Reedsburg Free Press
Reedsburg, Wisconsin
Thur., May 20, 1875
BABB--At his residence, in this town, on Friday, May 14th, 1875, James W. Babb, aged 85 years, 7 months, and 19 days.
Reedsburg, Wisconsin
Thur., May 20, 1875
THE OLD PIONEER--Gone to His Rest
It has been generally understood for some time past, that James W. Babb, the Pioneer Settler of Reedsburg, was near the end of his earthly course. Nevertheless, it was with a startled feeling that our people learned, on Friday last, that his spirit had passed from earth. As he was the first white man, so far as can be ascertained, to break land, erect buildings, and prepare for a permanent settlement within the present limits of the town of Reedsburg, a more extended notice of his efforts in settling this region, than we have the data for giving, would be desirable. We are indebted to his son, Mr. P. H. Babb, for the facts which we give below.
James W. Babb
was born about three miles from Winchester, Frederick Co., Virginia, Sept. 26th, 1789, and he was, therefore, 85 years 7 months and 19 days old on Friday last, the day of his death.
He remained in Virginia until the fall of 1810, when he was about 21 years old, removing at that time, with his father, to Greene Co., Ohio where he remained for a year or two before returning to Virginia, to bring thence as a bride, REBECCA SCARFF, whose acquaintance he had formed before removing thence. He ultimately received from his father above 400 acres of valuble land, which he improved, and became one of the substantial men of his section. But, having frequently become security for other parties, and generally having the debts to pay, he found himself, in the year 1845, seriously embarrassed, and determined to sell his property in Ohio, and remove to the “far west” and make himself a new home. 
Accordingly, he disposed of his real estate, and early in April 1845, started for Wisconsin Territory, in company with two persons named Kirkpatrick, distant relatives of Mr. B., one of whom lived near Janesville, and had been east on a visit. This person gave Mr. Babb a glowing description of a beautiful prairie, with rich, deep soil lying in the Valley of the Baraboo River, above Baraboo, which he had crossed in one of his hunting tours, and which had rarely, if ever before, been trodden by the foot of civilized man; and it was to see and claim this prairie that Mr. Babb started from Ohio. He was also accompanied by his second son, John.
The Journey was made with a horse team, across the States of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and with but a short tarry at Kirkpatricks’s home in Rock County, the party pushed on to this place. Arrived at Baraboo, then a mere hamlet, the party was augmented by several persons, among others by a Mr. Clark, who knew the way. They probably came through the Narrows Creek Gap, as the first view they obtained of the prairie was from the bluff back of the Dixon place, on the 12th day of May--just as nearly thirty years as may be from the day of his death. 
Mr. Babb was then upwards of 55 years of age--in the very prime of his manhood--of strong physical frame, robust health and iron will, and the difficulties and hardships of such an undertaking as he contemplated, and which would be sufficient to appal one of less courage and powers of endurance had no terrors for him. Sticking his claim stake, he proceeded at once to improve, employing parties upon Sauk Prairie to come up and break 70 acres of land, upon a portion of which he raised, the same season, a crop of buckwheat, potatoes , &c. He built a double log house, after the southern style, two stories in heighth , consisting of two buildings 16 feet square, separated below by an open space 12 feet wide, but with the uppper story extending the whole length--44 feet. The front of the building faced the south. Upon the north side the alley between the buildings was extended 12 feet by an addition of logs, and closed at the north end, making a room 12x28 feet, one story high. The whole was covered with shingles, obtained from the pine grove which, our older citizens will remember, used to stand a few miles this side of Wonewoc, and where there were already hardy lumberman engaged in converting the timber into lumber and shingles.
To raise this house-the logs having been prepared by Mr. Babb and his son, and perhaps some other persons--it was thought to utilize the labor of the friendly Indians; but after getting the building up some distance, Mr. B. became afraid that the reckless way in which they handled the heavy timbers would result in serious injury to them, procured help from Baraboo and Sauk, respectively 16 and 28 miles; and thus the building was raised. 
The same summer he went to Baraboo, purchased lumber, built a flat boat, loaded it with provisions and other useful articles, and poled it up the river to his place. The boat was afterwards used as a ferry-boat to cross teams at this point, when the river was too high to be forded.
Sometime in December he returned to Ohio, where he remained during the winter.
Early in the spring of 1846, accompanied by his sons John (and his wife) and Strother, and Wash. Gray, he started for Wisconsin again, bringing some household stuff, and a set of Blacksmith tools, which Strother knew how to use. They arrived here in season to get in a crop that season. We have not space to dwell upon the incidents which naturally befel persons so situated; but must not omit to mention that Don Carlos Barry, who had previously lived near Baraboo had sometime between the date of Sass’s claim in 1845, and this fall, built a house at the Cooper Diggings, 3 ½ miles east of Babb’s, and moved therein. Early in the fall Mr. Babb returned alone to Ohio, for his family, and was somewhat hurried up in his preparations for moving by the intelligence that the Land Sale in this District would take place on the 1st of December.
On the 30th day of October, he started on the return journey, with his wife, his son Phillip, his daughter Betsey, and her husband--Stern Baker--bringing the remainder of his worldly good, cattle, &c. It took nearly a whole month to reach Whitewater, in this State--then Territory--and there the weather was so cold that the party halted for a couple of days, and Mr. Babb left them to go to Mineral Point to enter his land, which he did, entering 960 acres in a body at that time.
Journeying onward, the party reached Portage City--then Fort Winnebago--on the 28th of November, where they found considerable anchor ice running, and a high wind prevailing and they were obliged to camp eight days before they could prevail upon the ferrymen to cross them. Upon this side they were rejoined by Mr. Babb who was accompanied by Don C. Barry, and they made the home stretch inside of two days, arriving at the Prairie on the 8th day of December 1846. 
We have not room for a history of the early settlement of the town, and which seems almost inseparable from such a sketch as this; but can only notice the fact that for years Mr. Babb and his family were constantly surrounded by Indians, and for some time they were almost his only neighbors; and it speaks volumes for his justice and generosity that he and his were always upon friendly terms with the aborigines, and that throughout the whole period of thirty years which has elapsed since his first settlement, neither he nor any of his family ever lost five dollars by the depredations of their red neighbors, shows that they fully appreciated this justice and generosity.
Having come into the county with more means that emigrants usually possess, and having got a large area under cultivation before the influx of immigration, he was constantly besieged by the new-comers for provisions and for the means to enter their land, and the instances where rare where the application was refused. In our nearly eighteen years acquaintance in this vicinity, we have never heard any lack of generosity in that early day charged upon him, but very frequently have we heard it praised by the grateful recipients.
For several years past his mental and physical powers have been on the wane; and some two years ago, had so far deteriorated as to make it necessary to put his large propery under the care of the Probate Court, which appointed a guardian to manage the same and it became manifest that his remaing days upon were few. Only a few weeks ago, it was stated that senile gangrene had commenced; and rapid was the progress it made.
Mr. Babb was not a member of any church, and in accordance with his often expressed wishes, during the active period of his life, his burial was entirely without religious ceremony; but was conducted by his friends and neighbors and attended by a large concourse of people from the village and adjacent county--many of them old settlers--and he was laid beside his wife (who preceded him to the spirit land some 17 years,) upon an elevation which he had selected, not far from the house, upon the farm where he had spent nearly thirty years of his life. 
Submitted by Darlene UPHOFF Penisten.