Dodge County, Wisconsin - Chapter 3, 1880

Chapter 3

Political Geogkapiiy - Horicon Dam Contkoversy - County Pooh Fakji - Honorable Men- TioN - iLLUSTifiors Dead - Relics of the Eighteenth Century - First Land Entry, Etc. - A Fourth ok July Celebration - Some Statistics - The Great Indian Scare.

Dodge County is bounded on the north by the counties of Green Lake and Fond du Lac, on the east by Fond du Lac and Washington, on the south by Jeiferson and Waukesha, and on the west by Dane and Cohimbia. Its eastern boundary is about twenty-six miles from Lake Michigan 'and its western boundary about one hundred and four miles from the Mississippi River. It covers an area of 900 square miles, and, with the exception of Dane, is the largest southeastern county in the State. This territory, with all the Northwest, was claimed by France from 1(571 to 1763, when it was surrendered to the British. By the Quebec Act of 1774, the whole was placed under the local administration of Canada. It was, however, practically put under a despotic military rule, and so continued until possession passed to the United States. Before the last mentioned event, and during and after the Revolution, the conflicting claims of Virginia, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, to portions of the country, were relinquished to the General Government. All these claims were based upon chartered rights, and Virginia added to hers the right of conquest of the " Illinois country " during the Revolution. As early as October, 1778, she declared, by an act of her General Assembly, that all the citizens of that commonwealth who were then settled, or should thereafter settle, on the western side of the Ohio, should be included in a distinct county, which should be called Illinois. No Virginians were then settled as far north as what is now Wisconsin ; and, as none thereafter located so far north before she relinquished all her rights to the United States, it follows that no part of the State was included in Illinois County, and that she never exercised any jurisdiction over any portion of Wisconsin ; nor did she make claim to any portion of it by right of conquest.

Notwithstanding the passage of the ordinance of 1787, establishing a government over the territory northwest of the Ohio River, which territory was acquired by the treaty of 178-3 from Great Britain, possession only was obtained by the United States of the southern portion, the northern part being held by the British Government until 1796. Arthur St. Clair, in February, 1790, exercising the functions of Governor, and having previously organized a government for the country under the ordinance above mentioned, established, in what is now the State of Illinois, a county which was named St. Clair. But, as this county only extended north " to the mouth of the Little Mackinaw Creek on the Illinois," it did not include, of course, any part of the present Wisconsin, although being the nearest approach thereto of any organized county up to that date.

The next and much nearer approach to Dodge County was by the organization of Wayne County in 1796, which was made to include, beside much other territory, all of the present State watered by streams flowing into Lake Michigan. Still, no part of Rock River Valley had as yet come into any county organization. However, from 1800 to 1809, what are now the limits of Dodge County were within the Territory of Indiana, and, in the last mentioned year, passed into the Territory of Illinois. It is probable that the Indiana Territory exercised jurisdiction over what is now Wisconsin to the extent of appointing two .Justices of the Peace - one for Green Bay and one for Prairie du Chien. In the year 1809, the Illinois Territorial Government commissioned three Justices of the Peace and two militia officers at Prairie du Chien, St. Clair County having previously been extended so as to include that point, and probably Green Bay. In the course of time, other Illinois counties had jurisdiction, until in 1818, when what is now Wisconsin became a portion of the Territoi-y of Michigan. Under the government of the latter, the district of country now forming Dodge County was first included within the limits of the county of Brown, afterward Milwaukee, and so continued until it became itself a county, constituted as such by name and boundary, December 7, 1836.

The Horicon Dam Controversy

The erection of a dam across Rock River, near the village of Horicon, was commenced in 1845 and completed in 1846-47. A saw-mill was built, in connection with the dam, in 1847, and a grist-mill in 1848-49. In June, 1852, owing to an unusual accumulation of water above, the dam "went out." The break was nearly one hundred feet in width, and the united efforts of the citizens were required to stay the rushing waters. For six weeks, the work of depositing stones and trees and earth in the break went on, and it was not until the energies of the current had been spent, that the gaping chasm could be completely bridged. In the mean time, the land owners on the east side of the lake got out an injunction against the proprietors of the dam - who were, putativel}', William M. Larrabee, John B. Preston, Harvey Rice and Jonathan Burr - to restrain them from further proceeding with the work ; but, as the citizens appeared to be the parties most interested, service of the restraining order upon the individuals named above (who were apparently unconcerned) did not have the effect of suspending operations ; and so the dam was finished, and, in the spring of 1853, the lake, to the evident gratifition of duck-hunters, small boys and muskrats, became itself again. About this time, a league, composed of farmers claiming that their lands were overflowed by the waters of the lake, was organized and led by Ira Hodge, and thenceforth a relentless war was waged against those interested in maintaining the dam. In March, 1854, the Horicon Iron and Manufacturing Company was duly incorporated, and " authorized to maintain the dam now erected across Rock River, at the village of Horicon ; provided, however, that the dam or dams hereafter constructed shall not be raised so as to flow other lands than are already flowed ; * * * and, in the event of the said dam causing the water to flow upon lands other than those belonging to said company, and if said company cannot agree with the owners thereof as to the amount of compensation to be paid for damages to such lands by reason of such flowing, and for the right to flow the same, then the question of damages to such lands, and for such right, shall be submitted to arbitrators." Hodge, after being awarded $1,400 for damages to his own land, used his efforts to have his neighbors press their claims, and the result was a suit before the Circuit Court of Milwaukee County, entitled " Zweig vs. Horicon Iron and Manufacturing Company and others. In Vol. XVII, Wisconsin Reports, we find a recital of the case, in substance as follows :

