Biographies from The History of Columbia County,
Wisconsin, 1880 


Contributed by Carol carolann612@charter.net
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From The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, 1880,
publ. by Western Historical Company, Chicago, Page
885-891

CONRAD COLLIPP (an autobiography).  I was born Feb.
21, 1822 in the village of Obersuhl, in the middle
Werra Valley of Northwest Thuringia, near the city of
Eisenach, and the renowned castle of Wartburg, where
Dr. Martin Luther in the years 1522-23 translated the
Bible into the German language; my birthplace,
Obersuhl, belonging at that time to the Electorate of
Hesse-Cassel, now to Prussia; I was brought up under
stern Protestantism - the German Reformed Church -
vigorous Zwingli-Calvinism.  My father, John COLLIPP,
was a very severe and stiff military gentleman, of
strict morality and of very few words; he was a
manufacturer of worsted and other fine white woolen
yarns; he owned quite a wealth of real estate. My
mother's name was Christina MOHR, of old German stock,
tough and wiry all her lifetime; she died in
Philadelphia in 1873, 77 years of age.  I was the only
son of five children, having four sisters; I went to
school about fourteen years, from my 4th to my 14th
year, in what we call regular school, and four years
in extra preparatory school for higher studies, mostly
three times a day, till I was 18 years old.  My mother
becoming a widow through the sudden death of my
father, and she intending to use me for other purposes
than book studies, took me away from school against my
most obstinate remonstrances and wishes, and put me in
apprenticeship to a damask-weaver, and afterward to
plush and velvet weaving.  After the death of my
father, my mother, who had given up my father's
business, commenced a commercial business of selling
table-linen, damask and general hosiery, besides
carrying on our farming; from my 18th to my 22d year,
I have always considered the worst four years of my
life, because being compelled to engage in employments
against my inclinations and wishes; I rather would
have liked to be a soldier from my 20th year, but even
that could not be, for I was the only son of a widow,
and therefore exempt by law and the circumstances; but
thank God! the year of 1844 came on, the year of my
majority - 22 years old according to German laws; yes,
dear mother - 22 years old, now I can do something for
myself; and straightway I prepared to go into the
great universe, wheresoever I might get to, to the
East Indies or elsewhere, no difference to me.

The 17th of March, 1844, I left the old domicile of my
mother and my native village of Obersuhl amidst
copious shedding of tears and great sorrow of my dear
mother, sisters and hundreds of friends; per foot,
knapsack on my back, cane in hand, the legal papers
and passports and necessary cash in my pockets; going
to Gottingen in pretty bad weather, and rather
footsore, I took the mail coach for Bremen; arriving
in Bremen the 22d of March 1844, I noticed a large
poster, stating that in a few days a ship would sail
for America; I went to the office and asked what it
would cost to go to America; the man asked me what I
had, I told him nothing but myself and a knapsack; he
told me if I paid 19 thalers in gold, I could go, I
paid right away and took my passage ticket; after
looking around the city of Bremen, and buying some
maps of America and other stationery, I finally left
the old foggy place in a schooner on the Weser River
for Braka some miles seaward.  On the night of the
24th of March 1844, I left dear old Fatherland in the
brig Louisa, Capt. Claus WENCKE, for the far-off
America; in the morning, when I got out, I could see
nothing more of land, only dreary fog, and once in
awhile a dangerous looking buoy in dismal waters.
Adieu.  After a stormy and terrific voyage of eight
weeks in despair, suffering in the meantime almost
every conceivable misery and discomfort, I arrived
hale and hearty the 21st of May, 1844, and about 9
o'clock A.M. set my feet on dry land at Spruce street
wharf in Philadelphia, thanking God and kissing the
very dry soil on terra firma.  I advanced a few rods
upon my "sea-legs" to the corner of Spruce and Water
street, to a barrier post, made of an old cannon, and
gazed with delight in the balmy bright May morning up
Spruce street, with its gilt-lettered behung signs.
While I was standing there in wondrous admiration and
meditations of many sorts, a middle-aged, tall, pale-
faced and lank gentleman of a pleasant countenance
approached me and asked, whether I had come with
yonder ship, pointing with his finger toward the brig
Louisa, with the Bremen flag flying in the breeze in
the Delaware River; I understood so much, that I
assented with nodding of my head; for with the
remembrances of the voyage, I had no desire to look
toward the ships.  The gentleman spoke a few more
words to me, but I shook my head in the negative; a
few moments afterward, he said, you stay here a few
minutes; I understood that also partially, and again
assented with my head nodding; scarcely five minutes
had elapsed and the same gentleman appeared in company
with a youngish man; this youngish man stepped toward
me, and bade me very pleasantly good morning in
German, and asked me further in the German language
whether I had just come with that ship, over there in
the river, and whether there had not come some person
I knew of who could manufacture such material as my
cap was made of (I had a plush cap on my head).  I
answered that I had learned to make such stuff at
Marsuhl in Saxe-Weineingen; they both appeared very
much pleased, but I did care much about it, for I was
very hungry, having scarcely eaten anything within
sixty hours of the miserable food on board the ship,
though I was enchanted with the handsome landscapes,
the crowing of roosters, lowing of cattle, sights of
towns, orchards and fields on both sides of the grand
Delaware Bay and River, slowly coming up with the
ship, in delightful May weather; the old gentleman
soon left, but the youngish man stayed with me, took
me to an adjacent hotel, where a bountiful table was
set with everything the heart could wish for, such as
I only had seen at grand festivals; I thought by
myself, COLLIPP you have it; there is surely a great
festival on the go here; no doubt of it, for all the
people are dressed so well and everything looks so
gay; the reader may depend on it, for I did eat at
that time with great comfort, and to my entire
satisfaction.

