Early days in Monroe County, WI, are recalled through colorful tales, historic data, and individual biographies in this meaty 8 1/2" x 11" spiral-bound 42-page booklet, printed on 60 # opaque paper. The front cover is a parchtex card stock, protected with a vinyl sheet. The information comes from a rare 1881 book, entitled History of Northern Wisconsin. We've enlarged the area on a map from the original book, and included it along with two other maps of historic interest.
Communities currently listed for this area by the National Association of Counties include: Adrian, Angelo, Byron, Cashton, Cataract, Clifton, Glendale, Grant, Greenfield, Jefferson, Kendall, La Grange, Lafayette, Leon, Lincoln, Little Falls, Melvina, New Lyme, Norwalk, Oakdale, Portland, Ridgeville, Scott, Sheldon, Sparta (County Seat), Tomah, Tunnel City, Warrens, Wellington, Wells, Wilton, Wyeville. (Some towns may not be mentioned in the booklet.)
Among the many subjects included are: Location, Natural Resources, Drainage, Agriculture, etc.; Who's been sleeping in my bed? -- Indian troubles of early settlers; recollections of the first settler, Esau Johnson; daily life of the pioneers; Organization of the county; County officers from 1854 to 1881; Courthouse and jail; Political Divisions; Railroads; Newspapers; Monroe County Agricultural Society; Cranberry Culture; City of Sparta -- first settlers, first post office, first sawmill, first marriage, etc.; Sparta as a "health and pleasure" resort; the "Gem Petroleum Company" fraud and the beautiful and healthful mineral springs that followed; Churches; Schools; Sparta Board of Trade; Public Halls, Fire Department, Banks, Hotels; Lodges and Societies; Civil War recruiting; Business Enterprises; Tomah -- history, businesses, West Wisconsin Railroad, Schools, Churches, Societies, etc.; Leon, Cashton, Melvina and other villages; and other interesting bits of history and trivia.
Illustrations consist of delightful sketches of: the Court House and Square, the village of Sparta, and the residences of Thomas Tyler, Major James Davidson and A. W. Wilson in Sparta; McCaul's Opera House, and the residence of T.S. Powers and E.W. Beebe, and the Drake House, in Tomah.
Attention Genealogists: In addition to the many names mentioned throughout the booklet, there are individual biographies of a number of county residents of the late 1800s. Some of these are brief, but others include family members, affiliations, war records, and business activities, in the course of which they often shed light on area businesses, churches, professions and institutions, and on news events. Those listed are (not alphabetical): Ernest Bartels, Edgar Bennett, O.C. Berg, William H. Blyton, Albert F. Brandt, William Burlingame, Daniel M. Cargill, D.D. Cheney, Rev. E.E. Clough, A.J. Colburn, J.D. Condit, Prof. J.H. Cummings, J.W. Curran, James Davidson, L.S. Fisher, Henry Foster, H.F. Foster, J.J. French, David Fulton, Dr. M.R. Gage, Dr. D.C. Beebe, Dr. Richard Garratt, F. Herbst, William Hogue, Sylvanus Holmes, Samuel Hoyt, Hiram E. Kelley, N.J. Kemp, William Kerrigan, George King, N.P. Lee, William Letson, William Lohmiller, Charles B. McClure, Brice E. McCoy, C.W. McMillan, J.J. Mason, J.M. Morrow, Charles M. Masters, Dr. George W. Millegan, O.I. Newton, J.B. Northup Jr., H.T. Northup, H. Palmer, Dr. Horace Palmer (pix), C.W. Pott, Asa Rice, Robert Richardson, Rev. E.L. Semans, James W. Smith, Stevens H. Stearns, T.B. Tyler, S.M. Dickinson, J.A. Warner, Alfred W. Wilson, James C. Boyle, George W. Graves, Loren M. Huntley, George Shepherd, John A. Sholts, John W. Smith, Chandler Dammon, Cyrus E. Hanchett, A.H. Isham, Martin V.B. Morse, Rev. William Bush, Isaac W. Cooper, Austin S. Beemer, D.V. Cole, Mark P. Matteson, William J. Austin, A.H. Gilliland, W.S. Jewell, Rev. William McMillan, A.H. Matteson, Charles J. Matteson, Robert Smith, Henry H. Cremer, Mark Daniels, W.B. Surdam, J.B. Trowbridge, Richard S.W. Cole, Capt. Charles A. Hunt, Thomas Rathbun, J.T. Bearss, E.W. Beebe, George I. Bell, J.F. Blome, Jesse Boorman, Ulysses Button, Harry Doxtader, Watson Earle, C.K. Erwin, Charles Gilson, Samuel Gunn, Asher Haynes, Almon A. Helms, Prof. Jay R. Hinckley, R. P. Hitchcock, W.W. Jackson, Jay J. Kibbe, William L. Mason, H. L. Crandall, John L. Mather, D.R. Meloy, Moritz Paley, Edwin N. Palmer, T.S. Powers, Dr. John F. Richards, Adolph G. Schultz, Henry C. Spaulding, Dr. Walter D. Stannard, J.P. Tracey, Dr. G.R. Vincent, J.O. Warriner, John F. Dorland, Christian G. Hettman, Selium McGary, William Munz, James Shanklin, Peter Syverson, Carl Gifford, Samuel J. Lyon, T.L. Martin, Frank W. Moll, John O'Brien, L.M. Titus, Dr. C. E. Phillips, Ferdinand Wolkow, Horace J. Moore, Dr. Lyman R. Burlingame, Walter Baxter, R.B. Dunlap, Benjamin Roberts, Fred K. Talbot, J.E. Mooney.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift?
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