville. Commissioners were William Rork, James Blood and J. S. Buck ; and John Stevens, surveyor.
The town of Grand Chute was organized this year from the town of Kaukauna, taking in what is now the town of Grand Chute and city of Appleton, as well as the towns of Greenville, Dale and Hortonia. Chairman of the town board, H. L. Blood; treasurer and collector, Robert R. Bateman; town clerk, E. L. Thurber; constable, Wm. Carter ; justice of the peace, J. S. Buck.
On the evening of the ninth of October, of this year, the first lawyer made his appearance in our little hamlet, in the person of Geo. H. Myers. There was a little coinci- dence in connection with his arrival, which has been here- tofore overlooked by the public, and the party most par-
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ticularly interested. It was on the same evening that one of the new comers of the settlement, not having the peace and morals of society at heart, but intent only on the ac- cumulation of the filthy lucre, landed a barrel of whisky on board of a Durham boat from Neenah. The people said that the devil in that whisky had not got the face to come up the hill and think of surviving the conflict, and such proved to be the case; for behold, when the morning light appeared, the whisky had slyly slid away -the barrel be- ing found to be empty. If fervent prayers could have tapped that barrel the Rev. Wm. H. Sampson might have been the guilty party, as he was a passenger on the same boat; but the owner insisted that that whisky did not spring a leak; but its passage was facilitated by human hands, and yet he never charged it upon Myers, as being accessory before the fact, notwithstanding the circum- stances were against Myers.
Up to this time there was no talk of temperance or in- temperance, every one was temperate-teetotalers ; in fact, intoxicating beverages with us were as though they were not. None had them and none cared for them. As a mat- ter of course, it led to considerable discussion, and it was admitted that we had no law to protect us, and that the only alternative was to set our faces sturdily against the evil and fight it at every opportunity.
Among the arrivals of 1850 were James Gilmore, the late Amos Story, Wm. Johnson, the late Benj. Proctor, Charles Mory, W. G. and J. H. Whorton and Joseph Rork, with families.
This year the work upon the pier or crib for the improve- ment of the river was commenced by contractors Story & Talmadge. The work was under the supervision of Ex- Mayor Johnson.
Benj. Proctor was the builder of the wagon that bore the first load of lumber from the Oneida settlement to this place. In 1852 himself and son, Frank, built an edge tool factory, but their skill and energy were in advance of the times and locality and they threw up the business. The building is now known as the Outagamie Mill. 3
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In the winter of 1850 and 1851 the act was passed creat- ing the county of Outagamie from a portion of Brown county and making the county seat at Appleton. The officers were as follows: Treasurer, Chas. Grignon, of Kaukauna; register of deeds, Henry S. Eggleston ; county clerk, Lorenzo E. Darling ; county surveyor, John Stevens, who were elected in November, 1851. In the winter of 1851 and 1852 the county was organized for judicial pur- poses and at an election held in the month of April, 1852, George H. Myers was elected district attorney ; A. B. Evarts, sheriff, and Henry S. Eggleston, clerk of the court.
Among the many settlers arriving in 1852 was a big portly fellow. He was heavy on blooded stock, pacing ponies and agricultural implements ; but the one prominent idea with him was the stump machine. Lead him off on what subject you might, back he would come to that stump machine, as regular as a tax gatherer or a setting hen on her nest. Not meeting with the success he anticipated, he went to Lake Superior. In a very short time he received a proposition from a citizen here to return and pull eight acres of stumps. That was evidently the turning point in his life, for he has been full of jobs ever since, ranging from one to thirty-two "achers" in a job. With a broad grin he exults in the fact that there are more stumps in Outagamie county to-day than ever before. From the size of the man and the implement, the association will recognize the Pioneer Dentist, Byron Douglas.
There were three notable events in the year 1853, the commencement of the present university building, the ad- vent of Sam Ryan, Jr., and the Appleton Crescent.
