Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

BOBEBT BUTCHEB, general trader, Sec. 7; P.O. Kenosha; bom July 22, 1826, in Norfolk, England, where he whS a merchant and farmer ; came to America in 1864 ; remained one year in Chicago, then settled in Pleasant Prairie ; he farms 100 acres of land, but makes a specialty of market gardening, devoting about ten acres to that purpose ; he does the largest poultry business in the State of Wisconsin, and has just erected a refrigerator to hold 4,000 turkeys, etc., which in that will keep good all the year round ; he has also lately built a hot-house and grapery to grow early vegetables for the Chioii^ and settled in Pleasant Prairie ; bought bis farm of 320 acres and built tbe second log house io this town ship ; he now lives in a handsome homestead which he has since erected. He raises all kinds of gnii and stock. Married Miss Nancy Stevens, of Vermont, May 27, 1837 ; have had five children - Arriila born Dec. 18, 1839; Lorette, July 16, 1841 ; Walter L., Aug. 26, 1843; Althea, Nov. 10, 1845, die< Sept. 27, 1856; Ella L., Oct. 22, 1850. He was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Racine ao< Kenosha Counties before the division, for two years; Roadmaster of Pleasant Prairie several yearB; School Clerk of Pleasant Prairie, two years. Mr. French is a strong temperance man.

Passage source: The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin .., published 1879.

STEPHEN GAIiT, fruit gardener. Sec. 7 ; P. O. Kenosha; bom May 26, 1819, in Aberdeeo Co., Scotland ; was a tailor by trade ; came to America in 1850, and located in Kenosha ; worked at hi? business for six or seven years ; moved to Pleasant Prairie Township in the spring of 1 857, where he bought seventeen acres of land, six of which were laid out for fruit and vegetables ; built his house, cleared his land, and now has it in a state of excellent cultivation, growing principally strawberries, raspbaries and the finer kinds of vegetables, such as asparagus, etc., for the market. He was the first in the county to raise strawberries for that purpose, half an acre being looked upon as marvelous at that time. Married Miss Margaret Trail, of Scotland, Sept. 16, 1847. He was Town Clerk in 1857 ; is Clerk of school district, and has been for six years, and was Director of school district fc»r six years previously. Mr. tod Mrs. Gait are members of the Congregational Church. Mr. G. has been a total abstainer for twenty-nine years, looking upon the use of intoxicating liquors with abhorrence.

Passage source: The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin .., published 1879.

JAmES HARTBAY, farmer, Sees. 5 aod 6 ; P. 0. Truesdell ; born March 27, 1834, in Boston, Mass.; lived there until 3 years of age; removed to Detroit, Mich., and, in 1842, went to Grosse Point, Cook Co., 111.; moved to Evanston, 111., in May, 1856 ; bought a farm in North Evanston, which he sold in 1873, and then devoted his time to grading, horse-dealing, etc., until he purchased his present place, in February, 1876, and came to reside here in June of that year; besides raiding general farm produce, Mr. Hartray devotes special attention to horse-breeding, having several of the best bred mares and horses in the country ; short-horn cattle ; dairy work, making a larsre quantity of butter annually ; he also raises large numbers of full-blooded, long-wool, Leicester sheep. He is the son of James and Ellen Hartray ; his mother died March 15, 1876 ; his father is living at North Evanston, 111. Married Miss Mary Ellis, of Cook Co., 111., May 24, 1855 ; Mrs. Hartray is of German parentage, and was born in mid-ocean; she inherited quite a large property; they have nine children - James W., born March 16, 1856 ; Ellen, Jan. 1, 1858 ; May J., Feb. 15, 1860; John, June 20, 1862 . Thomas, Oct. 4, 1864 ; George, April 17, 1867; Annie M., Dec. 2, 1870; WUliam C, March 27, 1873; Frank, June 27, 1877. Held school offices at Evanston, 111.; is Supervisor of Pleasant Prairie Township, and is serving his third year as Road Overseer of this place. Mr. H. and family are members of St. Mark's Catholic Church.

Passage source: The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin .., published 1879.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Pleasant Prairie Village - it names this place 20 more 20 times.