In December, 1850, the plaintiff tooli out a patent from the United States for the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 10, Township 12, Range 16, in Dodge County, and also for tlie northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 9 in the same town. In November, 1853, he became owner of the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of said Section 9. In December, 1858, he became owner of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of said Section 10. The lands were first entered in the summer of 1849. * * * * In the fall of 1858, proceedings were taken by the plaintift' to obtain damages from said Company for the flowage of his lands, and for the right to flow them. An .arbitration was hail, .as provided by the charter of the Company, and award made in March, 1859, from which the plaintiff appealed, and judgment wag rendered for the plaintiff, in May, 18G0. for §860 damages, with costs. On this judgment, execution was issued May 4, 1860, and on the 4th of July following, the Sheriff returned that after diligent search he could not find any property belonging to the defendant whereon to make the whole or any part of the amount. No part of the jildgment having been paid or tendered to the plaintiff, this action was commenced against the Company in 1862 for an abatement of the dam, and an injunction against its further maintenance.

The answer of the Company, among other things, denied the regularity of the proceedings resulting in the judgment ; stated that by reason of the erection of the dam a lai-ge and flourishing village and a large mill and manufacturing interest had grown up, which would be greatly injured by the removal of the dam ; that it had been maint.ained since 1846, and that the plaintiffacquired title to his lands in part in 1848, and in p.art in 1853 ; that he had lived in the neighborhood thereof ever since 1848, and had knowledge of the existence of the dam and the extent of the damage done. The answer also alleged that the execution was improperly returned unsatisfied, as the Company had sufficient property to satisfy the same apparent of record.

The Court decided against the plaintiff, and an appeal to the Supreme Court was taken, which resulted in a reversal of the decision of tlie Court below, and the subsequent tearing away of the dam. The opinion was by Judge Orsamus Cole, and was based mainly upon the provisions of Section 7 of the Company's Charter, namely : That in the event of the dam causing the towage of lands not belonging to the Company, if the latter could not agree with the land-owner as to the amount of compensation, such amount should be determined in a mode therein specified. The Court held that where the owner of lands flowed by the dam had obtained, in accordance with the charter, a judgment for his damages, which was not paid and could not be collected, he was entitled to have the dam abated.

When it became evident that the removal of the Horicon dam would be the ultimate result of the legal proceedings then pending, the Legislature was applied to by William M. Dennis, Samuel Baird, Trueman Woodford, H. H. Rich, H. E. Connit, J. M. Sherman and Sat. Clark, the individuals ostensibly interested in the dam property, for a law allowing them to purchase of the State the land now known as the Horicon marsh, comprising an area of about twenty-five thousand acres. The petitioners set forth that, in view of the loss they would sustain by the demolition of their dam, they should be granted the privilege of thus indemnifying themselves. The act required was accordingly passed in 1867, and an association of the above-named individuals was immediately formed, known as the Mechanics' Union Manufacturing Company, with a capital stock of $70,000, divided into $100 shares. Messrs. Rich and Connit have retire^ from the Company, the latter disposing of his interest to C. K. Pryor, of Fond du Lac. About one-eighth of the land has been sold to private parties.

County Poor-Farm

No nation upon the earth is more magnanimous in its laws relating to the care of the poor than is the United States of America. Especially is tliis true of that poi'tion of the counti-y known as the great Northwest, and particularly of the section within the province of this work. It is not strange that the early settler so readily discovered the necessities of the poor, and was so prompt to take action in inaugurating measures for their relief and comfort, when we consider that his own condition was one of poverty ; thus he was enabled to realize the situation of his neighbor, who perhaps, had been less fortunate in his efforts to provide against the attacks of those twin monsters, cold and hunger. There is no record of the many private acts of charity known to have been performed by affluent citizens toward their needy neighbors. The halo of an eloquent silence surrounds them ; but, deeply graven, in letters more pure than gold, doth shine the deeds of many noble men and women, whose Christianity is not alone e.xpressed in their devotion to the church.

The first organized effort on the part of the citizens of Dodge County for the alleviation of their fellow-beings whose misfortunes had brought them to the threshold of want, was made in 185.3, when a quarter-section of land was purchased in Hyland Prairie and devoted to the purpose of a Poor-Farm. In 1859, a more suitable and convenient site was obtained near Juneau, containing one hundred and forty acres, for which the county paid $3,500. In the mean time, the paupers were removed to Waupun, where they temporarily occupied the old Carrington House until the completion, in 1861, of the main building near Juneau, when they were transferred to permanent quarters. Additional buildings have been put up from time to time, over

$20,000 having been expended in improvements, upon which there is an insurance of $12,300 in the most substantial guilds. The buildings are of brick, of the most modern design, well ventilated in summer and heated by steam in the winter. A thorough inspection of the premises, from cellar to garret, by the writer, justifies the assertion that no institution of a similar nature, in point of cleanliness and systematic management generally, presents more superior advantages or facilities. The institution is supported from county and town funds, $1.75 per week for each pauper being charged for board, clothing, tobacco, etc. The average aggregate cost per year is about $5,000. The highest number of inmates cared for at any one time (including the county's insane, who, by the way, should belong to a separate institution) was seventy-eight ; the present number is si.xty-two. The cost of maintaining the twenty-one insane persons, at present confined there, is quite as great as is the amount required for twice that number of paupers. For the past three years the annual productions of the Poor-Farm have amounted to $2,200. The superintendence and management of the Poorhouse has, a greater portion of the time since its establishment, been vested in a Board of Trustees, composed of three members of the Board of Supervisors, one of whom acted as resident Superintendent. In 1854, the non-resident members of the Board were A. Ackerman and Lorenzo Merrill ; in 1855, William Giles became the resident Superintendent, and remained as such until 1861. During this time, Lorenzo Merrill, Silas Hemstreet and James H. Warren were on the Board of nonresident managers. From 1861 to 1876, A. B. Hitchcock was the Superintendent, with the exception of one year, when Aaron Potter was substituted, but retired in favor of Mr. Hitchcock, who was re-instated. In January, 1876, J. W. Perry became Superintendent, and has remained in office to the present time. The employed help is very small, considering the great amount of work to be performed, and consists of two men and four girls, yrhose salaries, together with those paid the Superintendent and his wife - the latter of whom acts in the capacity of matron - aggregate $1,855 per annum. Those of the inmates whose disabilities are not too great make themselves useful about the farm. Superi/itendent Perry commands the respect and obedience of his wards, as well as the confidence of the people.

