Winnebago County, Wisconsin - Chapter 66, 1880

Chapter 66

Situation - Face of the Country - Soil - Timber - Productions - Early Settlement - First Schools - Town Organization - Organic Election - Present Town Officers - Population - Schools - L. Hinman's Farm.

f^LAYTON, one of the northern towns of the county, is bounded north by Greenville, in Outagamie County, east by Menasha and Neenah, south by Vinland, and west by Winchester, comprising all of Township 20, Range 16. The surface is generally undulating and occasionally quite rolling, entirely free from any prominent elevations, it is high above the neighboring lakes and is susceptible of easy drainage.

The soil is a rich loam, with an admi.xture of sand, and, in some places along the western border, the sand predominates. Few towns present a soil and surface better adapted to all branches of agriculture than this.

burr-oak, in the form of "oak openings," but the northern part, some two miles in width, was covered with a forest of oak, maple, elm, basswood and hickory; and along the eastern portion the same varieties are found to a small extent.

There are no streams of note. Rat River, in the northwest, is a small stream meandering through low natural meadows, and, after passing through the Town of Winchester, empties into Boom Bay, in the Town of Wolf River.

All the grains, vegetables and grasses of this latitude are successfully raised in Clayton, and the usual varieties of fruits are readily produced. Owing to the topographical formation, natural meadows are abundant, and stockraising and dairying are among the important industries.

The first settlement in the town was made in the fall of 1846. D. C. Darrow and William Berry were the first settlers. About the same time came Alexander Murray and John Axtell, followed soon after by Benj. George, William Robinson and Benj. Strong.

Geo. W. Giddings, W. H. Scott, J. S. Roblee and Truman Thompson also made settlements during that year. Some brought their families during the fall; the others in the following spring.

Immediately after their arrival, in the fall. Berry and Axtell built a shanty, which they occupied in common, and which, for want of lumber, they had covered with marsh hay. They had barely got settled in their new quarters, and, as the saying is, had hardly got "the hang of the barn," when the treacherous roof took fire and the entire fabric was consumed with nearly all its contents. The men were at work but a short distance away, and discovered the fire when it first issued from the roof, but could do nothing to extinguish it. Mrs. Axtell picked up a trunk which had contained their money, as she was driven from the shanty, and was, of course, very thankful that the money was saved; but Mr. Axtell soon realized the fact that he had put the money in a pocket of a pair of pants, which were hanging the shanty, and were consumed.

little settlement of Algoma, where he met C. J. Coont who offered him twenty dollars if he would carry him (Coon) to Green Bay, before the closing of the land office, that day. Twenty dollars being, at that time, a great inducement, Mr. Brown accepted the offer, and, sending word to his wife, by a neighbor, informing her where he had gone, as she was alone, he started at about eight o'clock, with the horses and sleigh he had driven from home.

They arrived at Green Bay, a distance, all told, of fifty-six miles, with no roads until they crossed the Fo.x River at Wrightstown, and struck the military road. Arriving at Green Bay, a snow-storm set in which detained them four days.

On Mr. Brown's return home he learned that his wife had only received his message from Algoma a few hours before, and had been entirely ignorant of his whereabouts.

First Schools

The same spring, 1847, Mr. Brown brought the boiler for Foreman & Daggett's saw-mill, at Algoma, from Milwaukee. He went to Milwaukee with four horses, but finding these insufficient, started on his return with six, and was often compelled to add two more. During the summer, Mr. Brown being at work just out of sight of the house, five Indians came along, and finding Mrs. Brown alone, demanded something to eat; being somewhat timid, she set everything eatable before them, which they soon devoured and directed her to make a good fire, as the\- wished to run some bullets. Stepping outside the door for wood, she caught sight of her husband and beckoned him to the house, where he found they had taken the spider to melt lead; but he very soon convinced them that it was not a desirable place to run bullets. FIRST SCHOOLS.

In 1849, a joint school district was set oft" in the southeast of Clayton, and northeast of Vinland, and a school-house erected at what is now known as Gillingham's Corners. Miss McLean here taught the first public school in the summer of 1849, although the schoolhouse was, strictly speaking, in Vinland.

In 1849, a school-house was built in District number two; Giddings and Roblee neighborhood. This was literally the first public school-house in the town, and Miss Amanda Hicks was the first teacher here, in 1850.

Neenah, and organized as the Town of Clayton, the first election to be held at the house of G. W. Giddings, the first Tuesday in April next.

The organic election was held in pursuance of the law, the second Tuesday in April 1849, George W. Giddings was chosen chairman; Benjamin Strong and Henry Bashford, inspectors.

Thirty-six votes were polled, which resulted in the election of George W. Giddings, chairman; Benjamin Strong and Cyrenus Baldwin, supervisors; James Balfour, clerk; Lewis H. Brown, treasurer; Benjamin George, assessor; James Balfour, superintendent of schools; Alfred Hubbard, Daniel C. Darrow, Thomas Conneff and William S. Hubbard, justices, William T. Beattie, Jerome Bailey and Biley Bashford, constables.

[These justices and constables were probably not all elected, but were all voted for, and the record does not show who or hov\' many were elected, or to be elected.]

The second town election was held at the house of William T. Beattie, April 2, 1850. William M. Stewart was elected chairman; Henry Bashford and John Lester, supervisors; Daniel Nugent, clerk; Benjamin Strong, collector and treasurer; Daniel C. Darrow, assessor; Henry C. Janes, superintendent of schools; John Halverson, Alfred Hubbard and William Bailey, justices; William Hubbard, Truman Thompson and Jerome Bailey, constables.

Present Town Officers

This beautiful place is located on the south line of the town, and is about seven miles from the city of Neenah. It contains three hundred and fifty acres of handsome, undulating land, formerly openings, now in a high state of cultivation, with commodious outbuildings and barns, the largest of which is fifty by one hundred feet; and the farm is well provided with the modern conveniences of agriculture. This farm has produced in some seasons, among other crops, one thousand eight hundred bushels of grain, and one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five tons of hay.

Mr. Hinman is one of the earliest settlers in that part of the county; having settled on this farm in 1847, and has helped to redeem the country from a wilderness - experiencing the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, and now, as one of the influential and highly respected citizens of this county, is enjoying the fruits of his earlier years of toil.

Mr. Hinman's house is one where the guest is received cordially, and with a kindness and hospitality that reminds one of the generous manners and customs of pioneer days.