An incident occurred during my first American meal,
which I may relate: While I was studiously eating
away, the landlady of the house came in - a middle-
aged woman; she asked me where I came from in Germany.
I answered, "From Ubersuhl in the Werra-Valley."
"What is your father's name?"  I said, "I am the only
son of Johannes COLLIPP; my name is Conrad."  "O dear
God!" she exclaimed, "my dear young man, I nursed you
while you was a little boy.  I have known your father
very well; you must stay with me as long as you
please."  I looked at the woman with great pleasure,
and asked who the good lady was who addressed a
stranger so kindly (for I could not remember ever
seeing the person).  She told me her father's name,
and other things, well known to me in Europe, etc.  I
recognized at one that I was not altogether in a
strange land, without friends.

After having finished my meal, the youngish man, who
we will call now Mr. HESS, foreman of Mr. WOODRUFF's
millinery, hat and cap manufactory, took me with him
in an omnibus, and we rode that first half-day over
many parts of the opulent city of Philadelphia, he
treating me with many kinds of luxuries, such as
oranges, ice cream, cocoanuts, ginger beer, etc., and
showing me some of the arts, sciences, fine
architecture and memorable places of that great city. 
I thanked God in the evening, that in reality I had
now come to a place where I could for awhile learn a
great deal, and be happy.  Mr. HESS treated me for
several days in the same manner, till I told him that
now I had enough of sight-seeing, and we would go to
business henceforth.  We procured the necessary
machinery, twisted mohair and other properly dyed
yarns, etc., and went to work.  I taught at that time
about sixty girls to make plush for the manufacture of
hats, caps, etc.  Mr. WOODRUFF, the proprietor of the
establishment, paying me well for my services, and
treating me with all the good graces of a gentleman
while I was with him.  Naturally for me, I applied my
mind right away with an intense assiduity to the
learning of the English language.  I remained with Mr.
WOODRUFF about half a year.  Afterward, I apprenticed
myself to become a printer in a newspaper printing
office.  An editor - a fine man - Mr. MISKEY,
addressed me once thus: "Dear young man," he said, "I
get $2,000 a year, but I have to work almost day and
night like a slave in a room like a prison; take my
meals in a hurry; only a few hours on Sunday I can see
my family, and when the year is around, there is
nothing left of my hard-earned wages; besides, I have
almost daily to write down, to my utmost disgust, the
manifold truths and mendacities of commonplace men and
hypocrites.  I am sick of this business.  If I were
young yet, I would go to the West.*  Dear young man, I
advise you to give up learning this business, and go
west.  I assure you, you will live happier if you work
as hard there as I must do here."  I took the hint -
and quit; or, I saw the reason in the advice, and
quit. *Horace Greeley, it seems, did not originate
this familiar expression.

