Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-04-28
Early Settlers and settlements--A word
70 those vho Would Record History
The late orris McCartney--0ld Set.
tiers.

haps no part OF the north west has
had SO many interesting episodes
and measurable events as the lead
mines many such incidents occurring
far back in the memory Of our oldest
men.
Very true, we cannot draw upon
departed centuries for much worth
preserving. as our aboriginal prede-
cessors kept TO book accounts,
though often making savage marks
dear to the memory.
But with all our boosted learning
and civilization, and our fine schools
and machinery to make US wise and
give US plenty of leisure, VIC are still
but little better at keeping records
of history than our Indian fathers
ancestors we meant to say.
The absorbing future fills our
thoughts, leaving hardly moment
for devotion to the fated past. Obs
livious to what is finished and gone.
we dream only Of a world to come
that shall be higher and broader
thus drowning from mind the very
dearest Impressions of childhood,
impressions which we should cling
to for life.
But there are dear times, dear hes
cause of the sacrifices Of happy life
made to enrich our pockets and to
impoverish orr souls. We live in
the future and sacrifise long and
happy life for wealth and honors.
That great school Of ancestral expe.
rience is made q blank to give room
for these trifing treasures to come,
Of riches, of 3 day Of glory. Not
old fashioned glory which made
nan live thousand years and figure
as patriot, q saint. philosopher,
This eternal dwelling in the future
makes us short lived and we fall at
fifty. Our ancestors who made and
wrote histories, and loved what had
gone before them, lived seventy TO
ninety years, and then died far bet
ter satisfied with the world than the
men Of this narrow age ofself.
Our departure INTO the logic of hiss
tory and character mnst close here.
We meant to divert some attention
from these purely self interests and
lead some Of the Herald readers back
TO days of old when life was harder
though purer and nobler lot, and
when men took time to learn and re>
peat the tales and incidents of their
parents and grand parents. We
meant to provoke some favorable re.
Sponse from those who have not
gone out of sight Of human nature.
and who would be willing to form a
club for gathering into record book
such fragments of the early times of
this country as may interest our sue
cessors for untold years. We are no
adventist or world destroyer, and be.
lieve that in a thousand years will be
the widest anxiety of hundreds for
knowledge concerning tho men who
first settled in Grant County and the
events which followed during the
nineteenth century. We do not be,
lleve that men are always to devote
themselves to money and glory.
That reign of benevolence and deep
concern for better things shall dawn
with the next century and last for
thousand years we as much believe
as that the sun is to rise and set.
The receipt of o few items Of the
early history of Grant County fro
private memorandums of Orris Mc>
Cartney, Esq. late deceased, led us
TO make the remarks which precede.
These we copy below
" | was born in Hartford, Washing
con Co., n. Y, May 8, 1894, started
west in 1917, got as far as Bristol,
Ontario Co, went to New Connect.
cut in 1918, bought farm a. S4OO.
raised q crop, land title bad, lost my
money and land; thon went to
Delaware, Del. Co, o., got the ague,
and lett in 1919, drove a two horse
team for man to Illinois 600 miles
stopped at Milton Madison Co.. Jan.
8, 1920 was in Illinois drifting
about several years was twice
elected Sheriff OF Schuyler Co, H.,
and served about three years, then
resigned and came to the lead mines ;
telli with Major Renntrec and we
came together in 1927 WIS married
to Eliza Barber, near Jacksonville
Nov. II, 1926; in 1923 settled at
Beetown; bought part Of The Bee
Lead for $500, from which Bectown
took its name this Lead was found
by Cyrus Alexander, Tom Crocker,
Jim Meredith and Curtis Caldwell
while out looking for bees finding
. large, hollow, up turned maple tree,
they looked under tho roots and saw
q Chunk of mineral which wcigeed
425 pounds. About the same time
Tom Cegar ana Ben Stout found an.
other lead on Bushnelps land. The
Indian troubles began soon after. In
June 1928, sold out and removed in
August 20 farm near Cassville, where
have stayed most ever since except
during the Indian difficulties ira.
ded lead for six horse team, hauled
5000 mineral to Cassville Judge
lawyer built the first furnace, and
Tom G.. Hawley built the first house
IA Cassville. Arther T.. Johnson
came in 1923 and built log furnace
and put up store in Beetown, bnt
the Min eral soon gave ont and the
miners went to Mineral Point and
Dodgeville. Moved temporarily TO
Belmont in 1929, stayed i months !:
hauled rails TO fence Is acres return.
ed TO Cassville farm in fall, having
raised crop of corn. Hodges and
Stanley built log ware house at
Cassviile in the year 1923. Christ
mas OF 1880 my house was burned,
and all with it; the first ball at Cass>
will same time.
The Indian alarms began in 1881
and in 1882 came the Black Hawk
war. we all went into forts at Cass>
vile. Sent my family to Illinois Ju>
" 4, 1882 to be safe from Indians
laAfnH fnI,r