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 308-314

CAPT. JOSEPH H. FINLEY.

Reference was made on page one of Captain Joseph H. FINLEY, and his settlement in the town of Excelsior in the summer of 1839. This was the first settlement in the whole upper Baraboo Valley, and there was possibly but one settlement earlier than this in all Sauk County - that of Jonathan HATCH on Sauk Prairie in 1838. The captain was "a hard working, intelligent, much respected bachelor," wrote the historian William CANFIELD in 1872. He was a native of Tennessee, and is said to have been prominent in military affairs during the War of 1812. However, he did not remain upon his Excelsior claim very long, but sold his farm and went into the lumber business on the Lemonweir river. "We have a sad record to make of Captain FINLEY," continued Mr. CANFIELD; "after a series of financial misfortunes, he had a leg amputated, and I understand, is now (1872) an inmate in the poorhouse of Clark County. His old farm is where Edward K. HILL now ('72) resides."

Two years later the family of James CHRISTIE came into this region, March 1841. "The Indians the year previous had been removed by the United States Dragoons, yet there was standing in Dandy's (a Winnebago chieftain's) village two lodges. Into one of these he moved his family and made a stable of the other and this season gave the adjoining Indian cornfields a white man's culture," say CANFIELD. The CHRSITIE tract was later known as the BARINGER place. Mr. CHRISTIE hailed from Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. CHRISTIE were the parents of a large family of children; they enjoyed a wide circle of friends, and their house, like many of the first settlers was "a semi-public inn, where hospitalities were as free as the spring water that flowed by the door." In 1852, after a residence of nearly eleven years, at a time when most settlers were just beginning to come, the CHRSITIE family moved to Newport, then a noted lumbering town on the Wisconsin river a few miles below Kilbourn. His daughter, Eliza, later Mrs. Henry SNIDER, was the first white child born in Excelsior. Like Captain FINLEY "we have at last a sad record to make of our old and much respected friend," continued the historian of 1872. "He was murdered and his body cast into a pond near Kilbourn."

The next settlements in this town were made in 1847. Elias H. HUBBARD, who came to Sauk Prairie in May 1845, and remained there until 1853, took up a claim in this town that year. Don Carlos BARRY, pioneer of copper note, town of Reedsburg, had a claim on Section 7, Excelsior, also this year; but with the discovery of copper on Barry's Reedsburg claim, Section 7 was returned by the government officials as mineral land. George HANDY is supposed to have come this year, also. He erected a large frame house just south of the Narrows, near the Baraboo river, which was used as a tavern and was widely known as the Massachusetts House, so named from the circumstance of the proprietors Bay State nativity. Jonathan KNOWLES was another settler of 1847, and the death of his wife the next year 1848, was that of the first white woman in the Upper Baraboo valley. Her death was the second in the community, a Mr. FARRINGTON preceding her in 1846.

The next year Seneca J. LAMBERTON opened a farm. He was a native of Ashtabula Co., Ohio, born in 1823. His early years were spent there but at an early date came to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and was married there in 1844, to Eliza HUNTINGTON, daughter of William J. and Laura (KULER) HUNTINGTON. In 1845 the family moved to Delavan, and in 1849 to Baraboo. While living in Delavan he located his Excelsior claim. About 1853 he sold a clothing store, which he had opened in 1849, the first store in Baraboo and located in this town. Mr. and Mrs. LAMBERTON had five children, Adelbert M.; William A.; Frank W.; Percy C.; and Chas. W.

In 1848 Colonel S. V. R. ABLEMAN laid claim to the village site of Ableman, to the Narrows, and adjacent countryside.