Honorable Mention

Dodge County has been exceptionally prolific of men who have gone before the world charged by intelligent constituencies with the duties pertaining to honorable and responsible public positions. Foremost among these may be mentioned the Honorable Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz, who for some years made the Fifth Ward of Watei-town his permanent residence.

Second in the list of honorable mention is Gov. William E. Smith, who settled at Fox Lake in 1849, and resided there until 1871. During that time he served three terms as State Senator, and two as Assemblyman ; was afterward elected State Treasurer two terms, and is now filling the office of Governor of the State of Wisconsin for the second time.

The gentlemen resident in Dodge County whose voices have been heard in the halls of Congress are Charles Billinghurst, C. H. Larrabee, A. Scott Sloan and S. D. Burchard. Mr. Billinghurst was chosen to represent his district in the Lower House of the first State Legislature, and was twice elected to Congress. Charles H. Larrabee was a member of the Second Constitutional Convention, and was. on the bench as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from August, 1848, to June, 1853. He was elected to the XXXVIth Congress, and, when the war broke out, entered the service in defense of the Union as Major of the Fifth Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers. Resigning that position, he was appointed Colonel of the Twentyfourth Wisconsin Volunteers, and served till the close of the bloody conflict. Col. Larrabee is now practicing law at Seattle, Washington Territory. A. Scott Sloan has been a member of the Assembly, Attorney General two terms, member of Congress, and Judge of the County and Circuit Courts. Mr. Burchard, the last member of Congress, resident and representative of Dodge County, has served four years as State Senator.

Gen. Henry Bertram became f;imou,s during the war against secession. He enlisted from the Fifth Ward of Watertown, as First Lieutenant of Company A, Third Regiment, commanded at the historical battle of Prairie Grove, and rose rapidly from the rank of a Lieutenant to that of Brevet Brigadier General. Returning from the front after the fall of Richmond, he was appointed Postmaster of Watertown, by President Johnson, and, in 1870, was elected to the Assembly from that city, and afterward served one term as Sherift' of Dodge County. He died September 3, 1878, and fills an honored grave in the public cemetery at Juneau.

Hiram Barber, Jr., came to Dodge County with his father. Judge Barber, of Horicon, at quite an early age ; received a common-school education at Juneau, and graduated at the Wisconsin University; practiced law at Juneau, in partnership with Billinghurst & Lewis; afterward removed to Watertown, where he became associated in his profession with Gill & Friebert; took lip his residence in Chicago some years ago, and was elected to Congress from Cook County in 1878.

William Huntington, once a resident of Dodge County, held an important position in the Treasury Department under Mr. Spinner, afterward became Jay Cook's confidential man in his Washington banking business, and was cashier of the first National Bank established in the United States. Mr. Huntington enjoyed the possession of wonderful business faculties, and was a sumptuous sort of individual, who entertained without stint. He once gave a dinner to the Japanese Embassy, and his mahogany was frerjuently surrounded by Senators, diplomats, etc. He died some five or six years ago.

Dougc County also has its representative In the Navy, in the person of Albert Mertz. He was appointed as cadet midshipman in 1867, and graduated at Annapolis, Md , in 1872. He is now in command of the Coast Survey Steamer Hitchcock, employed in making triangulation surveys on the Lower Missi.ssippi River, his rank being that of Master in the Navy, equivalent to First Lieutenant in the Army. His longest cruise lasted about forty months, during which time he visited most of tlie important seaports in the world, and traveled over 54,000 miles.

Among those who have held appointive positions in the National House of Representatives, may be mentioned C. B. Beebe, Assistant Postmaster under W. S. King ; S. P. Doolittle, clerk in one of the departments ; J. A. Barney (e.x- State Senator), clerk of the Committee on Claims ; D. C. Gowiley (editor Beaver Dam A^-gus). messenger in the Clerk's document room; H. W. Finch, clerk in one of the departments ; Hugh Lewis, Doorkeeper's messenger, distinguished for rearing a Democratic " eagle " (in rivalry of the celebrated war eagle " Old Abe"), which developed into a common hen-hawk, whereupon Hugh abandoned the calling of a naturalist and went into polities.

Illustrious Dead

It is tlie prerogative of every American citizen, no matter what his station in life may be to win for himself a name and fame, and have his life revealed upon the pages of his country's history. It is not pre-ordained that all men shall become great in the sense that Alexander was illustrious; but there are illimitable opportunities for every human being to earn distinction within the little sphere he or she may occupy. It is not the superior knowledge of the law, of theology, or other branch of philosophy, one man may possess over another that makes him greater in the estimation of his fellows ; it is the sincerity of his nature, the candor, the honesty of purpose - the integrity- -that animates his every impulse and impresses itself upon the escutcheon of his deeds.