After the printing experiment, I went to learning
weaving ingrain carpets, for which art I had to pay
$80.  With this business I could, and really did, make
good wages during four days of the week, and so had
three days for muse and studies while I remained in
Philadelphia.  The years and parts of year, I lived in
Philadelphia, were of great blessing to me, and added
much to my future career.  I learned the English
tongue, some of the English literature, and various
good manners and Americanisms.  Late in the fall of
1844, I got acquainted with a very good, common-sense,
reasonable and pious man, Rev. Daniel BERGER.  Through
the grace of God, this good man and my zealous
efforts, I found peace of mind religiously, in the
Christian fundamental truth of principle; and my motto
has henceforth, "Entire negation of the negative."

My mother's great love of her only son induced her to
sell her property in Europe and follow me, with my
four sisters, to America, in the year 1846.  They
arrived safely at Philadelphia and mother bought some
real estate there, and I helped to get them in
tolerably good condition in the way of living to their
satisfaction.

In the year 1848, being now additionally, a little
better prepared for the great world, I started off
again - for the West and wilderness - to the infinite
sorrow of my dear mother and sisters.  But who could
help it?  I went via New York, Hudson River, Erie
Canal, Buffalo; per steamer Globe over Lakes Erie and
Huron, Straits of Mackinaw and Lake Michigan, to
Wisconsin, and finally arrived, in the beginning of
August, 1848, at Chicago, Ill.  There I got, the first
day, employment as a clerk in a large dry-goods and
grocery store.  In April 1849, I obtained the
excellent situation of clerk on the steamboat Indiana,
which was towing at that time vessels in and out of
Chicago poor harbor, in boisterous, bad weather; also
the many canal and packet boats of the Illinois Canal,
from Bridgeport up and down the Chicago River - an
arduous, dangerous and dashing business for me; among
primitive, chaotic Western wickedness, putrid water,
mud and quagmire, pestilential cholera, numerous and
terrific deaths, and black clouds of tormenting
mosquitoes at night time, but plenty cash rolling
around me, in the general havoc going on at that time
in Chicago.  I came out all hale and hearty; no
impression made on me of any particular hurt, then or
afterward.

In the beginning of August 1849, I started from
Chicago, per steamer, well equipped with gun, pistol,
ammunition, etc., and some cash, for Milwaukee.  From
there, per foot, to the Indian lands, beyond Fox and
Wisconsin Rivers, having at Chicago set my eyes for
the wilderness and utmost limits of civilization, to
try progress.  I had for company, on this adventurous
route, Mr. Samuel SLIFER, who afterward became my
father-in-law, and another - a youngish Yankee he was,
I think.  At Oak Grove, a little westward of poverty-
stricken Watertown, at that time, I saw the last poor
habitation of quasi-civilization.  Further on toward
Fort Winnebago, I saw nothing but inane expanse of
grassy, wild, rolling prairie and woods.  About ten
miles eastward of Fort Winnebago, we struck an
apparent wagon track through the woods, which, I
afterward found, had been the military road to the
fort.  I came up to Fort Winnebago about half an hour
in advance of my weary comrades, it being now about 9
o'clock A.M., middle of August.  I sighted the
consoling and well arranged frontier military barrack
and building of the fort with much pleasure, and was
delighted with the fine view toward the west and
Baraboo hills.  While I sat there waiting,  I
soliloquized: "Precious castle of comfort to the
pilgrim seeking an earthly home; a watch-house of our
glorious Government for the protection of advancing
civilization and wealth, versus barbarism."  As soon
as my comrades came up, I walked again in advance down
to a bridge across a small stream.  A grassy ditch,
thought I .  All at once I noticed what appeared to me
a half-breed Indian in the big grass near the bridge. 
"What is this?"  I asked, pointing to the water.  He
said, "Fox River."  O Poseidon!* said I to myself -
Fox River.  I asked, "Where is the Wisconsin River?"
He said, "Over there," pointing with his finger
southward, "great big river, that."  My comrades now
came up to the bridge; I told them, "This, you see, is
the great Fox River;" but they were so weary and worn-
out, they had nothing to say.  In the mean time, the
individual down in the grass came up to us.  I asked
him, "Is there any tavern round hereabouts?"  He said,
"Little way over there - the Cap'ns place," pointing
southeasterly across the bridge.  I said then to my
comrades, "Let us cross the Miemen, and now into -
Russia."  As soon as we were a few rods across the
river among the tall willow brush which at that time
covered the whole flats to the Wisconsin River, we saw
everywhere groups of horrible-looking Indians, old and
young, lying among the bushes on the ground.  Alas!
wild-looking creatures to behold.  In a little while,
we came to the Franklin House - a cozy resting-place
for weary men in this wilderness.  Old Capt. LOW had
built this hospice a few years back, in this dreary
marsh, for the coming of "advancing civilization"
westward.  We got something to eat, and rested for
that day. *The Grecian water god.

