Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-06-26

first postmaster, and the first store
was kept by John and Luther Cole
One day IL company with three or
four other girls. Eliza Fisk, after
ward Mrs.'sIohn Cole, being of the
! number, We're in the store, in his
Joking way MIR John Cole said that
the one that got married first should
have stone jar that stood there to
hold snuff. Well as | was always up
| to snuff, got the jar and a good
kind husband as well The Jar I
still have, but since our meeting two
years ago, have been called upon to
part with my husband.
Mr.. Linus R. Cady kept the first
| hardware store, and Mr.. Stephen
March the first furniture store; Mr..
VIM. K. Perry started the first COOP
er shop; the first lawyer our city
boasted OF was John Richards who
came | think in 1887. Prominent
names lnthose early days, and which
have growninto household words, are
those among our first physicians, Drs.
Bar Der: Cody, Goodenough and Nor
rison, their fame not being confined
to our county, but being statewide
| at least. Connected with the earliest
| banking interests are the names OF
Daniel Jones, p v Brown and VIM.
M. Dennis, the two former names still
engaged here in that business.
Our first druggist was DR.. Edward
johnson, who is still one of us. al
though SO many that | have named
have gone before us to that other
world. The first to die was a man
named Bass; he, with two others
were hired to come mere to lump
claims, one night they drank too
much liquor, got to quarelling and
this man was killed. Tney came for
my father but he said, if the man was
dead he could do nothing. But in the
morning he with another man did go
and found pitiful sight, the dead
man had been left so near the fire
that the flesh was burned nearly off
one side, a coroner was summoned
from Milwaukee, and in the mean
time my father prepared the coffin. 1t
was made OF planks split and hewn
from logs, all done by hand.
The brlck-making business has as
sumed quite large proportions as one
of the industries OF our city; my hus-
band was the first to engage in it, Af-
ter year or two Mr.. Andrew Will
lard, now of Beaver Dam, became
associated with him, first as foreman
and then as partner. The first mar
riage which occurred here was that Of
G. J. Goodhue and Miss Marcia Wa
terman. The first few years of our
living here were of course attended
with many trials and privations, but
we also had many pleasures. The
holidays and the 4th of July were
looked for ward to as a season OF re-
union. We Went to Jefferson or Fort
Atkinson, or the people from there
came here, but as the country be-
came more thickly settled we saw
less and less Of our more distant
friends, and of course grew sadly
apart, until their very names were
almost forgotten May our meeting
here renew old friendships and form
new ones that shall last as long as
there are any Old Settlers in Jetfer-
son County,
could prehaps recall many other
incidents OF those early days, for the
impression made upon my childish
mind is very vivid yet, but l feel |
have already monopolized too much
time. One incident comes to my mind,
however, showing how sacred an Indi-
an considered apromise he had given.
My oldest brother owned a very nice
rifle, quite q necessity in those days;
one day an Indian came TO our
home, and by signs and broken Eng
| lish made us understand that his
rifle was broken and he wished to
borrow my brothers, saying in three
days he would return it, and bring
deer, my father let him take it, and
true to his promise, in three days he
returned it and brought the deer. We
ever found them friendly, and it was
no uncommon occurrence when we
arose in the morning to find several
lying on the floor. with their feet to
| the fire, for locked doors were un-
heard of, our only mode of securing
privacy being to pull in the latch
string, when that was out any one
was privileged to enter
To the friends from distance who
have met with us to-day, I will say,
| you will ever find our latch string
out, come again and often, until we
are all called to that other reunion
over there. Sincerely yours,
MRS. j. A. CHADWICK
i