This work would be incomplete without a reference to the lives and services of those who founded the grand institutions of civilization and progress in "Old Dodge," and were called away, many of them, before the ripening of trie fruits of their early labors. No more fitting caption than the "Illustrious Dead" could be chosen to surmount this common tribute to the memories of such men as Jacob P. Brower, Charles Billinghurst, Stoddard Judd, John J. Miter, William M. Larrabee, Abram Ackerman, Charles Burchard, Leonard Mertz, Ingraham Gould, Moses Ordway and William H. Lander.

was born in Brigliton, Monroe Co., N. Y.. in 1818. His father, William Billinglmrst, came from England at an early day and settled in Monroe County, the township of Brighton being named for his native place in the land of his birth William Billinghurst was a man of great prominence in the county of his adoption, and was for several terms a member of the Legislature of the Empire State. He died in 1834. Charles Billinghurst, the subject of this sketch, was the seventh son. His earlier years were passed upon his father's farm. After receiving the ordinary education of the day (but not the benefit of a collegiate coui'se), he was certified as a student at law, and commenced reading for his profession in the office of the late Horace Gay, of Rochester. On his admission to the bar of that city he formed a partnership with the Hon. Henry R. Selden, now one of the Judges of the Court of Appeals. While in the practice of his profession, and with every promise of honorable success, in the year 1845 he was prostrated bv an alarming hemorrhage of the lungs, and by his physician's advice gave up practice, and made an equestrian tour of the States of Kentucky and Indiana. On his return, finding himself greatly improved in health, he resumed and continued practice until new symptoms of his old difficulty compelled him to seek, in change of climate, that health and vigor so necessary to a successful career. He accordingly removed to and settled in the then Territory of Wisconsin in the fall of 1847. In 1848, he was chosen a member of the first State Legislature. Between that time and 1854 he was appointed to various offices of trust within the county, and, in 1854, was elected to represent his district (then the largest in the Union) in the Congress of the United States. He was elected as the candidate of the newly organized Republican party, he having been a Democrat of the Silas Wright school, and one of the principal leaders in its organization in this State. His course in Congress was such as to evoke the unqualified approval of his constituents, especially his fearless conduct in opposing the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. At the expiration of his Congressional term he was returned by his constituency, and served out his second term with the same ability that had characterized the first. On the breaking-out of the war, Mr. Billinghurst took instant and uncompromising ground in favor of the Government, and through all that bloody struggle maintained the position of a true and loyal citizen, never despairing in the darkest hour or faltering in that support which was the duty of every patriotic heart He expended his time, means and energies in raising troops, and nothing but his precarious health kept him from the field. Such was his course as a public man and patriot. Uncompromisingly opposed to the great wrong of slavery and the usurpation of its supporters, his voice and vote were ever on the side of humanity and justice. Equally useful was he in his capacity as a private citizen. The history of the county, especially that of its agricultural interests, bears ample evidence to his energies and devotion to its welfare. This unquestioned desire to promote the general good of the community, and his labors in that direction, together with his wonderful faculty for winning friends, made Mr. Billinghurst, beyond all doubt, the most popular man in the county. His genial nature, the warmth of his friendship, the thousand nameless qualities that made up the perfection of his character, seemed to win men to him and disarm opposition. No man in the county knew so many others personally and intimately. He so interested himself in the affairs of each, and ingratiated himself in their affection, that when he died they mourned for him as for a brother dead, and gathered by thousands to pay their last respects at his obsequies. As a lawyer, his business was extensive and important - his abilities of the first order ; he was learned, astute and eloquent. In the hottest fight of the forum he never forgot the courtesies of a gentleman. His brethren of the bar lamented the loss of an acknowledged leader - one whose assistance was always welcome, whose opposition summoned forth their best resources and strongest power of resistance. To the younger members of the profession he was a willing adviser and safe counselor, presuming nothing by reason of his age or learning, but treating them with the same respect as his equals in years and experience. Mr. Billinghurst was married in 1853 to Hannah, a daughter of the Hon. Hiram Barber, of Horicon. He was a kind and indulgent husband and father ; with his nature and disposition he could not be otherwise. The interests of his family and their happiness were with him a paramount object, to which all other engagements were made subservient. He died August 18, 1865, leaving a wife and two sons - Charles Bryan and Scclye. He has left to them the priceless memory of an honorable reputation, an upright life and a loving heart. Such was Charles Billinghurst, in public or private, in the political arena, or the struggle of the forum, at home or abroad. Patient, forbearing, courteous, able, and ever bearing, above reproach, '' the grand old name of gentleman."

was born in the town of Sharon, in the State of Connecticut, May 18, 1797. He graduated at the Albany Medical College, and received a diploma fro:;i the Medical Society of Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1819. In the years 1829, 1835 and 183H, he was a member of the Legislature of the State of New York. He practiced his profession in Dutchess County until 1841, when he came to this State and became Receiver of the Green Bay Land District, in which capacity he resided at Green Bay until 1845. He was a member, in 1846, of the first Constitutional Convention of this State, and also, in 1848, of the second convention which framed tlie Constitution which is still in force. He also represented, in 1860, the Assembly District, and, in 1866 and 1867, the Senatorial District in which his residence was included. He was one of the pioneers in the settlement of Fox Lake, going there from Green Bay in 1845, and having continued to reside there from that time until the time of his decease. Dr. Judd took a prominent part in the organization of the railroad system of the State, and was one of the first Directors, and for some years President of the La Crosse & Milwaukee R. R. Co. He was during many years an active member of the Order of Odd Fellows. He was initiated in the Waushara Lodge, of Fox Lake, in 1850, and retained his connection with it until his death. In 1859, he became Gi'and Master of the Grand Lodge of this State. In 1868, he was elected Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of this State for two years, and, in 1869, Grand Representative for two years of the Wisconsin Grand Encampment in the Grand Lodge of the United States. His attendance upon the meetings of both subordinate and Grand Lodges was always regular.