The next day, I equipped myself with fighting tools,
plenty of dry powder, round lead and pocket compass,
for an expedition into the Indian lands.  I walked
toward what is now called Ketchum's Point, kept along
the dry land toward Mud Lake, turned a little north,
to the marsh below what we now call Silver Lake,
crossed the quagmire northward, and went to the
westerly side of the lake.  Here I found a splendid
woods and pretty good soil, north and west of this
fine sheet of clear water.  Why not pitch on this
spot? thought I to myself.  I wandered till toward
evening round about the woods, meeting some Indians
and wild game, and returned finally, wet and tired, to
the hospice in the marsh.

Next day, Mr. SLIFER, the young Yankee, and I started
out prospecting into the Indian land, and stayed
several days in the woods.  We got pretty deep into
it, finally astray, about the big slough and general
chaos thereabouts.  We slept in the woods and went
next day in a southerly direction, across a seemingly
endless marsh, miry swamps and low, thick woods.  At
last we came, toward midnight, about twelve miles
above the portage to the Wisconsin River, but did not
know at that time where we were.  It must be the
Wisconsin River, and sure enough it was.  It was the
first time I got sight of the grand river of much
movable sand.  We had shot two raccoons during the
day, and I tried to eat some nasty coon's flesh, but
could not get it down.  Early next day, I marched down
along the shore of the river through the awfullest
woods, slough, abominable quagmires and tall cutgrass,
which was swarming full of hungry mosquitoes.  My
hands, face and neck became one smear of blood, sweat
and black mud in the struggle.  At last, about noon, I
reached dry land, at what we now call Prospect Hill.
Passing along this eminence on the shore of the river,
I came to that heavy-timbered infernal corner, where
now old Mr. LEACH resides, and where Mr. William
ARMSTRONG's brickyard is.  There in that wild nook of
hill, slough and morass, I noticed a cadaverous smell,
some human hair, rags, traces of clotted blood and a
grave of recent date in the dark woods.  I felt
somewhat uncomfortable, shivered some, and with fleet
steps made my exit from the dismal place.  Coming
pretty soon to that other dark nest of timber and
slough, where now Mr. Valentine HELMAN's house is, I
came again into the mud.  The big timber reached in a
slough, at that time, to where now John BURCHHARD
lives, on Wisconsin street.  Finally I came to dryer
land covered with young black-oak woods, and met,
about the place where now Peter NEISS' brick house
stands, a few boards stuck up, behind which I
discovered a woman, an old stove and a few barrels.
No doubt I looked like a hard case, for the poor woman
was much scared when she got sight of me.  I told her
not to be afraid.  "Have you anything to eat?" I
asked.  She said, "Yes, I have some pork in that
barrel there, and some bread."  I told her to quickly
cook some, for I was very hungry.  I ate about three
pounds of half-raw pork and some doughy fresh bread.
I offered her some money, but she refused to take it. 
This good woman was Barney COOK's first wife, after
the wife of Peter NEISS.  I asked the woman how far it
was to Fort Winnebago.  She said, "I don't know, but I
think, it is only a few miles."  I could not see far
for the  heavy Wisconsin River slough-timber full of
drifted logs, slabs, lumber and all kinds of muss,
about ten feet high in some places, reached about to
where now Main street meets the canal at Portage.
Somewhere along the hills, in the neighborhood where
HETTINGER's brewery now stands, I got sight of the
fort buildings.  I felt relief.  In a short time, I
entered the comfortable hostelry, the old Franklin
House.  "O, my God!" exclaimed Ashlum, the keeper of
the house, "I thought you were dead."  I said, "I
guess not yet."  "Where is Mr. SLIFER and the other
young man?"  I said, "The young man is a little behind
me, but he may soon turn up."  And he did, after
awhile.  Mr. SLIFER came another route through the
woods, and appeared also toward evening.

