Old Settlers' Club, from "History of Washington and Ozaukee Counties, Wisconsin" ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, or the legal representative of the contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Mary Saggio < sagg@execpc.com> 9 Feb, 1999 ==================================================================== Copied from "History of Washington and Ozaukee Counties, Wisconsin", Western Historical Co., 1881 EARLY SETTLEMENT Ozaukee derives its name from the Indian word meaning yellow earth or clay, the soil being mostly of that color. The territory of Ozaukee County originally belonged to the Menomonee tribe of Indians, who lived along the western shore of Lake Michigan for some time prior to its settlement by the whites. The pioneers of Ozaukee County were men capable of heroic sacrifice, and possessed of the same free spirit that filled the breasts of the pilgrim fathers. They came here when the land was destitute of railroads, not even a wagon thoroughfare could be found - nothing but an Indian trail to guide them through the dense forests. There was no market for their produce, travel was difficult, sickness prevalent and money scarce. With all these obstacles to overcome, these men proceeded to possess themselves of and to beautify the broad acres by the hand of toil, till the lands that once lay dormant, bear on their bosoms grand and silent witnesses of their indomitable will and patient toil. It is because the pioneers were workers, and represent the genius of the West, that sketches of their lives are of historical interest. EARLY SETTLERS Prominent among the early settlers of 1836-37 was John Weston, the first Postmaster in the county, located near where the village of Thiensville now stands; Timothy Wooden, the first settler of Grafton; William Worth, the first man to donate land for public school purposes; Daniel Strickland, the pioneer School Commissioner; Joseph Gardinier, who had the contract for cutting the Green Bay road; Peter Turck, the first to preach the doctrine of immersion; Isaac Bigelow, whose wife, Jane, gave birth to the first white child born in the county; Ephraim Woodworth, who commenced to keep bachelor's hall in 1837, in a little log shanty, and has since erected a small frame building, where he still lives a happy bachelor, upon the quarter-section he then located; Asa Jackson, the first white settler in the town of Saukville; Thomas Day, an exemplary Englishman, who introduced Sunday; and James W. Woodworth, who wrote a book entitled "My Path, and the Way the Lord Led Me," and was the first white man married in the county. The earliest German settlers arrived in 1839. Adolph Zimmerman and his brother-in-law, William F. Opitz, came in the month of August of that year, and settled in the town of Mequon. William Voegnitz, with a company of Lutherans, came in October 31, 1839. The Bonniwells, an aged mother with six sons and one daughter, came into the county in 1839. Several of the sons had families, and the first schoolhouse was erected in their settlement within one year after their arrival. E.H. Jansen, Andrew Geidel and John Hansen made a clearing the same year. During the fall of 1839, the Freistadt Colony, under the leadership of Pastor Krause, aided by Capt. Von Rober, came and took up nearly all the west part of Mequon Township, and soon established a Lutheran Evangelical Church, the first religious organization in the county. Frederick V. Horn settled in Mequon in 1841. He was the first Justice of the Peace, and built the first store. He has been identified with the county history to the present time. Prominent among those who came a few years later were Col. William Teal, Harvey J. Turner, George W. Daniels, C.E. Chamberlain, I.T. Brown, Frederick Hilgen, William Schroeder, G.W. Foster, Hiram King, Orman Coe, O.A. Watrous, Hiram Johnson, William Payne and others, of whom sketches will be found in the history of old Washington County, in connection with a full description of the settlement made in Port Washington in 1835, under the name of Wisconsin City. The old settlers annually meet to renew friendships and recount the trials and triumphs of pioneer life in Wisconsin. THE OLD SETTLERS CLUB The Old Settlers' Club was organized in 1873, with the following officers: President, William F. Opitz; Vice Presidents, A.M. Allmy and Patrick Halpin; Secretary, Charles E. Chamberlain; Treasurer, J.W. Ingersoll; Marshal, Col. C. Horneffer; Executive Committee, Theodore Klieforth, William Voegnitz and John Bowe. The following are the names recorded in the old settlers' roster, with time of settlement and birth: Name Yr. of Yr. of Settlement Birth Leopold Eghart 1849 1824 Conrad Horneffer* 1846 1815 William Vogenitz 1839 1820 Theodore Kliefoth 1854 1813 C.E. Chamberlin 1843 1818 Johnson W. Ingersoll* 1847 1818 Fred W. Horn 1841 1815 Alex. M. Alling 1852 1807 William F. Opitz 1839 1816 Dr. Theodore Harting 1847 1820 Hugo Boclo 1846 1827 J. A. Schtelz* 1849 1828 Ed H. Janssen* 1840 1815 Anthony Ahlhauser 1845 1827 Andreas Bodendorfer 1847 1828 Adolph Heidkamp* 1854 1821 William A. Pors 1849 1827 John Gengler 1846 1846 Joseph Malherbe 1854 1846 John C. Schroeling 1853 1816 Charles G. Meyer 1843 1827 J. Briggs Ingersoll* 1847 1816 Adolph Zimmerman 1839 1814 John C. Corrigan 1853 1824 Shepherd E. Moore 1844 1827 Patrick Halpin 1843 1813 Rufus Godfrey 1847 1820 Ernst Hilgen 1847 1831 August Meyer 1847 1840 Eugene S. Turner 1846 1824 Ulrich Landolt 1848 1822 George C. Daniels* 1844 1800 Peter Spehn 1845 1815 George W. Foster 1845 1817 Hervey L. Coe 1844 1836 John Neuens 1852 1831 John Delles 1846 1817 John J. Race 1846 1840 John R. Bohan 1846 1824 William Boxhorn* 1846 1819 Anthony Bell 1847 1824 Hugh McElroy 1842 1812 Nicholas Watry 1845 1812 Nicholas Langers 1846 1818 Norman S. Turner 1852 1829 Nicholas Straus ---- 1847 Fred C. Race 1846 1836 Orman Coe* 1846 1799 John Mueller 1846 1829 Michael G. Ruppert 1849 1848 Charles F. Corley 1850 1836 Edward O'Neile 1854 1826 Lyman Morgan 1847 1814 Boltward Patch 1847 1819 Nicholas Blimer 1851 1815 William H. Landelt 1848 1844 Joseph Albrecht 1855 1831 Fred Stenerwald* 1846 1838 La Fayette Towsley 1847 1824 Niels Jacobson 1854 1820 William Carbys 1855 1826 Charles Ferge 1855 1826 Theobold Rulby 1854 1830 Ed R. Blake 1848 1844 James W. Vail 1848 1826 August Hodan 1845 1842 Julius W. Sizer 1846 1823 Charles Beger* 1846 1822 John B. Peffer 1854 1825 Gottlieb Haas 1846 1825 H. W. Riemenschneider 1848 1832 Wilson F. Stewart ---- 1816 Giles B. Possen ---- 1833 John Simon 1842 1819 Andrew Kreutzer 1840 1836 Mrs. John M. Bostwick 1848 1842 Henry B. Schwin 1845 1844 Mrs. O. P. Melin 1847 1838 William Beger 1846 1820 August Koenig 1854 1828 John P. Weyker 1845 1836 Bartholomew Harrington 1843 1829 Henry Peterman 1863 1833 * names marked thus are deceased.