Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-04-12
STERLING TOWN PIONEERS.
The First Settlement of This Township,
Was Effected May 1 2, 1916. by Harley
sterling and Famiiy-Many Interesting
Notes for the Old settlers 10 Consider.

Harmony and Jefferson, on the east by
the town of Franklin. on the south by
Crawford county, and on the west by
the towns of Wheatland and Genoa. 1t
embraces part of four congressional
townships, town IL, ranges and 6, and
town IL, ranges and 6; in oil, forty
six whole sections and four and half
sections. The surface of the town ia
quite rolling and in some places very
billy and rough. The Bad AK river
flows from east to west through the
northern part of the town, and several
of it's tributaries flow into it from the
south. The river has a winding chan
mel and flows over a stony bed between
high and abrupt bluffs. The soil varies
from rich dark loan to mixture of
sand clay, the former being hi Shly val
liable for the raising of all kinds OF
cereals. A considerable portion of the
town is covered with a light growth of
timber, and there are but few places
where the timber Is heavy. The inhab-
ltants ara OF different nationaIities, in
Guiding Americas, Norwegian, German,
English and Irisn, the last named being
but few in number. The people are, as
Glass, industr and hospitable, and
possess some OF the best farms in the
| county.
The first settlement n the township
was Effected May II, 1916, by Harvey
Sterling and family. The family con-
sisted of his wife and two sons, Lewis
and La Grant, nephew, james Clark,
and America Sterling, neice. Mr..
Sterling was a native of Maryland He
came to Prairie du Chen by way of the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers. From
Prairie du Chen he went TO Mount
Sterling in Crawford county, where a
part OF the family remained, while ths
two sons, LIE Grant and Lewis, came TO
the east half of section 10, of town II,
range 6, and erected double log cabins,
| at or which the family moved to their
new home. Mr.. Sterling dad 10 p-
TENDER, 1856, and his wife in 1869. Il
was from this family of Sterlings that
the town finally took it's name. The
lands entered by Mr.. Sterling were the
second entered in the county. Mrs
Clark, widowed daughter of MIR. Ster
ling, came in 1847, and entered the
northeast half of the southeast quarter
of section 10 and the west half of the
southwest quarter of section IL. She
built log house in which she lived for
several years. It was in this cabin that
the first school in Vernon county was
taught and the first marriage was also
performed here Another settler of
1847 was Georgs Nichols, who came
from Grant county and settled on Sec
zion 81, town IL, range 5. In 1854 he
sold to @. N. johnson and removed t.
Viroqua, and later moved to Chan
Lake, Minnesota. Henry Chandler, Q /,
native of Vermont, settled in the town |
In lS47, locating on section is, town II, |
range 5. He sold, in 1856, to James |
Bailey and settled again at Retreat. He
served in the army during part of the
Rebellion and finally died at Retreat in
January, 1868. The third settler of the
town was Alexander Latshaw. native
of Indiana, who came May Is, 1S47,
and entered land on sections and 4
town IL, range 6. He was quite prom
inent and held several places of trust.
He taught the first school in the town.
He finally sold out and moved to Vic
tory.
among the settlers of 1849 were VIM.
S. Purdy and Alexander Vance. The
former was a native of Indiana and set
tied on section 3, town IL, range 6,
where he remained till 1860, al which
time he sold out and moved into Viro-
qua He is now residing in Kansas
Alexander Vance was native of Vlr
GINA, but came to this county from
Indiana and settled on section 3, town
IL, range 5. In 1850, Nathaniel Cox,
native of Kentucky, located in the town
and lived in various parts of it, but
finally located on section 4, town IL,
range 5. William Heaverine, of Ken
lucky, also located the same year on
section IL. town Ill, range 5, where he
died In 1862 Samuel Davis settled on
section 4, of town IL, range 5, 10 1852.
The first Norwegian settler in Sterling
was Albert Nash, who settled on section
II, town IL, range 5, in 1851. He died
in the union army during the rebellion
The Lutheran church and parsonage
we're afterward erected on the lands
which he settled on. Following him
came Andrew and Scott Thompson, two
Norwegians, who came from Dane coun-
ty in 1853, and entered land on sections
II and Is, town Ii, range 5. John
Mccormick was the first pioneer who
faced the hardships coincident with
western life in the Bad Ak valley. He
came to that part of Sterling town
through which the Bad AK river flows,
in 1852 or 1853, and located on section
16, town II, rarge 6, where he built a
log cabin and lived until 1866, when he
sold out and removed. Isaac Gone, a
native of Maine, came from Rock county
in 1858, and settled on section 9, town
IL, range 5. He moved with OK teams
and was eighteen days on the road. He
improved his land and remained thereon
till his death. David Davis alse &C.
companied Mr.. Gone to the county and
entered land on section Is, where he re-
manned till his death. Another settler
of 1853 was George King, native of
Vermont, who came to Vernon county
from Ozaudee county, and located on
section 7. town IL, range 5, where he re-
manned till 1870, when he removed to
Ho ward county, Iowa. In 1854, among
the Norwegians who came in for settle
ment were G. N. Johnson and Levi x.
Ramset. The former came from Nor
way to California, and from that state
to this vicinity, and finally bought land
on section 81, town IL, range B, from
George Nichols, and remained on the
same until the time of his death. Levi
X Ramsett. who was also Norwegian,
came from Dane county and entered
land on section 30, town IL, range 5
John johnson also came in 1854 and
claimed part of section 8. town IL,
range 5. The first German to locate IN
Sterling town was Nicholas Weber. who
came in 1854, and finally settled on sec
ton 81, town II, range 5. His brother,
Henry, came in 1856, and settled on
the same section. John Campbell, one
of the first actual settlers of the Bad
Ak valley, in the town of Sterling, was
a native of Ireland, and settled on Sec
ton Is, town IL, range 5, where he re-
NAMED for eleven years ana moved to
section 81. Perry Curtis, native OF
Nav York came to the town la 1900,