Dr. -Judd was married on the 9th day of .January, 1S22, to Elizabeth Emigh, ilaughter of Henry and Phcebe Emigh, of Dutchess County. Their union was blessed with five children, all of whom are still living, viz., Mary Louisa, Maria Theresa, Randall S., Phrcbe Ann and Elizabeth. His widow still lives on the old homestead in the village of Fox Lake, in the enjoyment of good health. Dr. Judd reached the close of a long and useful life at Fox Lake on the morning of March 2, 1873. The funeral services were held at the Baptist Ciiurch, and were so largely attended as to show very impressively the estimation in which he was held by his neighbors, who feel that in his death they have lost a prominent and respected citizen, and an honorable friend. He may be said to have been not only one of the founders of the village, in whose prosperity he always took a warm and active interest, but one of the pioneers of the State. Few men were so prominent in its early history, and so closely identified with many of its enterprises for development and progress.

son of Thomas and Eleanor Miter, was born in Lansingburg, N. Y., March 20, 1809. Thomas Miter, the father, died December 16, 1822, and, two j'ears later, the mother was also removed. On the death of the father, it was deemed best for the boy, then at the age of thirteen, to begin doing something for himself He was accordingly taken to Troy, to the home of an elder brother, who commanded a vessel running on the Hudson River, and, under his charge, he was engaged for five years as a sailor. During the winter of 1826-27, the young man was, by some physical ailment, kept in Troy. It was the season of a remarkable revival of religion under the preaching of the eloquent Pastor, Beman, aided by the evangelists Kirk and Finney. His natural entliusiasni of temperament then and there took a positive and abiding religious direction, and he began at once to exercise his gifts. His ability thus developed, especially in prayer, attractel the attention of a wealthy physician, Dr. Bobbins, a convert ii the same revival, wlio became so much interested in the young man that he induced him to commence at once a course of study for the ministry, offering to render the pecuniary help he might need. Accordingly, Mr. Miter, in the f;ill of 1827, commenced his academic studies in the Oneida Institute at Whitesboro, N. Y., and, at the end of four years, he went to Lane Seminary for his theological instruction, with that first notable class numbering forty-three young men of more than ordinary intellectual vigor and spiritual devotion. Under the elder Beecher (then at the height of his fame and influence, and Stowe, a good beginning was made. Impaired health obliged him to leave at the end of the first year. Soon after, the class was scattered on account of the issue made between the students and Faculty on the matter of anti-slavery discussions. The young men, ijuicker than their elders to catch the spirit of the Gospel as opposed to all oppression, gave their .sympathy to the rising movement against the system of American slavery, and, when their instructors abridged their freedom in debate, withdrew from the Seminary. Mr. Miter had imbibed the views of his fellow-students, and, through all his life, remained true to the ])rinciples then adopted. Not being able consistently to return to the Serainarv, he joined a little class gathered in Troy, under the tuition of Beman and Kirk, for the last two years of his theological education, upon the completion of which, he received, from the Presbybytery of Troy, license to preach. After the usual period of unsettled life experienced by most young theologians, Mr. Miter found himself Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Kno.xville, 111. In June, 18-10, he was married to Miss Elizabeth D. Ayers, of Gicnville, Nf Y., and, a year later, declined a call from Plymouth Church, Milwaukee; but, at the urgent and earnest solicitations of tlie members of that .organization, ho finally consented to be their shepherd and friend. So, as he has told the story, " The next day, all my personal estate was loaded on one wagon, and my invalid wife was lying on a bed in another, and by her side her first-born ; and this was the commencement of a journey of 2.33 miles over the broad, uncultivated prairies of Illinois and Wisconsin, in the face of the cold winds of November. But, instead of periling tiie lives of the young mother and her child, it was God's wise though strange method of prolonjiinir them."

July 20, 1'804, he was installed over the First Presbyterian Church of Beaver Dam, and, on the 5th of May, 1875, his earthly career was closed. A warm personal friend - and he had many - of the lamented divine, pays the following tribute to his memory : " Mr. Miter was a marked man wherever he went, and with whomsoever he associated. He was one of the few men who have proved themselves equal to every emergency in which they have been called upon to act. That he possessed commanding talents is everywhere admitted. Simple, vigorous and correct in language and manner, he was a powerful and convincing reasoner. He possessed a true as well as a large and powerful mind. His presence produced a magnetism, and the talismanic touch of his kindly hand, the gentle amenities of his domestic life, bound all to him by a tie of friendship which death has no power to break. His style was so plain, his words so aptly chosen, that, unknown to himself there gleamed forth evidences of his genial nature, his generosity, his great energy of character, and his wisdom and social wortii. No one was ever in his company without being conscious of the presence of a man of the deepest religious convictions and opinions, which were, on all proper occasions, promptly and openly avowed yet never offensively obtruded. His expressions never hurt the feelings of others nor offended their taste - but were guided by a sense of gentlemanly courtesy.

was born in Clarkstown, Rockland Co., N. Y., September 14, 1802. He was the son of Paul and Rachel Brower. Came to Wisconsin at an early day and settled in Sheboygan, where he engaged in the business of keeping a hotel. In Marcli, 1838, he settled in what is now Dodge County, making a joint claim of land with Henry Merrill, a short distance north of Fox Lake. He was the first permanent settler in the county, and, to his energy and perseverance were largely due the rapid building-up and early growth of Fox Lake, the parent settlement of Dodge. Mr. Brower was a man of very small stature, but active and industrious, the embodiment of all the qualities that go to make up the perfect pioneer ; a prominent Roman nose, deep blue eyes, a very high forehead and a well-developed head, covered with light auburn hair. He was for several years in the employ of the Government as a surveyor, and was the first County Surveyor elected in Dodge. Rain or shine, snow or blow, he was to be found in the field with compass and chain, and a great many of the original surveys made by him are, and doubtless will be for all time to come, accepted as matter of record. Mr. B rower was married in New York State, on the IGth of September, 1820, by the Rev. James Demorest Hempstead, to Miss Martha Mackie, sister of Thomas Mackie, the patriarch of Beaver Dam. Nine children, two of whom died in New York, were the result of this union. At the fall election of 1845, Mr. Brower was chosen to fill the office of Register of Deeds, was re-elected in November, 1846, and died a few days later, at the age of forty-four years.

