Mequon History

The following is taken from "Historiesof Washington and Ozaukee Counties", Western Publishing, 1881. It is copiedexactly from the book except that I have capitalized surnames.

This large and populous town forms the whole ofthe southern boundary of Ozaukee County, and comprises all of Town 9 in Range 21,and a fractional township in Range 22.

EARLY SETTLERS

The first white settlers of Mequon were Isaac BIGELOW and Daniel STRICKLAND, whoemigrated with their families from the British possessions and settled in the townof Mequon in 1836. The territory at that time was one dense wilderness, the onlythoroughfare, if such they could be called, were the Indian trails, leading in differentdirections through the vast country which lies north and west of the village. Thepioneers followed one of these trails north until they came to Mequonsippi or PigeonCreek, where they proceeded to erect for themselves rude shanties out of such materialas could be found until they could replace them with more substantial log structures.In 1837, James W. WOODWORTH and his brother Ephraim came and took up claims nearby. In 1838, William WORTH, Taylor HAVERLIN, John WESTON, Peter TURCK, Reuben WELLS,Isham DAY, Joseph LOOMER and several Irish families made settlements in the town.During the month of August, 1839, William F. OPITZ, in company with his father, mother,sister and brother-in-law, Adolph ZIMMERMANN, came and settled in what is now knownas Mequon proper, one-half mile south of where the village of Thienville is now situated.They were the first German settlers. A month later, they were followed by five Germanfamilies, consisting of Andrew GEIDEL, Michael MUELLER, Andrew LANZENDORF, W. SCHUMANNand Gottfried BAER. During the same year, the BONNIWELLS, William, George, James,Charles, Henry and Alfred came from England and settled that portion of Mequon nowknown as the Bonniwell District. Next after the BONNIWELLS came the Friestadt Colony,numbering about sixty families. These people sheltered themselves at first in tents.Timothy WOODEN, the first settler in the town of Grafton, and a neighbor of his,helped the Germans to erect their log houses. A year later, the colonists erecteda log meeting-house, the first structure of the kind built in old Washington County.In the month of May, 1840, Edward H. JANSSEN, Henry HEISEN and John THOMPSON locatedin Mequon, and at once set about clearing the lands and interesting themselves in the general welfare of the community. Edward H. JANSSEN was the first German schoolteacher in the town. He was a man of great enterprise, and soon became an activeworker in the politics of the county. Besides holding important offices in the town,he was made a member of the Constitutional Convention, was elected for two termsto the office of Register of Deeds, and, in 1851, was elected to the important officeof State Treasurer. In 1854, he in company with his brother and a man by the nameof GAITSCH built the Hamilton Grist-Mill, a large stone structure located on CedarCreek, a mile south of the village. He was afterward elected County Superintendentof Schools, which office he held at the time of his death, which occurred duringthe year 1877.

CHURCHES

The Methodists were the first to hold services in the town. The first religious gatheringtook place at the house of Isaac BIGELOW in the spring of 1838, when a number ofold settlers met for the purpose of forming themselves into a class. Rev. FRINK,an Indian missionary preached the first sermon at the house of Jonathan LOOMERS,sometime during the same year. Peter TURCK, a native of Pennsylvania, and a zealouspupil of the Baptist faith, endeavored to press upon the minds of the early settlersthe importance of immersion; but, according to the statement of James W. WOODWORTH,did not meet with much success in making converts. TURCK was a man of considerableenterprise during his early life, and sought to measure his genius with men of almostevery profession. Besides preaching the gospel, he undertook to rival the studentsof Blackstone, at the same time endeavoring to perform the important functions ofa physician. He held for quite a number of years the office of Justice of the Peace,and was elected by the county to the State Legislature. He erected the first saw-millin the town of Mequon in 1838. With age came the derangement of his mind, and hefinally died in an insane asylum.