The university building was completed in 1855. The first class graduating from the university was in 1857. Up to the present time there have graduated 124 gentlemen and 62 ladies-making an aggregate of 186 thoroughly educated ladies and gentlemen sent forth from what, less than twenty-nine years since, was a dense wilderness which is only one of the many proofs of the results of what earn- est persistent pioneering has accomplished in this our chosen home, This year Elihu Spencer and family put in
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their appearance. In April of this year, a charter having been obtained, there was an organization of the village board, by the election of the following officers: J. F. Johnston, president ; Wait Cross, Geo. Lanphear, W. H. Sampson, and Sam Ryan, Jr., .trustees ; Jas. S. Eggleston, treasurer ; James Gilmore, assessor ; James M. Phinney, clerk. The board met at the Clifton House, (afterwards known as the Crescent Hotel) upon the sight now occupied by the Manufacturers' National Bank.
The first church organizations were as follows: The first class of the M. E. church was formed in February, 1849, by Rev. A. B. Randall, consisting of eleven members, with Robert R. Bateman, as leader.
During the year 1851 the old school Presbyterian church was organized, with James Gilmore and Fred Packard as deacons. They held their services in the building on the opposite side of Oneida street from the present Congrega- tional church. It was currently reported that while Gil- more was in the woods cutting timber for the church building that a portion of the society got together and stole the organization and converted it into the Congrega ·· tional church. The deacons looked upon the matter as a deception and one of them at least denounced it as such. The next move was an effort to reduce Brother Gilmore to the ranks and he was notified to put in his defense. It was evident they were not acquainted with the man for his de- fense came in the shape of an interrogation : "Do you not claim to be a Congregational church?" "Of course we are !" "Well, I am a Presbyterian deacon, and I would like to see the power in this church that can turn me out." Well gentlemen, he is there yet, and his church has a beautiful lot on Lawrence street, for the erection of a Presbyterian church, and from $6,000 to $10,000 ready cash to commence operations - one more evidence of persistent pioneering.
The St. Mary's Catholic church was organized in 1857 by a little band of the hardy yeomanry - tillers of the soil-who rallied around their cherished altar under great disadvantages, both pecuniarily and otherwise, until to-
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day, they have in course of completion one of the finest edifices in the city. Could you have attended with me a temperance meeting held in that church the past year and have seen them coming forward by the hundred, led by the pioneer members, to take the teetotal pledge, you would have exclaimed : Make way for St. Mary's church in the work of reform. The first church service was held in the Second ward school house in 1853, by Rev. Father Coulter.
The first wedding service was performed by your humble. servant. The contracting. parties were a Mr. Lockwood and a Miss Webley.
Death first entered the settlement Oct. 15, 1840. H. N. Day lost a child. It was buried on his farm, the farm now owned by the White family on the Freedom road. The grave is yet to be seen near the east side of the farm.
The next death was Erasmus Beach, in September, 1850. He was a brother of Dr. S. E. Beach. The next was one of Appleton's fairest flowers, Miss Amelia Bateman, who died Jan. 7, 1851. She was a daughter of Robert R. Bate- man, Esq. These things remind us that pioneering, like all else, must have an end; 'tis well. These well filled tables, these joyous reunions are well befitting to this little band of pioneers who by privation and endurance have carved a competency from this once dense wilderness ; but the bending form, the silvered head and furrowed brow proclaim in language not to be misunderstood, that it was not achieved without almost untold privations and fearful struggles.
Grand Chute .- Daniel Huntley appeared in the capac- ity of historian for the town of Grand Chute. As among the early settlers of his town he enumerated J. Rork, Har- mon Jones, Chas. Wolcott, E. Spencer, Frank Vandebogart, Mr. Fairbanks, Wm. McGuire, Harrison Green, W. H. P. Bogan, Mr. Verity, Messrs. McCarthy, Craine, Broulliard, Hodgins, Randall, Murch, Woodland, Peter V. Smith, Hawthorne, Rolla A. Lawe, Gideon Wolcott, Messrs. Rou- debush, Grant, and Barker. Mr. Huntley made a few remarks concerning the experience of early settlers, their
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privations, pleasures, etc. He said that those who origi- nally engaged in farming, and have continued in this business, have been successful with scarcely a single excep- tion. Some interesting facts were given relative to the progress and improvement of the town as well as the county at large. He said, however, that the progress of our common schools has not been commensurate with the general prosperity of the county in other respects. The school houses especially are not what they should be, in point of size and elegance. More attention should be be- stowed upon this very important matter.