The settlers of 1849 were numerous. The family of Isaac W. MORLEY came that year. Mr. MORLEY represented a long line of Colonial forbearers, tracing his descent from Isaac MORLEY, Mayflower pilgrim. His parents were Thomas and Lillis (RUSSELL) MORLEY, and his grandparents Thomas and Lucy MORLEY, and Mr. and Mrs. Abel RUSSELL. Isaac MORLEY was a native of Mentor, Ohio, born in 1820. In 1845 at Kirtland, Ohio, he married Maryette SMITH, daughter of Elijah and Rachael SMITH. Their children were: Mary, wife of Rufus C. COLE, of Redwood Falls, Minnesota; Alvin H.; Lucius W.; Thomas E., who married Addie CRAKER and resides in Reedsburg; Harvey W., for many years an Excelsior farmer; Leaphe, Minnie E.

The Reuben BUTTERFIELD family arrived here June 4, of that year. (1849). The family of John JOHNSON came that same month from Connecticut. Ira, James and Jessie SMITH and William C. CADY came also, that year. Ira SMITH's wife was Lucy POST and their daughter, Esther, born in New York, was a prominent school teacher in the early days, and the first teacher in School District No. 1, Winfield. She married Jonathan NYE and Mrs. Enoch SHULTIS and Mrs. Montrose PELTON of Reedsburg are her daughters. The family of Alworth COLE were also settlers that year, coming from New York. Mrs. COLE's maiden name was Hannah LEWIS. The COLE family consisted of several children, two of whom were Pamelia, pioneer school teacher of Winfield; and Rodney, who married Anna Maria BEEBE and remained an Excelsior farmer during his lifetime; Mrs. Ernest RETZLAFF, Reedsburg, is his daughter.

The year of 1850 brought a number of permanent settlers to Excelsior. The Isaac METCALF family came that year. Mr. METCALF, son of Richard and Hannah (COOPER) METCALF, was a native, 1826, of Kilbourn, Yorkshire, England, where he grew to manhood. In 1847 he came to the United States and for three years resided in Dutchess County, N.Y., where he married, in the spring of 1850, Mary RIDINGS, daughter of William and Martha RIDINGS. In June, following, he and his bride came to Wisconsin, locating in this town, where he entered 120 acres of government land. Here they built a log house, but soon erected a commodious frame dwelling house. Mr. and Mrs. METCALF had eight children: Martha, Hannah, Margaret Ellen, Frank H., who married Pet ROSE; Fred, who married Elnora ROSE, daughter of Elias and Betty (SHULTIS) ROSE, and was a prominent farmer of Excelsior; Chas. W., Emma; and Louis married Mabel WEIDMAN, residing near Plain.

The family of George TOWNSEND came in July 1850; also William DUBOIS and family. Mrs. DUBOIS was before her marriage Cynthia EIGHMIE. Among their children were: Chas. E., for many years a prominent farmer of the town, who married Emma A. YOUNG, daughter of John and Mary YOUNG; John Henry, who was killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, in 1864; Mary A., who married T. R. YOUNG, for many years a Reedsburg merchant - Fred YOUNG and Edna (Mrs. D. O. STINE, Reedsburg), were her children. Henry DUBOIS, brother of William, was another early settler of the town and Sylvester DUBOIS of Baraboo and Mrs. William DANIELS, Reedsburg, are his children.

Among the settlers of 1851 were the families of Rueben KIPP, H. G. JONES, Benjamin HOLT, S. V. R. ABLEMAN, C. S. HITCHCOCK. The WEIDMAN family came also that year. Thomas METCALF, brother of Isaac METCALF, previously mentioned, was a native also, of England, and was married in Coxwold, England, to Mary Ann BRASSINGTON, who came with her husband to Excelsior in 1851 Their children were: Richard, Alice, Ellen (the late Mrs. Herbert DANO, Reedsburg), Margaret, and Jane; two others died in early life. Mrs. METCALF died in 1859. Mr. METCALF later married Jane HANNAH, a native of Gallowayshrie, Scotland.