The German Lutherans and Catholics are the only two sects now holding services in the town of Mequon. The Catholics have now only one meeting-house in the town locatedin Section 24, Range 22. In early times they had a log meeting-house on the townline of Cedarburg and Mequon, but of late years this place has been abandoned, thecongregation now making the village of Cedarburg their place of worship. The GermanLutherans have erected meeting-houses at convenient points throughout the town, themost important being at the Friestadt settlement.

SCHOOLS

The first school held in the town of Mequon was taught by Miss Helen UPHAM in a loghouse owned by James W. WOODWORTH. The school was opened during the fall of 1839.The first schoolhouse, a log structure, was erected by the BONNIWELLS in 1840. MissElize BONNIWELL, William WORTH and Edward H. JANSEN were the pioneer teachers ofMequon. The school reports made for the town of Mequon for the year 1844 were asfollows: Bonniwell District, No. 1 - Male children under the age of sixteen, 37;female under the same age, 19; total 56. Public money $49.50; by tax $19.02; total$68.82. Harrison School District, No. 2, had 32 scholars. No further report.

Van Buren District, No. 3, 85 scholars
Washington District, No. 6, 36 scholars
Friestadt District, No. 7, 104 scholars
Attenberg District, No. 8, 27 scholars
New Berlin District, No. 9, 35 scholars

The whole number of scholars enrolled for the year 1844 were 375. Daniel STRICKLANDand Levi OSTRANDER were the first School Commissioners; their jurisdiction extendedat that time throughout the who county. In 1849, Mequon adopted the Town Superintendentsystem. Frederick STOCK was appointed Superintendent.

EARLY TIMES

In 1839, John WESTON and Timothy WOODEN took a contract for cutting out the GreenBay road. Previous to that time, WESTON had entered one hundred and sixty acres ofland, which he sold to John WILLETT. He then bought a quarter section, the site onwhich the village of Theinville is situated; this he afterward sold to Henry Thein.WESTON was the first Postmaster, and kept the office in a little log house locatedon the old Milwaukee and Green Bay road, about sixteen miles north of Milwaukee.The mail was delivered twice a week by a carrier on horseback. WESTON remained inMequon for several years, when he emigrated Westward. It is thought by some thathe is still living, but in what part is not known. The first Justice of the Peacein the town was Frederick W. HORN, who came into Mequon in 1841. He has figured moreprominently in politics than any other resident of the county, and is still a leadingcitizen, residing at present in the village of Cedarburg. John Henry THEIN, the founderof Theinville, first located in Mequon in the year 1842, where he erected the firstgrist-mill in the town, and proceeded to lay out the village. A year later, he builta storehouse and saw-mill. He continued in the flouring business until the time ofhis death, which occurred July 6, 1863. The grist-mill, a large stone structure,is now in charge of of Frederick MEMMLER, of Cedarburg. An excellent water-poweris obtained at this point from the Milwaukee River. Besides the mill, the villagecontains two stores, two wagon and two blacksmith shops, one tailor and two shoeshops,three saloons, one hotel and a post office. The latter is now in charge of WilliamCARBYS. A large cheese-factory was erected near the village, in 1880, by Louis C.WAGNER. The dwelling-houses of Theinville number about fifty, all handsomely setin fine yards, bordered with shade trees. There is also a public park, where thepeople meet at various times to quaff the favorite beverage, and spend an hour ortwo socially. The village is very cozily situated on the north bank of the MilwaukeeRiver, and on the line of the Wisconsin Central Railroad, sixteen miles north ofMilwaukee City. One-half mile south of Theinville, on the old Green Bay road, isthe home of Adolph ZIMMERMANN, the oldest German settler now living in the town ofMequon. His house is surrounded by a dozen or more cottages, forming a little hamlet,which is known as Mequon proper. It was here that W.F. OPITZ, brother-in-law to Mr.ZIMMERAMANN, built the first hotel for the accommodation of travelers. The buildingis still standing, but since the railroad displaced the old stage line, the hotelhas been abandoned. The Friestadt settlement is the only other place in the townof Mequon which can be called a hamlet. It contains two churches, one store and postoffice, kept by Charles SCHNEIDER, two blacksmith and wagon shops, with about twodozen dwelling-houses. The land is now mostly all under an excellent state of cultivation,the county at large presenting the appearance of one vast chain of gardens, withgood, substantial frame and stone dwelling-houses, and, as is characteristic withthe Germans, most of them have elegant yards decorated with neatly arranged walksand flowerbeds, while the ever famous cottonwood commands a prominent place in frontof the houses. The farmers have adopted the Eastern custom of building large barnsfor the storing of grain and other purposes.