Next day, being the third time of my going out in the
woods, I went to Silver Lake again, taking an ax with
me, and made then and there at the very place where I
now reside my claim, with a settled determination of
the black hussar sort - "victory or death."  I marked
out what I called 160 acres, cutting my name on the
trees.  I chopped one tree down (which blistered my
hands, cut some underbrush away and knelt down and
passed through my mind the Lord's Prayer.  Meanwhile,
a beautiful bird flew over my head - of good omen,
thought I.  Subsequently, I built me a tight and snug
log house, 14 x 18 feet, with one door and one window,
sash 8 x 10 inch glass.  I built my log house all
alone.  Nobody would nor could help me.  Now and
henceforth, I commenced with in earnest, chopping,
digging, rooting, burning and clearing up general
chaos around; frequently went hunting for game, of
which there was plenty, and for other provender.

When I came to the Indian lands in 1849, I had cash,
$150.  My dear mother sent to me, in the years 1849
and 1850, $130 cash, and, in May, 1850, a chest
containing tools and clothing from Philadelphia.  Late
in the fall of 1849, I surveyed the town line from the
southeast corner stake of  Sec. 33, Town 13, Range 9,
and ran it westward into the Indian land four miles,
or four sections, for the purpose of getting my claim
fixed as near as possible according to the Government
survey.  I found it to be nearly correct, when finally
the lands of the Menomonee Purchase were surveyed by
order of the Government in the summer of 1851.  I had
already in 1851, about 40 acres fenced and 20 under
good cultivation, which can be seen marked on the
original maps on the United States survey of 1851.

In December 1849, I measured the depth of the water of
Silver Lake, and found the westerly part, deepest
measurement, sixty-two feet; and the easterly part,
deepest measurement, twenty-two feet.  During the
first years of my living here, Silver Lake used to be
lower in summer time than it is now.  The marsh at the
easterly end of the lake was of a very loose and
swampy nature - a perfect quagmire; high wire-grass
and reeds grew there.  When the road was built across
this marsh, in 1851 and 1852, it took large quantities
of log timber, brush and earth to make it passable.
Still it sunk and remained very aqueous for years,
needing fixing and filling up.  It dammed Silver Lake
up considerable, I think in the summer time over two
feet; for I could go on my marsh westward joining
Silver Lake, safe with a horse-team in the summer
time, before the road we now call pinery road was
there.  The waters of Silver Lake were full of fish of
fine quality.  I caught some weighing thirty-two
pounds . In the spring and fall time, its surface was
sometimes covered with various kinds of wild ducks and
other water fowls.  At times, I would throw a stone
into the lake, and a cloud of wild ducks would rise
above me to fire into, and sometimes a dozen or so
would come down with a bounce to my feet, on dry land
- plenty of fun.

In the fall of 1849, some prospectors, travelers and
some actual settlers appeared at Ft. Winnebago and
vicinity.  Some traders put up at the fort, and a few,
with a very small stock, built shanties at the portage
in the woods.  Next year and henceforth, dickering and
merchanting improved considerable.  The place at
present called the city of Portage was nicknamed
"Gaugeville" for a while, because a "hard set" had
gathered there.  In 1850, a good many excellent
settlers came to the Indian lands and made homes; also
a lot of quasi and sham settlers made their appearance
hereabouts - the worst kind of settlers in the new
country.  But, after all, all of them together, myself
included, made up a population good enough for this
wilderness; and the consequences were and are, what
you see now, dear reader-grand city of Portage, with
first-rate people therein and thereabouts.

