Pioneer History of Walworth County, Wisconsin by Charles H.
  Baker, published 1872

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Christy Hall
Thompson  <  blondie2jt@aol.com  >

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PIONEER HISTORY OF WALWORTH COUNTY, WI by
CHARLES H. BAKER

The attention of the people of the United States was first drawn
to this portion of the Union by the Black Hawk war.  The
principal incidents of which lay within the present limits of
this State.  The march of our army in pursuit of the Indians as
they fled northwest to the Bad Axe and Mississippi rivers, our
State, which soon became known throughout the Union.  The
eyes of emigrants were quickly drawn hither, and explorations
made.  The attention of the General Government was aroused
so that they authorized the survey of the southern portion of
the State, and on the 20th of April, 1836, Congress organized
the Territory of Wisconsin from the State of Michigan.
Embracing within it not only it's present territory but also the
present states of Iowa, Minnesota, and parts of Nebraska and
Dakota.

The only county then existing in this part of Wisconsin was
Milwaukee.  From that county Racine embracing Walworth,
Was set off at the first.  Or Belmont session of our Territorial
Legislature began in October 1836.  Walworth County was
organized out of Racine county at the second session of Our
Legislature, held at Burlington now in Iowa, in January 1829.
And was named for Chancellor Reuben H. Walworth of New
York.

Walworth and Rock counties composed one election district up
to February 24th 1845, when they were separated.  Col. Jas.
Maxwell then of Big Foot Prairie was the first member of the
Council for the two counties.  Gen. Wm. B. Sheldon of
Janesville, was the first member of the house.  O. Beardsley of
Troy was the first member of the House from this county, for
the unit district.  He was elected in the summer or fall of 1838.
The first member of the Council from this county after its
Separation from Rock, in 1845 was, if I am not mistaken, Jesse
C. Mills. The first members of the House were Caleb Croswell,
Warner Earl and Gaylord Graves.

The first land sale for the Milwaukee land district, of which this
County formed a part, was appointed for November 16th 1838, 
But at the earnest request of the settlers, who desired longer
Time to raise funds to purchase it was postponed until February
1839, when it took place.

As near as I have been able to ascertain, Walworth County was
surveyed in 1835 and the spring of 1836.  The running of the
section lines being completed at the latter period by John Brink
and John Hodgson.  The surveyor, under the Government
contractor, was Millett of Detroit.  The first election of county
officers was held in 1838.  The first county officers elected and
appointed were Commissioners Ben Ball, Nathaniel Bell and
William Bowman.  They organized the board at the house of
Daniel E. Bradley, Elkhorn on the 7 of January 1839, and appointed
Volney A. McCracken, Clerk.  Gen. S. Walling was elected Sheriff
and LeGrand Rockwell Register of Deeds, and he was also appointed
Clerk of the District Court.  Joseph Griffin was appointed Judge of
Probate and C.M. Baker District Attorney, in the winter of 1838 and
1839.  William Hollinshead was elected County Treasurer.  Edward
Norris was elected Surveyor and Hollis Latham coroner.  This was the
first election.

WALWORTH TOWNSHIP

James Van Slyke, first settled this town, in the fall of 1836.  He
settled at Fontana at the head of Geneva, then Big Foot Lake.  The
Indian chief Big Foot's bands of Pottawatamies were then living at
the place on the William's Bay, on the north side of the lake. They
cultivated some corn and the hills where they had raised it were
still visible as late as 1840.  The stump of Big Foot's flay staff
is still in existence on the eminence near the head of the lake.
These with the exception of a few living at Spring Prairie, and
perhaps Troy, were the only Indians in the county upon its first
settlement.  They soon were removed but frequently returned in small
companies for the purpose of hunting and fishing mainly around Lake
Geneva and Lake Duck, for several years after.  A deep Indian trail,
leading from William's Bay across Elkhorn and Spring Prairies to
Mukwonago was visible for many years until broken by the plow. Geneva
Lake was then called by the French, Gros Pied, and by the natives,
Maunk Suck, both terms meaning in our language, Big Foot.  Whether
this name was given for the form of the lake or from the name of some
Indian Chief, or band of Indians, is, I believe unknown at the present
day.  Though the original name was uncouth, in my opinion is the most
beautiful sheet of water in the State.

In February 1837 Van Slyke with Disbrown went to Squaw Prairie
Illinois, after some hogs.  It became intensely cold so they had to
leave them four miles from home.  It was with much difficulty Disbrown
reached it. He had one foot badly frozen, and with no surgeon available
Mrs. Van Slyke amputated his toes with her scissors.  All the hogs
froze but two. These, it is supposed, were the first swine driven into
the county. Sheep were not introduced till much later, precisely when I
have not learned. Not till the wolves, for whose scalps bounties were
given were mostly exterminated.

In the spring of 1837 Van Slyke broke 100 acres on the prairie and
soon after Collins Wadhams broke 500 acres there for five individuals.
The furrows were two and one half miles long.  The first child born in
the town was Clara A. Bell, July 8th 1837.  The first death was a child
of Amos Bailey in 1837.  The first Schoolhouse was built in 1839 and
the first teacher was Mrs. Williams, wife of Moses Williams.  The first
law suit was before Israel Williams Jr. in December 1838 about a claim
matter.  The attorneys were Gen. John Bullen, Bullen's Bridge and C.M.
Baker.  The first marriage was Robert Russell to a daughter of Israel
Williams Sen.  First post office was established in 1839.  William
Bell was postmaster.