Born in Leeds, Kennebec Co., Me., in January, 1811 ; settled in Beaver Dam about 1849 or 1850, and, in 1854, established the famous Beaver Dam Nursery. As a man and citizen, Mr. Gould was highly esteemed. With exceptional fortitude, he bore up bravely under the adverse circumstances which he encountered in bringing to perfection the institution upon -which centered his every thought and energy. In the mean time, he was called to fill important and responsible public positions. He was also the founder of Oakwood Cemetery, in which his earthly remains were laid in July, 1871. As an indication of his worth and the estimation in which he was held, it is related that his funeral procession was probably the largest ever known in the county.

son of John D. Ackernian ; born in the city of New York on the 22d day of June, 1804. In the summer of 1839, he made a tour of observation through the Territory of Wisconsin, extending his observations as far as Lake Emily. Returning to New York, he, with his wife and eight children, and Henry Stultz, wife and three children, took passage on a Hudson River steamer for Albany, on the 1st of May, 1840. From Albany they went to Buffalo on the Erie Canal, and then embarked for Milwaukee on board the steamer Illinois, commanded by sturdy Capt. Blake, a name familiar to thousands of the pioneer emigrants to Wisconsin, and a famous man in the early history of lake navigation. From Milwaukee they went to Fox Lake in emigrant teams. After three days of fatiguing travel, they reached that point on the 24th of May. From Fox Lake they removed to Lake Emily, where they spent the first summer, under a clear Wisconsin sky, and surrounded by all the charms and enchantments of its beautiful scenery. In the fall, they returne(^ to Fox Lake, and there spcit the winter of 1841 and 1842. On the 22d of February, 1842, Mr. Ackerman moved his family to Beaver Dam, and took possession of his log cabin, which he had previously contracted with Mr. Mackie to build, and there resided till the date of his death, March 9, 1867.

Born in Whitehall, N. Y., in 1808 ; in 1846, he became identified with the early settlement of Horicon, inasmuch as he founded and named the place, and, in partnership with John B. Preston and Martin Rich, built the dam that confined the once famous Lake Horicon. Mr. Larrabee made his home in Chicago, where he resided at the date of his death, September 28, 1879.

Born in Granby, Mass., January 1, 1810; came to Wisconsin in the fall of 1843, and settled at Waukesha. In 1846, was elected as a delegate to the first Constitutional Convention; in 1853, removed to Mayville, and a year later to Deaver Dam ; in 1856, was chosen to represent his district in the Legislature, and has since held the office of Alderman for several terras in the city of Beaver Dam. On the 25th of February, LS29, Mr. Burchard was married to Miss Martha B. Pitcher. Seven children have been born to them, but three of whom survive

- Hon. Charles S. Burchard, Mrs. Z. C. Trask and Mrs. Edward Ellis. His death in April, 1879, lost to the citizens of Beaver Dam a man of indomitable nerve and decision, a friend of education and Christianity.

Born in Fulda, Prussia, January 6, 1826. Received his education in the Gymnasium of his native city, and afterward gi-aduated as a law student at the University of Marling. Was married in Fulda, May 1, 1848, to Kathinka Hebgen, and came to Wisconsin in June of the same year, settling in the town of Shields, Dodge County. Mr. Mertz was elected County Treasurer in 1852, and re-elected in 1854. Resigned the office in June, 1855, to accept the County Judgeship, having been appointed by Gov. Barstow to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge S. L. Rose. Was elected County Judge in 1857, re-elected in 1861 and in 1865, and held the position when he died, June 8, 1868. Mrs. Merz died April o, 1861. Four children survive - Albert, Emma (now Mrs. Landt, of Beaver Dam), Mortimer L. and Oscar R.

Born at Haverhill, Mass., December 27, 1788. Received a very meager common-school education ; was a natural mechanic, and was, in his youth, ever to be found at the bench, applying his tools and remarkable genius in carving out some new invention. At the age of nineteen, he met with an accident in which his shoulder was fractuved, and while thus unable to pursue his trade, he turned his attention to the study of law. When about entering into the practice of his profession, he embraced religion, and thereafter devoted his attention and energies to the ministry. In the spring of 1816, he entered the Presbyterian College at Middlebury, against the wishes of his father, who was a Baptist. During his studies, he also worked at mechanics, and, when he graduated, he had earned sufficient funds to pay for his tuition and was the possessor of $70 in cash. He was licensed to preach the Gospel in 1822, and. two years later, was ordained as an evangelist. He landed at Green Bay, Wis., in the fiill of 1836, and there organized the first Presbyterian Church west of the Great Lakes. In 1837, he made a tour of observation to Milwaukee, then containing 280 inhabitants. While there, he founded the First Presbyterian Church Society. In 1838, he removed to Prairieville (now Waukesha), and during the following year assisted in the formation of the '' Wisconsin Presbytery." This was the inauguration of the new departure which resulted in merging Presbyterianism and Congregationalism. Mr. Ordway removed "to Beaver Dam in 1843, and at once became identified with the progressive movements which have resulted so satisfactorily. He organized the First Presbyterian Church with ten members, and was its Pastor for three years, when he resumed his missionary labors in adjoining counties. In the inean time, he proved a valuable aid to J. P. Brower and others in laying out the place. He died .January 24, 1870.

