Vernon County, Wisconsin - Chapter 10: First Things, 1884

Chapter 10: First Things

The first school house was erected on the ridge between Viroqua and Brookville, built by George Swain, Abram Stiles and T. J. De Frees. It was intended also as a church.

The first county officers chosen in the county were: Thomas J. De Frees, county judge; Orrin Wisel, clerk of the court and county board of supervisors; James A. Cooke, county treasurer; Jacob Higgins, register of deeds; and Samuel McMichael, county surveyor.

The first camp-meeting was held in the summer of 1849 in the valley near the place where afterward resided Rev. J. A. Cooke. The only minister (Methodist) present was Jesse Perdunn.

The first Methodist class-meeting in the county was led by J. A. Cooke, who afterward became a Methodist preacher. This was in the year 1849.

Among (he first settlers of the county there was a distant, yet distinct form of religion, acknowledged by a few; but the power thereof was weak. The first settlers had left their old homes in other States and emigrated hither for the pnrnose of improving their worldly condition; and, as they located at that time in, as it were, an isolated country, away from settlements to the distance of fifty miles, on wild and never before occupied prairies except by the aboriginees, their minds would, very naturally, seem to partake of the wilderness and the indifference which characterize the first settler of every new country. The support of their families must of necessity be the first desideratum, and when this is done, there was but little time remaining for worship, especially where the toils and difficulties of a pioneer life had unnerved the inc'ination; and the spirit of wliat is sometimes called luke-warraness prevailed to some extent.

However, near the close of the first year's settlement, the model II pilgrims in the inchoate county of Bad Ax, had become somewhat organized; and as there were but few of tlieni, a spirit of warm friendship and congeniality very naturally arose between them; which sympathy and kindred feelings stole unobtrusively over the min<l and heart, inspiring a higher devotion and sense of obligation to a higher Being.

In the summer of the year 1847, a Mr. Lee, from Illinois, visited the settlement, and preached the first sermon ever delivered in the county. It was at the dwelling of Samuel Rice. There were on this occasion not to exceed twelve hearers, mostly men. During the delivery of this introductory sermon a huge black bear passed by the assembly, whereupon mostly all the male portion of the congregatidu immediately dismissed themselves and went in puisuit of the animal, leaving the minister to finish his sermon in the presence of the few remaining females. Mr. Lee preached occasionally during the summer of 184'7 to the people at their dwellings, took a claim of land near the head of the branch afterward familiarly known as "Lee's Branch," about three miles northeast of where the village of Viroqua now stands.

"The first religious service in the county," writes Flora D. Weeden, "was conducted by a wandering miner, (Mr. Lee), who was prospecting through the county, stopped over Sabbath at the house of Samuel Rice. The entire settlement assembled to hear him preach. About the time the service had fairly commenced a black bear passed through the yard. All the men took their rifles and followed the bear, leaving the women and children to listen to the sermon. I was then twelve years old, but I remember the incident. This occurred in the summer of 1847."

First Church Organized

The first Church organized in what is now Vernon county was by the Methodists. It was called the Bad Ax Church, and embraced the whole of the county in its district. In 1847 Elder Wood, of Prairie du Chien, left an appointment to preach at the dwelling of T. J. De Frees, which appointment was filled by Mr. Thomas, formerly of Philadelphia, but at that time from Prairie du Chien. Among the settlers of the county that are remembered at that date, were John McCullough, Samuel and Hiram Rice, Henry Seifert, Mr. Pike, John Graham, T. J. De Frees, Jacob Johnson, John Harrison, Abram Stiles, Solomon Decker, James Foster, Thomas Gillett, J. A. Cooke, G. A. Swain, E. P. Kelly and Robert Foster and their families.

Mr. Thomas formed a society of Church members during his labors among the people of the settlement. He warmed the hearts of the hike-warm Christians, and inspired into them new life and higher hopes, encouraged their zeal, and placed their feet upon the high- way whither many of them continued to travel so long aa they lived. The first who joined this new-born band of Christians in the wilderness, were J. A. Cook and wife, G. A. Swain and wife, Henry Seifert and his mother, and the wife of Samuel Rice; the last mentioned being the first person in the county to hold family worship. Ail who knew her testify to her deep and inward piety, her true devotion to her Savior, and her love for everything of a sacred character. Mr. Thomas continued preaching occasionally in the settlement during the remainder of the year 1847, and often in the following year.

During the summer of 1849, the number of inhabitants had so increased in the settlements, that it became convenient to have schools as well as meetings for religious worship; so the people of the thinly settled district, united and put up a cabin in the grove through which the road passed, from Virginia to Liberty Pole, then called Bad Ax. It was both a school house and a church. In the fall of that year (1849), Jesse Perdunn, from Grant county, visited the settlement, and, as a matter of course, the cabin school house was his appointed place to preach.

Religion and a general spirit of piety at this time, began to pervade the minds of the settlers and prayer and class meetings were held frequently, at the dwellings of the people. J. A. Cooke led the first class-meeting that was held in the county, and from that time others began to work more zealously in the cause. A spirit of Christian freedom began to rest upon the minds of the community.

In the summer of 1849, the first camp-meeting was held in the county. It was near the place where Rev. J. A. Cooke afterward resided. Mr. Perdunn was the only minister present. Many were converted and a large number were added to the Church, which, at this time, had assumed an active power, and wielded a strong influence throughout the community; but there also were many back-sliders.

The Church continued to progress, and gradually increased in numbers during the year following (1850); when, in the month of August, a large number met at the place occupied the previous year and held another camp-meeting. At this meeting Elder Hobart was present, Mr. Perdunn, James Bishop and other ministering brethren. Elder Hobart was the first elder to visit the Church, and his district comprised the entire State of Wisconsin, north of the Wisconsin river. Mr. Perdunn's labors here closed for a few years, but he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had been instrumental in building up the first religious denomination in the county.