I cannot give you an adequate representation of the
privations and pleasures of frontier settler life, or
an understanding of its reality.  Still, I will give
you a little of my experience.  We hear of military
and pinery roads.  Where do they lead to?  Green Bay
and the pinery.  Just as good, as far as you are
concerned, are leading to nowhere; they are only
tracks through the dark, wild woods and grassy
wilderness, scarcely recognizable when you see or meet
them.  There were some Indian trails, but leading to
nowhere in particular.  Wherever you went into the
woods, swamps, etc. you came in contact with big
grass, underbrush, rotting debris, water and mire,
very uncomfortable to get through in wet weather.
Lucky was he who had an ax, handsaw and hatchet to
build a hut for shelter; and also a gun and plenty of
ammunition.  There was danger of ugly Indians; there
was also plenty of wild game to be had.  Fish, wild-
fowls, deer and coons were abundant.  I sometimes met
with eight or more deer in one drove.  Such common
things as salt, bread and potatoes were luxuries if
you could get hold of any, but to do so was not very
easy.  You had to eat the wild, natural provender in
the best way you knew how to prepare it; sometimes in
a very insipid way, with yellow marsh or lake water
for drink, and nothing else most of the time.  At
night time you heard all kinds of queer noises of wild
animals, and sometimes the terrific screeching of
Indians.  Red foxes were plenty around here.
Oftentimes they used to bark at night around my log
house.  One time, early in the morning, I went hunting
and came on the ice of the Wisconsin River, a little
above Prospect Hill, near a heavy-timbered island,
where I found myself at once surrounded by nine or ten
big red foxes barking at me like ugly dogs.  At
another time, I came to a part of my claim which I
called the Hirsch Dell; there, only about six feet
from me, arose from out of the underbrush a monstrous
deer, heavily built, the size of a stout three-year-
old heifer, with very short, strong legs, enormous
antlers and large, fierce eyes.  The beast stared at
me with defiance, and did not budge for some time.  I
had with me a double-barrel gun - one barrel rife,
loaded with bullet, and the other barrel being for
shot, was loaded with big shot.  Instantly, I was
ready for battle, the triggers cocked, and sharply
facing the wild best.  By-and-by, it moved a little
backward from me.  I also moved a little backward.  So
we continued moving from time to time further apart,
till the deer was about five rods distant from me,
when it turned around and trotted off.  I felt
relieved when I got so easily rid of the monster.
There were various kinds of snakes - rattlesnakes
included.  I have killed thousands in the spring and
summer time, often averaging a few hundred a day.  The
worst pests were the different species of ant.  My
land was full of these troublesome insects.  Numerous
ant-heaps stood like large beehives in every
direction.  By burning out their haunts, I finally
subdued that tormenting animal in some degree.
Countless gophers, who would root out my new-planted
crops, had also to be destroyed; but the greatest
danger to the frontier settler were the unexpected and
disastrous wood and prairie fires when they came with
a strong blast of wind.

Among the oldest, permanent and solid settled men of
the city of Portage, whom I now call to mind, were and
are, including some that are dead - Henry MERRILL,
William ARMSTORNG, Dr. PRENTICE, J. J. GUPPEY, H. T.
HASKETLL, Valentine HELMANN, James COLLINS, W. R.
CLOUGH, Solomon LEECH, John GRAHAM, Anton KLENERT,
Bemos PIXLEY, George THAKELL, and Alex. CARNAGIE.

The 12th day of February 1850, I married Miss Louisa
SLIFER (the marriage taking place on her 20th
birthday); she was born at the village of Trappe,
Montgomery Co., State of Pennsylvania; her father,
Samuel SLIFER, had taken up the next claim, westward
of my claim on Silver Lake, for a homestead, on the
Indian land.  My wife's parents, Mr. Samuel SLIFER and
his wife (her maiden name being Esther SCHOLL) of
Pennsylvania, were descendants of the Palatinate
emigrants of the seventeenth century, in the time of
Louis the XIV.  ("Grand Louis," His Most Christian
Majesty, King of France, devastating poor South
Germany with his infamous infernal dogs, like Turenne,
Melac and Montelus, at a fearful rate; worse than the
Huns and Mongolians.)

Squire S. VAN SLYKE a young man, tied the "connubial
knot," a little, young lawyer, a Mr. SOOP, being
witness.  It happened in front of Mr. SLIFER's log
house, at Silver Lake, on the sod (being very fine
weather), and under the "canopy of heaven."  Here is
the statement of the genuine document:

STATE OF WISCONSIN Columbia County Be it Remembered -
That at Fort Winnebago, in said County (being in the
Woods), on the 12th day of February 1850, Mr. Conrad
COLLIPP and Miss Louisa SLIFER were duly joined in
marriage by me.

S. VAN CLYKE Justice of the Peace

This, our marriage, was, I believe, the first legal
marriage of white man and woman kind on the Indian
lands, hereabouts.  Momentous destiny!  Glorious,
independent bachelorhood now gone - evaporated to
zero.  The desperate plunge of life had now been made
forever.  I must confess I dreaded, in an uneasy,
anticipative way, the so-called burden, care and
slavery of married life.  But be it said by me, the
very reverse became the fact in my case; happiness,
success, and entire contentment henceforth to this
day.