Born in Brighton, Me., September 27, 1815, and came to Wisconsin in 1846, settling in Oak Grove, bringing with him Mrs. Harriet Lander, nee Miss Harriet Spalding, his newly made bride. Mr. Lander was a leading merchant of Oak Grove for several years, and held the office of Clerk of the Court two terms, from January, 1847, to January, 1850. Afterward, removed to Fox Lake and practiced law until 1863, when, on the 16th of August of that year, he died at Columbus, Ky., while engaged in his capacity as a 'lawyer before a court martial inquiry then being held at that place. He left a widow and three daughters ; the latter - Mrs. C. J. Hambleton, Mrs. William Jones and Mrs. M. M. Dutton - are now living in Chicago.

Born in the County Meath, Ii'eland, June 6, 1822 ; came to America with his parents at the age of five years and settled in Vermont, where he was married in 1842. Graduated at Castleton College, Vermont, and, coming to Wisconsin, adopted the profession of the law. Was elected Clerk of the Board of Supervisors several terms, sent to the Assembly in 1850, 1851 and 1859, and was afterward Clerk of the Circuit Court of Dodge County. He died at Juneau August 3, 1877. He was such a man as to justify his friends in placing a humble monument over his grave, bearing the following inscription :

Relics Of The Eighteenth Century

But few of theiB remain. Their locks, once so luxurious and ample, have wasted, hair by hair, until they seem lank and straggling; their brows, so smooth and fair till recently, grow rigid and furrowing. They are passing away. The oldest male inhabitant of Dodge County is Lewis Barto, of Beaver Dam, who celebrated his ninetieth birthday on the 4tli of last July. Calvin Farmer, a resident of the town of Hubbard, was ninety years of age last August. Augustine Butler, who i-esides between Mayville and Iron Ridge, is the liveliest specimen of human antiquity to be found. He was eighty-nine last September, and is " as spry as a kitten." The oldest female living in Dodge County, so far as the historian is able to learn, is Mrs. Susana Bogert, of Beaver Dam. She was eighty-nine years of age on the 12th of July last. Mrs. Mary K. Lander, mother of W. H., H. W. and A. J. Lander, also of Beaver Dam, celebrated her eightyseventh birthday on the 14th of last October.

First Land Entry First Deed First Mortgaue

According to the records of the abstract office of Mertz & Rambusch, the first land entry made in what is now Dodge County bears date of September, 1838, the claimant being Peter V. Brown, an exceedingly good-natured citizen of Watertown, residing in the Fifth Ward of that city. The land is described as Section 33, Town 9 north. Range If) east.

The first deed recorded in the county was made by David Giddings to Albert G. Ellis, transferring the undivided one-third of Lots 1, 2, 5 and 6, in Section 7, Town 11 (Hubbard), Range 16, containing 184 acres ; also Lots 2, 3 and 6, Section 6, Town 11, Range 16, containing 140 acres. " This indenture " is dated January 1, 1839, and was recorded on the 18th of the following month.

The first mortgage is dated October 8, 1847, and recorded November 1 of that year. Samuel B. Harkness was the mortgagor and James R. Maloney the mortgagee. The land thus encumbered is described as the west half of Section 26 and the west half of Section 28, Town 13 (Trenton), Range 14.

For several years after the organization of Dodge County, the records were written upon a few quires of foolscap paper (probably 100 pages) sewed together with needle and thread and bound with hog's leather, by William M. Dennis, the first Register of Deeds in the county. The contents of this quaint record book were copied in " Volume A " of Deeds, now the property of Messrs. Mertz & Rambusch. Mr. Dennis lived in the Fifth Ward of Watertown, and, in attending the sessions of the County Commissioners, went thither to their place of meeting on foot, carrying his book under his arm". The Board never transacted any business till " Bill Dennis and his hog-skin " arrived.

Some Statistics

In 1840, the grain productions of Dodge County were 2,100 bushels of oats, 2,000 bushels of corn, 2,425 bushels of potatoes, and 500 tons of hay. The number of horses in the county at that date is given at 40 head; cattle, 150. In 1850, there were 2,338 farms, 3,561 dwellings, and 30 manufactories. In 1860, there were 16,660 children in the county between four and twenty years of age.

A Fourth Of .July Celebration

The Hon. H. W. Lander, in hi.s address before the Old Settlers' Club, of Beaver Dam, June 17, 1875, said : " The first public gathering that was of any importance in this section of the country was in 1845, and I cannot better describe its object and the circumstances connected with it than copying from a love-letter, which a certain prominent gentleman of this city wrote to his sweetheart whom he left behind, under date of July 4, 1845, almost thirty years ago. He writes :

" ' I have just returned from a 4th of .luly celebration. It w:is a County Temperance Celebration, held on Clason Prairie, some four miles from this place. Our procession from this place and the adjoining settlements consisted of some seven or eight double and single teams, filled with all who wished to go, without ilistinction, as we have no aristocracy here yet ; everybody is estimated here according to character. The procession was led by a twohorse team carrying thirteen young men for old bachelors,, as we are called), about my own age. carrying a banner att.ached to a staff stained red, witl-i a gilt ball and spear on the top. The banner was white, bearing the following inscription : "Temperance the Hope of Beaver Dam." The other teams followed, bearing the different banners, and two ox teams brought up the rear, one of them filled with little girls, with a banner bearing this inscription : '- We look for better days." The other filled with small boys carrying a banner with this motto: " We leave the rum behind." And before we reached the place for the celebration, ihere was added to our procession a team of thirty-six yoke of oxen, drawing four wagons chained together, filled with men, women and children, carrying a streamer fifteen feet long, attached to a pole twenty-five feet high. I can assure you that we made an imposing appearance, stretching acro^ the wild prairie. There were nesirly six hundred people present ; we were addressed by two or three speakers, formed a County Temperance Society, and then sat down to a regular picnic dinner got up by the ladies, which w'ould have done honor to any occasion. The head of the table was grace<i with a large pyramid cake, ornamented with a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers, which were gathered by one of our young men wliile crossing the prairie. TheiriSTOKY OF POT^OE COUNTY. 357 prairies are covered with them in their wilil slate, at tliis season of the year. The day passed off very finely ; good order and good feeling were manifested by all present. The cause of temperance, I trust, received anew and fresh impetus, and temperance principles were tlionmghly planted to grow and strengthen with the growth of this new country.' "