Other settlers that year were Mr. and Mrs. N. M. BURT, who came hither from Dane County, Wisconsin. Mr. BURT was born in 1809 in Wilbraham, Mass., but in 1817 his parents, Samuel and Amelia (SEARL) BURT, removed to Connecticut where N. M. BURT grew to manhood; from there in 1832 the family removed to Medina, Ohio. In 1834 N. M. BURT married Eliza HULL, daughter of Austin HULL, and in 1850 removed his family to Dane County, Wisconsin. Among the BURT children were: Newton M. and Milton A., twins; and Gertrude, who married E. F. BARKER.

The next year brought the family of Michael LEIFER, also the BARNES family, of which H. M. BARNES was a representative. Settlers of 1853 were the KINGSLANDS, WATSONS and CHATMANS.

It was that year that Elias H. HUBBARD moved his family hither from Sauk Prairie. Mr. HUBBARD, son of Hiram and Hannah (ARCHER) HUBBARD, was born in Burke, Caledonia County, Vermont, in 1824. In 1833 the family moved to Canada, but in 1841 returned to Vermont. The next year Elias H. went again to the Dominion but shortly afterward located in Wayne County, Michigan. Returning later to Vermont he joined his parents and came with them to Wisconsin locating on Sauk Prairie (1845). In 1850, Elias H. HUBBARD was married to Catherine BARRINGER, daughter of Henry and Abigail BARRINGER. Their children were Elias, Celista, Mary, Stephen, Theresa, Irenne, Alice.

Among the settlers of 1854 was T. W. HARRISON. He was a native of Hunterdon County, N.J., son of Higgins and Margaret (WILLIAMSON) HARRISON. In 1861 Mr. HARRISON married Mary MINOTT, daughter of James and Nancy (SHEAF) MINOTT. William T. HUDSON and family were other settlers that year; also, S. J. JOPP and family; and the OSBURNS, and Jonathan J. NYE.

1855 - John TERRY, J. T. GOURGAS, William MONTANY, Sydney HOLT, E. C. WATSON, Chas. HENGSLER, Gottleib HENGSLER, A. B. CASE, Wm. PEERS, Isaac HARTVET.

Mr. and Mrs. John TERRY were natives of Ireland. E. (Ebenezer) WATSON hailed from Boston, but was previously of New Hampshire. He came to Sauk City as early as 1850, located in Baraboo late that fall; and in May, five years later came to Ableman. Edward C. WATSON, later hotel keeper of Ableman, was a representative of this family. He married Laura E. ABLEMAN; daughter of the Col. S. V. R. ABLEMAN.

1856. The family of Newman PECK came this year. Mr. PECK was a native of Connecticut; there he married Sarah CONE and a large family of children were born in the East. Among them were Francis N., who married Eliza Janette MONTGOMERY, daughter of William and Caroline (LOVELL) MONTGOMERY, Dellona pioneers, and was for many years an Excelsior farmer; and Achsah, who married Lyman MONTGOMERY. The children of Francis and Caroline PECK were: Carrie E.; Kate M., who married Chas. W. RANDALL; Agnes J.; Tracy L.; Earl G.; Grace L.; and Ruby. The children of Lyman and Achsah MONTGOMERY are mentioned in connection with the MONTGOMERY chronicle, history of Dellona.

The family of Hugh O'CONNOR also settled here in 1856. Mr. O'CONNOR was a native of Ireland, his wife of Germany, her name being Julia WENER. The local representatives of this family are: George, married Wild ROSE; Ned, married Margaret Ellen METCALF; James, married Bernice SWETLAND and resides in Winfield; Hugh; Mate, wife of W. L. KELLEY, Winfield; Mina (Mrs. SANFORD, milliner of Reedsburg; Ida; Nellie, married Arthur KELLEY, Reedsburg.

Other settlers of '56 were Mr. and Mrs. Higgins HARRISON, and A. J. FLICKNER. Of the families of '57 we can mention those of J. BRITON, Thos. CHAMBERS, Chas. HENGSLER, and William J. GEMMILL.

