Sharon Town (part 3 of 3)

Justices Of The Peace

A school house was built in section _'. and occupied in 1841. Besides the schools at Allen Grove and Sharon, the town has six district schools, and there are two joint districts: No. 4. with Darien and Walworth, and No. 13. with Clinton.

Alan A. Southard ami William D. Van Nostrand came to the centre of section 33 as early as 1 S4 _- . but not to found a city. In 1855 the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company's surveyors laid its line from Harvard to Janesville through this section, and fixed the locus of its station seventy-one mile- from Chicago. Robert Campbell, a man of Oshkosh, bought forty acres and platted the village. The rails were laid to Janesville in 1856. In the -aim' year George Milmine built a store and in 1857 Seymour Rice built a hotel. In 1S5S a postoffice was established, with John Hodgson among the mail sacks. William 1'. Allen relieved him in 1801 and gave way to Wilson R. I lerrou in 1 86S. Edward Bilyea followed, then Mr. Herron again, Frank L. Menu about [893, Clayton II. Underhill about 1897, Frank C. Densmore from 1005 till now. This office has two free delivery routes, which suppl) the greater part of the town, a small part of Illinois and a smaller part of Rock county. Harry II. Bidwell, first railway station agent. died December 13. [859. Dr. Reuben Willson was the earliest resident phvsician.

About [848 .1 school house was built within the later village limits. Additional provision was made as needed, and house and grounds are now valued at twentj five thousand dollars. The high school began in [878, with \V. V Germain as principal Rev. lame- G. Schaefer bad moved the men of Sharon, m [866, to active interest in advanced education. In 1S07 the Sharon Vadeim was built and was opened in December with nearly one hundred pupils, under direction of Mr. Schaefer and Prof. E. S. Chadwick, of

Beloit. This school closed in 1878, after an active and useful career, and the high school soon resumed this temporarily suspended work. The public school house was burned in 1880, rebuilt in 1884 and extended about 1908. Its total value, with broad grounds, is about twenty-five thousand dollars. Nine teachers are now employed.

In connection with his academical work Mr. Schaefer began in June, 1868, to publish the Sharon Mirror. At the end of 1869 he sold it to C. C. Hanford, from whom it passed in January, 1871, to Samuel P. Ballard. It was discontinued in September following. Before the end of that year George F. Brigham, a man in many ways useful to his fellow citizens, began to edit and print the Gazette, which he discontinued in September, 1873. In that month J. C. Keeney began anew with the Inquirer. He was a native of Connecticut and a thorough printer. Most of his work was done by himself and a young son, Clarence. In September, 1876, Clarence R. Conable bought the office and in 1878 moved it to Delavan. After three weeks interval, in August, 1878, James H. Phelps and George F. Ziegaus put forth the Reporter. In 1890 the firm was Phelps & Howell: in 1892 George F. Ziegaus; in 1906 Ziegaus & Son; in 1908 Fred C. Fessenden ; and is now the Reporter Publishing Company. This paper is independent politically. Its predecessors were generally Republican.

Very Rev. Martin Kundig established St. Catherine's mission in 1846. Its services were supplied for more than sixty years by priests of other parishes - notably for twenty years or more from the church at Elkhorn. A chapel was built in 1896, and a church in 1910. Father Hermes came asresident priest, for a few weeks, in 19 10. and after him Rev. Thomas Pierce in 1911.

Nineteen members constituted the Congregational society in 1868, and a church was built in that year. Rev. James G. Schaefer, with a \cw others of the Lutheran church, were among the organizers of this society. The pastors, as nearly as known, have been Isaac Barker, 1870; Albert A. Young, 1871 ; Albert M. Case, 1875; Thomas A. Wadsworth, 1878; Luther Clapp, 1879; John Mitchell Strong, 1882; John Harris. 1884: Arthur McCalla Thome, 1885; John Scholfield, 1887; John Sabin, 1890; Daniel R. Grover, 1891 : William Millard, 1893; Frederick M. Hubbell, 1895; Carl D. Thompson, 1896; Thomas Kent, 1900; Robert J. Locke, 1902; H. Samuel Fritsch, 1904. The society became too weak in number to continue long after 1904, and in nil 1 their building was sold for conversion to other use.

Rev. ( ieorge F. Brigham. then a layman, assembled a little group of Episcopalians and acted as their reader. The first full service was in 1868 by Rev. William E. Wright, then of Janesville. Before building their chapel, in [879-80, the members met at a dance hall, at the railway station. - at which Mr. Brigham was for many years agent, - and at the Lutheran church. Mr. Brigham received deacon's orders June 11. 1876, and May 27, i'i"-'. he was fully ordained as a priest, and is still in the service of the chinch, though full of years. From the beginning he has kept a minute account of parish affairs, and his well-stored memory preserves some unwritten record of many other things that might otherwise be lost to such as find interest in the men and events of nearly a half century. He was born in (830, and might be regarded fairly as Sharon's "grand old man."