In the winter of 1837 and 1838 some families in the town it is said
had to sift the buckwheat bran for the third time to keep from
starving.  Your speaker fared much better there a year or two later
when he made a very good meal on potatoes and milk and nothing more.
This also was faring better than did my worthy friend, the President
of your Society who once upon an occasion got only the potatoes minus
the milk and salt.

Among the early settlers of Walworth who came during the years 1837,
1838, and 1839 were William Bell, Cyrus Church, Israel Williams Sen.,
and sons Jacob G. Saunders, Marcus and Robert Russell, J.C. Church,
Thomas Godfrey, who built the first house on the Prairie, John Reeder,
James Maxwell and James A., his son, Jonathan Ward, Ira Starr, Amos
Bailey, Dr. Henry Clarke, Dr. Woo, P.W. Lake and sons, Christopher
Douglas and sons.  His son-in-law, Mr. Sheldon, now of Lake Superior.
Among them were some of the prominent men of our county.

GENEVA TOWNSHIP

Originally called Big Foot was so named from Geneva, NY, which
doubtlessly was so called from its older namesakes in Switzerland.
All three of which similarly situated upon the outlet of Lake Geneva.
The surveyors of the public lands first marked by initials the present
site of Geneva village as their claim.

Geneva Van Slyke, the first white child born in the town, and probably
in the county, was born here in July 1836 and was so named from the
town.  Her mother, wife of James Van Slyke was at the time the only
woman in the place, and she gave birth to her child in the absence of
her husband without a physician or midwife.  With only a boy of
fifteen years old, son of Payne, as an assistant.  Two ladies one the
wife of Dr. Hemmingway soon after arrived from Spring Prairie after
being sent for.

R.W. Warren built the first sawmill, in 1836 and the race dug C.M.
Goodsell erected the first gristmill in 1838.  These were the first
mills built in the county or indeed in any part of the boundary for
a long distance.  The first post office was established in 1838 with
A. Ferguson as postmaster.  Before this the nearest post office was
in Chicago or some other point of Lake Michigan. At first Solomon
Harvey brought the mail once a week on horseback from Spring Prairie.
The frame of the first schoolhouse was erected in 1838 and it was
completed in the spring of 1839.  The first teacher was Miss Brewster,
daughter of D. Brewster and the first male teacher was John Stacy.

The first Temperance Society was formed at my house, with fifty
members on Dec. 25, 1839.  Rev. Lemuel Hall was chairman.  Benjamin
Ball was elected President, John Chapin vice-president and C.M. Baker
as secretary.  The Executive Committee that was chosen was C.M.
Goodsell, Morris Rose, and William K. May.  On the 21st of the month
the Secretary made a report to S.A. Dqinnell, who was secretary of
the County Temperance Society.

In 1840 a distillery was built in Geneva.  C.M. Goodsell was then
running the grist-mill.  He refused to bring the distillers' grain,
and they sued him under the law requiring him to grind grain in turn
as brought.  In the first suit brought before Esq. Latham, they were
non-suited for not appearing on time.  In the race to reach the place
of trial they lost one of their wagon wheels by the lynch-pin jumping
out.  This so delayed them and their witnesses, that Goodsell's
attorney who had no witnesses reached the place of trial and obtained
a nonsuit.  It seemed at the time on a small scale like the
confounding of the Egyptians in the Red Sea.  In a second suit before
Judge Douglas a trial was held and they recovered judgment which was
appealed to the District Court.  In the mean time the Legislature
being in session Goodsell went to Madison and got passed an act
approving Feb. 5, 1841 by which millers were exempted from grinding
for distillation and this law is in existence to the present day.
The first couple married was Charles Noyes and Mary Warren, in Dec.
1836 and was probably the first in the county.  For want of anyone
in the county competent to tie the knot they had to go to Milwaukee
to have the ceremony performed.  To this event we are indebted under
Providence for the existence of our present patriotic and worthy
Register of Deed, Charles Noyes, Esq.

The first church organized was Presbyterian, in the spring of 1839,
and Rev. L. Hall was the pastor.  The Baptist Church was organized
in the fall following and the Rev. P.W. Lake was their first preacher.
The first death was that of one Cruser an old bruiser who was buried
on a knoll east of the village and the single occupant of a solitary
graveyard.

In the fall of 1838 R.H. Mallary and C.L. Oatman drove up from
Illinois where they had previously resided.  A large number of hogs
of the "shad-bellied" third row breed.  These ran at large in Geneva
woods and fattened as much as they could on acorns.  They were shot
down like deer as they ran, to supply the wants of the inhabitants.
It was thin port but much better than none.  Though we had to pay
six cents a pound for salt with which to preserve it.  Some of us
had to hew out white oak troughs for pork barrels.

Among those who came in 1836 besides those already named, were
Thomas Mckaig, B.C. Gill, Thomas Hovey, Charles Noyle, Lucian Wright,
Samuel Ross, R.T. Ostrander, A. Curtis, Duncan Campbell and Samuel
Britton.  In 1837 among others came: C.M. Goodsell, Joseph Griffin,
Rev. Lemuel Hall, Dr. James Mcnish, C.M. Baker, Thomas W. Hill and
some others among whom was one Casporus, who was soon after killed
by falling from his house while at work on it.  In 1839 came the
Caprons, C.R. Merrill, E. Bastbrook, and many others.

I have thus given you a glimpse of the first settlement of two towns
in this county.

This historical account was written by Charles Baker and was published
in 1872.