Meriden Township

Meriden Township

The first settler in the town of Meriden ^ w^s Mr. A. M^ Fitzsimmons, who came into the town and settled in tha south-east corner of section thirty-six, in June, 1855. The first person bom in the town was a daughter of Mr. 0. H*, Wilker, in March, 1856. The first marriage was that of Mr. W- F. Dunn, (now Colonel in U. S. Army,) to Miss Roxie Henshaw, which took place at Mr. Austin Vinton's, on the 24th of September, 1856. Rev. H, Chapin, of Owatonna, performed the ceremony. There being no horses in the neighborhood, the guests were all conveyed in farm - wagons drawn by oxen. The first death was that of a Mr, Simmons, son-in-law of Mr. Fitzsimmons, the first settler of the the town. He was killed by lightning while sitting in' his house, in the summer of 1858. The first school, was taught in the summer of 1858 by Miss Leroy, daughter of Henry Leroy, Esq. The first religious service was held at the house of Mr. Wilker, in the summer of 1857 ; the preacher was a German Methodist.

There are now five districts in the town in which schools > are taught, and several new districts which have- not yet' had a school". The only church is a German Lutheran, many of the inhabitants belonging to churches in Owatonna and Waseca.

Meriden is bounded on the north by Deerfield, east by Owatonna, south by Lemond, and west by Wilton, in Waseca county. In the western part of the town is a slough or marsh, covering nearly two sections of land, and from which flovs a small stream c^led Crane creek, running in a north-east direction, through the soutk-east corner oi Deerfield and north-west corner of Clinton Falls, emptying into Straight river at Medford. The southern portion is covered to some extent with oak openings, while the north-

The town was organized in 1858, at which time A. F. Tracy was chosen Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and W. T. Drown, Town Clerk ; since which time those offices have been filled as follows :