\ number of residents of the town met at Martin Van Alstyne's house. September i~. [845, to organize the First Evangelic Lutheran church of Sharon. Its name was chosen, its synodical connection fixed upon, and officers elected. Its first yearly meeting was held at the same place. September 28, [846, Rev. Marcus \V. Empie presiding. He read his commission from the Lutheran board of missions of the Franckean synod, and was received as pastor. At a special meeting, October 9. 1841). it was resolved to build a chapel which should he opened freely for the use of other orthodox denomination-. It was further determined to accept Mr. Van Alstyne's gift of two .Hies of land and to build thereon at the line between sections 34 and 35, about eighty-five rods from the state line and a little more than one and onehalf miles from the present village. The chapel was ready for its use in [850. Between [856 and 186] it was moved to the village and remodeled, and has since been kept in excellent repair. Before 1866 its service was not continuous. It- pastors have been Mr. Empie, [845-1852; Rufus Smith. Jr.. [856-186] : Henry L. Dox, 1863. Continuity began with James (i. Schaefer, t866; 1. cander ford. [868; Mr. Hammond, [875; Dr. David Harold Snowden, [878; Jacob W. Thomas. 1NS1; J. 11. Weber, [887; I. J. Delo, [889; Luther I.. Lipe, 1891 : Leander Ford (again), 1897; William J. Spire. 1902; rhomas B. Hersch, [904; William F. Harnett. [906-1912. This is an English-speaking congregation.

\ German-speaking Evangelic Lutheran society was formed about [897, and its ehurch was built in 1003. Its pastor list and dates of service are but partly known: 11. R, Roehr, Mr. Schert, Gerhardt F. Kuehnert. las B. Hersch, 1005: Herman V Steege, [906; George F. Hack. [907; B ii' '\\ in charge. Each of these churches has its comfortparsonage.

A Methodist Episcopal society was constituted in 1843 at South Grove and was for some time supplied by circuit riders. In 1856 it built a church at Sharon village and has since improved it and provided a good parsonage. Its clergy list begins with Hiram H. Hersey about 1856, after whom Thomas White. 1857; Stephen Smith.. 1800; Andrew J. Mead. 1861 ; William Page Stowe. 1863: Daniel C. Adams. 1865: A. C. Manwell, 1866; Clark Skinner. 1868; William H. Sampson, 1869; Xorvall J. Aplin, 1871 ; J. C. Robbins, 1873: Daniel Brown. 1S74; A. J. Brill, 1875; A. A. Reed. 1877; Samuel C. Thomas. 1879: Samuel Reynolds, 1880: Charles B. Wilcox, 1881 ; Andrew J. Benjamin, 1883; Joseph Anderson, 1884; Frank A. Pease, 1885; Stephen A. Olin. 1888: Payson W. Peterson, 1891 ; William A. Peterson, 1893; Elvardo C. Potter, 1896; Sabin Halsey, 1898: William Clark. 1899: J. Thomas Murrish, 1902; Andrew Porter, 1903; George W. White, 1906-12. It may be seen that a few of these performed duty at Allen Grove.

Joseph M. Yates and Howland Fish began business as private bankers in 1874, with capital of ten thousand dollars. A few years later Mr. Fish gave place to George C. Mansfield, and yet later Mr. Yates and Mr. Mansfield became respectively president and cashier of the Sharon State Bank, and are still in these positions. This bank's capital has become twenty-five thousand dollars and its deposits are nearly three hundred thousand dollars. A steam grist mill was built in 1875 '3>' James Ashley, with the help of liberally subscribing citizens. It was large enough for local needs, having four runs of mill stones. John Ladd bought a half interest in 1879, the other half interest owned since 1878 by Mrs. Mary A. Slocum. This mill has long been disused.

The village found good water for public and private use at depth of six hundred and ten feet. Since 1905 the streets, stores, and homes have been lighted from gasoline works. Cement with sand and gravel is in general use for public walks, as in all the cities and villages of the county.

The first cemetery is now well within the village, and has long been disused and is mostly vacated. A wild growth of tree, shrub, vine and weed now makes it difficult to explore their tangled thickets in quest of the few old headstones still remaining. Apparently, a quarter century is sufficient for nature to hide he fore she wholly erases the signs "I" human effort to care becomingly for the dead. A newer and well designed and cared-for cemetery lies on high ground, a mile northward. The liberality of citizens, singly and in societies, has provided a cemented walk, four feci in width, for the whole distance. In this work the women of the church societies took the lead and bore the greater share of its cost. This ground has at least one distinctive feature, in that it is unshaded by tree, shrub, or flower. Nothing but its monuments obstructs the lawn-mower and sickle of the care-takers. This last home is now well peopled, and there one may read the names of many of the fathers and mothers who left the eastern world to plant in fairest wastes till then unplowed.

Young men of the town or village have gone forth to find larger usefulness elsewhere. Among these was Capt. John T. Fish, who began a lawyer's practice at the village and ended it in the higher ranks of his profession at Chicago. His son. Frank M. Fish, a native of the village, went to Racine and became judge of this circuit. John Goodland is at Appleton and is judge of the seventh circuit. Scott Ladd, a son of John and Sarah Ladd, is a judge of the supreme court of Iowa. (Another judge of that .court is or was Charles Bishop, son of Matthew P. Bishop, of Lagrange).

By a statute of 1883 the village became, in 1892, entitled to its own representative in the county board of supervisors. Under a later general statute Sharon became one of the four incorporated villages of the county.