"This then future wife .soon after came here, and is now entitled to be called an old settler; but it is presumed she did not find all wild prairie Howers and pyramid cakes. At this time, and for several years after, there was no excuse for men being bachelors ; anyone was, or ought to be, able to support a wife; a calico dress, cowhide shoes and a shaker, were the largest items of expense of dress. All went to church and elsewhere on foot, or rode in a lumber wagon drawn by o.^en. When walking they would put their shoes under their arms, and only place them upon their feet when they arrived at the point of their destination. Wheat was 25 cents per bushel ; eggs, 4 to 5 cents per dozen ; butter, 6 to 8 cents per pound ; pork, IJ cents per pound ; oats. 10 cents per bushel. Hotel fare was not high ; supper, bed and breakfast could be obtained for five shillings in the best of hotels, with cigars and whisky thrown in."

The Great Indian Scare

The residents of 1861 will remember the famous -' Indian outbreak." The following particulars concerning that historical event will be of fresh interest to those who witnessed the effects of the " butchery '' upon the populace. The facts are taken from files of the newspapers, and are pronounced nearer correct than it would be possible to get them at this late date. The Beaver Dam Aiyus, of August 30, 1861, contained the following:

" The greatest excitement we have seen in this city in many a day was caused on Monday last by the circulation of a story that 800 Indians were in camp the other side of Horicon, and that they had murdered fifteen families and were almost ready to sack the place. The story came stronger in the afternoon, and the excitement increased. Mayor Lander received dispatches that 1,.500 Indians were at Horicon. In a short time, all the guns, pistols, corn-cutters and pitchforks in town were in the hands of determined men and on their way to Horicon, but when part way there, it was learned that the scare was a humbug, and our valiant warriors came back. The most laughable part of the story is that a man came riding through the country at full speed, warning the farmers to flee for their lives, and a great many started with their families for town. We noticed some with beds and blankets aboard, on which they intended to sleep during the night. It was a ' big scare,' and there were few here who were not melting bullets, or in some way trying to fortify their homes against the bloody foe soon expected to be met. We learn that Horicon was crowded to its utmost extent with men living in this county, and even some were there from places as distant as Milwaukee. The story grew out of a squabble between an Indian and a Dutchman near Smutt's Point. The Indian's pony had got into the Dutchman's wheat, and the Dutchman shot the pony; the Indian threatened to scalp the Dutchman, who rushed into town, swearing, ' Py dam, I vas kilt.'"

The Horicon Gazette, whose editor witnessed the most interesting phases of the excitement, also published an article on the subject, as follows :

" Last Monday was the most exciting day ever known to the inhabitants of Horicon. Early in the morning, a messenger from near Kekoskee came to the village, post haste, and reported that fourteen houses had been burned at Kekoskee by the Indians, and some of the inhabitants murdered. It was also reported that 800 Indians were on their way to Horicon for the purpose of burning and pillaging the town. The news spread like wildfire. Ladies packed their valuables, and some of the people came down town with their arms full of dresses and other choice articles. Crowds of men stood on one corner, and the women upon another, the men busily discussing tlie question of ' What we ought to do ? ' and the women crying. * * * * Wagon loads of *'armers came in from the surrounding country. Many of the men armed themselves, but such a motley collection of fire-arms we think was never before got together in this or any other place. Muskets, shot-guns and rifles, old and rusty, with here and there a bludgeon or pitchfork, comprised the greatest part of the arms. Word was telegraphed to Milwaukee for aid. Meantime, several loads of men proceeded to Kekoskee to see what was really the trouble. While they were gone, a large company came to our aid from Hustisford. * * * A little after noon, those who went to Kekoskee returned and reported 'all quiet ' there. They said that there were only twenty-five or thirty Indians to be seen around the encampments, and that they appeared to be thoroughly frightened at the advent of so many armed white men among them. * * * * One of our citizens made a speech in the afternoon, and as the public mind did not seem to be satisfied with the hasty examination by the parties who went to Kekoskee, it was resolved to ascertain, if possible, the cause of the report. A committee was accordingly chosen, who chartered the steamer Michael Winter, arid proceeded to the Indian camp at the head of the lake. On Tuesday morning, they returned and reported the result of their investigation. The report concludes as follows:

" ' * * * Your Committee then proceeded to investigate the origin of the rumor of slaughtered families and burning houses, and found that it proceeded from the fact that in the spring a German named Dagan had threatened to shoot one of their [the Indians'] ponies, and that, about two weeks since, one of their ponies was shot, the Indians say, in Dagan's field, and, they believe, by him. Thus, on Sunday last, an Indian having procured liquor, and being partially intoxicated, accused Dagan of shooting the pony, and chased him around a stump, but did not draw his knife from his girdle. The man Dagan called on his neighbors to watch his house and stacks, fearing they would be burned. From that the rumor spread and grew, as it became, truly alarming. * * * *