The town was incorporated by act of the Legislature January 21, 1846. Prior to thattime, there had been a voting precinct in the township, but no town organizationdistinct from the comprehensive organization of the “Town of Washington,” which embracedall the townships in old Washington County, with voting precincts here and there,as new settlements sprung up. Below is a copy of the records of the

FIRST TOWN MEETING

"At a town meeting held pursuant to law in the town of Mequon, at the houseof Henry THEIN, on the first Tuesday in April, A.D. 1846, it being the 7th day ofsaid month, the meeting was called to order at 10:30 o'clock, A.M., and it was onmotion resolved that a Moderator and Clerk be chosen by the electors now present,by acclamation. Patrick DOCKERY was chosen Moderator, and Edward H. JANSEN, Clerk.The officers chosen appeared and took the oath of office before F.W. HORN, Justiceof the Peace, which is prefixed to the poll-list. On motion of F.W. HORN, resolved,that the wages of the town officers not settled by law by $1 per day. On mother,resolved, that the Boards of Town Supervisors are hereby authorized to prescribethe necessary amount of taxes to be raised in this town for the different purposesnot voted upon by this meeting. Proclamation of the opening of the polls was nowmade. Resolved, that this meeting do now vote by ballot for the different officers.On motion, resolved, that one-half of 1 per cent shall be raised for the supportof common schools."

"The whole number of votes polled at the election was 140. For State Government,128; against State Government, 9. For town officers, 71. For county seat at Hamburg,35 votes; Port Washington, 65; Cedarburg, 22; Middle, 13; West Bend, 2; Centre, 2;County Lot, 1. The officers elected were: Supervisors, Edward H. JANSEN, PatrickDOCKERY, J.M. CLARKE; Commissioners of Highways, Charles KAUFFUNG, Samuel C. McEVONY;School Commissioners, Edward H. JANSEN, J.P. BAILEY, Adolph ZIMMERMANN; Assessors,Stephen WESTCOTT, Andrew GEIDELL, Henry KEOMER; Fence Viewer, Philip HERBOLD; Constable,Jacob M. SUTTON; Town Clerk, James CLEARE; Collector, W.F. OPITZ; Justice of thePeace, F.W. HORN."

Number of votes polled at second election, April 6, 1847, were cast as follows: Forlicense, 110; against, 4. For equal suffrage to colored folks, 4; against, 219. ForConstitution, 275; against, 13. For town officers, 126. The officers elected for1847 were as follows Supervisors, Edward H. JANSEN, William F. OPITZ; Town Clerk,James CLEARE; Treasurer, Frederick MILBRATH; Road Commissioners, Charles MILBRATH,Michael HEUTER; Collector, Adolph ZIMMERMAN; School Commissioners, Edward H. JANSEN,Gottleib ROEDELL, Michael GEIDELL; Fence Viewers, Edward H. JANSEN, James TUPHAM,Michael MILLER.

Town officers for 1848 - Supervisors, Edward H. JANSEN, Ephraim WOODWORTH, JamesCLEARE; Treasurer, John BUBLITZ; Collector, John W. MILBRATH; Road Commissioners,Martin TANDY, Stephen LOOMER, Simon McGRATH; School commissioners, John SCHAUS, M.MILLER, Joseph B. LOOMER; Assessors, John BONE, John FEDERSPIEL, Ludwig ZIMMERMAN;Fence Viewers, Edward SIMLEN, F. FALKNER; Pound Keeper, William F. OPITZ; Town Clerk,James CLEARE.