Greenville .- John Dey appeared in behalf of the pioneers of Greenville. He said : I have been chosen by the committee to gather facts and incidents experienced by the early settlers of Greenville, and to write a sketch of the same to be read at the annual gathering of the pioneers at Appleton on the 22d of February, 1877.
I have only gathered a few facts out of many. I will commence with John Hafner who lived on section 13. He came from Milwaukee to Greenville in the month of June, 1847, with an ox team. He had a family of ten, six boys and two girls. Stopped at Neenah one week, while he and his boys cut a road so that they might arrive at their home. He was the third settler in town. Went to Osh- kosh with an ox team to buy nails to build a shanty. In the year of 1849 the wolves were very bad, they chased his son, William, one and one-quarter miles and came near catching him, but instead of him did take a yearling steer and mangled a heifer, made a great noise in howling, lost large hogs by bears. Mr. Hafner died in 1868, his son William lives on the old homestead and drove the first ox team on the Hortonville road east from section 13. The house of Mr. Hafner was a home for the pioneers moving in town.
Matthew Culbertson came in April, 1848; built the second shanty in town ; went fifteen miles to borrow an ax of St. Mary's to build a shanty ; had to carry it back inside of one week; went to Fond du Lac to buy an ax ; kept batch
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three years ; cleared one acre of land ; carried one bushel of potatoes from Neenah for seed; in 1849 had three acres of wheat, threshed it with his horses ; cut twenty-five tons of hay on the marsh ; had the second horse team; was the first treasurer in town. He still remains on his farm, sec- tion 19, one of the wealthiest farmers in town. Pioneers are welcome at his house at any time.
James Wickware arrived May, 1848; was eleven days on the road from Wakeshaw, accompanied by James Hard- acker and family, who lived with Wickware for a while, and here was born Louis Hardacker, the first white child in town. Wickware was married to the daughter of Clark Wood in October, 1850, perhaps the second wedding in town. He sold his farm for $4,000 in 1875; was the second treasurer in the town. Isaac Wickware came in with his brother James; was the first chairman and justice in the town, sold his farm to Fred Miller for $4,000 ; taught school in District No. 4; moved to Missouri with his family with a horse team in the year 1867.
L. E. Darling was the second chairman of the town; is now the president of the pioneer association.
Seth J. Perry entered the first land in town ; mowed in 1849 first wheat - twenty-seven bushels per acre; had the first threshing machine, 1851, owned by Joseph Lord ; sold wheat to Neenah for fifty-six cents a bushel ; built the first frame barn ; lives on the same land, a very beautiful farm ; has the only hop yard and is one of the wealthiest men in town. Pioneers are always welcome at his house.
Miles Perry and wife came in 1849 from East Troy with an ox team ; built a shanty 18x24 ; went six miles to borrow a broadax; carried it home at night; was chased by drunken Indians. Mrs. Perry stayed all alone twenty-three days in her new home and only saw one white man, but plenty of red men, who were quite saucy. Mrs. Perry's oldest daughter was born Oct. 12, 1850, probably the first birth of a white female child in town; is now the wife of A. Culbertson. Mrs. Perry drove a number of Indians out of the melon patch with a club. Her first visitors were fourteen Indians and squaws on Sunday ; they were seated
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on the floor; first wheat was the hedgerow, reaped with the sickle; owned one-third of the first fanning mill. He remains on the old farm. Call on him, you will find in him and wife the same friendly greeting as in pioneer life.
James Webley arrived April 1, 1849, from Dodge county ; was at the first town meeting. He started the first tannery to tan deer skins, his son, 412 years old, coming from school, strayed in the woods and was lost in the spring of 1853, three months after he was found in a sink hole by Mr. Norton who was looking for swine. Rev. Mr. Revelle preached the funeral sermon at the grave near the house.
