History of Reedsburg and the Upper Baraboo Valley, by Merton Edwin Krug, Publ. February 1929 by the author. Printed by Democrat Printing Company, Madison, Wis., Page 31-33

JUDGE WHEELER. E. G. WHEELER and family were among the settlers of 1850. He was accompanied by his sister, Miss Amanda WHEELER. She was a woman of considerable learning, and in that spring of 1850 opened what can be called the first school in the village, if we except Miss SAXBY's missionary school. As Miss WHEELER was the pioneer of Reedsburg's excellent public school system, more lengthy mention of her will be made under the caption: Reedsburg's Public Schools.

Mr. WHEELER was a lawyer and opened a practice immediately upon his arrival, and enjoyed wide popularity. The exact time of his arrival is given as "March 16th, 1850, 9:30 P.M." Within a few hours after his coming he discovered that most, if not all, of the men indulged in the use of ardent spirits; and he declared emphatically, in the evening of that day, that he never felt more like delivering a temperance lecture in his life, and wished that he had a place in which to deliver one. A temperance lecture! No doubt the townsmen knew what temperance was, yet they were thrilled by the prospect of such a lecture. In less than half an hour Shanty No. 2 was put in order, and nearly every man, woman and child in the village was seated and in readiness to hear the lecture.

The good man WHEELER seems to have been taken a little aback, when he learned that he really was expected to speak, but he appreciated the opportunity and did not seek to be excused. Without any time to prepare or outline his talk, he took up the temperance question, and handled it so ably that all his listeners were pleased beyond measure. He had reached his audience, un-offensively, profoundly. There have been many temperance lectures delivered in the town since, but old settlers who dwelt here down through the years were often heard to say that none equaled in pathos and appeal that one - the first temperance lecture ever delivered here. E. G. WHEELER contributed his bit to add the eighteenth amendment to the constitution. In 1854, after a practice of several years he was elected county judge, since which time he has been known as Judge WHEELER. Later he became a resident of Sparta, and finally went to Dakota.

GEORGE KELLOGG. Among the settlers of 1850 were George KELLOGG and family. His son John, in 1853, started the first brickyard in the town, and some four years later opened a grocery. Becoming dissatisfied, John started for Pike's Peak in 1859, renting his store during his absence to his brother-in-law, N. V. CHANDLER. Mr. CHANDLER, who later became associated with the Free Press, is covered elsewhere in this volume. Before reaching his destination, however, John KELLOGG "got cured of the gold fever and soon returned to his regular business".

KELLOGG's store was run on a small scale at first, very small scale indeed, for in the Free Press of 1860 he advertised his complete stock for sale for twenty-five dollars! He had reduced all his prices in an effort to close out. He had ordered several dollars worth of new goods from a Milwaukee firm and wanted his store space to house them. But he made considerable money and in 1866 added drygoods to his line of merchandise. He was alone in business several years; then he had as associates, first, N. V. CHANDLER, second, a Mr. WHEELER; and in 1870, A. L. HARRIS became his partner. In 1880 he bought the Reedsburg Flouring mill.

O. H. PERRY, father of R. P. PERRY, was a settler of 1850 also. He conducted a store for a Mr. SANFORD, who had a chain of stores in the various settlements in the Baraboo valley. This was the first store in the village of Reedsburg.

ROLLIN M. STRONG. This gentleman was also among the settlers of 1850 and left a fine record of his residence here. He was accompanied by his parents, and in company with his father opened a store soon after his arrival. Mr. STRONG was born in Bridgeport, Vermont, July 27, 1830, and was therefore but twenty years of age upon coming here. He was a man of character, pleasing address and considerable learning, having received his education at the Troy Conference Academy, Poultney, Vermont. The family removed to Wisconsin June 1, 1850, and settled in Reedsburg in October. In February 1856, he married Miss Sarah E. RUDD, sister of the RUDD brothers who came in 1849. Their only child died in early boyhood. In November 1860, Rollin STRONG was elected sheriff of Sauk County, but was commissioned by Governor RANDALL to recruit a company for the Union Army, and resigned January 1, 1861. His military activities are covered at length in Part II. At Fair Oaks, Virginia, he was wounded and lost a leg. Returning home in 1865 he was elected to the assembly. From then on he held various pubic offices in the county. He owned a large stock and grain farm in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. During the later years of their lives, Mr. and Mrs. STRONG spent much of their time at the Cliff House, Devils Lake.

Another settler of 1850 was S. H. CHASE. He was young and unmarried, but shortly after his arrival took a wife. She was Miss Amanda WHEELER, previously mentioned, and this marriage was the first in the village. Previous to this (May, 1849) Frances SWALLOW had been married to Washington GRAY - the first marriage in the township. In the spring of 1850 the latter couple built a cabin in the township of Washington, which was named Washington in GRAY's honor. However, a resurvey of that township set the site of his dwelling in the present town of Ironton.

Dr. R. G. WILLIAMS, who settled here in the fall of 1850, was the first resident physician. He died in 1854, but was long remembered by contemporary settlers as a man of integrity, learning, with a successful practice. The faith of the people in his ability to heal was remarkable. For years after his death no one passed on without the remark being made that if Dr. WILLIAMS had been living, So-and-So would not have died.

Other 1850 settlers were W. P. RANDALL and the James COUGHRAN family.

Submitted by Carol