The latter, who was a native of Hopewell, York County, Penn., born in 1828, son of William and Frances (BLAINE) GEMMILL. In 1835 his parents moved to Indiana and it was here that William J. resided until 1853. That year he went to California in the gold rush and spent three years, after which he returned to his Hoosier home. In February 1856, he married Miss C. E. CASE, and within a few months came to Baraboo where he remained until coming to Excelsior. The GEMMILL children were: Ambrose J., Emmet, William, Walter. The latter married Gertrude REED and resides in Reedsburg.

Among the families coming the following year - 1858 - were those of J. MARSH, and C. SCHALE; J. LIVESLY, and A. FOSTER. Mr. FOSTER and his son, T. J. FOSTER, planted an immense orchard, possibly the largest of its day in the state of Wisconsin, it containing 2100 trees.

It has not been possible to learn of more settlers than these, who came in the vanguard of Excelsior pioneers, but among the settlers of a later period we would mention the SHULTIS, Henry and Malinda (SILVERNAIL) SHULTIS, the father and mother, descendants of Dutch forbearers, and Catherine, Margaret, Betsy Ann, William, Melvina, Enoch, Abram, Jacob and Agnes, their children - who came in '78. We would mention Milton ARMSTRONG and his wife, Sarah Ann SNOAD, daughter of William and Frances (SMITH) SNOAD - 1868; Adam FAY, Prussia emigrant of 1871; Louis GOEDECKE, another German immigrant, native of Brunswick, Germany, who came to the United States in 1853, thence to Waupun and in 1871 to Ableman.

We would mention Israel GREEN and his wife, Mary Jane STARKS, daughter of General A. W. STARKS who came in '59, and their children, Charles, John Starks, Maggie, Amie, Sarah, Annie. Also John D. SANFORD, son of Abram and Priscilla (HAMBLY) SANFORD, a settler of 1875 - and his wife, Ellen DYSON, daughter of John DYSON and Lydia DENTON - their children, Lillie, Walter, Edna. And Edward RICHARDSON, son of Edward R. and Lorinda PHILLIPS, native of Brookfield, Worcester County, Mass. - a grandson of John E. PHILLIPS, Revolutionary patriot, whose death ended a life of more than 104 years; and near relative of Wendell PHILLIPS, famous abolitionist. Mr. RICHARDSON's wife was Addie PIERCE, daughter of W. S. and Mary A.

Chas. S. TURNER and his wife, Angie BALL, daughter of Stephen and Abigail BALL, who settled here in 1866, were other settlers of the later period, as was Edwin S. PIERCE. Mr. PIERCE, son of James and Gerusha (GILSON) PIERCE, was a native of Schaghticoke, New York. He married in Boston, Zarina TARBOX, daughter of Benjamin TARBOX and Rachael SMITH - came to Sauk County in 1879.

Then there were the HAMBLETONS - Stephen D., son of Aaron and Sophia (BRIGGS) HAMBLETON - his wife, Mary A. TAYLOR, daughter of James and Nancy TAYLOR, who he married in New York - and their children, Rachael, Addie and Myra; and Augusta WILSON, Stephen D. HAMBLETON's second wife. The first wife died in Dellona where the family settled in '69. Mr. HAMBLETON moved to Excelsior in '75, when he married the daughter of Warren WILSON. A. B. LAMOREAUX was a settler of 1879, native of Ohio, son of Andrew and Electa (COLTON) LAMOREAUX. When four years of age his parents moved to Illinois, in 1855 to Baraboo and it was there that in 1873 he married Elizabeth HIRSCHINGER, daughter of Michael and Melinda HIRSCHINGER.

Edmund GARDNER settled in '66, son of Isaac GARDNER. In 1871 he married Janette WINNIE, daughter of Cornelius and Mary. Menzo WINNIE, son of Cornelius and Mary, settled on a farm in Excelsior in 1866; his wife was Percis, daughter of Henry and Maria GARDNER.

Then there was Christopher STACKMANN, 1868; Abram SILVERNAIL, 1879; Adam SCHUESTER, '61; Ehrenrich BENDER, 1868.

Submitted by Carol