Julius Perrot and wife came from Milwaukee in May, 1849, with an ox team; put up at Horn's tavern ; Mrs. Perrot drove a cow from Milwaukee; sowed one and one- quarter acres of wheat in 1850, had 700 bundles ; threshed with a flail, cleaned with a hand fan, and got fifty bushels. Mrs. Perrot underbrushed twelve acres of timber and packed many thousand shingles at night. He worked two days on the road under Pathmaster Colkins, to work out road tax ; the best sugar year was in 1854, when they made over 1,800 pounds. Mr. Perrot was the best squirrel and chipmunk hunter that Greenville ever had; he is one of our jolly pioneers ; if any of you pioneers call on Mr. and Mrs. Perrot, at their pleasant home on section 7, you will be among the many welcome guests.
John Jacquot came with Mr. Perrot and still remains on his beautiful farm on section 18. He is a first-class farmer ; His oldest son was scalded in the spring of 1854, lingered a few days and died. Rev. Vandoran preached the sermon.
A. Grant and wife came in the fall of 1850 with a yoke of three-year-old steers and an old wagon; when they ar- rived they had six cents in cash, were ten days on the road from Milwaukee ; built a log house where J. Jack's orchard stands; they lived a number of weeks on corn bread for breakfast, mush for dinner, and cold corn bread for supper with molasses. Had one pan of flour, lent half of that, and did not know where the next was coming from. I went to Appleton the day before Christmas after good things,
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but did not get home until late on Christmas night ; bought corn meal, dried apples, tea and coffee; at Mr. Grant's table I ate the best sauce I ever ate in this state; it was made out of pie plant. At that day the ladies followed the fashions of the day, eight yards of blue calico was plenty for a dress with frills and puffs. Mr. Grant now lives in Ellington.
Wilder Patch came in the spring of 1850; chopped and burned brush off three acres and planted corn among the logs ; commenced building a house but fell short of money, and took a job of Rynders July 4, and finished it Septem- ber 10. He lived on what $5.00 bought while doing the work. Mr. Patch sold his farm, 1866, for $3,350 ; the sign of marriage in those days was the loved ones kissing over the gate.
April 8, 1850, the town had its first town meeting ; nine- teen votes were polled ; the tax for the year was $645.45. Out of the nineteen voters there are three that remain, S. J. Perry, Matthew Culbertson and Miles Perry.
There is much that might be said about the early settlers but I must close by saying I myself came to Appleton Sep- tember 10, 1848. When I arrived there I had ten cents in cash, one cow, one set of coopers' tools, wife and two · babies ; moved to Greenville in March, 1854; was elected the fourth treasurer of the town; I have held the office of justice of the peace twenty years ; the happiest Christmas was when I had money enough to buy three pounds of dried apples, one gallon of black molasses, and half of a pig's head, then with my little family, happy and con- tented, we kept Christmas. The first meeting was in a little log school house in District No. 1; Libbie Lanphear taught the first school in District No. 4, and boarded with us ; got $3.00 a week and paid $1.25 for board; the first hog I bought in Greenville was bought with a four dollar gold piece paid to me for uniting two happy ones ; my first threshing floor was three planks. Mrs. Dey carried most of the water we used from a spring, half a mile from our house the first summer ; about this time several pioneers came; among them Scott, Sweetzer, House, Lewis, Palmer,
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Blocker, Mills and many others, who are some of our first- class farmers and have helped make Greenville what it is to-day.
In 1876 at the fall election there were 338 votes polled ; the tax-for 1876 was $6,049.42, the value from assess- ment $441,253; number of horses, 499; number of neat cattle, 1,255 ; number of hogs, 657 ; number of sheep, 3,141; number of carriages and sleighs, 477 ; number of brick houses, 31 ; number of frame houses, 104; number of log houses, 55 ; number of log barns, 27; number of frame barns, 137. The first twenty-five apple trees I set out was on the 20th day of November, 1853; the first apples re- ceived from them was in fall 1857; they were bought at Neenah. We have in town two institutions where liquor is sold ; two grange halls; four churches ; one division of Sons of Temperence ; one Sunday school; one insurance company of the county, started in Greenville; one cheese factory ; one butter factory. Mrs. John Seager taught the first school in town, in District No. 1; John Jewell was the first superintendent of Sunday school ; first block salt was made by J. Nye and B. Mills. In conclusion I will say I love my pioneer home and expect to live and die in our be- loved town.
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