God blessed our marriage with eleven children; eight
girls and three sons; all born at Silver Lake.  Jennie
Octavia, was born the 8th of December 1851, and was
married to W. W. LLOYD the 27th of August, 1873;
Louise Anna was born the 29th of January 1854, and was
married to D. C. TREADWAY the 15th of September 1875;
Sophia Augusta was born the 3d of November 1855; Lydia
Amanda was born the 24th of November 1857, and was
married to W. A. KRAUSE the 22d of November 1876;
Katie, or Catharina, was born the 9th of December
1859; Christine Elise was born the 20th of March,
1861; she died at the age of 12 years and 4 months,
the 20th of July 1873; she was a highly gifted girl.
(I took the shock as calmly as possible, but it
commenced to turn my hairs gray.  Grim death had shot
the center out of my dear children.)  Lilly Ruth was
born the 22d of January 1863; Washington was born the
21st of February 1865; Horace was born the 13th of
May, 1867; Platon was born the 9th of May 1869;
Heldegard was born the 31st of May 1871.

September the 9th, 1852, I received one part of my
land, as a first actual settler, according to the pre-
emption laws of 1842, at the Menasha land office.  The
other part, Oct. 20, 1852, under the same law, at the
Oshkosh land office; it being 160 acres, more or less,
in Sec. 31, Township 13, Range 9, and the east part of
Lot 2, Sec. 6, Township 12, Range 9.  In 1854 I rented
land to JURGENS & DREYER for the manufacturing of
brick.  In 1855 they started the brickyard and ran it
till 1865.  In 1866 I took the brickyard myself and
ran it, with good success, till 1875.  Since 1878, the
brickyard has been run by AFFELT & GONTEN.

In April 1855, a wood fire swept like a hurricane in a
terrible devastating manner over my land.  I lost 90
cords of newly chopped wood, 110 rods of rail fence
and many large trees which stood like burning spires,
and would come down at last with an awful crash.  All
my land, except the cultivated parts, looked like a
black dreary waste.  I felt pretty rough at the time. 
The season of planting had arrived, but now my fields
lay open.  Matters, however mended, and everything
went on as smoothly as ever.  In July 1856, I laid out
a road, four rods in width, over the center of
Collipp's Point, from the narrowest part of Silver
Lake northward to the town line, and from thence
westward four rods in width on the town line to the
one-quarter line, meeting there the land I had sold to
Hon. J. J. GUPPEY.  Charles HAERTEL and I built a
bridge, about twelve rods in length, over the
narrowest part of Silver Lake.  The first team drove
over the bridge May 11, 1859.  My part of the expense
was $250 and one months' work with team.  In 1874 the
city of Portage took charge of the bridge as a public
highway, and in the winter of 1875, built an earth dam
across the same place, where the bridge had stood.  In
1875, I dedicated the same road I had laid out in 1851
to the city of Portage as a public highway.  In was
named Collipp avenue.

In the years of 1853 and 1854, I built a frame house,
14 x 22, and, in 1855, a barn 20 x 30 feet on my land
on Lot. 2, Sec. 6, Town 12, Range 9.  A little east of
these buildings, I built in 1858, a convenient solid
brick house, two stories high above ground and
basement and cellars below.  This building is 32 x 32
feet, with wing 20 x 22 feet.  Since August 1858, we
have resided in this house.

Since 1854 I have planted a great many fruit trees,
vines, ornamental trees and shrubbery, and we have
had, since 1858, most every year plenty of apples,
grapes, berries, etc.  In 1869 I built, on Cook
street, in the city of Portage, a brick store, twenty-
two feet wide by seventy-five feet long, two stories
high, with cellar under the whole building.  In 1875 I
built an addition of forty feet in length thereto,
making the store now 115 feet long, now rented to
PARRY & MUIR, who keep a large dry-goods
establishment.  I have been several times assessor of
the city of Portage, and have been of late years one
of the city School Commissioners and County Supervisor
of the Fifth war, and been elected to the last named
offices again, this spring of 1880.

Dear reader, God has blessed all our family (excepting
the sickness and death of one of our children) since
our commencement, and onward till now with good health
and plenty, thank God!

Submitted by Carol